#I feel like this time next year I’ll either look like a Pokémon gym leader or a winx club fairy

[asexualasshat]

Instantly got prettier the second I stopped caring about whether or not men thought I was pretty

[selfdestructivecat]

@the-local-lunatic13

THAT’S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME!

Ok so this is gonna be a long list, since my head is only empty when it’s of greatest inconvenience.

Also please read the tags for potential triggers! Lmk if I missed any and I’ll add them right away.

Without further ado, here’s my interpretation of a Sanders Sides Pokemon AU!

* Ok so first of all, the sides are all gym leaders.

* I picture this in the Galar region, but probably with different towns and the like because I don’t remember any of them.

* Basically, just assume that all of the towns are made up, but that Dynamax still is a thing.

* Let’s start with Patton because his story is the least sad.

* His family runs a Fairy Type gym/pokemon nursery.

* Patton is the eldest in a large family, so he eventually became the new gym leader following in his father’s footsteps.

* He has two dads, one who was the gym leader and the other who is a pokemon breeder. They’re both pokemon breeders now and work in a Pokemon Center.

* They are definitely responsible for Patton’s sense of humor.

* Patton and all of his siblings are adopted, but they’re so close that they might as well be related by blood.

* Patton loves taking care of pokemon and would be a pokemon breeder full-time if he could

* But he also loves his family so he continues to run the gym to raise enough money to keep them comfortable and happy

* The Pokemon team I have come up for him is:

* - Togekiss

* - Boltund

* - Greninja (cuz frog)

* - Altaria

* - Frosmoth

* - Hatterine

* (If anyone has any better ideas for pokemon for any of the sides, feel free to throw your suggestions in the notes!)

* Moving on to Logan...

* Like Patton, he also inherited his gym, a Psychic Type gym, from his parents

* However, his family life isn’t nearly as happy...

* Ever since he was old enough to throw a pokeball, his parents have trained him rigorously to become the next gym leader

* They handpicked all of the pokemon in his team

* Except for a Lucario, which Logan caught as a Riolu when he was very young. His parents only let him keep it because of its battle prowess

* So Logan’s team is:

* - Lucario

* - Gardevoir

* - Alakazam

* - Raichu (alolan)

* - Malamar

* - Onix

* (Also this should be obvious by now but not all the pokes will match the gym’s type cuz that’s boring)

* Logan took over the gym when he was 15 and has been running it basically on his own ever since

* His parents still get the final say in all major decisions, even though they don’t really do anything

* Logan resents them, but doesn’t have the courage to stand up for himself

* ENTER PATTON

* Logan is at first pretty skeptical regarding Patton, since he doesn’t seem to take his job seriously

* After challenging Patton to a battle, however, that stance changes remarkably fast after facing a narrow defeat at the hands of Patton’s pokemon

* Even so, he tells himself that he doesn’t have time to become more than colleagues. He must be cordial with Patton so they can coordinate as gym leaders, but that’s it

* Meanwhile, Patton takes one look at this emotionally-repressed man and thinks to himself

* “Oh, this is the guy I’m gonna marry.”

* He then takes literally every opportunity to flirt with Logan

* And he is not subtle AT ALL

* Like he literally goes up to Logan one day and is like

* “I know you’re not ready for it right now, but one day I’m gonna marry you and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

* And Logan is VERY confused and VERY flustered because feelings? What is happening to my heart!? Am I getting sick!?

* (And his parents would absolutely disapprove because they are huge homophobes and want Logan to have an heir to pass on the gym to)

* But eventually Patton manages to break Logan’s walls down and they become close friends

* (And eventually more)

* Now, the twins!

* Their situation is pretty similar to Logan’s, at least to a certain point

* Their parents own a Fire Type gym, and were so excited to have a child who would eventually take over the gym

* Two things happened that they did not anticipate

1) They ended up having twins

2) The mother died during childbirth

* Driven by grief, stubbornness, and resentment, the father had the idea that, in order to make the twins as strong as possible, he would put them against each other at every opportunity

* They would constantly be competing to become better than the other, creating an extremely toxic rivalry

* It didn’t work... at least, not at first.

* When they were very young, Roman and Remus were inseparable.

* Even when their father tried to put them against each other, they would rebel against him and not listen

* (Remus had no issue with this, but Roman quietly longed for his father’s approval, even though he knew it was wrong)

* They had a dream that they would run the gym together, and they would talk long into the night about the gym they would create and the pokemon they would train

* That was, until their father started to take a different approach

* He noticed that, despite the two boys receiving the same education and training, Roman had a better affinity for battle (at least when it came to fire types)

* So he started giving Roman more praise and attention

* Roman was thrilled to finally make his father proud

* Remus, on the other hand, was tossed to the side

* Roman was reluctant to give up his father’s attention now that he had received it

* (Looking back, Roman wishes more than anything that he had given it up)

* The twins were driven apart, Roman being trained to take over the gym, and Remus being completely ignored

* One day, Remus ran away, disappearing in the middle of the night.

* Roman was devastated

* He wanted nothing more than to search for Remus, but he knew that if his brother didn’t want to be found, he could vanish off the face of the earth

* Years pass, and Roman takes over the gym

* His father passes away from illness when he was 16

* He can’t find it in himself to grieve

* Roman continues running the gym, hating how quiet the halls are and missing his brother terribly

* One day, he receives news of a new Poison Type gym being established, one heavily criticized for its unorthodox (and, some complain, absolutely disgusting) gym structure and puzzles

* For the first time in years, Roman smiles

* Their relationship is not nearly as close as it was when they were children, and they still have a lot of that competitiveness that was hammered into them, but they’re trying

* And of course, their pokemon teams!

* Roman’s team is:

* - Charizard

* - Wigglytuff

* - Aegislash

* - Milotic

* - Gallade

* - Butterfree

(Maybe he should have more fire types but I like all of these Pokémon for him and they don’t really have a common type among them and ahhhhhhhh...)

* While Remus’s team is:

* - Garbodor

* - Muk

* - Tentacruel

* - Gengar

* - Mawile

* - Venomoth

* While catching up on everything that happened while they were separated, Roman asks Remus how he managed to establish his own gym so quickly

* Remus smirks, saying that he had a little help from a certain dragon...

* WHICH IS JANUS! HE HAS A DRAGON TYPE GYM!

* And this is where we get into that sweet sweet angst

* Janus was born in a small village surrounded by mountains

* A few months before his birth, a disease spread throughout the village

* This disease would coat the skin in angry red boils and drive the infected delirious with sickness

* One day, Janus’ parents found him shivering with a fever, the left side of his face covered in boils

* Fearing for their lives should they catch the disease, they brought the child into the mountains and abandoned him in an old, dark cave

* He wailed in pain and terror until his throat was so hoarse he couldn’t cry anymore

* Dialga, the legendary dragon-type pokemon with power over time, heard his cries and took pity on the child

* Dialga reversed the effects of the illness, curing the child but leaving shimmering scales where the boils used to be

* Dialga then tasked the dragon type pokemon in the cave to look after the child, not trusting humans to ensure Janus’ well being

* A family of Dreepies, Drakloaks, and Dragapults takes a particular liking to Janus, raising him as one of their own

* Eventually, when Janus is a bit older, he goes to visit the town he was born in (supervised by his dragon family, of course)

* Only to find that the village was gone, abandoned by the few survivors of the horrible plague that spread throughout

* Janus felt no remorse

* He knew that he could only rely on himself, and that if he wanted to survive in this world, he needed to be aggressive

* The following week, he said goodbye to his family, only taking with him his best friend, one of the Dreepies in his family that was now a powerful Dragapault

* It wasn’t easy, as he had to learn the language and social etiquette of the people around him (being raised by pokemon would do that to you)

* He even had to resort to stealing in order to survive, which kept him on the run

* Until one day, he met Remus, another kid on the run

* Together, they were an absolute menace. To this day, the two of them have never lost a double battle

* Eventually, they both opened their own gyms, Remus a poison type and Janus a dragon type

* When not busy with the typical duties required of gym leaders, they’re basically inseparable

* Remus is the one person Janus trusts whole-heartedly

* I headcanon them as either really close friends or queer-platonic partners, but I’ll leave it up to you to decide their relationship!

* By the way, Janus’ team consists of:

* - Dragapult

* - Mimikyu

* - Zoroark

* - Arbok

* - Salazzle

* - Kimmo-oh

* So that leaves one side left...

* Ima be honest, I based Virgil heavily on Piers, but bear with me ok?

* Virgil grew up in a very poor town with his mother, as his dad abandoned them when he was very young

* And when I say poor, I mean that there wasn’t even a Pokemon Center

* Even so, he didn’t wish for anything. He didn’t care about traveling or becoming a great pokemon trainer. He just wanted to be with his mom

* (His anxiety made it hard to leave the house, anyway, so he was in no rush to go on some grand adventure)

* His mom had a dream to open a pokemon gym that both 1) incorporated music and 2) was more down to earth than the grand stadiums that were now the norm for gyms

* When she was pregnant with Virgil, she was more than happy to give up that dream for her family

* However, when her husband, their main source of income, abandoned them, her dream became more of a necessity

* The entire town was on her side, knowing that a gym could bring money to their town

* Their “gym” was nothing more than a small, outdoor stadium, but his mother loved it

* The few curious pokemon trainers who decided to challenge the unofficial gym absolutely loved her, and slowly she started to gain a bit of notoriety

* Virgil was terrified. He was afraid that his mom would get hurt by the powerful pokemon that constantly challenged her

* (And he missed her terribly. She still made time for him, but it wasn’t as much as before she took on the role of unofficial gym leader)

* And so, his mom brought him his very first pokemon: an Eevee that always seemed to know exactly how to calm him down

* He loved his Eevee, and he felt a little bit less alone whenever his mom had to leave for work. He was ok.

* Unfortunately, fate had cruel plans for the young boy

* His town was cast into shadow as a maddened Dynamaxed pokemon appeared a few miles away

* His mom, the strongest trainer in town, left to take it down, despite how much Virgil begged her to not go, or to take him with her

* (She had to go. The second-closest city to the dynamaxed pokemon was still very far away. Help wouldn’t come for a while. She was all her small town had.)

* (...She didn’t return)

* The entire town was in mourning, holding a huge ceremony to honor her memory.

* Virgil was inconsolable, barely speaking and refusing to leave his room for almost an entire year

* If it wasn’t for the people in the town, who cared for him as deeply as they did his mother, he probably wouldn’t have eaten.

* The unofficial gym, without a gym leader, was abandoned, and its small glimpse of fame was lost, plunging the town back into a seemingly inescapable pit of poverty and obscurity

* Until one day, a group of thugs came and terrorized the town, letting loose their pokemon and stealing everything they could get their hands on

* Virgil was terrified, but he couldn’t just stand there while people got hurt. With only his Eevee and his only experience being watching his mom in her matches, he challenged the thugs

* He didn’t stand a chance. His poor Eevee was at its knees within moments

* Virgil was distraught, hating his weakness and how he couldn’t protect the town that had become his family. He tried to fight the thugs himself, only to be knocked back by one of their Pokémon’s attacks.

* He got back up and charged again, tears in his eyes and bile rising from how scared he was

* His Eevee, terrified for its master and inspired by his bravery, began to glow...

* ...and in its place stood an Umbreon, body pulsing with newfound power

* This scene rallied the other people in the town, who banded together to drive the thugs away, Virgil and his Umbreon leading the charge

* From then on, Virgil vowed that he would become a strong Dark Type gym leader and create the gym his mother never got the chance to

* He trained hard, swallowing his fear to capture and train more pokemon for his team

* Which consists of...

* - Umbreon

* - Houndoom

* - Galvantula

* - Gothitelle

* - Corviknight

* - Noivern

* The townspeople, much like Team Yell in Pokemon Sw/Sh, would often go to other cities singing Virgil’s praise and unwittingly causing all sorts of problems

* Virgil has no idea that any of this is happening

* Eventually, word gets out again regarding this unofficial Pokemon gym, attracting the attention of the other gym leaders

* Roman is sent to investigate

* He doesn’t expect much, given the general appearance of the town (it doesn’t even have a pokemon center, after all)

* He’s even more put off when he recognizes the outfits of the trainers in the “gym” as the strange people who have been causing trouble all over Galar

* Even so, he has a job to do, so he dons a disguise and plows through all of the trainers, eager to finish the gym so he can go back home

* His desire to leave vanishes faster than a Pikachu with Agility the moment he lays eyes on Virgil

* Just like his mother wanted, Virgil’s battles take place during a rock concert, so Virgil waiting on a makeshift stage with a guitar in hand

* (Virgil feels like he’s going to explode with nerves, just like he does every time a trainer challenges his gym, but the memory of his mother gives him courage)

* As his Umbreon leaps into battle, he begins to sing

* And holy shit Roman is in love

* The small area is filled with spectators cheering and singing along to the song, and despite it being a far cry from any grand stadium Roman has ever battled in, it has more spirit than anything Roman has ever experienced

* It’s the most fun he’s had battling in years

* Virgil is a tough opponent, a testament to his years of pushing himself, but in the end Roman has more experience

* Virgil is devastated at the loss, knowing it would be a blow against the gym’s reputation, but manages to put on a smile and offers Roman a pin: their unofficial gym badge

* Roman smiles, removing his disguise to pin the badge to his clothes and Virgil is like “holy shit that’s Roman the famous fire-type gym leader oh no he’s really hot oh no what have I done I GAVE HIM A HANDMADE PIECE OF SCRAP METAL OH NO”

* And Roman, ignorant to Virgil’s crisis, is like “cmon, we gotta get the paperwork done to establish this place as an official gym!”

* When later asked, Virgil would firmly deny it, but at that moment he had literally burst into tears

* Roman still wears the badge Virgil presented to him to this day, even though Virgil has repeatedly offered him one of the higher-quality badges they now give out as an official gym

* Virgil’s gym is the only one that doesn’t have Dynamax, since he still has some trauma from his mother’s death

* Prinxiety eventually happens because I say so

* And all of the gym leaders are friends also because I say so

I might add more to this AU if people are interested! And feel free to add your own ideas! I’d love to hear what you think!

Sorry for rambling, but if you managed to get this far, thanks for reading! :D

[smallersocksx]

Pokémon Character Analysis: Iris

With Iris set to return to the anime in next week’s episode of Journeys. I decided to take the time to analyse her character as I’ll be honest, Iris isn’t one of my favourite travelling companions. However, now that I’m older and I’ve taken the time to analyse her character. I realise, that a lot of the hate Iris receives is slightly over the top.

As with all my reviews/analyses, I’ll keep them under the cut. So, if you want to keep reading, that’s great!

Introduction:

As many people that have read my previous reviews and know me, may know I am a huge fan of the Diamond and Pearl games and anime series. I will be the first to say, I know Diamond and Pearl wasn’t a perfect series, honestly, there is no such thing as a perfect series. But as a follow-up to DP, Black and White was definitely a let-down for a lot of fans, either because of completely resetting Ash’s knowledge which was honestly an insult to his DP incarnation, his travelling companions or the fact that he lost to Cameron of all people in the Vertress Conference. BW in some aspects left a lot to be desired.

Nevertheless, this post is focusing on Iris, a companion similar to Goh, a lot of fans love to hate particularly because of her infamous catchphrase “You’re such a kid.” Looking back, this was one of the things that did make me drop the series, keep in mind I was 11 when BW started airing. So, hearing a character that is meant to be the same age or younger than you say "You’re such a kid!” Over and over again, got annoying quite quickly.

However, looking back the usage of that infamous catchphrase was probably exaggerated. Whilst, working past that I still didn’t come to love Iris. Considering, Iris is meant to be one of the main character and similar to Goh, they are meant to be written in a way that makes us want to see them grow, cheer them on and be happy when they succeed. Nonetheless, when you look at the way they are written and their development it just makes it abundantly clear that Iris and Goh are the victims of poor writing.

Iris’ Initial Characterisation:

The aspect that made me drop the series was Iris’ initial characterisation particularly the infamous phrase “You’re such a kid” which as I mentioned in the introduction, which with the benefit of hindsight I can see the usage of it has been exaggerated. Nevertheless, it doesn’t change the fact that it was annoying. Especially, given when Ash meets Iris, he had defeated legendaries by this point, acquired 36 badges (that’s including the Orange Archipelago badges) and defeated the Battle Frontier. Whereas Iris may have had good battling prowess and at one point had a 99-battle winning streak, but, her Axew was a newborn with hardly any battling experience and her Excadrill was refusing to listen to her.

Many people use the defence that Misty called Ash a kid yet she doesn’t nearly receive as much hate. To be fair, when Misty met Ash, he was a rookie trainer and Misty was a gym leader, so Misty at least had the position and knowledge to back her up. However, this was only an issue at the beginning of the series and the insults tend to die down, but, that initial characterisation is what stopped me from watching the series since my 11-year-old self did not have the patience for that.

Iris’ Goal:

Iris’ goal is to become a Dragon Master, however, by the end of Black and White, Iris opts to travel to Johto to battle Clair and following the conclusion of that battle she opts to follow the direction she saw Rayquaza flying. When I look at this conclusion, I’m honestly confused, I have no sense of whether or not Iris is any closer to achieving her goal. Or even throughout the series, we get no sense of how anyone who wants to master any Pokémon typing reaches their goal, a majority of type specialists typically end up in the position of Gym Leader or Elite Four. But Iris never once expressed a desire to be a Gym Leader or any higher-ranking position. Which, makes Drayden decision to choose Iris as his successor, all the more unusual to me. I suppose in one way it gives Iris a position/goal to work towards but given Iris’ free-spirited personality, having someone choose her path rather than choosing it herself feels unnatural.

Additionally, an obvious method to becoming a type specialist is catching Pokémon of the same type you want to specialize in and little more than half of Iris’ team actually consist of Dragon-types. I understand Gym Leaders having at least one alternative type to give their team diversity and cover their weaknesses. As shown by Candice owning a Medicham and Piers having a Toxtricity in his party later in the SW/SH games. But, Excadrill fits the bill more than Emolga as Excadrill is part of Steel-type which covers Iris’ team’s weaknesses to Ice and the newly introduced Fairy-types. That is not to say that I dislike Emolga or anything but it felt like she was an unusual catch.

I am aware Clemont only had one Electric-type on hand when travelling with Ash, to be fair, the remainder of his Electric-types were at the Lumiose Gym and before catching his Bunnelby he displayed apprehension at handling other types of Pokémon.

Axew:

I like to think of the characters’ first Pokémon or their partner Pokémon as a mirror reflecting their growth. Take May and Blaziken, they mirror one another’s development perfectly as when Blaziken was a Torchic much like May, he was inexperienced and unsure of himself. When Torchic evolved to Combusken, at this point May had won two Contest Ribbons and began to feel confident in her Coordinating skills. Once, Torchic evolved into Combusken he developed that same level of confidence, he didn’t feel the need to compete for May’s attention and wasn’t bullied or intimidated by other Pokémon like Ash’s Corphish. Then Combusken evolves to Blaziken in the penultimate episode, once May has decided to leave the group, travel through Johto on her own and find her own battling style. At this point, May has chosen to become independent and this reflects in Combusken, her first Pokémon evolving into his final stage. My point being I like to think every travelling companions’ ace reflects their character growth and I don’t get that same feeling with Iris and Axew.

Now it is clear that Iris and Axew care for one another and there is also the twist that Axew wasn’t Iris’ first Pokémon. However, for a majority of the series, Axew was Iris’ only Dragon-type and in the sixth episode, he has a dream of evolving into his final stage. After that, the idea of Axew evolving is hardly addressed. As I’ve mentioned, evolving or choosing not to evolve are one method of allowing Pokémon to develop, considering, Axew has expressed a desire to evolve, I think he should have at least evolved into Fraxure before the BW series concluded. As aside from him learning Dragon-type moves and developing as a battler, once, Dragonite’s introduced he’s kind of pushed to the sidelines and doesn’t develop any further.

Many fans are hoping by Iris’ appearance in Journeys, Axew has evolved into Haxorus. However, if Axew had evolved into Fraxure by the end of the series, then his evolution into Haxorus would feel more natural to me.

Dragonite:

I will be honest; I am not a huge fan of Iris’ Dragonite. It felt as though, the writers forgot to give her an additional Dragon-type and just rewarded her with this random Dragonite. Also, there is the fact, that Dragonite was disobedient towards Iris despite the fact he joined her team willingly. This display of disobedience reflects poorly on Iris as a trainer, especially after Excadrill’s arc. Moreover, Iris has had some of her best moments throughout the series with the other Unovan Dragon-types such as Druddigon and Deino both of which would have been great captures for her particularly Deino as she has a Hydreigon in the games.

Also, HE. SHOULD. HAVE. LOST. TO. DAWN’S. MAMOSWINE!!!! (and I’m not just saying that because I love Dawn and her Mamoswine)

If the writers absolutely felt that they had to give Iris a Dragonite, they could have at least done it whilst she was in Johto since Dragonite’s pre-evolutions can be found in Dragon’s Den and Route 45. It honestly would have made more sense than giving her a Gible which isn’t even native to Johto and we haven’t even been given a hint on whether or not Gible is appearing in the next episode.

Conclusion:

I think posting my thoughts, always, manages to clear my head. Now whilst, Iris wasn’t my favourite travelling companion of Ash’s. I feel as though some of the hate towards her is exaggerated as she has had some great moments and development throughout BW. One of my favourite arcs in BW, was Iris restoring her relationship with Excadrill which was one of the most poignant moments of the series.

I think if the writers did a better job as well at establishing Iris’ goals – we understand she wants to be a Dragon Master, but does she want to become a gym leader? A caretaker of Dragon-types (similar to Liza of Charicific Valley)? If they had established this from the beginning, we would have had a better understanding of the direction they wanted to take with Iris’ development.

As well, in the games, Iris has a better relationship with Drayden as she affectionately refers to him as “Grandpa”, I think if they transferred that relationship into the anime, it would have made Drayden’s choice of selecting Iris as his successor feel a lot more natural.

All in all, I feel as though Iris was the victim of some arguably poor and weird writing choices and she isn’t the only character to experience this throughout the series. After writing this, I am looking forward to Ash vs Iris next week, but you have to hope they don’t pull the same stunt as they did with Korrina and diminish all of Iris’ efforts and training during her absence. At least we’ll finally get to see Dracovish in action as well!

[chaserainbows]

🔥

Send me a “ 🔥 “ for an unpopular opinion.

So to add some context for this one I've dabbled in game design a few years ago and in general been the kind of Pokémon fan that Likes Making Things and looking up fan content pretty much ever since I joined the community, so the conclusion I got from all that is

The typical Pokémon fangame is actually garbage

(Under cut because it'll get long and also because I'm gonna spoil some plot points of Pokémon Reborn and Pokémon Rejuvenation)

First of all, the most common idea behind Pokémon fangames is "the canon games are too easy so I'm gonna make something Harder for The Mature Audience" and you know what? Fair! The difficulty in Pokémon games reached its peak in gen 4 and basically got tossed off a cliff in gen 6, so the idea of a game that actually makes you think is very appealing. However, this causes two main problems:

1) One of the main appeals behind Pokémon games is that you get to choose your own difficulty. Every regional Pokédex has literally over a hundred Pokémon, and while this means you can choose the stronger ones for an easier time and counterpick the main bosses' own teams, it also means you can make many different combinations on the same team and turn each playthrough into a completely different experience.

For example, Pokémon X/Y is typically considered effortless, but it can actually be a pretty tough game if you just... turn off the Exp Share. Likewise, if you think that the game hands you too many overpowered Pokémon too quickly, you can just not use them. There's like 450 Pokémon in Kalos, you don't HAVE to use the starters, the Kanto starters, the gift Lucario, the gift Lapras, an Aegislash or whatever it is if you don't want to. It works for Mega Evolution as well, if you feel like it makes the game trivial you're only forced to use it once. The same is true for literally any other Pokémon game, if you want a bigger challenge you can use traditionally weaker Pokémon, use a monotype team, use unevolved Pokémon, play a Nuzlocke, the possibilities are endless, but if you want a challenge while playing what's basically the game's easy mode then of course you're gonna be bored. And that brings us to our next topic:

2) The average Pokémon fangame dev has no idea how game balance works. Case in point: Pokémon Reborn, which is basically the most famous example of A Pokémon Game For Grown-Ups, With A Grown-Up Plot And A Grown-Up Difficulty, except it's not a hard game, it's an unbalanced one. Most of the challenge comes not from the actual battles requiring a high level of strategy or resources being so scarce that you need to be inventive with them, it comes from the fact that the game is just really inconvenient to play.

I'll prove my point: One of the main aspects from Pokémon Reborn as a game is that Pokémon are hard to find and the really good ones are reserved to the engame, so combined with the fact that the gym leaders and most important bosses have full teams and are fought in terrains that stack the deck against you, you have to get creative if you want to win. This is bullshit, the only thing this restriction really does is that you have to beat the game the way the dev intended (therefore removing the customization aspect of Pokémon altogether) or just find oversights to exploit, like how the Bug-type gym gets bodied by a Vulpix or how the updated version of the Ice-type gym couldn't do anything to a Magnemite, which usually get removed in a future update effectively turning your playthrough illegal. It's not even an impartial process, as Gardevoir trivializes several midgame bosses but never gets pushed back because it's the dev's favorite.

Oh, and you know what I said about terrains? Most of them consist of the bosses' Pokémon getting several buffs just by existing while all their weaknesses get nerfed or outright neutralized, which means two things: There's no real strategy involved, since all it really does is that you have to hit the enemy with neutral moves while getting blasted by attacks with x2.25 multipliers on top of STAB, and also the game gets REALLY easy if you just change the terrain because every important boss other than the first gym leader is completely reliant on it. Seriously, if you have an Ampharos with Electric Terrain you've won.

(though to be completely fair the engine's ai is HORRIBLE so the game can't have good strategies, but that really just proves that the idea is flawed)

The gameplay isn't all, though, there's also the story as one of the main appeal of Pokémon games is that they're more mature and able to handle themes like murder, corruption, mental illness and war.

THAT'S A FUCKING LIE THEY JUST READ LIKE IF MY IMMORTAL HAD A CHILD WITH CALL OF DUTY

Like the idea of a Grown-Up Pokémon League For Adults where the deck is constantly stacked against you and every challenger has to fight the gym leader at a disadvantage is flawed from the beginning no matter how you look at it. Pokémon battles are a sport, and gym leaders are basically professional athletes, meaning that they're subject to rules and most important, public opinion. If all your victories come from the fact that you're in top condition and the competition isn't, then you're gonna lose credibility REALLY fast because could you really win in a fair fight? If you have to issue a handicap against every challenger, aren't you basically admitting that you can't win without it?

And that's before we get into the fact that most of the time the league challenge is FUCKING IMPOSSIBLE for anyone other than the player to complete, even though it's supposed to be something that affects the whole region (oh and since usually those leagues are from 'the strongest trainers all over the world' it's implied that there's a lot of challengers from other regions as well). In Reborn, one of the gym leaders was TRAPPED IN A PARALLEL DIMENSION FOR 15 YEARS and that one is ironically one of the most accessible. Half of the league members were trapped in an orphanage and unable to accept challenges, several of them are part of the evil organization and end up on the run either before or after you defeat them and several of them (including the ones from the orphanage) follow you through the region. Then there's Rejuvenation where one of the gyms is only accessible through a dream world, several of the leaders ditch their gyms either to follow the player or to hide from the police, one of them tries to kill you and ends up frozen alive and you have to repeatedly travel back and forth in time to advance the plot. How is literally anyone other than the player supposed to complete the gym challenge? Even the rivals basically stop talking about getting badges because it makes no sense.

Then there's the evil teams. Despite the fact that they're supposed to be more realistic and gritty than the canon ones, most of the time they're gonna be some sort of cult based on offensive religious stereotypes (with Giratina as satan because OF COURSE), a blatant ripoff of Team Galactic or just a fascist allegory, which I ranted about before because those are the most irresponsible. Their biggest claim to fame is that their higher-ranked members are too strong to defeat because the writer usually won't do enough research about how crime syndicates actually work and makes the league members seem even more incompetent because they're supposed to be the best of the best and yet keep getting clapped by a bunch of thugs for no good reason. They're gonna kill a bunch of people, but conveniently 95% of their victims are gonna be extras that the player has no reason to get attached to. Oh, and the edgelord Gary Oak-esque rival WILL join them for reasons.

In short, they're made using a bunch of popular characteristics without putting much (if any) thought into how they actually work together, and the gameplay is built to be unenjoyable (which doesn't necessarily mean hard) because people play them for bragging rights rather than actually having fun. Most canon games have more mature storylines because mature doesn't mean pointlessly dark, and even though most of them are hyped up by ragging on X and Y, Lysandre is a more compelling character than like 80% of the fangame villains. Oh, and Big Boy Pants unfair leagues are ridiculous

[artsymew]

It’s raining somewhere else

It’s been a hot minute. Finally wrote the last installment for my Contestshipping fanfic “Race You to the City”. You can read it on FanFiction here or under the cut! Takes place in Castelia’s Cafe Sonata. Enjoy ^^

Context: May and Drew engage in small talk in "Café Sonata" seeking cover from the rain. Snippets of small talk. Their coffees keep going cold. Bragging rights. The rainy weather has them moody.

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"It's starting to rain."

The lights are dim in the little Café Sonata. The sudden downpour keeps them cooped up in Castelia's hidden alleyway café. The rain splatters on the concrete outside their window seats, earning Drew's comment. May grasps the now lukewarm caramel latte with both hands. Lost in thought.

"Ah!" May glances through the blinds of the window they are sitting besides, responding to Drew's comment, "looks like it is". She smiles slightly before turning her attention to the swirling foam again.

He wasn't expecting her to reply, yet he finds it odd that she hasn't started a conversation. Small talk is her thing. He watches her gaze trace the swirling bits of foam of what once was the latte art in her cup. He likes how the lighting in the café reflects on her face. A golden glow. Drew stares down at the steam coming from his own coffee; a usual dark roast – French press.

He likes the comfortable silences they share from time to time, yet this one seems too comforting. Disquieting, even. Any other time he'd admire the faraway look in her eyes; how she daydreams despite pocking fun at her for it. It's one of the things he loves about her. But the look she wears now seems too distant.

As if she is somewhere else.

"How is Max feeling about the upcoming League battles?"

He knows she is somewhere else; in her mind anyway. Hoenn. Judging from the phone conversation she had with Max last night, their home region is likely on her mind. Her brother giddily called exclaiming how he had finally won his 8th Gym Badge against Juan, a former coordinator and someone she and Ash had battled a few years ago. He planned to head home for a while before competing in the upcoming Hoenn League.

"He's really excited, following in Ash's footsteps and all", her tone comes off a bit deflated. She looks out the window, pensive. "I wish I could be there to celebrate with him."

"He misses you, you know."

She smiles half-heartedly, traces of guilt lingering as her eyes avert to the swirling foam again.

It had surprised Drew to hear that May hadn't visited her family in a while. Max playfully chastised during their call how he'll become League Champion twice fold by the next time she visits. Drew noted how May gripped her sleeve when she laughed him off.

He didn't pry for her reasonings about not visiting; he barely remembering the last time in a few years he visited his own family and had his own reasonings for that. He suspects hers have to do with the non-stop training and desperation. Desperation for a damn Ribbon Cup.

He doesn't see the glory of it anymore. He guesses it's the allure. The excitement waned quickly for him once he decided on his next contest route. Of course, it's easy for him to say now that he's attained the title of Top Coordinator and has a Ribbon Cup himself. But continuing to train and compete with his Pokemon is what drives him to get stronger, to get better. That and to compete against his rival. His rival who made that allure of winning worth it.

He figures May will come to understand that once she wins, too.

Once she gets out of this cloud of self doubt, that is.

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"Oran or Pecha?" May turns to Drew at his random question, looking at him inquisitively before he continues, "which do you prefer?"

May puts a finger to her lips and hums, pondering before deciding, "Pecha".

"Excuse me," Drew walked up to the café counter at May's surprise, pointing the barista to one of the Pecha pastries in the glass display, "this one please; with added whipped cream."

He sees May's suspicious look when he sits back down with a delicious Pecha Berry shortcake – with the added whipped cream. The rain outside continues to drawl, but some light returns to her eyes. The embers of the fireplace flicker in them. Drew smiles.

Prompting conversation has its ways.

"Felt like trying one of their pastries out," he shrugs off simply, gesturing at the two small forks on the plate "want some?"

May takes his offer with a quick thank you. "Didn't know you had a sweet tooth, Mr. Bitter Coffee", she playfully jabs while taking a bite off the cake. Her teasing lacks her usual spunk.

"Not usually, but you didn't drink your liquid sugar in one gulp today either," Drew's smirks when her eyebrow twitches, "leave some of it for me to try, will you?"

Bait.

May literally bites, her blissful expression from those first few chews turns incredulous. "You know I won't eat all of it!" she digs out another piece of the pastry, taking some of the whipped cream Drew so graciously asked for with good measure. "At least I don't take Slakoth sips from dirt-flavour coffee."

"It's an acquired taste from the sleepless nights of being a Top Coordinator" Drew takes a bite off the pastry and chuckles at her irritated chewing. To Sonata Café's credit the pastry is quite good. A bit too sweet for his own liking, though. He planned letting May have most of it anyway.

"Yeah, yeah, bragging rights" May sighs, unresentful. Their battle together last year had been breathtaking and incredibly difficult; Drew would not have wanted to win his title any other way. "Don't bragging rights expire at some point?"

"Until you win," Drew sips his coffee. He cocks a brow hearing her sigh, but decides not to push further at the moment. He goes to ask for another coffee.

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"I'll have to deal with Max bragging about his own championship title soon," May comments after a while, looking up from her notes. Another coffee in hand, this time a mocha. Drew perks at the hint of discomfort in her voice.

Ah.

"Not sure he'll win at all, though," Drew states bluntly, closing his book. The rain shutters against the pavement outside. Her reflection turns to watch him. "How many times has Ash – an experienced trainer - challenged the Pokémon League and won?"

It is a risk to critique Ash or Max in a conversation, let alone use Ash as an example of training criticism. But Drew is not one to use sweet flattery when someone is feeling down.

"But Ash continues to work hard for his dream!" she exclaims defensively, a bit miffed at her rival. The barista looks over to them, cleaning a cup. "He hasn't let his losses stop him from getting stronger."

"He still hasn't won a League," he states calmly, turning to face his now irritated companion across his table, "winning the Orange League or the Battle Towers does not count." Proceed with caution. "In short, no different from your current position."

She stabs her tiny fork at the Pecha berry. Surprisingly, the shortcake is only half gone. "Yes Drew! I know I haven't obtained the title of top coordinator yet", she munches and closes her notes. He worries about the little notebook and whether it would damage anything in the cafe if thrown. "but Max is a talented trainer; he can do it. He beat the gym leaders in Hoenn under a year. That's much faster than Ash."

"Yet he has yet to beat you in a Pokémon battle," Drew retorts.

"Why are you being so cynical?" May infuriated gaze aimed towards him, dismissing his backhanded compliment. 'A small price to pay', he thinks.

"Realistic, May" he brings his coffee to his lips, looking sternly at his rival. He's starting to feel irritated himself. The weather is affecting them both. "Max and Ash are good trainers, yes, but they've done nothing you haven't. I know because I battle the result of it."

He watches as her mouth parts agape, before she looks downward, frowning. "But I still haven't-"

"-Arceus, May," he interrupts as May's gaze widens. "Winning that damn title wouldn't have been worth it if I hadn't battled against you. You made it worth it." He looks into her eyes, unfaltering. "You're strong. Stop feeling sorry for yourself."

Drew goes to take an exasperated sip of his coffee only to realize he finished it. He presses a palm to his head and averts his gaze to the window again. Rain continues to fall even harder, shaking the Café's hanging sign almost off it's rails. The taste of bitter coffee grounds remains in his mouth. May's lips trembles in what he catches with a sideways glance. Is she about to cry? Mew.

He hadn't meant to spill his heart out like that at all. He picks up where he left off in the chapter, but can't concentrate. It's down-pouring outside. He lost his cool. They're both upset and the silence is now shredded and awkward. Great.

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All the sudden May bursts out laughing.

Tears fall from her eyes as she cackles. She has a hearty laugh that fills the room and opens up space to breathe. She wails even more when she sees his dumbfounded expression. What in the Arceus-

"Oh, Drew," she breathes while pushing away the tears from her eyes "look at us- what am I even saying? Needing you scold me like some kid, oh Mew," she exasperates through giggles and Drew can only stare at her, wide-eyed. She looks at the shortcake and laughs even harder.

"Oh no, don't tell me - you bought this freaking cake to cheer me up, didn't you?" she accuses, letting out a snort at his guilty blush. "You know me too well, Arceus-"

May's outburst of laughter is contagious, he can't help but start laughing too. What the hell. Cold coffee, half eaten cake. The bartender looking at them like a pair of lunatics. The café setting like some cheap soap opera. Bickering like children. Never being able to admit their obvious feelings. The entire situation is ridiculous.

Drew has never felt so smitten yet so lost before in his life.

They are still kids, aren't they?

He presses his hand to his face to cover his own snort. May laughs even harder, eyes twinkling. Drew finds the rain drops on the window suddenly appear interesting.

"Would you look at that!" May begins sarcastically, spunk restored. "'Top Coordinator Drew snorts when he laughs!' Where is the press?"

"Great story idea, would drive my fans wild. Empty shelves for sure."

"Here I was about to compliment your nice laugh" she flicks a Pecha berry at him, that he catches easily. She sighs contended, "You're so full of it. Guess we should finish eating your pity cake."

"Why, thank you, I've heard my laugh is quite charming," he ignores her jab, flicking his hair on purpose. She rolls her eyes at him but doesn't bothering to hide her grin. "And like I said May, I had a genuine urge to try it."

"Sure you did."

They both take up another piece, savouring the flavour. It tastes sweeter, somehow. A new comfortable silence ensues.

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"We never had this much rain in Hoenn, did we?" May asks after a while, glancing over to him.

"Probably," Drew watches how alleyway lights flicker in the puddles, "it's been a while since I've been."

He watches May look beyond the rainy view outside, a renewed focus. "I should visit them soon."

"You should," he agrees, "there should be enough time after the next contest. If you want to visit, I mean."

May hums in agreement, "that would be nice," she stares at Drew through the window, the rain fall lighter on the ground. "You're welcome anytime, you know?"

"Your dad wants to murder me with his Slaking whenever I visit," Drew deadpans, elicting another laugh from May. He doesn't give away how touched he feels and how smitten he gets whenever he makes May laugh with his comments.

A bit more time passes, both coordinators bask in silence as the downpour continues to fall. Occasional commentary. Eventually, he stands to order another coffee. Might as well wait out the rain.

She reaches over to grasp his hand on the table, squeezing it. Drew's heart jumps to his throat, he looks down to her. The smile reaches her eyes again. "Thank you, Drew."

Drew lets himself smile.

"Anytime, May."

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A/N: After a year, I think this is a good place to finish this fic. I felt a casual conversation at a coffee shop would suffice. I knew I wanted to write them in Café Sonata for a long time, but I wasn't sure what to do with the scenario. Going for a coffee at my local café during a rainy day inspired me. Thank you so much for your patience with this story. 😊

[fieryfafarfanfics]

(Bederia) Unplanned Confessions 1

 This was absolutely ridiculous.  Unheard of. Unbelievable. Utterly unthinkable.  And yet here he was.  Standing in the middle of Lake of Outrage. Watching in baffled daze as the women a few steps away worked and moved her way to the set up her—their—camp.  Well, to be precise, she was technically setting up her camp. His own tent was still tucked inside his backpack while hers had been neatly arranged and formed in one of the open fields. All 6 of her Pokémon were out from the moment he arrived, all either hopping or running or even sparring with one another like a bunch of baby Pokémon.  Dangerous baby Pokémon, he corrected as he spotted the fearsome Hydreigon spouting Dragon Rage at an enthusiastic Cinderace.  “Bede!”  Her name was a bell that cleared away the clouds in his mind. Violet eyes were lost in a sea of crimson that shined between a pair of glasses. Quickly he regained his senses. Though years of rivalry and friendship enabled them to get comfortable with each other, the Gym Leader still felt on guard when it comes to her and her specifically.  Well, both her and that unruly best friend of hers. But Bede knew Gloria’s case was a much more…delicate matters of the heart.

 Ugh. Slowly sucking in a breath, he walked towards her. At every step, he could feel the excitement of his Pokémon from inside their balls. It seems that he wasn’t the only one who formed such a friendship with the Champion.  “Gloria.” He stopped in front of her. His height hovered tall and proud before her, but not once did Gloria ever feel threatened by his presence.  What he found as offensive before, now he thought of it as sheer relief.  Crimson eyes looked up at the Fairy-specialist. “I’m so glad you could make it!” Excitement bubbled all too obviously, yet Gloria toned down her glee in fear that she might make a fool of herself. Merely flashing a smile next, the young woman continued to focus on her camp.  Why was he here?  Right, he grumbled inwardly, you know damn why, you stupid mind. ---  It was a few days back. They had their daily spars with the other gym leaders. Gloria as usual stomped each match despite using the exact same team she had been using since the first day she was crowned Champion. Many leaders thought they had the upper-hand for learning and studying her battle tactics and her Pokémon’s battle techniques. But no matter the research, the outcome would always vary with the only thing being the same is her victory.  But what he thought was a normal day immediately burned to the ground when he bumped into her in the prep room.  She was sweaty and hot—figuratively—when he saw her. The Champion outfit stuck close to her body, absolutely complimenting every curve and taut muscle a 20-year old would achieve from rigorous trainings. The dark hair was in slight disarray, still short as she liked it, and Gloria heaved a heavy sigh as she raked through the black strands backwards.  Bede felt pathetic to feel breathless on the spot.  Once their eyes met, he remembered flinching. He also remembered her asking how his day was. His answer was curt, simple. Though challenging, his eye contact was sorely focused on her mesmerizing irises rather than the supple curve of her breasts. How demeaning, he chastised himself, for ogling at her body like some sick freak.  It was then that remembered saying something that sounded like a dumfounded, “Yes?”  And this caused Gloria to chime in both nerves and excitement when she continued with, “Great! I’ll see you there!” ---  And now…here he was.  He was an idiot.  A fucking idiot. Opal would never forgive him for raising such a dumb, idiotic pervert. Stop! He shook his head. He was not dumb! He was not an idiot! And he definitely was not a pervert! Bede knew better than to treat humans like tools or trash. As bitter as he was when he was a teenager, at least the Gym Leader was thankful to have some morals embedded into him.  And yet…  The memory of her body sent shivers down his spine.  “Bede! Come on! I need help!”  “Arceus save me…” He really needed to make it up and apologized to Gloria somehow without offending her in the process. ---  He was here! He was here!  She couldn’t believe he accepted her invitation! Granted, it was a long shot. Gloria was more than ready to suck it up and wallow in Lake of Outrage if she ever got rejected. She was at lost on how to make it subtle and obvious about her feelings for him.  Tea time? They always had that twice every month. Sparring sessions? Had that nearly every week. Gym Battle season? Arceus forbids if she ever had time for herself at all.  Ever since he took the official status as Ballonlea’s gym leader 3 years back, Gloria was a bit…iffy that she couldn’t spend time with him other than battling or Pokémon context. The last time they ever had time alone together was when they celebrated his victory for holding the mantle as the 8th and final gym leader last year.  He was getting stronger. And prettier.  And it sucked that their raging popularity disabled them from having a normal outing whatsoever that involved them and only them. It was easy hanging out with Hop since the young man now studied and worked in Wedgehurst. Hell, it was even easier hanging out with Marnie since the woman lived in the growingly popular Spikemouth. Despite the fact that Bede lived in peaceful Ballonlea, only an idiot would just rush to his front door and blatantly go, “Hey! I like you! Wanna hang out and do nothing since I feel comfortable around you?”  She was a moron.  A lucky moron, though.  Building up all the courage she collected since last week, Gloria finally blurted out her camping plans this weekend and finally—with a rapid heartbeat—asked him if he would like to join her little camping trip. Alone. With her.  Now that she thought about it, anyone would take it as a joke, especially from the snarkiest person in Galar.  Never thought he would accept it, much to her pleasant surprise.  Now here she was, crouching in front of a bunch of stacked logs, staring at the wood like a dumb Wobbuffet. What do I do? What do I do? Clearly, she didn’t think this through. She may have had two days to prepare herself, physically and mentally, but overestimation clearly played her hard when the target of her affection actually showed up.  Bulk up, Gloria! She scolded herself, palms giving a few slaps before mouth huffing out air. “Okay.” She talked to herself. To the logs. “I can do this. Just…hang out. Talk to him. Have a nice camping trip with him and hopefully…hopefully…” A gulp slid down her throat. “I can get a chance to confess to him.” ---  Easier said than done.  Luckily, they were so used to each other’s silence that he managed to prop up his tent with ease. The noises from their Pokémon were quite helpful too. The moment Bede released his team, Gloria’s Pokémon greeted them with such loud—very loud—exuberance. Her Cinderace started hopping and bouncing in glee in front of his Hatterene, seconds before Gloria’s own Hatterene butted in and snarled in what he assumed was jealousy at his own surprised starter.  His Mawile could be seen playing tag with his Sylveon and Gloria’s Corviknight and Hydreigon. A Toxtricity—Gaara, he remembered her calling him—was seen talking to his Gardevoir who looked like she actually enjoyed his company. Violet eyes turned to the very Champion, now accompanied by her Runerigus who was stirring whatever was in the boiling pot.  A smile unwarily curled the corners of his mouth. If he didn’t know any better, it looked as if he was a husband fawning over his wife and lively child—  Stop.  Immediately and quickly he shook his head, which he then groaned in regret at the sudden dizziness that he conjured up by accident. ---  “Hey Gloria.”  She looked to his side, head tilted slightly to match his height. “Yeah?” Swallowing once, she took another bite of her apple curry. The two sat on the grassy field, observing the very wonderful view of Hammerlocke. The edge of Lake of Outrage was dangerously high. One wrong step and it could be the end for any human or Pokémon. While the two trainers knew there was a huge ocean that blanketed underneath the cliff, none wouldn’t dare to try out the theory on whether or not anyone could survive from such a scary impact.  Besides that, the view was spectacular, though.  “I’ve been meaning to ask.”  Gulp! Oh shoot, here comes her nervousness.  But alas, a sigh of relief silently peeped between pursed lips when he continued, “Why did you choose to camp out at Lake of Outrage?”  “Oh?” She swallowed again. Phew… “Well, for starters, I really like the view. Hammerlocke at night is so breath-taking at night.” She was thankful to have found out that little information by accident during one of her campouts.  He chuckled. “You said ‘at night’ twice.”  Pink dusted her cheeks. “Well, you know what I mean!” Lower lip jutted at the little tease. Pushing her glasses properly back to the bridge of her nose, Gloria harrumphed lightly and continued her meal.  Cute.  Unbeknownst to her, her actions right now was a strike to his heart.  Calm down, me! “True.” He shrugged once, then tore his gaze away—hesitantly—to bask on the view before them. “But isn’t this place crawling with powerful Pokémon? I’m not judging your team’s strength or anything. But it seems like hardly a place for any trainer to think, ‘Hey, what a great place to camp out and hopefully not get mauled by a wild Pokémon!’”  He peeked once he heard a grunt.  “I’m still alive, aren’t I?” She jutted her tongue—by Arceus, she was killing him—and brushed away the bangs that hovered across her forehead. “Besides—”  ‘Woohoo! I got another one!’  ‘No fair! Best two outta three!’  The Gym Leader jumped at the Pokémon’s exuberant cheer, while Gloria herself only giggled in amusement. Quickly they turned around, only to see a happy Cinderace hopping above a pile of fainted wild Pangoros and Skuntanks.  What the ever-loving hell? Bede remained in stupor when he saw the Champion’s Toxtricity crossing his arms in distaste—all the while standing in front of a pile of fainted wild Grimmsnarls and Pangoros himself.  Ah. Like an idiot he stared, merely gaped even as the two chaotic Pokémon spread out back in the field for their little game.  Looks like his question was answered. ---  “Thank you so much for bringing the desserts!” Cheeks warmed in pink at the succulent taste on her tongue. “Please tell Ms Opal that they’re divine!” She could still taste the cream in her mouth. It was a pity that there weren’t any left, but Gloria was more than happy to see her team enjoying the treats just the same.  Hell, she even had to break the fight between Starlight and Gaara for the last cupcake.  It was a shame that Ares beat them to it. Oh well, the Cinderace asked for it as he ended up being chased by both Hatterene and Toxtricity.  Pride swelled up to hear endless compliments from the woman. In truth, he actually baked all the cupcakes. While it was true that the desserts were Ms Opal’s recipe, he did most of the shopping and baking in order to impress her. How could he ever forget Ms Opal’s knowing smirk as he said he wanted to bake the treats for their campout.  Arceus, if the oven ran out of heat to burn the cupcakes at that time, Bede knew the blush in his face would be enough to suffice.  Would he tell her that he baked them? No. As much as he craved for her compliments to rain down upon him, Bede figured it would be nice to let Ms Opal get the spotlight.  He knew the old woman would spill the beans anyways when Gloria paid her next visit to Ballonlea.  “I’ll tell her that.” For now, the sight of her smile was sweet enough. ---  Night time finally blanketed the sky above. True to her word, Hammerlocke truly provided such a breath-taking view once the sun was out. Thankfully, it didn’t rain. The moon was a crescent gleam tonight, so this allowed the stars to shine and sparkle their magnificence for the world to see.  “Man…” When he was a teenager, Bede was never one to look up at the stars. He was so used to looking down. To looking at his own feet. And when he did look up, the poor boy only saw broken rooftops or monstrously tall buildings. He was never one to admire nature. It was only that he lived in Ballonlea that Bede sometimes cherished the peaceful moments under the soft, soothing glow of the mystical town.  “Beautiful, isn’t it?”  Violet eyes turned to the lady next to him.  The hair was in its usual disarray, despite having it combed backwards many times after her bath in the lake. The pyjama she wore was…cute and elegant to say the least. Red and black never strayed as her choice of fashion. A splash of red here and a swirl of black there made the attire to look somewhat…passionate.  If not for the fact that a cute Cinderace icon was stitched on its back, Bede would definitely find her alluring.  …  ………  Okay. He lied. She’s alluring still even in those damn Cinderace jammies.  Her eyes never strayed from the blanket of beauty. The glasses shined faintly under the lovely glow. It only intensified the colour of red iris. It only allowed him to be enraptured by such fiery elegance.  “Yeah…” he mumbled softly. “Beautiful…”  Before she could look at him and ask about anything else, Bede quickly brought his gaze back to the stars. ---  “Well,” She stretched, “it’s getting way dark. I think it’s high-time we call it a night.” Palms pressed together and placed under her chin, Gloria looked at the silent man. Bede talked a lot during their conversation—which was expected—but to obtain silence now was a bit…unnerving.  Was this how people felt every time she remained silent at a certain topic?  None said a word next, for eyes moved to the tents that were positioned side by side. The gap between the tents and the cliffs were many steps apart, but honestly, that wasn’t the distance that Gloria felt nervous about right now.  Violet met crimson. Pink and red dusted and swirled so adorably.  “Yeah…” He needed to be convincing. “Yeah!” That’s better. He thought.  Taking a sharp breath, he looked at the short Champion. “I’ll see you later in the morning.” A mask of indifference was worn nicely on his face. He saw the hesitance, the unknown emotion that flickered in her eyes. If he was selfish, just selfish enough, Bede would think that those eyes meant—  He shook his head. “Goodnight, Gloria.” His body felt warm. His fists clenched behind his face.  A weak smile pulled her lips. “Goodnight, Bede—”  ‘GLORIA, WATCH OUT!’  Just when they were lost in their melancholic moment, it burst just like a balloon when they heard the loud chirp. Before any of them could react, a raging ball of fire zipped right between them.  Right into Bede’s tent.  Right towards the edge of the cliff.  BOOM!!!  An explosion actually made both jump from shock. Pupils shot to tiny dots. Heartbeats formed a maniacal pace. Everything happened too fast. Very fast. Both adults remained in pure stupefaction in their place. One had their baffled gaze at the Cinderace who was now cowardly hiding behind Hilda. One had a face of sheer, utter, bewilderment at the lack of tent and sprinkles of ashes.  “M-My…” Jaw dropped so low he could attract Ninjasks. “M-My…My…”  Fury now fuelled within the Champion, along with shame and regret that were quickly switched as she looked at Bede and her starter. “ARES!” She wasn’t one to raise her voice. If anything, people could say Gloria was ‘The Divine Champion’ for radiating an air of passion and grace.  Not tonight, though.  Ares merely tugged his ears downwards and crouched behind the sighing Corviknight once he heard a very fuming, very piercing, “What. Did. You. DO!” ---  She wanted to jump off a cliff.  The cliff was there, so the option was really whether she was ready to throw herself without risking being saved and scolded by her entire team.  For something that had transpired in an hour, Gloria felt like it was a long, long, long, night. Finally, after constant apologies from her and her starter, Bede finally forgave Ares—Just Ares. He figured Gloria had no fault in this except maybe the damn Scorbunny as her starter. She felt absolutely guilty, and she would feel even worse if she knew Bede was sleeping outside in the cold.  So of course the next option was to offer him his tent while she slept outside. Which he of course rejected because what kind of bastard would he be to let a woman sleep outside?  Finally, after an emotional brainstorming, the both decided to sleep in her tent. Together. Alone. Together.  Alone.  Gulp!  It seems the heat in her stomach wouldn’t disappear anytime soon. Her back faced his the moment she lay down. And she knew his back was facing hers as well as he looked at the other side.  Was he asleep? She didn’t know. Was she asleep? Of course not! Her mind was a Tangela of messes. Both arms curled and pressed against her chest, between her breasts. Breathing was in and out, calmly, forcefully. Another gulp slid down for Arceus knows how many times tonight.  She felt nervous. She felt guilty. She felt…oh damn she did not want to admit the other thing she was feeling right now.  “Sorry…”  The word slipped out before she could stop himself. She felt him fidget, and she didn’t dare to turn around. ---  While she battled her emotions, he had a battle of his own.  Here he was, lying in the same tent as her. Lying down next to her. Although Bede firmly declined and rejected her very offer to sleep in the same tent together, he would only lie to himself if it wasn’t…absolutely thrilled to share the same room as her.  “Please!” She convinced, palm roughly pressed against each other as she pleaded. “I promise it won’t be weird! I promise I’ll payback the tent that Ares burned down!”  He was fine with the latter. He just wasn’t…entirely fine with the former.  He was sure she wouldn’t be the reason for them being weird in a tent together.  But alas, she managed to convince him. It wasn’t much of a discussion anyways. As much as Bede tried to be sane about the subject, he was anything but when it comes to her.  And now, here he was, wide awake at the thought of his rival and long-time target of affection sleeping right next to him.  So close. So quiet.  Should he say something? He’s supposed to be asleep. Should he wait for her to say something? She was already asleep—  “Sorry…”  Well, guessed not.  His head tilted slightly, body still remained on his left side. He peeked as Gloria moved in her place, showing signs of guilt and nervousness.  A sigh slipped out. “Don’t be.” He looked at the clothed wall of the tent. Arms crossed tightly against his chest. Uncomfortable as he may be, Bede was too afraid to unfold himself just in case he suddenly felt…twitchy.  Silence lulled inside the tent for a few minutes. “Still…” She was at lost. “And…thank you. A lot.” Air held back behind pursed lips, Gloria slowly turned around. “Not just for forgiving Ares and me. But for today.” Hands still cupped closely to her chest. Seeing that he wasn’t about to turn anytime soon—much to her dismay—Gloria finally faced him. “I’m happy that you decided to have camp with me. I’m happy that you brought desserts and talked to about so many things. Honestly I—” She stopped. Hesitant.  He merely listened in nervous anticipation.  Crimson eyes that were free from glasses now stared at the tall man lying before her. “Bede…”  Her voice sent shivers on his skin. Her warmth seeped right into his body.  She noticed.  Dup-dap, dup-dap! The beat of one’s heart echoed in the tent. Was it hers? Was it his?  “Bede…” She tried again, lips quivered as she let out a shaky sigh. “Why…Why did you agree to camp out here with me today?”  It was a silly question. A childish one. One needn’t a valid reason to agree to her campout. He simply wanted to hang out with her. He simply wanted to catch up and talk about random stuff with her. He simply wanted to unwind from the public and get some fresh air, and she was an excuse for it.  He wanted to say all of them. Any of them.  Instead, he opted for the truth.  “I…” Eyes squinted shut, Bede released a sigh he didn’t know he held back. Arms tightened across his chest, he finally flipped and turned to face her.  Only mistake here was: neither anticipated the close distance.  They were a short breath away. The tip of her nose almost his own. Crimson eyes met a pair of dazzling violets. Both were at lost for words. Both mirrored each other by the shade of red on their faces.  Their hands were close to each other’s respective chests. None moved a muscle. None said a word.  Her eyes then gleamed the emotion he wouldn’t dare to guess hours ago.  The unspeakable emotion was back in her eyes. Hotter. Clearer. Drawing him breathless.  “I care you,” was all he responded, mouth then gaped at the foolish sentence he had ever muttered.  Heat burned straight to the tips of his ears. Having almost a clear mind to just bolt out of the tent and never to see her again, Bede instead froze in his place once he felt her palm, so warm and loving, on his left cheek.  Her smile became the answer to his doubts.

[sunshinetrappedinourhearts]

The secrets of the fairy type ch1

Sooo, the first chapter of my Bede/Hop fic is up~ Check it out below or at my AO3 :> AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22528489/chapters/53831956 Title: The secrets of the fairy type Chapter 1/? Pairing: Bede/Hop Game: Pokémon Sword/Shield Description:  Months after Bede became an official gym leader, he is being challenged to a battle by Hop, the boy who is both like a steel type and a fighting type at once to his inner fairy; both weak and strong to him, in ways Bede wouldn't want to admit. It is the start of years of challenges, in which Hop seems determined to win for reasons Bede doesn't understand. When Hop finally wins after 4 years of endless battles, the first words he says are: "Please be my boyfriend!" Surely, he is trying to make fun of him right? Bede turns him down, but to Hop, it's merely the start of a new battle; the battle for Bede's heart. Only it isn't that easy to be captured. The forest was devoid of all sound, except for the quiet rustling of the leaves in the soft summer breeze. Even though the days were longer now, the Tangle was still embraced by the endless twilight, hidden within the shadows of the tall trees. The only dim light ever came from the large mushrooms at the sides of the path, that lit up brighter as soon as you touched them. Opal always said it was because the Tangle was a magical place, created by the fairy Pokémon. Bede wasn’t sure if that was the truth, but he did know the forest at least felt magical. After a year of living here, it had become his favorite place in the world. There was no one there; just him, the fairies and the tiny woods. Still, this was not the time to simply enjoy his surroundings. He had a goal in mind, a Pokémon to catch. 

Luckily, the wild Shiinotic still hadn’t noticed the two of them. Bede glanced at his Sylveon beside him. She was walking by his side silently, taking care where to place her paws just like he taught her, so she wouldn’t make a sound. He followed her gaze towards the wild Pokémon, that had its back turned to them. The problem with Shiinotic was that they were very stubborn – as soon as you attacked them, they simply healed themselves with one of their many healing moves. It was very frustrating, and the exact reason why it was one of the few fairy types Bede hadn’t caught yet. To be completely honest, he was already tired of the stupid Pokémon, but Opal insisted that he should have at least caught and trained every fairy type Pokémon that had made Galar its home. Bede didn’t need that many. But Opal said he would only be able to understand fairies once he had bonded with them all. And Opal’s word was – however annoying it may be – still absolute. Bede didn’t even know why he was listening to her.

Either way, the only effective way to catch a Shiinotic was probably to attack it while it was distracted, and quickly throw a pokéball before it could heal itself. Which was the exact reason why Bede was already clenching a great ball in his left hand. Irritated, he gritted his teeth, sneaking closer to the Shiinotic with each step. Sylveon looked up at him, her head slightly tilted. She probably felt his uneasiness, like she always could, like most of his Pokémon could. But that was bad, because what if she lost concentration and-

‘FINALLY FOUND YOU! REMATCH! YOU AND ME, MATE!’

Bede’s heart jumped from the sudden loud sound, and cringed slightly. Just a bit more, and he would’ve tripped over his own feet. On the one hand, it was a good thing that he hadn’t, because it would have been more than a little embarrassing. On the other, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway, because right in front of his eyes, he saw the Shiinotic turn its head. It made a soft yelping sound, then jumped, disappearing in the small bushes. Sylveon jumped after it, but immediately returned with a disappointed look on her face. Damnit! This was the closest they’d ever been!

‘Hey, don’t ignore me!’ called the voice behind him.

Annoyed, Bede turned to the source of his misery. What he didn’t expect was the pair of very bright, yellow-ish brown eyes looking right into his. A pair of eyes he hadn’t seen in, well, at least half a year. A pair he didn’t like seeing very much, either.

‘Good evening, to you too,’ Hop flashed a smile and Bede had to look away.

‘I was going to catch that. You’re as good at ruining my efforts as always, I see,’ he answered.

Sylveon let out a soft mew, as if greeting him, and Bede wasn’t sure if he should feel betrayed or offended.

‘Hey there, Sylveon.’ Hop leaned down, scratching Sylveon behind her ears exactly on the right spot, and Bede found himself crossing his arms in front of his chest, glancing at their exchange.

Sylveon purred, and Hop laughed, letting go as he stood straight up again. Bede frowned. Did he grow taller?

‘Alright, back to business, I’m challenging you to a battle!’

‘Battle? Why? Do you suddenly think you can beat me since you have the fairy badge? Just let me get this straight – who miss Opal gave a badge to is none of my concern. I have even higher standards than she has and-’

       Hop cut him off. ‘I don’t need your gym badge, I just want a rematch. It’s been pretty long, don’t you think? I got stronger, too.’ He grinned, then Bede noticed he was already tossing a pokéball up and down in his hand, all ready to take him on.

Bede remembered. A misguided mind and a fragile heart. How easy it had been to crush both with just a few words. A victory in more than one way. A honey-sweet pride with bitter edges. He could still taste it. He couldn’t recall whether he had liked it a year ago or not. Right now, he was unsure.

Averting his gaze, he took a few steps back, Sylveon bouncing after him, following his steps like a little pup.

‘I hope you are prepared to get your hopes crushed,’ he smirked, but he couldn’t quite feel the joy.

Hop didn’t seem to notice as his eyes lit up. ‘Finally! Let’s go, mate!’ He threw his pokéball. Shreds of a comment about him being unable to properly throw a pokéball flashed through Bede’s mind. He ignored it as he watched Hop’s trusted partner emerge. Dubwool. More flashes.  A very angry Gloria. Yelling something about dear partner and insecure and lost and – Bede ignored it, glancing at Sylveon next to him, who was watching him with hopeful eyes.

‘Are you ready for this, Sylveon?’ he asked her.

Sylveon let out another mew and Bede watched as she jumped in front of him, eyes determined.

‘I’ll let you make the first move,’ he declared. ‘Since you are so eager.’

‘Well, then don’t complain if we win,’ Hop grinned and gave his Dubwool the first command.

             Bede kept his eyes on the field as their Pokémon danced around each other, dodging and getting hit, landing attacks and missing. Sylveon was doing great, and Bede swore he could feel her joy in battle. It brought a small smile to his lips. It took two of Hop’s Pokémon to take her down, and Bede glanced at the other boy as he returned Sylveon to her pokéball. He was grinning proudly, sending words of pride his Snorlax’s way.

‘My partners have become stronger, haven’t they?’ The bright yellow eyes were focused his way, and Bede looked away.

‘Hmph, it still took you two Pokémon to beat my Sylveon. Fairy types are clearly superior.’ He let his Rapidash go next.

Hop was right though, he really got stronger. Still, Bede beat Hop’s team with ease; he hadn’t even needed to let Hatterene battle. As he returned Gardevoir to her Pokéball, he watched the other boy return his Zacian. The legendary. A fairy type. It was hard to believe Hop was a chosen one. Gloria was a different story, she had been messing with Bede’s life ever since they met, but Hop, he had never even defeated Bede. Meaning Bede was better than he was, right? Then why, why did he feel something sting at his chest. Envy? Indignation? There was no point in defining a meaningless feeling, anyway, so Bede stored Gardevoir’s pokéball in his bag and turned away, walking back towards Ballonlea.

‘Don’t think you’ve crushed my spirits!’ he heard Hop call after him. ‘I’ll be back! And I will beat you!’

‘It would be a waste of effort,’ said Bede. ‘But whatever. If you enjoy losing so much, I will surely keep reminding you of the feeling.’

‘One day, you will be at my mercy, fairy!’ He could hear Hop run off then. Frowning, Bede walked back towards the town. Fairy? A nickname? That boy, he really was stupid. Wasting his time like that. He was probably going to get an earful from Opal, since he had been gone for hours, and was going to return without a Shiinotic. Once again. Still, he was not about to give Hop credits for making him fail.

The opening to Ballonlea appeared in front of him, the shadows of the trees making way for the path towards town. Bede glanced up at the sky, as this was the spot where it was easiest to see. Tiny, little light bulbs dotted the dark-blue heavens, and he was shocked to determine that it was already much later than he had originally thought. He had to hurry, Opal wasn’t really one to openly voice her worries, but Bede knew that she cared. As he stepped into Ballonlea, he immediately felt at ease by the colourful mushrooms lighting up the small town. They were of every size; ones as tiny as a child’s hand, others as large as houses, aspiring to be as tall as the trees in the Glimwood Tangle. The mushrooms here were always shining brightly, they wouldn’t dim like their cousins, a stone’s throw away in the Tangle, too proud, too stubborn to let go of their shimmer. Bede loved it.

             Quickly, he headed to the Pokémon center. His Pokémon would probably be fine after a good night’s rest, but he didn’t like to leave them wounded for too long. Hop wasn’t able to defeat him, but he had to give him credit for beating him up pretty well. It had been the most challenging match in a long while. Not that he would openly admit that.

‘You’re up late, sir,’ the lady at the counter blinked. Ever since he became gym leader, they started calling him that, but he wasn’t sure if he would ever get used to the ‘sir’. It felt good to receive recognition, but he was still just a 13-year-old.

‘Yes, well, I have been… training in the Tangle,’ he smiled a bit. ‘I got distracted by a few trainers.’ Just one, really, but he didn’t feel like being more specific. ‘Could you take a look at my Pokémon, please?’ He handed over his great balls.

‘Of course! Just a moment!’ she turned away.

The center was pretty much empty by now, so when Bede’s eyes picked up on a silhouette on the other side of the doors, his heart almost skipped a beat. Especially since it was very familiar figure, and it wasn’t entering the building, it simply beckoned him with a nod, and disappeared. Bede let out a shaky breath. Again? So soon? He glanced over the counter, but the lady was still busy taking care of his team.

‘I will be right back,’ he declared, not waiting for her answer before leaving the Pokécenter.

He looked around. The man wasn’t very fond of standing in the spotlight, but Ballonlea was full of shadows. Which one did he choose to hide into?

‘Right here,’ a voice called, and Bede followed it, behind one of the large chunks of trees that made the edge of town. He pushed his hands in the pockets of his coat, shivering lightly. Was it getting chilly? He vaguely recalled that the aura of the man might have always made him feel that way.

‘Do you have it?’ the figure asked when both of them stopped walking. His face was always partly hidden underneath the collar of his long coat, and partly beneath his large, dark hat. Bede could however still see the purple of his eyes. It was a dull, dark purple, more blue than red, having trouble to find its spark of passion.

‘You’re… back sooner than I expected,’ Bede answered, hating that the hesitation in his voice was audible.

‘Yes. Do you have it?’ Always hasty, never speaking more than necessary.

Bede took his left hand out of his pocket, revealing an envelope, as he handed it over to the figure. He took it, sticking it in a pocket on the inside of his coat. ‘I will be back.’

‘When?’

‘You’ll know.’

The man turned around and walked away in the direction of the Tangle, leaving Bede to watch him go. He felt nauseous as he moved back towards the Pokémon center to pick up his team.

[a-decent-writer]

Iwaoi Pokemon AU

- They start their journey together. Iwaizumi really dosen’t start out with a goal but Oikawa’s one driving goal is to become Champion.

- not that i needed one but then i’ll have an excuse crush Tobio-chan on a global scale.

- Oikawa’s first Pokemon is the world’s ugliest Febass but Oikawa loves it more than anything. By the time He’s champion, Milotic is his primary battler.

- Iwaizumi calls it ugly once and Oikawa dosen’t talk to him for the entire day. but honestly, the Febass grows on him  

- Along their journey in like the third region they’re in they meet and travel with Matsukawa and Hanamaki and the meme team is like 

-”There’s something in the air I can feel it”

- “i mean, there’s a storm coming but I know the answer you’re looking for is sexual tension”

- eventually they go their separate ways and Oikawa goes on a “Oikawa-san Journey of self fulfillment” and somehow convinces Iwaizumi to stay behind

-”just remember to take breaks dumbass. I’m proud of you, but the next time we meet, im going to kick your ass.”

- “ Next time you see me i’ll be the champion”

- as long distance friendships tend to do, they drift apart Iwaizumi eventually becomes a gym leader but the first person he tells is still Oikawa. 

- Oikawa reappears as a member of the elite four and then eventually battles his way to be champion and Iwaizumi watches every match.

- it’s been over five years and they reconnect at a league tournament.

- Lot of-the people they met on their journey are now either gym leaders or elite four members. 

- they’re going on brunches, trining together and there are bets placed to see how long the mutual pining goes on

- They face each other in the final tournament battle and they have their moment and have that Pokémon anime cliche of letting the battle speak of repressed feelings

- Yuri on Ice inspired TV kiss? Hell yeah mofo.

[samsonet]

don't need a rainbow here (my world is black and white)

Piers shouldn't be with these Rainbow Rocket weirdos.

*

There has been a terrible mistake.

One minute, Piers was celebrating his sister’s victory at the champion cup, and the next, he’s... He doesn’t know. There was a light, and he was falling, and —

and then he ended up here.

He sits up, rubbing his eyes. He doesn’t seem to be restrained, which is good. He’s not in a hospital, either, which is… probably good? Or it would be, if he had any idea what this place actually was.

It’s dark. There are red lights from the floor, the walls. It’s eerily quiet. Piers is reminded of one of the most boring clubs he’s ever been to — but at least this place smells alright. Small mercies.

“You’re awake.”

Oh, no.

Piers whips toward the voice, one hand going automatically to his belt for Obstagoon’s pokeball — but it’s not there. Of course. They must’ve taken his team while he was unconscious.

Well, if these bastards think he’ll be helpless without his Pokémon, they’re wrong. Piers may be scrawny and sick-looking, but he’s a dark-type specialist. He knows how to fight without brute force.

During this time, the other person in the room does not move to restrain him. In fact, all he does is give a quiet laugh.

Piers examines him. The other man is short, but he has an aura that fills the room. He’s wearing a suit with an R on the chest. He doesn’t seem like a corporate type — and Piers has seen more than his fair share of those — but rather like… a gang boss or something.

“Sorry if you were expecting a ransom,” Piers coughs out. “The league doesn’t care about the Spikemuth gym leader. They’ll tell you to keep me.”

But he’s not just the Spikemuth gym leader anymore, is he? He’s the champion’s brother. He knows Marnie would give anything to get him back safely.

“I must apologize. It seems we’ve started with a misunderstanding. You may call me Giovanni. And your name is…?”

Giovanni speaks with an accent similar to Kabu’s. Is he from one of the eastern regions? Stranger and stranger.

“...Piers.”

“Mr. Piers. I represent a coalition of certain people with… dark hearts, shall we say. We are working together for the time being. I believe you will fit in well with us.”

Piers blinks. What, is this an invitation to some interregional society of dark-type specialists? Which… would make a disturbing amount of sense with the kidnapping and all, but damn, what a stereotype.

“Yeah, mate, thanks but no thanks,” he says, standing up. “I don’t know how much ya heard from the news, but I can’t drop everything to join yer club. Nothing personal.”

Giovanni chuckles. “Come with me.”

Piers goes, partly because he’s curious, partly because it’s not like he can do anything else. He follows the man down a dark hallway, then through what seems to be a lobby, and then outside.

Outside is too hot. The sun is too bright. And the land… is not land.

It’s ocean, as far as the eye can see. In the distance, a flock of Wingull circle an island. Piers rubs his eyes, not quite believing what he’s seeing.

“As you may have noticed,” Giovanni says, “we are not in Galar at the moment.”

*

From there, Piers is more willing to listen. Giovanni gives him a tour, speaking vaguely about life in Kanto and the group’s current situation in Alola.

At the end, Piers is introduced to one young woman as something like his personal assistant.

“She speaks Galarian,” Giovanni explains. “Most of the other grunts don’t, so if you need something, come to her.”

She refuses to give him her name, making excuses about how the grunts weren’t supposed to use them, but she does allow him to call her J.

J’s alright. She reminds him of his gym trainers, in her earnestness and weirdness. She only comes when he calls for her. Otherwise, Piers is left to do as he pleases.

Right now he’s fine just staying in his room, occasionally going out to raid their kitchen or get fresh air.

At least his Pokemon are alright. Giovanni gives them back a few hours after showing Piers the ocean. Most of his team seems to notice no difference between this place and Spikemuth, but Obstagoon does. It’s simply not meant for such a warm climate.

Piers brings this up to J, and she agrees to set his room’s temperature to something more normal for Galar.

He trains. He sleeps. He keeps up his vocal exercises. It’s fine.

*

What Piers learns, over the course of a week, is this:

The multiverse exists, and he has traveled through it. Somehow, and nobody will explain how, Giovanni summoned Piers from the own world and has trapped him in this one.

In this world, Leon is still the champion. The date is a few years before Piers sent Marnie on her gym challenge, so it seems he has time traveled as well.

He’s not the only guest here, either. Around the building, there are others — but not dark-type specialists.

No, these people are gang leaders.

Piers sees them in passing, recognizing them and quickly making his escapes. There’s Ghetsis, the Unovan cult leader who attacked the league and came this close to destroying their government. There’s Archie and Maxie, the eco-terrorists who didn’t seem to understand that the earth needed both land and water. There’s Cyrus, who… Piers can’t even start with him.

Of course, just because these men were all would-be villains in his world, it didn’t mean they were the same in their home universes.

He asks J what their stories are.

“Oh. Uh, Maxie’s a real passionate sorta guy, even though he doesn’t look like it. He tried to summon this Pokémon in Hoenn, I don’t remember the name of it, wanted to use it to shrink the oceans, make more land.”

The rest of her stories pretty much follow what Piers read in the news, but for one key detail: back in their home universes, all the men had succeeded.

“You mean that guy Archie drowned the world? Nobody stopped him?”

“I’m sure Team Aqua survived?” J offers.

Piers stares in open-mouthed amazement. When he finds his words again, he asks, “And your boss doesn’t mind having these people here?”

“No? He likes them, I think? They all fit the same pattern, you know. Guy with vision leads a band of outlaws to fulfill his goal… and the second they do, Rainbow Rocket picks ‘em up and brings ‘em here. Isn’t that what happened with you?”

“What happened to me? I’m not like them—” But as soon as he says it, he has to reconsider. The description she’s given is so vague, it could very well apply to him. If wanting his sister to be champion counted as a vision, then he did, technically, have a vision. Team Yell was, technically, a band of outlaws.

He purses his lips, not liking the conclusion he’s drawn.

J says, hesitantly, “I don’t know what you did back home. Whatever it was, I won’t judge ya. After all, you gotta be here for a reason, right?”

*

Piers thinks about that as he steps into the kitchen at 11:30 that night. He can’t begin to guess why he would be in this world, but he at least knows what his goal is at the moment.

It’s stereotypically Galarian of him, he knows, crawling out of bed for a spot of tea. That’s fine; it’s not like there’s anyone around to see him.

Then the door opens.

“...Piers?”

Even with one word, there is no mistaking the voice.

Chairman Rose stands in the doorway, frozen as though in shock. He’s wearing one of those grey suits he likes so much, though the shirt is wrinkled and the tie missing. He’d probably fallen asleep at his desk.

He doesn’t look like he fits here, in a group of dangerous men. Piers has to admit that he himself matches the aesthetic of the place; Rose does not.

Rose says, “What did you do?”

Piers says, “Why don’t I make us tea an’ we can talk about it.”

The chairman seems to agree to that, even getting out the teacups while Piers boils the water. This never would have happened in his home world, and yet it’s the most familiar interaction he’s had since he arrived.

When they’re sitting at the kitchen table with their tea, Piers begins: “In my world, I’m the leader of a group called Team Yell. My sister Marnie is the champion.”

“Oh?”

“We didn’t cheat.” He’s defensive, he knows, but it’s not like he and Rose had a trusting relationship before all of this. “She won fair and square, on her own talents.”

“I wasn’t saying otherwise.”

“An’ what about you, then? What did you do that got you thrown here — besides being a billionaire, I mean.”

In Piers’ world, using that tone of voice on that word would make the chairman bristle. Here, Rose looks more mournful than offended.

“Who did your Marnie fight for the championship title?”

“Leon…? Why, is somebody else champion in your world?”

“His brother Hop is champion now, but he battled Leon for the title. Or... he would have. I was impatient. I moved too quickly.”

Rose shifts in his seat, pulling out a pokeball. No, not just any ball — a master ball. The Pokémon inside looks like none Piers has ever seen: almost wormlike, spiny, glowing with a dim red light.

“You asked what I did to deserve being here,” Rose murmurs. “I’ll tell you. I forced Leon to fight a Pokémon more powerful than anything Galar had ever seen. He died bringing it to me.”

...Arceus.

It takes Piers only a moment to process this information and then decide he doesn’t want to hear any more of it.

Rose looks like he’s about to start on one of his rambling speeches, so Piers quickly holds up a hand. “I don’t want to hear it. Let’s talk about somethin’ else.”

“Something else, as in…”

“Your first battle. Your latest charity project. Whatever.”

To his credit, Rose is skilled at conversation. He easily transitions to discussions of his university days, the music theory class he’d taken as an elective. It surprises Piers how much he knows… and yet he can’t say that the discussion isn’t interesting.

It’s the first time Piers has spoken to the league chairman without worrying about Spikemuth. It will not be the last.

*

Archie speaks just enough Galarian to make Piers feel like an idiot.

It’s not like he’s never thought about human influence on the environment — he lives in a smoke-filled city, after all — but to hear Archie talk of pollution and the Pokémon affected by it, Piers has to admit that awakening an ancient Pokémon isn’t the worst solution out there.

Archie doesn’t seem to know that Maxie is alive and well and in the castle. Piers doesn’t tell him.

*

One day J brings him a composition book and a small electric keyboard.

“Since you write music,” she says sheepishly. “Sorry I couldn’t get you a guitar or something. I went with the next best thing.”

She leaves him alone, and he writes down some lyrics for a new song.

It’s about a fictional lost romance, but the imagery is all about being trapped in paradise, about missing the gloom of his hometown.

Galar is going to love it. If he ever gets back, anyway.

He’d asked about his present universe counterpart once and received a tablet that was somehow connected to the internet. His other self is doing well, both as a gym leader and a musician. Piers thinks about reaching out, but in the end decides not to. He wouldn’t believe this story if someone tried telling it to him; his counterpart is likely no different.

Days pass.

*

Maxie speaks just enough Galarian to make Piers feel like an idiot.

It’s not like he’s never thought about land as a resource — Galar is technically an island, after all — but to hear Maxie speak of erosion and human life, Piers has to admit that the idea of awakening an ancient Pokémon could be reasonable.

Maxie doesn’t seem to know that Archie is here, too. Piers doesn’t tell him.

*

He runs into Cyrus one morning at breakfast.

Cyrus asks, “Are you the one I hear singing in Galarian?”

He looks dead inside as always, which, Piers thinks, is a mood.

“Tha’s me, yeah. M’ name’s Piers.”

“Your music is very… spirited,” Cyrus says.

“Thanks?”

“I would prefer not to hear it.”

“Ah.”

*

Piers spends a lot of time talking to Rose. It’s not what he would have expected or wanted, but Rose is the only other Galarian around.

Still, he’s isn’t bad company when the league isn’t involved. He’s fond of art and architecture and all those stereotypical rich people things, but he’s also well-versed in popular culture.

(“I didn’t take you for an Avengers fan.”

“Admittedly it was not something I sought out for myself. My son Bede—”

“Wait, you adopted Bede?”

“Of course. Didn’t my counterpart do the same?”)

That’s why, when his throat aches from practice and there’s nothing else to do, Piers goes looking for him.

Rose is in one of the conference rooms. He’s usually there; he’s said before that it’s comfortably familiar to him. It’s the man he’s talking to who grabs Piers’ attention, though.

Rose says, “Piers, allow me to introduce you to Lysandre. He is a friend in my world, and his counterpart is just as elegant and driven.”

Lysandre looks down at him, magnanimous and regal. It should make sense that he and Rose know each other. They’re rich philanthropists, captains of industry; even with their different regions, it makes sense they would know each other.

And yet.

Rose, for all his billionaire capitalist near-dystopian command of the region, did not come from money. At one point he was poor. At one point he worked in the mines, dirty work.

Lysandre is an aristocrat. Lysandre is one of those smarmy bastards who believes that a person’s value depends entirely on whether they’re productive. People like him say that Spikemuth is poor because they don’t try hard enough.

When Team Flare began their attempt at apocalypse, the power spots went wild. Piers spent the day helping in Hammerlocke and trying not to worry about little Marnie all alone in their flat.

It was only later that Piers learned something like the full story, from Galarian translations of Professor Sycamore’s explanations.

He didn’t like what he read.

“I’ve heard of you,” Piers says. “Yer the one who wanted to kill all the Pokemon, right?”

Rose frowns. “I assure you, no one loves Pokemon like Lysandre—”

“It had to be done,” Lysandre says.

His voice is deeper than Piers’ or Rose’s, and his words hang heavily in the air.

“Lysandre… what…”

“My apologies, Elijah. Where there is a scarce resource, there will be conflict. With conflict comes suffering. Pokemon are destined to be used by humans; the only way to prevent it was to remove them.” He sighs a world-weary sigh, then looks to Piers. “I cannot confirm if I was successful in my world, but that was my intention.”

Rose pales. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to — I must —”

He doesn’t finish the sentence. In a moment he’s rushing out the door, unsteady on his feet. Piers follows him. He finds him leaning against the wall, clutching his chest and sweating.

“Are you okay?” Shit, he’s not having a heart attack, is he?

“I'm fine. Physically,” Rose says. “It’s just — my Lysandre wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t talk like that.”

“Mhm.”

“I hate this place,” Rose says. “I hate everyone in it — except you.”

“Mhm.”

*

Piers walks down the hall to find his path blocked by that man in the snuggie.

“Mr. Piers, was it?” Ghetsis asks. “A pleasure to meet you. My name is—”

“I know who you are. Not interested.”

“Come now, what harm could I possibly do to you here? You lose nothing by listening for a few minutes.”

“If you’re going to give me that ‘humans and Pokemon should be separated’ bull, save your breath. Galar watched your stunt at the league. We know you don’t even believe it yourself.”

He tries to force his way past, but Ghetsis remains firm. He’s like Lysandre, much taller than any normal person has any right to be. He stands unmoving, but the smile on his face grows bigger and more unnerving by the second.

(Piers misses Raihan.)

“Of course not,” Ghetsis says. “I wouldn’t insult your intelligence like that. After all, a dark-type specialist like yourself is no doubt familiar with strategy. Especially in your league.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Ghetsis chuckles. “You say you’ve seen my ‘stunt,’ as it were. I’ve seen yours, too. The league lets your town rot on purpose, and the only salvation they offer is for you to leave it? I know I would be angry, were I in your position.”

Deep breaths. He’s a manipulator; don’t let him get to you.

“And your champion — I’ve never seen someone so undeserving of what they were given—”

It’s only after Piers throws the punch that he realizes Ghetsis probably meant Leon and not Marnie.

Well, it’s no problem either way; Piers’ fist hits him square in the nose, making a satisfying sound as it connects. It seems Ghetsis is frailer than he looks. He stumbles back with a groan, giving Piers the chance to walk past him.

“Don’t talk to me again,” he calls over his shoulder.

Ghetsis only glares.

*

One day Piers opens a door to find a gigantic black Jellicent-woman hybrid on the other side.

“Ah,” J says when he stops screaming long enough to tell her what happened. “I see you’ve met the Motherbeast.”

He doesn’t dare ask what the story behind that is.

*

It says something that the emergency lights here are blue.

J rushes to him, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him down the hall.

“What’s happening?”

“We’re moving from our shielded position to a VLFS. The structure is currently occupied, so it’s not as smooth as we’d like. But don’t worry about it, Giovanni has a plan.”

A plan. Isn’t that reassuring.

There are grunts running everywhere. Piers catches glimpses of people in white and gold — the current occupants? They’re fighting against the Rockets.

Piers should help them. He’s a gym leader, and gym leaders are supposed to help people, right? Innocent bystanders vs invading criminals. It should be an easy choice. Piers should turn around — right — now — and…

...and he doesn’t.

He goes back to his room like a child, pretending he doesn’t see what’s going on around him. Let this region’s champion handle it, if there is one.

By the end of the hour, the lights are back to red.

*

Rainbow Rocket’s occupation of Aether Paradise lasts for an hour before someone comes tearing through the grunts.

Piers considers going out to meet them, but he holds back. He doesn’t feel like getting into a fight.

Still, his curiosity grows. A few minutes in and he’s walking out.

In the main room, a man holds two grunts at arms’ length. He’s tall, somewhere between Ghetsis and Lysandre in height. He’s wearing a baggy hoodie with a skull design on the back. He’s not a suited corporate type at all.

Piers decides he likes him.

“‘Ey, you two.” He pokes both of the grunts on their backs, nudging them away. “I’ll take care of this guy, a’right? Now scram.”

The grunts obey.

The man doesn’t seem grateful, but that’s reasonable: he didn’t look like he needed rescuing, really. He circles Piers, cracking his knuckles.

“So you’re with these guys, are you? Where’d ya put the prez?”

“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.” He holds up a hand, trying to ward off a potential fistfight. “‘M here ‘cause I train dark types an’ someone thought that makes a bad guy. M’ name’s Piers.”

The man puts his hands in his pockets, circling Piers. There’s something dark in his eyes; Piers sees it in the mirror every day.

At last the man says, “I’m Guzma, the boss of Team Skull. I like your shoes.”

His shoes, with the skulls on the heels. Punk recognizes punk.

Piers wonders if they’ve met before. He could have sworn, sometime during his stay here, that he’s heard the name.

Maybe Guzma’s counterpart is running around the castle somewhere.

“Who’s the prez you mentioned?”

“The prez. You know, the lady who owns this place? Lusamine. Tall white lady, hair like a cocoon down to her ankles?”

The Motherbeast. Or her counterpart, more likely.

“Haven’t seen her, sorry.”

“Hmph.” Guzma stomps to the wall and slumps against it. “Well, at least our champion’s here. She’ll beat you all down before long.”

Their champion. Piers pictures a muscular woman in her mid-twenties, a white cape flowing behind her.

“There she is! Hey, Moon! You find that Giovanni yet?”

In rushes a girl — no, two girls — both younger than Marnie. The dark-haired one looks up at Guzma and shakes her head.

“There’s one more room, Mr. Guzma,” her blonde partner says.

“Then go for it. Me an’ Piers here’ll make sure nobody goes after ya.”

The girls rush off. Guzma follows them with his eyes, and when they’re out of sight, he slumps back again.

“They’re good kids, Moon and Lillie. Didn’t have the best home lives, but they’re still holdin’ on… you gotta admire that, right?”

*

Giovanni calls the whole thing off. Apparently the others in this Rainbow Rocket gang got sent back to their universes by this scientist working for Aether. That simultaneously encourages Piers and pisses him off, because if this was possible all this time, someone should’ve offered him a ride home.

Better late than never, he supposes.

Colress has him and Rose in the same room, “because your universes have a similar frequency, so I can send you both home at once.”

Rose nods. “So, Piers, it seems this is where we say goodbye.”

“Yeah.” A chuckle. “Can’t say I’m looking forward to fighting with you about power spots and stadiums again.”

A wry smile. “Well… I’d give a farewell speech, but I believe you wouldn’t care for it. So let me say this instead: I am thankful to have had you here.”

“You, too.”

“And if I may ask you a favor…” Rose takes Piers by the shoulder, pulling him close. He whispers in his ear: “If your Rose is anything like me, he does genuinely care for Leon. Tell him to act like it, while he has the chance.”

Piers’ face feels warm. His chest tightens, and he feels dizzy… and then he falls.

He falls, and he lands on his face, and Arceus is that Marnie’s voice.

“Where were you?” Her voice has that pitch she gets when she’s about to cry, and Piers hurries to hug her. They’re sitting in… Wyndon Stadium? There’s Marnie’s Liepard, and on the other side of the pitch, a kid in a challenger uniform and their Kommo-o.

“How long was I gone?”

“Six. Freaking. Months. I went looking for you! But nobody had any idea where you could’ve gone… Where were you?”

He pats her back. “I… got lost. It’s a long story. ‘M sorry for leaving you, Mar. I promise I’ll never do that to ya again.”

*

*

*

When Champion Moon visits Galar for the World Tournament, she is introduced to their gym leaders.

She gives Piers a thoughtful look, but never says why.

[aufanficfanatic]

BNHA Pokémon AU Part 1: Kirishima Eijirou

II. LYCANROC

--------

"Riot, use Crush Claw!"  

Twelve-year-old Kirishima Eijirou watched with a critical eye as a little tan canine slashed at a Geodude with extended claws, cracking its outer defence and leaving it vulnerable for further physical attacks. Geodude tried to curl its body around the vulnerability to compensate, but Eijirou and Riot were too quick. With a toothy grin, Ei shouted, "Riot, show Geodude some love!" With a cute little bark, Riot ran right up to the curled Pokémon and began vigorously rubbing his rocky collar along its body. The rocks' sharpness proved to be the end of the match when one stuck into the crack previously made by Crush Claw. Geodude fainted and was recalled by the Pewter Gym Trainer.

"Way to go, Riot! Yeah!" Eijirou cheered, running to give his Pokémon some pets. The Rockruff's blue eyes shown with affection as his Trainer rubbed between his ears, and he barked just as loudly as Eijirou cheered.

"Eiji-kun, please call official Pokémon moves when you're in a proper match, okay? That kind of improvisation is all well and good for wild Pokémon tussles, but as a Gym leader I could disqualify Riot for something like that outside the registered moveset."

"Aw, Brock-ojiisan!"

The Pewter City gym leader was thirty-seven and had been training Eijirou since the boy had turned ten. Every weekday, after he got out of school, Eijirou would run to the Pewter Gym and train with Brock and his subordinates for a few hours. Brock-ojiisan was a great teacher, knew all the tricks and tips for raising rock-type Pokémon, and was strict but fair with Eijirou and Riot. Case in point—

"Sometimes it really sucks being limited to Riot's moveset. I get lots of ideas during a match, and I wanna try them all! Why does it have to be like that, Brock-ojiisan?"

Brock tousled the boy's chin-length black hair, sighing in that particular way that meant Eijirou probably learned about this before but had forgotten. "For the same reason a Pokémon Trainer can only utilize up to six Pokémon at a time. It keeps matches fair and balanced. To even the playing field for all different types of Trainers, the rules need to be standardized across the Regions."

"I guess that makes sense. Playing fair is manly! I'll only use Riot's registered moveset next time, I promise!" The boy turned to Kanta, one of Brock's gym trainers, and bowed in apology. "Thanks for the match! Sorry for the unregistered move! It won't happen again!"

Brock chuckled, smiling warmly at the boy who's become like a nephew to him. He never quite outgrew speaking in exclamations. "And how is Riot doing compared to the timeline you drew up? Is he on-schedule? It's going to be soon, right?"

Eijirou grinned again, showing off his shaper-than-normal teeth. "He's officially level twenty-four, as of yesterday. I'm observing his experience growth... I've got it timed to Friday at 5pm on the dot! He's gonna be an even prettier Dusk colour than kaa-san's!" Eijirou was bouncing now, too excited to contain his energy. "I'm gonna have a Lycanroc! Are ya excited, Riot? Are ya, are ya?" His energy overflowed, spilling over to Riot quickly as the Rockruff bounded in circles and barked incessantly.

Brock laughed. "Alright, kid, calm down. So just a couple days, huh? And are you prepared for the aggression spike? I've noticed that Riot is already a lot rougher than he used to be ... he won't hurt you on purpose, I know that, but you've gotta prepare for an adjustment period. Have your moms walked you through everything?"

Eijirou's laugh turned into a pout. "Hey, Brock-ojiisan, I grew up on Rockruff Ranch! I've taken care of loads of Lycanroc, I can totally handle it!"

Well, that was probably true. Brock thought that he was perhaps the one who wasn't ready to handle the aggression of a Lycanroc in his Gym every day.

Suddenly, the doors flew open, banging against the wall as another gym trainer ran into the building. "Brock-sama! Pewter's downtown is under attack! Its Team Rocket!" The other gym trainers erupted with shock and anger, turning to their Gym Leader to wait for instructions.

Brock leapt into action, racing over to his bag to switch out his weaker gym Pokémon for his personal team. "Grab your teams and get to the Pokémon Center, quickly! Protect the nurses; don't let any grunts steal injured Pokémon!" The Gym emptied out quickly, and soon it was just Brock and Eijirou.

"Brock-ojiisan ..." Eijirou murmured fearfully, clenching a fist in Riot's ruff. "What should I do?"

Brock tossed a Pokéball out the door of the Gym, and Eijirou saw Brock's favoured Onix appear in an explosion of light. "Stay here, Eiji-kun, and stay safe. I'm locking you in—don't answer the door for anybody, okay? Keep Riot close, and protect each other." With that, Brock was gone, and Eijirou was left in the empty Gym alone.

"Be safe ..." Eijirou murmured, and Riot butted his head against Eijirou's hand, whining softly. "I know, boy—this is really scary! I can't believe Team Rocket would attack Pewter City in broad daylight. I feel like I should be with Brock-ojiisan, helping protect everyone ..." Riot cocked his head at Eijirou, yipping almost in admonishment. "No, Brock-ojiisan told us to stay here, Riot! Sorry boy, but we can't go." He sighed, sitting down cross-legged on the floor. "When you evolve into a Lycanroc, Riot, we'll have all the strength we need to protect everybody! Even Brock-ojiisan! So let's keep working hard when this is over, and get you your Dusk form!" His beloved partner yipped in agreement, and then settled down by Eijirou's side, blue eyes focused on the glass doors.

Nothing happened, for a long while. Eijirou couldn't sit still, opting to stand up and pace over by the reception desk to try and relieve some of his nervous energy. He tried not to worry about Brock-ojiisan, but it was proving to be difficult. "What if they gang up on him," he asked Riot in desperation, the Pokémon cocking an ear in Eijirou's direction. "What if they have lots of water and grass Pokémon and Onix gets hurt? What if—"

"Hello, hello? Is anyone there? Brock-sama? Please, let us in! Help us!" Eijirou froze in his tracks as two girls suddenly ran up to the Gym doors, one of them banging a fist on the glass while the other had her back turned, focusing on something in the distance. Eijirou recognized them from school, though they weren't in his class. What should he do? Brock-ojiisan told him not to open the door for anyone ...

And then, a Rocket grunt stepped onto the path behind the girls. He was a mean-looking brute, all muscles and small squinting eyes. He had an equally mean-looking Raticate beside him, drool dripping down its wicked teeth. He couldn't hear what the grunt said to the girls, but it was clear he was after their Pokémon.

Eijirou's heart leapt to his throat. He should do something! He and Riot had been training for two years now, surely he could handle one Raticate? His legs wouldn't cooperate. His chest hurt with how fast his heart was beating. The girls were trembling, and the grunt was getting closer to them. Why wasn't he doing anything?! He was so scared, but the girls had it so much worse. He could help them! Why couldn't he move, was he really so pathetic? Yes, he was. He was just a stupid scared loser who didn't have the right to call himself a Pokémon trainer—

"Ruff." Riot was suddenly there, nipping at Eijirou's fingers and dragging him out of his own head.

"Ouch! Riot?" Startled red eyes stared into solemn blue. Eijirou had never seen Riot look so intense before like he was staring through him. There was a determination that filled Riot to the brim, making his fur stand on end and his eyes gleam with sharpness, muzzle lifted proudly in the air.  

"Ruff, ruff!" His Pokémon's presence filled the space around him. He butted his head sharply against Eijirou's hand, chasing away the anxious, buzzing thoughts and giving Eijirou clarity for the first time since word of Team Rocket had first reached them.

"We ... can do this. We can help those girls," Eijirou said, hesitation slowly leaking out of his body and voice as he spoke. "I'm a Pokémon Trainer. My Pokémon is standing strong, so I will, too! I gotta be manly—to be anything less would be an insult to my Pokémon's hard work! Yeah! C'mon Riot, let's be heroes!"

"Ruff, ruff, ruff!" Riot barked loudly, spinning in a tight circle and then facing the glass doors with fangs bared. The grunt was leaning over the crying girls in a position of power and intimidation, one hand resting on the door over their heads and the other held out for their Pokéballs.

Eijirou's legs didn't freeze up this time. He sprinted to the door, Riot on his heels, and threw it open. The grunt was thrown off-balance and stumbled to the ground with an expletive. Eijirou used the distraction to push the girls behind him into the safety of the Gym lobby. "Close the doors behind me, don't open them for anyone except Brock-ojiisan or Officer Jenny!"

Riot had already tackled the Raticate, sending it sprawling a few feet away. The grunt recovered and narrowed his eyes at the interloper standing between him and his prey. "Who do you think you are, punk? You think you can just step in and interfere with Team Rocket? Fine, I'll take your Pokémon first! Raticate, Bite that stupid dog!"

Eijirou had never been a part of such a high-stakes Pokémon match. But strangely, all he felt was confidence as Riot dodged the Raticate's teeth and regrouped in front of his Trainer, snarling and baring his fangs. "I won't let you take their Pokémon, and you won't have mine, either! I'll stop you right here and now!"

The grunt backpedalled away from Ejirou, regrouping with his Raticate a safe distance away. "Think you're some kinda hotshot, punk? We'll see which is stronger—your rocks or our teeth!"

He sent the Raticate forward with another Bite. Riot attempted to dodge, but the vicious teeth caught one of the rocks in his ruff with just enough leverage to drag the littler Pokémon closer. Eijirou had a move ready to call out as soon as the Raticate finished its turn and withdrew—but it didn't, just held Riot between its teeth, and before Eijirou could do more than blink in confusion the Rocket grunt yelled, "Hyper Fang!" The stone between the Raticate's wide, flat teeth chipped off with the force of the bite, causing the Rockruff to yelp.

"Riot!" Eijirou shouted in shock and then turned angrily on the grunt. "You used two moves in a row, that's against the rules!"

The Raticate withdrew and hopped back towards its Trainer, who scoffed out a laugh. "What are you gonna do, punk? Call the League on me?"

Eijirou grit his teeth. Man, he hated this guy! "Riot, you good?" he asked his partner, who shook out his ruff and then barked affirmatively. "Awesome! Okay, boy, it's our turn! Looks like that Raticate wants to chew on some rocks—let's give it a whole buffet! Rock Throw!"

Riot's bright blue eyes blazed keenly as his tail began to glow, ejecting sharp stones that hurled themselves at the opponents. There were too many to dodge, but the rocks were small, and Raticate was able to take the attack standing.

Eijirou and Riot settled into the battle with tenacity and focus. Eijirou decided on a long-range battle style, determined to keep Riot away from Raticate's teeth and tail. Riot danced evasively around the increasingly-frustrated rat, picking away at its HP with Rock Throws and using his fluffy tail to sweep a few Sand Attacks into its eyes. Even so, Raticate was a vicious opponent, and its Trainer didn't follow League rules at all—Eijirou had counted six different moves used against Riot so far, often in succession instead of turn-based.

After a few successful Fury Swipes that sent bits of Riot's fur flying, Eijirou decided enough was enough. It was time to end this, the way Eijirou and Riot preferred—up close and personal. "Good boy, Riot! Now, use Crush Claw!"

Riot rushed forward, leaping in the air over the tail that had whipped around in an attempt to trip him up ("Seriously, dude, again?") and landed claws-first on the Raticate's back. Though he was the smaller Pokémon, he was still a rock-type—and therefore weighed enough to flatten that Raticate right out on the ground.  

Surprisingly, it didn't faint. It was close, though, and Crush Claw had lowered its defences even further. Riot, on the other hand, had incredible stamina and could take a few more Bites if Eijirou followed the rules; if he allowed Riot to wait his turn and end this the League way.

But the grunt had made Eijirou realize that this was no proper Pokémon battle. There were no League officials to call fouls, or Gym Leaders to disqualify him. There were no rules and regulations, other than to make sure he and his beloved Pokémon partner got out of this fight in one piece. So Eijirou was going to finish it now, his way. He grinned widely, and peripherally he could see the grunt flinch at the sight of Eijirou's sharp teeth.

"Hey, Riot! Show that Raticate some love!"

Riot nearly howled in delight and nuzzled his jagged rocks into the Pokémon beneath him in aggression more than affection. With a pained cry, Raticate fainted, and then it was finally over. Riot ran barking over to Eijriou and leapt into his arms, and Eijirou was so proud of him he couldn't contain it, laughing and spinning him through the air. "You did it! We did it! We were awesome, yeah!"

The Rocket grunt recalled his fainted Pokémon with a snarl. "You brat. You think you got the best of Team Rocket? You better think again. We got admins here, and you can bet they'll crush that stupid Gym Leader and his rock-type Pokémon to gravel! And you'll be next, I'll make sure of that."

Riot leapt out of Eijirou's hands, snarling viciously, and his tail glowed up for another Rock Throw. The grunt quickly turned tail and ran, cursing as he got pelted with small stones on the way. So unmanly.

Eijirou's Pokédex chirped with battle results and an updated account balance, but Eijirou ignored it. He paced, his victory grin fading into a nervous frown. "I'm kinda worried about Brock-ojiisan. What do ya think, Riot? Should we go find him? And maybe kick more Team Rocket butts along the way?"

Riot full-out howled, claws digging into the earth and hackles rising as he cried out his battle lust to the darkening sky. His eyes almost looked red in the light of the setting sun. Eijirou stared at his Pokémon partner in awe, suddenly understanding Brock-ojiisan's concerns a bit. "You really are getting pretty aggressive, aren't ya little man? Aw, it's kinda cute!"

That had earned him a nipped finger or five.

--------   (-o-) --------

It was a long evening. Eijirou hadn't come across Brock-ojiisan right away, instead diving in to help the ordinary citizens of Pewter City, whose homes and businesses were being looted and their Pokémon stolen by Team Rocket grunts. But Pewter people were tough as nails, and often they dove right into the fray to help each other out, double and even triple battling to send grunts packing. Riot was a force of nature, fast and vicious and tenacious. Eijirou couldn't believe he'd ever doubted this, their strength and their bond, as they won battle after battle.

By the time he found Brock-ojiisan, Eijirou was covered in sweat and dirt, had a lump in the back of his head where he'd been nailed by a stray Bullet Seed, and was having the time of his life.

To his credit, Brock-ojiisan wasn't at all surprised to see him. He just rolled his eyes, tossed Eijirou a Super Potion, and went back to soundly thrashing the Rocket Admin before him. Brock's slightly-psychotic Steelix was out to play, and Eijirou felt bad for the guy, villain though he was—there were definitely broken bones in his future.

He spared a few moments to watch Brock-ojiisan be manly and cool, and then he turned back around. "Alright Riot, let's go towards the school and make sure all the ... students are ... safe?" Eijirou blinked, spinning around and searching the ground around his feet. "Riot? Where are ya, boy?" He stuttered forward a few feet, looking around at the various battles and chaos ensuing around him, trying to catch a glimpse of tan fur. Did that rock-brained dog really just leave to fight without him? Man, he was going to be so aggressive as a Lycanroc ...

But as Eijirou finished a lap around the plaza without a sign of Riot, panic began to set low in his belly. "Riot? RIOT, WHERE ARE YOU?" He'd only taken his eyes off his partner for a second, how could he have lost him? There was no way a Rocket grunt could've snuck up behind him and taken Riot without a sound ... right?

Oh, Arceus. Eijirou broke into a sprint, picking a random street and running past Rocket grunts and Pewple alike. "RIOT! RIOT!" he called over and over, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes as all the terrible scenarios played in his mind. He was laying in a ditch, fainted and hurt. He was abducted by Team Rocket. He was lost, searching for Eijirou just as desperately ...

Out of nowhere, down some side street that Eijirou didn't know the name of, something collided painfully with the back of his knees, and he ate the pavement. It hurt; tears poured down his cheeks as he sat up and spat blood onto the street; his sharp teeth had bitten deep into his tongue. But it didn't matter, because all he could feel was joy and relief. "Riot, thank Arceus I found you—huh?" He looked up into narrow, black eyes and wide, drooling teeth, and that joy died viciously in his chest.

"Well, well, well ... just the brat we were looking for, eh Raticate?" It was him, the grunt from the Gym! But ... why was he here? Eijirou had already defeated him, he wasn't supposed to come back ...! Eijirou scrambled to his feet, mouth full of blood and heart full of fear.  

"Aw, did you lose something, Sharpedo-boy? Why don't I help you with that, huh?"

That paralyzing, choking feeling from the Gym lobby was filling him again. His body trembled. His heart throbbed in his throat, and his legs went numb. What should he do? He'd already decided to never to feel this way again, to doubt in his and Riot's bond—but Riot wasn't here. He'd left Eijirou on his own, with no other Pokémon, to face a villain who so clearly wanted to hurt him.

The grunt's eyes matched his Raticate's, black and small and vicious. "Not so tough without that yappy dog at your heels, slinging its pathetic pebbles, are you brat?" Eijirou stumbled backwards, some sort of flight instinct trying to kick in through the numbness. The grunt stayed still. "Let's see if we can make you faint this time. Raticate, Tackle."

Eijirou barely had time to throw up his hands in a defensive manoeuver before he was thrown off his feet by what felt like the force of a small train, knocking all the wind out of him and laying him flat on his back. Wheezing, Eijirou tried to scramble back to his feet, but he felt uncoordinated and dizzy.

The grunt was drawing closer. His face was so blank, and his eyes were so cold. "Quick Attack." Raticate moved so quickly Eijirou didn't have time to flinch before his body skidded across the ground and his head smacked painfully into the wall behind him. His gasp of pain made him choke on the blood that had been pooling in his mouth from his cut tongue, and he coughed. It hurt. It hurt. He wanted his kaa-san.

The grunt was standing before him now, watching him with a smirk. "That's the problem with these young Pokémon trainers, Raticate. They go traipsing around the region throwing Pokéballs at all sorts of people bigger than them, convinced that theirs is the only kind of power in the world. But take away that Pokéball and all you have left is some snot-nosed brat peeing his pants and crying for Mummy."

Eijirou coughed and spat out more blood and tried not to puke the rest of it up. "W-where ... is h-he?" he gasped. He couldn't sit up, lead lolling uselessly against the wall. "Where's ... Riot ...?"

The grunt shrugged. "Dunno. Shoved in a sack in the back of a van? Kicked into the gutter like old rubbish? Suffocating in some Muk's body? Who knows. Don't really care, I only came here because of you. I owe you." Eijirou had encountered evil for the first time in this world, was looking it in the face, watching as it looked back. This man ... this evil man looked at a little twelve-year-old's bruised and battered face and only said, "Try for a critical hit this time, Raticate. Faint him good and permanent."

Raticate shifted its weight to its back feet, ready to strike—

And then, a howl sounded through the narrow street, so deep and loud that it made the bricks beneath Eijirou's head resonate with the timbre. The Rocket grunt's head whipped around, but by then it was too late—in an explosion of rock shards and a streak of deep red, the Raticate was flung thirty-odd meters down to the other end of the street, crashed into a rubbish bin, and laid still.

The grunt had tripped backwards in shock, falling on the ground and banging his elbow against the cobbles. "Ow, what the f—" he looked up into glowing red eyes, and the curse died on his tongue.

A Midnight-Form Lycanroc stood in front of Eijirou like some avenging angel—no, an avenging devil—muzzle full of sharp teeth and wide paws tipped with wicked claws and glowing red eyes that promised nothing but complete and utter destruction.

The grunt had fear in his eyes, for the first time. He leapt to his feet and ran as fast as he could, fumbling for Raticate's Pokéball to collect him on his way out. But then four massive boulders slammed into the ground around him, boxing him in, preventing escape. Eijirou gaped. Rock Tomb, had to be, but so incredibly powerful ...! And then a fifth boulder, not nearly as large as the others but big enough to get the job done, fell right on top of his head, and the man crumbled and didn't get up again.

Eijirou was too dizzy to move, could only stare incomprehensibly at this strange Lycanroc that had come to rescue him out of nowhere. Really, it was a wonder he was still conscious at this point, so he could be forgiven for the absolute delusion that spilled out of his lips when he looked at this fierce, protective Pokémon—"Dad?"

The Lycanroc whimpered, curling into Eijirou's side and licking his cheek. Suddenly different than before, the Lycanroc curled tightly in a ball, almost in shame, and whined on every exhale.

Eijirou hurt all over. He wanted his kaa-san, but this strange Lycanroc was warm and soft. He closed his eyes, laying his aching head down onto soft scarlet fur, and let himself drift for a bit. He thought at one point maybe he'd heard the Lycanroc barking, and someone calling his name, but Eijirou decided he'd deal with it later. He slept.

--------   (-o-) --------

[cloudbatcave]

Cloud Plays White: Finale

This is a long one, folks, since I realized I had a bit in my notes I had forgotten about and only found after I posted this, lol, so I have now edited it in.

when we last left off I was criticizing Alder for being useless in apprehending Ghetsis and Iris for not just taking me to Drayden’s house herself when it is Right Fucking There. 

So I’m still futzing around Opelucid here.

“No way, without pokemon, I’ll be lonely and sad! …but am I just using my pokemon, then?”

wow, seems there’s some brain cells there after all. you keep exercising those, brah.

I run into a guy who thinks that it’s okay for team plasma to take pokemon from weak trainers, even though he considers himself one and feels bad for the people they rob.

There’s another dude in the same room who used to be part of team plasma but left because it was weird for him that everyone thought the same way.

See, I appreciate this part of the game’s writing - I wish there was more stuff like this, people who are conflicted and their viewpoints being front and center instead of the simplistic garbage we’re fed by Iris and Alder and company.

Though there’s an absolute nut job who says that despite the years he’s trained with his pokemon he’ll let it go if it makes it a perfect being and I am just not even gonna unpack all the lunacy there.

There’s a kid who thinks that just because N has the legendary pokemon, he must be the hero.

I am very concerned about everyone in Unova being so gullible.

“Your Scrafty looks like it can try a little harder.”

WELL FUCK YOU TOO RANDOM LADY??? LAD DOES HIS BEST AND I WILL NOT HAVE HIM SLANDERED THIS WAY

I finally go to Drayden’s and get told how the original dragon performed mitosis and now we have two dragons and also they once destroyed the region with fire and lightning but it’s chill.

“People may hurt pokemon even more by imposing their selfish thoughts on them. But no matter what, Pokemon and people believe in each other, need each other, and will continue to live together…”

Drayden is smarter and more nuanced than like, anyone else, why is he not a main character.

Iris chips in about how much she can’t forgive Plasma and Drayden mentions they don’t know how to wake up Zekrom.

Well, to be fair, I’d be very surprised if they did.

Off to the gym, this’ll be interesting since I have no ice or dragon moves on my team.

I get through the trainers okay, now time to fight Daffodil.

Her Haxorus was a bit tricky but nothing I couldn’t handle, and when I walk out Juniper shows up.

And somehow she knows how to resurrect Zekrom. Cool!

She blahs about how it’ll wake up when it deems someone worthy and talks about how much I’ve changed and shows me to the gate where the route to the pokemon league is.

“Chirae? Do you regret setting out on your pokemon journey?”

UH.

MAYBE?

mmm, that’s not fair to my pokemon though - nigh everyone around me may be looney tunes or incompetent, but they’ve been good pals.

So I hit “no” after all.

and she gives me a master ball. dope.

I make it to the gates of victory road and I honestly really like the bit where each section of them is themed after the badges! That’s a nice touch, I think that was only also done in the FRLG remakes if I recall correctly. It makes it feel a lot more ceremonious and important.

Ah here come my two idiots.

Bianca asks Cheren to smile and he’d probably implode if he did. He finally isn’t an asshole though, good for him.

The bug badge guard tells me to “fight valiantly like an insect” which is funny but I guess does make sense. Ants can fuck some stuff up, man.

Honestly I want to be a badge gate guard, seems like a fun job.

Also, I caught an excadrill in a raid the day I wrote this, and caught an excadrill in this game. Their pokedex entry includes this gem:

“Their tunnels can be destructive to subway systems”

Given the battle subway exists in this game, their insurance payments must be obscene. Imagine getting your match interrupted by a giant mole with metal fists that doesn’t give a fuck.

I named her Beans. She looks like a Beans.

I also caught a Deino. The Irate Pokémon that can’t see and tackles people to learn about its surroundings. I feel a kinship with this creature.

I named him Mezzo for laughs.

And I managed to get myself back to the beginning of victory road. Good job, cloud.

Okay I think I’ve found the right path, found a new dude to beat up which is a good sign. Apparently he’s lost too.

Love when a trainer switches out to a Pokémon mine doesn’t have a type advantage against and it gets wiped in two hits anyway. Death is inevitable.

“I’ve thought about what I can do to help my Pokémon win and I finally figured out the answer!”

Is it git gud?

Flame charge raises my speed, opponent’s klang uses automotize to prove it can do that too, dies because it’s too busy trying to go fast.

Then I get nailed by a flare blitz. Darmanitan is toxic to gen 5 nuzlocke runs, I swear. Especially since I have no one on my hodgepodge team resistant to fire. At least my unfezant is faster.

“Read what your opponent wants to do. Your opponent is human and may change plans from moment to moment. Be careful!”

There’s some meta joke to be made there but I’m not thinking of anything witty. Something something AI having a point even if not in this context.

Back to the beginning again but I think I know what I need to do now.

I looked at a walkthrough to check, tho, lmfao. Was tired of climbing up there only to fall down the wrong spot.

“There’s an item at the bottom! Do you want to slide all the way down?”

You’re the devil talking and you tempt me but I will ignore your silver tongue for now.

So I’m at the league and I thought Cheran would pop out of the bushes before I got here. That’s weird. I could swear he fights me one last time before I challenge the elite four.

NO CHERAN. OKAY. WHAT. IS MY GAME GLITCHED??

I guess not! Huh.

All right then. Time to try and see if I can win with my very unbalanced team.

Lmfao yeah my first attempt against the ghost trainer crashed and burned. Literally, thanks to her Chandelure. Very glad I saved on the outside. TIME TO GO TRAIN MORE.

No Marty, you may not learn wild charge, this is a no recoil moves household, self harm is bad.

Some grinding later, I am ready to try again.

Shauntal gave me a little trouble but was much more manageable. Grimsley was easy, only his Krookodile gave me issues.

I really like the elite four battle areas in this gen, I do admit. Very aesthetic.

Ah shit I know that Musharna is coming.

Never mind, that pink and purple snoozeball went down easy. I didn’t have a single Pokémon faint.

Unless Marshal breaks the trend the fights have actually gotten easier as I went.

He actually was a bit tricky, gave me a good show.

Hello endless stairs, hello N and Alder, hello giant random castle that just explodes out of the ground somehow.

“What has just appeared is team plasma’s castle”

Thanks mate, never would’ve figured that out without you. Why do you need a castle. 

Oh wow, the gym leaders finally decided to be useful and fight the sages for me instead of letting extremists wander around unchecked.

Thanks y’all! Trying not being pointless more often!

“Ignoring team plasma...that would be a terrible thing for us gym leaders to do.”

You all already did that, Elena. I watched as Clay and Iris let these assholes go. We could have avoided this whole plot if literally any of you had done more earlier.

So the game says the castle was built by the Pokémon team plasma took but how the fuck did they like...work underground...you know what I’m not gonna even think about it too hard because it makes no sense and I know that. I must make my peace.

I also like how the castle is nonsensical and yet there’s a line of dialogue about how they’ll liberate the Pokémon in PCs too for their Master Plan(TM), which is surprisingly thoughtful. This game is so inconsistent with how much sense its lore makes. It’ll come up with something clever and then wear its underwear on its head the next minute.

“Will you go the Pokémon league?”

Hey what - WHY DID YOU TELEPORT ME HOW CAN YOU DO THAT. DO YOU HAVE AN ABRA OR WHAT

THAT WAS RANDOM

Well at least there’s someone there to randomly teleport me back too.

WHEEEEEE

Hi Reshiram, convenient how that mini fire tornado you made didn’t burn me or N.

Hi Zekrom, convenient how your lightning didn’t hurt us either, you’re a considerate chap

Aight, let’s see if I can catch this bastard

...I did and it only took me like five balls. Okay then.

N gave me a good fight, so there’s that.

Love how Ghetsis’s bouffalant kills itself via recoil from its own move and my scrafty’s rocky helmet.

He gave me a good fight too though.

I do like the ending, despite my issues with how the game presents its message. N is a great character and I appreciate what Nintendo was trying to do with the game’s plot, they just...didn’t really delve into it like they should have.

I’m glad I replayed it. I still have my issues with gen 5 but I see a lot more of its positives now.

We’ll see if I do any post-game content, I have gotten kind of attached to my grump-ass trainersona and his weird team.

[ghostmartyr]

Pokémon SoulSilver Randomized Nuzlocke [Part 1]

Since I haven’t fully learned from my mistakes, hey! It’s time for another Nuzlocke. With extra Randomizer action for reasons that are going to be very apparent as I go through this set’s rules.

I’m going to try what this person on the internet calls a Chainlocke, though with slight alterations for the sake of sanity; basic idea is that my catch Types have to be linked. If I catch a Grass/Poison pokemon, my next option has to have one of those in common.

That gets thorny really fast, which I guess is the point, but I’m more about wacky fun than serious challenges. So to make things more entertaining, I will be randomizing every pokemon in the wild, as well as NPC gifts and trades. All the other Trainers keep their original stuff. I get to be special.

So. Rules:

Only the first viable pokemon of each route may be caught.

Gift pokemon are cool to use.

In-game trades are also cool.

‘Viable’ in this case means that they must have a Type in common with the most recent caught pokemon.

The starter will be starting that chain despite not technically being caught by me. Because I feel like it.

Each pokemon must receive a nickname.

If a pokemon faints, it is considered dead. It will go in an appropriately named box in the PC.

In the event of a team wipe, the run will continue with whatever’s left (alive) in the PC.

And that’s about it. Let’s kick it.

No.

I can’t remember if this version does the all-caps for names or not. In any case, this protagonist avatar will take on the name Sunny. Because I am in a warm and welcoming mood, ready to make all the new creatures I encounter my friends.

I love how they have Lyra use the mail system.

Someone has to.

It certainly won’t be anyone playing these games.

Okay, based on how Lyra’s Marill is discussed, human names don’t get the all-caps treatment, but pokemon do. What does this mean for my nicknaming schemes? No idea. The hour is late and I don’t care enough.

-rubs hands together-

Hmmmm.

...

Dude.

Get out.

Hmmmm.

I can’t pick Cyndaquil, because what even is the point if I do that. Sableye I’ve never been so interested in as a true companion. Dewgong is fully evolved, and I hate starting out with that.

However.

I never get to use Dewgong.

Seel is never anywhere convenient.

DEWGONG WELCOME TO THE TEAM!

Shaped like a friend.

I haven’t worked out any particular theme for this run. I can name her whatever I want. I think I shall call her Chance.

Look at how cute she is. She is adorable. Sassy and highly persistent. I declare her perfect. She also knows Headbutt! That matters beyond being a cool move in this version! Much squeeing! She also knows Growl, Signal Beam, and Icy Wind.

My next pokemon will have to be Water or Ice. It will probably be Water, thanks to Water being absurdly common. That’s cool. I like Water pokemon.

And so, without yet being able to catch anything, I head out into the world. Running my obligatory fetch quest for Professor Elm.

Huh, a Smoochum says hello. That’s a good thing to know for later. But what’s in the Headbutt tree?

...A Hoothoot. Sigh. Well, one less thing to worry about when finding pokemon.

Weedle also lurks in the grass.

Yay. Gotta go fast.

Can I buy poke balls yet?

No. Sad face.

The next route has Kricketot. Did I check the similar strength button by accident?

Then suddenly, Grumpig! Okay, sweet. Just a few Buggy coincidences. Gligar is also here.

Literally have never heard of you. You have a boring name. No one should ever copy it ceaselessly for a gag that no one sees any value in.

Hello, a wild challenger approaches! With his super duper Totodile! Headbutt it, Chance. Headbutt it into submission. Good girl.

Uh. There’s not enough room for it.

Perfect.

I love how Silver’s most defining feature is his red hair.

After a short visit home to tell our mom we are far too irresponsible to be trusted with all of the money we’re going to earn from mugging other children, plus a short tutorial on catching things, we can finally get started!

Smoochum is the only thing available in the routes we’ve visited so far, but I haven’t checked out the northern one right outside the starting town yet.

But the walking takes the decision out of my hands! We encounter a level 4 Smoochum, and as per the rules, that is what I have to go for. Lest I kill the route.

...

I killed the Smoochum.

I guess that answers my question about its Typing. Ruh roh. Signal Beam was a mistake. For multiple reasons, now that I’m taking a second to think about it. Whoops. Any game that requires me to think is screwed from the start, honestly.

So now we search for something else to catch.

Route 46? Be nice?

Carvanha! That’s a Water! Can catch!

In theory. It’s broken out of two pokeballs. It’s also level 2, so I don’t think I can risk attacking it.

.I’m going to run out of balls, aren’t I?

I think I have to risk an Icy Wind. I’m on my last poke ball. I don’t really want to leave it purely up to the mood of the RNG.

Chance apparently doesn’t want friends.

She got a critical hit.

Two dead routes! Okay!

Still needing a Water or Ice Type!

Also more Poke Balls!

One of those problems I can fix. As for the other, inb4 the Mystery Egg and whatever I get from Bill are the only other teammates Chance ever has.

We march through the trainers between us and the next town. Certain of nothing but Chance’s ability to murder them all.

Route 31 has an Elekid as the first thing I see and the rules say I can’t catch it. What horrible person came up with this. Seviper and Lopunny are also here. Those I care less about.

Dark Cave? Help? Mayhaps?

A Golbat appears.

Okay.

Before we think too hard on that, I’ve gotta say that I do love how gen 4 does the caves. They are very gorgeously cavernous, and the few times I bother to think about the background art, I enjoy walking through them.

But yeah, is there anything in this cave that is not a Golbat?

Route 31 has a Butterfree.

These are things that do not help me.

The person who usually gives you an Onix for a Bellsprout in whatever this city is (Violet) offers a Corphish for a Kecleon. Things to keep in mind if I ever find a Kecleon. That I can catch.

In no version of this game have I ever done this egg thing. I was unaware there even was an egg thing, since anything that requires me to pick the right word out of the hat of words bores me to tears. Then I started watching too many people play Pokemon games on the internet.

-Googles how to get egg-

So normally, you can get a Mareep, Wooper, or Slugma. In the spirit of the Chainlocke, even though I said gifts were cool, we’ll take the Wooper egg. Vote now on whether or not it’ll actually be a Wooper. I don’t know how to use the Randomizer.

Hm. Iiiiiiinteresting.

Chance, Headbutt some trees on the off chance that a Water pokemon falls out, please.

It’s a Hoothoot.

I get the feeling that the Randomizer settings didn’t care about the pokemon found through Headbutting.

Route 32. Help.

Gligar. That is not help.

Rhydon is not help either. Likewise Torchic.

SQUIRTLE. THAT IS HELP.

...

...

...

Chance.

Why are you getting so many critical hits against your friends. Do you not want friends. Have I raised you to be so antisocial.

-sigh- Route 32 declared dead.

Ruins of Alph? Maybe you have someone Chance likes?

...

Why is Gligar everywhere.

I guess. I will go to the tower. With Chance. Just the two of us.

Plus the Gloom egg, which is looking like a very likely candidate for the only friend Chance will ever have. Besides the Mystery Egg we don’t have yet.

(Also Rock Smash HM get. Yaaaaay.)

Local level 11 Dewgong beats up 3 year-olds.

So many dead Bellsprout.

I haven’t run into any wild pokemon here, yet. Sadness. We will never know which new friend Chance was going to kill next.

SURPRISE!

It’s Medicham.

Chance kills it.

Partially because I can’t catch it anyway, partially because that is just what Chance does. Her sassiness belies her murderous intent.

Flash obtained with little fuss, and time to move on to Falkner. He of the coolest name. Yet another Gym Leader I wanted to be as a child. Even if he uses nothing but birds. Falkner is just the coolest name.

Oh, and it looks like there’s also Roselia in this tower.

I can’t do anything about it, but that’s nice.

I love how each generation of pokemon decides the Gyms need to be more extra.

They’re right and they should say it.

-five seconds later- Well that went by quickly. Good girl, Chance. Your murder spree continues. And our prize? Picking up the Mystery Egg! Which gets to be a genuine mystery for now! Chance! You might have a friend! In pure spite of your best efforts!

Time to spend an hour doing nothing but walking. I normally wouldn’t be so interested in hatching the eggs, but. I would kind of like to have a promise of Chance not being completely alone this entire game.

One down! His name is Cloud! He is... also Sassy (Chance, is this why you let him stay), level 1, and alert to sounds!

!

whatisitwhatisitwhatisitwhatisit

...Wow. Something I actually could have gotten legitimately in this Chainlocke. In theory. In a world where Chance is of slightly different temperament.

Her name shall be Sleet. She is Quiet and likes to run.

Hm.

I remain unsure if I’m going to actually use either of these new friends. The spirit of what I’m going for with this doesn’t really work with me just being handed two random Official Teammates. I might change my mind after a few more routes of things not going well for me, but for now, I think I’ll mostly stick to me and Chance.

..Though before I do..

They’re both level 1. I can be nice and not set them up for death. They can make it to level 5 before we say a cordial farewell. I can grind in this game. I can be nice.

-ten minutes later-

-tfw Ivysaur also lives on Route 32 because Route 32 is starter central-

Niceness done, let’s get on the road.

The road takes us, and our level 17 Dewgong, to Union Cave.

If you squint, this looks like fanart of a sleeping Sandslash.

Will we find the Water or Ice pokemon our team longs for here????

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

Uh.

Let me look up the rules for evolving Feebas in this gen. Because Feebas is pure Water. If I can’t evolve it, I’m better off killing it so I have more options available with what I can catch.

...

The internet says I need eight massages from Daisy (Blue’s sister. in Pallet Town.) to max its Beauty so it can evolve.

Chance. just. just do the thing. we all know how this ends.

So dies Union Cave.

Awww, how cute. A Shaymin. Now just one of the many corpses littered at Sunny’s feet. Hariyama is also here. A floor below, it’s the return of Grumpig. Plus Yanmega for the first time. Girafarig.

-SIGH-

Route 33. Do you want to save us?

Weezing.

WHISCASH. GIMME. CHANCE, SWAP OUT AND LET CLOUD HELP.

AT LONG LAST.

WE HAVE.

THE CHAINLOCKE’S FIRST CATCH.

FLUDD, WELCOME TO THE TEAM!

NEXT CATCH?

WATER OR GROUND!

LET’S END IT THERE WHILE THINGS ARE STILL GOOD.

[keyogrey-blog]

Nintendo E3 Summary and Review

Being one of the Big 3 gaming companies, it was expected that Nintendo would have a lot to show at this years E, and they did not disappoint. Ranging from Smash Bros. to Animal Crossing, Nintendo had an incredibly good showing this year, and I’m going to walk through the games shown through the direct, and featured on Treehouse Live.

Starting in chronological order is one of two DLC character reveals for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. A character that is more popular in Japan than in the west, The Hero from Dragon Quest makes it into smash as DLC Fighter 2 (3 if you include Piranha Plant). Before the reveal many people thought that Erdick, the playable character in Dragon Quest III, would be put in. However Erdick is just a title in the Dragon Quest games, not a name, so Nintendo decided to include Dragon Quest III, IV, VIII, and XI as alternate skins for the character. The character will simply be known as “The Hero” and wields a sword and shield like Link, but also focuses on magic, with the character trailer showing a MP bar and spell selection screen. The Hero will no doubt work in a similar fashion to the other “limit” characters in smash (Cloud and Joker). The Hero is slated to be released Summer 2019, so we can expect more gameplay and news in the coming months.

Astral Chain was shown after, with the trailer focusing more on story than gameplay, though a gameplay demo was shown during Treehouse Live after the E3 Direct. Astral Chain is a JRPG title that focuses on two police force members that are part of the special task force Neuron. Neuron’s purpose is to fend off extra-dimensional beings known as Chimeras. To do this, a device was developed to capture Chimeras and turn them into Legions, beings that fight with the main characters. Gameplay is real time action style, similar to Xenoblade 2, with Chimeras functioning similarly to how Blades from Xenoblade 2 work. Outside of battle Legions can be used to break up civilian violence, track down Chimeras, clean up “Red Matter” which seems to be a collectible, and close extra dimensional portals. Multiple different Legions can be used and swapped, each with its own play style and skills. This game has a lot of potential, and I’ll be sure to keep an eye out. Astral Chain in set to release on August 30th, 2019.

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield were shown off heavily as one of the main draws of Nintendo’s show this year, and rightly so. The newest entry to the series is coming to Nintendo Switch and it looks beautiful. The art style of the game is following that of recent trends shown in Ultra Sun and Moon and Let’s Go! Pikachu and Eevee, which is to be expected. New features like Dynamax, a system where Pokemon can grow to gargantuan size was displayed, new Pokemon were unveiled, and the Wild Area was featured heavily. The Wild Area will be taking the place of Routes it seems, with different biome’s and weather conditions. Interestingly, the game as a whole seems to have more focus on open world, allowing the player to move the camera themselves, and providing them with ways to traverse the environment without the use of HM’s, a system that was replaced in Pokemon Sun and Moon. The Wild Area also spawns different Pokemon depending on weather conditions and time of day, and even allows Pokemon to be in the overworld with the player, which makes the game feel a bit more populated. The old gym system seems to be making its return as well, after a brief departure in the Alola region. Two gym leaders, Milo and Nessa, have been revealed, with the predictable types of Grass and Water respectively. The champion has also been revealed, although all we know is his name is Leon, he’s undefeated, and he has a Charizard. Surprisingly, the evil “team” has not been revealed, though we can safely assume they exist, as there has been one in every Pokémon game prior. The legendary Pokemon, Zamanestra and Zacian, were shown off before E3, but it's still worth mentioning that they play into the overall plot of the game, as was stated in the Pokemon Direct earlier this month. Pokemon Sword and Shield will release worldwide on November 15th, 2019.

Another large franchise is also receiving a new entry on the Switch. Fire Emblem Three Houses brings the franchise back to consoles this year. While most of the information regarding this game was given during a previous Nintendo Direct, the new trailer shown at E3 points towards some sort of time shenanigans. This is shown through character appearance rather than gameplay. Interestingly, the trailer dropped at E3 takes place after the gameplay shown in previous directs, and while I love to speculate about games, feel it’s better to let the game give us the answers. Fire Emblem: Three Houses will release for Nintendo Switch on July 26th, 2019.

Nintendo spent a large amount of time talking about Luigi’s Mansion 3, even bringing out new President of Nintendo of America Doug Bowser to introduce it in the Direct. The first game spawned a decent following and good reviews, so it makes sense to keep a beloved franchise going. This time around Luigi and company go to a haunted, multistory, architecturally impossible hotel. The game follows Luigi going through the hotel looking for Mario, Peach, and Toad. With a new game comes new features, and this one is no exception. Luigi has a new Poltergust that has the ability to push and pull ghosts, attach a plunger to an object and move it, use an air burst to stun enemies and elevate Luigi, and bash ghosts on the floor Hulk style. Gooigi is a new feature that allows the player to take control of a Luigi who is made of, you guessed it, goo. This version of Luigi is able to walk through spikes, metal bars, and more that normal Luigi is unable to do. What’s more, Gooigi can be taken control of by a second player, allowing local multiplayer. Another new feature is the Scare Scraper, a floor progression based mode that allows up to 8 people to play together and fight through the different floors. Luigi’s Mansion 3 releases for the Nintendo Switch sometime this year.

Some other things that Nintendo showed off was the third party support coming to Switch. Titles like Ni-No Kuni, Witcher 3, and Dragon Quest XI were revealed. This change in ideology from Nintendo is welcomed, as the only reason to own a Nintendo console in the past was for exclusives. With this support, Nintendo may finally be able to compete with Microsoft and Sony directly again.

The beloved Animal Crossing series is getting its next installment with Animal Crossing: New Horizons. New Horizons lets the player live on an island, complete with beaches, NPC’s and of course, absurd loans from Tom Nook. Players are able to craft their own furniture and equipment like axes and fishing rods, as well as place furniture outdoors. Horizons seems to focus on player freedom more than anything, with the ability to create roads to form villages, or place houses on the beach for that scenic life. Additionally, local multiplayer is supported, with up to four people per console, while online eight player as well. In local multiplayer, one player is designated the “leader”. This player seems to be the only one capable of interacting with crafting benches and NPC’s, while other players are able to perform actions like fishing, digging, and wood gathering. The release date for Animal Crossing: New Horizons is March 20th, 2020.

Finally, the remade Link’s Awakening was the last game revealed for the E3 Nintendo Direct. The game looks incredible, using an art style that looks like clay models. The full game is in tact, and features like the Color Dungeon are also returning. For some reason Dampe from Ocarina of Time is in the game, running a feature called Chamber Dungeons. Chamber Dungeons are player made dungeons created using a tile selection system. The dungeons can be completed by the creator or by other players. The clear time is recorded each time, and the best clear time is displayed. These dungeons can also have multiple floors, and contain items that help in the base game, like fairy bottles. It is unclear if the bosses of these dungeons are chosen at random each time or if the creator can choose which boss waits at the end, but either way this feature is a unique one for a Zelda title, which is always welcome. Link’s Awakening is arriving on Nintendo Switch on September 20th, 2019.

The last 2 things Nintendo showed in their Direct were trailers. I’m going to start with the second DLC character reveal for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. After years of begging and speculating, the Western Smash Bros. players got their wish: Banjo and Kazooie have finally joined the fight. With a happy-go-lucky feel, these characters are welcome additions to the staggering roster of Smash. This addition means there are now four Rare characters in Smash, with King K. Rool, Diddy Kong, and Donkey Kong all having been in Donkey Kong Country. We can expect to see the Bear-Bird combo sometime in Fall 2019.

The final announcement made from the Nintendo Direct is one not many-if any- people were expecting. It’s no secret that Breath of The Wild was one of the best games of 2018, as well as one of the best games in the Zelda Franchise. The game seemed to leave a lasting impact as on Nintendo as well, as they announced that a direct sequel to Breath of The Wild is currently in development. Direct sequels aren’t commonplace in the Zelda series, which is why this particular announcement shocked me. Who’s the villain? What’s the plot? Do I still retain the fancy powers of the champions? The Master Sword? There are a lot of questions that won’t be answered for some time, but one thing has been said. During an interview with IGN, Zelda director and producer Eiji Aonuma stated that "The new Breath of the Wild or the sequel to it, it’s not necessarily going to be related to Majora’s mask or inspired by it... What we showed you currently is a little darker,".

I eagerly look forward to how much darker Zelda is going to get.

Overall Nintendo had a VERY strong conference this year. Titles like Pokemon and Fire Emblem were expected to be present and showed heavily, but some sleeper titles also made their name known. Astral Chain looks promising in its gameplay and premise, Luigi’s mansion looks to be a very whimsical puzzle/action game, and the third party games coming to Switch will expand a bigger audience to the incredible games on the market.

Keep a lookout for more pieces like this in the future! Next up is Square Enix!

-Nick Owens

[galaxyacerodoesart]

Not being an “official” side means nothing when you are cool like this. FINALLY! Sleep/Remy pokémon team in the AU! Now...Im pretty sure “Remy” is the fan-given name for this guys?? :o welp, is the one he’s having in this AU now. :v 

Introducing, Remy. The chillest Normal-type gym leader around! Now yes. There is a Ground/Dark type on his team...but we’ll get to the reason later. His team was a quite difficult one to think off, i mean...there isn’t really much we know about the guy other than the fact that he is “sleep” right??? But i managed to think some things out. Obviously Snorlax because, c’mon...it’s pretty much the SLEEPING pokémon...I HAD to give one to SLEEP. Same idea goes to Slaking, it’s the LAZY pokémon...Sleep, lazyless...pretty much the same thing, right? :’D Noctowl because he clearly is a night owl (AKA. It’s 3AM, pls stop and allow Thomas to sleep.) and Noctowl is a Normal/Flying type, so clearly an normal-type theme was emerging here. And finally, Krookodile! Why? Well, no other reason than the fact Krookodile is cool and seems to always be wearing sunglasses, just like I imagine Remy to do (Sleep/Remy or Dave Strider?!?! we just don’t know.) and also because I like Krookodile. Yeah, those are valid reasons.

TAGGING LIST! Again, tagging mainly people I see had a huge interest/liking towards this AU and the past fanarts of it by either their comments on the tags, or on the reblogged images! If you don’t wish to be on this tagging list, or would LIKE to be added to it, please tell me throw a message or an ask, and i’ll make sure to keep it in mind for any future art towards the pokémon au! :o @revengeraptor @samthekoalabear @not-so-innocent-bi-sander@warnadudenexttime @anxious-fander-talian-bean@flynnisthename @anxiousoddish @madly-handsome @pastel-patton123 @virgil-angsty-sanders @smokeyrutilequartz @heythereprincey  MORE POKÉMON AU STUFF: Patton | Logan | Roman | Virgil | Deceit 

More stuff about his guy under Read more:

Looks like is there to give you a good time, but it’s actually there to make your life  h e l l .

You know that anger and frustration when you fight Whitney and her Miltank??? Well, think about it times 2, and that’s Remy’s Gym fights.

He sends out Noctowl first and gives you a feeling of “okay, this might not be that bad, i might be able to do it!” and then he sends his Slaking next, and is just downhill from there.

Is honestly a nice guy tho, he just isn’t there to make things easy. Defeting him is always the best reward feeling ever.

HORRIBLE time schedule for his own gym.

“Hey, im here to challenge the gym, is this the place?” “Yup, this is the place, But the Gym as a time to open, and it’s closed right now.”  “oh, and what time it opens?”  “2.” “2PM? That isn’t that bad! It’s 10AM right now, guess i can just hang around the town for a bi-”  “AM. 2AM.”  “...wait what....p-please tell me you’re joking.”  “do i LOOK like im joking buddy?!” -Every conversation with any challenger, probably.

His Gym opens at 4PM to 6PM. Then, it closes and open again at 2AM to 5AM. Yeah. It’s a MESS.

Says the reason for such a messes up time schedule is because “his pokémon sleeping schedule is a mess” when everyone knows his pokémon sleeping schedule is the same as his own. So in a way, it definitely IS a mess that he could work to fix, but definitely doesn’t want to.

Honestly, how he managed to become such a strong trainer AND gym leader is a mystery that Logan has been trying to figure out for years.

While his Krookodile isn’t part of his “Gym battles team”, he also battles in normal-non challenging battles. Had the guy since he was a lost Sandile.

Literally never seen without his sunglasses. What color are his eyes?! do he even HAVE eyes under there?! No one knows.

There are literally theories that say if he takes off his sunglasses he releases his ultimate power or something, it’s honestly silly ideas people have, none of it it’s true..... right.....? Well I mean, it’s not like anyone could PROVE or DEPROVE any theory around so...

Drinks Hot coffe with a straw like it’s no big deal, what an absolute madman.

Honestly, probably runs on coffe, at this point.

“No Logan, im not addicted, I simply enjoy a nice cup every now and then!” “Remy, this is you 8th cup today since you woke up.”  “....so??”  “IT’S NOT EVEN 10AM. AND YOU WOKE UP AT 8AM.”

Is that friend that calls at 4AM just to talk about useless and stupid stuff. 

Knows Logan and Patton since their jobs made it easy for them to meet. Virgil meet him when he was staying in the town his gym is and Remy was the only other person awake at 4AM rooming the streets. Akward meeting that almost gave Virgil a panic attack, because who on their right mind approch someone at 4AM and ask “If an eevee evolves at 5:59AM EXACTLY, Does it turn into an Espeon or Umbreon?” like they have meet before?!?!

They talked the remaining days Virgil was in town tho. Are pretty much good friends that talk about weird stuff at the most stupid time of the night, they kept contact through phone, which Virgil lowkey regrets, because there ARE some nights where he rather be asleep at 3AM then having to deal with Remy’s stupid questions and shenanigans.

Roman and him had more of a friendly chat once, Roman isn’t in the world of gym battles after all, so he just meet and talked to him because Remy was at  an coffe shop alongside Patton for a break, and Patton called him to their table. So they know about each other but haven’t really talked that much.

Talks in a fricking Milennal/Gen Z person, which makes Logan not understand half of their conversations together.

[oops-prow-did-it-again]

Pokémon Black: The Novel - Chapter 10 (Back to You)

Prologue and more info

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Pokémon Black: The Novel on FFN

Pokémon Black: The Novel on AO3

Pokémon Retold the series on AO3

----------------------------

While Hil, Cheren, and Bianca were contemplating leaving and coming back later, a young man scurried from the museum and approached them apologetically. He had deep, dirty blond hair and wore a dark suit. He waved at them. “Are you three here for the gym?” he asked in a hushed tone as he neared them.

“Well, my friend is,” Cheren answered. Hil cast a look at Bianca as she took a few steps away from them, drawn toward the crowd gathered in front of the Team Plasma display.

“You should just hurry up and come inside,” the young man said briskly. “We do apologize for the gathering, they’re… they’re really quite peaceful, even if they get fairly… boisterous,” he reassured them. Or at least, he tried. Hil wasn’t feeling very calmed by his unconvinced tone.

“You could say that again…” Cheren muttered. “Anyway, thank you… Are you the Clyde?”

“Yes, sir,” the young man smiled back at him. “Follow me.”

Cheren motioned for Hil to follow, and then hissed at Bianca, “Bianca, c’mon, we’re heading in now.”

“I’ll catch up…”

“What?” Hil found himself squeaking before he even realized it. He cleared his throat and repeated himself more clearly, “What are you gonna stay out here for?”

“I want to hear what he’s talking about,” Bianca told them, sounding a little agitated. She looked at them and sighed. “They may be acting a little crazy, but… I think they may have a point, you know?”

Cheren opened his mouth in a way that made Hil think he was about to say something he might regret, so Hil walked in front of him and nervously fiddled with his own hands. “C’mon, Cheren, let’s just go inside. We’ll catch up with her and her conspiracy theory buddies later,” he joked with a wink aimed her way. “I’m ready to go and earn my next badge.”

Cheren frowned in her direction, not that she could see it, and sighed. “Okay,” he finally breathed a little sadly.

Once inside the museum, the Clyde nervously explained the situation. “That’s Team Plasma out there, as I’m sure you recognized,” he mumbled, “they have recently been picking up the heat on their stance about fossil revitalization. It’s gotten so bad that Hawes and Gym Leader Lenora had those services called off until further notice.”

A receptionist behind a cool tan and white counter just within the entrance of the museum nodded from behind the glass shielding her small office. “It’s true,” she said through a small gap in the glass. “Gym Leader Lenora’s called the police on them a few times for fear of them getting violent, but there’s really nothing anyone can do. They’re allowed to gather like that, and they may be loud, but they’re not being violent.”

“Anyway,” the Clyde focused back on the topic at hand, “Which of you is it going to challenge Gym Leader Lenora?” He put that polite smile back on his face and clasped his hands behind his back, standing straight. He looked so clean and proper. It made Hil, in his sweatpants and raggedy blue and white hoodie, hat lopsided from where his swooping, wild hair pushed it up off his head at an awkward angle, feel embarrassed. The entire museum was just as posh as the Clyde.

“M-me,” Hil murmured. He made an attempt to smooth his hair out some and shove the hat on straight. Noodle cuddled up to his neck in the process. “I beat Gym Leader Chili of the Striaton City Gym and now I’m here to challenge Gym Leader Lenora.”

“Splendid!” the Clyde exclaimed. “May I see your badge case?”

Hil nodded and clumsily pulled it from his bag, dropping it on the floor once and having to fetch the Trio Badge from where it clattered away next to Cheren’s feet. He replaced it in its depression in the case and then awkwardly held it out to the Clyde, who scanned it carefully for a few seconds. Once satisfied, he nodded. “That’s a real Trio Badge alright,” he said and clapped his hands together. He then pulled an Xtransceiver from a pocket on the inside of his black suit’s jacket. “I’ll just call Hawes and let him know you’re here, and he’ll take you to where Gym Leader Lenora accepts challengers. What’s your name, young man?”

“Hil. Hil Whitacre.”

 ------------------------------

“Ladies and gentlemen, Team Plasma appreciates your recognition today,” Gorm said as he dipped his head respectfully to the crowd. His ears rang and his hips ached. He had spent the better part of two or more hours in front of that crowd, and fatigue was evident in the grunts assisting him as well. The flagbearers twitched with the effort of holding their position for so long, and the guardsmen grunts behind him were growing antsy and impatient. He couldn’t be happier to finally be leaving the stage, but he knew their work was not quite done yet for that day. Oh no, this was just the beginning. “For now, we bid you farewell, and insist that you continue your passive efforts. The museum already fails to offer any more revitalization services. Please, keep your fellow pokémon in mind, and keep the heat on them so this service is not offered again. Respect for pokémon is not just a fleeting phase.”

He was met with whoops and hollers of approval as he turned to the grunts gathered about him. They looked to him with pleading eyes. With a curt nod, they eagerly formed a protective barrier around him, leading him through the crowd and to one of the studio apartments further down the road, well away from the museum. The crowd happily parted for them.

Gorm, at the orders of Ghetsis, had temporarily rented a studio for their purposes in Nacrene City. It was helpful to store some of their items, such as flags or spare uniforms, as well as provide their members somewhere to rest between rallies. But this would be the last rally for this particular day. They had bigger interests in Nacrene than simply drumming up public support. That, too, was very important: they truly did find the practice of fossil revitalization disgusting.

However, there was a gem the Nacrene City Museum held: a massive, draconic skeleton said to have come from a Dragon-type pokémon which flew around the world some thousands of years ago. Its size and stature reflected that of the pokémon Team Plasma was researching in its own laboratories and as such, they had reason to believe it was related to the ancient Dragons of Unova. This theory had led them to an unfortunate conclusion.

As they reached the studio apartment, everyone entered except for two grunts, who wordlessly understood their duties. They had been the flagbearers at the rally. They placed their flags on either side of the stairwell leading to the studio’s front door and stood tall, stilly keeping guard over the entryway. Outsiders may have wondered how the flagbearers did it, but those within Team Plasma’s allegiance knew that flagbearers, or, as they were more accurately known, ‘defensemen,’ held some of the most important jobs in Team Plasma’s organization. They were the most devoted of individuals with the steeliest of hearts. They were the eldest of all of Team Plasma’s fold. Standing at attention for hours alone at a time did not faze them. Only the most dedicated of Team Plasma became defensemen and part of becoming one included proving one’s commitment under the guidance of a Sage.

Within the studio, the grunts stripped down to their thin, white undershirts and tossed on various, more inconspicuous outfits. They fluffed out their hair and some put on glasses. Others sported jewelry. Gorm himself did not change his appearance whatsoever, but he had no reason to. He would not be taking part in this exercise. This was someone else’s mission to lead.

Once the grunts had finished, he cleared his throat, and they aligned in perfect formation in front of him without need of further prompting. He focused on one of the grunts in particular, a tanned, toned man with wild blue hair and deep, sapphire eyes. “Brother Marlon,” Gorm said quietly, “you have been a valued member of Team Plasma for over five years now. As the eldest of this flock, you will lead today’s excursion, and I will oversee your operation.”

Marlon nodded briskly and swallowed hard. “Yes, sir, Sage Gorm,” he choked out.

“It is understandable to be nervous,” Gorm conceded, “but you must remain level-headed. This is your test for becoming a defenseman. I understand this may come as a surprise to you, but I have chosen you after careful consideration of the value you have brought to Team Plasma thus far.” Marlon had always been intended to lead the heist, but the grunt had not been made aware it would be his test for the rank of defenseman. Rarely were subjects informed of the test beforehand. “As for the rest of you, you remain valued members of Team Plasma regardless of your position. Remember, every single one of us has a role to play in the protection of this world and its creatures, pokémon and human alike.” Gorm regarded each grunt carefully and was satisfied at the mix of emotions on their faces. Hopefulness, anxiety, determination. No matter what it was, nobody looked as if they regretted where they were. That was what was important. A chain was only as strong as its weakest links, after all. He turned his attention back to Marlon. “Are you ready?”

Marlon, dressed in a black tank top, baggy black pants, flicked a pair of sunglasses over his eyes. “I am,” he answered in a deep, booming voice. The anxiety in him at all but faded. He then put a dark blue bandana around his mouth, effectively covering his face. The rest of the grunts achieved similar success in hiding their true appearances in their varied attire.

“Good,” Gorm nodded. “Go. Bring forth the skull of the Dragon of Unova. Meet me at the deepest recesses of Pinwheel Forest, as we practiced. Go!”

 -------------------

“We’re so glad to have you at the gym!” Hawes was gushing as he led Cheren and Hil further into the museum. He had paused at just about every exhibit in the museum to tell them about it, but Hil had honestly tuned most of it out. A giant Dragon-type pokémon skeleton, some rocks, a fossil or two, maybe… Maybe it should have intrigued him more, but he found it difficult to appreciate the models and their wordy descriptors. At least, he was bored until they came across the final exhibit.

Ironically, it was the smallest of them all, and had the shortest description. He looked over the tiny glass box, a gleaming, perfectly round stone situated inside on a velvety red fabric. He cocked his head at it. Noodle peered intensely as well. The plaque on the side of the pillar holding up the display said that it was “just an ordinary rock.”

“Oh, that,” Hawes laughed, “that’s just an anomalous rock given to us from some excavation at the Relic Castle in the desert. We can’t find anything remarkable about it, other than its perfectly spherical and, well, we keep it on display because it’s pretty.” He shrugged.

Hil leaned in as close as he could get and took in the roundness of its form. As he did, it lit up in a pale orange glow, reflecting off its glassy case. He jumped back hard, bowling into Cheren and sending them both to the floor in a cascade of fabric and arms. Noodle hissed loudly at them and leapt onto Hawes’ head prior to the landing, knocking the curator’s glasses ajar, and peered down at Hil and Cheren crankily.

“Hil, get off of me,” Cheren spat, shoving at Hil’s left arm.

“Hey, ow!” Hil batted his hands away. “Your leg’s on top of mine! You know, there’s easier ways to let me know you’re—”

“You fell on me!” Cheren shrilly cut Hil off with a murderous glare. He squirmed free from under Hil and brushed himself off once he staggered to his feet. After a few seconds, he begrudgingly reached a hand down to help Hil up. “What’d you go falling over for, anyway?”

Hil glanced back at the round stone in the display case. “You didn’t see that?” he asked dumbly.

“See what?”

“I hate to interrupt,” Hawes mumbled, “but…” He fought to replace his glasses properly and then tried to move Noodle off his head, but the Snivy growled and lashed its tail at his hands, whipping the leafy extremity across his fingertips with an audible slap. Hil rolled his eyes and plucked Noodle off Hawes’ head easily, tucking him into the hood of his jacket. Noodle trilled contentedly and snuggled into it.

“Sorry, he’s a bit anxious,” Hil apologized.

“You two really are a match made in heaven,” Cheren commented under his breath.

“Now, I’m laughing,” Hil said as he giggled, pointing a finger back at Cheren, “but that was very hurtful. Very rude. Bad Cheren.” He smirked and licked his lips. “Bad Daddy.”

“…We’re in the presence of a gym leader’s husband, can’t you have a little class?” Cheren hissed in a poor whisper, his cheeks flushing red madly. Hil thought for a fleeting second his friend might faint from embarrassment.

Hawes cleared his throat and that jerked their attention back to him. His face was sweaty and flustered. “Perhaps we should skip the rest of the exhibits and just have you challenge Lenora now,” he mused. “Lenora, honey!” he cried as he led them up a stairwell past the exhibits of the main part of the museum. He pursed his lips at a lack of a response and then pushed through a large, wooden double door and Cheren and Hil followed suit.

They had entered a library. Tall shelves lined with encyclopedias and other nonfiction material filled the room. Hawes hummed to himself as he disappeared down one aisle and flicked his wrist against a book. Once it sat ajar, he quickly strode out of the aisle and protectively put a hand in front of Cheren and Hil. The floor beneath them shuddered slightly, and then the bookshelf began to slide across the wooden floor. Hil and Cheren both eagerly peered around Hawes’ frame, awing at the dim stairwell it revealed.

“Sorry it seems so weirdly secretive,” Hawes laughed, “ah… We have had to step up security some, and my wife does most of her work in the gym battle arena nowadays. Anyway,” he moved to the side and held out his right arm in a gesture telling them to move forward. “Your battle awaits! Good luck, Hil!”

Hil and Cheren both thanked him and then descended into the poorly lit staircase. It looked even darker due to the deep maroon carpet and severe, wooden walls. Within, the room was segmented into an empty area that was primarily carpet, and then up a couple of steps, cluttered bookshelves claustrophobically encased a mahogany executive desk with a black office chair. Gym Leader Lenora was hunched over that desk with such a look of concentration on her form that she didn’t seem to notice Hil or Cheren’s entrance right away.

Cheren cleared his throat and she gave a start of surprise. “Oh, if it isn’t Cheren again!” she exclaimed. “Surprise seeing you again! This that friend of yours you were tellin’ me about?” She eyed Hil curiously and set a pen down, then plucked a pair of glasses from her face. Her voluminous, dark hair whipped and moved with every small motion of her head. She popped up from that office chair and it spun widlly. “I’m glad you could finally make it. I was worried by what you were tellin’ me!”

Hil looked at Cheren and raised a brow. He couldn’t help the smirk that crossed his lips. “Aw, you were worried,” Hil teased. “You love me~”

Cheren narrowed his eyes at him and then, to Hil’s surprise, smiled softly. “Yeah. I was worried.” Then that familiar scowl returned. “Now stop making it some weird joke. It’s not always a joke, you know.”

That ruined his entire joke and made Hil’s mouth flounder for something to say. He didn’t know what to think of that. He never meant his jokes to alienate his friends… Were they really self-isolating as Cheren’s comment had suggested?

Cheren turned his attention to Lenora. “Yeah, we’re happy to be here, Gym Leader Lenora. My friend here is wanting to challenge your gym today, if you’re available.”

Hil, flustered, was snapped back to the present by Noodle chirruping and lightly tapping the back of his head with his tail. “Y-yeah,” he mumbled in lame agreement with Cheren. He inwardly thanked Noodle for helping him focus.

“Of course I’m open for challengers right now!” Lenora boomed with a wide smile. “State your name and your challenge!”

Hil nervously looked up at her. “I, Hil Whitacre of Nuvema Town, challenge you, Gym Leader Lenora of Nacrene City, for the Basic Badge.” Man, these official challenge statements are a mouthful.

“Challenge accepted!” Lenora nodded and planted her hands on her hips. Her baggy, teal dress pants swayed slightly. “This will be a three on three battle. Whoever has three pokémon that go down first is the loser. Cheren, would you like to play referee for us? We don’t need one, of course, but they’re nice to have,” she said and winked at him.

Cheren’s face lit up and he nodded vigorously. “Y-yes, I’d love that!” He quickly cleared his throat and repeated himself more calmly, “I mean, I would be honored, Gym Leader Lenora.”

She giggled and tapped him in the shoulder knowingly. Cheren hurried to the short stairs that divided the room between office and arena, and Hil and Lenora took their respective sides of the battlefield. Just as Hil pointed for Noodle to get off his shoulder and Lenora had selected her first Poké Ball, however, a loud crash overhead sounded and screaming followed. Hil splayed his legs out like a cat catching itself from a fall and Noodle growled at the source of the noise overhead. Lenora roughly shoved the Poké Ball she had prepped to throw into a pocket and hurriedly waved at Hil and Cheren.

“Sorry boys, I’ll have to take this up again later…” she trailed off as she bolted up the stairs and out of the room. Cheren grabbed Hil’s wrist and pulled him along out of the room wordlessly. Hil wanted to bang his head against a wall. Now what? Challenging a gym leader the first time was bad enough, but now he’d have to do it again.

The thoughts were banished as he ascended back into the library. It was chaos. Black smoke billowed throughout the halls, but it lacked the harsh, tangy scent that smoke from a fire carried. It was alarmingly odorless, but he supposed that meant it wouldn’t choke him or sting his eyes at least. A few people that had been reading books from the shelves when Hawes had been showing them around were rushing through the library in a blind panic. One clipped Cheren on the shoulder and both stumbled to the ground. Distantly, voices rose in apparent anger.

“What on earth is going on out there?” Cheren asked the young girl that had tripped him up irritably.

“This group of thugs broke in and immediately set off a smoke bomb,” the young girl coughed as she waved away the inky air. “I’m sorry, I have to go,” she spluttered and bolted for the doors out of the library. Of course, as she opened them, the false smoke plumed from the entryway, deep and blinding. Hil found himself freezing as the stimuli started to overwhelm him. Cheren took note and grabbed him by his wrist, the dragging forcing Hil’s legs to move and snapping him from his stupor.

Once back into the main lobby of the museum, they really couldn’t see. The smokescreen was thick enough to cut with a knife and it was so loud… Hil cringed as he heard Lenora shrieking above what sounded like men barking orders or discussing passionately. Glass shattering then sounded and Hil dropped to his knees, covering his head. Noodle squeaked and began to twirl in Hil’s hood, wrapping the fabric around himself.

“Put that back!” He was able to pick out Lenora saying.

“No, you stay back!” came a deep, demanding voice. “This is for everyone’s own good. Stay back or we will not hesitate to defend ourselves.”

“You’re robbing my museum!” Lenora howled. “You don’t get to ‘defend yourself!’”

“Stay down,” a gentle and familiar voice suddenly interrupted Hil’s concentration. He waved madly at the darkness in the air to try and see the source of the words. He gasped when he saw N. He was leaning on one knee and pressed a hand to Hil’s left arm. He had an easygoing smile on his face though his silver eyes were as intense as ever.

Hil felt a surge of excitement at seeing him again, but almost as soon as he did, he remembered how N had bitterly declared that they couldn’t be friends last time they had met, and how he had intended to take Noodle away from him. He jerked his arm away from N’s grasp and glowered at him. How dare he show up like this and act so friendly! He had made it clear he had no intentions of it before, hadn’t he? “N! What do you want?”

“I don’t want you or anyone else innocent to get hurt in this process,” N explained. Hil once again found himself struggling to keep up with this man’s speedy dialogue. “You, your friend there, that Snivy, other innocents in this museum—it’s best if you remain out of the crossfire. You’re not part of this equation. Extraneous.”

“Okay,” Hil said awkwardly. He wasn’t sure what to make of his warning, seeing as he hadn’t intended to be a hero and figure out what was going on anyway. Part of him wanted to look away from N at that point, wanted to still be mad at him for the hostile interaction back at Accumula Town, but another part of him wanted to blow away the dense, dark fog and look over his entire form and then listen to that melodic, rapid voice all day long. Frustrated, Hil wrenched his gaze away with visible effort and shook his head. He had to focus. “Why care about us now? You were going to steal from us back in Accumula,” Hil spat defensively. Maybe it would be best if N just left.

“This has nothing to do with that,” N said matter-of-factly.

Cheren had knelt next to them and looked at them as if they had both lost their minds. He glared intensely at N. “Some nerve you have,” he growled, “you and your gang of thugs you call Team Plasma are probably behind this. And I have no idea where Bianca is. I swear, if anything’s happened to her…”

Hil couldn’t see N’s expression clearly through the smokescreen, but he didn’t need to. The barbed words told him all he needed to know. “You are very judgmental on first impressions, Cheren, was it? Sometimes there’s more to someone than face value.”

Drawn back to N despite his best efforts, Hil blinked slowly as he spoke. He wanted to snicker at what he had said but knew Cheren wouldn’t have appreciated that. He was also rather worried about Bianca… there was no telling where she was…

Cheren recoiled from N’s statement, grumbling under his breath. “Pompous little… Hil, we need to get out of here.”

“I dunno, he said it’s probably best if we stay put…” Hil looked down at his hands as he spoke. N’s advice had felt oddly soothing and the men were still shouting ahead. He remembered Wellspring Cave. Being a hero in this situation especially seemed like a poor idea.

“Hil, he’s probably at the head of this little stunt!” Cheren practically whined in exasperation. He slapped a hand to his forehead like a cartoon character and then looked around. “Though… I guess most others are just sitting tight until this is over… Fine, we can wait until we hear something from Gym Leader Lenora or Hawes, but then we’re leaving to find Bianca.”

Managing to tear his eyes away from N for a moment, Hil noted that mostly everyone else in the main exhibition room had flattened to the floor, frantically waving the false smoke away from themselves and chattering confusedly to one another. The loud voices Hil had heard earlier had died off for the most part, and to his relief, the blackness in the air appeared to be thinning. He, Cheren, and N sat in silence for a few minutes, hoping for some indication of safety.

“It’s alright, everyone, it’s safe to exit the building now!” came Hawes’ ragged, hoarse voice at long last. He must have been one of the men screaming earlier. “Everyone, please evacuate the premises!”

N was the first of them up. He marched easily and knowingly ahead of them. Hil scrambled to his feet and began to chase him, but Cheren had grabbed his jacket by his left sleeve, bringing him to a skidding halt. He whipped around and glared at his friend. Cheren was really starting to get on his nerves that day. “What now?” Hil hissed.

“Why are you following him like a lost Lillipup?” Cheren asked harshly, throwing his hands up in confusion. “Earth to Hil, do you remember what he said back in Accumula Town? He’d happily steal your Snivy if you looked away for too long, probably. I’m your friend, Hil.”

“Maybe he’s right and we’re being a little quick to judge,” Hil dodged. “I mean, really, with all the chaos, he could have just snatched Noodle out of my hood and that would have been that.” An indignant hiss caused Hil to reach a hand back to pat the Snivy’s head. “Sorry, buddy, not that I wanted him to, just…”

Cheren rolled his eyes as a slight, disbelieving smile crossed his face. “No, I see what this is now,” he groaned incredulously. “I don’t believe this.” Rubbing his temple, he pushed past Hil.

Hil, reacting a little more strongly than he probably should have, scurried to follow him. “What is it, then, huh?”

“Hil, he looks like a grown man, and you’re fourteen. Not to mention he is probably some crazy conspiracy theorist from Team Plasma!”

“What does that mean? What are you getting at, huh? Huh?” Hil demanded. He was once again being disingenuous; he knew exactly what Cheren was getting at, but the frightful idea was shoved from his mind before he had a chance to even consider it. There was no way he was really interested in N, was there? …No, of course not. He was just an intriguing, odd person. Anyone would have wanted to know more about him. He waved Cheren off as they moved to leave. “That’s not funny, Cheren, it’s not like that,” he defended himself with a note of finality, wordlessly telling his friend the discussion was over.

Hil and Cheren exited the building and joined the amorphous blob of people outside of the museum. The rush of sensation caused his train of thought to drop off, forgetting N entirely, to the point he failed to notice N had all but vanished, or that the earlier gathering of Team Plasma had dispersed as well. The false smoke flowed into the atmosphere slowly but surely after them, staining the deep, evening skies above a charcoal gray. Gym Leader Lenora and her husband, Hawes, were trying to raise their voices above the dull roar of the crowd, but between Hawes’ hoarseness and the sheer number of people, they were drowned out. At least, until one kind citizen offered a megaphone to Lenora.

“LISTEN UP!” she hollered. Hil and Cheren both clenched their teeth and winced at the screech of the megaphone. “I NEED EVERYONE TO GO HOME! RIGHT NOW! Police and officials are on their way and I need their assistance, they can’t help if y’all are standin’ around actin’ a fool! GO HOME!”

At her demands, the crowd rapidly fanned out. Nobody in their right mind would have disobeyed a gym leader, especially not one in Lenora’s stressed state. Cheren and Hil had intended to head for the pokémon Center, hoping to meet up with Bianca during all of the chaos, but Lenora’s voice came across the megaphone again and issued their names. Hil cowered at hearing his name said so loudly and glanced back at her nervously.

Cheren urged him over to where Lenora stood with her husband at her side. “Are you two okay?” she asked, without the megaphone this time, having dropped it to her side. As soon as they nodded, she added, “Good. Cheren, would you mind staying here at the museum for me to make sure nothing else goes down? You have my number on the Xtransceiver now, call me if anything new happens. Hawes will stay with you.”

“Uh, well, we were going to look for our friend…” Cheren responded with concern etched into his face. Hawes clasped a hand to Cheren’s shoulder and bent low to whisper something to him. Cheren gave a sigh and then both of them disappeared into the museum.

“And you,” Lenora said as she turned to Hil, “I want—”

“Well, I had intended to come here to relax some, but I see Nacrene City’s buzzing today,” a drawling, joking voice snickered, cutting her off.

Hil and Lenora glanced at the newcomer. A pine green, fuzzy sweater clung to his small frame, as did pink, striped pants to his legs. Thick, tawny, wavy hair spilled around his face, bringing out his pale green eyes. He had crossed his arms and tilted his head at them some. “So, where’s the fire?”

“Burgh!” Lenora exclaimed. Hil flinched at her volume. “How good to see you! Wish I had time for chit-chat, but I don’t, we need help!”

Burgh’s entire body lurched forward as he seemed to halt a bounce of excitement. “Well, what seems to be the problem?”

Burgh and Hil both shrank back at Lenora’s shrill response. “Some thugs just made off with an exhibit of mine, that’s what! I’m goin’ to check to the east exit. Can you take this challenger and check out Pinwheel Forest?” She jabbed a finger into Hil’s shoulder.

“Of course, Lenora!” Burgh clapped his hands together eagerly and glanced to Hil. In an instant, he blanched, and his pupils widened, as if he were only just realizing who this challenger was. “Hil,” he squeaked and then cleared his throat.

Hil tore his eyes away from Burgh as well, staring at the ground instead. Lenora and locals of Nacrene or Castelia City may not have been able to recognize him as the kid of that guy who shot himself in Castelia’s hostel, but Burgh would. Burgh had been at the funeral and Hil remembered keenly how he had made every effort to try and talk to Hil. It had been infuriating and depressing all at once. All he knew of Burgh was his relation to his father and that meant just seeing the gym leader brought a flood of anxious feelings and angry thoughts. A flood he worked hard to keep back most days. “Surely he can handle it on his own,” Hil muttered without looking up. “He’s a gym leader, after all.”

 “There’s two paths in Pinwheel Forest,” Lenora said irritably, “I want you both to go to cover the exits, we don’t have time to argue about this. Burgh, you’re good with kids, get him to get over it? Anyway, I’m heading east!” With that, she waved her arm at them haphazardly as she darted down the dark asphalt streets of Nacrene. Something beige trailed out from her outfit behind her like a cape. Despite what she had said, Hil still refused to look up at Burgh. It felt awkward that they were alone then.

“We should get going, in that case,” Burgh breathed in a quivering tone. He began to walk away and Hil silently lagged behind him.

Truthfully, Hil thought Burgh looked like an enjoyable person to be around. He was bright-eyed and eccentric, lacing his words with subtle Bug-type puns, and his expressiveness meant it was easy to read him. Even at the funeral, he had struggled to quell his exuberance, much to the appreciation of many of Hil’s extended family members. But when Burgh’s attention fell to Hil, it was as if the gym leader was seeing a ghost; his skin would drain of color and he’d stumble over his words. The Bug-type puns would fail to land, and he would fiddle incessantly with his hands. It was so endlessly frustrating.

Making friends is really fucking hard when everyone thinks they know everything there is to know about you, Hil thought fiercely as he padded after Burgh. He heard Noodle chirp and then lean against his neck. He took a deep breath and let the anger filter out of him. “Thanks, Noodle.”

[promisedangel]

The Dark Spiral

This is a paid commission for an irl friend of mine who asked me to take as many moments from his fight with depression as possible and weave it into a small tale with a special, not real so don’t worry, end. I admit this is a lot more fragmented than my usual work, but vignettes are really all I could dig up.

Enjoy

It started off with just a question from myself, “James… are you okay?” I looked at my friend across the table, his head facedown and nested in his arms. He mixed a whine and a moan, “I’m fine.” I knew better. We knew better. Behind me, I felt her materialize. My beloved creation. My genie, Clara. Only I could see her currently. She whispered in my ear, her long silver hair draped past, “It’s the same as you.” She was right. The disinterest in the Pokémon TCG league around him, of which he was an unofficial gym leader, the lack of focus... This was depression. The same kind I suffered.

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The ongoing weeks showed many more signs. Lack of interest, appetite, and aloofness for anything other than myself or Clara. He ended up quitting his gym leader position and began to go to league less often. He at first said he didn’t have money for the bus, but then we worried after three straight weeks of not going. Thankfully, his mother saw what was happening. She signed him up for therapy. He confided in me in person, “Hey… could you not tell anyone yet that I’m going to therapy? I just…” He sighed, “I just don’t want anyone else to know yet.” I frowned, “Okay…” He smiled, “My first appointment is the 30th. Can… you be there for support?” I grimace, “I dunno if they’ll let me in… I’m not family…” “I’m sure we can think of something.” “…I’ll be there.” He gave a look of relief, “Thanks, Amy.” The day comes, and the homework I have is mountainous. I try to focus on it, try to get some of it done. After a few hours, I feel confident enough to take a break. I notice the time. I remember and panic. I begin to cry, “No…” I want to confide myself with someone, but I remember my promise. I quickly pull out my phone and text James in a panic, “I’m so sorry I was wrapped up in my homework that I totally forgot! T.T you’re probably in session right now or about to be. Gods, this is horrible of me.” I get a text back from James, “We’re here…” I continue with tears streaming down my face, “I don’t know if I could do anything there, I would be so late, gods the one time I don’t set an alarm is always the most important things!” I pause, I can feel Clara try to physically console me, but it goes right through my back. Forever a ghost on my plane of existence. She silently resigns herself to watch as I text James again while in sobs, “I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry…” Through my sobs, I hear Clara, “You… can still go…” I sniffle and close in on myself, “But-“ Clara floats in front of me from above, her face curious, but playful, “You can be there when he gets out. That’s something. You pushed for him to go to therapy. Sure, his mom noticed, but you were the one poking him about it. You did all this to help him, right?” I sigh and wipe my tears, “Yeah.” “So, don’t beat yourself up about it so much.” She smiled. I ended up going after all.  I gave James a hug after he got out and congratulated him on this first big step. Yet, there were still so many bumps along the way.

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He began to be more aloof at league, often not playing any games or even conversing with our friends. I texted him as I arrived at league, “U coming today?” He responded simply, “No….” “Why?” I could only imagine the sigh, “No money for the bus is the main reason. Also just meh…” Thinking he was done, I responded, “K.” He wasn’t finished, “I’m just losing interest in coming to league now. Seems like a waste of money every week. Anyway, don’t worry about me, I’m not that important anymore. Have fun at league.” I frown, “U r important.” “Doesn’t seem like it…” I feel at the loss of how to respond, so I end up not doing so. I find time to enjoy the TCG league, but he texted me later, “Well, once again, I make a mistake in life… should have came to league instead of staying home… or just stayed in my room…” I roll my eyes, “See? Isolation makes things worse.” “No… I shouldn’t have gone and played basketball… would have been safer to stay at home honestly…” I panicked, even Clara was now focused on the text, “Oh shit, what happened?!” “I got hit in the face not once… but twice.” I lightly hit my head on the table around me and groan. I whisper to Clara and myself, “Really?!” Clara sighed and pouted, “Why did your mind jump to a broken limb?” “Because that’s how my mind works.” She shrugged as I continue the text conversation, “Oh…” He explained the incident, “Once while on defense, got popped hard on the chin. Surprised I’m still standing to be honest… the other I didn’t see someone pass the ball back to me, didn’t expect it and well… yeah.” “It happens.” “If I stayed home, wouldn’t have happened. I’m back in the safety of my home though now.” “Did you get some ice on it?” “No… I don’t think it’s hurting that bad… yet… who knows…” I let it go, tempted to respond again, but knew it wasn’t worth it. But these sorts of put-downs continued from him. The sense of uselessness and loss of agency still remained. Therapy was only once a month at best. All the while, he locked himself in his home, often not going to league or even attempting to find something to do.

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He found some comfort in talking to Clara. It was an interesting experience to have the genie either whisper in my ear or possess my body to talk/text directly. One day, I allowed her to occasionally control my hands from a distance as James texted his almost trademarked greeting via text, “Mew…” “Hi.” “What’s up, Clara?” My hands began to move by themselves, even as the genie was far away. Clara typed out, “The sky? But I’m also kinda high up atm. Flying is great when you don’t have to worry about planes!” “At least you’re having more fun than the sack of flesh I am.” “I’m sure you’re having fun! Amy’s being boring and surfing the web while using the tv.” “I’m going grocery shopping with my mom and uncle…” I could feel Clara’s tinges of disappointment, “Well, it’s doing something.” He texted hints he would say this in mumbles, “Still wish I was in an eternal sleep…” Clara texted back immediately, “No.” “Why?” I felt her pained tone, her voice began to echo in my mind. I was now focused on the conversation, “It’s horrible.” “Can’t be that horrible.” Clara immediately jumped into my body. She spoke with my own voice, “Sorry, Amy. He keeps asking… he has to know…” I sighed, able to speak myself, “Go ahead.” Clara nodded before she texted him, her eyes lit crimson like fire. Her inner voice rang darkly yet sensual, as though it was someone else’s voice, “What you are wishing for will not help. In fact, it would only compound your problems. Putting your soul in an eternal sleep will only cause you to live your life over and over again while you sleep. You would never escape the torment.” There was a pause, which gave Clara a chance to calm down. The fire died down, but she continued, “Anyway, if you put your soul to sleep it will merely repeat not just your current life, but you could possibly delve into worse lives.” “Okay… sorry if I offended you, Clara… seems like I put both of you through a living nightmare with all my problems.” The fire inside Clara rekindled briefly. Her tone turned cruel as she gave a condescending laugh, “Your problems are a living nightmare? Do you remember what kind of character development you helped Amy form for me?!” I push Clara out of the conversation, unconsciously texting James as well, “What is wrong with you?!” Clara huffed as her eyes slowly fade away from crimson to their normal blue. I spoke to her only, “Stay there, I’m going to examine you after this.” I turn back to the text to see he has responded, “She’s right, though. Besides, you two have been taking care of me for almost a year now. I probably owe you so much.” I sigh, “You don’t owe us anything.” Clara chimed in once more, now calmer, “Just look for happiness, that would be more than enough.” “Well… you both make me happy… and well... video games.” I start to smile again, “See? Talking to people always feels good!” “I suppose it’s working for now…” Clara quickly took the texting power into her hands and wrote, “It always does. Humans are social creatures, and yes there are introverts, but there is a difference between introversion and self-imposed isolation.” I shiver slightly, I text and speak, “You sound like a psych ward.” James texted back, “Amazed they haven’t sent me there yet.” I grimace, “Those are for panic attacks and extreme cases. Your condition is not in that league. Granted, if it continues downward, it will.” “Yeah, you’re right.”

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James’s depression continued. I began to think of ways to get him out of his house all of the time. I started driving him to league and encouraged him to seek out new activities. We texted each other one night, he texted, “Tomorrow marks 2 weeks… one week from my next appointment…” I text back, “I’m sure it’ll be fine.” “Doubt it… still haven’t done the homework she wanted me to do… doubt it’ll ever get done… and I just don’t know anymore about this whole thing.” I remember my trepidation to my own therapist and decide to give some advice, “It always sucks at first, but you will progress with time. Since you have a couple appointments a month technically, give it a couple months. And if it’s not helping maybe another therapist will be able to help.” “I don’t have a couple months though to wait… by then I’ll be like… 20 feet under and my life in worse shape. Why can’t we just agree that there’s a problem with me and I’m a hopeless case?” I groan and rub my temples. We’ve had this song and dance before. I growl lightly as I text, “You’re not a hopeless case. That’s how I felt at first. And I swear to god if you are seriously contemplating suicide I will never forgive you. I will reach into whatever afterlife you go to and I will slap you so hard, you will have a bruise in your next life.” “I doubt I could do something like that. I’d just hide in a dark hole for the rest of my life... All I know is that my future is dim and my options are very slim.” “Then look for new options, seek them out. You could search for a part-time job until you figure something out.” “But this whole thing was to figure out if I could hold down a job…” “It’ll get you out of the house, and give you some money. Look. There are some positions available at my work. Can you put in one application?” “I don’t know how.” “I’d obviously help you…” “Oh.” I could hear the deep sigh, “Fine... Only because you keep bugging me about it…” He applied, and I helped him along the way. He ended up getting a job in the department next to mine. I felt good that I could keep an eye on him. He seemed to do well. It was only a little over a week after he started that he asked me to take him home. Everything was okay at first, but he suddenly bent over and began to sob. I speak, “Whoa?! What’s wrong?!” He sobs, “I’m so useless!” “Wait, what happened?!” “Why does everyone think I’m good at my job when I’m shit?” I raise a brow, “But, you’re doing well! Your boss—heck, my boss likes you!” “But I’m barely doing anything!” I begin to sound upset, “You’re new! You’ve only been here just a week. They all know the struggle and can help you!” He just continued to cry. I sigh, “Just… let it out…” At safe spots, I occasionally rubbed his back during the drive to help calm him down.

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Everything was getting worse. He wouldn’t listen. He wouldn’t eat. I sent Clara to console him, as some nights he would cry himself to sleep. Though he could not touch her, they could see and talk to her. He sighed, laying at the edge of his bed, “I don’t know what to do anymore…” Clara crooked her head, confused, “Don’t you have to sleep for work tomorrow?” James covered his face and curled slightly, “I don’t want to go to work.” “But, you have to, right? So you can get money, right?” “I don’t… want to suffer through this life anymore.” Clara floated above him with a pout, “But you don’t suffer.” “Yes, I do.” “Maybe just your mind…” James was silent for a moment, deep in thought. Chara gave a curious look, “What’cha thinking about?” “You… can grant wishes… right?” “Well I am a genie!” “Then... can you affect my soul?” Clara hesitated, “…Yes.” His eyes gained confidence. He sat up and spoke clearly, “I want you to transform me into a character in your world.” Clara looked upset, “Why? Why would you want to just give up your life? It’ll be harder in my world-“ He nearly yelled, “I don’t care!” Clara jumped back slightly. He calmed down and began to sob, “I just… can’t take it anymore.” Clara sighed, “What about Amy?” He groaned, “Shit, she’ll never forgive me-“ He perked up, “Wait! You could clone my soul!” Clara looked unsure, “I guess… I could split your soul in half… have one half keep the memories… then I could do it. But, you’d lose yourself…” James smiled, “Sounds perfect. Clara. I wish for you to do all that.” Clara sighed. Magic began to dance around her and James until it focused on him. He felt a sharp pain in his chest before he felt his soul dragged from his body, which fell on the bed, unconscious. In her hands, Clara split the soul in two, keeping the memories in one. She shoved that half back into James’s body. It breathed heavily but remained unconscious. Clara looked at the soul in her hand and frowned. It looked familiar. A portal opened next to her and she smiled, “I guess this is really the first time we met. See you later, Chingu.” She tossed the soul into the portal before it closed and she immediately fainted.