#But I just like a very large set of Pokémon

[lilybug-02]

Ideal pokemon team(doesn't have to be the strongest or have the best type coverage, just one you'd love the most, if that includes like 5 Klefki and a sunkern then that's fine and what not)

3

2

1

Go

Crobat is my Ace. The fact it evolves through friendship and is actually stong is so cool to me.

Porygon and its evolutions are just so cute to me. And it has many unique gimmicks I love.

Breloom is one of my first Pokémon in the games. A little weak but it’s very sweet.

Sawsbuck has a beautiful gimmick with the seasons. And it’s a surprisingly strong pokemon.

Spheal is Spheal. Baby.

Houndoom is a Pokémon that gets a lot of hate in the Pokédex. I think it would be an amazingly cool pet, despite its reputation. Give it love.

[icys-junkyard]

Unova Battle Subway maps

My personal preferred map of the railways (one with blue markers, one with color coded markers)

An alternate map, taking the in-game subway map slightly more literally. (Bonus map with a few non-canon markers I added purely to help myself make sense of the seemingly pointless shapes of some of the routes)

Bonus extra map of the routes taken by Ingo, Emmet, or both of them, for those who want a more specific visual of those routes on their own. (Of course Emmet's line goes through the Pokémon World Tournament lmao)

Misc notes/thoughts under the cut

I'm not a train person, take all these musings with a grain of salt lol

Canon map note: I imagine this map only shows the large, intercity railways. Cities like Nimbasa, Castelia, etc likely have smaller, more complex subway lines all over the city like we tend to see IRL.

Canon map note 2: In an IRL setting, these rail lines are likely far less straight and angular than on these maps and could probably make a lot more sense if drawn with a freer hand and consideration for the landscape, but I tried sticking somewhat close to how it's presented in the game.

International (wi-fi) line: In the game it's the wi-fi line. In a non-game context I imagine this line is one that actually leaves Unova and goes to a neighboring region.

Subwayness: While not all of these lines are 100% underground like they might be in the cities, I like to think quite a few of them are partially or primarily in tunnels. Many lines go across water without a major bridge* on the map, or straight through harsh environments like mountains or deserts, some of which may be more convenient long term to go under rather than through. With the technology of the Pokémon universe, I imagine large stretches of underground train tunnels are entirely possible. (*Maybe there's smaller unshown bridges for the trains, but at least the line that goes right through Castelia's port to an island I'd like to believe could be underground under water)

Battle Subway: The Battle Subway itself likely only runs on these intercity lines.Assuming IRL distances rather than in game walking distances, depending on the length of the line, a lap or two could be a full days work for the bosses. Non-battle trains likely use these same tracks.

Anville Town: The branching path on the Anville line is strange, as it doesn't seem to point toward any known location. It could be pointing toward some unlabelled town or landmark, though I've seen some people posit that it stops at the Celestial or Dragonspiral towers (though they seem too far away for me to agree). My personal headcanon is that rather than the large branch shown on the original map, it's actually two branches going to Anville Town; a large alternate rail to help with rotating/moving trains going in and out of the rail yard there.

Pokémon World Tournament: Located in or very near Driftveil City, it was added in BW2 by Driftveil gym leader Clay. Considering Driftveil is a city, it could have multiple subway stations, one of which just happens to be close to the PWT. Alternatively, it could be a bit of a distance away and thus have it's own station.

PokéStar Studios: Located in or very near Virbank City. As the major intercity lines don't quite hit Virbank itself, I imagine Virbank only has one intercity station near the studio if it's within Virbank itself. That, or it has no intercity stations and one must travel the distance between Virbank and the studio to travel further.

Unity Tower: Literally this train goes through a port and right into the ocean to reach an island. This island is only accessible by boat. I'm convinced this train goes under the seafloor. That or it has a super cool Marine Tube situation where it's a subway tunnel, but the tunnel is transparent and the ocean and water pokémon can be seen out the train windows.

[peachypede]

Au: What if humans had pokemon types?

The idea struck me after seeing some of @bluebellowl ‘s art of Ingo and Emmet wielding flames and electricity and I was thinking ooo what if humans had typings.

Then I made an au with a bunch of headcanons…

More below the cut

(Almost forgot to add that I took some inspo from @critterbitter ‘s Elesa hairstyle because I love how they draw her hair in the back all spiky, electricy like in some of their drawing just yes)

- most humans are purely 1 type, but a rare person may have a dual typing. (Ingo and Emmet are dual types that cover their least publicly liked typing with their more favorable type)

- Some types are more stigmatized and feared than others for have abilities/features that are frightening: Bug, Ghost, Psychic, Poison and Dark types are the 5 most stigmatized groups.

- Most humans have very small or weak abilities, but some are capable of amazing feats.

- Humans tend to favor pokemon partners that share their typings since it’s easier to connect and communicate but some people do like opposite or different typings.

- When babies are born, they’re given a test to see what type they are so their parents will know how to handle their abilities.

- Each types abilities include:

Normal - Sadly, this typing doesn’t get much special abilities. They’re normal humans. A very, very rare normal type can send a hyper beam out of their mouth.

Fire - Can control small flames and are fire resistant. They can warm their bodies up to feverish temperatures without being sick. Some can breathe fire and have flame like hair. Fire types often have irrational fears of water.

Water - They can control small amounts of water. Their skin gets dried out easily and they have to take showers frequently or have humidifiers in their homes. A few individuals have gills that allows them to breathe fully underwater.

Grass - They can breathe life into plants and cause flowers to bloom. If they have a garden, they’ll produce giant and delicious fruit. Some can make plants move on their own, but this is a rare ability. When happy, a lot of grass-type people will sprout plants on their heads. Some even have plant like hair.

Electric - Able to cause small electric shocks and store bits of electricity. Can turn off and on appliances without touching them. Those who take time to learn can communicate with electric Pokémon using the electrical language all electric types know. They can also talk to humans in electric language who are electric types as well.

Ice - Freezing to the touch and tolerant to below zero temps. They can freeze the surface of water by touching their hand to it. They’re a rare type that hardly leave frosty mountain cities and towns because they’re prone to overheating in warmer weather.

Fighting - Stronger than other humans, but few reach true inhumane strength. Rare individuals have an extra set of arms like Machamp. Most take pride in their strength and hone their skills their entire lives.

Poison - Immune to poisons, some even have poisonous breath or saliva. Most of them have to wear masks around people who aren’t fellow poison types. Some individuals have multicolored skin, like frogs warning others that they’re dangerous. People of this type like steel types, because they can remove their masks for once around these people who are immune to them.

Ground - Can feel vibrations in the ground and if they learn, can properly use this as another sense of sight and see things underground. Rare individuals can make the ground shake and have long claws for digging. Some families are known for living underground where they feel more at ease.

Flying - they have a very keen eye for long distance sight. Lots of people with this type have wings. Not all can fly, since one needs large wings and hollow bones to do so, but some can. Most however are gliders. Some have feathers instead of body hair.

Psychic - People with this type usually have one “talent” ability, such as levitating objects or seeing the future. It’s rare for an individual to have more than one of these talents but it has happened before. They’re seen as power houses amongst the other types for their special abilities and usually are seen offering their services in exchange for coin.

Bug - They can attract a lot of bug type pokemon to them via pheromones and with practice, they can even control them. Like ants, bug types can talk through pheromones like alerting to danger, creating trails, or even just generally talking like electric types do (its not all just attracting mates although bugs are more likely to be attracted to other bug people) Grass types dislike the smell of bug types, whereas flying types get hungry around them. Rumor has it that bugs can control others through their pheromones but its just a rumor. Pheromones make it easy to persuade, but can’t truly control people.

Rock - They have skin as tough as rocks and most can dig through rock itself. Rare people look like a cluster of rocks themselves. They dislike water since it erodes away their skin, so they take mud baths and showers instead.

Ghost- Many can float above the ground and go through walls. Similar to ice types, They are cold to the touch. They can see ghost type pokemon even if they are invisible. Rare abilities are being able to see and commune with human spirits. (And only once a century is there an individual who has truly open eyes and can see the entire world of the dead walking amongst the living) People who fear this type spread rumors that ghost types are evil and can raise the dead to do their bidding, but these are only rumors.

Dragon - Noble types that are descended from long blood lines. A lot of individuals have scales and wings and claws. Rare ones can breathe fire. Once in every 100 years there will be a dragon-type who can communicate and wield their type’s pokemon with high efficiency, even mighty legendaries. Families of dragons can be very prideful and look down on other types. Noble families don’t like their children mingling or marrying other types.

Dark - A stigmatized group to the point that their typing is labeled as the “evil” type in some languages. Many have a bad luck effect on the people around them and some can sense disasters before they happen. Dark types often are lonely because of their bad luck charm abilities make other people wary of them.

Steel - Most in this group have skin that shines like a type of metal and are able to bend metals in their hands. They’re immune to poison and bug types abilities, and often are friends with these stigmatized types because of this.

Fairy - This group have small magical abilities and unluck the dark type, they have a lucky effect around them. Some individuals have wings, some have unnaturally colored hair. Fairies have a high social standings with other types because they’re thought to do nothing wrong, when fairies actually often have trouble makers in the midst of them taking advantage of this.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hello hello! I just read your writings about Pokémon and it inspired me to make a request if that's okay!

May I request some fic with Raihan and Reader who has a team of, like, really intimidating Pokémon? But they are actually are big softies? Just a happy lil' Scolipede with a little bow munching some berries! Or even Slither Wing that crawls towards the toys like a kitten, pheh-

That's okay if you decline! Take your time, I can wait ^^

Have a good day/night!

-✒️ Anon

"C'mon, Rai! I have some friends from Paldea who are dying to meet you!"

"Oh are they, huh?" Raihan raised an eyebrow, exchanging a brief glance with his Duraludon. But they both did their best to keep up with you as you rushed to your campsite, excited.

For the first time since he's met you, he was finally going to see your main Pokémon team. You briefly mentioned having some from Paldea, but a few were from this region, as well as Kalos. Based on your history of winning lots of tournaments, Raihan could only assume you had a lot of very strong Pokémon with diverse typing to help you adapt to any situation.

You haven't battled anybody in Galar yet, so he wasn't sure what to expect. He was looking forward to today.

Upon arriving to the camp, however, he's....quite surprised.

All of your Pokémon were ones notorious for being highly aggressive and intimidating, but he quickly realized how tranquil and pacifist each of them seemed. They weren't sparring nor scowling at one another.

If anything, they acted sort of...cute?

He spotted a large Scolipede, the archnemesis of all Centiskortches...happily snacking on berries with a tiny Sizzlipede resting on their back, sharing the bowl. And amusingly enough, Raihan could see you adorned the vicious poison/bug's horn with a cute little bow, which it didn't seem to mind at all.

Then he saw a Volcarona...except it looked a lot fluffier and was crawling on all fours, its wings folded upwards like some sail. Not to mention it looked gigantic, as though it belonged to the same ancient time period as Tyrantrum and all the other fossil Pokémon.

"Is that some kind of Paldean variant?" The dragon tamer pointed to the Volcarona lookalike.

"Oh! Well..yes and no. That's my darling Slither Wing, a supposed ancestor of Volcaronas. They look scary, but they're sweet on the inside. Just watch this." Smiling, you took out the feather toy and shook it around, the tiny jingling bells making Slither Wing turn their attention to you.

With a happy chitter, they scampered over to you, before standing up on their hindlegs and towering over both you and Raihan. He jumped back with a small shriek, throwing his hands up in front of him.

"Woah what the-?!! Back up, buddy!!"

Sensing its trainer's distress, Duraludon hissed at the potential challenger.

Yet Slither Wing seemed blissfully unaware of the threat they posed, their focus being fully on the feather dangling in front of them. They gently batted it with their front paws, delighted at the jingling noise the bells made.

"Sorry." You laughed a little, feeding them a berry before setting the toy down. "They get excited easily." Then you rested a hand on their fluffy chest, to which they flopped to the ground, allowing you to rub their belly. "Awwh, who's a good Slither Wing? It's you~!"

Raihan blinked several times, awkwardly putting his hands back down as he stared at you, watching you baby this fierce-looking Volcarona. He would've thought you were talking to a Yamper or Growlithe.

Looking elsewhere, he saw a Pokémon who appeared similar to a Bisharp, except it was bulkier, resembled a samurai, and was....somehow sitting on its own hair???

Upon closer examination he could see it had some flowers in said hair, put there by the cutesy wild fairy and grass Pokémon that have gathered around it. It seemed to be telling them a story, smiling all the while...which was very unlike the serious Bisharp lineage.

You noticed where Raihan was looking and smiled, whistling for Kingambit. It glanced over and headed to you, being able to move without standing up at all.

"King?"

"Your majesty." You stood and bowed to it in respect, before turning to your friend. "Rai, this is Bisharp's final evolution, Kingambit He had to best three other Bisharps wearing leader's crests in order to evolve, so he's pretty strong."

"It took beating three?" He raised an eyebrow. "That's pretty specific. How didja figure that one out?"

"....well how did you figure out how to evolve a Galarian Yamask into Runerigus?"

"...touché." He clicked his tongue, before glancing at Kingambit again, who seemed to be admiring the flowers in its hair. Then he slowly took out his rotomphone to snap a picture of it--

"Gamb.."

Tensing, Raihan saw the dark/steel type glaring daggers into his soul, and he gulped, nervously put his phone back into his pocket. "M-My bad..uh...I just...."

However, Kingambit's menacing look suddenly vanished, replaced with a cheeky smile as it chuckled. And only then did the dragon tamer realize the fairy and grass Pokémon were gathered nearby, giggling as well.

"Awh, did King scare the "almighty Dragon Tamer"?" You teased, seeing how flustered he was getting.

"What? Of course not! What are you talking about?" He quickly shook his head, offering you a sharp-toothed grin of reassurance. "I don't fear anything!"

"..Tyran!"

Raihan turned his head to see a Tyranitar stomping on over to you, wearing a mega bracelet similar to yours. He recalled you mentioning that you've mastered Mega Evolution.

But of all the Pokémon to choose from, it just had to be his ace's number one natural rival??? He'd hate to see how that would go down on a battlefield..

'Mega Tyranitar against G-Maxed Duraludon...sounds like a good movie title..' He mused, before snapping out of his thoughts and sighing, watching you coo over the dark/rock type--just like you did Slither Wing.

His concerned looks caught your attention, as you just huffed in growing annoyance, cradling Tyranitar's head in your arms. "Rai, relax. My friends here don't have a single mean bone in their bodies."

"I find that hard to believe. Plus my Duraludon hates Tyranitars...isn't that right......?"

However, he trailed off upon realizing that his trusty Duraludon was no longer by his side, instead hobbling over to greet your Tyranitar. "Du....Duraludon?" He blinked stupidly.

"Tar!!"

"Ludon!!!"

Raihan could only gawk as the two gently butted heads, amazed that they weren't at each other's throats. Instead, Tyranitar encouraged it to come play with the bouncy ball near the curry pot, and the steel/dragon followed them without hesitation.

Soon enough, Scolipede, Slither Wing, and Kingambit went to join the fun, leaving the dragon tamer utterly speechless as he realized his initial assumptions about your team were wrong. "Wow...."

"Yeah." Laughing softly, you patted his back as he stood there, shoulders still slumped. "So do you believe me now?"

"...I do. I'll never doubt you again."

[strawberrystepmom]

pokemon trainer au! gojo x f!reader. reader is a fairy gym leader and satoru is league champion and a flying type trainer. fluffy fluffy. couldn’t have done this without my beloved @moondust-lore so thank you as always nesi 😚 wc 1.5k

part one (you are here), part two, part three

divider by @/cafekitsune

All good adventures start with two rivals.

At least that’s what you’ve been told your entire life, your own mother regaling you with tales of her rival for as long as you can remember, long before your now full grown Lapras was even developed enough to sing her song.

Your Lapras was a gift to you from her rival and your first Pokemon, gifted to you by a man she grew up several houses away from that was once a wide eyed boy with big dreams of opening a Pokémon academy to encourage the study of these creatures in their natural habitats. He successfully opened said academy, you even attended it for several years of your life, but your rival never came along through the years that passed.

The children in your neighborhood paired off quickly, setting their own parameters for their journeys and leaving you on the outside. Your schoolmates paired off and most of them have opened their own gyms, just like you, or settled into other aspects of their lives with or without their rival.

You never really minded and still don’t, though, pleased to enjoy life flat on your back in the grass of the surprisingly large meadow that backs up to your gym, gazing at the clouds floating overhead. A rival isn’t a necessity and you’re glad, honestly, that the stress of having to keep up with someone else is something you have been able to dodge for the most part.

“Hey!”

Until today.

You sit up, brows furrowed, and that’s when you see the man who may very well be the rival you’ve been looking for.

Satoru Gojo, current Pokémon League Champion.

His starlight colored hair flops over his eyes that are covered by glasses but you know what they look like behind the dark frames because they’ve been plastered on every magazine for several months. You know his name, everyone does, and it’s hard to truly imagine why he has come back after your many declinations of his requests to battle.

“Satoru,” you huff, his name leaving your lips with a tinge of amusement as he approaches with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He grins at you and it’s cheeky as it ever has been, glistening teeth tucked between pretty mauve lips and topped with dimples.

Infuriatingly charming and handsome, as always. It isn’t enough to be powerful, he hit the lottery in more ways than one.

“Ah, is that any way to speak to an old friend?”

Snorting, you slowly rise from your spot on the ground to your feet, your beloved Espeon bounding to your side to look up at you quizzically. You shoot a wordless glance in her direction and she wraps her twin tail around your legs, looking between you and the man.

She wonders if today will be the day you give in and finally say yes to his requests for an actual battle. It has been a long time since you’ve utilized her in any sense beyond as a companion and while she doesn’t ache for battle, there are times she wishes you’d push yourself and the rest of your Pokemon a little bit harder. Less leisure, less tenderness, less lazing around.

But she also knows you, her trainer and friend, and knows this is the life you’ve chosen for all of them out of compassion so her eyes flit expectantly in Satoru’s direction while you stroke between her ears.

“We’d be friends if you would learn to take no for an answer but until then we’re just acquaintances.”

You smile and it’s sweet, no bite despite your sassy words, and the man shakes his head. He finds you equal parts fascinating and amusing, the tales of how fiercely you and your team used to battle on your own journey to become a gym leader spurring him in your direction two years ago.

“I didn’t come to ask you to battle today.”

Despite your firm no’s, he keeps coming back for no other reason than being around you. You are refreshing, unaffected by his power and status, something he has longed for since becoming Champion. It’s just you and your companions and he can never shake just how happy all of you look when he stops by impromptu.

“Then what can I do for you?”

He shuffles closer to you and reaches down to run his finger over the velvety ear of your Espeon who remains still as ever, her eyes shutting. You scoff and roll your eyes.

“Don’t mind her, she’s shameless.”

Chuckling, he shrugs and looks around the meadow to spot who else you are spending time with out here. Your Lapras floats on the small pond, blinking slowly in Satoru’s direction. A Grookey ruffles the grass a few feet away from you, ears poking out between pastel colored flowers and your Skitty shakes her tail in his direction, an invitation to play.

It’s so unlike his own former gyms which confirms he made the right decision. The decision? Well, he already anticipates watching your jaw drop before he speaks the words aloud for the first time.

“I’ve decided to vacate my spot as Champion to go and travel.” Your jaw does drop, eyes widening in shock.

“Can you even do that?”

He nods, thumb still pressed to the Espeon’s velvety ear.

“Not without a lot of argument but yes and I’ve already done it so there’s no changing my mind.”

You understand, approaching and placing a hand on his shoulder. The touch isn’t unwelcome and he plays off the pink on the tips of his ears, glancing down at you through white lashes.

“I wouldn’t ever try to change your mind but will you tell me why?”

Gojo sighs and it’s almost concerningly heavy for a man who is so light as air he even partners with Flying type Pokémon specifically. You feel for him, certain the pressures of being Champion can be enough to get even the strongest of them all down, and you keep your hand pressed to his shoulder.

“When I was working toward becoming Champion my focus was so singular I missed out on everything. I only did what had to be done to get here and now I’ve realized I haven’t experienced, well, anything. I want to enjoy the journey and not simply the destination.”

Your heart beats hard in your chest, moved by his honesty. You’ve always been friendly with the man and it’s not a wonder that he’s Champion, he is the strongest, but you do wonder why he came here to tell you this.

“I want you to come with me.”

Breath catching in your throat, you are shocked by the words.

“Me?”

“Yeah, you. If anyone can show me how to slow down and enjoy it, it has to be little miss on her back watching the clouds roll by.”

The nickname is a bit of a mouthful but you smile anyway, looking up at him and twisting your mouth to the side.

“Let me ask the council,” you shoot and he nods understandingly, watching you sink to a squat beside your Espeon.

“What do you think?”

She chirps excitedly and you sigh, hoping she’d be on your side for once, but her thirst for adventure is bigger than her loyalty to you by some strange miracle. It has been too long since you and her and your friends have been out on the routes and she hungers to roll around in new grass. You pet her again and nod, rising to standing.

“Okay. I’m sure I’m the last person you asked and the only one to say yes and I’d hate to leave you lonely.” He chuckles and shakes his head. “You were the first and the only one I wanted to ask.”

Espeon chirps again at your feet and you toss her another glance, forgetting how astute your partner truly is despite the separation of Pokemon and human between the two of you.

“I’ll be back in three days to pick you up so make sure you have everything you need.”

Your traitorous heart pounds even harder knowing what’s to come. Traveling, alone, with Gojo sounds undeniably thrilling and you will ponder later when you’re alone what’s to come.

For now, you smile and nod.

“Okay, champ. But know I won’t make the journey easy on you.”

He grins once again, pearly whites gleaming while Grookey hops out of the grass a few feet away from him and clings to his leg, the large man kneeling slightly to pet the creature.

“Which is exactly why I invited you.”

The words are so loaded even you catch the weight and you shuffle from foot to foot, Espeon still wound around your calves. The sun blazes overhead and clouds continue to pass and in an instant you realize that you may not have gained that rival you’ve been dodging but perhaps you’ll yet gain a friend.

“I won’t keep you for any longer but be ready for me, okay?”

You nod and try to hide your grin by tucking your chin against your chest and glancing at the ground below.

Perhaps you’ve gained something more than a friend, even.

[alpaca-clouds]

What the fuck?

Ao3 wants to remove the "all media types" fandom tags, and just that... it is such a horrible idea? Like, there are some fandoms for which it might work, but there are also a log of fandoms, where this will not work at all.

Please @ao3org, don't this. It will mess up the archive big time.

I have already seen some posts explaining it with the Sherlock Holmes fandom and the Transfomers fandom. But let me explain it with two fandoms in which I at times upload and read: Digimon and Pokémon.

Both are multimedia franchises with a lot of different fandom tags associated with it across several types of media (mostly anime and games, in the form of Pokémon also movies). For Pokémon there are also really a ton of fanfics, for Digimon not quite as many, but also enough. And sure, many of them can be sorted into some actual subtag for a specific game or whatever. But here is the thing: Many others cannot.

Because in both fandoms it is quite popular to write stories where original Digimon Tamers or original Pokémon trainers will have their own adventure in a completely original version of the Pokémon/Digimon world. Original seasons in some way. With DIgimon it is often very much completely original - with Pokémon they might travel through a known region, or through one established. But even in the latter case you cannot just say: "Oh, actually this is Pokémon Gold/Silver, because they travel through Johto", if there is nothing else connecting it to that. Because maybe it is another time where different characters live there and what not.

Those kinds of fanfics are completely misplaced in any tag but "Pokémon/Digimon - All Media Types", because they are a fanfic about the fandom at large and not a specific entry within that fandom.

Now, those are the fandoms where I know this specific thing will happen, but I can in fact also imagine it happening with a lot of other fandoms.

I know there is quite a bit of fanfic there for stuff like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, where people are writing about original characters within that setting, without really referencing anything specific from the movies or books in question. Because it just happens so far in the past or the future of that world, that it really does not matter which "universe" it is set in.

According to you, how is someone supposed to tag something that takes place in the world of Harry Potter, but in Japan of the 18th century, if not "Harry Potter - All Media Types"? Especially as... Look, I am not sure how to even deal with this. Like, there are clear differences between books and films in HP, but most people will still treat it as one and the same.

I am sorry, but this is just a shitty change that is making life a lot harder, ESPECIALLY for people who write mainly OC-centric fanfictions or stuff that is more concerned with worldbuilding than anything else.

People have already explained why this is an issue for other big fandoms - even outside of OC-centric stuff. But when it comes to Fandoms that spawn a lot of OC-centric stories, this change is a nightmare.

And that is without going into the weirdness of having two different tags for an anime adaption and the manga original, where there is near to no difference storywise between the anime and manga.

[would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend]

Would Nincada be a good pet?

As seems to often be the case for bug pokémon, nincadas are a curious case. On one hand, nincadas are pretty low-maintenance and safe. On the other, adopting one as a pet comes with a pretty heavy commitment, and they won’t provide the social element that many owners are looking for in a pet. Whether or not a nincada would make a good pet really depends on the owner.

Nincadas may be larger than real-world bugs, but they are the perfect size and weight for a pet. Their housing needs, however, are a little more complicated than some pokémon. Nincadas live almost their entire lives stationary and under the ground in burrows (Ruby). In order to care for one, you would need to provide them with a safe burrowing place where they won’t be bothered by any natural predators. You won’t have to worry about your nincada wandering off, thankfully, so long as you provide what they need for their burrow so that they don’t feel the need to scavenge for food or water. Wild nincadas make their homes in the roots of large trees, using their claws to dig into them to create shelter and acquire both moisture and nutrients (Sapphire, Emerald). If you already have access to a satisfactory tree, then you’ll already be all set. It’s possible that an artificial analog, with a means to provide the nincada with the nutrients they need, could provide them with a sufficient habitat, but a tree seems to be the most straight-forward option when available. Since nincadas get everything they need from their tree-burrows, caring for one is as simple as keeping their tree happy and healthy. Because of this, their ease of care after the initial introduction to their new habitat is very low.

Like I said before, nincadas aren’t very social pokémon. They live nearly their entire lives underground, since bright sunlight makes them uncomfortable (Sapphire). Over time, this species has become almost completely blind, relying on their sentisitve antennae to feel their way around in the dark (Emerald, FireRed/LeafGreen, Diamond/Pearl/Platinum). If their needs ar being met, you’ll probably rarely see your nincada, let alone interact with them. This will be a deal-breaker for owners that are interested in friendly, sociable pets, but that’s not all pet owners! If you are fascinated with bug-type pokémon, or enjoy caring for pets for the routine, a nincada might be great choice for you.

I would be remiss when discussing nincada to not bring up a big wrinkle: adopting a nincada means, inevitably, adopting a ninjask (and, provided they have sufficient space, a shedinja). Nincadas are a pokémon species whose entire lifestyle is geared towards evolution. Due to this, I would not recommend giving a nincada an evolution-preventing stone, as it may be detrimental to their long-term mental health. Of course, this is a complicated issue, so I would recommend consulting with a pokémon veterinarian should you adopt one. Generally, however, every healthy nincada owner should be prepared to care from a ninjask somewhere along the line. This is not always a quick process. According to the pokédex, some nincadas spend upwards of a decade preparing for evolution (HeartGold/SoulSilver). This means that caring for a nincada is a big commitment that should not be taken lightly.

In an effort to keep this already too-long post as brief as possible, I’ll just say that nincadas aren’t very dangerous. While moves like Metal Claw can really pack a punch with their tree root shredding claws, their lack of vision and underground lifestyle means that they pose very little threat to humans, so long as you keep your distance and handle them sparingly and carefully.

Overall, a nincada’s viability as a pet depends on the potential owner. If you are interested in a low-maintenance pet that keeps to themself, they might be just right for you. Just keep in mind that adopting a nincada is no small responsibility! While it can take up to ten years, your nincada will someday become a ninjask (and, quite possibly, a shedinja). I haven’t covered ninjasks on this blog yet, but I have covered shedinjas (linked below), and I think it’s fair to guess that the intensity of care your pet will need along the line will be far greater than it is now.

The Shedinja Post:

[nartothelar]

you should do a submas fic rec post o7

Ooo good idea! Here's a few fics I adore to pieces and have reread more than a few times:

we'll build a bridge (An incomplete collection of unconnected one shots)

Summary: The only constant is this: they find each other. The how might change, but the why doesn’t, and the why is what matters, here. (The why is this: one never stops searching, and one never stops hoping.)

(Made me cry multiple times. Happy endings and heartfelt reunions: it's got everything you need to feel good inside. My favorite chaoters are 3 and 8)

Ounce of Prevention (incomplete)

Summary: If one suspects strangers of causing the apocalypse, one generally should not allow them to continue to roam free. They should ideally be restrained until their innocence (or guilt) can be proven. Even if one of them is a child and openly sobbing at the thought of her only family hating her. Even if the other one's absence is probably going to be noticed by a very large, very dangerous Pokémon.

Elsewhere, the rift spits out a man in white. He's not her Warden, but Sneasler will take all the help she can get in finding him.

(ABSOLUTELY INSANELY GOOD like this is one of my favorite submas fics. Just thrilling and had be binge it in a frenzy. Awesome action scenes, cool plot, and badass Emmet, like seriously Emmet's characterization here is god tier and I think about it constantly. I actually drew a comic based on a scene from this fic here. )

In Tandem (Incomplete)

Summary: Or in which Arceus calls upon two pairs of twins to stop two doomsday plots simultaneously.

Ingo and Emmet are summoned to two different Jubilifes, to two different teenagers to aid them in their seemingly innocent journeys for reasons they do not fully understand. Dark machinations are at work though, and if everyone wants to get home safe at the end of the day it will take every ounce of strength, conviction and courage to brave the trials set before them.

(A verrrry good story: good plot (like you'll get invested), good action, good pacing, and good characterization! I haven't read many fics with Lucas and Dawn and this ones just amazing. I wait patiently for its updates)

The Hand (Complete)

Summary: It was something Ingo always wondered about.

(Unexpected premise but I really like it for some reason and have reread it multiple times)

Give Not Into Sorrow (Complete)

Summary: Something strange is going on in Hisui. There are reports of a man in white roaming the wildlands while leading a pack of Pokemon . Some say they're a mix of Pokemon, some claim they're a pack of zoroarks. Some swear that the man is none other than the amnesiac warden of the Pearl Clan. One thing is certain. Those who meet the man in white all report the same thing: He is looking for his brother. And he will not rest until he finds him.

(Absolutely beautiful and heart wrenching. Deal with grief, with anger and with holding on and letting go. Drew a comic for this just yesterday too)

Conductor of Stone (Completed)

Summary: Ingo was not alone when he woke up in the region of Hisui.

There was a man next to him who shared his face. With a body as cold as ice.

Who are you?

A Land of the Lustrous au! Cool concept and excellent writing that sucks you in. This is actually part of a series which is also very good. The author, PerpetuallySleepy, is a favorite of mine too and they have a bunch of other ones shot fics I recommend checking out!

Intermittent Retention (Complete)

Summary: In theory, the space-time distortions should not overly effect Ingo's daily routine. They certainly wouldn't, if he could remember what happens after he steps inside of them. Even that could be overlooked, reluctantly, if Ingo weren't overwhelmingly drawn to them despite their amnesia-inducing properties. Or if anyone else had this problem. Something happens to Ingo when time and space break down around him, something that leaves him with fierce joy and crippling grief he cannot find a source for, and he's going to figure out what in the world is going on.

(Sweet and sad and beautiful.)

Diamond Crossing (Complete)

Summary: So, here’s the thing. Elesa’s best friend is a little…weird.

She means it in the nicest way possible. But there’s no getting around the fact that Coop is weird.

Their mood swings are all over the place, very serious at one moment and unhinged child at the next. They sprouted train facts at the drop of the hat, insisted on not only being in charge of Gear Station but taking it a step further and turning Gear Station into the Battle Subway. They’re honestly crazy for that alone.

Elesa does her modeling career on top of being a Gym Leader and a lot of people think she’s crazy. She will argue that it’s nothing compared to Coop running the entire transportation system for Nimbasa City on top of being a Battle Facility.

She adores Coop though. She really means it when she says Coop is her best friend. And no matter how crazy Coop comes across as, she knows Coop won't hurt anyone.

("Well, there are exceptions, of course," Coop says, tone serious and expression set to a frown. "We don’t allow unruly passengers for starters." They then smiled, brightening. "And anyone who makes Elesa cry will be tied to the train track and run over." )

(A super interesting concept and I love fusion aus! It's actually part of a series that are loosely connected together. Fun times galore)

Emmet wasn't scared (Complete)

Summary:

Emmet knew his brother will be alright since they were fourteen.

Or: Emmet wasn't scared when his brother went missing. He already knew he would

(Short and haunting)

[dragon-master-clair]

Ethan said I should make a blog, so here I am.

I'm Clair. I'm the Gym Leader in Blackthorn, a member of the Blackthorn Dragon Clan, and the best dragon master in the world.

If you have something to say, my ask box is open.

My team:

Asterope (kingdra)

Matcha (shiny dragonite)

Ryoko (charizard/garchomp hybrid)

Zaffre (druddigon)

Cobalt (baxcalibur)

Heliotrope (dragalge)

Original Content | Reblogs | Answered Asks | Pictures | Pelipper Mail

Event: Dragon Care

//howdy. this blog is set post-soul silver in which ethan was the protagonist and caught lugia. it shares a continuity with my other pokémon irl blog, @may-maple-blog. there is a large degree of canon divergence in that blog, but for this one, soul silver happened very close to game canon. this blog does not share a continuity with any other pokémon irl blog other than the ones i run.

//this blog is headcanon-heavy about things like sapient pokémon, pokémon variants, and pokémon crossbreeds. for example, clair's charizard is a non-mega fire/dragon garchomp crossbreed.

//magic anons are off; pelipper mail is on for things that can reasonably be sent via mail. if you're unsure, feel free to dm me. pelipper mail responses will be written ooc as prose. anyone can interact, including sapient pokémon, but please bear in mind this blog is low-stakes when sending asks.

//if you want to set up a story beat/event, want to check to see if an ask is okay to send, just want more info, or would like something tw tagged, feel free to dm me.

//this character is an adult and sometimes discusses adult topics. if you don't want to see this content, block the tags "tw sex mention", "tw dick joke", and "suggestive".

[waywardstation]

Comfort Him

Akari often brings things back from space-time distortions to show to Ingo, in hopes that it will help him regain any of his lost memories. She just didn’t consider it might bring back a memory that’s so distressing.

I wrote this based off of the prompt for the title ‘To Comfort a Parent’ that was given to me by @mismefancy for my title ask game! I also incorporated another request for more Snacktime AU. This has some sadder content than I usually write, but it still has a good ending.

OR read here on AO3!

Enjoy!

————

“I found some new things today, maybe one of these will be different?”

The sound of crinkling reached Ingo’s ears, who was in the middle of scrubbing the last soup bowl clean in the nearby river. He glanced back at Akari to see exactly what he was expecting - from where she sat on a felled log, she was pulling a variety of things out of her satchel - he immediately recognized a few snack bags. Plastic packaging that only came from the space-time distortions.

“Miss Akari, I’m beginning to suspect you purposely hide those until after meals are finished.” Ingo brought the clean bowls back to the snuffed-out cooking fire he had set up, eyeing the various things for no longer than a moment. It seemed she could never stop eating, but that was to be expected from an active teenager’s metabolism… something he did not share.

But, she was doing it for him. He was well aware of that; she often brought him things she would find in the space-time distortions - things that were entirely foreign to the people of Hisui, but were usually very familiar to Akari, and oftentimes faintly so for Ingo. Things that had come from their own time.

Ingo’s recollection of his previous station had considerably improved since his initial interactions with Akari, and they only grew with time. However, such growth was beginning to plateau, and when new memories were knocked loose, they were often small, and insignificant - usually general things, nothing personal for him.

Had he recovered just about everything he could? Akari didn’t think so, and had resorted to more trips to space-time distortions, for more chances to find something that might be their big break - that might be Ingo’s lucky chance to remember something significant.

Nothing had come close to providing that yet - sometimes a few pages ripped out of a magazine would help him dimly recall a passing general event, or an empty pokeball of modern-day design would send faint feelings of familiarity through his hands, but that was it.

It was like picking up shattered glass in the dark - there were many more tiny pieces scattered about than large ones, and reaching out blindly would more likely result in feeling the smaller shards first.

It was… a tedious process. Especially lately, where it seemed things were slowing down considerably.

However, Akari was persistent, incessantly so. She had kept trying, kept finding new things to show him. And Ingo… Ingo appreciated it.

“It’s not a lot, and it’s just items this time!” Akari pulled out a few other items from the bag. “Mostly.”

“Let’s see the items first, then,” Ingo moved to drop down beside her on the log, the dry bark creaking to accommodate him. Let dinner settle a little, first.

“Alright, here’s something I found skewered on the back spikes of a rhydon,” Akari explained, pulling something soft out of the stash. “Hopefully some kid’s not missing it too much!”

Ingo blinked at the item. It was clearly a plush toy of a Pokémon, but he didn’t immediately recognize it as one from Hisui… it didn’t help that there was a large puncture in its face, with stuffing poking out of it.

“Do you recognize this Pokémon?” Akari handed the ruined toy to Ingo, and he held it in his lap, handling it carefully as he took his time looking it over.

It was quadruped, light grey and black. Big head, tiny legs. Small, natural holes decorated the armor on its face and back, as opposed to the unnatural puncture that had destroyed one of the plush’s two big blue eyes.

That one was more like the holes that littered Ingo’s mind.

(Aron). A Pokémon that was brought to the (Battle)(Subway) for fights (on)(the)(lines), and would (nibble) on the (Subway’s)(rails) if they were of the wild variety.

…

A Pokémon that was brought for fights, were they of the wild variety.

…That didn’t seem entirely right.

“I believe the memory of this Pokémon can’t quite reach the station, yet,” Ingo rubbed at the back of his scalp with a hand, where a small aching was beginning to bother him. “But it’s halfway there.”

“It’s an aron,” Akari tried to help the memory the other half of the way. “Likes to eat metal? Evolves into lairon, then aggron?”

Ingo’s frown only deepened at the remark; the characteristic and names were faint sparks in his mind, but nothing more - he could not get a visual image of the evolutions, or even remember the typing for them. It was the exact same feeling he got when he glanced at one of the many voltorb in the highlands… or even his own sneasel.

He handed the damaged toy back over to Akari. “Ah, still not quite there, I’m afraid.”

“No, it’s ok,” A consolatory phrase. One that Ingo had grown accustomed to hearing from her every time she showed him something, anymore. Akari took the plush, and set it back in the pile, before pulling out the next item, and holding it up to him. “What about this? I found this one hanging off a cliffside!”

It was a small, plain shirt; tattered and dirty, there was a print of what almost appeared to be a braviary on it - it was hard to tell with all of the rips littered across the black fabric, though.

Nothing came to mind with this article of clothing at all, aside from the fact that he had recognized shirt designs like this were common where he came from - a realization that was a couple months old at this point, but one that had been special to Akari. It only solidified the idea that they were from a similar, if not the same, time period - she had arrived to Hisui in a plain printed shirt as well, after all.

However, nothing new sprung up at the clothing. Not even the tell-tale aching in the back of his skull, flaring whenever he managed to touch a locked-up memory that was infected with holes.

And why would it?

Ingo suspected Akari knew that more than likely, the mundane article of clothing wouldn’t be familiar to him at all. But he knew she had since resorted to bringing him absolutely anything he hadn’t seen yet.

They had already gone through a lot - Akari had told him about Pokemon gyms, about contests, and competitions. About Pokemon native to her home that she couldn’t find here, as well as others from different regions. About Pokemon centers and Pokemarts, and TMs and HMs. Everything she could think of. And it did bring a considerable amount of information back.

Of the world he had left behind, at least.

But what of his friends? His family? His personal life? How could Akari help lead him back to that prior track, when she had never been a part of it?

Questions never worked, asking about his life or loved ones, no matter how specific they got.

He needed connections.

So what else could she do, besides hope a ruined toy would unlock a memory of a potential close companion of the same form? Or that a ripped shirt would remind him of a friend or family member that had possibly happened to wear the same article of clothing?

It was all she could do, and Ingo knew it just as well as she did. At this point, she could only show him random relics left behind by the distortions.

Hoping it would somehow click.

“Anything?” Akari’s arms began to lower, looking over the top of the shirt at Ingo with cautious hope in her eyes.

“Ah, nothing of significance, I am afraid.” Ingo locked his fingers together, regret in his own gaze; he hated to disappoint her.

“Hmm…” Akari turned to fold and stuff the shirt back into her satchel. “...It’s ok.”

The same consolatory remark again. It was hidden deep, hidden well, but Ingo noticed it sounded… not exactly sadder, but more… disheartened.

She was not obligated to subject herself to such disappointment.

“Miss Akari,” From under the brim of his hat, Ingo’s eyes watched Akari’s hands, putting the shirt away. She paused to glance at him. “My apologies if this is, well, a discouraging process. I am doubly appreciative for your efforts to assist me, but I am aware the tracks are unfortunately slow… and I apologize for that. If you would rather take a break from this, I would understand.”

“What? No, no!” The shirt was forgotten entirely as hands went up, emphasizing. “It’s not! …Something I want to take a break from, I mean! I don’t want to!”

Ingo must have shown a little of his surprise on his face at her enthusiasm, because Akari noticed it.

“I just… I really want to help you get your memories back.” The teenager relaxed a little. She confined her hands to her lap, so they would not fidget with her scarf as she focused on her words. “I think about my mom a lot, and my friends, and my home. I mean, yeah, it's hard sometimes to think about, but I’m really glad I have them. I want you to have that too.”

She knew Ingo wanted it very much; she could see it in his features whenever he listened to her talk about her memories. Not jealousy or envy, but a specific type of sadness. He was able to hide it well, but his eyes would always give him away.

“It doesn’t bother me, even if it takes a while.” She kept going. “It’s not your fault either, but… I don’t look at it like that anyways. I just want to help, any way I can. Even if it takes time.”

The things Ingo had done for her during her time in Hisui went through her mind. How he had led her, accompanied her through the mountains to his noble. How he encouraged her, and appreciated her company. How he taught her how to do certain things, and did his best to guide her when she felt confused. How he made her feel less lonely in a way her other friends couldn’t here in Hisui, the only other person in this world that had come from a previous one before, just like her.

But these things didn’t leave her mouth.

“You’ve done a lot for me.” She simply summed up, instead. “I’d be happy to do something back for you.”

She turned away, back to her pile before Ingo could possibly try and assure her that really, it was alright (but in doing so, she missed the look of appreciation that found its way into his eyes). The sound of shifting fabric was replaced with the crinkling he had first heard earlier.

“Ok, snacktime. Here, try this one first.” Akari held out a small bag to Ingo, wanting him to take it. “You haven’t had these before, right? It’s popcorn, I think.”

The bag was a bright blue, featuring a pair of Pokémon he couldn’t quite recall - small brown bodies, with large fluffy heads. One had a pair of curled green horns, the other blue.

Popping the bag open, Ingo could see the popcorn inside; white and yellow puffs that resembled the Pokémon’s fluffy cotton, and covered in an orange dust.

“You’re correct, as you oftentimes are with these,” Ingo offered the opened bag to Akari as he always did, and she grabbed a messy handful of the puffs to munch on. Ingo took a handful himself, popping them into his mouth one at a time as opposed to Akari, who shoved it all in at once.

Hmm…

Definitely stale.

Just like how they always were in the (vending)(machine) by the (Battle)(Subway). Stale. (Emmet) liked them, but he didn’t know anyone else who did.

…

Just like how they always were. Stale. Someone liked them, but he didn’t know anyone else who did.

Well, that was a lot of nothing, but he shouldn’t be surprised, seeing as how he apparently never really touched the stuff to begin with.

“I think this bag was a little old,” Akari commented with a full mouth, rubbing some of the cheese dust from off her face.

“I believe they’re just like that,” Ingo finished off the popcorn, before neatly flattening the empty bag and handing it back to Akari - he would have simply crumpled it, but he knew she liked to keep and collect some of the packaging to later show to Rei. “But unfortunately, that is the only memory that’s returned to the station; my apologies.”

Once again, Ingo could sense the modicum of disappointment that she couldn’t quite hide with the rest. She took the bag back and folded it neatly, slipping it into her satchel. “No! It’s ok, Ingo, really.”

The warden couldn’t help but feel bad again. Ingo was sort of hoping that was the last thing she had, so that he wouldn’t have to disappoint her for a fourth time tonight. But apparently, she wasn’t done.

“Alright, last thing, I promise,” Akari picked up a small, stocky jar. “I think it’s a drink. Maybe a protein shake, or something-“

She paused as she got a better look at the item in her hands. It was much easier to identify things when she wasn’t swiping things from off the ground, going thirty-something miles an hour from atop Lord Wyrdeer’s back.

“Wait no, nevermind, it’s not a drink. Well, for people, at least. It’s um, a jar of carbos,” slightly surprised, Akari took note of the matching blue cap and triangle symbol on the front - it had been hard to notice with all the dirt that covered it. “Vitamin mix for Pokemon. There are other types too, like Zinc, and Protein… I don’t think I’ve found any of them in a distortion yet, though. I know it’s a long shot, but maybe… see if it reminds you of anything?”

She held the jar out to Ingo. Another offer for him to try again. To try one more time. For her.

A deep breath. Scared to disappoint her again. Ingo reached out, taking the jar in his fingers. “Alright.”

The warden brushed some of the dirt off as he inspected the item more thoroughly. The plastic container was covered in little scratch marks, probably banged up from when it fell through the distortion. The blue triangle on the container stared back at him, a label that didn’t hold much meaning or significance to him. It stirred weak familiarity as a jar of vitamins though, riding off the words of explanation Akari had given.

Out of habit, Ingo turned the carbos over in his hands, his eyes following the label strip as he turned the jar, until-

There was a sticker on the back of the container, stamped over the labeling. Ingo squinted at it, reading over the words - The writing was not Hisuian, just like everything else Akari would fish from the distortions. It was thankfully Galarian, which he could read, but it still took a moment. The scuffed state of the sticker didn’t help either, but Ingo could eventually make out:

CARBOS - 1BP

THANK YOU FOR RIDING THE BATTLE SUBWAY. ENJOY YOUR PRIZE. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU RIDING THE LINES AGAIN SOON. FOLLOW THE RULES AND DRIVE SAFELY!

-INGO AND EMMET

Ingo blinked.

Emmet had come up with that message himself, believing the words of support on the prizes would be appreciated by the trainers. Emmet had run a few variations of the message by him when they were still adjusting to their top positions in the place.

This was a BP exchange item from the Battle Subway. It cost exactly 1BP, and would raise a pokemon’s speed. Valuable, but essential to trainers who wanted to help their Pokemon reach their full potential. Which is why Emmet wanted to lower its cost from 10BP to 1BP.

Emmet always told him he’d start putting this stuff in his coffee, to make him finally start moving faster in the mornings. And he actually did it, once.

There were no holes in these thoughts.

These disconnected, jumbled recollections simultaneously shot like an arrow through Ingo’s brain, a quick, sharp stab before all the pain - all the realization - caught up with it, and bloomed out. Ingo could barely process the memories flooding back.

Emmet. That’s who he was - that’s who the man in white was. Emmet. His brother, who he ran the Battle Subway with.

Emmet’s actual appearance was still just as murky, as were any experiences with him outside of the limited information that was attached to this jar of carbos. But Ingo had something.

His brother was encouraging, to think of putting messages like this onto prizes for trainers, and trusting to come to him for approval on it. His brother was considerate for making prizes like carbos more affordable for trainers, and he was, well… apparently a bit mischievous for putting the nasty stuff in his morning coffee.

He was a good brother though. A brother that he loved dearly, and a brother that loved him back just as much. Ingo knew it. Why else would such a surge of emotions be connected to these sparse memories? His mind could not explain his feelings with memories, but his heart could remember them all the same.

It reassured him, even if he didn’t understand it.

A confused sound left Ingo’s throat, a deep heave in his chest as he tried to keep his head above the rising waters. He looked up to Akari, who was watching him intently, in hopes that she would extend a branch and help him stay afloat.

She blinked at wide grey eyes. “Did you-?”

“My brother-” His fingers were loose around the plastic container, the carbos practically forgotten in his hands. “I have a brother. His… name is Emmet. He works in the Battle Subway, as did I.”

He held up the jar in his hands, now remembered, and turned it around for her to see the sticker - the confusion on her face had been immediate, wondering how he got all of that from a jar of carbos.

“This is a prize item that could be obtained from the Battle Subway, something that could be exchanged for BP. I can’t quite recall what BP stands for, but it was treated as currency for our system…”

As Ingo went on, Akari studied the scuffed sticker on the jar, still in his hands. When her eyes drifted over Ingo and Emmet’s names, her expression lit up, eyes bright as she smiled wide.

“Oh, Ingo! this is great!” Akari jumped up, hardly able to sit still with the excitement buzzing in her chest, making big gestures with her hands. “This is- this is a big thing! You remembered something! You have a brother! And you remember him! And your job, too!”

Akari’s infectious enthusiasm spread to Ingo, the corners of his mouth quirking upwards into a smile as she continued to talk. He did remember. He took another glance down at the worn sticker on the carbos, as if reading Emmet’s name again would bring back more memories.

“You work at the Battle Subway!” Akari kept going, talking a mile a minute. “Which means you’ve got to be from Unova! When I was really young, my mom and I would go there for contests she was in! We went on Gear Station’s subway lines too! I could have already met you and not even known it! Ingo, wouldn’t that be great? I mean, just-!”

Clearly, the prospect of not only living in the exact same timeframe, but also possibly having already met before, was exciting Akari beyond belief.

But as she went on, her words only turned to static in Ingo’s ears.

It was entirely unintentional - he would never purposely tune her out like that. But it was hard not to do it when the third line on the sticker had snagged his attention in its entirety, working its way through his mind as another set of gears started turning in his head.

FOLLOW THE RULES AND DRIVE SAFELY!

Ingo ran his thumb over the rough texture of the scuffed sticker, over the words.

A familiar phrase to him. That was what he always said. He always said that when initiating a battle at the training grounds. Because it always felt right to say so.

But, Emmet was the one who had written the message on this sticker.

These were Emmet’s words.

It was a deep feeling in his gut. They were not his own. They were his brother’s. His dear brother’s. Those were Emmet’s words that had stuck with him, and remained in his heart.

Had he always been saying Emmet’s phrases? No wonder they always filled him with such will. Such determination. They were the words of his brother. His encouraging, trusting, compassionate, mischievous brother.

Emmet’s words had left him with a will to keep going when he had been separated, even if he didn’t realize it until now. But what had he left Emmet with?

Did he leave him with anything at all? Did Emmet know where he was? That he was still alive?

Did he leave Emmet all alone, for all this time?

Ingo could not recall any of the answers, but a deep, nauseating bubble of grief filled his chest at the questions before it could go any deeper.

His heart could remember what his mind could not. He did not understand the intensity. And this time, it terrified him.

Grief only hurt like this when something you dearly cared about was wronged.

Something had happened before he had departed from his previous station, to this one in Hisui. Something terrible, and he knew it involved Emmet.

What if he couldn’t ever get back to him, and fix it? What if he was stuck here in Hisui permanently?

The new, upsetting wave of emotions in his heart welled up out of his chest, unable to be contained, forced down deep the way tried so hard to maintain sometimes. They filled his eyes, blurring his vision, until they began to stream down his face.

“...My mom said that on the first trip, when I was really little, I got lost at the station,” Akari continued on, oblivious. “And that staff helped her find me! What if you had talked to my mom? Or your brother did? Or even-”

Any further words died in Akari’s throat at the sound of a sniff, and her excitement followed her words as she turned to see Ingo. One hand still held on to the carbos jar, but he was rubbing his eyes with the other, catching tears with the heel of his palm.

…Was he crying?

“Ingo?” A foreign, novel anxiety sprang up in Akari’s chest, cold and uncomfortable.

Ingo does not cry.

“Are… you ok?”

A glance up from under the brim of his tattered hat, eyes heavy with tears.

“I am alright, Miss Akari,” Ingo sniffed, “It’s just that…Emmet, I don’t- I believe something happened, before… and I am afraid that I’ll be unable to-“

The confusing emotions kept pushing. The tears kept falling. Ingo shut his eyes tight, which only squeezed out a few more fresh ones. A deep breath around the swell in his throat.

He did not want to burden Akari with this. He was the adult, and she was a child, she shouldn’t have to-

“…Please excuse me,” Ingo sniffed again, wiping at the tears with his sleeve as he looked away. They wouldn’t stop coming. “I- I don’t wish to… I can’t seem to-“

It was all he could get out before his voice cracked. He stopped hopelessly attempting to form a sentence, and relented to simply choking back a sob. It was quiet, in a way. He suppressed himself so as not to openly weep, but each stutter of breath was still agonizing. Leaning forward to hide his eyes under the brim of his cap, the tears came down.

Akari was struck with a cold shock, unsure what to do. She had never seen Ingo like this. He had never cried, regardless of whether it was simply misty eyes, or relentless tears being shed. And the sound of him sobbing was so foreign to her; it felt so wrong. So sad.

At least, she had never seen him do such things.

Her heart clenched at the possibility that perhaps it was different when it came to times of solitary, when he was alone and no one was watching.

But what if it wasn’t like that either? He could have just as easily been bottling these feelings up inside, consciously or subconsciously, letting things grow tighter and tighter in a fragile heart, until the pressure shattered it.

Both thoughts made Akari all the more appreciative that they were out in the wilderness, away from any prying eyes and attentive ears of the Jubilife villagers. She was sure Ingo felt doubly grateful. Because either way, it was obvious he needed to get it out.

Ingo restrained a few more sobs before he slumped forward into his hands, elbows propped weakly against his knees. Perhaps it was out of grief weighing heavy on his shoulders, or it was simply to hide his face, and the tears that rolled down it. Either way, Akari’s heart ached, squeezing so hard in her chest that she almost felt nauseous.

She had never seen him like this.

Akari moved to sit back down on the log next to Ingo. She was still for a moment as his shoulders jolted with each stifled choke, before hesitantly reaching around his middle as best she could in a hug.

She said nothing as she leaned against him, embracing him - what could she possibly say? Ingo continued to sob. She knew he probably couldn’t stop now even if he wanted to - containing such strong and built-up emotions after letting them out was comparable to fitting a steelix into a pickling jar. But a heavy arm moved, shuddering, and he turned his torso to better accommodate her efforts, and embrace her back.

Akari readily took the opportunity, and buried herself into his warm front, securing her arms around his back. She felt his arms settle around her in turn, holding onto the comfort she was offering. The way his chest stuttered, bouts of sporadic breathing interrupting an otherwise-smooth cycle, only made Akari settle further against him, practically in an effort to ease it.

He was hurting.

And he probably had been for a long time, even if he didn’t realize it.

Akari had always assumed Ingo’s amnesia was a curse. All it had ever seemed to do was cause strife - Ingo would doubt himself on many things due to it. And he never spoke about it out loud, but Akari could tell he would occasionally question subjects pertaining to himself and his previous life that she didn’t want him to even entertain.

What was he like before Hisui - as a person? Were people as wary to trust him in his own time as they are here? Did they have reasons not to trust him? Was his morality previously… tarnished? Did he do something wrong - something wrong enough to land him here in Hisui?

It was a very slippery slope of bad thoughts that Akari always wanted him to dismiss. She hated the thought of them, but how could one not at least wonder about it from time to time, if they had no memories of the person they were before?

But now, Akari believed it had been a blessing. He couldn’t miss the things he terribly loved if he didn’t remember them. He couldn’t worry over loved ones he didn’t remember, or ache for home if he couldn’t recall what home felt like. He couldn’t torment himself over the events leading up to his demise, or think of what he could have done differently, if he didn’t recall what had happened before. He couldn’t lament his previous life progressing without him if he didn’t know how good he really had it. He couldn’t question if there was a plan for him like there were plans for Akari, if he didn’t realize their methods of arrival were vastly different.

He could not beg for a ticket back home if he didn’t know enough about what home actually was, and what unfinished business he left behind, to consider it terrifying that the trip might possibly be a one-way deal.

His amnesia had been protecting him from some terribly distressing feelings, and she had dug them back up.

All with a jar of carbos.

Akari felt her throat tighten uncomfortably as blurry stinging welled up in her eyes. Ingo’s tunic caught a tear as it fell; an infectious action in turn from a cold wetness spreading on her shoulder, his own continued tears.

She had never seen him like this.

“I’m so sorry,” Akari’s voice was muffled against his tunic. She continued to feel the sporadic heaves of Ingo’s lungs, stuttering around his sobs; he said nothing in his current state, as she didn’t think he even could. But the shakey, reassuring squeeze he gave her told her that he appreciated the gesture.

He had always been there to comfort and ease her. To tell her that things were ok, and that he would fix whatever was wrong to the best of his abilities. Several times, she had admittedly cried to him about her homesickness, and her mother, and her friends. And he always listened. Always reassured her. Always indulged in her good memories, and spoke well of her friends and family that he had never even met.

It felt almost jarring to be in such a position now, the other way around where she was the one comforting him over such things. She sometimes forgot that he was really only around twice her age, three times at the most. That he was not only just as lost in this world as she was, but even deeper in the thickets than her… and yet he was always trying to push her forward, closer to the clearing and out of the woods.

He was such a sturdy, supportive foundation in this unstable reality for her, that she oftentimes (and shamefully) forgot he was just as scared of the uncertain future, and his place within it, as she was… if not more.

A distressing recollection might have been the catalyst for the tears, but she knew more was pouring out than just that. Months of built up stress, and confusion, and worrying-

He needed someone to tell him it would be alright too.

He missed home, just like her.

She hugged him tighter, squeezing.

“You’ll get back home. To Emmet. And everyone else who cares about you. I’ll fulfill my purpose here, I’ll earn my way back, and, I-I‘ll take you with me.” Akari spoke against his chest. The wetness continued to spread over her shoulder. “I won’t leave you here. No matter what. You… you’re going to see them all again.”

The tears kept coming from above her. Akari’s unspoken words of appreciation from earlier welled up in her heart - why did she never say them to him?

“You’ve helped me so much,” she let the words flow. “You spend time with me, and you care about me, and listen to me, and… I miss my mom a lot, but I don’t feel so alone here when I’m with you. It would be… very different without you here. And I… I know Emmet is feeling that. I know he wants you back. I’m taking you back with me, and you’re going to see him again, and whatever happened will be fixed.”

Ingo had needed to hear that. A deep breath shuddered as he slumped forward. Another gentle squeeze in his arms as he continued to quietly cry. Broken heaves of breath through restrained sobs.

Akari remained leaned against him, head resting close to his aching heart.

She would not leave him in this place.

They sat like that for a while, the cold darkness of the wilderness surrounding them. Ingo continued to cry, and Akari let him.

She had never seen him like this, because he had always tried his hardest not to let anyone, especially her, see him like this. He did not want to burden her with his stressors. But she did not see it as a burden at all.

She was going to complete her purpose. She was going to earn her way back home. She was going to take Ingo with her.

She would not leave him in this place.

Things would be ok.

[mr-president]

*Crashes into whatever space you are living in and plasters the hole with duct tape.

Tell me about your Marxist analysis on pokemon XD

:3

i live in a college dorm please pay for the wall or they’re gonna charge me $10000+ please please pls pl

anyway.

I’d like to first establish that the Pokémon in Pokémon XD are something akin the proletariat—the working/laboring class. Pokémon XD and Colosseum introduce the mechanic of “shadow Pokémon,” where Pokémon are literally manufactured in a factory that “closes their hearts,” turning them into nothing but mindless battle machines. Shadow Pokémon are aggressive, may attack opposing trainers, and hurt themselves in their rage.

This is all for a pokémon that is nothing but a mindless battle machine—it is literally separating pokémon from their labor. The Pokémon’s personhood (Pokemonhood?) is dismissed simply for the value they possess in exerting power. in addition to the fact that shadow Pokémon are both laborers and products that are sold and distributed, and this echoes how the labor of the proletariat are devalued, seen as “lessers” merely to be used. They are just as much products as they are the means of production.

There’s also the fact that shadow Pokémon aren’t created from conception however—they’re pokémon that were stolen from their trainers and turned into shadow Pokémon. So, in a sense, Pokemon XD comments how the modes of production require foul play in order to sustain constant productivity, and the proletariat are then manipulated and morphed by the bourgeoisie, stolen from their homes, and have the burden placed on their shoulders. Of course, I’m going very surface level with this analysis but you can read the stealing of Pokémon for shadow Pokémon production in other ways.

Anyway, what makes Pokémon XD, and the GameCube Pokémon games in general, different from most other Pokémon media is just how different the orre region is because orre is uniquely low-income.

This is more apparent in the first game, Pokémon Colosseum, where every location is rife with some level of crime and poverty. The buildings are often dated and worn down, there are no established roads between areas (you have to motorbike/scooter through barren desert), the land is so dry and barren that no wild Pokémon exist within the region, and—importantly—the people of orre are rude.

This is less apparent in XD because Michael is a literal child, but in Colosseum, a large portion of NPCs insult and belittle Wes or Rui. In a sense, Colosseum comments how people in poverty can’t afford to be “nice”—niceness itself is a luxury, and this is also highlighted in the high crime rate in Orre. Even Wes himself is a thief and probably murderer, even if the game never explicitly shows anyone dying.

But the brunt of Orre’s poverty however is how a massive global corporation such as Cipher can operate and fly under the radar in orre. Orre does not have the means nor power to stop Cipher from setting up their main base of operations there because unlike every other pokémon region, there is no established “league” or “government.”

So of course the people of Orre buy into Cipher’s plans and often propagate shadow Pokémon because there is nothing else they can do. It’s them versus this massive corporation that suddenly started taking over and buying up land and stealing their Pokémon if they don’t comply (they do this with Duking).

The inhabitants of Orre then too must operate within Cipher outside their own volition. It’s akin to how the bourgeois in the real world occupy low-income areas, buy out every other property, and eventually take over every aspect of a region. When more rural land owners don’t comply, the bourgeois will develop as close to their property as possible and drive them out of their conformity.

Even the location of Phenac City is a literal gentrified area, the only city in the deep desert that has water and literally housed the region head of a global organization. For what is the most “developed” modern city in the game (that isn’t built into a fucking tree), it makes sense that it would be run by Cipher in this way. It allows Cipher to operate on a level of plausible deniability—haven’t they brought this wonderful city to Orre? Haven’t they helped its people? Perhaps corporations can be good for “helping” people via charity.

All they gotta do is give a Pokémon or two (or steal a Pokémon or two) to Cipher and never say anything about their rulers.

This is the Orre region. It isn’t just one city taken over by a big bad—this is an entire Pokémon region and its main trade being completely at the mercy of a global corporation.

It’s important to note just how wealthy, then, Cipher is. Specifically, its CEO—Grandmaster Greevil. Also known as the wealthy philanthropist—Mr. Verich.

Michael meets Greevil as Mr. Verich, whose bodyguard saves him from a street thug. This is painted as an act of kindness or charity—like kissing a baby on camera—but this deed becomes much more insidious when it’s revealed that Mr. Verich manufactured the whole situation in the first place. That street thug attacked Michael because he wanted to show off a shadow Pokémon. Mr. Verich only saved Michael so that the presence of shadow Pokémon wouldn’t alert the public.

Billionaires perform acts of charity as a smokescreen for the actual harm they may cause, whilst endearing themselves to the public eye. For Greevil, saving Michael just so happened to coincide with his intended goal that doubled as a means to increase his public image.

Greevil is also very well liked by the people of Orre, especially in Gateon Port. The sailors at the diner all cheer his name because Mr. Verich will often pay for all of their tabs, letting them eat free for the day. The novelist, a friend of Michael’s, calls Mr. Verich interesting and intends to write a book idolizing the man’s good deeds and character. There’s an old woman who’s in love with Mr. Verich—people fucking love this guy for existing and being rich.

The bourgeois’ charity is not only celebrated but idolized—worshipped, but this “kindness” is merely an act to further their control. Mr. Verich isn’t merely doing this out of the kindness of his heart nor as a smokescreen for his more nefarious side—it’s so he can gain control over the only means of trade Orre has so that he may distribute shadow Pokémon globally more easily. The rich can not only “afford” niceness, but this niceness itself is a commodity that can be bought using wealth to gain more capital.

So in XD, Michael essentially acts as a “union man” by unionizing the pokémon in an act of ideological un-brainwashing via “purification”, which “opens the heart” of a shadow pokémon. The act of purification in XD is interesting because it emphasizes community between pokémon, synergizing their strengths and weaknesses into something impenetrable, and healing them from being mindless laborers for capitalism.

Michael is uniquely free from capitalistic forces for two reasons 1) he’s a child and therefore able to “imagine a world without capitalism,” and 2) he kinda grew up in a commune. Like, if you think about it, the purification lab is a self-sustaining commune that supports its inhabitants and encourages gradual but effective scientific progression in the Purify Chamber. Michael is the “big Communism builder,” and the Purification Pokémon lab is the commune.

I think the difference in scientific progression of the Purification Lab compared to Cipher’s Shadow Pokémon Lab also needs to be stated:

The creation of XD001–Shadow Lugia—and the mass production of shadow pokémon also illustrates how science and scientific “progress” is largely determined by what the top 1% will put their money into. How streamlined scientific progress is for the Pokémon equivalent of mass bioweapons.

But, in the uniquely communist society that Michael grew up in, Pokemon XD reveals that communism is not a stalling of scientific progress but simply a change in the intentions of it. In a capitalistic society, science is driven by capital and the bourgeois. In a communist society, science is driven by a mutual interest in a common societal “good.”

tldr;

[splicedskies]

Planned Starter for @venalos

It was a little rough when it came to camping in Alola.

It wasn't the weather, the people or just the general demeanor toward a trainer with no home. It was the locations.

Rocky terrain made for terrible camping grounds, as with the more densely wooded areas. But the beaches? They were often perfect, so long as it wasn't outside of Po Town with it's constant rains or if the tide ran too high.

That is if you were a fan of the water, and didn't mind constantly brushing sand out of the fur coats of your often very fluffy partners. Thus was the case with Altra. He had the Gengar tent set up on the longer strip of beach on Melemele Island. A blanket down to at least stem the sand from getting IN. Though it wouldn't stop his Zigzagoon from dragging as much in after chasing the receding waves, but it helped.

And for now, it was easily nearing midday. A few passerby's coming and going along the beach but it stayed relatively empty.

Thus it was go time for the tiny Galarian Zigzagoon. Plenty of room to run, dive into banks of sand left over my tourist-y folks..

Or in the case of Altra's eternal headache, into the water itself.

'AAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Come on lad! Ya' got ta' be faster than that!'

"Desmond can you.. will you not- I.. uhhggg..!" He huffed angrily, arms slumped at his side as he watched as the little black and white racoon plunged into the first wave to crash onto shore. Laughing his little head off.

'Ooohhhh scary water! Ooohhh no! Ahahahah!' He paddled around, short little legs only barely grazing the sand as the surf caried him just a touch closer to his trainer. And it was always a point of teasing at the teens aversion to it all.

"I don't want you to get my clothes soaked.." A huff as then Altra.. paused. Normally he'd continue scolding the Zigzagoon but something caught his attention.

'Haha.. eh.. eh-? Lad?' The sopping wet little racoon shook off his fur before padding over to his Trainer's side, noting that the teen was looking out over the water.

'See somethin'?'

".. Yeah.. I see something moving out there." Altra blinked, eyes squinting just a bit to try and get a look at what looked to be a large figure moving under the waves.

'Oh? Might be some water Pokémon, it IS the Ocean.'

"No no no.. like.. something big.." How big, he couldn't tell, but he could see something at least peering out from the water. Maybe it was distance, but it looked rather large.

'Oh... eh? Huh-'

[starsandgutters]

still thinking about my Pokémon AU so I’m gonna indulge myself and talk about KevAaron’s teams

Aaron’s a decent battler. He knows strategy. He’s studied move sets and type advantages and all sorts. He can be fierce when he needs to be, but he hates seeing Pokémon badly hurt so he’s not always ruthless in the way Kevin or Neil would be in battles.

Aaron’s main crew:

Eevee - he’s had him for a long time. They used to play together when Aaron was younger & Eevee came to visit him frequently even before Aaron caught him (he allowed himself to be caught without a fight). I think it fits as Eevee is overlooked or dismissed a lot. They’re seen for their potential to evolve rather than as they are, and I think Aaron would like his little Eevee even if he’s not got the best type advantages - though he might evolve at some point

Snubbull - he got her in a trade. She came with a nickname and she’s the only one of his Pokémon that has a nickname lmao her name is Princess and she’s spoiled af (I personally think most people AARON ESPECIALLY would nickname their Pokémon if they were real but for the sake of readers not having to constantly double check which Pokémon I’m referencing if I ever do write this, I’m going with show logic of they just go by their Pokémon names)

Magikarp - he saw her being attacked by some Pidgeys and rescued her but once he released her back into the river, she flopped out again, and she kept flopping after him, which led to her getting attacked by the same Pidgeys, until Aaron finally just put her in a ball. She lets herself out CONSTANTLY (think Misty’s Psyduck just jumping out all the time) and she can’t fight at all but he still keeps her with him

Can see Noibat & Sandshrew as part of his frequent rotation - Noibat because my Aaron loves music, and Sandshrew as I think the closed off defensive vibe fits

He has a Tentacool cause jellyfish!

In one of my month of Halloween prompts he’s dared to catch a ghost Pokémon and he catches a Gastly

These will all evolve eventually and the idea of his Granbull called Princess being taller than him brings me so much joy (I’m making her an especially large one just for this) not to mention Gengar (he’s shorter but he floats so he seems taller)

Aaron & Kevin eventually catch a few Pokémon together. They both get Rockruffs but they evolve into different forms (Aaron’s is midday, Kevin’s is midnight) & they get Nidorans of different genders (Aaron ends up with Nidoking while Kevin ends up with Nidoqueen)

I could see him also having Sharpedo, any of the puppy Pokémon (I’ve got Poochyena down for him, but could see him with a Fridough too - I was just trying not to duplicate and gave Jeremy Firdough instead)

Pichu (but will eventually evolve him to a Raichu)

Could also see him and Andrew with Squirtles! (Andrew’s evolves to Blastoise, Aaron doesn’t circulate his into battle as much so he’ll be a Squirtle much longer)

Then with Kevin, as I said - gym leader Wymack (unsure of his gym type maybe rock or fighting I think he definitely has very sturdy Pokémon regardless of type) and Elite Four (if not champion) Kayleigh (she has a mixed team if she’s champion but was heavily fire based as one of the Elite Four) as his parents - he’s a very strong trainer, knows type advantages well but also has great instincts. However he’s been honed in controlled environments his whole life. His main partners either gifted, or he was taken along by his parents to catch them. He’s skittish and nervous about going exploring

Growlithe and Vulpix - his earliest partners, gifts from his parents, both quite haughty and do not take to many people. (Growlithe is slightly more friendly, in that he’ll give you a warning growl, but Vulpix is an outright burn risk) Instantly adore Aaron. Kevin’s a bit put out by this initially until he gets to know Aaron better

Espeon (Jean has an Umbreon, they raised them from Eevees together, he has a soft spot for Aaron’s Eevee when he meets him)

Houndour (Kevin is also a puppy Pokémon lover) - she’s a lot younger than Growlithe. Tries to follow his lead, but clumsier and more curious of other people

Ralts (as anxious as each other) (eventually Gardevoir)

Pidgeot - from a Pidgey that was the first Pokémon Kevin caught himself

Ponyta - great for transport, learned how to ride very young, though he’ll probably ride Arcanine when he evolves instead

Others include: Charmander (another gift from Kayleigh I feel, perhaps for starting his journey away from home, whereas his Growlithe and Vulpix were like pets as well as partners when he was younger) Cyndaquil & Espurr (anxious babies) & Rowlet (he just gives the vibes of history nerd to match Kevin)

And then his eventual Lycanroc and Nidoqueen from the Rockruff and Nidoran he caught with Aaron!

I feel like Kevin would catch a wide variety of types and switch out for advantages but these are the core group he uses most. Whereas Aaron gets very attached to his Pokémon and is less about having loads of them, and more about having strong relationships with and taking good care of the ones he does have.

[user211201]

A day at the beach

--- Originally posted by unknown on 2009-02-09 ---

--- Note: Kyogre (Pokémon) TF ---

The sun was setting in the sky as a lone man sat at the side of the beach. He stared into the water, the surface sparkling as the dying rays of the sun touched its surface. As he sat there, he had no idea of what was going to happen.

While he was deep in his thoughts, a lone creature was swimming underwater. It was heading towards the beach, slowly and silently.

Still looking at the beach, the boy checked the time on his watch, getting close to 6pm. "I think I should make my move..." He said to himself as he got up from the ground.

In that exact moment, the creature swam towards the surface, and jumped out of the water.

As the boy turned away, he felt the cold water splash against his body. "What was that?"

The creature landed on the beach, and raised its head to look at the human in front of it. The creature was a female Kyogre, a water legendary creature from a well known videogame. But unlike the game, she was more anthropomorphic looking, with strong muscled legs and arms, a more humanoid looking head, and, surprisingly, a pair of perfect sized cup-d breasts.

"Holy...." The human looked on at the creature in awe.

She stepped closer to him: Every step she took was a pure expression of elegance, and her skin shining in the sun was more than enough to qualify her as a true beauty.

He looked on at the creature, still in awe. "H..hello there"

She was now right in front of him. She was indeed taller than him. She smiled at the human, and put her hand on his face. The hand felt very cold. "What's your name little one?"

The human gulped. "Peter. And yours?"

"Alice...nice to meet you Pete" she said, as she shook hands with him.

He shook her hand, his human hand easily dwarfed by the size of her hands, large white digits holding it tightly. "That 's a nice name for someone like you"

She went down on her knee, so that she could look at him in the eyes. "You've never seen someone like me before, right?"

"Well, to be honest, no. I've only seen creatures like you in their more natural forms" Peter explained. "So seeing one like this is quite a surprise"

She smiled at him. "Mind if I sit down with you a for a while?"

"I wouldn't mind at all. In fact I'm honoured to be in the presence of someone like yourself" He smiled warmly to her

She sat down next to him. "Such a nice guy" she said, as she wrapped her left arm around him.

He blushed a little bit as he returned the gesture, wrapping his right arm around her. But due to the size of her, his hand was instead near one of her large breasts rather than her shoulder She didn't seem to mind.

She sighed, and started rubbing her hand on his back. Peter felt something weird happening as she did so...it felt like cold water running down his back. He squirmed a little as his back was rubbed, the females thick digits feeling soft and rubbery against his flesh

She kept doing so. He didn't notice that the skin on his back was slowly turning into a rubber-like skin, just like hers. Also, his shirt was vanishing, as if someone was pouring acid on it.

After a few seconds, he suddenly noticed that his shirt had almost disappeared, and he leapt up "What the heck?!"

"Hey, relax...I'm just making you more...comfortable" she said, as she stood up.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, still half shocked.

She put a hand on his chest, and the shirt completely vanished, while more of his skin turned rubbery...white on his chest, and blue on his back, just like Alice's.

"What 's wrong with my body?" He asked, feeling it

"I'm just giving you a more...interesting body" she said, as she stepped behind him, and wrapped her arms around him. "Think about it: Taller, stronger, cooler...everything you desire"

"Really?" He said as he relaxed into the morphs hug

She giggled. "Yeah...now relax" she said, while rubbing her hands on his legs, making his pants disappear, changing his skin more and more.

He relaxed a little, squirming again as he felt the cold wind blow against his now naked form

She kept massaging him. With his skin now fully transformed, new changes started to occur. His body started to get bigger, muscles swelling and giving him more strength.

He let out a few soft groans as his body enlarged, watching as his chest grew more defined, several rows of muscle bulging under the skin. "Woah..."

"Better, uh?" She asked, backing off a little so that he could examine his new muscled body.

"Oh yeah" He chuckled as he flexed his new muscles playfully

"A tail, hands and feet, and the head...and you'll be a perfect creature, just like me" she said, giggling.

Peter turned and smiled at the morph, noticing that the two were now eye level.

"Shall we continue?" she asked, stepping closer to him.

He just nodded eagerly as a response. She took his hands in hers. His hands quickly got bigger and larger, with massive fingers, probably good for swimming. She did the same with his feet, quickly turning them into massive swimming tools.

He looked on at them with a grin. "Let's be honest here for a moment. You aren't just giving this to me out of the blue, I know there's a hidden incentive"

She stepped behind him, and...she literally pulled a tail out of his tailbone. She admired the new tail for a little before answering him. "Yeah...I was wondering...if you could...you know...stay with me, once I'm done with...this?"

"Stay with you in what way" Peter smirked

"As...well...mates?" she asked, blushing a little.

"Mates?" He chuckled for a moment. "That can be arranged I guess..."

"Really? Really? Oh...thanks!" she said, as she jumped and hugged him.

He smiled and hugged her back, nuzzling her face softly

As they did so, he felt the final changes taking place. His face slowly pushed out, forming a small muzzle. His eyes growth a little bigger, and turned a deep blue. His ears growth longer and pointed, while his hairs fell off. It was almost a 100% morph.

"Grrrgg..." He gritted his teeth together as they elongated into sharp fangs

She gave him a quick kiss. "It's okay...it's almost over now"

He looked at her, blushing for a moment as he was kissed, and then returned the kiss"

As they kissed, his brain got a quick reorganisation...new instincts replacing the old ones, and a n immense knowledge being inserted in his memory. His body truly became his own in that moment.

He smiled a bit wider as he leant into the kiss, looking deep into her eyes. It was done...he was a Kyogre, just like her.

She broke the kiss, and stepped back. "So...wanna go swimming now?" she said, as she walked towards the water, looking more beautiful than ever.

"I don't think I could resist that" He grinned, rubbing a hand softly against her lower back

She giggled, and jumped straight into the water. She quickly dived underwater, and just floated near the bottom.

He dived in too, quickly catching up to the morph. "This is easier than it looks!" He grinned, putting his altered limbs to good use

"I gave you the body, and also the knowledge...you are a natural born swimmer now" she said, as she took him by the hand, and guided into the deep waters.

He just chuckled, looking at her whilst he was guided further into the sea After a while, they reached a small underwater cave close to the reef.

She sighed. "Welcome home"

"This is where you live? Looks cosy" Peter said

She swam inside the cave, and just lay down inside a giant Clam. "It's not the best thing you can find...but it's what I call home"

"Well I think it's kinda cute" He smiled to her

"And you know what's even better?" she said, smiling in a very seducing way.

"What's that?" He smirked

She pulled him inside the clam, and she hugged him very tight. "Take a guess"

[yharnamcrow]

[A video.

Eileen is wandering through the flower fields of a large clearing. The sky is slowly darkening, the sun setting. Here and there, Pokémon jump through the flowers, then disappear from view again.

In the distance, there is a slight dim glow amongst the flowers. A different kind of them, one that shines in the dark. A soft, nigh teal glow in the growing darkness, pale like the moon. Eileen's steps hasten. Someone is there, tending to the flowers. When they hear Eileen, they look up. Silver hair tied back with a ribbon, stuffed under a somewhat scuffed tricorn hat. Her face is tired, and very, very familiar. And it is painted brightly with shock.

"Eileen?" Her voice is quivering.

"Maria." Eileen's voice wavers just as much, before she surges forward to grab the woman by the wrist. She is fast enough to grab the taller woman before she can dart away. "Please don't run. Please..." She pulls Maria closer, then envelops her in a hug tight enough that one can practically hear the creak of leather and bone. "Please stay."

"I..." Maria's hands shake. "If you wish..."

"You have no idea how much I do." Eileen's hug becomes even tighter. "No idea at all."]

[vickyvicarious]

I so badly need to play this hack rom of pokemon where you play through a pokemon version of the story of the dracula novel and where you kill him with the power of love and violence

Pfft, it would be really fun I admit.

okay now we got to pick the pokemon the other characters would be

Admittedly I'm not the best at this. Also confining it to the first couple generations (mostly 1-3), as that was what my dream was set in and also the ones I know best (though I still heavily consulted Serebii for this). But here's kind of what I'm thinking for the team...

Jonathan (THE): already assigned, with art and everything! Shiny Magikarp, later evolves into a white Gyarados. As a bonus, the Sapphire description reminds me of him in the castle too: "MAGIKARP is virtually useless in battle as it can only splash around. As a result, it is considered to be weak. However, it is actually a very hardy POKéMON that can survive in any body of water no matter how polluted it is."

Mina (POWER): Despite the name suggesting Fighting-type, I really wanted to do Psychic because that's what makes sense for her. I thought about the Gothita line but not only are they not present until Gen 5, but the descriptions don't fit her as well. I also liked the idea of the Ralts line particularly as Gardevoir has text about knowing the future and sacrificing itself for its trainer. But I think overall I prefer Eevee at the start (super adaptable and interested in lots of things)... and then teetering on the edge between Umbreon and Espeon near the later stages before finally evolving into Espeon just in time. We get the affection+daytime evolution which seems fitting for her, and again the description emphasizes Espeon's loyalty which also works well.

Jack (OF): Got so stuck on this one. I was drawn to mostly Electric or Bug types, but nothing stuck out to me as perfect. Venonat line is kind of fun. Nocturnal is a nod to his poor sleeping habits, big eyes because he's always looking and noticing stuff... Still not so sure on for him.

Arthur (LOVE): So I obviously want a dog. And I think Normal-type fits him. But there are no Normal-type dogs until gen 5. I thought about going with either a different type or an earlier dog pokemon, but honestly I think the Lillipup line works for Arthur too well so I'll break pattern and pick that. The whole line is about herding dogs who want to help keep other pokemon safe and I think that really suits him. Plus, moves such as Helping Hand where he boosts another pokemon's abilities, or Odor Sleuth that allow a Ghost-type to be hit with Normal/Fighting moves are perfect for him. That said, my second choice is Growlithe because they're also dogs who can have those moves, and are friendly/loyal with a good sense of smell that can pick up emotions. I just think the Fire-type and the Arcanine are a little less of an overall match.

Quincey (AND): He's generally quick to act and observant, so I was thinking some kind of bird for him, maybe. I like Ground-types for cowboy vibes but I think overall Pidgey line fits best for him. Quick, alert, large territory, beautiful plumage, a classic. I kind of feel like both he and Arthur would already be on their second evolution when you catch them, so he'd be a Pidgeotto already.

Van Helsing (VIOLENCE): The first thing I did was look up who can use Confusion or Supersonic, haha. I did consider Abra line but other than the super high intellect of Alakazam I don't think it fits best. And honestly... I know it's kind of a weird choice but weirdness itself feels fitting for him: I almost picked Lickitung. Abilities being Oblivious or Own Tempo works, the whole 'licking everything new to memorize it' kinda could go along with him having a million degress, and some of the moves work pretty well. Supersonic, Knock Off, Wrap, Disable, Refresh... I think overall I might lean towards Mr. Mime, though. Also an odd one, but the description mentions its ability to convince people of imaginary things which then become real and that seems fitting for him. Also the various Barrier/Light Screen type moves make sense for him always warding away vampires, and he's got Confusion and Double Slap too. Him being personally weak to Dark/Ghost types might make sense in some parts and make others more difficult, admittedly.

That's the best I've got for them all, at least! Feel free to suggest others if you like.

When you get them:

At the end: