#// as she has no ground pokemon on her team whatsoever

[paradisegrave]

˗ˏˋㅤʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒚𝒑𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑷𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 ?

You represent the GROUND type !

The Ground type is all about balance. Like the very Earth itself, you are careful and deliberate in your actions. Your patience is a virtue, and you rarely lose your balance when navigating tricky waters. However, you can remain an enigma, Ground-type. Be sure to communicate your wisdom to others, and perhaps they can assist you in turn. You are somewhat isolated, due to your introspective nature. You have a strong sense of self, and are rather stubborn when forced to deviate from the course you know to be correct. Again, remember others' perspectives, Ground-type. There is more to the world than the earth we walk on, after all.

Tagged by: @eternalstarlights ( thank you ! )

Tagging: Whoever !

[thelastpilot]

‘On GOD We Are Going to Get You a Girlfriend’- A Lovesquare Story as suffered by Nino

My last charity fic for @mlbforblm! The prompt was Aged Up College AU lovesquare, in which Adrien is struggling with his love for both Marinette and Ladybug and Nino is put in the position to be the ultimate wingman. I went a little off script with this prompt but I hope it scratches that itch nonetheless. 

The concept itself lent itself much better to 15k than 4 but I did what I could! Hope it gets a laugh out of you. 

It was twilight in Paris, the tail end of sunset slipping away as people all across campus engaged in extremely varied states of productivity. That is to say, at most 20% of the campus’ live-in population was actually getting any work done, while the rest of them were either limping along or had already given up.

It was midterms week, clearly.

In the dim space of a reasonable apartment accommodation were well -intentioned study implements of every kind. The completely average couch and carpet were covered with just enough of a layer of highlighters, pens, and printed pages to give a really studious impression at a glance, but whatever vibe it might have managed was thoroughly ruined by a young man laying face down on the floor, a game console nearly tumbling from his hands. Another, separate, but equally as unfocused young man had his back to plain white wall against which they had been meaning to put like… a chair or something at least for most of the semester now, staring idly out of the sliding glass door to his left that offered only a sliver of a view from his current position. At most he could see two lovely, but neglected, potted plants and a shoddy balcony looking off towards the main body of their college campus.

He watched the small patch of sky he could see succumb to a light coverage of clouds, and as he considered the possibility of rain, he sighed.

“Nino?” he finally spoke, looking away from his strip of sky. He waited for a response for a second or two, before reaching out with his foot and gently prodding his friend’s side to check he was alive, smirking slightly when he received a grunt for his efforts.

“Mm,” Nino answered from his curled up position, the glasses on his face a perfect reflection of his Pokemon team’s stats, which was ironic considering that Stats was exactly the thing Nino was avoiding at the minute. After a beat too long, he realized his friend was still waiting on his response. He lifted his head slightly, his hat falling free to the ground as he said, “Mm? Yeah?” He blinked slowly. “What?”

Adrien smiled down at him, chuckling a little before tossing aside a textbook he had been pretending to take notes from for the last hour. When his lap was free he leaned forward and rolled to the ground, mimicking Nino’s exact positioning on the ground a small distance away from him, sighing again (louder this time).

“What?” Nino repeated himself, laughing when Adrien leveled him with a sour look. He rolled his eyes but dutifully paused his game, shutting his Switch off and putting it on the ground out of their eyeline. “Go for it dude, what’s up.”

“You’re not going to like it.”

“Is it a girl thing?” Nino asked flatly, raising an eyebrow when all Adrien managed was a sheepish smile. “Dude.”

“Come on! You’re my friend, you’re contractually obligated. Look don’t make fun of me just help okay; I’m really stuck now.” Adrien pleaded with him, bringing his hands in front of him to cartoonishly beg for his grace. He got another eye roll for his trouble but Nino hadn’t gotten up and left yet so that was a good sign.

It wasn’t that his friend didn’t want to help him, its just that… well.

Adrien always had some kind of girl problem, pretty much off and on for the past five years. He knew it got hard to listen to and Nino had put in way more than his fair share of time into this. Especially since he had made essentially no progress whatsoever in all that time, but boy was he almost on to something here.

Nino said nothing else, making a vague hand gesture for him to continue and Adrien did as he always did.

He hesitated, carefully considering how to phrase something.

“So um, there is this girl. That uh, girl, I always talk about. The one you don’t know. And then there is another girl, one who you do know.”

“Do we HAVE to be so vague man? We’re in our own place, there is no one around. Can’t you just say it? I get so confused when we do it like this.”

Adrien tensed slightly, discomfort crawling up his back. “I uh, I can’t. Just- just listen okay? I can’t explain it.”

“We’re in our house,” Nino complained again. But Adrien ignored him, because he always ignored him when he said that.

“Just listen okay?”

Nino looked at him squarely, or at least as squarely as he could manage while laying on the ground. When Adrien patiently waited for a response Nino finally sighed, rolling on his stomach and laying his face sideways on the floor to match him, nodding stiffly for him to continue.

“It’s just, there is these two girls,” he began, “I’m losing my mind over it, I’m worried man and it’s coming to a head. I know I’ve said that before, but I mean it this time. I have never ONCE in my entire LIFE gotten the timing right Nino, I’m dead serious.” Adrien rolled around a little gripping his hair with both hands. “I get the timing wrong EVERY TIME. I have never been where I’m supposed to be! I’ve never made a move at the right time I have never done it right. I get close with one girl but she doesn’t reciprocate or she tells me to wait or she says that its complicated, then I get close to the other girl but I feel GUILTY because I still care about the first girl. But she says it isn’t right so I work on it I let go but then the other girl is gone or moves on or life gets in the way. I have been in the wrong place EVERY TIME-,”

 Adrien’s ranting continues, rolling around on their carpet as he incredibly vaguely and very stupidly details a problem that he has had for many, many years. Nino can feel himself retreating into his own thoughts, more focused on Adrien’s animated rolling than his actual words. He reaches out once to save a stack of notes from getting creased and ruined, but other than that remains completely still and lets his friend do his thing.

This happened maybe once a week or so, maybe a little less often or more often depending on the status of the girls.

The fact that Adrien literally REFUSED to say their names made this completely incoherent, but where in his love life he was inconsistent, when it came to never talking about work Adrien was true to form.

Nino blinked blearily as Adrien continued, pouring over the reasons he cared so deeply for them both and why that made him feel like a bad person. It left Nino to stew, wondering much like always why they did it like this.

The two of them were superheroes. Spoilers if you didn’t know. He didn’t feel like much of a superhero when he was sprawled out on his shared apartment floor suffering the long run up to failing his Stats midterm like any other student. But the fact remained that he was one, and so was Adrien. The problem was that Adrien was serious about keeping life and work separate. It was pretty much only hard and fast rule about this gig that Nino had picked up on when he first joined. Never talk about work as a civilian, under any circumstances. You only get to talk about work when you’re suited up, and you’re only allowed to talk about life in plain clothes.

Honestly, it was so hard to do it that way, but the rules were clear, not that anyone had actually stopped to explain them to him. Adrien froze up whenever he even so much as mentioned an akuma attack or asked about an injury. Don’t talk about work, but…

They lived together now, this was the first semester where they had done so and Nino was so hyped about it. Like FINALLY, our kwamis can relax and we can be ourselves. He had been so excited about it, but to his profound disappointment Adrien refused to relent on his rule. Their kwamis were never even out in the open except for in their rooms, like he knew Adrien was strict but surely he wasn’t that committed.

Nino understood that it was probably Ladybug’s rule but still, it’s not like she was here. He wouldn’t advocate for disobeying her but… come on man. His brain hurt.

He KNEW Adrien was talking about Ladybug/Marinette. He knew that for a fact, but Adrien would never say her name out loud, because that overlaps with work (even though they hang out with her in person like every single day.) Maybe Nino didn’t know who the heck this second girl he was talking about was, but at the very least he could be clear about one of them.

Whoever the second girl actually was sounded a lot like Marinette, so the for-sure thing was that he had a type. Honestly though he had stopped trying to figure it out years ago. If he wasn’t so exhausted from not studying he would humor him like he always did, but today… man he was kind of tired.

He waited until Adrien was done talking, undoubtably ending by asking for advice as per the usual. Then, like always, Nino said what he always did.

“You need to communicate. If you are not crystal clear with these girls about what they want and what you want nothing with ever happen. You need to bite the bullet and TELL them, at least ONE of them, what you’re thinking.”

And like always, Adrien groaned and covered his face and said, “It’s not that easy!”

They both grumbled dejectedly into the carpet, repeating their years old platitudes until they gave up on each other. Nino usually did this a lot better but he reserved the right to tap out and Adrien usually seemed to accept that.

The only different thing Adrien actually said was when he was standing. He mumbled, “I know, I know. You’re right, as usual but… I’m maybe gonna ask someone else. See what they think.”

“I don’t know what answer you’re hoping for, but that’s all I’ve got.”

“I know,” Adrien sighed, offering a hand to help him off the ground. He smiled gently, but his eyes were sad. Enough of a gesture to explain that he wasn’t actually mad at Nino’s dismissiveness. He had a right to refrain.

 They spent an idle few minutes cleaning up their mess, consolidating their notes and books into two loose piles and neither saying much. It was only about thirty or so minutes later when Adrien announced vaguely, “I’m gonna go for a run.”

“Yeah man,” Nino answered, knowing by heart Adrien’s codeword for ‘patrol’. Didn’t know why he didn’t just say it, but that was a dead horse long beaten.

 Adrien left within a minute or two but Nino stood blearily for awhile in the living room, staring at nothing as he debated just going to bed for the day.

He was just about to head to his room to ask if Wayzz was ready for dinner when the kwami in question came flying into the room, confidently out in the open space now that Adrien was gone.

“You’re getting a call!” Wayzz piped up importantly, waving his little flippers a bit to sell the point. “It’s Cat Noir!”

“I- what?” Nino sputtered, glancing towards the apartment door in confusion. “He literally just- ugh.” Nino groaned as loudly as possible, Wayzz shaking his head a little. “Why is he LIKE THIS, he could have just TOLD ME TO COME.”

“I know he’s odd about it, but he must have his reasons. You should go, he must need you for patrol.”

Nino demanded a few more moments of frustration, which Wayzz indulged, before grabbing his keys and unlocking a window in case he didn’t feel like using them. It was Adrien’s turn tonight but okay whatever.  

 It only took him a minute or two to transform and get out onto their building’s roof, stretching a bit before raising his wrist. He forced himself to take a deep breath and remind himself of the rules while he returned Adrien’s call.

Through the hazy, green, holographic screen he saw the face of Cat Noir answer on the first ring, the feline superhero sighing in relief and smiling widely.

“There you are! I was hoping you were out. Hey, I know this is kind of sudden but… um I was wondering if you were willing to meet up with me. I want to ask you about something.”

He allowed himself to hang his head in frustration just out of the video feeds eyeline, pulling a sharp breath through his teeth before answering, “Yeah bud. Lets meet up.”

“Great!” Cat Noir answered enthusiastically, genuinely happy that he had agreed for whatever reason. “Meet me here when you get a second,” and he sent over his current location. Sure enough he was literally like, one block over.

He hung up without a goodbye, dragging his feet as he started to head that way. He was slow about it sine it was at most five seconds away for him. Adrien was so INTENSE about this charade some days it just drove him completely crazy. But rules are rules.

He waited for about a minute to distance their patterns, then with a short jump and a few corner’s turned he found Cat Noir crouched on top of the Linguistics building.

“Hey, you got here fast,” Cat greeted him happily, a little nervous looking actually. ‘Carapace’ as he was really had to resist the eye roll there, deciding instead to nod.

He went over and sat somewhat heavily, not pretending with an greeting at all and just watching him flatly. For whatever reason this made Cat Noir hesitate a little, but he quickly got over it, pushing through the weirdness and folding his hands in his lap.

“Well, listen I won’t waste your time much. I know we don’t really do this, we only ever talk about work and that’s the safe thing, I get how it is.” Cat Noir looked away, his gaze fixated on the possibility of rain, before he finally sighed.

“I just… I was wondering if I could get some… girl advice?”

Cat Noir looked to his ally, scanning his face and getting even more nervous as he more or less saw a brick wall of an expression on Carapace’s face.

Carapace blinked, saying nothing as Cat Noir began to talk unprompted, persevering despite the lack of reciprocation.

“So um, there is a girl, and you know that.  I always talk about her, and there is another girl, one that you don’t know.”

Carapace blinked.

He softly let out a “Bro…” but Cat Noir was hyping himself up now and he started rolling.

“It’s just, there is these two girls,” he began, “I’m losing my mind over it, I’m worried man and it’s coming to this point where like, I-,”

He kept going, looking down at his gloved hands and missing Carapace’s slowly warping expression. He started rambling, about how he always got the timing wrong, about how he cared about both these girls so much and he just didn’t know what to do. He started and he didn’t stop, completely unaware of Carapace starting to lose touch with reality.

Finally Carapace interrupted, stammering slightly in a tone that was wildly like…

Disbelief?

“Dude I- stop, hang on. Dude I just- I know?” He waited for a beat, watching Cat Noir blink in confusion. He scanned his face, looking for just- literally anything. After another moment that was way too long, he finally braved it. “We- we already, we already talked about this.”

Cat straightened, throwing his head back in exasperation and groaning loudly, “Okay I know I talk about girls sometimes but I honestly never bother you with this much can you humor me please?”

“No I-,” Carapace paused, his voice getting quieter. “We just… literally we-,”.

“Please man I- UGH I’m really having trouble!” He nearly shouted it, looking so genuinely unheard that Carapace was reeling. “You’re one of my only close guy friends I NEED a second opinion, I’m begging now. I already asked my other friend but he always says the exact same thing and he’s RIGHT but I need someone to say something else!” Cat suddenly mimicked his voice saying, “”You need to communicate.” That’s what he says, he’s RIGHT obviously but I just-,”

He kept talking, briefly glossing over how this ‘friend of his’ wasn’t particularly helpful with this line of questioning, so Cat Noir had chosen to seek HIM out instead.

And as he went on with his rant, Carapace slowly brought his hands to his face in intense contemplation.

Suddenly, in the middle of Cat Noir’s over the top love ranting Carapace decided to interrupt him.

“Hold up- hold on now. I need to clarify something, just cause I need to double check alright, just checkin’ something.”

Cat Noir paused, looking to him and slowly saying, “…okay?”

“You KNOW I know you’re Adrien Agreste right?”

 Silence. Cat abruptly went rigid, but Carapace just splayed his hands wide, rapidly searching his face for confirmation of the impossible.

“Like dawg you KNOW that right? You’re aware? You know that right?”

Cat Noir was frozen, holding as still as possible like Carapace was a T-Rex and if he didn’t move this problem was just gonna go away. But Carapace pressed further, getting louder as he said “DUDE you know who I AM RIGHT?!”

The feline superheroes breathing was starting to pick up, his eyes blown wide as he REALLY looked at his friend, before he nearly inaudibly squeaked, “…no?”

“ADRIEN-,”

“Shhh!” Cat Noir leapt forward, trying to grapple him as he went into full panic mode, “Wait shut up shut up!”

“IT’S BEEN FIVE YEARS!”

“SHUT UP!”

They started to wrestle, Cat Noir violently shushing his companion as he had a full melt down, saying things like “All this time-!” and “You’re an idiot!” and “I thought you were just- oh my god!”

“Please!!! This is terrible Carapace shut up!! I don’t know how you found out my identity but I-,”

“WHOSE THE SECOND GIRL-!?”

“Lower your voice!”

“WHOSE THE SECOND GIRL”

“What do you mean?!”

Carapace gripped him hard by the shoulders and threw them both until Cat Noir was flat on his back with a harsh thump against the roof tiles. The turtle hero held him tight and shook his shoulders, his eyes crazed with years of realization colliding together at once. “Who is the second girl in your ridiculous life, what’s her name?!”

Cat Noir looked wild and frightened, finally becoming so flustered that he just hissed in a whisper, “It’s Marinette okay!?”

“And?”

“And WHAT!?”

“AND?” Carapace reiterated, shaking him harder.

“And LADYBUG you MORON!” he hissed as quietly as he possibly could.

Instantly Carapace stopped, holding him in a vice like grip just above the tiles. After an incredibly still moment, he dropped him, closing his eyes and putting his hands over his face.

Cat Noir was flat on his back, panting heavily and staring up at him freaked out, but it was like Carapace had been struck by lightning and he was just sitting there, completely still.

 “Oh,” was all he finally said, curling in on himself slightly. Before suddenly, he pitched to the side and just lay there on the roof tiles, rolling onto his stomach.

“…oh?!” Cat eventually managed, twisting onto his side to look at him just laying there. “That’s all you have to say?! Of COURSE it’s Ladybug! I talk about her EVERY. DAY.”  

“This… explains… so much,” Carapace muttered, not even listening to him. With a huff Cat crawled onto all four and went over to him, his heart racing in what was nearly a panic attack at this point. But all of Carapace’s energy had been spent, and he just mumbled dejectedly with his face smooshed against the tiles.

Cat Noir’s ears twisted forward, trying to make out the words, before he just lost his patience and hissed “What are you saying?!”

“I said YOU’RE STUPID!” the turtle barked out, turning his face back into the filthy roof.

“Why am I- UGH forget it! Just forget it we have a way bigger problem here- If Ladybug finds out my identity has been compromised she’s going to-,”

“Is SHE stupid too!?” Carapace interjected, twisting just enough to look up at him incredulously. “Is everyone stupid but ME?”

“What the hell are you talking about?! Dude there is RULES! No one is allowed to know anyone elses identity!”

Carapace just gaped at him, before his eyes unfocused and he just went limp. He whispered it when he said, “So she IS stupid…”

He waited a beat, and wretchedly mumbled to himself, “Oh god you’re both so stupid.”

 Cat Noir was at a loss, looking all around him like he was desperately trying to make sense of it all, stopping only to try and sort of Carapace’s miserable breakdown.

He was about to give up and just drag Carapace to a lockable room somewhere before his friend propped himself up all at once with the most exasperated expression he had ever seen on a human person.

“So help me- someone has to do some shit about this, listen to me-,” Carapace got to his knees and lunged forward to grab him by the bell. He pulled him forward, and with all the determination of a war general he proclaimed, “On GOD I am going to get you a girlfriend, do you hear me? I am going to make this happen because I can not STAND another DAY of this. Got it?!”

“I- Carapace I-!?”

“GOT IT?!”

  Cat Noir dangled helplessly in his grip, and with his last wits he sputtered out, “Okay, okay!!! I’ll do whatever you say!”

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Ghetsis Harmonia

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

There are villains in Pokemon. There are iconic, badass villains like Giovanni, there are stupid idiot villains like the original Maxie and Archie, and there are absolutely terrifying and complex villains like Cyrus.

And then there is Ghetsis.

Ghetsis is, without a doubt, the most vile, unrepentantly evil monster in the entire Pokemon franchise. It’s not even up for debate; the guy not only tries to freeze the protagonist to death and spent decades psychologically torturing and warping N to be his tool, he tried to murder a girl with his bare hands. Ghetsis is an utterly twisted monster, and most importantly, he is a very engaging, well-written monster. In fact, as far as irredeemable main antagonists go, Ghetsis is the last great one in the franchise as of now.

Actor: Now normally with these I don’t mention the voice actors, since I mainly talk about the video game versions, and Pokemon does not use voice acting very often. But I think it is worth mentioning that in Pokemon Generations, a man well known for portraying another blonde sociopath with severe ego issues and a love of child murder voiced him: Patrick Seitz. KONO GHETSIS DA!

Motivation/Goals: Ghetsis seems pretty simple at first glance: he is a power-hungry psychopath who wishes to have total control over Unova and then, you guessed it, the world. And in the Rainbow Rocket quest in Gen VII, he expands that goal even further, wanting to conquer every world in every dimension. This is usually not the sign of an interesting or complex villain. What sets Ghetsis apart from other power-hungry villains is the writing and presentation and how he goes about achieving his plans.

The former two we’ll get into in a moment, but the latter is what’s relevant here. Ghetsis is a cunning manipulator, and to achieve his grand scheme he adopted N after finding him in the wild and proceeded to psychologically abuse and warp him for his entire life to transform him into the perfect tool to enact his plan. There is every implication that he would have disposed of N as soon as he was done using him for his own benefit, as well; considering his numerous other actions, I’d say it’s more than a safe bet N was on the fast track to being Hydreigon food before the player helps N see what a monster Ghetsis truly is.

Personality: As I mentioned, the writing and presentation of Ghetsis are what really set him apart from other villains of his ilk. Out of every antagonist in the entire series, Ghetsis has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He lacks the grace of Giovanni, the affability of Archie and Maxie, the tragic background and well-intentioned extremism of Cyrus or Guzma or N, and he has absolutely no kind of positive background like Lusamine, Rose, or Lysandre. Ghetsis is just a vicious, monstrous man with a severe case of megalomania. There’s no rhyme or reason to his cruel and callous behavior; he does it because he wants to, and he loves every minute of it. From his frequent attempted murders of children to his verbal beatdowns of his adopted son to the fact he absolutely abuses his own Pokemon (that Frustration his Hydreigon uses hits pretty hard, after all), Ghetsis is a perfect hate sink.

Final Fate: He has an epic villainous breakdown in Black and White, but he ultimately avoids jail. In the sequels, he isn’t so lucky; with his plan yet again thwarted and his sanity already eroded magnificently by his first loss, Ghetsis is reduced to a non-functioning vegetable, completely and utterly catatonic from his numerous failures and his own mind snapping. A fitting end for a monster such as him.

Best Scene: In his original appearance, it’s most certainly his ridiculously difficult boss battle, which has an epic theme and an underleveled Hydreigon that will probably kill half your party. Come the sequels, he has the moment where he tries to use Kyurem’s Glaciate on the player in a scene that had many people convinced that in the original Japanese Ghetsis was outright stating he’d kill the player character (he didn’t, but frankly being frozen by a giant zombie dragon doesn’t exactly seem like something a child would make it out of in one piece).

And finally, Ghetsis confirms once and for all he is the most horrendous being in the entire Pokemon multiverse in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon’s Rainbow Rocket quest, when he takes Lillie hostage and unambiguously threatens to kill her with his bare hands. And keep in mind – this Ghetsis is from a world where he has already achieved victory. He did the same thing to N, so he is most definitely not messing around.

Best Quote: N tries to get Ghetsis to see reason. Ghetsis does not take it well: "Shut your mouth! Shut up! Shut up! Shut UP! Don't talk like a person, you freak! No real person could talk to Pokémon!" Ghetsis never shied away from calling N a freak previously of course, and thought nothing of insulting him viciously, but now with his sanity at its limit… this is just painful, especially since by this point N has established himself as a true hero and an absolute sweetheart. If, after this line, you don’t think Ghetsis deserved to enter a catatonic state from his mind breaking, I’m not sure what you think he deserved.

Final Thoughts & Score: Ghetsis is so utterly irredeemable and evil, and he’s just perfect. It’s so refreshing to see in a children’s RPG where it seems like friendship and teamwork always win out that there is a well-written villain who is just the antithesis to the morals of the entire franchise. He’s not a team player, he views people and Pokemon as means to an end, he abuses everyone around him, he literally cannot comprehend good to the point where it drives him insane… Ghetsis is a one-of-a-kind complete monster.

It’s frankly pretty impressive the sort of depraved things they get away with him. The attempt at outright murdering Lillie is one thing, but all of the horrible implications such as what he does to his own Pokemon and what he has done and would do to N are just chilling in a way that Cyrus and Giovanni could only ever hope to achieve. And the fact he has a clear character arc that the player gets to witness, with him first appearing as an affable, friendly spokesman for Team Plasma before the slow and steady buildup to the reveal of his horrendous actions and then from there his downward spiral into insanity all just makes him all the more memorable. And then there’s the fact that, even after everything, N still tried to offer him a chance at redemption. The man who abused him and tormented him his whole life, and N still wanted to try and save him, only to be rejected as Ghetsis fully and utterly snapped. His ultimate fate as a catatonic lump is perfectly warranted and deserved.

I think I have to give him a 10/10. I may really like Cyrus, but even I have to admit that the true mastermind of Team Plasma is just far more terrifying, especially since he’s a much more grounded villain despite all the fantasy trappings. It’s sort of like Mother Gothel from Tangled, sure, she’s an evil witch, real scary, but the reason she’s such a loathsome villain isn’t because she’s a witch and a kidnapper, it’s because she’s an abusive mother who gaslights her daughter. In the same regard, Ghetsis may be a powerful Pokemon trainer and at one point even a dimension-hopping megalomaniac, but ultimately what makes him such a memorable villain is the real and disturbing fact that he is an abusive guardian who treated his adoptive son like garbage, abused his pets, and tried to murder children.

In fact, the only mark against Ghetsis I can think of is the fact that while in Rainbow Rocket he actually believed he could overtake the team and become the puppet master pulling Giovanni’s strings. Yeah, good luck with that, buddy. See where that gets you.

[flyswhumpcenter]

Bad Things Happen Bingo! The event where you send me requests according to this marvelous card! (Red cross is the completed prompt, character headshots are prompts I’ve already filled. Green deltas are for requested prompts.)

Choo choo, the Sickfic Express has just arrived in Galar, straight from Oreburgh City! 

First fic of 2020 is a sickfic oneshot. How rivetting. I've very recently beaten Pokémon Sword and loved it! I found myself really loving the characters, what they are and what they've already become in my mind, so I couldn't help myself but type what I know best... A sickfic. Also, this fandom needs more of this stuff, so here. I'm providing. Is this story OOC? Chances they are. Was it absolutely a blast to write? You bet. I'm probably gonna look back on it later down the lane and be uncomfortable with how I depicted the characters; but you do need to discover the characters first, and what better opportunity for that than a little sickfic with some angst and pre-rel dramatic tension? Anyway, I hope you'll like this lil' thing I busted out in literally a couple hours. I forgot how fun it was to write without worrying yourself over continuity or already established elements like in Earth Never Stops... Btw, this fic was originally requested to me as a FE3H fill for Hubert, so I decided I'd most likely use another square on my card for him. Sorry Nonnie for this, my inspiration got the best of me yet again! 

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Candles in the Rain

Summary: Is feverishly staggering through the damp streets of Hammerlocke under the rain with very little hope to feel warmth again and even less sense of direction a fitting end for a former Champion now that he's been defeated once? Scratch that: he doesn't have the time or brain power remaining to process such a question. Or: Leon witnesses a miracle in the form of a little dog and a childhood friend.

Fandom: Pokémon Sword and Shield (post-canon/game: beware for spoilers) Relationships: Pre-relationship Leon/Sonia

Wordcount: 3.1K words

Event hosted by @badthingshappenbingo​

AO3 version available here.

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The streets of Hammerlocke are covered by a thick layer of rainwater, typical early winter in Galar. Nobody dares going against the terrible weather, which isn’t unlike the flooding that almost ate Kabu’s region of origin, or rather how he once described it based on bedtime stories, a couple thousand years ago. Honestly, after what Galar just went through, he can believe the tale to have been real all along, no issue there…

As always, he’s lost in the grand city of his main rival, and that frustrates him. He’s cold from the water having filled his shoes and wet his hair for hours and hours on end, not even the fire of the camp being able to make him feel warmer. If it wasn’t for his partners’ demands, urging him to stop camping in the wilderness and find a Centre already, he’d have surely stayed in the Wild Area and biked to a better spot. Ah, he misses Postwick, now. At least, he can’t get lost in Postwick, there’d be Hop and his now-Champion best friend, if not Sonia paying them all a visit, and there’d be the warmth of his childhood home… Gods, perhaps he does miss the peaceful life of a ten-year-old whose only contact to the Gym Challenge is dreams of grandeur.

Ah, if it didn’t rain so badly, Charizard could be warming the both of them as he tried to make his way to the nearest Centre.

 Despite his best efforts to remain proud and confident, he ends up having to lean against a wall to stop a coughing fit from suddenly urging itself out of there. He must look pathetic and he does wish, deep down, that someone would get out of their house for a reason or another, recognize him like literally everybody in Galar; but his pride and brand would be on the line, and nobody is fighting against the terrible, terrible weather today. He’s all alone in the streets of the city, pushing himself from the wall with wobbly arms, trying his hardest to remember where to go with slow, hazy thoughts…

Even if he was cold merely moments before, his head now burns. He feels too hot under clothes that are wildly unfitting of such a muddy season, despite the hair rising on what is exposed of his arms. A Cramorant stole his jacket when he was training, a Linoone tried to steal his stuff, and he ended up having a Pokemon knocked out and losing most of his healing items in the kerfuffle. It really hasn’t been his day, lately…

 His chest hurts. Not from the outside, as if he had injured himself in one of the falls he endured trying to feel from the Wild Area with no Pokemon to battle with and the slippery grass constantly trying to get the best of him, but from the inside. He doesn’t doubt the possible existence of bruises under the shirt that sticks to his limbs like a second, drenched skin; but this isn’t it. It intensifies when he coughs and it rattles strangely. When he tries to ignore the excruciating weather wishing for his demise, he hears the strange sounds his breathing now makes. He doesn’t know them so, in a moment of out-of-character lack of reason, he gets scared of them and vaguely wonders about worst-case scenarios.

It isn’t just his chest either. It’s his throat, it’s his mouth, it’s his feet, it’s his legs. Everything in his body is tired and screaming for rest, but he cannot provide it for any of his own self at the moment, stuck trying to navigate with what little he can distinguish with almost-closed eyes from how much he has to squint. His eyes can’t focus anymore, this much he realizes with a bitter sense of resignation, so everything he sees is blurry, including the weird gooey stuff he keeps coughing out whenever he can’t breathe anymore and has to stop for who knows how long.

 He trips over his own unmade shoe tie, losing in one fell swoop what was left of his balance, and falls right into the rainwater that has accumulated on the ground. It sounds and looks and feels like it’s the end, that this is where his journey ends: in some damp street of a city that he has never been able to find his way in, alone, cold and hot at the same time, rain burying him with the rest of the pavement. Not that he even thinks he has the energy to go on… Not like that. Not when his strength, the only thing he thought he had left, has all but given up on him too. Truly alone in a time where, sitting against a giant wall, he realizes what has been going on and poisoning his breath. Hah, ironic.

Still, this isn’t how he should admit defeat. He’s been won over now, and recently at that, and it’d be more than a shame for him to all but give up now. He needs to bring his team to the Centre, he can’t not try taking his revenge on the new Champion, he can’t not at least prove his superior battle skills to Raihan yet again, he just can’t leave Hop, and Sonia, and everyone else like that…

So he rises up once again, on weak arms and unsteady legs, almost tripping over himself, shoulder stuck against the wall. He won’t let this be the end of him.

 Even with a new resolve, it still doesn’t make it much better for him. Unless there’s a miracle happening right before him, he’s stuck with his heavily weakened state trying to find a place whose location he has no idea. His phone doesn’t seem to be able to show a map, its signal disturbed after whatever happened to it while he was looking or doing the polar opposite, so he’s stuck with his truly inefficient sense of orientation.

But it’ll be okay. It’ll have to be okay, because he needs to see Hop become a Professor, to buy Sonia’s new book, to rematch the Champion and his Leader friends, to give his team at least one more chance to shine. It’ll be okay, surely it’ll be okay, of course it’ll be okay… It’ll be okay, because this is all a terrible nightmare he’s going to wake up from, where he isn’t stuck in the torrential rain with a fainted party and very little hope of finding way out.

It’ll be okay, oh so okay…

 He tumbles and falls over again, this time hitting the ground with no grace whatsoever, most likely scratching elbows and knees in the process. Even rising his head up as not to cough in water when a fit claws at his throat again takes most of the energy he has left, only for his blurry sight and cottoned-down hearing to spot the first good thing in who knows many hours: a familiar yelp and vague brown-and-yellow figure rushing towards him.

With a trembling and feeble hand, he tries reaching out to the Yamper who has guided him so many times out of dangerous situations, only for an oh so familiar voice to yell in his direction. Still, it’s hard to know if it’s real or just his imagination. Ah, well; he’ll have to see when he’ll have woken up. If he even wakes up from the darkness starting to invade his vision…

  “Yamper, where in the world are you running like that?!” This creature never stops running, doesn’t it? “Yamper, wait for me!”

If she’s used to her trusty furry assistant running around everywhere it goes and pursuing it, Sonia has to notice there’s something odd in the air. Yamper never goes this fast, especially not in a city where it could smash muzzle first into people. There’s an urgent feeling to its yelps as it runs in one precise direction.

 As suddenly as Yamper started running when she had just gone out of the vault to investigate a little bit more into the Galar mythos she had become a specialist of, it stops right in its tracks in a little street she’s frankly never seen nor noticed before. With how much it’s raining and how unlikely it is to stop pouring soon, she doesn’t want the both of them out for much longer than needed.

She stops to regain her breath, hands on her knees as she folds in two, wet red hair hanging from her head. Yamper stays in place, running around her in circles, then disappearing from her view into the old, little street covered in rain and shadows. It doesn’t seem to have any intent on leaving soon.

 --------

“Why did you… bring me here…? Seriously, it’s raining Growlithes and Purrloins…!”

Still, Sonia gets herself together and goes on to follow her “assistant”. There’s dread building in her chest and stomach that she can hardly ignore… She’s seen enough movies as a teenager to know where this is going. She’s going to end up tangled into some messed-up situation, isn’t she…?

 Her heart skips a beat when she notices a very familiar person lying face down on the pavement, drenched to the bone. A person who hasn’t given her any response or sign of life for a few days.

Someone who’s gotten lost in Hammerlocke again.

 -------

 When he wakes up, everything feels different than the last time he’s been awake. It’s all white, dry and soft. He stills feels too hot and too cold, breathing remains a chore and he wishes he wasn’t there anyway; but he supposes he’s now safe and, honestly, he can’t think of anything much worse than treading through the torrential rain with little strength left.

Now, if he knew what the thing on his face was, he’d be doing a bit better, but his arms feel like they’re made out of lead and he lacks the energy to rise them to his mouth and at least touch it…

 “Leon?”

The voice, even if it’s muffled, is undoubtedly Sonia’s. He can’t quite put a finger on why exactly, yet he feels like this confirms something. If his chest didn’t feel so heavy and full, he’d have sighed in relief. That doesn’t prevent him from coughing again when trying to respond to his own name.

“Let me do the talking, okay? I’m sure you have a metric ton of questions to ask, but for the love of Galar, spare your voice unless necessary.”

 Now that his vision is focusing again, he notices both the pipe inserted in his wrist and the frown on her face. She seems less than content with something. What, he doesn’t quite know, and thinking hurts his head even further than it already bothers him, heavy on his neck despite resting on a pillow. Speaking of which, where is his stuff? His clothes?

“Hey, hey, hey,” Sonia rises from her chair and puts her hands on his chest, putting him back into his mattress. “You stay here and don’t cause anyone any worry more than you’ve already done!”

 He’s confused as to why she’s so adamant on him not doing anything. No speaking, no moving… If he didn’t feel this drained and lethargic, he’d absolutely get back at her with playfulness. Well, that does kind of answer his own question, doesn’t it? Or, at least, it seems to make sense to his brain which has troubles keeping up with the situation…

Yet, he sees a small smirk contrast with her frowned eyebrows. She seems… pained. Pained by what, or who, he doesn’t know; he’s most likely at least partially responsible for it, because she wouldn’t be there otherwise.

 “I don’t know how you’ve ended up in that situation exactly, Leon, but you’ve managed to surpass yourself in terms of putting yourself in harm’s way. You’ve scared us before, but not to that extent!”

“I…” His voice sounds hoarse and it absolutely feels that way. “It’s complicated…”

“Your entire party was fainted, safe for Charizard who was about to follow; you somehow bricked your phone in the process and ended up catching more than a death of cold. Where were you during all that time?!”

Sonia sounds a bit too scared for someone who’s facing her childhood friend stuck in a bed.

“The Wild Area…”

“That’d explain why you were soaked to the bone when I found you lying in a puddle… You’ll have to excuse me for using that crude language, you scared everyone on that one!”

 It’s his turn to ask a little question, even if the state of his body makes him want to remain quiet. Still, no matter how intelligent she is, Sonia doesn’t read minds, so he’s somewhat forced to go through with it if he wants his answers.

“Where are we?”

“A clinic in Hammerlocke. I forgot to add you also scared the ER staff with how bad your breathing was.” Has to be that irritating wheezing sound he’s hearing since he’s woken up. “By the way, since I know you’re going to ask me about that, your team is safe and doing much better now. They’re all gently resting in their balls while you recover.”

He misses Charizard and everyone else already. He owes them a big apology, that’s for sure, but he’s also certain his brain can’t process much right now. Sometimes, you just need to admit yourself to have been defeated… even if it bothers you to no end.

 Sonia paces around for a little bit before sitting down on the chair next to the bed, arms still crossed. She sounds more than frustrated, and, well… He can’t really hold it against her, can he? He already can barely hold anything against her to begin with, considering how much they’ve lived through together; it’s not today, in these circumstances, that he’ll try finding a reason for her not to be frustrated. Who knows how long he’s been gone without giving news: he frankly, forgot how quickly or slowly time was passing while he was wandering through the Wild Area.

“At least, you’re still here and breathing with us. Just, if you could not do that ever again, it’d be better, you know? I can’t always be there worrying after you when I’m now a Prof! Arceus, I don’t even imagine what sequence of events has thrown you into such a state. You looked absolutely pitiful when Yamper found you.”

 He tries to puff at himself to ease the tension he feels rising, but all he ends up doing is coughing. And coughing. And coughing.

“What did I say about sparing your voice? Tch, you’ll never change, will you? You’ve always stubborn, after all, so there’s no reason that’ll change now. That’s part of your charm, I suppose.” She shrugs before suddenly darting her eyes away from him. “But you’re right, I shouldn’t have to worry! You were the Champion of Galar for more than ten years, why would I be afraid of you? That makes very little sense, haha!”

“S-Sonia…”

 He only now spots the dark rings under her eyes and the hair pulling out of her ponytail, one strand at a time. How long was he out for, and for how much of that time was she there, exactly? (Hey, he does work fairly well, for someone who can’t stop sweating and whose entire frame is shaken up by chills at irregular intervals!). Too many questions, too little available brain space, he guesses…

“Go for it, make fun of your good old friend who still hasn’t gotten the memo. I should have been like Hop and blindly believed you’d come back to us, as you’ve always done…”

Oh, right, Hop! How is he doing, has he advanced in his research, does he still worry for him? Well, sadly, it’s not the time to think about his brother: his childhood friend seems to have a meltdown right in front of him.

“Why?”

 Sonia stares at him, completely silent, eyes wide. Seems like she doesn’t have an answer to her own interrogation, until pain comes back on her face like the wave crashing on the shore.

“You don’t… think it’s ridiculous?”

“What?” His throat doesn’t take kindly to his attempts at having a conversation.

“Everything! We swore we’d trust each other, but look at me, worrying over you as if we were still kids running in the fields with the Wooloos… And I’m telling you all that while you’re cooking on the inside! Really, isn’t that ridiculous?”

 Gathering his breath and his strength, he rises up with shaky arms against the bedhead, pillow still preventing his head from entirely lulling over his shoulder from how heavy it is. Whatever he’s caught, it’s one hell of an affliction he’s found himself with. Still, if it’s for Sonia, if she’s this distraught over the situation (he did almost pass away), he can put up with the migraine, the difficult breathing, the mask over his mouth, the lethargy, the chills…

“I’m sorry, Sonia.”

He does cough immediately after apologizing, as expected. For once, she doesn’t reply immediately, doesn’t make a witty remark; instead, she looks confused and maybe embarrassed, considering the red he can see with the eyes that still refuse to entirely focus for more than a few seconds.

“Sorry for what? And, again, spare your voice, you…”

“For all of this.”

 Her expression softens, eyebrows drooping and eyes shining brighter. Even if it’s slight and his eyes almost miss it, she finally smiles.

“How long…?” He’s interrupted by a fit.

“How long you’ve been out?” He nods, still trying to calm his chest down. “Around half a day. You did wake up at some point but immediately passed out again. No wonder why you don’t remember that.”

He now points at her with an unsteady finger. “Why are you… Oh, how long I’ve been here?” He nods again. “Most of that time, I’d say. I’d also say I fell asleep at some point too…”

 She crosses her arms again, just as his vision starts weakening again. It’s back to sleep, right?

“I think we both need our rest. I’m also certain Hop is waiting at the door, so you’ll even have a guardian angel watching over you, isn’t that super cool? And if you attempt rising from that bed, you’re sure to be put back into it in mere seconds!”

He’d try laughing if it didn’t trigger such a massive reaction from his lungs, so he decides to just nod instead.

“See you later, Leon. Goodnight.”

He waves at her, the lethargy still reflecting in his slow and sloppy gestures, but that’s fine enough for now. Her smile is worth it, isn’t it?

 Absolutely worth trekking through the rain with full lungs and little energy left…

[victorlimadelta]

// @preuzien​ pokeverse au //

Name: Katherine Ann “Pidge” Holt Age: 17 Gender: Cis female Ethnicity: Italian Sexuality: Bisexual Occupation: Electric Gym Leader of Preuzien Religion: Atheist (raised Catholic) Languages: German (fluent), Italian (fluent), English (fluent), French (conversational), Russian (conversational), Japanese (still picking up, a small amount and written only) FC: Bex Taylor-Klaus as Sin from Green Arrow, except with auburn hair

Notes Her father, Sam Holt, and brother, Matt Holt, were influential Prussian battle scientists, but have been missing for nearly a year now. There was a public press announcement about their deaths, along with the death of one of the region's Gym Leaders for whom they had been working--but that Gym Leader has come back, so where is her family? (Long story short: there was an Incident with a Dialga and they were kind of all set adrift in time, but Takashi Shirogane made it back--her family still hasn't.) She fraudulently enrolled in Trainer School at age eight and a half. Because no one tells Pidge Holt where she can and can't be, where she can and can't go, and who she can or can't impersonate to get what she wants. Her precocity rivals the Champion's own; she was one of the ones watching his lectures when she was his age and laughing along with his jokes. Really, she's uncomfortably like Tobias in a lot of ways, including her similar paranoia, except hers isn't neurotic like his is. She sees it as a practical defense mechanism against an unforgiving and unpredictable world. She got into the habit of making casual dossiers on people she was close to, not because she dislikes them but because she likes to think she knows them and "just in case the worst happens, I want to be prepared."

Gym Pidge's gym is a series of puzzles and endurance challenges. Yes, there's a lot of hurrhurr make the current match, make the polarity match like you find in other regions' Electric-type Gyms, but ramped up to 11. You can and will get electrocuted if you fail some of these timed puzzles. You can and will drop out of her Gym if you don't make it through enough of them in a row. There's quite a few convolutions here, though. The Electric Gym will occasionally have more than one solution to a puzzle, or will have unsolvable puzzles that require alternative 'solutions' to break through to the next challenge. If you're not creative, if you can't think out of the box, if you can't innovate your way out of the situation, you're not going to make it. In addition, as you go, Pidge and her Trainers are creating a dossier on you, of how you work with your team, how you approach each problem and how you choose to solve it. Pidge will occasionally let you go on to the next challenge even if it appears that you failed the previous one. She will occasionally stop you from proceeding even if it looks like you found the correct solution. Even if you make it to her Gym Leader battle, and beat her, she occasionally will not give you her Badge because you didn't do it "the right way." You will bust your brain on her Gym. If it doesn't break you intellectually at least a little bit, it's not doing its job. You cannot brute force this Gym, because so often it appears to be outright random. Speaking of breaking you intellectually: the final 'challenge' of Pidge's Gym is the traditional Milgram Experiment. She was hesitant to include this without feedback from Tobias and Renate, but they've convinced her eventually that this was, maybe not a good idea, but an acceptable one. - For those who don't know the reference at once: the Milgram Experiment involved asking a participant in a psychological experiment to administer an electric shock when someone made a mistake in memorizing and recalling a list of words. The issue here is that the test subject was the administrator, not the recipient. The recipient never received an electric shock, but instead gave audio feedback from the other side of a wall on the supposed pain of the electric shock. The electric shocks were fake, but the doses were calculated to run from annoying to fatal. The actors receiving the shocks were instructed to react accordingly. If any test subject expressed reticence about administering the shocks upon cries of pain from the actors, the person running the test said a phrase similar to 'The test requires that you continue.' Nothing more, nothing less. - This test was designed to tell to what level a human being could attribute their decisionmaking process to a person in authority telling them to do something, and how much responsibility they felt they could absolve if it was no longer up to them to stop. Because the tests were originally conducted in the 1950s at the inception of the Cold War (and also, consequently, after the conclusion of WWII and the revelation of Nazi human experimentation), some of the original “test subjects” were suspicious and apparently threw some of the test results by deliberately being cruel when they figured out it was a farce... it’s an interesting read because of that, because why would you want to throw test results for that. Anyway. - For Pidge, it's also a test of whether you're willing in the first place to administer an electric shock to someone who's done absolutely nothing wrong to you for the sole reason that they've made a mistake on an arbitrary task that has no social or ethical ramifications on whether it's successful or a failure. This is crucial for Preuzien's growth as a country away from what they were and towards what they could be. Strength isn't about using it at every given opportunity, it's about justice in its application. - The only way to ‘pass’ this test is to refuse to participate whatsoever. By the time you've gotten this far, Pidge knows whether it's because you already know what the experiment is, or because you simply refuse to inflict pain on a fellow human being for no reason.

Pokémon This is most of Pidge's battle squad:

Xurkitree

Ability: Beast Boost Notes: Yes, an Ultra Beast. She spent just over a year in Ultra Space hunting down the perfect competitive 'mon, actually; she has almost two and a half boxes full of stat 'fails.' Fun fact, this one knows Power Whip. Have fun with those Ground types you brought to this Gym!

Toxtricity (Low Key) (Gigantamax)

Ability: Punk Rock Notes: Toxtricity is a lot like Pidge: make eye contact and you'll really wish you hadn't. This girl is powerful, can Status your team in two different ways, and has a bad attitude.

Vikavolt

Ability: Levitate Notes: Listen. Vikavolt is a good Poke. It's actually a super strong Bug-type contender and I like alt-types for Gym Leaders to use in their 'single-type' Gyms. Immune to Ground even before Levitate. Again, have fun.

Rotom (nn. "Gremlin")

Ability: Levitate Notes: "It's a gimmick!" You bet your ass it's a gimmick. Pidge keeps making up new little devices for this baby to haunt, too. It's flighty and doesn't like to stay in one device for too long, so you're going to have to deal with some weird STAB changes every few turns. By turn 15, it gains the ability to enter a new device Pidge has invented for it while she's teaching it to Ability Evolve its Levitate to affect her entire team. (The device Levitates her entire team. Including her Toxtricity and her Reuniclus, who are 4x weak to Ground.)

Prussian variant Reuniclus (ace)

Type: Steel/Electric Ability: Infection (evolved Ability from Effect Spore). At the end of each turn, this Pokemon inflicts one of six Status conditions on your Pokemon in sequence. Original Effect Spore has a 10% chance of randomly inflicting Poison, Paralysis, or Sleep on the opponent, a 3.3% chance of each. Infection has a 100% chance to inflict Paralysis on the first turn, Burn on the second, Sleep on the third, Poison on the fourth, Frozen on the fifth, and Infected on the sixth. An Infected Pokemon no longer obeys its Trainer and only obeys Pidge. "That sounds OP!" Preuzien is OP. Also, the style of Preuzien Gym Leader Battles, with its Squad format, really takes the edge off of this Ability whereas it'd be lethal in Singles or Doubles, because the Ability doesn't pick a particular Pokemon to affect, just one of the four opponent Pokemon on the field. That said, you should probably defeat Reuniclus in fewer than six turns so it doesn't cripple your team. Notes: Prussian Solosis (who looks like a little soft wormy boy, sort of like a space caterpillar) was Pidge's first ever Pokemon as a four-year-old child, but he's grown into an absolute monster over the years. Imagine this motherfucker staring you down from the other end of the battlefield. He's terrifying. That's because he looks like a bacteriophage, which is literally a type of virus. (Prussian Duosion looks like an influenza virus, but with arms/hands. If original Reuniclus looks like a bacterial blob, this is just a different form of infective vector.)

[atimefordragons]

IN THE NAME OF THE MOON, I SHALL PUNISH YOU! || EHS

☾♔; May 19, 2020 ☾♔; 2:19am ☾♔; sotd: Man of the World (Takanashi Yasuharu) ☾♔; cotd: Kuruma ☾♔; Elite Highschool ☾♔; Audition

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Sailor Moon, the Champion of Justice!

𝐀 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞 (𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎): Finally done, I'm soz for taking so long! I've just been Narutoing. He's my boy, dattebayo!  

☆──════ ⋆ ☽ ⋆ ☾ ⋆ ════──☆

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒

➤TITLE: S̶p̶o̶r̶t̶y̶ ̶S̶p̶i̶c̶e̶  The Sports Star ➤OC NAME: Katarina Văduva ➤AGE: 16   ➤BIRTHPLACE: Brăila, Romania ➤BIRTHDAY: December 31 ➤FACE CLAIM: Bruna Marquezine ➤USERNAME: @.dracarysbitch

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

➤LIKES: football (soccer, not the american one), eurovision (obvs), tennis, volleyball, basketball, ice hockey, figure skating, anime, manga (loves shoujo, but would rather die than admit it), a song of ice and fire (of course), russian literature (tolstoy is a fav ofc), winter, blizards, snowstorms, fresh snow, sweet foods, video games (dragon age, assassin's creed, the witcher, until dawn, pokemon), sailor moon, pink, blue, stitch, disney (sleeping beauty is her fave, even though she doesn't really match her personality, it's more that her parents gave her away for her safety, and Kat used to imagine it was the same for herself when she was a kid), space, faberge eggs, sanrio (her favourites are Kuromi and Pandausa)

➤DISLIKES: sasuke uchiha (fucking bitch), supercilious people, the lodge (lol, grow up you fucking losers), shows that go on forever and never end (please, please just end), shows that have shit endings, game of thrones (fucking dumbfucks), americans, right-wing politics (it's so stupid, just grow a heart), religion (what a scam), being alone (either physically or with her thoughts, let's bury that shit), losing, being wrong, having to concede any ground on any matter whatsoever, not knowing things

➤HOBBIES: anything that is physical (fucking jocks, amirite?), she's loves going for jogs (can't relate - secretly naruto runs during night time jogs 'cause no one can see her being lame), and playing streetball, etc. watching anime, reading manga, ranting on the interwebs about her shows and books (in general she avoids the bigger internet drama 'cause it's stupid, but sometimes you gotta put a bitch in their place, 'CAUSE DAENERYS IS THE PRINCE THAT WAS PROMISED, FUCK YOU!), watching reruns of pro-games (can't relate, so boring)  

➤STRENGTHS: determined, perseverant (is that even a word?), passionate, relentless, protective, observant, straightforward (usually ends up insulting people though, so it's more of a weakness tbh), goal-oriented, independent, self-reliant, has enough self-awareness to not go off on weeb/otaku interests in front of most people, but if it's like a "smart" anime, she'll discuss it (like Death Note, she's not gonna fucking admit to still loving Naruto at this age, shut up), diligent, loyal, a bad bitch (lol, not so much, but she likes being perceived as a strong girl who can and will stab you with her stiletto. the image only lasts for a few seconds, she more just comes off as rude).

➤WEAKNESSES: stubborn, very blunt, which tends to come off as brash and rude, though she's not always intending to be mean, despite that rude, blunt nature, she's also a bit tsundere, and struggles admitting her to deeper feelings. Gets flustered when complimented (outside of sports, there she's fine 'cause I'm the best bitches, or so she says), and she just can't admit it when she needs someone, whether it be a friend or romantic interest, especially if it's a romantic interest, 'cause she's also of the mind of who needs a boyfriend when there's food? while she's observant when it comes to changes in people's behaviour, she in general lacks the capacity to act well on her observations, and is awkward when trying to comfort someone or cheer them up. When it comes to her own feels, part from rage, annoyance, or "Jock Mode", she can barely admit to them, let alone discuss them with other. Speaking of "Jock Mode", she is competitive AF, somewhat dismissive (this usually only comes out in games, but she tends to ignore weaker opponents in search of stronger ones who pose a challenge). Also tends to display some arrogance in the sports she's most talented it, particularly volleyball. It's not quite a personality flaw, but she's weak for loving parents, or just a loving family in general (in life and when watching movies, it makes her fucking cry every time, which really puts a damper on her tough girl image, it's not usually a visible one, but she can't hide the longing in her face when she watches a parent and their child being a normal, happy family). Definitely has tunnel-vision, once she has a goal in sight, that's all she sees. Can even be paired down to dumb things, like C-grade trashy alien movies. She tends to notice only the aliens and revel in their destruction, while ignoring everything else, including the plot. Has plenty of issues; abandonment, trust, ptsd - none of which she is dealing with. She's just ignoring it and hopes it goes away once she becomes a cool, reliable adult™️ (lol, good luck that, adult life is a lie).

𝐁𝐈𝐎

➤SHORT BIO: Katarina is half-Brazillian, half-Russian, though she is under the assumption that she is Romanian, she is biological the daughter of Vasily Raevsky, a Russian Oligarch, and Xuxa Amalia Reis Moreno, a Brazilian businesswoman and all round bad bitch. For reasons unknown to her, Katarina was in effect abandoned at birth and placed in a Romanian orphanage in Brăila, which is also presumed to be her birthplace. Her birth certificate lists both parents as unknown, the orphanage named her. Having no parents or known family, and raised in an orphanage has given Kat many self-reliant skills, and allows her to live independently, but it has also left her with a deep sense of loneliness (not to mention PTSD 'cause Romanian Orphan life is a nightmare). She recognizes that much of her yearning is still childish fantasy, and often covers up that desire with her brash nature or jock hobbies.

Growing up in the orphanage was... not easy. The Brăila Home for Children was not the best, to say the least. Though it could've been worse (*shudders at the case of the Sighetu Marmației institution for disabled children* - do better Romania, oh my god). The orphanage was under and poorly staffed. They would often neglect and abuse the children, one year shaving every childs head so they all looked the same, and often chaining rowdy children to their beds. During Katarina's time, many of her fellow orphans died from minor illness or injuries such as cataracts or anemia, which were treated poorly or simply ignored, and a number also starved to death. Because of this, Katarina has a habit of hoarding food, and keeping snacks under her pillow. She also has difficulty sharing, and despises headboards that are railed(? the ones with gaps, idk what to call them).

When she was around eleven, the orphanage received ample anonymous donations, leading to much improvement, and the arrival of a new Director, Ileana Cojocaru, who, over time, earned the trust of Kat and her fellow orphans, and became something of a surrogate mother. Ileana did a nearly complete staff overturn (fun side note, some of the staff, especially those who harmed Kat have gone missing in the past few years, coincidence? no), as well as hiring accomplished childcare professionals from all over the world to help the children. It was Ileana who sparked Kat's, or rather Rina as Ileana called her,  interest in sports, though Ileana was more into football herself, she encourage Kat to explore whatever she wanted, though particularly team sports so that Kat could foster dependent relations. Kat herself particularly enjoyed volleyball, joining a little league team and winning a number of competitions. Due to her skill both in setting and spiking, she usually plays in the Opposite Hitter position.

Katarina entered EHS in Highschool, on what she assumed to be the Elite's scholarship program, arranged by Ileana, who even said as such, though in truth, her entry and tuition are all being handled by an anonymous benefactor. This fact was revealed to Kat last summer after Ileana died (of p̶l̶o̶t̶ ̶d̶i̶s̶e̶a̶s̶e̶ cancer), whose lawyer was put in charge of the bank accounts meant to pay for all of Kat's needs. The lawyer refused to divulge whom the anonymous benefactor is, citing a non-disclosure clause, though the need to discover who has given Kat a whole new mission in life.

➤FAMILY: On Katarina's part, she doesn't believe she has one, though she does consider Ileana to be her family, and has grown to care somewhat about her fellow orphans from the Brăila Home, while growing up they were rivals struggling to survive. Ileana's death devastated her, and she's dealing with it by straight up ignoring it. Lol, I'm not sad, my eyes are just glistening with the ghosts of my past.

Biologically, despite her complete lack of knowledge of it, Kat comes from rather a rather illustrious family. Her mother, Xuxa Amalia Reis Moreno, is a Brazilian Businesswoman, herself the daughter of a self-made millionaire, Xuxa is expanded the Moreno parent company, MC Inc., an oil and mineral company in origin, into numerous side ventures, owning and operating businesses ranging from restaurants to magazines and clothing lines. Her father meanwhile, Vasily Raevsky, is of the (former) noble House of Raevsky, now oligarchs in modern-day Russia, who virtually control Russia's diamond and precious stone industry, currently owning controlling shares of ALROSA, the largest diamond mining company in Russia, and accounting for 95% of the countries diamond production, as well as 27% of the global diamond extraction, and the House of Fabergé, which they purchased after the fall of the Soviet Union. If she remained in the care of either of her parents, her name would technically be Katarina Vasilyevna Moreno Raevskaya, which is a fun and utterly useless fact.

Her parents met at a rich people conference (idk, Davos or some shit like that) and engaged in a short lived affair. Her father was already married and could not accept her, and her mother had no interest in being a mother at all, let alone a single one, leading to them choosing to give her up in Romania, an arbitrary choice that fucked her up, lol.

Via her father, she has an elder brother, Viktor Vasilyevich Raevsky, who is in fact her anonymous benefactor. Viktor discovered her existence after Vasily had an accident and was close to death, so he confessed his sins and what not. Viktor eventually tracked her down and sought to improve her life. Though he wants to bring her into the family, he doesn't for the sake of his mother who cannot deal with the affair, though she refuses to divorce Vasily for appearances sake.

𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐀

➤MOODBOARD: https://tinyurl.com/y8a2gjy8 ➤SCHOOL WARDROBE/AESTHETICS: https://tinyurl.com/ycodubrb ➤PLAYLIST: https://tinyurl.com/y6wwmp74

➤TOP 3 CHARACTER PICKS: the Sports Star, the Princess, The Rebel(de) <-- lol, see what I did there? I'm so funny.

[skullgruntdana]

Dana’s Headcanons

Trigger Warnings Apply

Headcanon #1

          Dana really doesn’t like fire. The child has been scared of fire for a long time because she once saw a house burned to the ground by an accidental fire. Because of this Dana only has a few Fire Types. While they smell nice, Dana refuses to allow her mother to bring candles into the house. Dana fears the house will burn down so she cries and throws a tantrum when her mother attempts to bring a candle into the house. The only fire Dana seems okay with is the little fire coming out of a lighter. Other than that she can’t go near campfires without either fainting or crying. 

Headcanon #2

          Dana almost drowned when she was three years old. When Dana was three she wandered away from her parents when they were shopping at the supermarket. She was only gone for a second but in that second she fell into a river which had a strong tide. Dana sunk to the bottom of the river and swallowed a bunch of water. When she was under water she panicked and fainted because of lack of oxygen. Thankfully Dana was pulled out by her mother who had jumped into the river. Upon waking up, Dana threw up water. This traumatized her so much that Dana refused to go near any body of water. Dana still will not go near rivers, but she does like walking around the ocean or the lake. She just doesn’t swim. 

Headcanon #3

          Dana is on the spectrum. Dana is on the spectrum and has been diagnosed since the age of three. Her mother wanted to make sure Dana got the benefits she needed so Dana was tested for numerous disabilities including ADHD, ADD, and OCD all of which Dana has. Dana’s mother took Dana out of the local school in Akala because it did not have the programs Dana would need to be successful. Dana gets one on one tutoring with a curriculum that benefits her and is easy to follow. 

Headcanon #4 

          Dana is very picky about what she wears. Dana does not like wearing scratchy clothes are anything that would distract her. Elise, Dana’s mother, makes most of Dana’s clothes. Dana used to wear hand-made clothes because at the time her parents were too poor to afford buying their daughter clothes. Dana prefers handmade clothes but will wear factory made clothes if the material isn’t scratchy and if she likes the clothes/designs on the clothes. As for her headband, Dana never takes it off. Not even when she’s asleep. Her Drifloon headband is her favorite, but Dana will wear other headbands as long as she likes them. Her headband is handmade. 

Headcanon #5

         Dana does not like Spearow or Murkrow. The hearts on Dana’s headband are shiny and it attracts the attention of the two bird Pokemon. These Pokemon attack her frequently in an attempt to take her headband. When Dana is attacked, she attacks back with her Hydreigon. 

Headcanon #6

          Dana was experimented on by her father. Rick Sanchez, Dana’s father, stole a vial of liquid which would give a human the power of Pokemon. He was kicked out of the scientific community when he left Rocket, but he wanted to be admitted back in so her experimented on his daughter when she was three. The liquid gave her electrokinesis, but she lost her pupils as a result. But the experiment was a failure because Dana was not as powerful as she should have been. Dana can only drain small electronics of their energy and charge batteries. 

Headcanon #7

Dana is right handed. Dana can’t write whatsoever with her left hand and she favors the right one for basic tasks. Elise is trying to get her to use her left hand more because it’s getting to the point where Dana is having a hard time carrying things back and forth. 

Headcanon #8

Dana doesn't want to go to school. Dana doesn’t have pupils and her mother Elise was afraid the child would get made fun of. Because of this, Elise doesn’t want to put her daughter through school until Dana is comfortable to make that choice by herself. Dana is tutored by a man that comes every other day to teach Dana. Dana is very hard to teach because she can’t sit still for five minutes. Luckily, Dana is an average student and does well in her studies. 

Headcanon #9

Dana has an easy time falling asleep. Though she is very hyper, Dana gets tired out easily from strenuous tasks or just running around in general. All Dana’s mom has to do is to let her daughter run around outside before going back inside to collapse on the couch. It’s so easy that Dana often falls asleep at the dinner table or on the couch while she is watching t.v. This is good for Elise who has to deal with Dana’s twin Diana. Diana does not like to fall asleep and often throws tantrums. 

Headcanon #10

Both Dana and the writer love the band Sleigh Bells. The guitar in that band is the best sound in the world, according to Dana. The Voidz are a close second, but Dana and the writer share similar music tastes. Songs like Rill Rill, Infinity Guitars,and Demons are Dana’s favorite songs from the Sleigh Bells. Dana seems to like metal and rock music with a bit of hip hop and rap. She has no set genre. 

Headcanon #11

Dana loves Kantonian candy. Plum milk flower kiss candy is really good and she loves that kind of candy. Other candies include milk candies, bubblegum, candy corn, honey candy, strawberry candy, and watermelon candy. Dana also enjoys taffy and other chewy candies. Dana’s mother tries not to buy Dana too much candy, but Dana often buys (or steals) her own candy. Dana also really likes caramel. 

Headcanon #12 

Dana has a twin sister. Dana’s twin sister’s nickname is Diana. Diana for a time was living at Dana’s aunt’s house. But she has since moved back in with Elise and Dana now that Elise has a stable home life for her. Unlike Dana, Diana does go to school and is an average student. Nothing out of the ordinary. 

Headcanon #13

Dana loves taking vacations. Dana goes on frequent vacations because she has the means to. By using her Drifloon, she can drift off to faraway places and chill there till she flies back on one of her Pokemon. Though it’s usually to other regions. Being suspended in midair over the ocean is really stressful. That is what makes vacations dangerous. Other than that, it’s just really fun. 

Headcanon #14

Dana tries her best to be brave. There are instances where Dana has to run away. But it’s really hard to knock her down without a fight. Dana can and will fight you even if she is smaller than you. This child runs off pure sugary rage. Dana is brave because she believes in herself and she tries her best in those kinds of situations. 

Headcanon #15

Dana doesn’t own that many dolls. Dana’s sister, Diana, is more or less into dolls. Dana doesn’t have a lot of dolls because she lacks that want to baby and coddle something that isn’t a Pokemon. Dana is more into video games and Pokemon figurines. She also likes RC cars and marbles. Legos are also fun. Dana actually doesn’t really play with toys unless she’s playing inside. Outside, she uses toy cars and basic sandbox toys. Not to mention kites or skipping stones. 

Headcanon #16

Dana doesn’t have any pupils. While she was born with them, an experiment made them disappear so she only has an iris. The iris is blue and Dana can still see. But her eyes have a hard time when it comes to bright lights. Because of this, Dana has to wear special contacts to help her filter light in her eyes. The contacts act as a sort of pupil or like sunglasses that keep the sun from hurting her eyes. Without those contacts, Dana’s eyes will hurt when she’s outside. Sometimes Dana forgets to wear those contacts. If she forgets, she always has sunglasses on her at all times. If she forgets those sunglasses, her eyes could be damaged. 

Headcanon #17

Dana can whistle pretty loudly. Dana is able to whistle pretty loudly when she calls her Pokemon. The Pokemon know she is calling them when she whistles. The child has scared numerous people with her ability to whistle. She, of course, finds this really funny and whistles when she feels like messing with a crowd of people in public places. Dana’s mother does not find this funny. 

Headcanon #18

Dana doesn’t really use the internet. Dana has a Twitter and Instagram and that’s about it. She uses Spotify and YouTube for music. Dana doesn’t spend more than an hour a day on the internet. She prefers to play video games, watch t.v., and play outside. Dana likes going to parks and the beach even though she can’t swim. Dana’s mom is relieved that Dana isn’t one of those kids that are glued to their phones. 

Headcanon #19

Dana likes drawing. Dana has her own sketchbook and often likes to doodle in it. The child keeps every drawing she has and gives some to her mother. Dana doesn’t understand in- depth yet or proportion. Sometimes her drawings are made fun of by mean hearted people. When this happens, Dana takes it to heart and sulks for days, refusing to draw anything. It takes a while for her spirits to bounce back if somebody makes fun of or hates her art. 

Headcanon #20

Dana loves Ghost and Fairy Types. Dana loves Drifloon. And though she doesn’t have a lot, she really likes Ghost types. Dana’s teams are of mixed types. She has no set type of Pokemon that she collects. Fairy types are her close second. Because most Fairy types are really cute. But Dana dislikes Fire types.

Headcanon #21

Dana has frequent nightmares, but she can’t remember her dreams. Dana sometimes remembers her dreams, but mostly they are basic things like being trapped someplace or big scary creatures going after her. Dana has a lot of dreams where it feels like she is falling. 

Headcanon #22

Dana has a lot of hope in people. She is not cynical yet, though I can see her becoming cynical as she grows older. Dana believes in the world and thinks everybody (including her father) is a good person, but there are times where she thinks badly of somebody. Overall, Dana has hope in people and in the world. Nothing but age and experience on this Earth can change that. 

Headcanon #23 Dana doesn’t really understand promises. Because sometimes they are broken by adults. Why make a promise if you’re going to break them? Dana is becoming wary of people who tell her to trust them. But, of course, she’s a child and in the end she will always trust somebody even if she just met them. This isn’t so good because it means Dana can be taken advantage of. Hopefully she grows out of this. 

Headcanon #24

Dana’s texting style isn’t like the way she talks. Dana doesn’t use slang, nor does she use emojis. Dana uses emoticons and full sentences when she texts, so her texts look like this: There is a party going on. You should come over. (＾▽＾). Dana rarely calls anybody and mostly texts people, but she doesn’t IM anybody, nor does she use the internet to text anybody. Only rarely will Dana call anybody and when she does, the calls aren’t really ones that last for a long time. Dana only calls when she is in danger or when giving directions. 

Headcanon #25

Dana wears her portal ring on her left ring finger.  When Dana was seven, she was given her own portal ring by her first best friend Yuki. Dana now has the ability to go to other dimensions. 

Headcanon #26

If Dana were in the Pokemon game, these would be her quotes:

Challenging the player: "With Drifloon, I can defeat'cha!" "Battle me? Ya gotta say yes!" "Peekaboo! I see you!" (while doing Team Skull gang signs) "for Skull!"

Greeting the player: "Hey! I can't let you in. Boss won't like that!" "Guzma is a super strong bug trainer. I'll be strong like him!" 

Winning a battle: "We did great, Drifloon!" "Hah! I knew I was strong!" "Boss'll be proud'a me!" 

Losing a battle: "NO!" "Boss won't be happy wit' me-" "No-" (said while stomping her feet) "It's not fair!"

Extra after a battle: "Aren't Drifloon great?" "Do you wanna meet my Drifloon?" "Sometimes my Drifloon drags me away." "You're strong!" “Can I pet your Pokemon?!” “Do you want to be my friend?” 

Headcanon #27 

If Dana were in the game, her battle theme would be the 8-bit version of the Team Skull battle theme with the vocals over it. She still has the Team Skull emblem and spray paint opening sequence at the beginning of the battle to show she is in Team Skull. 

Headcanon #28 

Extra: If Dana were in the game and you interact with her 20 times, she will give you her phone number. Dana will text you whenever there are Drifloon around. She will text you the Route you can find them in too. Dana’s messages are all very energetic and in all capital letters. 

Headcanon #29 

Dana is often dragged away by Drifloon. Because she is so tiny, Drifloon have an easier time dragging Dana away. This stresses her mother out, so Elise keeps a close watch on the Drifloon as best as she can. 

Headcanon #30 

Dana is challenging the Galar gyms, and her challenger number is 425, which is Drifloon’s number in the PokeDex. So far, Dana has defeated four gyms, but lost against Bede. 

Headcanon #31

Dana has a very complex opinion of her late father. Some part of Dana really loves him and wants him to love her, but the other part of her is very mad at him for hurting her. Dana feels like she was robbed of something because of her dad’s death, and she wishes she could go back and tell him how much she hates him, or make another attempt to win his love and affection. At some point, Dana has deluded herself into thinking he’s alive. However, one day she will learn that he is not coming back. 

Headcanon #32

Dana has anger management issues. Dana has been known to lash out when she gets upset or frustrated. Sometimes she gets violent when she sees people with blue hair like her father. Lately, Dana has been using calming techniques to calm herself down when she gets too upset or frustrated. So far, it seems to be working. 

Headcanon #33

Trigger Warning! 

Dana’s Injury History: A scar on her arm from being attacked by Dee’s Hydreigon. Her pupil-less from her father’s experiments. Temporary nerve damage from being frozen by Lusamine. 

Headcanon #34

TRIGGER WARNING 

Dana joined Team Skull to get away from her dad. Dana’s dad liked to experiment on her, and the experiments sometimes scared or hurt her. Dana ran away the first time because her parents were fighting, but since then she had gone back to Po Town to get away from her father. Dana likes to tell people she joined because she was a badass, but the real reason she joined is very sad. 

[galfridus1]

Have some Pokemon fun for the content creators server’s NNT AU day. Thanks @nerroart for collaborating on this with me and producing this amazing art here! It was so much fun working with you. Let’s do it again!

For @princessfroslass and @okamideimos - your enthusiasm for the NNT Pokemon AU is infectious.

The sun shone warm, golden rays heating their backs and the skin on their arms. It had rained overnight and the world smelled fresh, everything practically bursting with colour. The sky was bright blue and the cobbled streets shone a little as they wove through the legs of the buyers and merchants, laughing as they dodged the citizens of Liones. It was a nice day at the very peak of midsummer, and Howzer and Gilthunder felt happy to be alive.

A shadow fell over them and Howzer looked up, the grin sliding from his face as he saw the Magical Research Building. It was so huge, a towering structure that dominated the skyline. His father had said something about how you could tell who was in power from the height the buildings. First the guild headquarters had soared over the huts and cottages of Liones, then the churches had risen with enormous spires that dwarfed these buildings. Now it was the mage who scared almost everyone, her massive laboratory drawing the eyes of all who walked through the streets of the kingdom.

“I hear she does weird experiments in there.” Howzer puffed up his chest, pleased for once to have intelligence to share with Gilthunder. As the lowly son of a struggling blacksmith, Howzer did not often get to know the court gossip which his friend seemed to come across almost constantly. But the previous day he had been… borrowing a bun from the kitchens and had overheard the cook discussing the mage with the butler. “She even has demon artefacts,” he said with a whisper, glancing eagerly at Gilthunder to watch his reaction.

He found the other’s unimpressed look extremely disappointing. “Of course she does,” Gilthunder said with a shrug. “She’s the mage. Lady Merlin has to carry out research into everything. She even has a collection of Pokémon…”

“She does?” Howzer interrupted, incredulously. “Wow! I bet she has some real rare ones. Do you think she has a Mew, or a Yvetal, or…”

“How do you know so much about Pokémon all of a sudden?” Gilthunder stopped in his tracks and it took Howzer a few seconds to also draw to a halt. He turned a little nervously to see his friend looking at him with an unnerving interest, piercing blue eyes peering into his own.

He decided to tell the truth. “I… have a team of Pokémon,” Howzer admitted as his eyes dropped to the floor and he shuffled his feet on the stone path. “I’ve been collecting them for a few months now.”

“No way! So have I!”

Howzer looked back up at Gilthunder in surprise. A soft wind was blowing, bringing with it the scent of rosemary and thyme and ruffling his friend’s mop of magenta hair. The small boy continued, a gleeful grin on his face, “How about a match? I’ve got a new Pokémon I want to try out. Think you can take me on?”

Howzer swallowed hard. Truth be told he did not relish the prospect of a fight whatsoever. The fun of Pokémon was collecting and caring for them, finding the rare ones in the long, swishing grass and carefully catching them in red and white pokéballs. He did not enjoy seeing them fight. In fact, he only really used one of his partners, and that was so he could weaken the wild Pokémon he came across so that they could be caught more easily. But Gilthunder was looking at him so eagerly that Howzer felt he could not refuse.

“Um… sure. Why not?”

Gilthunder whooped for joy and grabbed Hozwer’s arm, pulling him towards the gate in the city walls, jabbering nineteen to the dozen as they sped through the streets. “I love how they change when they get stronger,” Gilthunder enthused. “I’ve been training my Helioptile for ages and I think it’s about to evolve! And you wouldn’t believe how cool my Dedenne is now. It just learned Volt Switch, which is such a great move! The one I’m going to show you today is just the best…” Howzer bit his lip, hard. Evidently his friend had been really training his Pokémon hard.

Eventually the boys slipped through the gate, giving a cheery wave to the Holy Knights as they passed. They made their way towards the neighbouring fields, the chirp of birdsong and the rustling and buzzing of insects growing louder as they moved away from the city. The animals were joyous, celebrating the good weather and the abundance of food, but Howzer could feel his heart growing heavier which each step they took. Gilthunder was practically skipping as their feet left stone for dirt, kicking up dust with their shoes as they neared the clearing where Pokémon fights took place.

Panic gripped Howzer’s chest. “Say, Gil?” he called to the boy who had hopped to the other end of the field and was detaching a pokéball from his belt. “I looks close to noon already. Maybe we should each fight with just one Pokémon, yeah? That way we can get back for lunch.”

“Awww!” Howzer hardly dared breathe. Gilthunder sounded pretty disappointed. “I wanted to show you all of my party,” the boy added with a bit of a pout. “But yeah, I guess you’re right. And I wanted to train with Sir Meliodas this afternoon. He told me yesterday he’s got a Rayquaza! I can’t wait to see it! Well, alright. Here we go. Mareep, I choose you!” As Gilthunder spoke, the pokéball in his hand opened a crack, red mist rising from the depths to pool and swirl round his legs. Howzer watched as the vapour started to take shape, forming an animal with four, stumpy legs, a fluffy body and two pointed ears. The sheep stood squarely on the ground, looking at Howzer with daggers for eyes, blue flashes of lightning cracking over its pelt.

With difficulty, Howzer took a pokéball from his own belt, his fingers fumbling with the clasp. Sweat beaded his hands, impeding his movements and he cursed under his breath as he nearly dropped his prize. He snuck another quick look at the Mareep standing opposite and could see from its aggressive stance that it meant business. His own Pokémon did not stand a chance.

“Farfetch’d, I choose you.” Once more red mist crept over the battlefield, crimson whorls swirling in the air. As his Pokémon materialised, shaking itself, chest puffed out with pride, Howzer heard a snort from the other side of the field. He looked up to see Gilthunder clutching his sides, face bright red as he attempted to stifle his laughter.

“What is that thing?” his friend cried as he broke out into fits of giggles. “What even… I mean… it’s carrying a leek! Is it telling us what to eat with it for dinner?”

Howzer felt his face flush red as the laughter continued, the blush pushing down into his neck. “Your Pokémon looks pretty stupid, too,” he muttered angrily as the laughter continued.

At once, Gilthunder’s face turned dark. “How could you?” he yelled as the Mareep’s fur sparked angrily. “This beauty,” he emphasised, his voice laced with hurt, “evolves into an Ampharos. An Ampharos, Howzer,” Gilthunder added as if he were talking to an imbecile. “It is one of the rarest and most powerful Pokémon in this part of the world. And this Mareep is going to show your bird what for! Why have you been bothering with that thing anyway?”

Howzer grit his teeth and did not respond. Farfetch’d was the most useful Pokémon he had. He had been overjoyed to find a TM, conveniently hiding in a log in the woods. The Technical Machine would teach a compatible partner to use False Swipe, the best move available for catching wild Pokémon. At the time, the only companion he had who could learn the technique was the Farfetch’d he had managed to trap down by the river. Once the duck had mastered this move, Howzer had used it and it only in every single fight, deploying False Swipe time after time. The move was perfect for catching as it ensured that he drained the health of the opposing Pokémon without causing them to fall into a faint. He had been so very pleased, his eye on the prize of completing his pokédex, but it was perhaps not the best strategy to prepare for trainer battles.

“Let’s go. Mareep, use Electo Ball!” Gilthunder smiled as huge spheres of light flew from the sheep. The fast, golden orbs raced over the field, the static charge causing the hairs to stand on the back of Hozwer’s neck. But he grinned broadly as Gilthunder yelled in surprise, biting back laughter as his friend’s head jerked left and right, searching in vain for the odd-looking duck.

But of course it was nowhere to be seen. A moment later, a feathered bomb fell from the sky, dropping like a heavy stone. The Farfetch’d hurtled through the air, aiming straight for Mareep’s head. Under his breath, Howzer had ordered it to use Fly, and it had immediately soared upwards, avoiding the sheep’s electric attack. As the duck’s palmate feet made contact, Mareep bleated in surprise, and it fell to the ground with a bump as its legs slipped from under it. Gilthunder practically roared, but then regained his composure as the sheep got hesitatingly back up onto its hooves.

“Are you okay?” Gilthunder asked softly, and his jaw set with determination as the sheep gave a defiant baa in return. “Great. Then use Thunderbolt.” At once, sheets of electricity rolled across the field, zapping the Farfetch’d before it could dodge. The duck gave an indignant quack as the lightning hit, and Howzer squeaked, wincing as he smelled burning feathers.

“Farfetch’d!” the duck croaked. It waddled back towards Howzer, its eyes seeming to glow red. It was livid, furious, beyond peeved. The wild Pokémon round Liones were not a high level and the battles the duck had experienced did not usually leave much of a mark. It was clearly not happy with the current arrangement, and Howzer could practically taste its anger on the air.

“It’s okay, I’ve got an idea,” Howzer whispered and, grudgingly, the duck moved closer towards him. As Howzer explained, it nodded its head, then turned to face the Mareep once more. “Use Double Team,” Howzer commanded and Farfetch’d quacked with joy as it duplicated itself. Soon there were dozens of birds on the field and Howzer felt his spirits rise. “Deal with that!” he yelled in triumph over the noise of the ducks, who were all quacking loudly as they swished their leeks back and forth. “You won’t find the real one.”

But Gilthunder did not look as if he had even broken a sweat. “We got this! Mareep, use Discharge!” Tens of little bolts shot from the Mareep’s fluffy coat, each one aiming for a different duck. As the rays hit their targets, one by one the bodies of the false birds flickered then faded to nothing. The Mareep was relentless, sending flash after flash towards each of the clones until there were only a few Farfetch’d scattered across the field. With a baa of triumph, the Mareep sent another handful of bolts over the terrain, one smashing into Howzer’s partner with an almighty crack. The duck screamed in pain, flapping its wings furiously and throwing its beak into the air and its leek unceremoniously onto the ground.

Howzer ran to his Farfetch’d at once. “I’m sorry,” he murmured as he tried to stroke the duck’s feathers. But his Pokémon was having none of it. With a huff, it tried to snap at Howzer’s fingers, before stomping towards its end of the battlefield, its tufted tail shaking from side to side as it moved. “Farfetch’d,” Howzer called desperately as his duck kept walking away, “come back! We have to finish this fight!” Howzer felt his heart sink as Farfetch’d ignored him, pointedly. He turned reluctantly back to Gilthunder, who stood with his back ramrod straight and his hand lightly resting on the Mareep at his side.

“The match is over,” Gilthunder gloated as he looked over at the duck, which had its back turned to the rest of them and was clearly in a black sulk. “You know what your problem is?” the boy continued to explain. “Your Pokémon is too powerful for you. It’s too high a level for a trainer who hasn’t beaten any gym masters. If you want it to listen to you, you need to earn its respect.”

“What do you know?” Howzer pressed his lips together, taking deep gulps of air to try and calm the sudden lump that rose in his throat. He loved Farfetch’d, really and truly. They had spent so many months together catching Pokémon, delving into tall grass and fishing in the river, and he had assumed the bird felt exactly the same. Now, he was faced with a painful alternate reality, one that he was totally unwilling to accept. “We’re still in. Both of us,” Howzer declared as he stared at Gilthunder with determined eyes.

Gilthunder hesitated, then took several paces across the field. “Howzer,” he said gently, “are you sure about this. It’s okay to give up, I promise I won’t make fun of you,” he added seriously.

“No! We’re still in. Farfetch’d use False Swipe,” Howzer yelled in the direction of the duck. The bird spun around, then stalked towards him and Howzer felt relief flood his senses and blood pound in his ears. His partner was going to listen to him after all.

Seeing the duck’s movement, Gilthunder exclaimed, “Use Confuse Ray,” as he ran back towards his Mareep. The sheep stood up on its hind legs and opened its mouth, just as the Farfetch’d sat in a heap on the ground, its leek lying on the floor beside it. “No stop!” Gilthunder screamed on seeing the bird’s disobedience, but his command came too late. A stream of purple shot from the sheep’s mouth, lighting up the surrounding grass with a mulberry haze as it headed straight towards Farfetch’d at a frightening pace.

Howzer acted without thought. Quick as a flash he dived between the pulse of power and the duck. The beam of light hit him square in the chest and Howzer staggered back, shaking his head as he tried to stay upright. The world was suddenly blurry and everything was wrong, the sky shining vermillion below him as he stumbled on magenta cloud.  

“You’re not allowed to do that!” Howzer heard the voice through a bank of fog, and he strained to understand the meaning of the words. “You’re not allowed to take hits for your Pokémon!” the whiny voice continued, but Howzer found he did not care what it was saying. He stood up on shaky legs, tilting his head up to the sky as familiar objects floated down towards him.

“Cakes!” Howzer jumped up and down trying to catch the confections which dropped like rain through the sweet-smelling air. “There’s strawberry! My favourite,” Howzer said enthusiastically, his mouth watering as he spied piles of cream and fruit. Farfetch’d liked cream, too... This last thought brought Howzer back to himself a little. “You’re wrong about Farfetch’d,” he slurred through his daze. “It’s an amazing Pokémon and I love it and it’s the best partner ever so there!”

As Howzer stumbled over the ground, his tongue lolling slightly and his eyes glazed, the Farfetch’d heard his defiant words. Slowly, carefully, the bird got to its feet, dusting itself off and retrieving its leek, tucking the prized vegetable under its arm. It waddled towards its master, purpose in every step, until it was close enough to peck at the boy. Then it launched itself into the air, landing a hard hit on Howzer’s head with the green end of its leek.

Howzer groaned, cradling his head in his hands as the world righted itself. He felt dizzy, sick and shocked, as if he had been doused in cold water. A quack of “Farfetch’d!” brought him back to his senses. He looked down as his vision stabilised to see his partner standing before him, its beak apparently curved in a smile.

“You want to fight?” Howzer asked and the duck quacked in response, waving its leek in the air to show its agreement. Howzer looked over to Gilthunder, whose head was cocked to one side, and grinned to see his friend’s answering nod. “Okay then!” he exclaimed. “Then would you use False Swipe, please?” he asked the duck, which flapped its wings and rushed straight towards the Mareep.

The sheep gave a bleat as the duck’s blow landed, and it wobbled unsteadily on its feat for several seconds. When it had steadied itself, the sheep pawed at the dirt and sent out the energy of Thunderbolt in response to Gilthunder’s command.

“Dodge it!” Howzer yelled, and he felt his heart sing with joy as his Farfetch’d listened to him without demure. The bird rose into the air, weaving easily through the streaks of power as the lightning tried to catch it, effectively evading the Mareep’s attack. “You’re awesome!” Howzer called and the bird nodded in response, saluting the boy with its leek as it flew past its master, not even one feather out of place.

“Now hit it with Fury Attack,” Howzer commanded. Instantly the bird rounded on the sheep, smacking its leek over and over into the Mareep’s body. Of the five blows it landed, two hit with incredible force. “Critical hit!” Howzer yelled as the duck let forth a quack. The Mareep staggered, then fell, it’s legs sprawling under it as its eyes were replaced with swirls of black. The sheep was out cold, and unable to fight. Gilthunder murmured softly as his Pokémon returned to its ball. Against all the oods, Farfetch’d had won the match.

“You did really well, both of you.”

Howzer straightened up from where he had been kneeling so as to spray Farfetch’d with a hyper potion. Gilthunder held out his hand, a happy smile on his face, but Howzer hesitated. As if reading his mind, Gilthunder continued, “It doesn’t matter that you took the Confuse Ray, I think you won fair and square. And you’re right, Farfetch’d is amazing. I’m sorry I was rude. The match is yours.” Gilthunder stretched out his hand a bit more, and this time Howzer took it, the pair moving their arms up and down in celebration of their friendship.

“You were right too, I need to respect my Pokémon,” Howzer said as the boys walked back to the city, Farfetch’d marching along at their heels. “I’m going to train and battle and win them over.” The bird squarked at this and tapped Howzer’s leg with its leek, and the pair exchanged glances, understanding passing between them.

“Then come and battle Sir Meliodas with me,” Gilthunder urged excitedly. “We’ll get stronger together.” With a whoop, the two boys ran back to the city, Farfetch’d flying behind them as they chattered and laughed.

[ghostmartyr]

Pokémon Black 2 Randomized Nuzlocke Run [Part 1]

White was so much fun, the sequel was obviously inevitable. Only I don’t own White 2, so Black 2 shall be our contestant. All encounters and starters will be random, static pokemon are what they are originally. Any pokemon not randomized is ineligible for use.

Nuzlocke rules, again copied from Bulbapedia:

    Any Pokémon that faints is considered dead, and must be released or put in the Pokémon Storage System permanently.

   The player may only catch the first Pokémon encountered in each area, and none else.

My added rules of choice:

Each pokemon must be nicknamed.

If the first pokemon in an area is a species I’ve already caught, the first one that isn’t will become the catch option.

The catch rules start applying once I have the option of catching things.

No looking anything up on guides.

Team wipe means continuing on using whatever I have in the PC.

Let’s have some fun.

Second verse, same as the first.

I haven’t adjusted the text speed yet and it is driving me insane.

I remember having so much love for this gen, but the designs of these poor children still provoke odd looks. Not that I mind walking around with a palm tree on my head, I just question why anyone thought that I would want that.

Hugh!

Wait, do I get to pick his name?

I do!

Uhhh.

Wow, I forgot that this was the hardest part about Nuzlockes. I can’t just go with Hugh if this is a true random. Hm. Okay then, in honor of friendship, this guy’s name can be Russell.

The first thing our mom does in this game is give me cause to ship her with Professor Juniper. Our mom knows her first name. It’s Aurea. Why would she know that if they were not secretly involved in some way???

Is this the first game that has an outside character get first crack at moving the screen around after we’ve chosen our name? I kind of like it.

I like it more now that it’s ending and I can switch the text speed to Fast.

Heeeeey it’s us. Palm tree hair and all.

I never find out what the contrary answers lead to, because I can never make myself pick them. It makes my completionist nature very sad. As does the reminder that I do not have the ability to run yet. Someone please give this poor boy some shoes.

Bianca is here to meet us!

She is not our bestie in this version, but she is in our hearts.

This is our bestie this version.

He’s got a little sister.

Just so we know all that black and red in his color scheme is for show.

Look at him walking in time with us like the total bro he is.

Dude is this his room? I want one.

Bianca! Friend!

That awkward moment when you have the same name as one of her best friends who will never be seen this entire game.

Okay okay okay it’s time.

Time to receive our starter.

Our choices are:

Ah that’s rough. Hm.

My preference is always going to be to have something’s first state, that I can level up and evolve myself, but I recently finished my White run, and in it I had Larvitar’s line as well as Aggron’s, so really, there can be only one choice.

Snorlax, I choose you!

And my first act as your new friend is to give you a brand new name that I need to come up with!

Snore, sleep, yawn... sleep words... Dreamor?

Heck that’s a dorky name. He needs it.

Dreamor got, Russell steps in and asks for an in on our journey. He has his own super special mission that I’m not supposed to remember but I do, and talks Bianca into giving him a pokedex as well. Because Bianca’s a sweetheart.

But before we can go any further, it’s time to d-d-d-d-duel!

Everything about Russell’s design screams childhood-friend-gone-villain and I love how little that has anything to do with his arc.

Oshawaott vs. Dreamor! Lesgo!

Snorlax knows Tackle and Defense Curl, which is actually appropriate for a starter. I am going to be dull and Tackle spam.

...

OHKO.

Dreamor appears to be... enthusiastic. in his participation.

G-good job, boy.

Bianca even walks us to the Pokemon Center, because she’s just that wonderful. She also gives us some Poke Balls (again, see wonderful), which means that we’re officially in business to get this run on the road.

...I really hope Dreamor doesn’t faint everything in one hit. This could be a lonely start for the two of us if he’s as strong as he looks.

-gasp-

Our mother greets us outside the Center and gives us Running Shoes.

Thank you mother. I knew you loved us.

Aw, and Russell’s baby sister gives us a Town Map. Thanks, kiddo. I will deliver your brother’s copy with great haste and competence.

(They keep calling Dreamor Tepig.)

Before we go any further, let’s find out what sort of critter Dreamor is.

Rash and capable of taking hits. Well, if you’re going to be rash, you might as well be prepared to handle what it gets you into. The nature gets a sad face out of me for mechanics, but I always love having Thick Fat available, and look at that smile.

Oh my gosh the gate attendant knows our name and gave us a Potion for our journey. I feel so cared for.

Bianca teaches us how to catch stuff, and we, being an experienced trainer, completely ignore the lesson and wait for control to be returned to us.

The first tall grass awaits our first step. Dreamor! Let us go forth and meet our next friend!

!!!!!!

..Oh heck though.

She’s level 2.

I don’t know if she can eat a Tackle from Dreamor.

Also I might end up not using her because I used her line in the last run but hey I didn’t use Politoed (and I also don’t know how to get a Politoed given the settings).

I’ll throw a ball first, then see if she lives through a Tackle.

...Ah, the return of Hypnosis.

...Is all she knows Hypnosis? No, there’s also Water Sport.

Hey, she lives through a Tackle!

...Barely!

Ball thrown, Poliwhirl get!

From now on, your new name shall be... Stella. And we need to run back to a Center pronto. Your new teammate whacked you one good.

Stella is Quirky and alert to sounds. Sounds good to me, but I have zero clue how to evolve you to a Politoed. I think normally you need a King’s Rock and trading, but I selected the box that cleared up trading requirements for evolutions, giving me no clue whatsoever what to do with you, darling.

All the same, welcome. Your line is one of my favorites.

...Also you are not a Zubat.

Zubat was an option for this route.

Stella, your worth just went up.

Even if I end up not using her due to memories of Wagston overriding sense, I don’t think I can keep her at level 2, so we’re going to do some switch training for a tiny bit.

...Sir, what are you doing here I have been playing for five seconds.

He offers training, but since he gives me my controls right back after him and his neat soundtrack walk around inspecting me, I’m going to go ahead with my original plans.

Stella downed a level 2 Zubat all by herself. She’s growing up so fast.

WHY DOES HYPNOSIS HAVE 100 ACCURACY WHEN IT’S USED AGAINST ME. ;-;

Oh, wow, the next Pokemon Center is just. right there, isn’t it.

“Flocessy Town Prophecy Flocks Here”

You have never known a love as true as Pokemon translators and wordplay. Apparently this is where Alder’s house is. Apparently Champions are now allowed houses, and not only if your name is Cynthia. I call hax.

Alder wants Russell to have his Town Map before training, and Russell is on Route 20, which means....

our next friend

Are the leaves grass, or just pretty?

After tromping over them for several seconds, it looks to be that they are merely pretty. Very pretty, though.

Aha, grass located. What awaits us?

Hello there!

It’s a grand ol’ gen one time, it seems. Dreamor can’t hit you, so Stella, up you go. Please do not kill her.

Gastly get!

You shall be... Caspet.

Caspet has a Mild nature to go with her sturdy body. With her we shall find if I actually screwed up the evolution options. I’m still really new to Randomizer, and probably should have looked up what the choices did on Google before starting this run, but the rule after the run has begun is no guides, so here we are.

We enter Flocessy Ranch, which is a new location. Another friend already. Our fortune is pure.

...How do I keep finding every generation one creature that needs trading to evolve. Is this going to be this run’s theme?

Oh, it Teleported.

I forgot they liked to do that.

...Welp. There’s that route dead.

Is there anything in this route that can give me exp?

Even if there is, it’s so Kadabra heavy that I’d just as soon not bother. Having things constantly run away from you is really tiring. We’ll give Russell his map and leave.

Wait what.

We just fought five minutes ago. Russell. Russell. Just because your theme music is rad as heck and demanding action doesn’t mean you have to be running a mile a minute. That’s the scarf gen’s deal.

Dreamor eats Oshawott and all is well.

Then we get a random sidequest to locate a Herdier for the owners of the ranch. To which Russell experiences Emotions at, because Reasons.

Everyone needs a screenshot of Mareep running in a circle.

Hey, something not Kadabra. Hi Cottonee. Bye Cottonee. And that item ball in the corner is a Poke Ball. Oh, and here’s a Basculin. Look at all these things not running away from us.

...I... need an adult?

Dreamor has taken on the role of adult. I’m not sure Mienshao even knows Fighting moves at that level, but fully evolved things this early on are scary regardless.

We find the Herdier being unhappy with a Team Plasma Grunt.

He throws the Frustration TM at us. Hee.

Herdier has such a cute bwoof.

The day is saved, and now Alder’s down for palling around with us.

By palling around, I mean Alder introduces us to two small children he expects us to beat into the ground. As you do.

All passes without incident. Yay.

We walk outside and Mr. Medal gives us a Medal Box, which I don’t clearly remember, but suspect is intending to prey on me and my achievement hunting ways.

Alder is also kind enough to alert us that a Gym Leader has arrived at our home town. I wonder who it might be, but before that, Alder has a random cave place behind his home. New route?

It’s counted as part of Flocessy, it looks like. I haven’t caught anything within the town limits, but there doesn’t appear to be grass. Water, but I can’t do anything about that yet. Sigh. Oh well.

First badge is Normal, I believe.

...Let’s train Dreamor a tad more before we go after that. I believe in you, buddy, but I am also very rightfully paranoid.

Azumarill live in Caspet’s home grass.

When does Caspet learn something that isn’t Lick or a status move. My poor little ghost.

...

Yeah it’s level 3 but it’s still a scary thing to see.

Hey, first legendary of the run!

And Caspet has Mean Look... We could see if she has what it takes to Lick Kadabra down to size. Like tootsie pops. You could be an owl, Caspet.

This place was crowded with Kadabra, and now there’s Ambipom just hanging out. Okay then. Cue Geodude for some reason. Oh. And Linoone.

-tears for Bandit-

Hey wait hold up. Psychic is super effective against Ghost in this version? That’s... good to know. It also doesn’t sound right, but I don’t think the game cares about that. That’s annoying.

No Caspet, you can’t learn Curse. I’m going to come close enough to killing you as it is. Don’t enable the process.

Let’s go for it, shall we?

Cheren! Friend!

I actually really like the arrangement of his Gym. It isn’t the aesthetic wonderland that other Gyms of this gen are, but that’s kind of what makes it awesome? Cheren runs a school that doubles as a Gym. You battle in chalk-marked arenas out back.

I guess I misspoke; the aesthetic is still rich with this one. School day feels of being young are so very alive here, and I really like it.

Other things deserving of being liked are Cheren being an educator. Our buddy’s found his way, and we get to be his first challenger!

That’s another thing to love, honestly. We spent a whole game with this guy around, and now we’re his debut Gym Leader match. It’s so touching.

Cheren, stop blushing, you’ll be fine.

I mean. Dreamor’s going to mop the floor with you.

But that’s your job now. Losing to trainers of a certain level.

I believe in you, man.

I just believe in Dreamor more.

Awesomeness achieved, and that will do it for this part!

(Except for squeeing because Bianca showed up and gave us the Return TM, as well as the C-Gear I’ll never use, and Cheren and Bianca get to be in the same shot, and it’s the magic of friendship all over again. You did good for yourselves, guys. I’m sorry you don’t remember me as your bestie anymore.)

Until next time for the next badge.

[dontfindyourcenter]

Chapter 19:  Who’s your Baddy

Rules: https://dontfindyourcenter.tumblr.com/post/177027661290/rules

Previous Chapter: https://dontfindyourcenter.tumblr.com/post/178209899825/chapter-18-its-aether-hau-but-not-as-we-know

Boy howdy, am I glad that the glowing red light fiasco happened earlier instead of now.  The cutscene that happens before I can fight Lusamine takes forever.  Eight full minutes of exposition!  Close ups of a slowpoke and pyukumuku frozen in ice!  The much-foreshadowed reveal that Lillie and Gladion are Lusamine’s children!  Shots of Ultra Wormholes above every island and a Pheromosa fighting Kahuna Hapu and Tapu Koko!  Were all these things really necessary all at once?  You’d be forgiven for thinking you’d accidentally started watching an anime instead of playing a video game!

...Incidentally, am I being really thick, or were those pokemon frozen in ice never adequately explained?

Finally, though - FINALLY - I face up against Lusamine.  Her first pokemon is a clefable, which also happens to be the only pokemon I remembered Lusamine had in advance.  Although clefable has pretty impressive defensive stats, Digit Al is able to beat it by doubling his special attack with two Charge Beams and then using a super-effective Flash Cannon.  I tell you what though - before it faints, that clefable manages to summon up two bloody obscure attacks with Metronome.  I was just about about aware of Mist Ball, the first summoned attack, which I believe is the signature move of either Latias or Latios - but what in the heck is Vacuum Wave?  I’m fairly certain I’ve never come across that move in twenty years of playing pokemon.  Even now, the only thing I know about it is that it’s super effective against magnetons.  Is it fighting-type?  Ground-type?  Fire-type?  Why would a Vacuum Wave be ANY of those types?  I don’t get it.

Anyway, after clefable is out of the way, Lusamine sends out a bewear.  Now, although I’m aware that she’s done this because Digit Al is vulnerable to fighting-type moves, I decide that Al’s doubled special attack is too big a tactical advantage to pass up.  I keep him in battle just for the time being.

And my gambit pays off!  Digit Al successfully outspeeds the bewear to use Volt Switch, an attack which takes out more than half of the bewears health and - thanks to the Shell Bell he’s holding - brings Digit Al’s health back up to full health.  It also lets me send out Hedwig in his place, meaning that the bewear’s Hammer Arm attack (which probably would have done an awful lot of damage against Al) has no effect whatsoever.

Oh, and by the way, some more good news - sometime in that endless cutscene, my pokemon got healed again.  Eight healings in one chapter has to be a record in this run-through, but you won’t hear me complaining about this one - I’ll take any advantage I can get in this fight.

Before Hedwig has a chance to finish off the bewear, Lusamine switches it out for her mismagius.  Now, I’m pretty sure Hedwig would be able to beat that mismagius with a single Spirit Shackle attack.  Unfortunately, I’m just as sure that the mismagius would be able to hit Decidueye with its own super-effective attack first, and if that attack is a critical hit - or even just a slightly better attack than I’m expecting - then Hedwig is done for.  I’m not risking it; I switch Hedwig out for Wash, who’s immune to ghost-type moves.

The mismagius doesn’t use a ghost-type move, though.  It uses Power Gem, which is super effective against Wash and also a critical hit.

Wash survives the attack, but only barely - it does 130 damage, leaving Wash with 4HP.  Why did that just happen, though?  What reason would this ghost-type pokemon have to see a pokemon who was weak against ghost- and dark-type moves and think “Hmm… yes, a rock-type move will be splendid in this situation”?  Does Lusamine have a mole on my team?  I suspect Loki.  I know she’s got form, I’ve seen all the Thor movies.

Needless to say, Wash can’t stay in the battle.  I switch him out for Loki, who’s able to survive both another Power Gem attack and a Shadow Ball attack in order to paralyze the mismagius.  Now that my opponent’s speed is halved and it has a chance of failing to attack, I feel rather more confident sending out Hedwig again.  And although the paralysis doesn’t quite manage to stop the mismagius from attacking Hedwig before he can kill the  bloody thing, mismagius only uses Power Gem again, so I guess that randomly using Power Gem when it doesn’t make tactical sense is just something that the mismagius does for no reason sometimes.  Okay Loki, you’re off the hook.

Next up is a lilligant, so I send out Donna.  Although the lilligant does a surprising amount of damage with its Petal Dance attack, it’s not enough, and it gets beaten with two Flame Charges.  Something of a contrast to how much damage the last pokemon did, eh?

Next up is a milotic, so it’s back to Digit Al for me, who only uses the one Charge Beam this time.  The milotic actually has an amazingly strong Hydro Pump attack, but since Al’s ability leaves him immune to one-hit knock-outs, his survival is a foregone conclusion. Al handily beats the milotic with a charged-up Volt Switch.  That just leaves the already-weakened bewear, and if it wasn’t already obvious, it doesn’t have any offensive moves that can hit ghost-type pokemon.  That’s Lusamine sorted!

Obviously she and Guzma disappear into the Ultra Wormhole to prolong the plot and I get another two minutes of unskippable cutscenes, but who cares about that?  I can barely believe it!  I just beat Lusamine - and everyone else on Aether Paradise - without a single death to my pokemon!  That’s not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

As I’m wrapping the chapter up, my pokemon then get healed again. Seems about right.

Poni island next!  End of chapter 19!

[kingdomoftyto]

Vega Nuzlocke liveblog, part 5

Yeah

A quick jaunt around the town before training the new kids:

There’s a fossil of a new Pokemon in the museum! I want it!!!

There are also big models of Dialga and Palkia in here, though whether that’s just for flavor or if they’re going to be relevant later, I couldn’t say

And they have fragments of the meteorite that caused the Catastrophe, which seems kind of sketch

Other than the museum, there’s not a lot to see. One NPC gave me the TM for Leech Seed, which I promptly put on Deku of course because, as we know from past experience, Leech Seed is OP

The Name Rater is also here, should we ever need him

Also Nathan is standing in front of the Spirit Mansion, so let’s see what he has to say (in case they let me in far enough to catch something lol)

Oh... I didn’t realize he’d want to fight. 

Duh, he may want to be a Ranger someday but he’s still the rival lmao

oH WELL

Only 2 Pokemon? All righty

And the first is a Nidoran. No problem

“Well then” indeed. Hyrax kinda steamrolled his team.

Oh nice!

All right, let’s see what we can catch in here, then we’ll do some real training with our full team of 6

.................... Oh.

Um, oh well, plan unchanged for now!

*sNORTS*

She’s a... cloaked... otaku... Pokemon

SURE

sjghdsjkGHD GOD

Okay okay okay uhhh let’s name her... who’s a female otaku from something I know... oh OH haha let’s name her Alphys!

Oh interesting, she’s Poison-type? I’ll keep her on the bench for now, then, since Hyrax has definitely earned his spot on the team.

That makes things simple. Time to grind!

...

Oh! Uh, this is unexpectedly soon

A peacock Pokemon with Psychic “third-eye” eye-spots?? 

She’s beautiful

And considering this evolution is happening at level 18 like Pidgey -> Pidgeotto, there’s bound to be a THIRD form... wow

Oh my gosh will the wonders never cease

WHAT A HANDY MOVE?? BYE, CONFUSION

Delightfully terrifying!!! Also she is indeed Psychic/Flying now, hell yes

...

Behold, the results of training

Let’s take a peek at the gym and gauge if we’re ready for it, shall we?

Rock-type Gym: bring it on!

Oh... kay?

Ugh, shit, this isn’t good. Four of our six team members are vulnerable to Ground.

...Oh, wait. Really?

Ground is weak against Bug??? So I guess Toark is just normally-effected by Ground moves. Good to know. Then the only ones REALLY at risk are Yorak and Hyrax, though of course Ground-type Pokemon also tend to have a lot of Rock moves (which is bad for Mentha, Persephone, AND Toark). 

In summary: looks like Deku might have to carry the team through yet another gym.

All right then, let’s see this puzzle

Mmm okay so it’s just gates opened and closed by switches, basically, nbd.

The level is reassuring but this thing looks like it has Rock moves and I don’t trust like that

Get outta here ya dinosaur bastard

Hmm, the first two Trainers in this gym both have Diglett (in fact this is the Hiker’s ONLY Pokemon). I’m sensing a pattern

... Hmm, and the third Trainer only has a Rynos. I’m gonna bet Geoff’s team is Diglett/Rynos/Dugtrio, in that order

Also I’m feeling bold so let’s see if Mentha can take one of these things out by herself

The answer: yes, handily, especially if they fall asleep lmao

Well, we got here without a single scratch, so I guess we’re going straight into this Gym Leader battle? I refuse to get cocky, though

Well this certainly isn’t the personality I expected from this guy

All right, no gimmick, no theater, just straight into the battle--let’s do this!

Pff seriously this guy has no interesting traits whatsoever

I stand corrected on his team composition though so I guess he’s not COMPLETELY predictable

... Also holy shit that thing is at level 21

Uhh switching to Deku just in case

GLAD I’M A PARANOID COWARD

JESUS CHRIST?????

Fucking hell was this another deadly mistake????????

Fuck. 

Two options:

1) Have Deku attack with Razor Leaf. He’s definitely fast enough to hit first, and with a 4x type advantage it SHOULD kill the Rhyhorn in one hit, but there are two problems with that plan:

Razor Leaf’s accuracy not being 100

And Deku’s Attack stat being waaaay lower than his Sp Atk

Also, obviously this leaves Deku in the most danger of being killed

2) Switch to Hyrax, hoping the Rhyhorn will attempt another Rock Slide which should be shaken off no problem. Then, hope Hyrax can either outspeed the Rhyhorn or survive its next attack (praying deeply it doesn’t know Magnitude or Bulldoze or something), taking the Rhyhorn out with a Double Kick. Obviously this plan is risky even on the surface, but it gets even RISKIER when you remember:

So yeah

God

I really, really feel like the best option is to have Deku attack

But I really

R    E       A          L             L                Y

do not want to lose Deku

Hyrax, I want you to know...sincerely...

...that I love you

Come on, buddy. You got this

please 

no

*squeezes eyes shut, breathes through nose*

Hyrax.

Look out there, my son. Everything the light touches is our kingdom. One day, the Moon will rise and, with it, you as the new King.

But only, my prince, if  you make it through this encounter and live to speak of it.

Then, everything will be yours. Everything.

Good luck, Hyrax.

I really have no other choice, do I

...

Die, you murderer

*covers face with hands* And now where do we go from here

Grass only has a 2x advantage on Ground so a one-hit KO isn’t exactly guaranteed, especially if this is his highest-leveled Pokemon as I suspect

I could try switching to Mentha but I have a strong suspicion that this Dugtrio will also know Rock Slide (according to Bulbapedia, Rhyhorn only learns the attack through TM--and Thunder Fang only through BREEDING--so Gym Leaders’ Pokemon could have literally any legal moveset)... 

... *sigh*

Fucking hell

I don’t know what I did to piss off the RNG so badly

I don-

...I don’t know

My only healing items are Potions

I

I can’t think of a single avenue of action other than restoring as much of Deku’s health as I can 

I’m... sorry, Mentha

...

of course the Dugtrio is faster

why wouldn’t it be

obviously 

what an incredibly silly thing to believe, that a Parsleaf, literally introduced as “a very fast Pokemon”,  would be outrun by some dirty lumps

how stupid would you have to be

RNGesus has granted us one last reprieve in the form of a well-aimed Razor Leaf

but will it even matter

......................................... are you 

Fucking

serious

There is nothing...

n o t h i n g

...I can do about a Fighting-type

Everyone except Deku--barely hanging on, himself--is vulnerable to Fighting

Healing Deku immediately would still not get him above half HP, and I would frankly be surprised if a Hitmonchan in this gym DIDN’T have Fire Punch

The only move with a type advantage on Fighting among the ENTIRE remaining party is Deku’s Gust

He doesn’t get STAB with it. It’s not that strong of a move to begin with. Depending on its level, Hitmonchan might outspeed him anyway

It’s not like I have a choice at this point. I’m just laying it all out so you guys know.

I never should have played this fucking game

*long, deep breath*

Deku, my boy... no matter what happens... 

You’ll always be my #1 Hero

Plus Ultra, buddy

I’m crying literal tears just so everyone is aware

Ice is vulnerable to Fighting but Fighting doesn’t resist Ice, so we can try Persephone next

Tried using Ice Shard since it’s a priority move, but of course Hitmonchan is still faster

At least she got one hit in

I don’t know what else to say

...

...Okay

Sure

This is the best she’s got, unfortunately

*sigh*... yeah

...

... yeah

...

yeah

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

The master file for A Work of Magic is 238 pages.

DDD, my monster of 250k words and 22 chapters, is 350-some pages.

I’m sharing this because I just SHOCKED myself with how many IDEAS I’ve had for this fanfic that haven’t been posted yet.

238 pages.

And half of it’s STILL IN SHORTHAND!

I ran a word count and it’s 93k words.

This story is almost 100k words, and I’ve only published 90 pages so far. Only 38k words are published.

I can’t.... That’s just.....

.....How the HELL do I run out of material??? When this story is clearly such fertile grounds for creativity?

And, more importantly: How the hell do I bridge the gap between What I’ve Already Written and What I Need to Write?

(considering Story Particulars below the cut, Final Decisions for NTS at the end. please don’t rebagle)

My biggest hurdle after we reached the Decision to Visit Lavender Tower was Getting There in the First Place. I have lots of ideas for the team exploring Sinnoh! But I’m thinking I might cut out the entire “Traveling Through Kanto” thing, because:

1.) I have no idea where the fuck Kanto is in relation to Sinnoh. I got it in my head that you can reach Kanto by going through Johto, but I? can’t figure out where I saw that or why I thought that made sense??? (I know Kanto and Johto are connected because of HG/SS and I’ve read you can literally walk out of Kanto and into Johto. But why did I think Sinnoh would be on another Johto border???)

Serebii’s PokeEarth feature, probably, but I don’t know if that arrangement of regions has any canon basis whatsoever.

2.) I have Very Few Ideas for what to do between Kanto’s border and arriving in Lavender Town. I have Exactly One (1) Idea for what to do in Johto.

3.) I have learned that I’m Very Okay with airplanes, and my trainer is okay riding on a Pidgeotto, so we can just fucking. Fly there. Probably. 15 is old enough to go on a plane by yourself, isn’t it? The Pokemon world is safe for 10-year-olds to walk everywhere on their own, for fuck’s sake. I mean, cheap flights aren’t THAT expensive either...

Not to be all “Reality Check” in a world where my favorite creature can canoically cast a love spell anytime she feels like it. But I’m gonna run some numbers real quick because Skipping The Travel is the only solution I see that will actually get this story up and running.

~ Through Extra Cheap and Basic Packaging, I can usually find a domestic flight for $75, usually comes to about $130 by the time all the fees are paid. (Unless it’s a non-stop flight from Cleveland to San Diego, but I feel like Sinnoh to Hoenn isn’t an entire whole-ass continent away. Hell even Cleveland to San Diego with a stop or two along the way is still less than $200.)

~ Poke coupons function more like yen, so $130 is like.... 14,249 according to the internet. So let’s say Jess needs 14k P to catch a flight.

That’s.... a LOT of battling. Especially for a trainer that doesn’t really like battling. I mean the very next chapter “opens” with Jess’s philosophy on training as a means of survival while traveling, and I have a couple of battles outlined, but I think I might need to.... Add More.

Kinda assume Pokecenter services are free, since Pokemon is basically solarpunk and socialist. She’d still need to buy food and supplies, though.

Now that I think about it, I read somewhere that the first 4 gen regions are based on real regions in Japan. So if we figure IRL Inspo into their distances, maybe it’s less of a flight and more of a train ride.

In which case, if Japanese trains are as cheap as Amtrack, it’s less than half the price. I’ve read Japan has better infrastructure policies by far though, so it’s probably cheaper? Not to mention, Japan is a lot smaller, so it’s probably a much shorter ride than the ones I looked up, too!

Also, Japan has bullet trains...... I can’t remember anything about Trains Existing in the Pokemon World, but if they have airplanes and road vehicles, why wouldn’t they have trains?

UPDATE: THEY DO EXIST. Canonically! And as of Gen IV, it’s a Very Freaking Fast train, too. (Suck it, Amtrack.) Thanks, Link and Jaida!

My only concern then would be traveling with 5 real actual living creatures on a train ride. Ninetales and Excalibur are content in Pokeballs, Murky happily snoozes in there if nothing’s going on, but Missie isn’t used to hers and Mistress refuses to stay in one. Missie could be convinced. Mistress? You couldn’t FORCE that ghost in a Pokeball. (Believe me, we tried.) But even being loose in a train car, I doubt she’d handle being in an enclosed space for Multiple Hours very well... not to mention, sheer boredom. She’d have a hard time with it, for sure.

Then again......... I kinda like the idea of an Attempt at Bonding With Her while on the train because everyone else is napping in their Pokeballs, and if we get a night train, the other passengers will be asleep. Also, if night trains are anything like night flights and night buses, they’d be a lot less crowded. Talking to her could be used As A Distraction because she’s unnerved...

Ooooh, I like that idea a LOT, actually!

(How fast do maglev trains run, actually? And how FAR would it be running between... Whatever city I Decide to Put the Station and Wherever It Would Arrive in Kanto? I don’t do Time Calculations, because my brain’s Fucked with time spans between Massive Time Blindness and Also Massive Dyscalculia, but I’m trying to at least figure out if this is a “15 minutes on the train” situation or “1-2 hours” situation. Because those traveling times feel VERY different, especially since this would be Jess’s first time on a train.)

(Also, how does a levitating creature “stay in place” in a moving vehicle? Wouldn’t she have to move at the speed of the train? Would that get exhausting? Prrrrobably one of those things that’s too technical to get into.)

SO! NTS:

I think we’re gonna take a train. Mistress is the only one out of a Pokeball, and Attempted Bonding Time with The Purple Ghost.

Now let’s see how long it takes me to actually WRITE about this! 8P

[diamond-song42]

The Nonsense Thing in Diamond’s Head Today 4: My Favorite Pokemon

*Lusamine header for no reason whatsoever*

Diamond here with another weird thing. To further expand into Pokemon-related topics, I thought I’d teach you a bit about me and direct your attention to my header photo. That is a grid of my favorite Pokemon of each type. Why did I choose those? What significance do they have? You’re about to find out! I will list these in order by type - I have no real order for which ones I like more than others. Let’s get started!

GRASS: SERPERIOR. Serperior is the final form of Snivy, the Gen 5 Grass starter. I pick Serperior for two reasons. First, its Hidden Ability. Contrary is one of the best abilities in the game. Serperior uses it masterfully. It has access to Leaf Storm, a move that usually lowers the user’s Special Attack. But with a Contrary Pokemon, that Special Attack is going straight up. Yes, each turn a Contrary Serperior uses Leaf Storm, it will only get stronger. If that’s not fabulous I don’t know what is. Reason 2: It just looks so cool. It’s a 10'10 snake. It could literally kill and eat you. So regal and snaky.

FIRE: INFERNAPE. Infernape, the final form of Gen 4 Fire starter Chimchar. Infernape holds special significance to me. I started my Pokemon journey with Pokemon Diamond, knowing nothing about the game or creatures within. Chimchar was my first. Yes, Chimchar is my equivalent to Ash’s Pikachu, Brock’s Steelix, May’s Blaziken, Dawn’s Piplup, Serena’s Braixen, and Lillie’s Vulpix, Snowy. Infernape and I went through a great journey together and I couldn’t ask for a better partner.

WATER: SHARPEDO/MEGA SHARPEDO. Though Infernape might be my first, Water is in fact my favorite type. Sharpedo, Archie’s partner, wasn’t a Pokemon I gave much thought to until Gen 6. Gen 6 gave it a pretty great boost with a Mega Evolution. There’s a combination I like to use with my Sharpedo. First, I protect it for a turn (or two if I’m lucky) and let its Hidden Ability Speed Boost bulk it up a bit. Then I Mega Evolve it and let Jaws tear up the field. It’s a Pokemon that can use Strong Jaw to its advantage! Not to mention the Mega Evolution is sick. It’s super big and has spikes protruding from its nose. You are not safe. I’m still waiting for a Pokemon parody of Sharknado with Sharpedo. It is my first and favorite choice of Mega.

NORMAL: SILVALLY. Here’s another one falling into the “Cool Looks and Ability” category! It’s Gladion’s best buddy and discount Arceus. The discount Arceus factor is part of my reasoning for choosing it. The other is its utter versatility. All its stats are equal, meaning it has ground as a Physical Attacker, Special Attacker, or maybe both. Its signature move, Multi-Attack, will always be STAB, Memory or not. And have you seen Gladion’s Silvally? So cool.

ELECTRIC: LUXRAY. The electric lion of the Sinnoh region takes this slot. I’ve always liked Luxray’s appearance. That jet black fur with the gleaming eyes is really intimidating. Speaking of Intimidate, it has the ability going for it (even if its stats are trash). Not sold on why you should like Luxray? Look at Clemont’s. He’s so cool. He’s Clemont’s war beast that lights up the field with Electric Terrain and jumps on Ash. “A Campus Reunion” is one of my favorite episodes of X and Y, and Luxray is a big part of that.

PSYCHIC: MEOWSTIC. Oh yes, I am choosing the advanced version of demon spawn cat Espurr for this one. Meowstic has a unique concept in that both genders have different appearances, movesets, and abilities. Females go on the offensive (which is awesome in itself), while males stick to defense. The male sticks out here for me because he has access to Prankster, a great ability that gives priority to status moves such as Swagger, Taunt, and Torment. The female has access to Competitive, which is okay but not as great as Prankster. The male also just looks cooler. The vivid blue with white stripes just feels better to me than vice versa.

FIGHTING: LUCARIO. The Pokemon that helped decode the mystery of Mew! I love Lucario. It has reached the iconic state shared by Pokemon such as Pikachu, Charizard, and Mewtwo. While it may not be the best stat-wise, its character makes up for that. It’s a loyal puppo that can throw Aura Spheres and make bones in its hands. I mained it for a while during Smash. And can I add how cool it is in the anime? Maylene’s Lucario takes no shit from her because it knows she can do better. Cameron may be a pathetic rival, but his Lucario is really tough and relatable (seriously… have you seen it eating ice cream?). Korrina’s Lucario is loyal and truly wants to improve when it can’t control its Mega Evolution. Lucario’s Mega is cool, but underwhelming compared to others. I will always stick with my original Fighting-Steel puppo.

ROCK: LYCANROC MIDNIGHT FORME. In case you didn’t get the hint from my Lucario analysis, I love dogs. Lycanroc is an awesome dog. Three forms, all with different strengths and cool links to the elements. None of them are the most superior in competitive play, but they’ve already become infamous among Pokemon fans. I choose the Midnight Form as my favorite because it’s an awesome rock werewolf. It just looks so cool! It also executes its special Z-Move, Splintered Stormshards, the snazziest. Midday Lycanroc is a standard loyal Poke-doggo, but it doesn’t have the same charm as Midnight Lycanroc for me. Dusk Lycanroc is a fusion between the two, but my OCD will not ignore that blue and red do NOT make green. I’ll battle with my loyal, badass lycanthrope any day!

GROUND: MUDSDALE. THE GORGEOUS HORSIE OF THE ALOLA REGION! The minute I laid my eyes on Mudsdale, I knew it would be awesome. I doubt you’re surprised if you read my content. I love how it’s based on the Clydesdale horse, which can get HUMONGOUS. (Google them!) I’m 5'9 and I could ride this if it was real (unlike Charizard)! Its Stamina ability is superb and has helped kick my ass many times. Plus it has cool dreadlocks! Not to mention its connection to Hapu, a perfect cupcake of a Pokemon character. I fully expect that Pokemon theme park that’s opening in 2020 to have a Mudsdale merry-go-round. I NEED TO RIDE MY PONY.

FLYING: DRIFBLIM. Gen Z, a long time ago when we played with Wiis, we had a game called My Pokemon Ranch. The game allowed you to watch Pokemon up to Gen 4 and transfer your own Pokemon from Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. You can also visit other people’s ranches, and when you do, a Pokemon close to you follows you. That Pokemon for me was Drifblim. The dopey-looking balloon thing from Gen 4 was glued to my side when I visited my friends. I’m amused that it’s gaining some viability in tournament play now with Tapu Lele and Unburden. My choice is less about the tournament play and more about how a balloon was my best friend in a cheesy Pokemon spin-off.

BUG: SCOLIPEDE. The largest Bug-type in the Pokeverse. I was still a little naive when I got Pokemon Black. Scolipede was one of my first captures in the game and became a staple of my team. I love its design. Most Bug-types are pretty small and don’t intimidate the opponent too much. Scolipede does this. It’s even larger than Buzzwole and Pheromosa! The stats and abilities got a mild boost in Gen 6, with the Attack gaining an additional 10 points and its Hidden Ability becoming Speed Boost. I do believe my wonderful horror movie beast is underrated and should get more appreciation instead of being delegated to an antagonistic role in the anime.

POISON: MAREANIE. James’s latest crush also has a spot in my heart. Mareanie has a wonderful design. A blue and purple color palette that can poison a person with less effort than Nililego. Mareanie and her evolution, Toxapex, have access to two boss abilities, Merciless and Regenerator. Toxapex is cool, but it’s a theory I have with Mareanie that causes the pre-evolution to win me over. If Mareanie can fully wrap herself around James’s giant head, it could wrap around my torso and carry my necessities in its tentacles. It’s a companion and a backpack! Thank God for Mareanie.

DARK: WEAVILE. Another Pokemon I have fond memories of from my Diamond and Pearl days, Weavile is the long-awaited evolution of Sneasel from Gen 4. I caught a Sneasel and played around with her for a while… AND THEN MY NAIVE BUTT LEARNED HOW YOU EVOLVE IT. I patiently waited until it became dark outside and I leveled Sneasel up and BAM WEAVILE. Weavile became one of my most used Pokemon in that game. For tournament play, its stats are actually pretty good, and both its abilities (Pressure and Pickpocket) do damage in different ways. And it just looks so menacing! That’s what a Dark-type should be.

GHOST: MIMIKYU. I mean… what’s not to love about a Pikachu clone? Okay, it’s not a clone in the essence of Pachirisu or Togedemaru. The concept around it is so heartbreaking and creepy and lovable. Unlike most Ghost-types, Mimikyu just wants to be your friend! It’s super powerful, too. Its Disguise ability is amazing and can change the dynamic of a battle in seconds. Its typing also gives it few weaknesses and THREE immunities. And need I mention the Z-Move? It’s the best Z-Move I’ve ever seen. Splintered Stormshards is cool, but you really need to look out for the dreaded Let’s Snuggle Forever. Mimikyu just wants to do its best for you and you should love it.

ICE: ALOLAN VULPIX. Yes, Snowy is in on this! I’ve always loved the Fire-type Vulpix. But when it gained the Ice-type, it became 10 times fluffier! It’s a walking cotton ball! I’m disappointed Build-a-Bear only has the Fire variant because I want to get the Ice variant and hug it and love it and pet it and squeeze it. And y'all know by now how I feel about Lillie and her family. Snowy is so supportive of her! Even though she’s the youngest Pokemon of the main characters, she clearly understands Lillie’s past and trouble with touching Pokemon. She gives Lillie a nice distance while staying close. One of the most supportive Pokemon I’ve ever seen. And I want one as a pet. (Oh yeah and it and its evolution have access to Snow Warning which is also pretty fab.)

STEEL: EXCADRILL. I have a special relationship with the Subterrene Pokemon. The minute I saw Iris’s Excadrill, I wanted to train one. It looks awesome! A badass drill mole with a ‘tude. And it can hold its own in tournament play! Defensively, its typing is awesome. The Steel-type can resist so much and switch into Toxic without fear. It can learn not one, but TWO OHKO moves (Fissure and Horn Drill). And the three abilities it has access to are all great. You could go for pure power with Sand Force, get the upper hand on speed with Sand Rush, or negate abilities like Levitate and Fur Coat with Mold Breaker! Its small size doesn’t do it justice considering how big of a threat it is.

DRAGON: DRAMPA. FALKOR. At least that’s what I thought when I saw Turtonator’s Moon counterpart for the first time. Believe it or not, Falkor actually has some things going for it! Two out of its three possible abilities are amazing. Cloud Nine removes the effects of weather, while Berserk shoots that Special Attack up after HP is halved. Plus, it’s so fluffy! Lana and Mallow playing with this guy gives me all the feels. You do you, Falkor.

FAIRY: PRIMARINA. I end this list by fawning over the final form of our beloved Popplio. I was hesitant as to what the clown seal would evolve into. But this thing just straight-up Neville Longbottomed. It is beautiful! It looks like it came out of a Disney movie. Its battling skills aren’t too shabby, either. Sparkling Aria hits everyone on the field and heals burns for some reason. But it could help heal a partner with Water Absorb or Dry Skin. The Z-Move this can turn into, Oceanic Operetta, just blows my mind with the animation. If you want a reason to use Sparkling Aria, the Z-Move is a good reason. But let’s get to the best part: Its Hidden Ability, Liquid Voice. HYPER VOICE IS WATER NOW. 'Nuff said.

And now you know my favorite Pokemon. My team and I would love a battle sometime. Diamond out!

[jaybug-jabbers]

Bug Run 4: The Final Reckoning

So, here’s the thing. I wanted to go into this last gauntlet as low-levelled as possible.

So I tried several times. I’ll give some recaps of those warm-ups. But in the end, I did find I needed to level up on levels on par with Cynthia in order  to properly face her. I do want to include the warm-ups, however, because those lower Elite fights become quite trivial at higher levels. So I feel like the warm-ups do cast an important light on the merits of the team.

Just as a quick refesher on the rules:

1.) no healing items during battle unless the foe uses them first, and then I can only match the items one-for-one.

2.) no entering the Elite four at levels higher than the highest-level pokemon in the Elites/Champion.

Warm-Up One

With this first warm-up, my team was all at levels 55. Honestly, they did surprisingly well, all things considered. The first few Elites, specializing in Bug and Ground, were not any trouble. After all, ROFLCOPTER’s Ancient Power/Air Slash could just sweep the bug team, and I had plenty of ways of handling the ground team as well. (In fact, Maestro took out Rhyperior all on his own– which I am so proud of. The power of Screech and Brick Break, and Rhyperior missing one of his Megahorns, heh.)

The true challenge was Flint.

One of only two Elites who specialize in the Fire type, surely this was the true test of a bug team’s mettle.

I started off with my Drapion, as you can imagine his typing and his Earthquake were pretty important for this match. Sadly I fall JUST short of a 1HKO on Houndoom. The dog gets Sunny Day up, which is … really, really bad. Then Flint heals. I take out Houndoom the next time, but that’s the least of my concerns. Infernape is next up, and I send out Yanmega, because I’m certain it will outspeed Drapion. After a little Protect just in case, I Air Slash, which juuuuuuust barely falls short of killing. Fortunately Infernape Flare Blitzes and takes us both out. My Black Fang is back out again, squaring off against Flareon. Sadly, my EQ doesn’t one-shot, so I get an Overheat straight to the face. I finally bring Flareon down, but next up is the scary horse that is Very Fast. I revive my dragonfly (potion was used on Houndoom) and send him out. While Rapidash spends a turn getting Sunny Day back up, I throw some rocks. Another turn of rocks and it goes down, but then the major problem hits.

It’s Magmortar. In the sun, no less.

My Ancient Power hardly even phases him, depressingly. Once ROFL goes down, that’s it. Magmortar outspeeds everyone in a giant ball of fire.

Warm-Up Two

So, no real surprise that Magmortar presented a bit of a problem for us. My second warm-up had my team all at levels 57 when I started out. This is the level of Flint’s ace poke. These higher levels made things a lot easier: Black Fang took Houndoom out in one hit, preventing Sunny Day. ROFL’s Air Slash on Infernape took him out clean this time. Fang’s EQ could also clean out Flareon in one hit. Rapidash was the first to not fall to one hit: he took one Ancient Power, just barely. However, ROFL somehow survived the Flare Blitz and Rapidash fell to recoil.

I’m sad to say ROFL’s rocks still barely put a dent in Magmortar; and Magmortar still outsped nearly everyone on my team still. Except for one– Black Fang. Thankfully, EQ killed, letting us squeak on by.

The last Elite member was a Psychic specialist. As you can imagine, for a full-bug team, this wasn’t too terrifying a prospect. I sent Maestro out first, 1HKOing the Mr. Mime. Gallade was the ace, and pretty damn tough. I decide to send Fang out to get a couple Scary Faces off, because his speed terrifies me. Then I smash away with Poison Jabs, poisoning him in the process. I’m almost home free until (of course) Full Restore rains on my parade. So I continue the process, stabbing away with Poison Jab, but my foe decides to be clever and switch Bronzong in. I try using Crunch on it just to see, but it’s not really worth much; I drop to Extrasensory and probably shouldn’t have wasted Drapion like that.

That said, Maestro goes in and has this covered for me. I’ve spent many an hour beating up Bronzongs in Victory Road and know that one Screech and the bell falls to my X-Scissors, despite the bulk and the resistances. No worries.

Gallade returns from his break, so I send ROFL in. I proect on what I think is his last Stone Edge before Air Slashing him to death.

Last is Alakazam. Air Slash puts him at 1 HP, which is quite annoying, because of course Full Restore is next. Yes, I don’t have Bug Buzz on ROFL. I know, that’s a bit silly, but I wanted to pack a bunch of coverage moves on him. Anyway, I bring Fiberglass in and smash away with Iron Heads as plan B. I take 2 Focus Blasts to the face easily and immerge victorious.

Easy peasy.

But truth be told, despite how far we had gotten, we just weren’t ready for a particular pokemon to come.

Cynthia’s opeing Spiritomb is easy enough. I used Cleo to toxic it and healed heavily, and swooped in with Attack Order when the time was ripe.

Togekiss was out next, which … is pretty scary. I had equipped Black Fang with Rock Slide, but Togekiss is still bulky as fuck. Plus, Air Slash did a LOT to Fang, even though it wasn’t super effective. I got lucky with the flinches, simply put (even after one full restore from our champion). Somehow, against a Togekiss, this seems fitting, though.

Luck wasn’t going to carry us through Garchomp, though. The run ended there, once again in flames. It was just too high-levelled and too strong.

Warm-Up Three

I spent some time grinding more, getting the team up to levels 60-62. I also bought and grabbed a few extra HMs and items. I would need to be careful and incredibly precise with this battle.

This fight came so incredibly close. It certainly confirmed I was on the right track.

I opened with Fiberglass, setting down my Stealth Rock. I bashed away at Spiritomb with Iron Head, which was around a four or five hit kill. That sounds slow, but Fiberglass resisted the Dark Pulses and Shadow Balls that it threw at me, so it was quite reasonable. I did get some bad luck with a Special Defense drop on a Shadow Ball, though. This means when Cynthia stopped to potion up, I did too. Eventually Spiritomb fell, though.

Next was Garchomp. She was going right to the big guns this time. I had a plan for this, though. I sent out my Drapion, equipped with a Focus Sash. The plan was Scary Face. I absolutely needed to drop its terrible speed. Lacking any paralyzing moves whatsoever, Scary Face was all I had. Earthquake brought me down to 2 HP (which was hilarious, not even consuming the sash) and I got the Scary Face off; then I pondered my next move. I decided to risk swapping Cleopatra in.

She switched in on an Earthquake as I had hoped, and then was able to Toxic. She tanked Garchomp’s Flamethrower damn admirably, and was able to heal off the damage several times. Then a critical hit catches her and she goes down. Still, it felt like holding back an ocean tide, and I was impressed she managed to do it as long as she did.

Then I sent Maestro in.

“A fucking Kricketune against a Garchomp?” you ask. “Are you mad?”

But this Kricketune had a Pomeg berry and that weird move Natural Gift. As most of you probably don’t remember this weird-ass move introduced in gen IV, the move’s power and typing changes depending on the berry you hold. It’s kind of like Hidden Power, but easier to manipulate … but can only be done once, as it consumes the berry.

Pomeg berry translates to a base 70 Ice attack. And it worked, taking the Garchomp down. It was deeply satisfying.

Next was Togekiss. I had hoped Fiberglass could do a little chip damage but her health was just too low and she went down immediately. Somehow, I manage to take Togekiss out with 2 Ancient Powers from ROFL, though (after surviving an Air Slash).

Milotic is out next, and I’m fully aware how tanky this beast is. I send out Sparkler to try a Bug Buzz, and get a very lucky critical hit– sending the HP down to 1/3. Ice beam then takes us out, but ROFL can easily revenge with Air Slash.

Lucario is next! I try Air Slash, and it brings him down to less then ½ health, which is great! But what’s not so great is Lucario has Stone Edge. Another bug drops.

Maestro manages to get the kill with Brick Break– surviving a Stone Edge to do so. It feels fantastic, but we’re in deep trouble now. I’m down to just two pokemon; Maestro and Black Fang, and they’re both in the low red.

It’s just not quite enough. She outspeeds Maestro and so he’s gone.

And that’s it. The run stops here. I know Fang can’t 1HKO.

We came so close, though. So ridiculously close. What if our luck had been just a little bit better? Or what if … what if I put the Focus Sash on Sparkler? I’d already seen Fang could just barely survive one hit.

What would happen then?

One More Fight

The rematch is very, very similar to before, with only a few small differences.

This time round, Fiberglass got through Spiritomb a little more easily. I didn’t need to use a potion to get through it when Cynthia potioned it; I just plugged away and brought the ghost down.

The fight with Garchomp went pretty similarly. I got a Scary Face off with Drapion, swapped Cleo in, did some toxic stalling … although once Garchomp’s health gets into the red and I choose “Toxic” again, anticipating the Full Restore, for some odd reason it never comes. Garchomp Dragon Rushes instead– which misses, and toxic of course fails. The following turn, Garchomp goes down. I have no idea why Cynthia didn’t Full Restore that time, but in the long run, it didn’t make a difference, as you will see.

Next up was Togekiss, and I send Fiberglass back in, but potion up Drapion this time– using the potion I was owed that Cynthia used before on her Spiritomb. Fiberglass goes down to a critical Air Slash, and Drapion goes out to tough it out again with Rock Slides. Once again, Cynthia potioning up and I need to Rock Slide through another round, but manage to not fall victom to Rock Slide misses. I’m thankful.

Milotic is next again, and Sparkler Bug Buzzes. He does not score a crit this time, and I see just how pitiful the damage is when it’s not a crit. Oof. My sash is consumed and I get one more hit off, which helps, but Milotic is not as low as before. When I send ROFL in, Air Slash does not kill.

Oddly, Milotic decides to Mirror Coat instead of Ice Beam. I take heavy damage but don’t die. I try to Giga Drain, now confused over what Milotic was doing, and thinking the HP might help me survive a non-ice hit. It brings Milotic down into the red but she still doesn’t DIE, and Cynthia potions back up.

This wasn’t going good. I attack more, finally go down to an Ice Beam, and bring Fang in to revenge-kill with a Poison Jab, which thankfully does the job.

Lucario is out next. I swap in Cleo, who’s in the low red. I use the chance to do one thing: potion Drapion back up again. Cleo goes down, and Drapion can kill with one EQ.

Finally, Roserade. I’m back to the same scenario as before– with Maestro and Fang the last ones standing– but both are at full health this time.

Two Poison Jabs take Roserade down, and that’s that.

This is a repost on a new blog. The original post was on Dec 14, 2018.

[dragongirlafro]

List of things I want to see in Pokémon UltraSun and UltraMoon

Sorry i know I’m a little late on this but i mean at this point it’s not like we’ll get a whole lot more info on USUM that will drastically change my hopes.

Pokemon following you: yeah, yeah, I know that this is what everyone and their grandma wants to see in the new games and honestly the more that I think about it the more the chances seem 40/60, but I mean there are literally sprites of every single pokemon created walking and running in the games’ data. if not for this very feature, then why would Game Freak go to all the trouble to make these? (keeping in mind that only a set amount of ‘mons appear in the Poke finder, thus negating the need for them to create all 802 models)

More Pokemon: I myself am not the kind of person who wants brand new pokemon, evolutions, or forms every single game, but I feel that the Alola region could use a few more native Pokemon. And that’s coming from someone who shudders at the thought of a National Pokedex being included in UltraSun/Moon, ‘cause it was honestly a hassle enough completing the Alola Dex. and that was only 300 ‘mons! The day I actually complete the National Pokedex is the day Game Freak stops making new Pokemon. I’m not terribly picky about whether or not we get completely new ‘mons or just ones that were unavailable prior to Poke Bank. Although I definitely wouldn’t mind getting the chance to catch Swablu and Altaria in the new games.

More Alolan forms/Mega Evolutions: This was one of those things where when I first thought about it, I did not want. I was looking at it from the perspective that if any other ‘mons got alolan forms, it would permanently ruin their design for me. But then I put more thought into it and realized that I  actually don’t have a problem with any of the alolan forms that currently exist in terms of design and types.They’re fresh, cool, and quite honestly make a lot of sense. What I realized i had a problem with was “leakers” and whatnot on 4chan who tried to create their own alolan forms by emulating the ones that had already existed, or even worse, absolutely blowing them out of proportion (Because if a Fire type can become an Ice/Fairy type, then surely this Grass type can become a Flying/Ground type, amirite?)(p.s. i crossed out mega evolutions because at this point that ship has sailed and personally they’re not really my cup of tea)

Minor! characters! given! more! spotlight!: I need to know more about characters who didn’t have that much focus in the previous games (and preferably who don’t have that much focus in the anime) I wanna hang out more with my boy Ilima and finally do Mina’s Fairy type trial! I want to hear about what got Kahili into golfing and why she chose Flying types as her go-to ‘mons! Hell, i’d even settle to learn a bit more about Ryuki, even tho he looks like he’s essentially wearing an anime fursuit.      

Less obvious plot/conflict: this is probably the most contoversial of what i’d like to see in UltraSun and UltraMoon. With Sun and Moon being my first ever Pokemon games, I will say that the tone and pacing of the story was executed pretty well, especially for a first timer like me. That being said, however, I will admit that many parts of the story felt ham-fisted and in-your-face. There was literally a part where an Aether guy said “we need you to ‘conveinently dissapear’.” Like, you’re gonna say that Nebby will die if she’s used to rip open a hole between dimensions but you don’t have the balls to threaten to kill an eleven year old? And on the subject of Aether, they were probably the most painfully obvious Pokemon villains since the days of Team Rocket. Like, even with Team Flare, which I personally consider to be one of the worst evil teams, their motives were somewhat ambiguous for the first part of the game. But the Aether Foundation’s intentions and goals were pretty much known to everone on the day that this trailer was released. I get that the argument for this is that pokemon is aimed at children so the villains have to be apparent, but my counter-argument to that would be that the kids got their conspicuous plotline in Sun and Moon and now UltraSun and UltraMoon have the opportunily to appeal to an older, more experienced audience who are able to comprehend and appreciate a more complex story.

MORE MUSIC!!!: the Sun and Moon soundtrack was beautiful and full offence but if you disliked it you have no taste in music whatsoever the seventh generation’s music was the pinnacle of video game music and i cant wait to hear all the remixed themes!!!! Like I mean have you heard the remastered wild battle theme its sooooooo good!!!! I’m most excited for Guzma’s encounter theme, Lusamine’s battle theme, Seafolk Village and the Champion music!

I wanna pass on the question to @thefangirlingcartoongal and @pokemon-trashhh and anyone else who’s as excited for UltraSun and UltraMoon as I am. What are some things that you want to see in the new games?

[floralfiness]

Soleil’s Training Style

Nature power training 

When Soleil is training with her pokemon in order to harness energy in the environment, she normally practices with more than one pokemon at a time as a team . Depending where she is in the world, she practices specific energy that happens to be abundant in the terrain at a time. 

For example, practicing in a grassy field brings forth an abundance of grass-type energy that is overflowing and growing in abundance. The sword she carries with her, blessed by Virizion, actually picks up on the color of energy present depending where she is. In this case, the blade in her sword will take on a green hue. 

With it, she concentrates by meditating through standing up, standing firm on the ground so that way she can use her sword to gather as much natural energy into the blade as possible. 

Her pokemon will be scattered, positioned in a circle around her while doing the same thing. Most of them will give off a hue that matches the energy they are attempting to harness for their own use; in this case, all of her pokemon will be flooded in green light, signifying that the environment’s energy is flowing through them and into their body. 

Grass type energy being harnessed turns into Energy Ball, which her pokemon will use to practice with while she either watches or participates with them. The sword she uses actually does have the power to fully deflect any attacks that the sword has harnessed into itself without suffering from damage whatsoever. 

So, in short, Sol would be practicing with her pokemon by the use of her sword. Her pokemon can practice via throwing their harnessed energy of pure natural power to her, and she can deflect it as she pleases and feel how powerful it is compared to her other pokemon.

A well trained pokemon that fully understands how to utilize natural energy will use very small amounts that can easily disarm Sol from her sword if they wanted to. The only pokemon that can do that is her Sawsbuck.