pokemonlezbian · 1 year ago
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clanwarrior-tumbly · 1 year ago
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Hey, It’s me, and here’s the request I made but with a bit more info.
ya know that crackfic where Lost Silver!Gold get flung into the ceiling by the reader? Well, I wanna see more of this reader and what their personality is like and how they’d interact with the other Poképasta trainers. I’d like think that the reader would be a bit crackhead-ish.
I’d also imagine that the reader mostly uses fighting types and knows and is friends with the mainline FNF cast.
their ace Pokémon would be an Annihilape that would be like “yep, same s**t as always” whenever the reader is up to their crazy shenanigans.
Oh I'm glad you liked that one! I imagine that in the pokeworld, these "creepypastas" existed as mere ghost stories (yes even the haunted bootleg/old pkmn games exist in this universe) but Reader finds out the people in them are real.
Soooo enjoy some crack hcs!
........
Steven
One day you approached Steven while he was waiting in the tower for the next poor soul to challenge him, demanding a fight while pointing to Miki.
You had plenty of guts, and zero fear.
"You, Legendary Pokémon Champion Steven, will fight me and Annihilape right now."
"....who are you?"
"Fight us."
"Wait, aren't you the one who threw Gold onto the ceiling-?"
"YOU'LL BE NEXT IF YOU DON'T FIGHT US!!!!"
That threat's enough to make him finally start the battle, but while you and your Pokémon gave it your all...Steven eventually won and was about to send your soul to the depths below as the loser's punishment-
But your Annihilape suddenly bounced back to life and you commanded it to use Seismic Toss on Miki.
"That's not going to work." He taunted. "She's untouchable-"
Somehow they could use the move on her, sending her crashing on top of Steven and instantly knocking both of them out.
You smiled proudly and fistbumped Annihilape, before you both got the hell out of that creepy tower.
Somewhere in the afterlife, Mike's laughing his ass off.
Glitchy Red
You somehow got into his game, meeting him in Glitch City just because you wanted to see him face-to-face. Steven told you he was a nice guy so you figured you'll pay him a visit.
"Yo, are you the infamous Glitchy Red?"
"...Red is fine. And how the hell did you get in here? And why does your Primeape look like that?"
"No time for that. Can we have your autograph?"
"Wait...if you were able to get in here, that means you can get out, too." He suddenly realizes, grinning sinisterly. "You can help me get out, right?"
"Nuh-uh."
"....fuck do you mean, "nuh-uh"?!"
"Not without an autograph first."
At this point he's 101% fed-up and tries to attack you, but you tell Annihilape to use Seismic Toss on him.
You watch him fly up to the "sky" before he just glitches into whatever invisible barrier's up there.
He doesn't come back, so you two just leave.
Your ghost/fighting type just shakes their head as you huff about never getting that autograph you wanted.
"Hilape, ape."
"Wdym I "overreacted"??"
Grey (+ Shinto)
You were just sparring with your fighting type team during one sunny afternoon....when you heard a boy's screaming off in the distance, slowly growing closer and closer.
Then you see him running towards you, looking back at whatever was chasing him and ignoring the fact he would've crashed right into you--
If not for your Hitmonlee sticking out their leg to trip him, sending him faceplanting into the dirt.
Immediately you recognized him as the guy from that bootleg Pokémon game everybody's been talking about and helped him up.
"What the hell are you running from, Grey? Is Shinto up to her usual shit?"
"Y-Yeah! She's....wait, how do you know who I am??" He stares at you, petrified.
"Who doesn't?" You rolled your eyes. "You're famous, kid."
Grey would've been more flattered if not for Shitno scurrying over to you on all fours.
He screamed again and hid behind your back, blubbering about not knowing why she was angry this time.
However, Annihilape already knows the drill by now---and Seismic Tosses her as far away as possible.
Grey's in disbelief.
"Thanks, but..i-isn't Seismic Toss supposed to throw your opponent towards the ground???"
"Well, we're not in a battle so Annihilape can do whatever the hell they want." You shrugged with a smile.
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glassmarcus · 9 months ago
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I Was Transported into the Pokémon World simply because God wanted to see what funny shit would happen and now I’m the savior of this Underdeveloped Island
*Played in January 2022, Written in Summer 2022.
Since its inception, Pokémon has been split into a dichotomy: The Battling and Collecting. You catch Pokémon to fight, you fight with Pokémon to catch them. Two sides of the same coin. That’s the basis of the franchise really. But to draw parallels to a coin is misleading, because they are in no way equal in surface area. The collecting aspect of Pokémon is and always has been somewhat dwarfed by the battling aspect.
I want to define these attributes before continuing. When I talk about battling I don’t just mean fighting gym leaders and trainers, I’m including the entire process of selective breeding and training Pokémon specifically so they are better at beating the stuffing out of other Pokémon. Here is where the standard RPG elements are present. You build your party, level up your party, and probably get attached to your party. When I refer to Collecting I don’t just mean catching Pokémon and producing more of them with your harlot of a ditto. Observing the Pokémon and learning about it’s behavior is also included in this. You aren’t just collecting Pokémon, but collecting knowledge of the world itself. That’s how I see things anyway.
Collecting has always taken a backseat to Battling because Collecting is, for the most part, a side mission. Gathering Pokémon is optional and only slightly encouraged. You can go through the entire game with only one dude + an HM Slave and be perfectly fine. You may miss out on a few items, but you will see the credits. Battling is only dependent on Collecting to a point and you can ignore it entirely after you’ve gotten your 6th Pokémon. The inverse isn’t true though. Collecting is almost always dependent on battling because that’s the only real way to engage with Pokémon in this franchise. You fight them to catch them. Sure there are exceptions. Breeding is a way to get a new Pokémon without fighting. There are also things outside of battling and collecting that allow interaction with Pokémon such as Pokémon AMIE or Pokémon contest. But these all end up feeling like detours because so much of the world just revolves around Pokémon tearing each other apart. All the progression blocks and benchmarks are defined by how good you are at commanding your animal buddies to throw hands...or paws...or rocks. This has led to the series being more of a monster battle simulator than a monster collectethon.
It’s funny how Pokémon was marketed as the ‘Gotta Catch Em All’ game, when really it’s never been about that. It was mainly the novelty of that being possible rather than the game design itself pushing people to do it. Catching them all is a goal that has lost its luster over time. The more Pokémon included, the more out of reach the concept seemed. The longer it went on, the less charming it felt. While there were many attempts to actually enforce this dichotomy or at the very least lessen the importance of battle, none were successful. But as unsuccessful as they were, they were not fruitless. Every experiment, every weird spin off, every failed idea all built towards something.
We first saw glimpses of this vision as early as the first Pokémon generation in Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow (and Green I guess) with the Safari Zone. The Safari Zone introduced this idea that you were hunting Pokémon in a somewhat old school fashion. You didn’t use your Pokémon to fight them and tire them out. It was just the player character luring and baiting Pokémon into a position where they can be caught easier. There’s a cool idea at play here, but the way it was executed made it not a cool game to play here. The Safari Zone is functionally the same as the rest of the adventure, only worse. You weren’t technically fighting the monsters, but you basically were, as it just uses a watered down version of the regular battle menu. The way you catch Pokémon is mechanically less interesting than the normal way; The way you find Pokémon is exactly the same as the normal way (only there’s a step limit for some reason). Because this franchise is so rooted in everything being progressed through violence, the attempt to deviate from that resulted in a lesser version of the standard turn based combat.
There was no safari zone in 2nd Generation Pokémon Games: Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal. Probably because it sucked so hard in Generation 1. There was however, a Bug Catching Contest. While this contest didn’t require you to use any unique mechanic for catching Pokémon, it did incentivize catching for reasons other than finding a strong recruit for your team. I always wished there was more stuff like this in Generation 2 because it was an outlet to test your catching ability in a way that wasn’t just completing the Pokédex. Battles always had gyms, but Catching had nothing. It could have had contest as an equivalent, but for the most part this idea was abandoned. The only contest you really see in the future are the Pokémon Contest in Generation 3’s Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald and the subsequent Generation’s Pokémon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum. These deviate a bit from standard battles for sure, but they don’t encourage catching any more than the legacy battles it’s trying to serve as an alternative to. Not to say that physically catching is the only way to interact with your team during this era. Part of these Contest is grooming your Pokémon in a way which makes them thrive in certain categories. There’s nothing interesting about this process though and it only serves to increase yet another set of stats. Interactions divorced from battling would be done better in later games and was honestly done better in earlier games as well.
I will stand by the statement that Pokémon Snap (1999) was, for a long time, the most interesting lens into the Pokémon World. While you couldn’t catch them or treat them like pets, you could observe them in their natural habitats and see their regular demeanor. It was the first time Pokémon showed any signs of life. You could stand by and just watch them like a Disney Land safari ride, or you could lure and pester them to change their behaviors. Either way, they would exist and go about their day. Pokémon Snap implanted this idea that Pokémon exist outside of your view and it made the world feel so much bigger despite being what is essentially a condensed on rails shooter. It’s not a game about catching Pokémon, yet it still succeeds at what the Safari Zone failed at in gen 1.
On the other hand, 7 years later there would be the first Pokémon game that was expressly about catching them in Pokémon Rangers. I’ve never played this game, because the main method of gameplay interaction is ruining your DS Screen and I try to take care of my things. I’ve long assumed that the trilogy of Pokémon Rangers games aren’t what I was looking for in a “Pokémon game about catching Pokémon” and frankly I don’t care to confirm this assumption. Having catching monsters be hinged on some awful gimmick was grounds for immediate dismissal. It’s bad. And distracting. As limited as Pokémon Snap was, I never perceived the gameplay as some huge abstraction separating me from the Pokémon World. It’s Strange. In the 2 decade span between Pokémon Snap and it’s sequel, not a single game came close to them in generating an immersive Pokémon Experience.
The 3D games did more to make Pokémon truly exist in the world, removing the abstraction that was once there, but also making it look really embarrassing as a result. It was fine in Pokémon Snap. It was not fine in Pokémon Colosseum because the world felt barren as a result. It was not fine in the 6th Generation entries: Pokémon X, Y, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire because battles took place in a seemingly alternate dimension and Pokémon instantly spawned out of ankle high grass. It was still not fine when they did that exact same thing in the 7th generation with Pokémon Sun and Moon. It was not fine in Pokémon Go because it’s explicitly not the Pokémon World and it makes no sense for them to just appear out of the ethereal plane. I haven’t touched Either 8th Generation game: Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield yet, but the Wild Area in that game looks hilarious to me with how aggressive the pop in seemed and how boring the environments looked. These ventures into making a Pokémon adventure in 3D haven’t worked out. All attempts to make a game that didn’t require Battling the end all be all action failed. But, we’ve gotten a bit closer every time, even when it wasn’t obvious.
Colosseum may have taken the adventure and capturing aspects of Pokémon out of the equation, but it still introduced Pokémon being in unnatural/special states which would be used in future games. Generation 6 didn’t do much to convert the series into a 3D adventure, but it did introduce 700 3D models and grant a way to interact with and pamper your Pokémon. Generation 7 abandoned the grid movement, brought believable geography to the table, and expanded upon the unnatural/special Pokémon idea that Colosseum created. Pokémon GO, for how little of an adventure it offers, proves that Catching and Battling can be fun and completely separate. And as lifeless as the Wild areas in Sword and Shield looked like at a glance, they still allow for freedom and open gameplay. This is also a heavy assumption though, as I skipped the hell out of that game. Game Freak has been the primary developer for Pokémon since the beginning and every blunder they made along the way they have learned from and used to build up the franchise. It may not have happened all at once, but we got there eventually. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the logical destination that all of Game Freak’s baby steps have been marching towards this whole time.
On a structural level, Legends is a huge switch up for the franchise. The goal of the game is laid out in front of you from the start: “Seek Pokémon”. It’s the first thing you hear once you are Isekai’d into the past and everything you do in the rest of the story pretty much boils down to this. The game itself is built around this idea. You are given large open areas to explore that are actually inhabited by Pokémon. This feat is achieved by modifying 3 elements of the established Pokémon journey.
Change #1: Pokémon Species now all have unique behaviors.
This is an exaggeration of course, but in prior mainline games there wasn’t much room for Pokémon to really show their personality out in the wild. They pop out and attack you then either punk out or keep fighting. That was the extent of their behavior. Now that you are tasked with finding Pokémon instead of just running into them randomly, there are way more situations available for the Pokémon to show off their general behavior. It goes far beyond fight and flight this time. You can be minding your own business trying to collect materials on the side of the beach when all of a sudden you get ambushed by a Spheal. And what does the Spheal do? Just sorta rolls up to you and chills. That’s it. Spheals are simply balls of joy that want to give a goofy smile to anyone within proximity. It’s something that is easy to imagine given the design of the Pokémon, but it was never something that could be displayed until now.
I won’t pretend that every interaction is as memorable and unique as these ones, but I was shocked at how many times I came out of an encounter knowing way more about how the Pokémon operates rather that knowing how hard it is to catch. Mr Mimes are pretty docile, but will not make it easy to catch them in a very unique way. They will put up invisible walls to block your pokéballs and challenge you to figure out how to get past them. Paras are fucking assholes and will attempt to eliminate you on sight no matter what level you are. They are the little guy who talks shit, cannot back it up, yet refuses to admit they cannot back it up. Who can back up their shit are Toxicroaks who do not entertain your stealth antics. They will spot you from a distance you would never expect to be spotted from and will charge at you with the determination of a child chasing down an Ice Cream Truck. You truly get a sense for the general disposition of most Pokémon in this game. Whenever you see a new Pokémon, it’s not just a new design to add to your Pokédex, it’s a creature to be studied.
Change #2: Pokémon are always physically there.
Well not really, but the draw distance of where they pop into the environment is just enough to where it appears like they abide by the laws of object permanence. Gone are random encounters and it works way better. Obviously having the Pokémon be constantly on the map instead of an abstract battle zone will make the Pokémon feel like they exist in the same world as you. Sure, this can be messed up if they make the Pokémon too static so that they come across as objects instead, but I think Game Freak makes their idle behavior patterns just active enough to sell it. Removing wild Pokémon from the realm of battles and bringing them into the real world has been a long time coming. We saw a bit of this with rustling spots in debuting in Generation 5’s Pokémon Black and White where certain spots in the grass indicated a Pokemon being present. The Dex Nav in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire allowed you to search for certain Pokémon even if you couldn’t see them really and implemented a slow walk to sneak up to them. The trials in Sun and Moon were a cool way to interact with wild Pokémon outside of random encounters and then we finally got there in Sword and Shield with specified areas. The wall has been shattered and now Pokémon are simply Pokémon. It comes off great, not just as a dork who wants to be pulled into a fictional world, but as person who hates stupid ass random encounters.
I’d like to recall a certain event from my youth. I was playing a Pokémon game on the Gameboy Advance, it was either Pokemon Sapphire or Pokemon Leaf Green, I don’t quite remember. I was in a cave and I had no idea where I was going and I didn’t have a Pokémon with flash. So I just wandered around, colliding with every wall in the area until I found my way out. And every goddamned 5 steps you know what I was greeted with? A fucking Zubat. I attacked and fled from more Zubats than my tiny mind could possibly comprehend. And after wading through the near unending sea of Zubats I found myself washed up upon the other side of the cave. Except it wasn’t the other side. It was the same exact place I entered! Does this story seem familiar to you? I do not doubt that it does. I would not be surprised if everyone who has played a decent amount of Pokémon has an anecdote like that in their back pocket. Sure if I had been prepared and had flash and some repels this wouldn’t be an issue. But I believe the punishment for not having and using the right items should be something a bit lighter than RNG Shit Bat Purgatory.
Eliminating random encounters removes annoying moments such as these and replaces them with actual substance. This is a complete vertical improvement. I do not miss repels. Not one bit. I struggle to think of any game which I would prefer random encounters over the enemies being on the map. It always seemed like the late SNES RPGs were legendary must play games at the top of the genre. Yet, years later I have still not beaten Final Fantasy 6. I could never really place why I couldn’t as that game is objectively incredible. I think I’ve finally uncovered the grounds for my lack of motivation though. Chrono Trigger doesn’t have dumb random encounters. Earthbound doesn’t have dumb random encounters. FF6 does. Also Active Time Battle systems aren’t used that well in Final Fantasy titles and really shouldn’t have lasted so many games. After 25 years Pokémon has surpassed Final Fantasy 6 and is now on a similar level of prestige as Chrono Trigger. Is this reasoning completely unhinged and probably incorrect? Yes. I’m not even sure I truly agree with it. But the fact that I’m only exaggerating at least 40% of this praise says a lot about how big of an improvement I feel the franchise has made in this game.
Change #3: Pokémon will knock your dick into the dirt and steal your shoes
This is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most important thing this game has added. It’s always been strange how Wild Pokémon Battles are pretty much identical to Trainer Battles. It’s framed as this dangerous task, yet both cases just seem like something you are doing for sport. Why are they not whooping your ass after you run out of Pokémon? Why are these Pokémon so polite to your defenseless soulless player character. This idea that wild Pokémon never harm the trainer is pusillanimous bull shit by design. I understand the rationale, but it’s still extremely limiting. We see Pokémon with these dangerous abilities, cosmic roles in the world, and incredible stature and reputation. Yet they have never felt like that for a second because you are never in any form of narrative danger from wild Pokémon. I fear trainers WAY MORE. Trainers take your money at least, wild Pokémon teleport you to the nearest free health care center. There is no risk in interacting with these things so the idea that they are actually dangerous comes across as a lie.
Legends removes this lie and makes it clear that Pokémon will thoroughly ruin your day. You may have been able to infer that your trainer gets injured, but that’s not the same as it actually happening. Getting hit in this game is a bad time. Getting hit in any game feels bad, but the way the screen fuzzes up and makes everything disorienting while you aren’t completely sure how much health you have left makes it crystal clear that you have fucked up. Conversely, not getting hit when they attack you feels great. Before now, all you could do is throw balls and give commands, now you are much more than that. You can get the hell out of the way. Dodge rolling through shock waves and weaving through projectiles not only makes you seem more competent than in other games, but also suggest you are fighting an actual threat. It also helps that there are stakes this time around. You can’t just repeatedly die with no consequence anymore. You will lose important items and have to rely other players taking part of the Strand System to get them back. There’s something more heart breaking about this than losing your money. Money is something you constantly get throughout the game, but items can be used in specific situations for specific uses and thus act more like property. I don’t want the things I own to get stolen. It’s as simple as that. This system assuredly put the fear of Arceus into me and had me tip toeing around Alpha Pokémon from a safe distance for a large portion of the game. Alpha Pokémon are the latest version of the corrupted Pokémon concept. Abnormally large, Extremely aggressive, with eyes that will pierce your Heart, Bladder, and Soul. Fear was never an emotion I’d expect to have while playing a Pokémon game, but it’s exactly how I felt. Rounding a corner and seeing an Alakazam 3 times stronger than anything in my party made me understand something. Pocket Monsters are now finally, for the first time ever, Monsters.
I’m serious, Pokemon are a threat. This isn’t an observation I’m having. The text of the game supports it. People are scared shitless of Pokemon, and they should be. They don’t have a century worth of experience telling these beast what to do. There’s no reason for them to listen to humans, Pokemon are smart enough and strong enough to take over whenever they want to. But they don’t. Most Pokemon just kinda want to hang out with humans and help them and the whole game is about the society realizing that. It’s not what I would call a good plot, and I can’t say it’s delivered extremely well. But it’s a nice change of status quo from what you���re used to and it’s consistent with the gameplay. It re-frames the Pokemon human connection that we’ve been taking for granted for decades now. And when Pokemon do start coexisting with humans as the game progresses, it’s genuinely wholesome.
I didn’t realize it before, but I’ve always wanted this on an unconscious level. I can only assume this desire was sprouted within me when I watched the first Pokémon Movie and saw Ash completely wipe out after getting Sandwich Slammed by Mew and Mewtwo. Or maybe it was all the Digimon media I consumed where Digimon posed an actual threat to the protagonist in a believable way. No matter what it was, it made it clear that there was a disconnect between the action and player avatar that I’d rather be removed. The Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games scratched that itch for a bit. Removing the trainer from the equation and just have you play as the Pokémon is extremely effective in making the action feel substantial. Legends has it’s Alcreamie and eats it too. You still get an avatar you can use to bond with strange creatures, but you aren’t removed from the action in the slightest.
With these three additions, Legends builds the perfect foundation for a fresh and engaging Pokémon journey.
Of course some stuff had to be added and sacrificed for it to all mesh together. Catching for one, is no longer as simple as throwing a ball. It’s not even as simple as aiming and throwing a ball. It essentially includes both methods of catching Pokémon we’ve seen so far in the franchise. You can go the traditional route and whittle a Pokémon’s health down through battle and catch it via menu. You can also aim the pokéballs and attempt to catch the Pokémon outright like in Pokémon Go. The latter ends up being one of the more interesting additions to the game.
You cannot just throw a pokéball at aggressive Pokémon. So unless you want to fight everything like this is a normal Pokémon game (which is completely valid), you have to create situations where Pokémon are susceptible to capture. You can use stealth to make a Pokémon who would be aggressive on sight vulnerable to a throw. That slow walk introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire is paying off dividends now and has become an invaluable movement option. You can Lure a Pokémon out with food and bring their guard down. You can throw rocks and other hard materials at aggro’d pokes to put them in a temporary stunned state. If you are a coward and don’t even want to interact with the beast face to face, you can just snipe the sons of bitches if you have good enough aim. All these approaches paired with a variety of pokéballs with their own ups and downs create a truly engrossing system writhe with opportunities to hunt, research, and interact.
Traditional Battling is what I’d call….worse, but in a way that’s inconsequential. Pokémon has lost a lot of it’s complexity in this installment. There’s no abilities, no hold items and Sweeping and Tanking archetypes are all that matter. But even though it’s not the same battle system we all know and love, it’s still a battle system that works better with this style of game than the old one ever could. Pokémon fighting has always been slow and inefficient. All the transitions, animations, and frequency of battles themselves just lead to a lot of your time being wasted. And even though there’s a lot going on under the hood, only the multiplayer and a few in-game encounters ever take full advantage of it. This game isn’t about battling and doesn’t even have a multiplayer option on the other hand. The old form of combat would have no benefit being in this game. This is why Legends emphasizes Speed above all else. Everything is snappy and immediate. Animations are quicker, the battles are mostly optional, Pokémon go down faster than ever before, and there are no battle transitions because every encounter takes place on the map. Even the statuses are changed to make battle faster, replacing stuff like Sleep, and Frozen (things which only acted to take away turns and slow down the game) with Drowsy and Frostbite. It’s less complicated, but it’s smoother which is something this game tries very hard to accomplish at all times. Arceus wants you to get back to the adventure as soon as possible and creates a system to accommodate this. Speed feels like a guiding principle of this game overall.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to make world traversal not terrible in games such as these. Sure people like wandering from place to place in open areas, but making it too slow can make the process tedious when treading old ground. I surmise that the devs were hyper aware of this when creating this game. When you enter your first open area and roam around for an hour or two, it’s pretty slow moving and it’s fine because you’re still learning the ropes. Everything is fresh and new, so there’s no need to get to point B from A as soon as possible. But once you get into the swing of things and the illusion of an infinitely expanding world is shattered, Legends waste no time making sure that you don’t waste yours.
Soon enough, Fast Travel Points become available and you get your first mount which controls way better than I ever thought it would. More over, the summoning and dismissal of the mount is near instant. You can travel to landmarks quicker, gain access to new areas, and if you want to go back on foot it’s just as simple as pressing a button. Mounts act as a Sonic Heroes-like party member switch, where different situations call for different characters. You continue to get these mounts throughout the game, and as you progress, your mobility reaches insane heights. As the areas get bigger and terrain gets more treacherous, you become equally equipped enough to deal with them. Every new mount is purely additive and doesn’t hinder gameplay in any way because the character switching is so buttery smooth that it starts to feel like you aren’t playing as X amount of characters, but 1 character with a large set of skills.
I would say Legends’ main strengths that set it apart are its snappiness and its fresh design philosophy. But even without those things it’s still a Pokémon game. That means it has the given Pokémon staples such as Delightful Music and Solid Character Designs, and Minimal Options, and underwhelming character creation, and inefficient use of Hardware Specs, and Grating Overly Long Dialogue….Oh No, it’s still a Pokémon game. If this had a few more months in the oven it could have been far more impressive given the right direction. Sure, there’s a lot of content and most of it is fun, but the polish isn’t there, not by a long shot. For all it has going for it, it still looks cheap. I’ve played the Xenoblade games, I know what the switch can do when utilized correctly. This ain't it. These Early 7th gen console textures for the environment ain't it. These long as hell load times when going between areas ain't it. This lack of voice acting paired with characters pretending to talk in serious cutscenes is not it. The game is embarrassing in a way that isn’t really acceptable. Not as embarrassing as it used to be, but still not up to par when you consider Pokémon is the biggest media franchise of all time.
These sort of come off as nit picks after the 20 paragraphs I spent praising the game, but overtime they did weigh down the experience.
Example: In the beginning of the game I wandered into a forest full of bug type Pokémon that I hadn’t seen in the game before. As I slowly creeped around the area trying not to scare off anything because I had no clue how common anything was, I surveyed my environment to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. At this moment Music starting playing. Music seems to play very infrequently in this game. That means you can miss some of the game’s great soundtrack. But that also makes it more impactful when you do hear it. The track that started playing was “The Heartwood” and it gave off a perfect fey-like vibe. I became completely engrossed with the serene majesty of the Pokémon World. And then it happened. The track which felt familiar, yet completely original shifted into an arrangement of Eterna Forest, My favorite piece of music from Generation 4. As I was taking in this truly spellbinding moment, I thought to look to the sky to see what time of day it was. And then I saw something unexpected. A Staraptor, a Pokémon that I didn’t think I’d be able to catch yet, appeared before me…..in the far distance...flying around in a perfect circle...at 3 frames a second. And yea, that sequence pretty much encapsulates my experience with this game. There’s a true 10/10 buried in this, but as you dig to find it, you can only see it for a moment before the dirt walls come falling back down. It’s eyes are just a bit too big for it’s stomach. It’s great, but the whole time you can’t help but think “This should be way cooler than it actually is”. Regardless, I was still impressed by the game in context and hope that more like this comes in the future. Pokémon has reached it’s first milestone destination, but there is still a long road ahead.
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savebatsfromscratch · 1 year ago
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According this this post from 2013, it's DPA month! (Actually ten years ago...?) So I answered the questions! (Also this has been queued since December 2022 lol.)
I know this was supposed to be day by day, but I don't feel like it.
1. How did you start reading DPA?
This is gonna sound really dumb, but I found book six at my local library and started reading because I thought Koya had a cool outfit.
2. Who is your favorite hero?
It was Koya for a long long time, but as I'm writing this it's either Jun or Hareta. :) Not sure.
3. Who's your favorite villain?
This is gonna sound dumb, but I really do actually LOVE B-2. He's got some actually very good writing, and along with that he has a character arch! He's my little guy, but if I talk about him it comes out like a joke. qwq (Besides him though, really like Mars, she's just so cute.)
4. Favorite chapter?
Not sure if it's *actually* my favorite, but the battle between Mitsumi and Hareta when Mitsumi was in Team Galactic was one of the high points in the series.
5. What's something you wanted to see happen that didn't?
I wanted Jun and Hareta to battle! They're rivals and (unless I'm forgetting something stupid) they have never had a proper battle! It makes me sad. qwq
6. Favorite pokémon?
Hareta's Misdreavus! (Or Koya's Absol.) Such a little guy.
7. If DPA had a voice cast, who would you want to hear in the roles?
I don't know any voice actors besides Eric Vale (who I know from Hetalia), so, uh, he can be Jun I guess. XD
8. Favorite B-2 butt abuse moment?
I like the one where he gets bit from the first time because he imedietly shoots Hareta afterwards.
9. What's your favorite Hareta scene?
I like all the ones where he gets beat up and/or acts serious. XD (So, once again, the Mitsumi and Hareta battle is a favorite.
10. Did you have any predictions about DPA that came true?
I really wasn't thinking when I read it, so I didn't really have any predictions to make. (Also I read it in this order, "six, two, seven, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, *wait three years*, eight. My library didn't have the last book so I had to buy it.)
11. Did you have any predictions about DPA that didn't come true?
Again, I didn't try to think lol.
12. (November 12th is Cyrus Appreciation Day) What's your favorite Cyrus scene?
The one where Mitsumi, Jun, and Hareta are jokingly guessing what he was doing when he was missing. (Maybe this is more of a Jupiter scene but still.)
...
OOH WAIT. THAT ONE ON THE BRIDGE WHERE ALL THE GRAVES SHOW UP. THAT ONE IS SO GOOD.
13. Do you have any headcanons for DPA?
I lot! I guess the biggest one is that Hareta is (ethicly) Yupik! Or, the Pokemon world equivilent of it. (Link to article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yupik_peoples ) I also have some sexuality headcannons, such as Hareta being Pansexual, Koya being a man enjoyer but also a bit aspec, etc.
14. Favorite single panel?
OOH HOW DO I CHOOSE... I probably can't pick an actual favorite, because I have so many, but I know that page 13 in book 4 is always a win. (And the "I'm okay with being stupid!" panel is still awesome.)
15. What's your favorite Mitsumi scene?
I like the one where she almost gets exploded in the building. :D
16. What's your favorite Jun scene?
The one where he gets choked by the Tangrowth lol.
17. Favorite pokémon battle?
I already said it like eight times, but the Hareta and Mitsumi one is REALLY good. I also quite like the Koya and Hareta one. :)
18. Favorite Gym Leader/League battle?
I really really like Volker, but he was hardly in this manga so I guess Roarke?
19. Not including Charon, what's your favorite Galactic Commander scene?
Hmm. I like Hareta's dad's interaction with Cyrus that one time. (Honestly I don't pay much attention to the Galactic characters, lol.)
20. What're some alternate outfits you want to see the characters in?
I want to see Hareta wearing a big coat. :) I also want Koya to wear am emo outfit, Mitsumi in a period costume (any era is fine), and Jun in, uh, full plate armor, sure.
21. Favorite shipping? (feel free to divide this into categories if need be!)
I can't pick a favorite! Uh, Jun x Hareta??? I guess??
22. What's your favorite Koya scene?
The one where he gets beat up in the volcano in book six. 🙃 (I'm, um, into pain I guess.)
23. Who's a game character you wanted to see appear that didn't?
I've never played the game, so I don't know.
24. Who do you think won the last battle, Hareta or Koya?
It makes sense for Hareta to win, I think. (Koya's great too, but he was totally gonna get beat up in their unprompted battle, so why not carry it over?)
25. What's your favorite Charon scene?
LEAST favorite? Uh, I dunno, I can't think of any.
26. Who do you think won between Mitsumi and Cynthia?
Mitsumi. :)
27. What's your favorite Piplup/Empoleon scene?
The one where Hareta is doing the contest and he gets all sad and stuff.
28. What are some pokémon you would want to see the characters with?
I dunno. I guess I want Koya's Growlithe and Hareta's Misdreavus to evolve? Other than that I can't really think of anything.
29. Where do you think Hareta went after the epilogue?
I think he just kinda chilled honestly.
30. Given about three years since the series ended, what do you think the characters are doing now?
I think Mistumi is the Champion in contests, Koya is in the police still, Jun is doing his very best, and Hareta is back in the woods.
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autumn-sweet-fae · 2 years ago
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You know you tend to get emotional when stressed? Well, Akari has been under massive amounts of stress since she made it to Hisui. I think it’d get an awful lot of people on her side if, during one of the post battle live streamed interviews, she started crying because the lab is trying to take away her partners. Especially Dusk, who she raised from the time all she knew was Tackle and Growl. Everyone knows how you that is in the life of a Pokémon and suddenly it’s less a girl stealing from a (fine and upstanding) research lab and more a girl on the run trying to hold onto a Pokémon she has raised and loved for what has to be literal years. (I forget how long your au has her in Hisui)
In my Au, by the time Akari and Ingo return to the future, Akari would have been missing a year and Ingo would been missing for three years.
Also, in case no one has picked up on it, I write Akari as also being autistic, largely because it makes her easier for me to write. So crying in front of other people is something she absolutely never wants to do, especially with some stranger. So the moment she feels her throat tightening and her eyes start to burn she would immediately remove herself from the situation. And she would be wearing the mask at the time too so it would look less like someone stepping away to gather themself and more like her harshly brushing the kid off.
Early on in Hisui, Akari’s method of managing her emotions and stress when interacting with human people was to bottle it up and smile and be as polite and present as possible. She would wear a metaphorical mask and always dress and behave appropriately when interacting with authority. She did not want to be alone in this strange world and wanted to be trusted, which is why Commander Kamado’s repeated reminders that she is not trusted hurt so much.
When Akari finds the ‘gift’ containing theZoroark mask left outside her door one morning, she loves it. She likes to keep it on her person and even wears it when interacting with others outside the village. It gives her the comfort of not always having to stress over how others would react to her expression not being perfectly pleasant. She honestly feels like she can only be herself when she’s out in the wilds with her pokemon because out here there’s not really anything to remind her that she’s suck somewhere that she does not belong.
When Rei pulls her aside and gently informs her that the mask was most likely ment as an insult, Akari is honestly heart broken. She stops wearing her in, shoving it away into her trunk. Volo later asks what happened to her favorite spooky accessory and she shrugs, telling him it was childish anyway.
And then she meets Ingo and the two find that they share so much in common. Not just their mysterious origins and love/talent of handling Pokémon, but also in numerous small ways. The fact that Ingo also keeps an empty pokeball in his pocket to play with when his hands need something to do. How he has difficulty controlling his expression, though he struggles to emote much at all while Akari knows she can emote too much. He can talk with her for hours about pokemon and battle strategies and they both have the best time throwing ideas back and fourth. She has this urge to apologize for how much she’s taking about pokemon, but Ingo is so genuinely interested in invested in what she say and makes sure to tell her so. They can both get very loud in they’re excitement but Ingo is significantly Louder.
It’s when Akari is sent to the Icelands that she sees an actual Zorua for the first time while exploring the caves. She caught the little guy with a back shot for a closer look but, he was so very distressed and defensive at her presence that she released him shortly after getting the notes she needed. She tells Ingo about them to get his perspective on it as every other person she’s spoken immediately shuttered and bulked at the idea of a Zorua. Even Professor Laventon seemed scared of them.
As she had hoped, his thoughts on the pokemon and its evolution did not come from a place of fear, but of understanding it to be another pokemon. He even tells her how the Zorua and Zoroark are of those pokemon he remembers differently then they appear in Hisui. He recalls their fur bring black, not white, and that they were known to be tricksters. He believes the didn’t have the best reputation where he was from as well, which was not deserved.
He shares what he had learn of the Hisui Zoroark from the Pearl clan and from what he has observed in the wilds. Their history of exile by cruel humans, the mutual distrust and hostility, how protective they are if their young. That last fact he can’t recall learning, he simply knew it.
After hearing all of this, Akari goes back to her trunk and retrieves her mask, choosing to keep it on her person yet again. This Pokémon deserves to  exist as much as any other and she won’t shove it away as the people of Hisui had done.
Later, after the trauma of Akari’s exile, she starts to wear the mask more and more, no longer caring what the people thought of her. She devotes time to not just studying the pokemon but helping them integrate with humans an learn they don’t need to be hostile. She also will no longer hesitate to call out people on their ignorance of pokemon and how damaging their behavior can be for both the pokemon and themselves.
And this has gotten totally off topic 😅
But yeah, Does Not want to cry in front of anyone that’s not her pokemon or Ingo. Ingo is great and will either give her space if that’s what she wants, or give her a hug while wrapping his coat around her to help her feel safe and hidden.
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dolugecat · 3 years ago
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On some Japanese social issues I had learned about at uni and abroad):
(Rb ok!)
Legit had an epiphany about the true hidden meaning of the last arc of Mob Psycho 100. It’s hella projection but for real there is nothing neurotypical about Mob or Mob Psycho. I do not wish to enforce my interpretation on others (ironic bc I do that all the time but this is a serious social theory). There are some interesting and very sad social issues in Japan that the west really doesn’t understand but would I think help people understand a lot of context behind not only Mob Psycho, but also a lot of other anime. I learned this at my shitty university (prestigious but horrific) and while studying abroad in Japan and talking with Japanese peers. Get ready here we go (and tw for bullying and darker things):
Unfortunately in East Asian education systems, bullying can be extremely intense. Growing up I assumed it was over exaggerated extremely in anime for drama but it really can be so horrific. From what I’ve heard, there is often a single kid or so who is just shit on by everyone else, even the teacher. Mogami land *is* the reality of some Japanese kids. I’ve read that in Korea, this social punching bag sometimes is just the darkest skinned person (yayyy colorism /angry) and or someone who does not fit in. I mean, we have that in America too, but maybe not as common for the bullying to be as focused on one misfit rather than several. These kids just can’t escape the stigma too, kids from other schools find out they were a major victim at their old school and it starts anew. Thus there is so much stigma and incentive to join in on bullying so you aren’t the one. Sadly, this also ofc leads to higher suicide rates. That’s where the “shoe on building roof” anime trope comes in, bc somehow taking off shoes is relayed to death (I forgot why sorry)
There is a difference in how intense in general high school vs college is too. In the West, commonly college is the more intense curriculum and is harder than high school, but in Japan it’s usually the opposite. Grind suuuupppeeerrrr hard for entrance exams (huge standardized tests that determines what college you can qualify to) bc unlike the ACT or SAT here, that test is by far the most important factor for college admission. Then chill and relax a bit in college. Can’t relate. Name and prestige is very critical for job application, more important than here. That’s why planning out your future is sooo much more intense for Japanese high schoolers than in America, and why there is sooo much more pressure to excel in high school than here. Japanese school years and holidays are done different than ours, I’d suggest looking it up.
Social prestige of going to an American high school or college is nuts. Like whyyy do you value our shitty education, Japan’s is much higher quality (it’s bc we neo colonized them). Being able to speak English is very, very highly valued and any association with Americans make you cooler. From my experience, some Japanese students got very excited to practice speaking English with us, and their biggest issues with learning it is pronunciation, lmao. Wasai english is unique slang that is indeed English words but it’s kinda different and it’s kinda jarring to remember lol. So, Teru having parents that are working overseas isn’t too uncommon, idk about leaving him absolutely alone, but I did have a ex-friend who just came from Japan in middle school who’s situation probably wasn’t too far off from that. Empty wealth with no love, it’s no wonder those kind of people can end up being huge bullies (minori?)
I did a presentation on 引きこもり(hikikomori) for which means “shut in”, (like Serizawa) and it’s fucked up. It’s a social phenomena where according to some Japanese researchers a mix of undisciplined parenting, guilt/not living up to expectations, and hopelessness makes an alarming amount of youth/ young adults literally never go out side their house/room. Often a parent is “enabling” the behavior by supporting them, but idk the articles seemed a bit victim-blaming to me when I read it, but I don’t think I should make a judgement too hard, not my place. I will say I do suspect and believe I read something to support that ASD might play a role in hikikomoris (there is pitiful resources for autistic people in Asia, much much less support than even here, to the point I don’t think most know it exists). Like come on, with the other points I laid out my personal opinion as an Asian American with autism is that it really seems it’s unknowing ableism against autistic classmates, but I didn’t grow up in Asia so I don’t want to say.
Mental health in general is tragically quite abysmal in Japan, and with it being so hyper competitive and brutal work culture, it’s no surprise birth rate in Japan is so low; some Japanese young adults say it seems unethical to bring a life to such hostile world. Suicide rate is of the highest in the world. It’s fucked, I’ve interacted with some of the locals in Tokyo and they were so nice, but the business men just looked dead inside, it’s so sad.
Relationships between child and parent is also strained bc of this intense work and school culture. Quality time is too scarce when you gotta work so much. And the pressure from parents to do well in education or else you might end up socially stigmatized is rough. Bc your job is who you are, it’s hyper capitalism (thanks us for making them do this)
With autism being so unknown, support for parents in raising autistic kids is almost nonexistent. What happens if the “darker” side of ASD shows up in kids? I used to be a menace when I had meltdowns, I felt so bad but really just became so indiscriminately violent. See where this is going? Legit, I think ESP is a sort of metaphor for neurodivergance to ONE. There is so much stigma around it, and even less way for kids to understand why they are different than the others. My Korean family can’t admit we all got ASD, too much fear and internalized shame.
I got finally diagnosed with ASD as an adult and I’ll tell ya, I relate too much to Mob hurting Ritsu. I felt so bad, but also not in control, I knew what I was doing but not how to stop. Luckily, is was blessed in that my hyperfixations involved science and logic, so I did well at school. Sadly, our boy Mob just don’t got the passion or ability to do well at school. His kanji is very bad, even to point of not being confident he wrote a kanji (世) they learn when they are 9, in elementary school (thanks @katyatalks). Him being a bit berated by his parents for having bad grades and bending spoons seems harsh to Westerners I think, but IMO it’s pretty tame from what I’ve seen of some Asian parents (I get to say that lmao). Ofc, however the shaming is very real and Mob just agreeing with them about how weird and stupid he thinks he is so sad. There is even more pressure for the eldest to be better than here, I feel from some interactions. Nonetheless, it’s implied Mob is quite emotionally detached from his parents, even though he loves them, which also adds to his emotional complex. Combined with originally fragile self esteem and feelings of worthlessness, we got one emotionally stunted boy. However, contrary to common belief people with ASD are sometimes hyper empathic and experience emotions very intensely. We are prone to having “meltdowns” which if not assisted with can be quite violent if very intense. For me, my worse meltdowns as a kid came from when I didn’t understand why I wasn’t getting what I wanted, it seemed selfish and cruel of me but I couldn’t control it. I wanted to be a good kid, so why did hit my moms leg at target when she refused to buy me Pokémon toys? I couldn’t come up with a good reason for why my mind just commanded my body to do bad things, just a single thought was controlling me, I want I want I want I want I want ____. Which I argue could be what ???% represents… bc well…. Yeah….. hmm….. not in control of self (mob unconscious), selfish (not actually, I’ve forgave myself but my “normal” kid self was so ashamed), destructive, hurt family, wanting to stop but can’t, that’s kind of…. Too relatable.
But legit, since realizing my new HC, I’ve started to think of the last chapter of mp100 when I “explode” and it helps me feel better and I do gain “control” a bit easier. I don’t feel so bad anymore either, Mob!
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paintedgemstones · 3 years ago
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How do you think the whole Red Sky thing would down in your AU? (Unless the plot is gonna get changed) And how about Volo? Is Akari’s relationship with him different this time around?
(Also I’m glad you liked my own AU; I’ve since made another post about it and it’s so much fun to brainstorm about it X3)
(Omg, I love your AU and I can’t wait to read more about it! I’m glad you like my AU as well, your questions keep me inspired XD)
The Red Sky. Well, it depends on how a lot of the story in this AU will play out.
In the game, it was very easy for the Commander to blame the MC, since they were an outsider and easiest to place the blame on, there really wasn’t any consequence. And the Clans were placed between a rock and a hard place. Helping the MC meant taking a side, thus making Jubilife their enemy. And a declaration of war is not something you want during an apparent apocalypse. Honestly, I can’t really blame them for not wanting to poke Kamado with a stick. But on the other hand… Ugh! Politics 😩
In this AU, however, Akari isn’t allied with Jubilife. But, at the same time, that just makes it easier for Kamado to point fingers at her. Hold on… does it?
After all, Akari isn’t under his jurisdiction. And she’s well liked by the Clans, you could even say revered. And she is nothing but helpful, if a bit aloof. Some even consider her to be something of a minor deity or nature spirit. Blaming her for the Red Sky would get him a lot of backlash from a lot of people (even some from Jubilife).
Hmmm…
Well, to be able to put that together, we gotta talk about Kamado (audience groans) and where he stands in this AU.
Akari has little to no interaction with him in this AU. Throughout most of the story, the most she’s really interacted with him was at the very beginning when he butted in to kick her out, and during the Red Sky.
After Akari’s exiled, Kamado has a moment of regret and guilt (I know, shocking), where he contemplates his decision of sending a child to her death. But he quickly pushes that thought away, telling himself that it was what was best for Jubilife and its people. Besides, it’s just another regret to the pile. But that guilt and shame stays and lingers in the back of his mind throughout the entire story. Sucks for him
He assumes she has to be dead by now. There is no word about her, no reported sightings from Security Corps (because Akari avoids them like the plague). So, she must be dead. No one could survive alone out there for that long, surrounded by nothing but those dangerous Pokémon creatures Ha irony
Why didn’t he ask the Clans? I don’t know maybe he didn’t want to ruin political relationships by implying he ordered the ditching of a child. He could have always been vague and said a child had wandered off. But then again, she’s dead now, so why lose sleep over it. Our commander, ladies and gentlemen
He did start hearing rumors about a supposed Wild Child from the Clans. Initially, he thought they were greatly embellished. But then he started hearing them from people in Jubilife.
The fact that there is a supposed Pokémon child wandering around, doesn’t sit well with him. Is it a human? A Pokémon? Something supernatural or otherworldly? No one has an answer for that, only speculations. And you know how over the top rumors can be.
He briefly entertains the thought that Akari and the Wild Child are the same individual but doesn’t dwell on it for long. He’s mostly paranoid. It becomes something of an obsession (even Cyllene starts growing disturbed).
He would send Beni, or sometimes he himself would go, to investigate and maybe even exterminate this perceived threat.
Just great! Another reason for this poor kid to sleep with one eye open. They never manage catch her thanks to her Pokémon (there were a few close calls though).
To put it in short: Kamado doesn’t trust Akari no matter what name she goes by.
As for the Red Sky, I’m gonna have to get back to you on that. I definitely want to polish and smooth out these thoughts more.
And Volo… Well, when Akari met and battled him back in Jubilife she didn’t really have much thoughts about him. At the time, her mind was more focused on passing the Trial so they don’t kick her out (load of good that did). But he seemed nice enough, if a bit weird, though she didn’t see anything wrong with that. Even so, she can’t deny the quiet voice in the back of her head sending her warning bells. She ignored it at the time.
After her exile though, she doesn’t trust him. She has no reason to. After all, she had one interaction with him and one battle. The fact that he keeps trying to track her down doesn’t help his case. And her Pokémon, especially her Luxray brother, are wary of him, and that’s reason enough for her to avoid him.
Volo, of course, quickly came to the conclusion that she must be Arceus’ chosen. He intended on visiting Jubilife quite often just to badger her with questions and the such (you know, as normal people do).
But then, she got exiled. Which made his job all the more difficult. He didn’t really have many doubts that she would survive out there. After all, Arceus wouldn’t let his chosen die. …Right? His doubts were quickly quelled when he began hearing rumors about a girl living with wild Pokémon.
His real challenge is actually finding the kid out in the wilds. Especially when said kid has trust issues and stays clear of most people. It doesn’t help that the Ginkgo Guild has connections with Jubilife (and Akari has no reason to buy anything from them, her and her pokéfamily can scavenge supplies just fine on their own).
When he does manage to find her, she flees almost instantly. To say he’s getting increasingly frustrated is an understatement.
Unfortunately, he soon learned from the Clans that, in order to get her to appear: he simply has to place a request at the shrine they built for her and wait with an offering ready.
I can already hear Akari screaming internally.
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cyncerity · 3 years ago
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Ok I’m writing the story prompts sent to me this far (they’re really good btw I love them a lot) but I also thought of a new au that I don’t have a name for yet but has a cool premise I think so read and ask about it if you’re interested :D
Phil has a young son named Tommy, who’s around 5 years old and also really bad at making friends. He only really has one, a kid his age named Tubbo, who lived in the apartment next to his with his dad Schlatt.
Phil decides to get his son something to entertain him, and sees an ad for a product that claims to let you “Grow your own Human!” and Phil is instantly intrigued...
He looks it up and sees that you start by buying a semi-transparent pod with some sort of tiny lab made human embryo replica, plant it in a pot, and watch it grow and eventually hatch a tiny teenage-looking human replica (like those fake eggs you put in water and watch, like, dinosaurs or whatever grow out of). The tiny humans have basically the same composition as humans, but they are very obedient and will learn to do what is asked of them with very little training, and they put up with almost anything. The only downside to them is that they need sleep, food, etc to survive.
Phil goes to Schlatt about it who honestly acts pretty weird throughout the entire conversation, but Tubbo interjects saying that it sounds really cool and he’s sure Tommy would like it. Phil ends up buying one for Tommy to try and get him something to keep him entertained and maybe even teach him some patience and responsibility. Tommy is ecstatic and plants the pod immediately, and even carries the pot around the house until the pod looks ready to hatch. Phil doesn’t tell Tommy that there looks like there’s a problem with the pod they bought, though, since he doesn’t want to upset him. Since it’s slightly see-through , Phil assumed there would be a clear silhouette of a miniature person, and he still thinks that there should be, but right now it kinda just looks like a blob.
Neither are prepared when the pod hatches twins.
They’re both sound asleep after exiting the pod and are pretty pale from lack of pigmentation and sunlight exposure, but they’re around the same height, and both are boys who look around the age of 15. The only physical difference is that one had pink hair and the other had dark brown.
Phil calls Schlatt over so he can help teach them basic tasks, and Schlatt just acts off the entire time, even at one point telling Phil that it would be best to just give him the tinies. Phil laughs it off awkwardly, and Schlatt doesn’t bring up the idea again, but Phil can’t help but think he wasn’t joking. In little to no time, both twins are able to walk, run, climb, and understand a bunch of commands, though they seem to be incapable of speech.
Tommy and Tubbo begin playing with them immediately, basically using them as dolls for their adventures. Though both belong to Tommy, whenever Tubbo comes over, he’s in charge of the brunette, and even names him. Tubbo names his “Wilbur” and Tommy names the pinkette “Technoblade.”
They write plenty of stories for the little humans, and make them spar each other for fun often (basically just using them for irl Pokémon battles lmao), and write personalities for them as well.
Tubbo plays Wilbur as a swanky, charismatic but manipulative leader. He’s a decent fighter, but uses his wit and charm to get out of tough situations. Tommy plays Techno as an anarchist with violent voices in his head and advanced fighting skills. He’s smart, skilled, and determined, but socially awkward and emotionally cold.
Tommy wanted to play them as mortal enemies and have them fight against each other way more, but Tubbo said that it was wrong since even if they were “emotionless” and “inhuman,” there was no denying that they were brothers, so they should stick together and make up for each other’s worse skills as such. Tommy found it sappy and stupid, but went along with it.
Almost every day the boys would take their “toys” out to play. They would tell the tinies to walk somewhere, fight something, or interact with something a certain way and they would do it. The boys would also speak in character for their tinies, as little kids do with their dolls. Tubbo was careful with Wilbur, making sure he didn’t fall off something or trip or hurt himself, which he seemed to do often, almost like he couldn’t see more than 10 inches in front of himself (no one suspects that the tiny desperately needs glasses). Tubbo also made sure he was physically ok looking, instructing him to wash himself when he was dirty and giving him nice haircuts.
Tommy was the opposite. Techno’s point as a character was to be a fighter, and Tommy had him constantly jumping off of things, running at danger, and attacking things often. Phil once walked outside to see Tommy instructing Techno to fight a live squirrel, the tiny looking bloodied and worse for wear after Phil scared the rodent off. Tommy never told Techno to get cleaned up (Tubbo did though, fortunately), never cleaned his wounds, instead letting them scar over, and never cut his hair. Phil assumed Tommy was being lazy for the last one, but he actually did that on purpose, finding comfort in braiding and messing with Techno’s long hair. And when Tubbo was at home and both Wilbur and Techno were in Tommy’s possession, he enjoyed sewing clothes for them that matched the outfits of their many adventures.
This went on for years, until one day the tinies went missing from the cabinet in Phil’s room where they slept. Tommy and Tubbo were heartbroken, having grown extremely attached to the twins, but there was no sign of robbery and the “dolls” weren’t responding to being called, so there wasn’t much they could do besides look elsewhere.
Though Phil found it strange that Schlatt pretty much stopped talking to him around this point, though. The only time the other man would reach out to Phil was in regards to their sons, when in the past they talked regularly. But of course Schlatt denied knowing what Phil was talking about when he was questioned about the twins, but that didn’t stop Phil from having his suspicions...
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gleamingrednuzlocke · 3 years ago
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Chapter 5-Rockin it in Pewter City
Here is the next chapter! We’re finally getting into some interesting battling here with the first gym battle!
Special thanks to my beta reader aegagrusScholarship! Thanks so much!!
Enjoy!!
By the time Neth and his team made it to Pewter City, the sun had already started to set and the gym was closed for the night. So, they made their way to a Pokémon Center to stay until the gym was open again.
“Ah!” Jasper sighed, stretching on the foot of the bed. “Never thought sleeping on a bed would feel so cozy.”
“You mean you never slept on a bed before?” Morgan asked, sinking into the soft bed. Jasper shook his head in reply. “Well. I love sleeping on beds, it feels warm, safe and cozy.”
“Easy for you to say.” Amber replied. “You said you're from Prof. Oak’s laboratory, right?”
Morgan nodded. “That’s right.”
“That means you know all about the comfort lifestyle.” Amber said.
Morgan chuckled nervously. “Well you're not wrong. Living with the Professor was nice. He made the best food, we had time outside, but...” he paused to take a deep breath. “There were times where I just wanted to leave the lab.”
“Why?” Jasper asked.
“Well.” Morgan started. “I never got along with many of the Pokémon at the lab. There was only one who was nice to me, but most Pokémon avoided me or I was too much of a wimp to talk to other Pokémon.”
Jasper and Amber looked at one another, both reaching a wordless agreement that Morgan was completely wrong about being a wimp.
“Well, you don’t look or sound like a wimp to me.” Jasper reminded him. Morgan looked up at the other two, confused.
“You’ve been talking with us just fine.” Amber added.
Morgan was surprised, not having realized that he was interacting well with his new teammates. He blushed in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his head with his vines. “I-I never noticed.”
“Maybe because you’ve already adjusted to traveling, so you didn't notice.” Neth said, exiting the washroom in his pajamas and a towel in hand. He threw the towel to the side, and sat down on the bed. “Alright, we’ve done enough training, and now we should get some sleep for the gym battle tomorrow.”
Morgan, Jasper and Amber nodded, then settled down at the foot of the bed. Neth yawned and got under the bed sheets, and before shutting the lights off, Neth took one last look at his team, who had already fallen asleep, and gave them a smile.
The following morning, Neth and his team went to the dining hall to grab themselves some breakfast before they took on the gym. There were pancakes and omelets for the humans, and a mix of different berries for the Pokémon.
Neth grabbed a plate of pancakes and an omelette for himself, and three plates of berries for his team. His Pokémon started to dig in as soon as he'd brought the food to their table.
“This is good!” Jasper sighed, his mouth stuffed full of berries.
“Slow down.” Neth warned. “You don’t want a stomach ache before the gym now, would you?”
Jasper shook his head, swallowing the food in his mouth before he continued, eating much more slowly than before.
“You know, it would be nice for Peridot and Kunzite to join us.” Morgan suggested, looking at the two Pokéballs on Neth’s belt.
Neth swallowed his food and looked at the Pokéballs as well. “I know, but cocoon Pokémon don’t eat.”
“But can they battle?” Jasper asked.
“They can.” Neth replied.
Jasper jumped up and cheered. “Awesome! We got this battle in the bag!”
“Not so fast.”
The Rattata flopped back down, confused.
“After breakfast, I need to get you guys checked up before we take on the gym.” Neth informed his team, who all groaned in reply.
Once breakfast was finished, Neth headed on over to Nurse Joy and got his team checked up. It didn’t take long before the nurse returned with a smile on her face. “Your Pokémon are doing well and healthy!”
“Thanks Nurse Joy!” Neth beamed.
“However,” She started. “I did check up on Bulbasaur’s eye to see if it was infected in any way.” Neth’s smile dropped, feeling concern for Morgan. He forgot about Morgan’s eye and how the nurses would react to seeing it.
“Is it bad?” He asked, worried the scar was infected.
“No.” Nurse Joy said. “Your Bulbasaur is fine. The scratch is not infected at all.”
Neth sighed again, glad that Morgan’s scar didn’t get worse. “That’s good. Do I need some medicine or anything to treat the scar?”
Nurse Joy shook her head. “No, just have it checked when you stop at a Pokémon Center. The nurses there would help if it gets infected.”
Neth nodded and retrieved his Poké Balls. He then started to make his way towards the Pewter City Gym. The walk wasn’t long, just turn right on the Pokémon Center, turn left past the museum, head south, turn right, and the gym was right there!
The gym was a dark grey building with a pewter colored roof, a sign out front that read “Pewter City Gym'', as well as a smaller sign affixed on top of the other one that showed the Boulderbadge, a simple grey octagon.
“Well, we’re here.” Neth said.
“That’s the gym?” Jasper asked, tilting his head. Neth nodded and entered the gym.
Once inside, Neth and his team noticed how dark and quiet it was. “Where is the gym leader?” Amber asked.
“There’s no one here.” Jasper whispered as the team walked further into the gym, looking around for any sign of the Leader. “Maybe it’s closed?”
“No.” Neth replied, shaking his head. If the gym was closed, then they wouldn't have been able to enter in the first place.
Without warning, the gym doors slammed shut.
Morgan let out a scream as his vines shot up and accidentally hit the lights, turning them on and revealing a young camper boy standing right in front of them.
“Hey you! You’re 10,000 light years away from beating-” the camper shouted. Morgan yelped and immediately smacked him with his vines, knocking him out before he realized what was happening.
“Oops. I wasn’t supposed to do that, right?” Morgan asked slowly.
“Nope.” Jasper replied. Neth and Amber winced and shook their heads as well.
Neth ran to the camper and shook him a bit. “You okay kid?”
The camper slowly woke up and groaned.“Y-yeah. I’ve been smacked before. It’s fine.”
“Hey trainer!” An older voice yelled. Neth turned to the back of the gym, his eyes widening when he saw who had spoken. “Here to challenge me?”
Neth gulped and nodded. “Y-yeah.” He replied. “Are you the gym leader?”
The gym leader nodded. “My name is Brock! I’m the Pewter City gym leader and specialize in rock-types. My rock-hard willpower is evident even in my Pokémon!”
“Well, I’m Neth! I’m here to challenge you!” Neth shouted.
“I know.” Brock replied.
“Really?” Neth asked, confused.
Brock nodded. “A trainer that was here before you said that you’ll have a hard time beating me.”
That must have been Miles. With a chuckle, Neth replied, “Well, I’ve been training hard, and I couldn’t wait to battle you and the seven other gym leaders!”
Brock smirked as he pulled out a Pokéball. "We'll see."
The lights dimmed as music began to play, signifying that the battle was starting. “Go! Geodude!” Brock shouted, taking his place on one end of the field as he threw his Pokėball. Out came a rock-type Pokémon with arms- a Geodude, which let out a growl.
“Alright, who are we fighting now?” Geodude asked.
Brock pointed to Neth, who sent Amber out.
Geodude chuckled. “Oh, this will be fun!”
Amber smirked. “Bring it.”
“Geodude, use Tackle!” Brock commanded.
Geodude growled and started to ram towards Amber, who braced herself and pushed Geodude away.
“Amber, let’s use Low Kick!” Neth commanded.
“You see, while a fighting-type like your Mankey should have knocked out my Geodude with that Low Kick, my Geodude’s level- and thus, his defenses- are a bit higher than yours, letting him handle Fighting attacks more easily than you expect.” Brock explained.
Neth glared. “Amber, use Low Kick once more!”
“Alright!” Amber yelled as she ran and went in for another Low Kick on Geodude.
“Now, Geodude- Defense Curl!” Brock commanded.
Geodude’s body glowed white as the Low Kick came in. The attack had even less impact than it did before. Geodude snickered and glanced back at Brock.
Brock nodded. “Geodude! Tackle attack now!”
Geodude continued snickering before ramming into Amber, sending her flying into the wall. The Mankey groaned, slowly trying to get up, but fell back down.
Not wanting to see Amber in so much pain, Neth grabbed Amber’s Pokéball and sent her back. “Amber, return!” He yelled. He then looked down at Morgan, knowing the Bulbasaur was the only one remaining who could handle Geodude. “Ready, Morgan?”
Morgan nodded. “I am…sort of.” He replied, running up to the battlefield and looking at the Geodude. “Okay, Amber already attacked it, so this will be easy!” Morgan said to himself.
However, Morgan was so into his thoughts that he didn’t realize Geodude was coming in with another tackle attack.
“Morgan! Look out!” Jasper and Neth shouted at the same time.
Snapping out of it, Morgan turned and realized Geodude was ready to attack. His realization was too late, though, as Geodude rammed into Morgan, pushing him back a bit.
“You okay?” Neth asked.
“Barely.” Morgan replied.
Neth sighed before turning his focus back to the battle. “Morgan, use Vine Whip!”
Morgan glared and slapped Geodude with his vines, slamming him into the wall for a knockout. Geodude groaned as he slowly slid off the wall.
“Oh no! Geodude!” Brock yelled.
“Morgan, that was amazing!” Jasper cheered.
“It was?” Morgan asked with a smile. Jasper nodded in reply.
“Of course it was!” Neth exclaimed.
“That was great, but the battle ain’t over yet.” Brock explained as he returned Geodude and grabbed another Pokéball from his belt. “Go! Onix!” He yelled, throwing the Pokéball.
Out of the Pokéball came a large rock snake that reached as high as the ceiling and let out a deep, mighty roar.
Morgan felt his stomach drop, his eyes widening as he saw how big Onix was compared to him. “Oh my Arceus.” He whimpered.
“Don’t worry about the Onix, Morgan! Size doesn’t matter!” Jasper yelled. Neth and Morgan raised an eyebrow at the statement. “What?”
Morgan gulped and turned back to Onix. The grass-type Pokémon felt scared fighting this thing, despite the type advantage. Morgan started thinking that Vine Whip wouldn’t do much- with how large Onix was, all he needed to do was squish him like a Caterpie with his long rocky tail.
“Morgan!” Neth shouted, snapping Morgan out of his thoughts. “You’ll be fine, don't worry!”
“Okay. Okay.” Morgan repeated. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the battle. “I can do this Morganite. I can do this.” He thought to himself.
Thinking that the Bulbasaur was ready to battle, Brock decided to make the move. “Quick, Onix, use Bind!” Brock commanded.
Onix roared, ready to attack.
Quickly, Neth commanded Morgan to retaliate. “Morgan, Vine Whip!”
Morgan squeezed his eyes shut and followed Neth's command. There came a loud thud- and Morgan slowly tried to open his eyes, thinking he had been killed and was now a spirit in Pokéheaven.
However, that wasn’t the case.
The Onix laid on the floor, knocked out from a critical from Morgan's Vine Whip. He blinked in surprise as he processed the fact he took down an Onix. A big, scary Onix.
“I did that?” Morgan asked himself.
“You did.” Brock replied, returning Onix to his Pokéball for some well-needed rest. He smiled and walked up to Neth and his team. “That was a great battle. I loved how you gave your Pokémon encouragement and how you quickly returned Mankey to her Pokéball when she was injured.You're going to be an amazing trainer, Neth.”
Neth smiled and blushed in embarrassment. “Aww, thanks. It was nothing.”
“As an award for defeating me you receive this, the Boulder Badge.” Brock said as he dug into his pockets, pulled out the Boulder Badge and handed it to Neth.
Neth looked at the badge in his hand, his eyes widening and sparkling with joy. “Awesome! Thanks so much!” he replied, grabbing his red badge case and putting the Boulder Badge inside. One badge earned; seven more to go.
“You know.” Brock spoke up, causing Neth to look up at him. “You’re way different from the previous trainer.”
Neth blinked and realized Brock was talking about Miles. Neth and Morgan wondered how he and Charmander battled Brock.
Once leaving the gym, Neth and his team walked back to the Pokémon Center for some well needed rest and healing.
As Amber was being healed, Jasper bounced up and down in excitement. “So, are we going to leave for the next gym, now?”
“Well, it’ll take us at least a day to get to Cerulean, but Morgan and Amber are a bit tired from the battle. So we’ll have dinner, rest for one more night, and leave first thing in the morning.” Neth explained. Jasper nodded in agreement.
Soon after, Nurse Joy came over and brought back Amber and Morgan's Pokéballs. “Your Pokémon are all healed up.”
“Thank you!” Neth replied as he got his Pokéballs back and let Amber and Morgan out. Once outside, the two Pokémon yawned from their refreshing nap, fully healed.
“Man, that felt great!” Amber sighed.
Neth smiled. "Glad you rested well. Are you two feeling hungry?”
Before Amber or Morgan could respond, both Pokémon heard their stomachs rumble.
“Guess we are.” Morgan replied.
“Great, because to celebrate, I’ll be buying dessert for everyone!” Neth announced.
Once they finished their dinner in the Pokémon Centre’s dining room, Neth ordered dessert for everyone-cream puffs with berries inside. The moment Neth put the dessert down, his Pokémon went at it.
“Excuse me?” A voice asked. Neth looked up with cream and crumbs all over his face and saw a man with a white lab coat and glasses holding a brown package. “Are you Neth?”
“Y-yeah,” he replied, his mouth still full from the creampuff. “What is it?”
“Oh. I’m Professor Oak’s aide. I’m here to deliver a package to you from your mother,” the aide explained, putting the package on the table.
“Thank you so much!” Neth replied. “B-but… how did you know I was here?”
The aide chuckled. “Well, I live on Route 2 and I was going to give the package to Nurse Joy to deliver it to the Pokémon Center in Cerulean since that’s where I thought you’ll be next. However, Nurse Joy told me you were here having dinner so I decided to give it to you now.”
“Wow, thank you!” Neth replied with a smile.
“Don’t just thank me, thank your mom as well.”
“I will!”
“Have a good night, Neth!” The aide then waved goodbye and left.
“Night! Get home safe!” Neth yelled back. Soon after, Neth opened the package to see what his mother had sent him. Inside he found a pair of sneakers, and a photo. Ignoring the sneakers, Neth grabbed the photo, noticing there was a note on the back.
Found this. Hope this brings you luck!
-Love Mom
Neth turned the photo back around, his eyes widening. It was a younger Miles and him when they visited the local fair; the two of them were grinning, with their arms around each other.
“I remember this,” he whispered.
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lieblxng · 3 years ago
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im developing a lot of aus including the reverse au which is currently only available for rose, but leon also has it developed, i just forgot to put it in the verses page for him haha but wow im developing a reverse verse for a chara i dont have??? i might as well throw damos on the blog and be the only person in the pkmn rpc who plays him LMAO i cant help falling for obscure characters but i think he might have a better chance in getting interactions than my etrian odyssey muses but no if anyone wants to do damos,,,,you can hmu 😳😳 i cant reply it or see it if you do tho LMAOO
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anyway reverse!damos here who goes by lazarus (meaning: my god has aided me) is not a nice farmer unlike his normal verse, instead being akin to a mercenary, but he kinda fills in the role of marcus - he has the ability to manipulate the hearts of pokemon, even legendaries and because of this, he’s been fiddling with legendaries and experimenting with things to try something out - and while reverse!arceus has been severely weakened from an intense fight or a meteorite too (im still figuring it out) and lost its life plates, lazarus finds it. it’s on the brink of dying, and instead of returning the plates like a nice person, lazarus only thinks of profit and benefitting himself - because it’s so vulnerable, it manipulates reverse!phae into summoning the lake guardians, where it promptly fights them and steals their gems before kicking them into the dirt. then he uses said gems to restraint and fully take control of reverse!phae before inserting the plates back into it, saying it will only get them back if it corporates. yes, lazarus literally pulls a cyrus being the first one to actually create a draft of the red chains to have arceus under its command. one of cyrus’ pc posts is “According to myths, the Pokémon created Sinnoh with its power. However, capturing the Pokémon with a Poké Ball prevents it from using its full power... But with the Red Chain, the Pokémon can be shackled, and its power can be used without restraint...” and he’s implying arceus with the first mention of pokemon, so maybe the red chains can be used on god??? i dont see why not, although the lake guardian was made more to check the creation trio than god itself, but why wouldn’t you have checks against god? “The Pokémon of the lakes and Mt. Coronet are somehow connected. Capturing the Pokémon of the lakes will free the Pokémon of Mt. Coronet. From the Pokémon of the lakes, crystals can be extracted to create a Red Chain.” i know he implies the creation trio with pkmn of mt. coronet but technically arceus lives in mt. coronet as the hall of origins can be summoned there LEMME HAVE THIS - 
originally i was going to have reverse!arceus be a completely neutral god, both in personality and how it handled things - just create life, casually, and just head out and do nothing for them - “the humans can handle their planet however they wish to. if they destroy it, they destroy it.” and i was trying to redesign it and it kept coming up as punk (more below because this is a long ass post)
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so i was like, aight i guess i’ll go with what my heart wants but something still didnt feel right, because punk is an expression more than just a simple fashion statement - it was created to rebel against those who tried to hold you down and mold you into who they wanted you to be. to defy the shitty standards of what’s supposedly normal. and then it all clicked when i looked at this vid 
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ive heard the music itself and one of my favs, but not the music video so i kinda just exploded with ideas and it really completed the punk i wanted to go with - funny thing, im a bad character designer so i scrapped the punk look and pulled a unique thing with phae’s case - legendaries and mythics are statements of unchanging, fixated ways while normal, evolvable pokemon are statements of improvement and change - growth, which is something phae is completely jealous of. gods don’t evolve; they don’t change. so i thought, why not keep its original look (i love it too much anyway and i cant think of anything better tbh for phae) to reflect that aspect but have the way it governs and behaves different? normal!phae and reverse!phae are still similar but opposite - normal being the kind, caring god and reverse being the relentless, uncaring god. both are the two most popular aspects and themes of gods and how they treat those beneath them, so i thought it worked.
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reverse!phae never wanted to be a god. it’s immature and uncaring on purpose to get the attention of the creator of the original one itself; to be a sign of rebel, to show that it was its own character and no one can morph it into what they want it to be. it revels in its creations screaming in pain, as nothing else entertains it so and because it empathizes with them. it sends the world into pure chaos a majority of time so no one enjoys living. seeing its creations, both human and pokemon, excel in the trials and tribulations of this hell; seeing them perform so expertly under extreme stress, how humans and pokemon can come together and defeat anythin - and rebelling in their own right and way give reverse!phae so much hope and relief. that it’ll be able to do the same. and once reverse!phae does get its creators attention, you bet it’s gonna be very angry on why it exists. it might even try to murk its creator. it’s more of a “i didn’t ask to be born so i’m gonna make it your problem” type of person, and a god prone to violence - often fighting with its own creations, like even the lake trio and the creation trio. but it checks them all every time, and it’s so hungry for an actual fight that reverse!phae can actually work for and struggle for and feel like it actually won. and that’s when lazarus comes in. that’s where lazarus comes in.
how much it hates lazarus. how much it hates lazarus. it hates everyone, but lazarus has a special kind of hatred reserved just for him. in fact, hatred isn’t the proper word to explain the intense, raw, unfiltered feelings reverse!phae has for him. on one hand, it absolutely respects the honest work he puts in to further himself, but on the other hand, being the one on the receiving end of his malicious intentions is never ideal. it has no interest in whatever petty crimes he wants to commit, but trying to take god and become it yourself? completely admirable. a fantastic way to rebel, but having to have someone chain you down and control you? reverse!phae’s worst nightmare. i’ll get into that later since this is already long enough god help me
is reverse!phae messed up? yes, severely. that’s kinda what happens when you rot alone in the depths of dark space for eons. no human nor pokemon - no, no living being can ever handle that. both normal! and reverse!phae have the same backstory, but different reactions to it. reverse!phae wants everyone to scream and lash out, it wants everyone to rebel against their origins and become their own people, even with the immense baggage on their shoulders. it wants everyone to risk death to accomplish their dreams. it laughs in everyone's faces before spitting in them. i think reverse!phae will be one of my most violent takes on a muse, if not, my most since it is god and the shit it talks can easily be proven right. it constantly berates and breaks people down into pieces. no one understands it. it hates everyone and everything it sees. it doesn’t need love and kindness, it just needs a body to break. which is untrue, because obviously its yearning for love and kindness - something its never experienced - and it’s lashing out for attention. secretly hoping someone will just hug it and all its problems away. that everything will be okay in the grand scheme of things. that it won’t have to have the unlimited stress of being a god anymore.
usually when i put my touch on muses, canon or not, they’re primarily good people with hearts of gold. even with ones less so, they’re not as intense as this. so working with that kind of character is thrilling and i’m excited to see if i can get anyone interested with it lmao- reverse!phae’s name might be nou or chali, what would be better? sorry this was such a long post!! i’ve been working on this since last night and it’s been really fun to develop like this again - i only get this kind of productive with my hyperfixations, so they’re both a blessing and a curse -  i think this is everything i have rn for the reverse au but ii’ll be going back into it
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hilltopsunset · 3 years ago
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4 Ways to Breathe New Life into the Pokémon Franchise
I love the Pokémon franchise. It’s because I love it that I truly want new installments of the game to feel meaningful, to make an impact, and to provide players with something new, different, and worth coming back for without relying on complexities that could turn away new players.
As I will talk about in a later blog post, Game Freak seems afraid to stretch Pokémon’s creative muscles any further; meaningful innovation has been petering out since the end of Generation IV in lieu of minigames like Pokémon Contests and Super Training alongside inconsequential time sinks like Secret Bases and Poké Pelago. While I do enjoy the inclusion of things to do outside the main storyline, these additional events and sidequests should not be the only significant additions to new generations of main-series Pokémon games.
The main attractions of recent generations have provided slight twists to gameplay with the addition of mega evolution and Z-moves, but these changes don’t fundamentally change or challenge the way players experience the game on a moment-to-moment basis. And despite the graphical and processing power of recent gaming devices, and even the long-awaited shift of the franchise to a main console, we are still getting the same low-effort and outdated battle animations we’ve been seeing since X and Y. We are continually denied a more genuine battle experience with Pokémon physically interacting with each other through animations that more appropriately suit each Pokémon’s unique identity.
So what can be done? Here’s a short but detailed list of 4 things I would like to see in a new Pokémon game, in no particular order of importance.
1.       Let the Player Character Be an Active Part of the Story
When has the player character ever been a consequential part of a Pokémon game? They never speak; they never have any personality whatsoever. They never experience any growth, regardless of NPC’s trying desperately to iterate how much the trainer has grown over the course of their journey. Certainly the Pokémon carried by the player character have some impact on the story, but the trainer?
Let them speak! Let the player character actually interact with NPCs in meaningful ways rather than just listening at all times. Give the trainer a personality of some sort. Don’t just slap a never-changing pleasant face onto the model regardless of tense, frightening, or sinister scenarios (I’m looking at you, Sun and Moon). 
Giving the player character a more active role in the story provides intrigue—as a player, it doesn’t feel compelling being pulled from one place to another; it’s not interesting when the only thing pushing me forward is NPCs telling me I need to get the gym badges, or stop Team Rocket. It would be much more interesting if the Player Character had some imperative reason to pursue these endeavors, rather than get involved simply because “it’s the right thing to do” or, worse, “it’s the ONLY thing to do.” I want to watch the character I’m controlling grow as a person and make choices that have positive or negative consequences on people they care about and the places they visit, rather than be a perpetual observer of events with no real stake in the game.
2.       Trainer Levels
Speaking of the player character, create a leveling system for them. There are so many possibilities for a system where the trainer more actively impacts gameplay. For instance, there could be a class system and each class can have unique skill trees that provide access to passive and/or active abilities that improve how the trainer interacts with the world throughout the game. It could be required to choose your path at the beginning of the game, or perhaps you can access them all throughout the game, but can only have one active at a time.
Here’s a list of example possibilities:
Explorer: The explorer class specializes in travel, as well as tracking and catching new Pokémon—this tree can be subdivided into those paths: Travel, Tracking, and Catching. This tree provides skills that assist them in accessing otherwise inaccessible locations, increasing encounter rates with rare Pokémon, and specializing in different types of Poké balls to improve catch chances. Experience for this class is gained through catching Pokémon, encountering rare Pokémon, and exploring (walking in new places, finding treasure, accessing hidden areas, etc.).
Combatant: The combatant class excels at offensive battle prowess through its three branches: Type Affinity, Commands, and Reputation. This tree allows a trainer to specialize in certain Pokémon types (up to 2) to improve their STAB damage. Eventually, you can get a skill that provides STAB for your specialized types even for Pokémon not of those types! You gain access to in-battle shout commands that provide momentary buffs to your party, like improving damage, resisting a big attack, or improving critical hit ratio. A strong reputation will allow you to avoid battle even with trainers who have caught your eye; and in battle, an enemy Pokémon may flinch due to your intimidating presence. Experience is gained by knocking out Pokémon, winning battles, using moves of your type specialization, and issuing commands.
Breeder: The breeder focuses on developing deep relationships with their Pokémon. Skills of this class can be divided into the Breeding, Bonding, and Healing branches. Through this tree, trainers can hatch eggs more quickly, improve high IV chance from newborn Pokémon, develop friendship levels more quickly, etc. Bonding provides Pokémon with beneficial defensive capabilities during battle, like providing a chance to survive an attack that would otherwise bring HP to 0, and having a strong will to resist abnormal status effects like paralysis and confusion. A Breeder’s knowledge of caretaking allows for healing outside of battle, and can even teach Pokémon how to slowly recover in-battle. Experience is gained through hatching eggs, developing friendships with your Pokémon (through feeding/petting, etc.), participating in Contests/minigames, and having Pokémon in your party with whom you have developed a close relationship.
The establishment of a class system like this, where experience is gained through different means relevant to each class, incentivizes players to participate in those aspects of the game, and provides extra rewards for players who already want to get involved. It makes the trainer feel like a relevant and impactful part of the team, rather than a hollow vehicle strictly used to lug the real heroes—your team of Pokémon—from battle to battle.
And for those who think the inclusion of such a mechanic would trivialize the content, I have several suggestions: first, they could easily make the game content more difficult to compensate. Second, they could mitigate the strength of these class skills during key battles like Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, the Enemy Team (Rocket, Galaxy, etc.). Third, NPCs (especially the aforementioned key NPCs) could have access to these skills as well. Remember, I’m asking for significant changes, and this would provide something new, interesting, and impactful.
 3.       Battle Animations
Update them. It’s that simple. Let Blastoise shoot water out of his water cannons rather than out of his face. Let Scorbunny run up to its opponent and give it a nice kick! Get rid of the old, outdated animations of a drawn foot—we now have well-rendered 3D monsters on gaming systems capable of handling the graphical processing necessary for this to happen. Give each Pokémon a more unique identity with their animations; make them feel like they’re actually in a battle with one another. It’s time.
I acknowledge that providing significant animation updates for the 800+ models is an enormous undertaking that would require a massive amount of time and manpower to make possible. To this I say: spend the time doing that rather than developing Dynamax or whatever. Spend the time on more significant animation development instead of wasting that time on another gimmick that isn’t going to significantly impact gameplay anyway.
To be honest, this point alone would be enough to convince me to buy a new Pokémon game.
 4.       Populate the World with Pokémon
I know that the Let’s Go series and Sword/Shield did this a little bit, and while it certainly wasn’t executed perfectly, it was fun running around and actually seeing all the Pokémon that inhabit it. Spawn rates in both games were often a bit too high, resulting in cluttered areas. Adding aggressive Pokémon would further enhance the immersive experience—being required to sneak around certain stronger Pokémon could be a really fun mechanic and provide tension; it was a bit too easy to avoid Pokémon in Let’s Go and in the Wild Area. While it was nice to get through Mt. Moon without encountering a single Zubat, imagine instead running through a section of the cave with a trail of 15 Zubats on your tail? Make me work for it a little!
Ultimately, I want to see Pokémon behaving more naturally in their habitats, and not just in sections of the world that I can’t get to. I want to run into a Caterpie hanging from a tree, or a Fearow fishing for Goldeen, or a Pikachu grooming itself. I want to interrupt Pokémon from their lives, not run into a giant gaggle of automatons circling tiny areas for no reason.
So there it is: a look at just a few things Pokémon games could include to make things more interesting and breathe new life into an aging franchise. These changes would require work, but any new game should—I would hate to see Pokémon continue the troubling trend of easy and/or insignificant content when there is so much potential to do so much with what they have.
With all that said, I do want to offer a bit of praise—Sirfetch’d and Galarian Ponyta are pretty awesome, and Galarian Weezing is perfectly ridiculous. But I ask that you keep in mind what your money is telling Game Freak when you purchase their games: it tells them that you don’t mind the severe lack of innovation and improvement. It tells them you don’t mind Scorbunny hopping in place as a giant, orange, human foot strikes its opponent. It tells them that you’re willing to fund their copy/paste animations from 6 years ago, their uninspired gameplay updates, and their ever-increasing focus on gimmicks and minigames.
As for me, I will continue holding Pokémon to a higher standard and hoping that, eventually, Blastoise will fire water from his cannons.  
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passionbooties · 5 years ago
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title: i bet you taste like gold  rating: t  pairing: raihan/leon  summary: raihan's never been afraid of the chase. because in the end, he always knew he'd be the winner. that all crashes when the reward at the end of the chase is leon: the one man raihan has always lost to.OR five times raihan has mentioned or shown that he likes leon, and the one time leon finally gets it.
can be read on: ao3!
read under cut ! 
I. 
“Damn, we lost again! But ya did good, Duraludon.” Raihan calls back his Pokémon. Rotom flies around to snap photos of the moment. Because even though Raihan lost, he’s still handsome. And there’s something his followers love about his pouts after defeat-a beauty found in the pain, sort of thing. 
He looks upward, to Leon’s smiling face. As brilliant as the sun while he laughs with his partner, Charizard. “Another win for the great champion of Galar!” Leon is so confident , so sure of himself, but so pure. His boasts never come off cocky. Only mere facts that the entirety of Galar have written into their history books as gospel truths. “But it’s to be expected. After all, I’m unbeatable.”
“Yeah, for now.” Raihan snorts, but there’s no derision. No anger. Only this unsettling warmth that seeps into his bones the more he looks at Leon’s smile and continues comparing him to the sun. Bright, orbiting, so expansive and heat-filled that ignoring him was impossible.
Not that Raihan ever tried. He’d been captured by Leon long ago… 
“I was close, though!” Raihan continues, striding over to meet Leon on the other side of the pitch. “Duraludon nearly had your Charizard begging for mercy.”
Leon barks out a burst of laughter, Charizard following suit. “Yeah sure! If that’s what you want to call it, we can work with that.” Raihan rolls his eyes while Leon keeps laughing and laughing. And Raihan’s stomach keeps tumbling and twisting into knots. 
Leon’s laughter is one of his favorite sounds. Better than any music Raihan’s ever listened to. 
Rotom whirrs by, bumping into Raihan’s cheek. A subtle reminder to get his life together and not drool so much over his longtime rival and friend. Right, good. 
“Well,” Raihan works his jaw, adjusting his posture to come off as casual-and not monumental or anything of the sort to show how much impact he wanted his words to convey. “If you were anyone else, I’d definitely try to throw hands. So you’re lucky that I like you so much.”
So much. So much more than any harboring feelings of platonic platitudes he carried for the other people in his life. His heart rate never sped up so viciously as it did around the champion. His thoughts were never consumed by anyone else other than Leon. 
It was horrific. Raihan wanted to scream.
His nerves became static, but Leon doesn’t seem to catch onto his words. Not really, not to their significance. But the smile he gives Raihan is soft, dare he say intimate, and Raihan has to hold back-for now-the urge to pull Leon by his cape and kiss him.
Instead Leon says, “I like you too.” 
And it’s not the same.
Raihan feels the heat dissipate and a weight drop, deep. Then comes the sandstorm. Obscuring the flash of disappointment from breaking through to the surface on Raihan’s face. 
Then they’re swarmed by fans who happened to oversee their battle. Quick as a standard, covering up their tracks, asking Raihan and Leon for photos and autographs of their league cards. Leon, the beloved Champion, falls into the steps of his role. Signs the cards and strikes his pose and sprinkles advice for budding trainers. 
Raihan follows suit. Slips on his little mask and uses Rotom to take a bunch of photos with his fans. 
If every so often, Raihan peeked over to catch Leon laughing with the kids or striking his pose, embracing the spotlight he made with ease, then so be it. 
It was hard to ignore the sun when it shone so close, so brilliantly, anyways. 
  II.
Raihan can’t remember when he fell. 
But he knows it was a graceful fall. A sudden snowstorm that drowned him in the feeling of attachment and yearning and longing for Leon that resonated a powerful chord one day when Raihan least expected it. 
All the leaders of Galar knew about his one-sided affections, except Leon of course.
It had almost become a joke. A running bet among the leaders about how much longer Raihan would skirt around before he finally lost his patience and straight up proposed. Others wondered about the opposite: how much longer would it take until Leon finally noticed?
Both bets ended in similar fashions: whatever the outcome was, it wouldn’t happen anytime soon.
Really, Raihan was somewhat coping with the fact that he was enamored by his best friend and greatest rival who was also, simultaneously, the most powerful trainer in all of Galar.
And the biggest idiot in all of Galar. 
But that’s what was so charming . 
And Raihan really, honestly, should have seen it coming. Leon attracted everyone. He was lion like. Prideful in his strength while caring a sort of regality that made others want to follow him. Raihan always chased after him from the start. To become better than him, to surpass him in the race and become champion. 
Then somehow, someway, the chase ended in a plunge. And Raihan was diving face down into a rainstorm of emotional attachment. 
While he may not remember when the feelings took root, he remembers vividly the first time he ever let it slip to Raihan about his feelings. 
They were eating dinner at Bob’s Your Uncle. Raihan was snapping photos and Leon was making funny faces. Their food was gone by this point, but conversation didn’t stop. It never stopped between them. Leon always had stories to share about challengers who came for advice, for a battle, for a moment to bask in his presence. Raihan was always dishing out strategies, new ways to utilize the elements for his team’s advantage, better ways to craft synergy between his Pokemon in their double battles. 
They were always talking and talking, bouncing back and forth, cracking jokes. Then Leon got called over by the manager and Raihan waves him off, because what is a Champion if not at the beck and call of their people, and as he watches them interact he thinks to himself how Leon looks like a king-cape aside.
Broad shoulders, a strong back, his shoulders squared. Everything in Leon’s stance is that of someone fit to rule. Fit to command. Fit to oversee. Fit to love . Strong and sturdy, a foundation that Raihan found himself wanting to utterly wreck and destroy beneath him.
Then his face got all red. His cheeks burned, a hot scorching sun across the expanse of his face. His eyes wide as he looks at Leon walking back over to him with a bottle of wine and two glasses. On the house from the manager for the two of them being such loyal customers. 
When Leon sat down, he immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I like-” Raihan nearly bit his tongue. Leon blinked and Raihan couldn’t believe he almost confessed. Almost said I like you. I like you. So much, so much that I'm going to be swallowed whole and I had no idea this was going to happen. 
“You like…?”
“Like-that we can use your Champion status to get free drinks, yeah.” Raihan lied easily, smoothly. Ignored the burnt taste on his tongue from his lie. Leon, thankfully, didn’t ask further. They shared drinks and went back to their conversation but this time Raihan couldn’t help but think Leon was the sun, over and over again, and how much he wanted to become an Icarus-scorched by his touch. 
III.
“Honestly, just kiss him.” 
“I’ve thought about that multiple times, Ness.” 
Nessa folds her arms and leans back against the back of the booth, “Super surprised you haven’t gone full dragon mode and slobbered him silly with kisses, at this point. You’re normally much more straightforward with your conquests.”
Raihan rolls his eyes while Rotom snickers. “I’ll bring out the screwdriver on you,” he threatened but that only made Rotom whir and snicker louder. Gremlin. Raihan meets Nessa’s pointed gave, brilliantly blue and as fearsome as the ocean. 
Which he needed, because Raihan was tired of bullshitting himself. Nessa was absolutely correct that Raihan wasn’t being himself. Not really, anyways. Raihan has confidence in his looks, his reputation, and overall swagger that he carries like a crown upon his head. He’s just as notorious, if not just as famous, as Leon-the only man to come close to someone Leon considered a rival. He can get anyone-he knows he can get anyone. 
Usually it only took a smile in their direction, a flash of fang, a flex of muscle, a whisper in their ear covered in husk, sprinkled with secrets they could make between the two of them under bright moonlight and starless skies-yet all those tricks and tactics fell utterly short at Leon’s feet. 
All Leon had to do was exist in the same space and time as Raihan and Raihan forgot how simple it was to breathe.
“Oh wow,” Nessa exhales with a whistle, reaching for more of her shake. She takes a pointed slurp. “You’ve got it bad , mate.”
“Shut up,” Raihan growls, but it sounds pitiful even to his own ears. 
Nessa smirks with her straw still in her mouth, “Listen, I love Leon. Truly do, but the man is only focused on one thing: winning. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him even utter words like dating or love-they’re just too out of his orbit.” 
“You think I don’t know that? The man’s got a bad case of one track mind and he’s barreling down that track at breakneck speeds.” Raihan goes for one of her fries because he needs comfort food and Nessa pinches his hand. “Ow! Rude, Ness.”
“Rai. Call him up and ask him out on a date. Then he can buy you fries.”
“I’ve considered that.”
“And?”
“And… what?”
“Let’s not play the who’s more dense game. Be the forward Raihan I know you can be and ask him out. What are you so afraid of?”
Ah, there it is. What was Raihan afraid of? And truly, what has he to lose? Everything comes snapping at him, fangs and claws at his neck. He never hesitated before. Never, because they were calculated wins. He knew with the people in his past he could obtain them, and obtain them easily. They were games where his outcome always ended with him as the winner. 
But that changed with Leon. Not once, not ever, had Raihan been even close to winning against Leon. Perhaps that spiral of losses had downward dove into Raihan believing he’d lose to Leon in this too. 
Raihan swore and Nessa simply shook her head. “Do what you need to do, Rai. But… if you ask me, I don’t think your chances of success are as low as you think they are.”
Raihan looks up at that. Sees the mischievous glint in Nessa’s eyes and a snow swirl of hope spike up in his chest. “What makes you say that?”
Nessa snorts and finishes off the last of her milkshake before she stands up, “The stars,” she answers impishly before she skips off to the bathroom. Leaving Raihan to stew and mutter and contemplate and go simply mad over her cryptic language. 
Later that night, he texts Leon. Asking a simple question: What would you do if I said I liked you?
He gets a response about thirty minutes later and nearly cries. 
Well of course I’d tell you I like you too. Haha, why what’s going on :P?
IV.
Raihan isn’t avoiding Leon. 
No, he’s simply busy.
He has a gym to run after all. And Pokemon to train. Food to eat and places to explore. The wild area’s raid dens were popping off more often recently. So of course Raihan had to go and explore. See if there were any new dragon Pokemon he could catch, or Pokemon in general to battle against. 
Sure, Leon would text him and Rotom would get all up in Raihan’s face whenever he did. But suddenly, Raihan couldn’t read anymore and to force himself to learn a skill he no longer had would be madness. So he refused to do so!
He was, in fact, avoiding Leon.
But his pride would never allow him to admit that. 
Raihan’s able to pull this off for about three weeks when his luck runs out. 
“Raihan!” Leon’s voice carries across the pitch of Hammerlocke stadium. Raihan stops his training with Flygon and Torkoal, nearly jumping from his skin. 
Shit. Fuck. Shit. Flygon and Torkoal are giving him knowing looks and Raihan’s incredibly close to asking them both to set him ablaze with a flamethrower. 
“Finally!” Leon runs over, all smiles and sunlight and Raihan wants to dig himself into the ground. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all week, yeah? Where have you been? Why haven’t you answered any of my messages?”
Raihan tilts his head. Makes his stance casual, hands in his pocket and words coming out with a drawl. “Been busy, mate. Got a gym to run and all that jazz.”
Leon looks at him strangely. And his sunlight starts to turn harsh. “Right… well, my mum’s grilling up a barbecue tonight. I was wondering if you wanted to come by and hang. I texted you and didn’t get a response. So I thought it’d be easier to just come in person!”
He’s so earnest. And so pure. So straightforward and just. Raihan’s heart squeezes, and aches. Every nerve in his body is snarling at him to confess. To unleash all the truth at Leon’s feet and hope for the best. To not let the fear of losing, again, so visceral, stop him from pursuing the golden man he craves. 
Tell him you like him. Say it over and over until it penetrates the thick fog of obliviousness. Let him know over and over again how you crave the taste of his mouth. Want to run your nails down his back. Want to feel his surety and strength in the palm of your hands. How much you want to-
Rotom softly whirs beside him, having popped out to scope the scene. Flygon and Torkoal are looking at him, encouraging him to say something. To speak. Even if his voice shatters. 
Yet, fear is stronger. 
Fear wins. 
“Can’t tonight,” ashes in his mouth-and the taste makes him sick as he continues. “I’ve already made plans.” he turns on his heel, lowering his visor so it shades his eyes. Leon could pierce through him, easily, and Raihan would rather die than have Leon see how pathetic he feels written all over his face. 
Before Leon can say anything Raihan calls back Torkoal and makes Rotom go into his pocket. Then he climbs onto Flygon and tells it to take him to the Wild Area. Flygon hesitates, for a second. Looks back to Leon and softly hums before taking off with Raihan. 
The mighty tamer of dragons, a coward when it comes to feelings.
Laughable. 
V.
The next time Raihan and Leon meet their world is unfurling at the seams.
Falling apart in bright columns of purple light.
The Darkest Day , Chairman Rose calls it. To save us all! To protect the future of Galar! 
“He’s gone utterly insane,” Raihan hisses as the clouds above them turn pitch black and turbulent. The other leaders and challengers were doing their best to calm the masses and get them to safety. Raihan’s already making plans to go to Hammerlocke so he can go down to the power plant and beat some sense into Chairman Rose himself. 
“I have to stop him,” Leon says from beside him. Raihan is reminded immediately how this is the first time in about a month that they’ve existed in the same space. They had a brief crossing in the locker room before the Championship Cup but it had been tense, and Raihan had kept himself short.
Time apart did his feelings no good. They festered like bacteria, crawling under the ground he tried to firmly pack like worms. Horribly gnawing away at his heart until Leon and the guilt he felt over their last meeting was all he his thoughts consumed. 
“Leon,” Raihan says, the name dropping effortlessly out of his mouth before it can be stopped. Leon glances over at him, his mouth ready to move until the ground starts to shake at their feet.  Crackling, gurgling with ancient energy. “Leon, move!”
Raihan’s body works faster. He pushes Leon out of the way as the earth cracks by their feet. A giant burst of purple energy, raw and vicious, shoots up into the sky. There’s screaming, and the scattering of feet. Dust floats in the air and rubble lays around them. 
Raihan swears again, coughing as the dust settles. He pushes himself upwards, when he realizes the position their in. Leon is sprawled underneath him. Raihan’s on top. And Raihan hates, hates the sort of images that-Leon’s looking at him. And Raihan can read every single emotion behind his eyes-the anger and hurt and surprise and shock and joy and-
“Raihan,” Leon says quietly. Raihan’s snapped out of his thoughts as the world continues to collapse around them. “Are you alright?”
“I,” Raihan works his jaw, tries to make the words come out. “Yeah. Yeah I am. You?”
Leon’s still looking at him, still searching. And for once, just this time, Raihan lets himself be seen. Be pierced. Be examined and looked. Let’s the lion scrape away at the ground until there’s nothing but bare bones of emotion that Raihan can’t really hide from anymore. 
There’s a few seconds that passes, then Leon closes his eyes and exhale deeply. “Help me up, please.”
Raihan does so, robotically. The two stand and stare at each other, a minute more, before Leon steps into Raihan’s space. 
“You can’t go without backup,” Raihan starts. “You’re the Champion and all, I get that. But not even you-”
“I can,” Leon interjects, and he’s so close. So close and so sure, unwavering, Raihan doesn’t know how he thought he could run away from Leon when his gravitational pull was so deep. “And I’ll be back. Safe, and sound, so that when I come back, we can talk.”
“We can-?” Raihan’s words are swallowed whole by Leon’s lips on his. 
Leon kisses the way he battles-sure, strong, and forward. It’s clumsy as all hell though, and Raihan hates the little choking noise he makes in surprise from it all. But Leon tastes like gold, with dirt, with liquid heat. 
Leon pulls back, and his eyes are hooded. But his lips are pulled into the brightest grin as their foreheads touch in the middle of the chaos. 
“Yes, we need to talk. We have a lot to go over." And then, a beat later and with a goofy grin to seal the deal, Leon says, "I talked to Nessa.”
Raihan’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “What did she say-”
“That you like me." Leon says effortlessly. "And that I’m as dense as a house of bricks. And she’s right, I am dense. But she also told me that I need to tell you that yes, Raihan, I like you too.”
Raihan is rooted. Cemented to the ground and Leon just gives him his soft smile, his confident gaze, and Raihan shoots forward to kiss him again. Sharply, one more time before letting go. One more time to make sure it’s real. 
“Brilliant. Absolutely fucking brilliant ,” he wants to laugh in hysterics but now, now is not the time. And this was not the place nor the setting he envisioned where this moment would finally come. “Yes. Okay. We will talk. After we save the world… be safe, Leon.”
“Always, Raihan.” 
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lightdeficient · 5 years ago
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PROBLEMS with TS4: Realm of Magic
So this was the pack for The Sims 4 so far that I’ve been the most excited about. I am gonna say it again but I prepared a savefile dedicated to witches with over 400 sims that have unique backstories, are fleshed out with traits, careers, relationships, clubs, skills, custom builds, and heck even phone cases! I was so sure they were gonna NAIL this pack like they did with Vampires, and although many parts of the Vampire Pack were a bit ‘excessive’ in my opinion, that’s a great problem to have because it’s usually the other way around.
So with TS4: Realm of Magic we get the new world Glimmerbrook, which looks very similar to Granite Falls (TS4: Outdoor Retreat), but is a bit more magical and has its unique quirks. I like this world a lot and I think it’s drop-dead gorgeous and was hoping they would recycle some Granite Falls assets for this pack since it takes a lot of their budget to create a new world with new plants and objects, and I would rather have that part of the budget go to spellcasting, which is what the pack is actually about. Glimmerbrook is awesome, with the exception of their non-functional messed up houses that are missing doors and have weird missing textures that if you’re anything like me, you will need to fix to be able to play in, which is annoying when you have to do that for every new save you start. We should just be able to throw ourselves into the game and not have to fix things before we get to the fun stuff... Not everyone likes renovating houses for hours like Lilsimsie, and even she’s mad, so.
Then we also get the magical realm, which looks really cool and has a fascinating story behind it, but to be honest I don’t know if I’ll use it that much because it kinda kills the story behind it when you see regular old townies walking around in the realm and using magic like they’re part of that secret world, like no. Just no. This renders that world essentially useless for me and a lot of other players.
The Create-A-Sim items are kinda lackluster, but the ones we do get look awesome and I like that they tackle different styles of spellcasters with their gothic, preppy, shady and hermit kind of clothes. I have so much CC I don’t necessarily yearn for more CAS content, but it is fun to get new meshes to see what CC creators will do with them! I’ll take it!
The Build items look phenomenal and I just want to praise EA for giving us a brand new style of content and also A FULL SET of objects (Except missing cupboards for the new kitchen, damn this is getting old), but it does kind of become less versatile when some objects have magical effects attached to them, like the desk for example. It’s cute and all, I get it, but I might want to use that desk in a normal house and now that house will have a complete set except for the desk because it’s too magical for the story I’m telling with them. I wish they just removed the magical effect completely or at least made two versions. Or I just use another desk, it’s not too big of a deal.
Now to the Gameplay... HERE WE GO RANT TIME
Okay so, first of all, I think the spells and potions we get are pretty lame as they don’t really add anything new to the game. They don’t add any new gameplay features or mechanics like if you remember Genies from TS3, they had an ability to control sims which temporarily added them to your household with a cool effect where you could literally have full control over them like your own sims and make them behave pretty much however you want. Why didn’t they add any mechanics like this? They basically only recycled vampire powers, made base game cheats into spells, or stole the SimRay ‘Freeze’ interaction from TS4: Get To Work, and they don’t add basically any new animations aside from the ones the spellcaster uses, which is also like two, one for casting on others and one for casting on self, so it looks super repetitive when they cast spells frequently. And to rub salt in the wound, we don’t even get any new spells when we have other packs like TS4: Seasons, which is such a missed opportunity on making weather spells, or vampire and witch fights with TS4: Vampires? Why do these start feeling more and more like independent games instead of packs meant to EXPAND our game? 
Also, spellcasting is just so glitchy, I mean the spellcaster doesn’t even face the target of their spell, so it just kind of breaks that feeling of “Oh my sim is doing this!” and feels more like a “My sim is doing.. something? OH the sink is fixed!” you know? And when they’re really close to the sim they’re casting on their animation will clip through them like, oh the quality... And I’m not gonna lie, I was kind of hoping for less whimsical and magical glitter effects in this pack than we had in previous games because I view magic as a hidden force and not as glitter flying everywhere, but damn this pack has like NO EFFECTS, when you cast ‘Strangeify’ on a sim, they literally BOOP (Shoutout to Romeo) into their green and witchy face. I get it’s not easy to do a transition, but come on, add a smoke effect to cover up that hard transition AT LEAST? And just the utter lack of reaction from the person being cast on totally breaks it even more. They just stand there like completely unaware their face was just messed up, or when you make two sims fight or kiss, they just walk there and do it immediately with so little notice like it’s a cheat, and it’s even hard to even find the sims that are being cast on because it just looks so ordinary. Isn’t this a magic pack? We could get the “vampire mesmerize effect” at least to show that the sims are commanded?
Even if spellcasting weren’t glitchy, it’s still way too overpowered in my opinion. Sure we have curses to mess things up for us, but you can just make a Curse Cleansing potion, Copypasto it infinite times and never have any problems. I also wish that there was a potion for setting your sims age back by just one day instead of “BECOME IMMORTAL” or “FREEZE AGE”. It would give us reason to keep making potions and trying to keep our sim alive, giving us actual gameplay and story. 
The Familiars, in my opinion, are just so silly. You know how Kids Room Stuff added Voidcritters which are the sims equivalent of Pokémon? Well now you can have them as a witch familiar, so apparently, spellcasters are actually Pokémon trainers? Why would you even put those things in here like they are not supposed to exist? And we only got a Raven as our only normal familiar. I will probably only use those ravens and I wish they could sit on your shoulder or something like in previous games but no, they just flap around endlessly behind you like some seagull on the beach facing a strong wind. I know technically we only got one Voidcritter but the other ones are just weird too. I can understand some phoenix, fairy, dragon or Sixam owl being in the game but the rest are literally Pokémons.
Final breath is normal sims that drink potions can’t get cursed... Why?! This would have been a perfect way to mess up sims lives?! And now normal sims can only get positive things from drinking potions? That’s so lame and so overpowered.
I am beyond disappointed in the game pack and this has been a horrible year for the sims with Strangerville and um, Island Living, which both lacked in depth and gameplay. Unfortunately, not even a fraction of this will be fixed by EA, so I pray that some talented modder fixes this game pack because let’s face it, modders continue to do it better. I adore this franchise and can’t help but sit here and rant about this mess, and don’t think I’m bashing EA or anything but damn they need to step up their game because they’re throwing dirt on their whole fanbase.
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
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missusk · 4 years ago
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Pecha Berries
A Pokemon Shield Nuzlocke Story.
Chapter 4 - Just Six, but Seven is Fine
[Team Roster: Jackson (Scorbunny), Bella (Yamper), Lacey (Wooloo), Orchid (Bunnelby), Sap (Grubbin)]
Dolly changed out of her uniform as quickly as she could, not wanting to wait another second to enthuse with Hop about what just happened. He must have had the same idea, because they both came sprinting out at the same time and nearly smashed into each other.
“That was wicked!” Hop yelled, pumping his fists.
“I know!” Dolly shouted, jumping up and down.
“Standing there on the pitch,”
“In the stadium,”
“In front of everyone!” he finished, clenching his fists. “I can barely contain myself!”
“My heart’s racing!”
The two blathered back and forth, talking a mile a minute, until two others approached them.
A familiar twirl of dark red and gold flickered, alongside a crisp light gray. Dolly was practically catapulted into the wall by the amount of charisma these two men brought as they walked forward. She had seen them both a thousand times through a screen, but something about the way Rose’s light green eyes pierced into hers made her heart quicken.
Oh boy.
“Seems like the two of you enjoyed the opening ceremony by the sound of it! You must be the two Trainers our Champion endorsed himself,” Rose said with a charming smile. “Welcome, and it’s a delight to meet you.”
He shook Hop’s hand, then turned to Dolly, taking her hand in his as well. Not for a handshake, however, as he placed his other hand on top of hers. His light green eyes met hers as he continued.
“I’m Rose, of course.”
Dolly’s eyes flicked from his eyes down to her hand held within his. She swallowed.
Oooh boy.
He needed to stop looking at her because sweet Arceus were those green eyes mesmerizing. Not this again. Why must she be bombarded with so many charismatic men? Her poor heart could hardly handle it. She swallowed again when Rose turned her hand over and smiled inquisitively.
“Oh, and what’s this? I see you both already possess Dynamax Bands,”
She wished he would let go of her hand before it slipped out from how much she was sweating. Her hand probably felt like a Cloyster tongue. He looked into her eyes again.
“It seems like you’ve been led here by the guiding light of the Wishing Stars.”
Instead of an eloquent and insightful reply, as was her full intent, Dolly’s throat just let out an unfortunate squeak. She could see Hop in her periphery raising an eyebrow at her and boy did she want to smack him. And herself. She thought she was more robust than this, but alas, she was just a wafery napkin that was easily charmed by powerful men.
Rose finally released her hand from his and stood back, smiling at the two of them.
“I daresay this year’s Gym Challenge is looking to be an absolute blast. Very good, very good indeed! The whole Galar region is in for some excitement!” he said. After a quick glance at his watch he gave them a slight bow. “I’m afraid I must be off, but best of luck to you both!”
Tall, handsome, charismatic men: 2. Dolly: 0.
Hop nudged her and waggled his eyebrows as Rose left. She shoved him.
Leon came up next, pumping his fists as she had seen his brother do so often. He explained to them a bit about the next steps of the Gym Challenge, and about something else too, but she only watched his golden eyes sparkle. And his arms when he moved his cape back as it cascaded over his broad shoulders. And his dazzling smile. She wondered if the previous Champion wore their shirt as tight as he did. What was he saying? Dolly felt like she was going to explode when he ruffled her and Hop’s hair and sent them off with some more Poké Balls and potions.
Hop whistled as they made their way to Route 3.
“It’s a good thing I’m going to be Champion and the one working with Rose, huh Dolls? Not sure Galar has enough towels for how much you were drooling. And you know, you’ve got to actually win your way up with Pokémon battles. You can’t just persuade Rose to give you Badges by using…other means,” he said with a wink.
Dolly gasped and smacked his arm.
“What kind of girl do you take me for? Arceus,” she laughed. “It’s not my fault he has hypnotizing green eyes.”
“Gross, girls are so weird," Hop said, pretending to gag. "He’s a tubby middle-aged man. Lee told me Rose picks his nose,”
“He did not tell you that!” Dolly laughed. “Whatever, you’re just jealous he’s handsome and magnetic and intelligent and you’ve got less charm than a brick,”
“What!” Hop yelped, stopping in the road. “I’m charming!”
Dolly continued on, flipping her hair behind her shoulder.
“I don’t see any girls drooling over you,”
“I’ll prove it to you with a Pokémon battle, how ‘bout that?”
"Not sure what that has to do with charm, but I can’t stand here with you assuming I’m not going to win again,” she grinned, pulling up her sleeves.
The two Trainers battled in the streets of Motostoke, laughing and mocking one another as they darted about the bricks. Dolly was liking this feeling that continued to burn within her every time she battled. Sometimes it was fire, and sometimes it was a roaring ocean, with waves crashing and resurrecting her soul as she commanded her Pokémon forward.
As Hop withdrew his final Pokémon, he set his hands on his hips.
“Just what I’d expect from my rival! You know what? I’ll even give you one of my League cards! That’s how good I think you did in that battle,” he grinned, plopping his card into her hand. When he did, Dolly laughed again.
“What am I supposed to do with this? Floss my teeth with it?”
Hop reeled back at her comment.
“How dare you! That will one day be a limited-edition collector’s item! Keep it safe and sound and one day it’ll be worth millions,” he said with a decisive nod.
Dolly rolled her eyes as they continued into Route 3. Hop was nearly bouncing around her by the time they got to the edge of Motostoke.
“Just go,” she smiled, rolling her eyes again. “I don’t fancy sprinting everywhere anyway.”
“Great see you in Turffield then!” he beamed, already rushing toward Route 3. “Hello Galar! Meet your next Champion!” he called, startling a few Rookidees out of a nearby tree. “From the sleepy town of Postwick - it’s me, Hop!”
Dolly let out another laugh as she shook her head, meandering into Route 3 herself.
The fresh air filled her lungs as she took in a deep breath, the sun shining brightly upon her. She stretched up toward it, flexing her fingers. She agreed with Sonia when she said it was nice to be on the road - minus her aching feet and aching shoulders and aching back, at least the sunshine and breeze were nice. She was also excited to use the new tent she got in Motostoke instead of using that old fabric shrapnel as a blanket.
She looked about her, tall grass filling in more of the pathway forward. The blades waved gently in the wind as Dolly peered through. A new route meant a new Pokémon to add to the team. She could catch one more Pokémon, she would allow herself one final team member, and now it was just a matter of who it would be.
Her eyes locked onto a bit of brown trudging through the grass. There. She tossed out Jackson and pointed to the Pokémon flank facing away from them. He nodded, prowling closer, ears flat against his head.
In a flash he leaped, chomping down on the Pokémon.
“Nice hit!” Dolly enthused, running up to the two Pokémon. “I think?”
Jackson’s face was flush in the dirt as a Mudbray held it there. He squirmed and shouted a few choice words, to no avail.
“You a Pokémon Trainer?” the Mudbray asked, still holding Jackson down with his hoof.
“Uh, yeah?”
He nodded his head toward Motostoke.
“Saw you and that purple-haired lad battling, saw you could talk to Pokémon. Mind if I come with you?”
“Oh. But, uh” she stuttered, glancing around. “Aren’t we supposed to battle? And I catch you proper?”
The Mudbray shrugged, taking his hoof off Jackson and setting it on the ground. Jackson shot up and gasped, flinging mud onto her shoes.
“You sent out a Fire-type Pokémon. Didn’t want to bother hurting him if I was just going to come with you anyway. Not much to do around here.”
Dolly stuck her lip out in contemplation.
“Well, I suppose that’s pretty considerate of you. I imagined my last Pokémon catch would be a little more... exciting?”
“Yeah come on, I want to battle!” Jackson enthused, hopping around the Mudbray. He threw a couple air-punches, then tripped over a rock and back into the mud.The Mudbray shrugged again as Jackson fussed.
“‘Fraid you won’t get much excitement out of me. That’s why I’ve been looking for a Trainer to follow around, anyway. Name’s Hudson.”
“I’m Dolly. Welcome to the team, then, Hudson,”
He nodded as they continued along Route 3. Jackson kept punching at Hudson who only walked stoically along.
“Come on, Hudson! I’ve got all this energy and I want to battle!” he roared, reaching his fists to the sky. He punched a Zigzagoon, it fainted, and Jackson evolved into a Raboot.
Dolly couldn’t help but chuckle as Jackson sprinted around her and Hudson.
As the trio made their way through Route 3, battling and leveling and chatting, Dolly eventually ran into Sonia, who was gazing out over an energy plant in the distance.
“Heya, Gym Challenger!” she grinned, turning to Dolly as she approached. “You looked real ace out there during the opening ceremony! Oh, but where’s Hop?”
“He went on ahead,” she said, rolling her eyes. Sonia grinned.
“He can’t sit still at all, can he? Guess he really wants to catch up to his brother.”
Dolly shrugged as Sonia continued explaining about the local surroundings. She mentioned a building off in the distance that Rose owned, and suddenly Dolly was much more interested in the conversation.
“Can’t say I really get him, but the chairman seems like a pretty brilliant guy, right? He even endorsed a Challenger this time too, I think his name was Challenger Bede.”
Dolly nearly swooned, thinking of Rose and their interaction earlier. Of course he was brilliant, Sonia. He was brilliant, charming, enrapturing, handsome, captivating, etcetera. She thought back to those dark features, those dangerous eyes, that chiseled jawline.
“Oh, and here, these should help you,” Sonia suddenly added with a grin, holding out her hand. She plopped two revives into Dolly’s hand. Dolly stared at the two yellow tablets for a moment, her eyebrows pulling together.
“Oh, uh...thanks Sonia, but I can’t accept these,” she muttered, looking down and handing them back.
“Wow, look at you, Miss Confident!," Sonia said, letting out a laugh. "Don’t think you’ll ever lose, huh?”
“No, I...I can’t use them. ‘Nother part of the Curse.” Dolly said quietly, still kicking at the ground. Sonia tilted her head.
“What do you mean? Do they have the same effect as throwing too many Poké Balls?”
“Not quite. But they definitely won’t work for me.”
Sonia nodded, understanding dawning on her face. Dolly let out another breath.
“That part is the hardest to talk about, for obvious reasons. I figured you’d think I was selfish and cruel and whatever since I was battling again, risking the lives of my Pokémon like that.”
Sonia paused, scratching her chin again. Then, she shook her head.
“I don’t think less of you, Dolly. From what I’ve seen, you treat your Pokémon with a lot of love, care, and respect. They all seem to like you, too. And hey,” she said with a smile, setting her hands on her hips. “Maybe that part of the Curse doesn’t affect you anymore anyway. I’d say keep battling and moving forward in the Gym Challenge - maybe we’ll both learn more about it as we go along like this.”
Dolly couldn’t help but smile at the woman before her. Even though she wasn’t positive Pokémon fatality was part of her Curse still, it’s not like that was something she wanted to test anytime soon.
Sonia saw her off to Galar Mine No. 1, Dolly trying her best to be subtle when asking more about Rose. Just subtle things like his energy plant and his chairmanship and if he was married or not. Subtly, of course.
Dolly grimaced as she walked into the mine, a layer of grime and dust already forming on her clothes. She peered about, taking in the view of the new scenery before her. It was dirty, dusty, and gross. Little Pokémon darted about, popping up out of the dirt, but she was at six Pokémon, the limit she set herself, so she didn’t bother catching any as she traversed through the mine. After their training, she learned Hudson was quite the powerhouse. He obliterated the first Roggenrola they ran into anyway, so no new Pokémon even she wanted.
As she trekked farther in, her distaste for the mine wavered as she noticed little outcroppings of gemstones sparkling between cracks in the wall. Then she stepped in a Diglett hole, nearly rolled her ankle, and her distaste was right back where she started.
After following the Carkol tracks farther, Dolly could see daylight reflecting off of some of the gemstones in the walls. She let out a sigh, hoping she was getting close to leaving this rubbish mine. Her shoes and ankles were caked in dust and all she wanted was a hot shower. As she followed the tracks to the end of the mine, she saw someone standing in the way of the exit, looking about the room.
He looked to her as she approached. Had she met this guy before? His huge pink coat looked familiar...
“Coming this way? I’d advise against it. Any Trainer with a Wishing Star is in for a beating from me and my Pokémon,” he smirked, shoving his hand into his pocket, tossing a Poké Ball into the air with the other.
Great? She just wanted to take a shower.
“You. You’re the Gym Challenger endorsed by the Champion, aren’t you. What a joke,” he snickered. “You’re aware the chairman is more important than the Champion, correct?”
How dare he pit those two glorious men against each other.
“Uh...do I know you?” Dolly asked, peering around him to the exit of the mine.
“I was chosen by the chairman himself, and that makes me more amazing than you!” he laughed, still tossing his Poké Ball into the air.
A memory of him shoving Hop in the Motostoke atrium flashed through her head. So, she had seen him before. Was this that Challenger Bede Sonia mentioned earlier? What a stupid name to go with such stupid hair.
“Uh. Right. Look mate, I just want to get to Turffield,” she said, trying to sidestep around him. “Not looking for Wishing Stars or the bother,”
Dolly's brow furrowed as he blocked her path, standing to his full height.
“I said any Trainer who already has one is in for a beating,” the boy growled. “Are you deaf, or are you as stupid as the other bloke who the Champion endorsed?”
Her eyebrows raised. So that’s how he wanted to play. She took a step back and lifted up her hands in mock-defeat.
“You’re right, you’re right, my apologies, your majesty,” she said, bowing slightly. “Now, somebody who was endorsed by the most important man in Galar must have an important name, right? What was it again…?”
Dolly pondered, rubbing her finger to her temple. The boy smirked again.
“You’ll do well to remember it,” he started. “It’s B-”
“Brandon...Bryce...Bill…” she interrupted, setting her hands on her hips. She looked up and snapped her fingers. “Ah, I remember! It was Bidet!”
She could practically see the steam shooting from his head.
“Doing the hard work for the hand of Galar,” she continued. “Tell me, Bidet, do you and Oleana take turns wiping the chairman’s a-”
“That’s it!” he fumed, taking a furious stomp forward. “No one makes a fool of me or the chairman. Go, Solosis!”
He chucked his Poké Ball into the space between them and a Solosis’ cry echoed throughout the mine.
She tossed out her Poké Ball with a yawn and her Grubbin appeared before them. After a few hits, the opposing Solosis was down. Suddenly Dolly was grateful for the challenging training in the cave, as it would have been pretty embarrassing to lose to this guy. It only took a moment for Dolly to realize the pattern unfolding before her. That was quite a bit of pink...and quite a bit of Psychic. What a shame that her Grubbin was Bug-type.
It didn’t take long before her opponent was defeated and even more furious. He clenched his fists and took a step toward her. She stood her ground, staring up into his eyes as he glared down at her. After a moment he paused.
“Fine. It’s fine. I wasn’t even trying that hard anyway,” he grumbled, slapping some coins into her hand.
Bede took a step back and looked her up and down. Subtle.
“Well that was unexpected,” he laughed. “I suppose you’re more able than I thought.”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"Thanks, I guess. Off to Turffield then. Bye Bidet,” she said as she hiked up her bag and exited the mine.
The setting sun shone brilliantly over the fields of wheat unfolding before her. It took her a moment for her eyes to adjust, but once she had she took in a breath.
Wheat fields rolled over the hills as far as the eye could see. There were trees dappled throughout the landscape, and giant stones artfully placed throughout. She could see Turffield in the distance, with its Gym watching over the town. This was certainly a much better view than the mine, she thought, as she started towards the route. She took a couple steps, tripped, and landed face-first into a pit of mud.
“Sorry,” she heard someone squeak.
“Who in the bloody he-” Dolly looked up and was met with a pair of big, brown eyes. Her mouth fell open. Unfortunately for her, some mud fell in. “An Eevee! No way!” she yelped, mud spitting on the Eevee’s face.
The Eevee cowered and started scampering away.
“Wait, hold on!” Dolly called, quickly picking herself up out of the mud. “I’ve only got one shot per route, I’m not letting this one go. Go, Jackson, catch that Eevee!”
Jackson took off sprinting. In a decisive tackle both Jackson and the Eevee were on the ground, rolling, tackling, biting. The dust was kicking up as the two battled, peppering the air around them.
“Careful Jackson, not too much!” she called as she caught up to the two of them. Once the Eevee looked just weathered enough, she tossed a Poké Ball, then it rolled three times and clicked.
“Alright!” Dolly cheered, pumping her fist into the air. “An Eevee, what are the odds of that happening?”
She cheered again, picking the Poké Ball up off the ground. Perhaps having seven overall wasn’t so bad? It’s not like she could let go of an Eevee.
“Let’s meet her officially, shall we?” she asked as Jackson came running back to her.
In a flash of light the Eevee was before them again, still panting.
“Here, take this,” Dolly said, kneeling down and holding out an Oran berry. “This’ll make you feel better,”
The Eevee took a cautious step forward, her paw hovering above the ground. After a moment she trotted to the berry and ate it up quickly. Dolly plopped onto the ground completely, crossing her legs.
“Welcome to the team, little Eevee. Do you have a name?” she asked, picking at the mud that was drying on her face.
“It’s Posey,” the Eevee whispered, looking at her paws. “Thanks for the berry…”
“Do you like adventure, Posey? Traveling? What do you like to do?”
“I’m Jackson!” Jackson said, interrupting Dolly as he grinned. He stood up to his full two-foot height and stuck out his paw. “Sorry about beating you up!”
“Oh it’s okay,” she said, a small smile appearing on her face as she shook his paw. “I like battling, and I’m pretty good at it, too.”
Jackson grinned and she looked back to the ground bashfully.
“I’ll say!” Jackson boomed. “Your Bite nearly tore my ear off!”
“Th-thanks,” she smiled, eyes twinkling.
After an introduction to the rest of the team, Posey melded in effortlessly. Jackson seemed to be paying her quite a bit of attention, and Dolly made a sly mental note of that.
After a bit more training, they found a nice outcropping to set up for dinner. Dolly sighed as she took a seat, peeling off her socks and shoes again. Not so blistered this time, she thought as she watched her small Pokémon team playing in the grass. Sap clambered up to sit on her lap.
It had been a while since she lived like this she thought, stroking her now-Charjabug who was emitting sparks in content. She’d never had so many Pokémon on her team, but she did have one once before.
It was before she and her mum moved to Galar. Even then she was pretty lackluster - all the other kids had hobbies like collecting pretty stones or doing crafts, or playing sports or competitive chess. It wasn’t until she met her in the forest near her home when she was looking for Pecha berries to pick. She couldn’t have been more than seven or eight years old - even then she could talk to Pokémon, but her mum never let her have any. She was outside, meandering in the woods for the familiar bushes. She remembered it was spring, because her Pokémon’s coat was pink - her favorite color at the time. She was reaching in the bushes, but instead of grabbing a berry, she grabbed the flower on her head. From the second they made eye contact, their bond was solidified. Every morning that spring Dolly would ask her mum if she could go pick more berries because ‘she just really loved Pecha jam,’ and her new Pokémon friend would meet her at the edge of the forest. They would play together, splash in the stream in the forest together, tell stories - everything, really, throughout that spring and summer. It wasn’t until one summer dusk that her friend hadn’t come to meet her at the edge of the forest all day that day.
Dolly had wandered into the forest, a flashlight and the fireflies being the only guiding light as she called for her friend. Then, as she was walking along, she heard a familiar cry. Rushing through the bushes, ignoring the branches whipping at her face, she made it to a clearing in the forest. Her friend was surrounded by Unfezants, clawing and pecking at her in the clearing. Dolly had run up, trying to shoo the birds away as her friend cowered on the ground. It was then that she felt that fire within her first spark. When she and her friend blazed in unison and defeated the swarm of angry Unfezants, that was when the fire within her was ignited.
Dolly shook her head to the present and watched her new team hop around their makeshift camp. She had been on the road for a while, and she wasn’t any closer to figuring out her Curse than when she started in Postwick. That voice in the Slumbering Weald...what had it said? Shield of Galar? Overcome the Curse? She remembered that part as much. So someone, or something, knew about her Curse besides her mum and Sonia. But what did that mean?
“Miss Dolly, can you tell us another story?”
Dolly jolted into focus as Lacey trotted up to her, sauce from dinner still sticking to her wool.
“Maybe the one about the nice princess with the fluffy hair?” she asked bashfully, kicking at a rock on the ground.
“No, no, tell the one about the ninja who ate all the bananas!” Jackson quipped, bounding up to her as well.
“Or the one about the secretly courageous accountant and that venus flytrap and the treadmill,” Hudson added, joining the other two to sit before Dolly.
“I liked the ninja one too,” Posey added with a brief glance towards Jackson.
Perhaps deciphering her vision was a task for another day. She let out a laugh as she stood from her spot, setting Sap down and dusting off her leggings and skirt. They needed to get back on the road if they wanted to make it to Turffield before the sun set.
“How about a new story about a Pokémon team who loved washing dishes,”
“That’s lame!” Jackson pouted. “Make something cooler!”
“Alright, alright," Dolly laughed. "I’ll tell one as we clean up. This one is about a Snorlax who couldn’t touch his toes…”
As she wove the narrative for them, her small team cleaned up and set off again. When she finished her Snorlax story, she sent them back into their Poké Balls and hiked her bag up on her shoulders. She started back along the route, picking at the mud that was still caked in her hair. Suddenly she heard a call from behind her.
“Wooloo, where do you think you’re going?”
“I’VE GOT DREAMS TOO BIG FOR THIS PODUNK TOWN!”
Dolly turned just in time to be tackled to the ground by a runaway Wooloo, his wool squishing against her face.
It didn’t take long before someone lifted the Wooloo from her and tossed it to the side. Her vision was filled with the worried face of a man above her, his large sun hat blocking out most of the sky.
“My...Are you okay? You took that Tackle head on…” he said, lifting her to her feet.
Dolly winced as her back pinched when she stood fully. Just something else to add to her repertoire of aches and pains on this journey. She nodded when she saw his worried face.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she grimaced.
“You must be one of those Gym Challengers, right?” the man asked, beckoning the Wooloo to his side. Dolly nodded in response. “Ahh, I thought so. I saw you at the opening ceremony.”
Wow, pretty impressive that he remembered her of all people. She was really hoping no one would have noticed she was there, then no one would notice that she would drop out after this town’s Gym. He stuck out his hand with a friendly grin.
“My name’s Milo, I’m a Gym Leader and rather partial to Grass-type Pokémon. I’ve been itching to see just how good the Champion-endorsed Gym Challengers are. I can walk you down the rest of the way to Turffield, I’m off there with this little guy anyway,”
Dolly nodded and walked in step with Milo as he chatted with her on their way to Turffield. He was pretty friendly, but she wasn’t sure how many of these questions she wanted to answer. If she was just going to quit after his Gym, the less everyone knew about Challenger 052 the better. They made it into Turffield before the sun fully set, and Milo left Dolly with a wave. She grinned as soon as she saw Hop waiting at the front of the town.
“Dolls I thought I already told you, you can’t win by flirting with every important person in the League!”
"Nice to see you too.”
“How do you manage to get so dirty so quickly? There’s literally mud in your hair,” he grimaced as he fell into step with her.
“Gotta do what I gotta do,” she laughed, picking little pieces out of her hair. “Now where’s the Gym?”
She looked about the town as she followed Hop down the dirt path. It was lush and green, with fields of wheat rolling over into the horizon, trees speckled throughout. Little brick houses sat humbly throughout the fields and dirt roads of the town, accented with colorful flowers, shrubs, and artfully placed wheelbarrows. Tall stones rose from the ground as well, marking the end of each path throughout the village. She and Hop made their way through the town, breathing in the crisp air as the sun continued to set. They finally approached a tall, round building, oddly out-of-character for the humble town.
“That’s Turffield Stadium right there,” he grinned, turning to her. “The place is jam-packed with Challengers, though. It’ll be ages before your turn comes up, but I’ve already got my Badge. I reckon I’m just about the greatest when it comes to wrangling Wooloo, I’ve had plenty of practice at it, after all!”
What? Wooloo? Why was he wrangling his own Wooloo? What did that have to do with the Grass Badge?
“Wow, check you out,” she grinned, flipping the Badge over in her fingers. “Leon better get ready for you and Wooloo.”
Is that what he meant about wrangling Wooloo?
“I’m sure you can win this one, too. You are my rival, after all,” he smiled again.
She looked up to Hop, up to his familiar face and his familiar smile. She would miss seeing that smile on the daily once she headed back to Postwick. They could always video chat, she supposed. Dolly let out a yawn as she rubbed her hands over her arms, the cold of dusk biting at her.
“Waiting until tomorrow is fine with me, I’m knackered anyway.”
She waved goodbye to Hop and looked back up to the Gym looming before her. It glimmered in the dusk, with the purples and greens contrasting the dark blue sky behind it. Dolly let out a sigh, picking at the skin around her fingers. Her mind flashed back to her first Pokémon, then back to the present. This could be it, she could lose another one. But, she set out to beat at least one Gym, and that’s what she was going to do. Beat Milo then head back to Postwick...maybe she could persuade her mum to let Munchlax have some friends. Bringing home seven Pokémon wouldn’t be so much more than one, right? Dolly speculated different methods of persuasion as the sun finally set over Turffield.
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oops-prow-did-it-again · 5 years ago
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Pokémon Black: The Novel - Chapter 9 (Thread the Needle)
Prologue and more info
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Pokémon Black: The Novel on FFN
Pokémon Black: The Novel on AO3
Pokémon Retold the series on AO3
----------------------------
Hil spent the next week training along Route Three.
He stopped at Striaton City’s Pokémon Center often and stayed there overnight. Even if he often heard whispers and received awkward stares, he had no intentions of going to Nacrene City just yet. He knew Cheren and Bianca would likely spot him, and he just didn’t want to talk to them. As angry and hurt as he had been at Cheren in Wellspring Cave, he had understood Cheren’s concerns. In fact, he had even agreed with him. He just had no solution for the problem at the time.
His mind had settled on a simple plan: train, train, and train. Do it alone. He hoped that he would be able to manage on his own, and if he got into a tough spot, desperation would force him to keep from locking up. At first, he and his pokémon had been forced back to the Pokémon Center almost hourly, but after a while, he found a groove and was able to remain for longer stretches of time. His pokémon seemed to appreciate the one-on-one interactions they received, at least. He had even managed to catch a Blitzle after repeated, failed attempts at acquiring one.
The Blitzle, a male one, had an arrogant air about him. He had been lazy and disinterested in battle and that had been what allowed Hil to catch him. Hil had offered him the chance to leave following his capture since he seemed angry at having been caught, but at the last second, the Blitzle had seemed to change its mind and bumped its muzzle against Hil’s right palm. Hil had smiled uneasily and thanked him for agreeing to stay. Due to his haughty nature, Hil had jokingly called him ‘Prada,’ and the name stuck.
It was day eight when Hil awoke in his hostel room to his Xtransceiver ringing wildly. He ignored it at first, as he always did, with the hopes the other person would get the hint and leave him alone. Yet, after ten minutes or more of successive rings, Hil’s anxiety kicked in and he sat up, dazedly reaching for the device. He found it was a mixed effort of Cheren and Bianca both calling him. He flopped back down in the bed before sliding his finger across the ‘Answer’ button.
His face appeared on the bottom left screen. His unkempt, oily hair, whipped into every which way, indicated way more obviously than he’d have liked that he hadn’t showered in the last two days. “Sup,” Hil mumbled groggily.
“Hil!” Bianca exclaimed. “You finally answered! I’ve been so worried!”
Her voice echoed. He could tell she was with Cheren in the same spot and they had both just been making a concentrated effort to annoy him into answering. He supposed it had worked.
“Yeah? I’ve just been training on Route Three some,” Hil yawned.
Again, it was Bianca who spoke. Cheren didn’t seem to even be looking at his Xtransceiver. “Well, you scared us! We thought you might have been hurt when you kept refusing to answer and you never showed up in Nacrene,” she whined. She tilted her head and glanced at Cheren. After a short pause, she stamped a foot and tapped him in the shoulder. “Hey! Speak up!”
Cheren winced at her touch and shot her a dirty look. He nervously glanced up at the Xtransciever and away again. “I’m sorry for what I said in Wellspring Cave,” he mumbled at last through what sounded like a mouthful of cotton. “I lost my cool. You didn’t deserve that. It won’t happen again.”
Hil tossed his left arm over his forehead, blotting out his view of them and their view of his face. “Don’t say that, Cheren,” Hil sighed. “I mean, I appreciate the apology, but what I meant is… you weren’t wrong, really. It is scary that I freeze up like that and that’s gonna be a big problem if I don’t deal with it. That’s why I went off the radar. I wanted to practice without having anyone to fall back on for a while but myself. Hoped it might force me to see reason even if I was having a freeze-up.”
“…Did it?” Cheren asked quietly.
Hil thought about that for a second as he moved his arm from his face. He hadn’t really had but one or two moments in his training throughout the week where he truly froze, and both times, his pokémon had taken up for him. At least, Noodle had. Rather than continue to panic alongside Hil and wait for him to issue commands, the Snivy had taken it upon himself to react when Hil began to lose his focus; he seemed to default to a Vine Whip, and then would lightly tap Hil’s legs with the vines as well to try to regain his attention. Interestingly enough… it had worked. Noodle had to repeat his ministrations a few times, but it always worked.
“I think so,” Hil answered finally.
“So, nothing bad happened while you were out there?” Bianca asked worriedly. Suddenly, he felt very annoyed with that question. It sounded as if Bianca were being protective at him. While part of him wanted to be appreciative, what little pride he had was wounded at the implication he needed guarding by her.
“Nope,” was all Hil answered her with. She didn’t deserve his vitriol. “I caught a Blitzle, though. His name’s Prada.”
“That’s awesome!” Bianca beamed. “Where are you at, anyway? You look like you’re in a bed, but we haven’t seen you in Nacrene.”
“You look like you slept on your head and forgot what a shower was as well,” Cheren added dryly.
“Ha ha,” Hil sneered, “yeah, I’m in Striaton City’s hostel. Was able to convince them to let me have a room alone.” Hil curled his lips a little and mockingly said, “Perks of being the kid of a dead gym trainer man.”
Bianca visibly cringed at that statement, but shook it off within seconds. “W-well, we’re at Nacrene, if you want to meet us here! Cheren already won his badge from Lenora. We were waiting on you to come along and have your battle before we left!”
Hil blinked. “You were?”
“Yeah. We left Nuvema together, didn’t we? Why split up now?” Cheren questioned. “Not gonna let one little fight ruin us, are we? We’ve had worse spats, I think,” Cheren laughed a little nervously.
Hil chuckled. “You have a point… okay. I’ll get ready and meet you guys in Nacrene in…” Hil glanced at the time in the corner of the Xtransceiver’s screen. It was currently 10:12 AM. Oh boy, he had sure slept in. “…Probably about noon,” he said half-heartedly. “Sorry, I had no idea I slept in so late…”
“You always sleep in late,” Cheren mused.
“We’re away from home, who cares? Sleep as late as you want!” Bianca giggled.
Cheren scowled at her. “That is not healthy life advice.”
“Thanks Daddy, always lookin’ out for us,” Hil grinned.
With that, Cheren hung up and Bianca squealed something incoherent, laughed, and quickly wished Hil farewell before hanging up as well. Hil felt relief welling in his chest. He hadn’t realized how badly he had missed talking to them and how painful it had been to actively ignore them over the course of even just the week. He had known Cheren and Bianca his entire life, and he looked forward to putting that spat behind them.
 ----------------------------
Castelia City had felt suffocating recently. It was a new feeling to the happy-go-lucky gym leader of the most bustling, lively city in Unova. The open, winding streets and various shops that had once felt warm and inviting now felt restricting, like the straps to a straitjacket, and he, the loose cannon of a patient.  He had opted to leave the city for a while. He still had rights to a studio in Nacrene City and although he had allowed some younger artists to use it for the time being, they had been ecstatic at the idea of having him back for a while. Their exuberance had been welcome. Burgh didn’t feel like he was anyone’s favorite person anymore, but their reaction had made him feel wanted.
Many would tell you Burgh was the cavalier, artsy gym leader of Castelia City, enjoying life at its fullest and encouraging his gym trainers and challengers to do the same. They would proclaim him as easily the most upbeat of the entire Unovan Pokémon League Staff, they would celebrate his portfolio of art, and lightly tease his fondness for Bug-types. They may have whispered about his occasional artists’ block and how he’d travel to Nacrene City to escape it on occasion, since he had started his art career as a lost, lonely art student in one of its outrageously expensive studios.
More recently, however, one may have found a wildly different picture of Burgh painted by the brush of news anchors: the ignorant, careless gym leader that did not notice the light fading in one of his students. A callous, pompous artist who no longer concerned himself with the emotions of others unless it suited him for public viewing.
It had all stemmed from the sudden suicide of a gym trainer of his named Vincent, or as he had preferred to be called, Vince. Burgh also felt the blame aimed his way was highly unfair because he never had any idea Vince was struggling. Vince was more outgoing than many of his other trainers, he joked often, he loved to pretend he really was a court jester in alignment with their funny clown outfits… He had seemed so excitable and happy. Sure, Burgh had been aware Vince had an unpleasant home life, but the gym had seemed to lighten his day up. No matter how many times he scrutinized his time spent with Vince at the gym, he could never come up with an ounce of evidence pointing to the idea that Vince was struggling with such bitter demons.
The closest thing to evidence he had come up with was that sometimes, Vince showed up in unkempt clothes, the scent of coffee strong on his breath, and his eyes glazed over dazedly. It had given Burgh the impression that he may have been hungover, but what was he supposed to have done about that? Vince was a grown man, and while he preferred his trainers to show up unintoxicated, there was no official rule about it. The only time anyone was asked to sit to the side for those reasons was if they were actively disrupting instruction or clearly not in their right mind. He hadn’t had an incident like that with any of his students, well… ever. Vince had always joked about his uneasy state whenever he arrived like that, and Burgh had just joked back, thinking that’s what Vince had wanted.
Insulted was a kind way to put how the media’s lashings made him feel. Burgh prided himself on offering help to others and indeed, his passion for art had grown from a desire to show off the beauty of everyday mundanities to others in a bid to brighten their lives. His love for Bug-types had sprung from a youth spent sympathizing with them for how most considered them gross and unsightly. He had striven to show they were just as deserving of love as any other pokémon. As any other living creature.
Over the course of three short months, the media was running his name into the ground. Truth be told, not everyone believed it; Burgh had personally touched the lives of many people and his status as gym leader meant that many had difficulty even considering the possibility of the sensationalist stories being right. Even so, the small group of people who believed it were very real. An odd glare here, a hurried, husky whisper there… Burgh was not blind nor was he deaf to the hike in public criticisms. He could have marched up to them and demanded they stop spreading such nonsense—indeed, he could have even gone to the news stations themselves and order them to stop spreading such insidious stories—but he knew that would only worsen his reputation. He had begged other League Staff that had wanted to defend his honor to leave the subject alone and let it blow over. It seemed like it would never blow over, though…
On top of all of that, crime was on a minor rise in Castelia City, and he knew the source of it. Robberies, though only of relatively small amounts of cash, were being reported. The culprit was described as a mid to older teenager that used pokémon wordlessly and seamlessly in his thievery. Burgh had known immediately who they spoke of and although he had not exactly been interested in divulging that information to police (nor was he required to), guilt had pressed him to offer those stolen from some compensation. He earned plenty of money from his art as well as his job as a gym leader. He played off their confusion as him simply wanting to be a good citizen.
Meanwhile, he really was just trying to lessen the heat on the robber. Burgh had met the boy, Taven, some years ago, by chasing him through the streets of Castelia and well into the sewers after hearing stories of a mysterious young man robbing grocery stores for food and other menial supplies. He had grown frustrated with the chase and had his Leavanny use String Shot to tie him up, force him to stop. Until that point, Taven had been mostly silent save for the occasional grunt, but upon finding himself trapped, he yelped and began to struggle madly against the bindings. The fright in his dark, slate eyes had given Burgh some pause. That was a notable change from the careful, almost smug expression he had seen earlier.
Initially, he had intended to calm the young boy down, and then take him to social services where he would personally oversee how they handled his case. Yet, as Burgh and his Leavanny had drawn closer, Taven had glared up at him with an almost feral look of fear and snapped, “No!” He then had jerked with so much might in his attempt to free himself that he had lifted himself nearly completely off the ground. The panicked effort had seemed to sap most of his strength, as when he stopped, he had been panting wildly. “They need me!” he had gasped, his voice cracking in the last word. He had squeezed his eyes shut at that point.
An Oshawott had then scurried from the sewer water and jumped in front of Taven, brandishing a shell in its tiny arms. Unlike most Oshawott Burgh had met, who looked as if they had no idea where they were most of the time, this one had been dangerously focused. Rattata soon had followed and begun to gnaw away at Taven’s silken prison. Zubat then swooped from the darkest recesses of the arching ceiling and had descended on Burgh in a swirl of beating wings and screeching. His Leavanny had managed to scare them off, but by that point, Taven had been long gone. A pile of shredded silk had been all that remained.
After that, it had been a long road of carefully gaining the boy’s trust, and coming to the unspoken agreement he would not try to remove him from his home. Even if Taven’s home was literally the Castelian Sewers, he seemed happy there, and he had never forgotten the sheer panic and conviction in Taven’s voice that first meeting. Taven truly believed he was all that looked out for the pokémon that called Castelia’s sewers and alleyways home. Burgh knew that although integrating him back into society would have likely been best for him physically, Taven would have hated every second of it. The more he learned of the petty thief, the more he saw him as his own son, and felt a stronger desire to help and protect him where he could without forcing his hand. Taven… was complicated, but Burgh knew he had a good heart. After all, despite his downfalls, Taven’s primary motives were rooted in helping abandoned and starving pokémon around Castelia City.
Except recently, he feared that was taking a turn. Robberies performed by Taven up until that point were done to take care of himself or his pokémon. Clothes, food, the occasional creature comfort—but these robberies were simply for cash, and although nobody was ever hurt, the details from the victims showed that Taven was not afraid of threatening the victims to get them to listen to him. Burgh liked to believe he didn’t have a truly violent bone in his body, but…
He sighed. He was wondering if he knew what anything really was anymore.
Suffice to say, he was looking forward to heading to Nacrene City, and hoped to get some coffee with Lenora and Hawes while he was there. They were a lovely couple to hang out with and Lenora typically inspired him with her discussion of new artifacts that had been given to her museum for curation. He had a habit of over-blowing details in his artwork of ancient pokémon she described, but she seemed to enjoy his work, nonetheless.
He was walking the straightforward route through Pinwheel Forest. The buzzing of life from within its depths always made him feel a little introspective, he thought with a snicker. It was where he had met the majority of his pokémon. He often escaped to the Pinwheel Forest whenever he wanted to draw as a child and that habit had not fled him even as he grew older. This was not his destination, however, so he pushed through the last of the canopied pathway and found himself on the neatly trimmed path that connected Pinwheel Forest and Nacrene City. A beautiful fountain circled by pathway appeared in front of him as he walked and he decided to take a breather on one of the benches next to it. He listened carefully to the Pidove cooing overhead and the distant calls of Patrat chuffing at threats in the distance, likely telling the rest of their pack of a prowling Purrloin.
He breathed in the clean air. It smelled strongly of the nearby forest and a little swampy. Parts of Pinwheel Forest were marshland, after all. Already he was feeling the prickle at his fingertips to begin to sketch as a loose, indescribable image formed in his head. All of his art started that way, as a nondescript blur in the back of his mind, and it was his hand that sketched it into proper form. After a few seconds of waiting to regain his stamina, he was off again. He’d have to settle into his studio and then go meet Lenora before he could be free to camp out in the forest for a day.
 ------------------------------------
He had only just noticed her before she came barreling at him at top speed, enveloping him in a tight hug. She was a lot stronger than he remembered. Hil staggered at Bianca’s hold and laughed when he stumbled as she let him go. Cheren strode up to him next with his arms crossed. Hil gave him a small smile. Noodle, on the other hand, practically danced on his shoulders in excitement as he recognized Hil’s two friends.
“Yeah, that’s them, buddy,” Hil chuckled. He snorted as Noodle finally opted to climb onto his hat and lean down on Hil’s visor to get a better look at them. Cheren snorted and awkwardly reached his right hand out to pet the bouncy Snivy.
“So, are you wanting to try and take on Gym Leader Lenora?” Cheren asked idly as he continued to rub Noodle.
“I guess I could try. We were training for a while out there…” Hil glanced at the visor of his hat. “Noodle, you think we’re ready to fight the next gym?”
Noodle peered over the visor, sticking his nose into Hil’s face, and chirruped. Hil felt his tail gently thwap against his head a few times. He laughed and moved to grab Noodle’s tail to steady him. “Easy, pal, that’s my head, Arceus knows I’ve got enough brain damage,” he giggled.
“Would you stop,” Bianca complained as she gently swatted at his arm. Cheren took a step back.
“Stop what?” Hil asked, genuinely confused.
“Saying stuff like that,” she huffed. “That’s mean.”
“It’s about me, though.” Hil really was clueless as to what she was getting at.
“Exactly, stop saying mean stuff about yourself,” she said, nodding. Hil dubiously agreed that he would, but really he didn’t see anything wrong with it. It was funny. He was allowed to have some humor about his situation, wasn’t he? That familiar feeling of irritation picked at his chest. When was everyone going to stop shoving their ideas of how he should handle it onto him?
“Anyway,” Cheren interjected sharply, “if you want to challenge Lenora, we’d better get there soon.” He adjusted his glasses and turned to face further into Nacrene City. Hil noticed the cityscape behind his friend was mainly that of dark wood and faded stone structures. It looked old, but lively, with people bustling from the various apartments and studios. “Gym Leader Lenora only takes trainers at certain times of the day since she works as the Museum Curator.”
With that, the three friends headed toward Nacrene City’s museum and gym. It was a large, stately building visible from well across the other side of the city, but as they drew nearer, they noticed a crowd of people gathered in front of it. It was easily two or three times as large as the one that had blossomed in Accumula Town for the Team Plasma speech there. Yet, it soon became clear that was exactly what this was. To the left of the museum’s entrance, a group of seven or eight silver robed men stood proud. Just like in Accumula Town, two on either end of their makeshift stage proudly displayed flags bearing Team Plasma’s insignia, while a man in darker, rounder robes paced back and forth between them. He had a tall, round hat and gray, grizzled hair spilled out from beneath it.
“This looks good,” Cheren grumbled as they all slowed to a stop at the back of the crowd.
“We call ourselves friends, or benevolent caretakers,” the elderly man was saying, his voice rising in volume, “and yet we bring our ‘friends’ back from the dead to fight for us! They are brought back from a life some thousands of years ago, likely from a time very different from ours, and expect them to assimilate to our society! To our brutish way of battling one another for sport! Fossil restoration is barbaric and another cruel invention of the Pokémon League!”
Hil had started to laugh, but was cut off by the roar of agreement that came from the gathered people. He shared a look with his friends and noted the shock on their faces as well. He had known Team Plasma had managed to gather a rather massive following… but, as he looked out over the crowd, actually seeing it in person was an entirely different feeling. The air was alive with their chanting and fist-pumps. This seemed less like an informative speech and more like a rallying cry… He cringed as he heard some of the words from the crowd.
“No more exhuming the dead for sport!”
“We shouldn’t profit off of something resting in peace!”
“And yet, that’s exactly what trainers do…”
The elderly man looked over the gathered crowd with a satisfied grin. He jabbed a fist into the air and screamed, “We must put an end to this horrific practice of bringing back the dead to serve the needs of selfish trainers, usually young children that have no idea what it is they’re doing! Not only are we abusing pokémon, but we are manipulating our youth into believing this behavior is acceptable!”
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xyzcekaden · 5 years ago
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I think this is the fastest I've ever completed a one-shot in my life—and even then, I left it so open-ended that even though the document is complete, the story is ~just beginning~ haha. Reviews and criticism appreciated! This is my first fic for either pokemon or advshipping, though I've been in the fandom for a while. Title is inspired by 'Don't Try This At Home' by the Backstreet Boys. Excerpt below.
"Hey, May."
May spared him a brief glance. "Hello," she said neutrally.
Ash quirked an eyebrow when she didn't say anything else. He fiddled with his hat, which was blatantly against the dress code, and waited for a moment more before asking, "So, uh, are you ready to get started?"
May turned a questioning eye to the boy, eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"Um, I'm guessing you're the person I'm here to help? With the pokemon practicums?"
May's eyes bugged with shock. "You're my tutor?!" she exclaimed. "But you're just a scholarship kid!"
Her outburst echoed in the empty space, and she winced with every reminder of her tactless statement. Ash's polite, open face—ready to meet a new tutee and get started on working—morphed into an unimpressed look. "Alright, cool. I'm gonna head out, then," he said dryly as he went back for his bookbag.
"Wait!"
May got up and reached out for Ash before he could get too far, but his pikachu swiftly jumped in her way and began powering up an attack. May stumbled back several steps, trying to maintain some distance from the pokemon.
"I'm sorry, that didn't come out right," she scrambled to say, her eyes still trained on the angry pikachu. She was trying for genuine apology, but her voice wavered at the end from fear. Unfortunately for her, it sounded more like a laugh.
Ash shouldered his bookbag and turned to face May with with his arms crossed. "Oh, was there a more polite way to say 'No way could you be tutoring me if your parent isn't even important enough to be on the board of this school'?"
May frowned at him. "That's not what I meant," she defended, her guilt easily turning into offense.
Ash's angry stance deflated, and his pikachu followed suit. There was no use in getting worked up over something as inconsequential as this. "Listen, it's obvious this isn't going to work out. Just tell your dad to get another tutor," he responded tiredly as he made to leave.
May frowned deeper, not accustomed to being blown off. She huffed, "Maybe I will. What can you possibly teach me anyway?" she jeered at his retreating form.
Ash stopped and turned on his heel with a fire in his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?" he growled.
May stood her ground, unfazed by Ash's aggression. "Daddy was supposed to get me a real tutor, like one who wasn't still in school."
Ash stalked towards the arrogant girl, his voice pitched low. "I'll have you know there is no one in this entire city, maybe this entire coast, who gets pokemon like I do." He punctuated his statement with a thumb to his chest and a final step in May's direction. She could laugh at his pitiful attempt at looking threatening.
May took her own step forward, looking up in order to maintain eye contact. "Mind what you say in front of the Gym Leader's daughter," she warned.
Ash only shrugged, which made May's eyes narrow in contempt. "Maybe I couldn't beat him in a battle, but battling isn't the only way we interact with pokemon. You'd have learned that if you bothered bringing one in for Applied Pokemon Husbandry," he quipped.
"Well, that's what you're here for!"
"Not anymore, remember?" Ash abruptly spun and beedrill-lined for the door, his pikachu hot on his heels.
There were so many ways May wanted to respond to that, but indignance at being unable to have the last word lost the battle to her pride. "Don't you dare tell anyone about this!" she demanded, releasing all her pent up frustration with that final command.
"Whatever," Ash dismissed. "You're not the first legacy that needed a little help."
May rolled her eyes for her own benefit. "Not that part," she said without antagonism, which was the only thing that slowed Ash's pace. "The fact that I needed a tutor for my pokemon practicums specifically. I don't want word going around the school that…" she trailed off, thinking of a diplomatic way to put it.
"… That the daughter of the town's gym leader doesn't like pokemon?" Ash ventured as he slowed to a stop in front of the door, his head turned so that his voice could carry over his shoulder.
May's fury returned with a vengeance at perceived betrayal. "Did Dad tell you that?!" she accused.
Ash faced forward again, successfully hiding his smirk. "No. You did, just now."
May gaped, flabbergasted at how easily this random student figured out one of her deepest secrets. "Well, you definitely can't tell people that," she said finally. "My reputation would be ruined!"
Ash waved her off, and his pikachu jumped onto his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. Your secret's safe with me."
With that, Ash pushed open the door into the Hoenn late afternoon sun, leaving behind the most popular girl in school in a frustrated stupor.
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