#I mean... Steel and Poison are Fairy weaknesses right so i get that

[underground-boss-clay]

Hell did Ground types do ta this kid?

What’s yer opinion on poison types? Ya know, as a Fairy specialist?

-@rockstar-roxie

Oh, as both a psychic and fairy trainer I've found them abhorrent. They represent everything I don't enjoy in a pokemon- not a one of them isn't either putrid smelling, slimy, or inexplicably aggressive. I had an unpleasant encounter with a Stunky during my gym challenge... it's an experience I'd rather not repeat. Poison type pokemon and I certainly don't see eye to eye.

...Well, that's not entirely true. I suppose I don't mind Weezing (the kind we have in Galar, not those awful Kantonian ones) and I do admire the grace and efficiency of Roserade.

Anyway, for good measure, let's get straight just which types I'm not fond of- bug, dark, poison, steel, dragon, and ground types have never endeared me

[avocado-cat]

The Pokemon Conquest system as applied to the late Roman Republic / early Roman Empire!

Most of the associated Pokemon are chosen straight up just because I like them, but the types have meaning (mostly) I promise. Explanations are presented for each row, left to right, starting at the top. This will be somewhat long, so bear with me please, or scroll away if you so desire.

Julius Caesar + Dragon (Salamence): Ol’ JC resists Grass (Vercingetorix), but is weak to Ice (Cassius) and Fairy (Brutus). No interaction with Pompey’s Ghost, but you can’t have everything. Caesar is also the closest analogue to the OG Pokemon Conquest’s Nobunaga, who was also given Dragon. Nobunaga, just like Caesar, is the most famous figure of his time period, and was also famously betrayed and had his consolidation of power completed by a successor.

Pompey Magnus + Ghost (Golurk): Pompey’s Ghost and Crassus’s Normal can’t affect each other, symbolizing their rivalry being neutralized by the triumvirate and Caesar’s influence. Ghost’s other interactions with the other types don’t make a ton of sense unfortunately, although one could argue that Pompey’s mistakes and inability to defeat Caesar’s numerically weaker forces in their civil war is symbolized by Ghost being weak to itself.

Crassus + Normal (Ursaring): As above, Pompey and Crassus are mutually unable to defeat/affect each other. Also, Rock resists Normal, symbolizing Crassus’s humiliating defeat and death in the Parthian desert at Carrhae. Crassus being Normal can also represent him being the least interesting of the original Triumvirate between himself, Caesar and Pompey.

Cato the Younger + Flying (Corviknight): This is possibly the weakest connection. Broadly, flying can represent the Roman Eagle, symbolizing the associated Roman as being a true Roman, and perhaps the last true Roman. Cato is, I think, one of the best candidates for this ‘title’ on the list, although his type interactions don’t carry much meaning. I would’ve given him Braviary to make the connection clearer, but I wanted to use pokemon that weren’t already associated with the OG Pokemon Conquest Lords.

Cicero + Psychic (Meowstic): Psychic beats Fighting, symbolizing Cicero’s suppression of Catiline’s attempted insurrection/coup. Psychic is also weak to Bug and Dark, symbolizing his harassment(?) by Clodius and Fulvia respectively. 

Clodius Pulcher + Bug (Frosmoth): As stated before, Clodius’s Bug beats Cicero’s Psychic. This is the only real interaction, but it’s a key one. If Milo were included on the list then I’d make Clodius weak to him (given how Milo did literally murder Clodius on the side of the road), but, sadly, he ain’t. Also I think calling Clodius a bug is funny.

Catiline + Fighting (Toxicroak): Catiline gets his Fighting butt whooped by Cicero’s Psychic consulship. Furthermore, Catiline always seemed to me to be a man with a surplus of brawn and a deficit of brains, although to be fair this interpretation is likely tinged by Cicero’s surviving perspectives. The additional poison type of Toxicroak makes Catiline seem more sinister I think, poisoning the Republic from within. 

Augustus/Octavian + Steel (Hisuian Goodra): This one’s a biggie. Steel, while resisting most types, also beats Fairy (Brutus) and Ice (Cassius), symbolizing his vengeance on Caesar’s murderers. Steel also beats Dark, as Octavian suppressed Fulvia’s rebellion. Furthermore, although Steel isn’t super effective on Poison (Mark Antony), Poison can’t affect Steel, as Mark Antony and Cleopatra (whose Rock type is actually weak to Steel) lost to Octavian and Agrippa at Actium. Octavian’s Steel is weak to his closest friend Agrippa’s Ground and his wife Livia’s Fire, although these carry less clear meanings. Agrippa never betrayed Octavian, and although Livia was true to Octavian for the entirety of their relationship, it has been claimed that she poisoned him on his death bed, so her typing is at least more relevant than Agrippa’s. The additional Dragon type of Hisuian Goodra further symbolizes his continuation of Caesar’s Dragon legacy. And, as with Caesar’s connection to Nobunaga, both Octavian and Ieyasu (who was the Steel lord in the original Pokemon Conquest) were the ones to (more or less) fulfil their Dragon-leader’s wishes and end their respective civil wars to usher in new ages. 

Brutus + Fairy (Alolan Ninetales): Brutus’s Fairy beats Caesar’s Dragon, as Brutus was famously one of Caesar’s many assassins. Dragon cannot even affect Fairy, symbolizing that Brutus’s betrayal was among the most shocking to Caesar. Fairy is, however, weak to both Poison and Steel, the types of Antony and Octavian respectively, as Brutus (and also Cassius, but we’ll get to that) lost to them both at Philippi. 

Cassius + Ice (Aurorus): Cassius’s Ice beats Caesar’s Dragon, as Cassius was also one of Caesar’s assassins, but Dragon can at least affect Ice, symbolizing that Cassius’s betrayal was less unexpected than Brutus’s. Ice happens to be weak to many types, in particular Octavian’s Steel, as Cassius (w/ Brutus) lost to Octavian (w/ Antony) at Philippi. Feel free to ignore the implication that Cassius’s Ice beats Agrippa’s Ground. Giving him Aurorus, a sauropod pokemon, could be interpreted that Cassius himself is a dinosaur and behind the times, as he was unable to see that the Republic was a goner well before he committed to killing Caesar in 44 BCE.

Lepidus + Electric (Ampharos): Electric beats Sextus Pompey’s Water, but is trumped in turn by Agrippa’s Ground. Thus, Lepidus was key in suppressing Sextus Pompey’s rebellion, but was beaten by the Octavian/Agrippa combo. Please also ignore the fact that Lepidus’s Electric resists Octavian’s Steel, despite the fact that Lepidus was utterly removed from power after the suppression of Sextus. It ain’t a perfect system.

Mark Antony + Poison (Nidoking): Poison beats Brutus’s Fairy, yet is beaten in turn by Ground and Psychic, and is unable to affect Steel. Thus, Antony’s Poison was instrumental in defeating Brutus’s Fairy (et Cassius) at Philippi, but lost to Octavian’s Steel and Agrippa’s Ground at Actium. Furthermore, Antony’s Poison was successfully outmaneuvered after Caesar’s death (initially at least) from assuming full imperial power by Cicero’s Psychic. Antony’s wife Fulvia died of a mysterious illness at an opportune time allowing him to marry Octavian’s sister Octavia, so it’s possible that Antony actually poisoned his own wife, which would be startlingly apt for his Poison designation. Also, Nidoking could represent Antony’s supposed goal to crown himself king in the Eastern style, as claimed by Octavian. 

Cleopatra + Rock (Tyranitar): Firstly, Rock can roughly represent the sand and deserts synonymous with Egypt. Secondly, Rock is weak to both Steel and Ground, as Cleo lost to Octavian and Agrippa at Actium, and was then coerced/supported into suicide by Octavian afterwards. 

Livia + Fire (Typhlosion): This one is one of the weaker ones, I’ll admit. Nevertheless, the key interaction here is Fire’s supremacy over Steel, symbolizing the enormous influence Livia had over her husband Augustus, particularly in his reign as Emperor and by (possibly) eliminating all other heirs to allow her son Tiberius to succeed his step-father. Livia has also been accused of murdering Augustus at the end of his life to further smooth over the transition between rulers, and whether or not it’s true it goes to show her perceived power over her husband. Fire is also weak to Ground, and although Agrippa never truly harmed Livia either militarily or personally (to my knowledge), he was able to largely maintain his position despite her distrust of him.

Sextus Pompey + Water (Golisipod): Sextus’s (initial) mastery of the seas and powerbase on Sicily makes him well suited for Water, especially considering how little most Romans respected the navy and seafaring beyond its ability to allow for transport between points A and B. Sextus was ultimately defeated by Lepidus and Augustus, symbolized by his weakness to Lepidus’s Electric. Water does resist Steel though, which could symbolize how critical the alliance between Lepidus and Augustus was, that Augustus may not have been able to winkle him out of Sicily on his own (heck, even Agrippa’s Ground is weak to Water, although this interaction isn’t historically accurate, given Agrippa’s eventual victory over Sextus’s navy at Naulochus. You can’t have everything though).

Agrippa + Ground (Flygon): At this point, these explanations should be feeling a bit repetitive. Agrippa’s Ground beats Cleopatra’s Rock and Antony’s Poison, because Agrippa’s Agrippa beat those two goons at Actium, and Ground also beats Lepidus’s Electric. A notable interaction is that Ground beats Steel, despite the fact that Agrippa never betrayed Octavian, so we’ll ignore this. Ground also beats Fire, which could be symbolized by Livia’s inability to remove Agrippa from Augustus’s inner circle in the post-Actium years. Flygon’s additional Dragon type could symbolize Agrippa marrying into the Julio-Claudian Family Tree, with Dragon being used as a potential symbol of Imperium.

Fulvia + Dark (Weavile): Another weak one unfortunately. Fulvia’s Dark does beat Cicero’s Psychic, as she got the last word on poor Cicero (after stabbing his severed tongue and hands), and married two of his enemies, being Clodius and Antony. Dark has no good interactions with Augustus’s Steel or Antony’s Poison though, despite her rebellion being suppressed by Augustus, and her life being suppressed (probably) by her husband Antony.

Vercingetorix + Grass (Appletun/Flapple): Vercingetorix is the wild card here of course, being the only Gaul in a sea of Romans, so consider him the barbarian seasoning to supplement the otherwise bland Roman casserole. Vercingetorix’s Grass is resisted by Caesar’s Dragon, as Vercingetorix was defeated by Caesar at Alesia. However, Appletun/Flapple’s additional Dragon type allows both Vercingetorix and Caesar to be effective against each other, symbolizing Vercingetorix as being a worthy opponent, and that the battle could have gone either way ultimately (Although Caesar’s Salamence’s Flying type swings the balance back in Caesar’s favour, as Flying beats Grass). Vercingetorix did not in fact marry into the Julio-Claudian Family tree (funny, that), so the Dragon-as-Imperium theme I set up two paragraphs ago immediately falls flat here, but that’s life. Appletun/Flapple could possibly represent the agrarian society of Gaul/France as well, in addition to being very funny to give Vercingetorix an apple dragon.

And that’s the lot! I’d like to come up with a list of secondary lords as well, but for now this list stands on its own I think. Please let me know if you disagree with any of my choices for historical figure, for associated type, for associated pokemon, or if you have your own thoughts about applying this system to another period of time! And thanks for reading!

[ailingwriter]

So I just watched a youtube video that showed some types that Ash Ketchum has shown a resistance to.

(For those who don't want to watch the video, Ash has shown a notable resistance to Poison, Fighting, Fire, and Electric type moves.)

So I got curious. Was there any type combination that showed a resistance to all four types shown?

Yes there was! In fact there were two, but one of them I'm not counting since it would give ash an immunity to fighting when he still clearly takes damage.

So what is this type combination? Surprisingly, it isn't ground type! That only accounts for Electric and Poison, and there aren't any types that resist both Fighting and Fire. No, the only type combination that shows a resistance (but not immunity) to all four types is...

Poison-Dragon!

For those who want a more in-depth process, I'll put it under the read more.

First off, we can eliminate any type that are weak to any of these four types, since the only one of these types Ash could be immune to is Electric, and as established Ground type is not an option (abilities notwithstanding). So that takes out Normal, Water, Grass, Ice, Flying, Bug, Rock, Dark, Steel, and Fairy.

Next, while ash shows resistance to all of these types, he still takes damage from them (excepting electric, as even though Ash has been hurt by electric moves early on, Pikachu has been known to successfully harm ground types with electric type moves.) That eliminates Ghost, as Steel was already eliminated.

From there its rather simple. There are only three types left that resist two of the types shown, and two of these types just so happen to slot into each other perfectly – Dragon resists Electric and Fire, while Poison resists Fighting and itself.

So problem solved right? Not so fast. There may be some doubt around the Fighting type resistance. Both times cited, Ash is being shown taking a punch from a Primape. The thing is, the moves used on Ash are never specified to be fighting type moves, and there are a decent number of applicable Normal-type moves. In fact, the second case is implied to be a usage of Thrash, a normal type move.

Taking this into account, there are now many more possibilities for type combinations.

Starting with the type weakness system, we still can eliminate Water, Grass, Ice, Flying, Bug, Steel, and Fairy. Also, since Ghost is immune to normal type moves as well, we can disregard it for the same reason we disregarded Fighting type.

Now things are a bit more complicated since we now have a good number of types to work with. First, it should be noted that no single type resists all four types we are now working with, so we can eliminate any type that does not resist any of these types. That would include Normal, Fighting, Psychic, and Dark. The remaining types are now Fire, Electric, Poison, Ground, Dragon, and – most importantly – Rock.

Rock is resistant to three of the four types on display – Fire, Normal, and Poison. In fact, in the anime Rock type also seems to be mixed up with Ground type quite often, and are erroneously granted resistance to Electric type, but we will disregard this. This means that all we need to do to cover all of Ash's resistances is to give him any one of the three types that resist or are (normally) immune to electric. So now we have three options to choose from: Rock-Electric, Rock-Ground, or Rock-Dragon. Personally, of these i find Rock-Electric the most fitting.

But let's say that this doesn’t satisfy you. After all, it's unclear whether Ash is resisting Fighting-Type moves or Normal-type moves. What if he can resist both? Well if you're willing to allow immunities – perhaps Ash doesn’t get full immunities due to still being mostly human – then there is one possibility that resists or is immune to all five types: Ghost-Dragon. Dragon still resists Electric and Fire, while Ghost resists Poison and is immune to both Fighting and Normal.

Now obviously, one might ask where Ash could have gotten the ghost typing from, but remember that Ash's first encounter with a Primeape (and, more importantly, its fists) happens right after he is forced into an astral projection stint by Lavender Town's ghosts. It is entirely possible that the experience rubbed off on him in some way, granting him the Ghost typing on top of the Dragon typing that he apparently already had.

So there you have it! Five different type combinations you can apply to Ash Ketchum! Unfortunately, none of them have Fighting type, but Pokémon have been known to know moves outside of their type. If you really want to give Ash the fighting type, remember that the Anime tends to erroneously give Rock type resistance to Electric-type moves, so if you really want to make Ash a fighting type and you want to abide by his exhibited resistances, you could make him Rock-fighting type.

Or you could just ignore type effectiveness altogether. It's what Ash does, after all.

[shinygoku]

if the engines were Pokemon gym leaders, who battles with which type? who is easiest and hardest to beat?

To be more accessable for readers and me alike, no one is gonna have a full party, and the mons would be as if the player character is going through them in Number Order ^^;

This project assumes the plucky Protagonist is Thomas himself! Who is far harder to attach a suitable type to (Electric came to mind, but it seems a bit off for a Steam Engine...) so instead I’m going to say that Annie and Clarabel represent his starting Mons, and would stay in his party as he rotates the other 4 teammates. Hmmm.......

Annie and Clarabel: 2 (Hoenn) Linoone[...s], with Pickup. They also know most of the HM moves to help access the Sodor Region ;3

EDWARD

Water, a very versatile type, with wide coverage and only 2 weaknesses. Edward can be likened to the water in poetic ways; a still, sparkling lake or a fierce torrent... Something easy to overlook but downright essential to harmonious existence~

Wingull, Golduck, Vaporeon and Azumarill

Wingull basically being there as a whimsical mascot more than a serious threat, the othes being fast, decent hitters and hit-takers alike. Azumarill having the Fairy type and potentially Huge Power means that’s the Ace.

HENRY

Grass type because of course ¬w¬;;; Has some good attacking moves, but suffers 5! Weaknesses. Prolly leans on Status moves for an edge

Roselia, Exeggutor (Kanto ver), Tropius, Sawsbuck

Roselia with the Poison / Sleep / Paralys inflicting moves (albeit going down with a love tap), the Tree mons to do the hitting. All these guys are dual typed, which has its ups and downs~

GORDON

Steel type, very stong but falls like a sack of bricks in the relevant circumstances. Gotta ditch Gordon’s speed for this, but the traditional Fast Types just don’t have the right flavour.

Skarmory, Lairon (would be Aggron in rematches), Empoleon, Bisharp

Empoleon would prolly be his ace, the Regal looking Blue and kinda snobbish one is perfect. In an ideal world the Bisharp would also be Shiny, with the fab blue hue, hmmm...

JAMES

Fire. All out attack, easily countered with weakness or recoil from something like Flare Blitz. That being said, you gotta either outspeed or survive these hits to win, and if you get burned that stacks the odds back in his favour.

Rapidash, Flareon, Talonflame, Cinderace

Fast and physical, Flareon would have Flare Blitz [and swiftly get KOed], dunno how Cinderace is but I think it’s more Special based? So he does have a bit of a mix lol

PERCY

Thinking of a type for him was hard, but eventually it clicked; based on his colour, relative size, habit of being annoying and getting underestimated, it can only be BUG!

Beedrill, Pinsir, Heracross, Leavanny

A good mix of decent or better bugs, less status based than having one’a the moth or butterfly varieties. Yanmega was considered but the vibes are off somehow lol

TOBY

If you’re wondering what I’ll do with him cause I already used up the Wood allocation, may I direct your gaze to the Ground ....type? ;) Sturdy, immune to electric (indeed!), Toby’s sideplates mean you can’t see his wheels.... yeah, seems about right!

Dugtrio, Rhydon, Claydoll, Excadrill

Get ready for a lot of earthquakes. Ye of Electric typing, abandon all hope here! Though Ground has several weaknesses itself, it hits hard and half these dudes are faster than you may expect.

DUCK

This is harder, but I’m saying Flying type, befitting his preferred name and a line in All At Sea lol. But no, not just waterfowl types (I already allocated Golduck lmao)

Pidgeot, Swellow, Altaria, Staraptor

In case you’re wondering why there’s 3 regional birds, 2 of those there are very good in battle! Guts on Swellow and Close Combat on Staraptor ain’t to be sneased at. Altaria is here more for Bird than Flying, I think of it more in the context of it’s Dragon type, so I guess that’d be his ace.

DIESEL

In the suspicious event Duck isn’t a Gym Leader, this guy takes his place. Poison type because those fumes and gossip can’t be anything else lmao

Vileplume, Weezing, Gengar, Crobat

All of these would have a move that inflicts poison, so if you bring a Steel or Poison type of your own [or otherwise Immune mon] then a lot of his strategy will fall apart.

EDIT: Also!! Psychic types are strong against Poison, which could be likened to seeing through the haze of deception, woooo!

DONALD & DOUGLAS

Would be an Ice Type Double Battle! This also means they only get 2 mons each, but if they team up, they’d be quite formidable.

Sandslash (Alola ver), Glalie, Walrein, Mamoswine

Ice is a bad defensive type, but good offensively. But, bad defensively! Still, being Frozen does make you a sitting duck [dohohoho. No Dilly analogue to be found here, though], so it seems fair enough for the final gym challenge.

So, that’s what I’ve got for the main Sodor so-and-sos!

Presumably FC would end up as the Champion lmao

[astermacguffin]

Part 1 here

As promised, here's Part 2 of my Pokemonnatural agenda where I attempt to give SPN characters hypothetical Pokemon teams. Today, we're having Bobby, Crowley, and Rowena.

Let's start with Bobby.

While Bobby may have had a full, competitive team back then, raising an entire team of Pokemon takes a lot of work. (And not to mention, SPACE. Bobby's house ain't exactly the most spacious place for 6 or so pets, you know?)

I think Bobby most likely gave the rest of his mons to other folks he trusts (and I like to think that he gave Sam and Dean one each). This means that he likely sticks to one companion, which I think is a Granbull.

This pure Fairy type mon has a GREAT attack stat. The moveset is probably something like:

- Crunch (a powerful Dark type move to hit Ghosts and Psychics)

- Iron Tail (for any creatures weak to iron)

- Fire Fang (for any creatures weak to fire)

- Play Rough (for the Fairy type STAB—Same Type Attack Bonus)

Next, we have Crowley and his hellhound, the Fire/Dark type Houndoom.

The moveset is likely something like:

- Nasty Plot (for the special attack boost)

- Flamethrower (Fire STAB)

- Dark Pulse (Dark STAB)

- Sludge Bomb (Poison type coverage move)

Before he becomes King of Hell, I think Crowley gave this hound a King's Rock, which increases the chances of flinching (which would pair well with Dark Pulse, a move that already has a chance to flinch).

(Also, I think the fact that both Crowley and Cas use flinch strategies adds so much to their dynamic.)

When he becomes King, Crowley upgrades and gives his mon a Houdoomite so it can Mega Evolve:

Like. LOOK at this bad boy. I'm sure Crowley is soooooooo proud of this mean looking fella.

Finally, we have Rowena and her ace, the Ghost type Mismagius.

The moveset is likely something like:

- Will-o-wisp (burns the opponent)

- Hex (Ghost type attack that doubles damage when the opponent has a status condition, like a burn)

- Magical Leaf (Grass type attack that never misses)

- Mystical Fire (Fire type attack that lowers the opponent's special attack)

Rowena probably gave this mon an Expert Belt (which boosts all super effective attacks), given the type coverage of its moveset.

Next, we have Rowena's Ghost type, Dusclops.

You're probably wondering: Why is it not fully evolved into Dusknoir? Well, that's because Rowena's taking advantage of a very special stone called the Eviolite, which boosts both physical and special defenses of a not-fully-evolved Pokemon by 50%. This means that an Eviolite-holding Dusclops that's fully EV-trained to max all its defenses could reach around 300 in both physical and special defense stats. This thing is a TANK.

Rowena's recurring arc throughout the show is her fear of helplessness & weakness, which I think can be embodied by her choice to invest in what is probably one of the tankiest mons in the game.

The moveset is this:

- Toxic (badly poisons the foe)

- Recover (heals up to half your HP)

- Shadow Sneak (+1 priority Ghost move)

- Earthquake (powerful Ground type move)

YES, ROWENA IS A TOXIC STALLER. I strongly believe that Rowena would use underhanded tactics like this. (For those unaware, "Toxic stall" is a strategy where you badly poison the foe and then wait it out until they die before your bulky mon. It's generally frowned upon for being a "cheap" trick that makes gameplays boring, but hey. If it works, right?)

Shadow Sneak is there because Dusclops is an incredibly slow mon. By having a +1 priority move, you get to bypass the speed check and just hit the opponent right away. Earthquake is there in order to get rid of Poison and Steel types, two types that are immune to Poison but are weak to Ground.

And lastly, we have the Psychic/Fairy type, Hatterene.

I mean. This mon is Literally called the "Forest Witch." I think Rowena would love this mon so much. (Also. Trans rights babyyyyyy)

I think Rowena would run a supportive set on this mon. The moveset is something like this:

- Dazzling Gleam (STAB Fairy move to deal with Dark types, which Ghosts are weak against)

- Heal Pulse (support move for healing allies)

- Nuzzle (paralyzes the target)

- Magical Powder (turns the target into a Psychic type, which is a type weak against Ghosts)

And that's it! Please let me know what you guys think. Do you guys have your own ideas about how SPN characters would build their teams?

[pixxiesdust]

Crimson Snow (pt. 3) • Bakugou Katsuki

Summary • We all know the story of Little Red Riding Hood. But all stories, especially ones passed through spoken word, can change with time. This is the true story of a girl who wandered into the forest, wearing a cloak white as snow, and left on the back of a beast with a crimson cape trailing behind her.

Pairing • Shifter!Bakugou Katsuki x Reader

Word Count • 6.8k

Tags and Warnings • Fairy tale AU, captivity, violence, blood, swearing, mentions of nudity, fluff, angst, eventual happy ending.

Note • This is the third part of a fic I originally wrote for @bnhabookclub​’s Provisional License Exam Event! Thanks to the lovely @unbreakableeiji​, @fanfic-me-up​, and @etegomanere​ for betaing! 

part 1 • part 2 • part 3 • part 4

–

“There,” Bakugou grunts as the shackle around his ankle pops open. It reveals a red ring of skin, rubbed raw and burned by the cuff, making you grimace in sympathy. A matching ring circles his other ankle, and you think there’s a set on his wrists too, but those are obscured by the bandages you wrapped around him in his wolf form.

“Your turn.” He flips the knife in the air and catches it by the flat of the blade, holding the handle out to you. “Get this shitty collar off me.”

You eye the knife wearily before taking it into your hand. “You want something sharp next to your neck?”

“You gonna try to kill me?”

Eyes widening, you shake your head rapidly.

“Then, I’ll be fine.”

“If you insist,” you say, then wait expectantly. 

He looks at you, frowning. “What’re you waiting around for?”

“I can’t move any further!” Shaking your left ankle, the chain rattles with the movement. “Come here.”

“Hey!” he snaps as he closes the distance between you, flinching at the pain from his ribs. “I’m a wolf shifter, not a dog!”

“Oh really?” you ask airily, sitting up on your knees to get a better look at the collar around his neck. “I couldn’t tell. You still came anyway.”

You hide a smile as an irritated growl ripples through Bakugou’s throat. 

One of your hands reaches out to cup his neck, keeping it steady as you carefully try to fit the tip of the knife into the opening in the collar. “How badly are you injured?” you ask quietly, knowing that he might not admit to anything willingly. He opens his mouth to respond, but you cut him off with a quick shake of your head. “And don’t try to hide it—I heard a snap when Overhaul kicked you, and you winced when you moved.” 

But the most obvious sign is the large bruise that spans his ribs, a majority of it deep purple, with putrid yellow and green on the edges. He’s shirtless, but he managed to make some sort of covering for his lower half out of your cloak.

Bakugou wrinkles his nose, not wanting to admit his weakness. But when you stop working at the lock and sit back to stare at him expectantly, he snaps at you, red eyes flashing. “I’m fucking fine! I’m not some weak-ass who collapses after a couple of hits.”

“I’m not saying that you are,” you reply calmly. “But I need you to be in the best shape possible if we’re going to escape.”

He exhales slowly and nods. When he speaks this time, it’s with a lot less aggression. “I’ll be fine. Shifters heal quickly.” Bakugou unwraps the cloth bandages around his wrists, letting the fabric drop to the ground. 

“Wow,” you breathe, stroking the fingers of your free hand across his wrist. The skin is smooth, with no sign of the blood and irritation you had seen on his wolf form. You drop your gaze to his feet and find that his ankles are looking better than they were before.

Bakugou draws his hand back to his side, and you realize that you’ve been resting your fingertips against his wrist. Pulling your own hand back, you duck your head down for a moment in embarrassment before you start picking at the collar’s lock again.

“What does Overhaul put on the inside of these shackles?” you ask. Your brows furrow as the tip of the knife barely fits through the small opening for the key. Bakugou had gotten the shackles off in just a few minutes, and you’re even more astounded by his speed. But even though it isn’t working well, you persist, wiggling the knife this way and that. 

“Huh? Put something on them?”

“Your skin looked really irritated and was even bloody when you first took the shackles off. Even mine doesn’t hurt as much. Did Overhaul put some kind of poison on them?”

Bakugou is silent for a moment, then a tremor runs through his body that makes you jerk the knife away in fear of hurting him. He scoffs out a laugh, amused by your question. You look away from his neck and stare into his eyes, pouting. “You want me to hurt you or something? What’s so funny?”

His lips curl up at the corners before he starts speaking. “It’s not what he put on them, sweetheart, it’s what he made them out of.”

The term of endearment makes your face feel hot, but you don’t bring attention to it. Instead, you eye the pile of chains and shackles by Bakugou’s side. “Iron? Steel?” He shakes his head, and you guess again. “Silver?”

“Silver,” he confirms. “It’s a metal that can burn wolf shifters when it’s in contact with them. That wannabe Plague Doctor likes using them so much ‘cause they make me weak,” he hisses out the last word, contempt filling his voice.

“If this is you weak,” you say, “then I’d be terrified to face you at your strongest.”

“Whatever.” Bakugou turns his face away from yours and crosses his arms over his chest. “Now stop getting distracted! Get this thing off me, and let’s get the hell out.”

You put the tip of the knife to the keyhole of the collar and sigh. “The knife isn’t working well on this one.”

“Then you’re not doing it right,” Bakugou snaps.

“If I can’t fit the knife in the stupid keyhole, how the hell am I supposed to unlock it to get it off you?” your voice is raised by the end of it, and you duck your head down when you realize that you’ve basically yelled at him. “Sorry,” you say. “Though I don’t think I can work with the knife on this one.”

Bakugou is quiet, thinking hard. “I–” he starts, then stops and swallows. “Don’t apologize. You’re new to this–” he ignores your eye roll and your scoff of “clearly,” and continues, “–and I need to remember that.”

“Some apology,” you say, though your voice is softer now and is more amused. “So what do I do? We need something a lot thinner than the knife and– oh!”

“Oi!” he exclaims as you push the handle of the knife into his hands and scramble to your feet. Ignoring his shout, you limp to the wall and move as quickly as you can to the pile of glass you had deposited earlier.

“Where is it?” you mutter as you gingerly look under the larger pieces of glass. A glint of metal catches your eye, and you pick up the thin needle with care, pinching it between your thumb and forefinger. 

Now that you have what you’re looking for, you quickly return to Bakugou. His eyes widen at the sight of the needle in your hands, but he nods when he realizes what you plan on using it for. 

You kneel down in front of him. Before you start using the needle to pick at the lock, you wipe it down across the front of your dress, smearing a bit of dark red and light purple on the white cloth. You don’t want any more of the wolfsbane serum to get near him. Bakugou had said that it only was damaging if it actually entered his body, but you don’t want to take the chance.

“Alright, let’s get back to it.” One hand supports the other side of his neck while the other carefully brings the needle up to the keyhole. Slipping the point in smoothly, you wiggle and twist it, listening intently for any sounds. 

Click.

You push the needle to one side of the hole, brows furrowed as you get the collar to unlock. “There!” you breathe, pulling the needle out and tossing it back towards the corner you had gotten it from. 

Bakugou nearly rips the collar off with the force that he uses, sending it skittering across the dungeon floor until it hits a wall. A band of angry red rings his throat, skin peeling, and you wince in sympathy. 

“What?” he snaps as he moves around to your left foot, knife in hand.

You blink at him. “Nothing! Just can’t wait to get out of here.” 

He only responds with a grunt as he concentrates on the shackle around your ankle. He works on it for a couple seconds at most before his back stiffens, and he stops moving.

“Shit!” 

“What’s wrong?” you ask worriedly. Bakugou doesn’t reply. He only presses the handle of the knife into your hands and pushes himself to his feet in one fluid movement, running to where your chain is connected to the wall. 

He looks at where the last chain link is connected to a metal ring that is embedded into the stone wall at a height that is level with his head. You get to your feet and move closer to him, watching as Bakugou wraps your chain around his left arm once, before doing the same to his right. Both hands grip the chain tightly, and he presses one foot to the wall. With a grunt, he starts pulling on the chain with all his strength, muscles in his arms and back straining and flexing.

Nothing happens for a moment.

Then with an ear-piercing screech, the metal loop pops out of the stone, sending little fragments of rock flying. Bakugou stumbles back a step but easily regains his balance. Without taking a second glance at the hole in the wall, he bends down and starts gathering the chain in his arms until he nears you.

“Take this. We gotta go.” He dumps the chains into your waiting arms, and takes the knife out of your hand. His urgency can only mean one thing. 

Overhaul is coming.

Bakugou starts running for the doorway of the dungeon. You follow, grimacing as the chains rattle in your arms. You hug them tighter against your body in an attempt to keep them from moving around so much. 

Beyond the doorway, a hall stretches on either side, with other openings that likely lead to other dungeon rooms. A staircase lies right in front of you, leading upstairs.

But that’s where the footsteps are coming from.

Bakugou looks back at you, red eyes flashing as he jerks his head to the left before heading down that hallway. You stay right behind him. He ducks into the nearest doorway and presses against the wall, in a spot where he can peek into the hall without being seen. You do the same, chest heaving already, although it’s more from nerves than it is from physical exertion.

The footsteps grow louder and louder, until Bakugou catches sight of a figure crossing the hallway and into the dungeon where the two of you had just escaped from. The footsteps stop, and you can only imagine Overhaul taking in the empty room with his yellow eyes. 

Then the footsteps are louder, angrier, as Overhaul walks around in the dungeon. Neither you nor Bakugou can tell what he’s doing, but it can’t be good.

A shadow falls through the doorway, and Bakugou presses his head back against the wall, you mimicking him. Out of the corner of his eyes, Bakugou watches as Overhaul stalks out of the room, clutching two large knives in his gloved hands. They glint in the low light, and Bakugou recognizes them from the wall of torture devices in the room you two were kept in.

Overhaul looks up and down the hallway. Bakugou catches sight of slitted yellow eyes, and his heart skips a beat as he realizes that this could easily be the end for both of you if Overhaul decides to check the room you are in first. 

After another moment, Overhaul turns on his heel and walks into one of the other rooms further down the hall. A few seconds later, he exits, walking into the room beyond that. Bakugou exhales softly with relief.

As soon as Bakugou notices that Overhaul is systematically checking the rooms, he knows it’s only a matter of time before both of you are found if you remain here. So he watches and counts, keeping track of the seconds it takes for Overhaul to enter, look around, and exit each room. And once Bakugou knows the timing, feels it running through his mind and in his blood, he turns to you. 

He presses a finger against his lips, waits until you nod, and then scoops you into his arms, careful to angle the knife away from your body. You keep the chains tight against you to muffle any sounds. You don’t know what Bakugou is planning, but you can only trust him.

Bakugou looks again, watching as Overhaul exits another room. As soon as Overhaul disappears around the wall of the next room, Bakugou throws himself into action, sprinting out of the room and up the stairs, skipping three steps at a time with large leaps. He does not slow, not even with the weight of you and the chain in his arms.

He’s moving faster than what is normal, you realize, and when you look up at his face, his crimson eyes are glowing bright, and his lips are stretched back in a silent snarl, emphasizing his lengthened canines.

It’s the power of a wolf shifter.

He looks wild, ferocious, and untamed, but a shiver of something that isn’t fear runs through your body. Gratitude, perhaps, that he’s on your side. Excitement.

Bakugou reaches the top of the stairs and looks around, head swiveling back and forth as he takes in the room full of all types of weapons. He’s trying to figure out where to go next as you notice the windows that are set close to the ceiling. 

You whisper, “Up. We’re still partly below ground.”

He doesn’t have the time to confirm what you said, but he puts his trust in you and runs through the weapon storeroom and into the next room–

–and knocks over a set of pots on the ground. 

They’re sent flying, scattering across the kitchen floor with loud clangs and clatters. There’s a shout from the dungeon, and you look up at Bakugou with wide eyes.

“Fuck!” he hisses, and starts running again, leaping over the fallen pots to make it out of the kitchen. You bounce in his hold with every step, but he keeps you clutched tight against his chest. 

After exiting the kitchen, there’s a flight of stairs leading up, and Bakugou doesn’t hesitate to take them. The stairs end, and you find yourselves in a living room, with a couple of seats arranged around the fireplace. You shudder when you notice the animal heads mounted on the walls, and a low rumble starts in Bakugou’s chest. The animal heads are all stuffed and preserved, not a hair out of place, but their eyes are wide open and lifeless, staring into the air.

But you have no time to stop and take in the room, not when Bakugou can hear Overhaul knocking into one of the fallen pots in the kitchen downstairs. And he can hear footsteps from the floor above as well, coming from Chronostasis. 

He runs across the living room, which then leads into an elaborately furnished dining room. But finally, finally, he runs into a hallway with a staircase going up to a balcony, with a door in the wall opposite the stairs. When your breath hitches and your heartbeat speeds up in excitement, Bakugou knows that this must be the way out. 

“Let’s get the fuck out of this place,” he says and bends down, letting your legs slide out of his arm before letting go of your waist once you’re steady. He grips his knife in one hand and scoops half your chains up with his other and runs down the hall for the door. 

Once you get there, breathless from keeping up with Bakugou, you reach out with a hand to slide open the bolt like you had the first time when you tried to escape, but Bakugou dumps the chains back into your arms and pushes the knife into one of your hands. You fumble to take it, some of your chain escaping and slithering to the floor.

“Watch and learn, sweetheart.” With a smirk that makes your face go hot despite the circumstances, he turns to face the door and grasps the handle, pulling with all his might.

Then there’s a pop, and Bakugou stops straining, looking from his hand to you with wide eyes. Laughter bubbles out of you as you eye the empty space the door handle occupied moments before. 

“You just taught me exactly what not to do,” you tease.

He growls at you, eyebrows furrowed, red eyes flashing in an effort to intimidate you into silence, but it only makes you laugh again. 

Thump.

The sound is hauntingly familiar. It’s booted feet striking the floor after a tall drop. It will lead to panic and pain and a loss of consciousness. Blood freezing in your veins, you turn to look over your shoulder.

It’s not Overhaul. 

But it’s someone who wears a plague doctor mask just like Overhaul does, with white hair that reaches his chin. And his eyes are a cold grey, reminding you of steel and stone and a blade that was dragged across your collarbone–

Bakugou roars, the sound echoing off the walls and drawing your attention back to him. His muscles strain and flex as he faces the door, and you can’t tell what he’s doing until you hear the cracking of wood.

Your mouth falls open in shock.

The door comes out of the frame, wrenched entirely off its hinges. He readjusts his grip on the door, slipping his hand out of the hole where the handle had been to grasp the side of the door instead. 

He leans back, muscles in his arms and shoulders shifting, then launches the door into the air, straight toward Chronostasis. Bakugou doesn’t wait to see if it connects before he grabs your hand and tugs you outside into the night—the first time in two weeks that he’s been able to breathe in the earthy scent of forest and dirt.

You start to run, nearly flying with every step as Bakugou tugs you through the air. Each leap takes you further and further away from the place of captivity and torture.

But as your left foot hits the ground, it’s jerked out from under you. Your hand is ripped out of Bakugou’s hold, and you hit the ground hard, the air in your lungs being forced out at the impact.

You push yourself up with your hands and try to scramble to your feet, but you’re dragged along on the ground by your left ankle.

“Bakugou!” you scream, clawing for purchase in the dirt, but there’s nothing for you to grab onto, and the particles only slip out between your fingers. You manage to flip yourself onto your back, eyes locking onto Overhaul, who has the end of your chain in one gloved hand and is reeling you in like a fish. 

Then something passes above you, a shadow against the night sky, and Bakugou lands in front of you. He lets go of the knife in his hand and snatches up your chain. Muscles straining, he pulls hard on the chain to prevent Overhaul from moving you any further. 

“I got you,” he says through gritted teeth. And he digs his feet into the ground, keeping his weight low, leans back, and yanks the chain.

Overhaul is forced to let go. The iron flies out of his grip. 

Bakugou quickly reels the chain in, gathering the links into his arms. He turns to you and helps you up, and he passes you the chains. “Hold them tight,” he instructs, before bending down to pick up the knife–

–and an arrow pierces through his back, the tip of it coming out at his right shoulder. 

Crimson droplets scatter through the air. Some land on your dress and seep into the white fabric.

“Bakugou!” you shout, eyes wide with horror.

He grunts and looks down at the wound, eyeing the red that seeps down from his shoulder. “Fuck,” he hisses, then looks toward the mansion at Overhaul and Chronostasis, the latter having avoided the door and managed to pick up the long-range crossbow that he had shot Bakugou with.

The hunters start advancing. Overhaul flips the two long knives in his hands, blades gleaming as the full moon’s light shines on them. Chronostasis reloads his crossbow and aims it at Bakugou.

Bakugou bends down and picks up the knife. He turns and steps close to you, putting his whole body between yours and the hunters. His eyes gleam in the dark, two rubies that burn with the desire to fight—with the desire to protect.

He presses the knife into your hand. You accept it, gripping onto it tightly. 

“What are you waiting for?” Your heart pounds in your chest, the sound echoing in your ears. “We have to go!”

He rests a hand on your shoulder, the weight and warmth of it a comfort. “No. You have to go.”

You blink once before fully processing what Bakugou said, then open your mouth to protest. 

“Don’t,” he commands. “I am a shifter. My people will come to me.” He draws his hand back from your shoulder and moves it to pull the cloak off from around his waist. He’s completely bare now. But the situation is dire, and Bakugou keeps speaking, so you keep your eyes on his own as he shakes the cloak out and wraps it around your shoulders.

“But nobody knows that you’re here, so no one will come for you.” The words are harsh, and his voice turns deeper as he starts to change before your eyes, but you do not fear him. 

“So run! Go home!” He roars the last word, showing canines that have lengthened to impossibly sharp points. His hand pulls away from the clasp of your cloak, and his nails are now claws, long and deadly. And finally, he straightens up and steps away from you. He’s taller than before, muscles flexing with the movement. 

He’s ready to fight.

Looking at Bakugou now, in his half-shifted state, you know that he has always been designed to fight, to maim, to kill. 

But you are not afraid.

Your eyes are damp and you loathe to leave him, but you know that you’d only be a distraction. A weakness. And now, he cannot afford to be weak. Not if he plans on fighting two hunters, and leaving the victor.

So you do not show your sadness. You hide the cracks in your aching heart. You only smile at him, gazing into his crimson eyes.

“Don’t lose.”

Bakugou barks out a laugh, harsh and low. “As if I could.”

Then an arrow slices past Bakugou’s thigh, and another splash of blood stains your dress.

And you run.

–

You race into the forest, clutching the knife in one hand as you hold the chains tightly against you. It’s dark, and your eyes can only make out the vague shapes of branches and bushes that claw at your dress and cape. 

But the full moon is a blessing, and it scatters soft light on the forest floor whenever its beams can make it through the layers of leaves.

The sound of fighting—snarls, claws on metal, angry shouts—quickly disappear behind you as you push on. You pause for a moment, and look back in the direction that you came.

Bakugou had told you to return home. He’s strong, but you had left him to fight against two hunters that had captured him before. And he helped you when both of you were in the dungeon, just as much as you helped him. Could you really leave him like this?

But what can you do? The skill you have with the knife in your hand can never measure up to that of Overhaul. 

You look forward again at the dark branches that loom before your eyes. And you start running once more. But this time, you weep bitterly, letting tears slide off your cheeks and drip onto your dress, onto the chains, and onto the forest floor.

–

“Die!”

Blood races through Bakugou’s veins as he ducks under Overhaul’s silver knife. More blood flows out of the wounds on his body. Those injuries are barely closing, despite the quick healing that shifters have, because they were caused by weapons of silver.

But he fights on, slashing behind him with his claws to cut into Chronostasis’ side. He must keep fighting, even as Overhaul opens another cut on Bakugou’s arm, more crimson droplets soaking into the dirt.

He must fight. To win, so he can leave this place behind, though Bakugou knows in his heart that he cannot defeat both hunters when he is injured like this. Or to lose, but last long enough that he has given you time to get away and return to your village without the hunters chasing after you.

A burning pain erupts on his back; a new wound cuts through skin and flesh.

A sharp bite of silver on his thigh.

A sting on his neck, then his body seizes up and erupts with pain. Flames lick at every muscle, making them tremble and jerk, and Bakugou’s legs give out beneath him. He collapses to his knees, darkness closing in on his vision.

He hears Overhaul’s voice but can’t make out the words. Bakugou only thinks about you—hoping that you made it home—before a wave of pain sweeps over him and pulls him under, and he finally gives in to the darkness.

–

You’re lost.

You can’t recognize anything in the dark, and even if it were daytime, you aren’t familiar enough with the forest to know where you are and where you need to go.

But you don’t need to head home. 

No, you need to head further into the forest. Even though the trees grow thicker and the undergrowth scratches your legs and pokes at your feet through your thin slippers, you push on. You’re no longer running but keep going at as quick of a walk as you can manage. The wound on your right foot is stinging, and it likely has opened up once more. Your arms ache at holding the length of chain for so long, but you know if you drop it, the chain would only get caught on something and trip you.

Something rustles in the bushes nearby. It’s not the wind.

You whirl around in the direction the sound comes from, eyes straining to see in the dark. Nothing is there.

Something darts out from the bushes. You scream, but quickly cut off as the creature stands in a patch of moonlight, and you make out its features. It’s a chipmunk.

You blink at it. It cocks its head and blinks at you. You can see that the chipmunk’s fur is an odd color by the light of the full moon. It has more of a yellow tint than the usual brown, and it only has one dark stripe that runs up its back. It chatters its teeth and moves closer to you with bouncy steps. When it sits fearlessly at your feet, you study it more closely and feel something light and warm well in your chest. 

“Hey,” you say softly, keeping your body still, so you don’t scare it away before you finish talking. “You probably think I’m crazy, wandering through the forest at night and talking to an animal. But I know who you are. Or, more accurately, what you are.”

The chipmunk’s eyes are large and dark, and you think you see understanding pass across its face. “Bakugou told me that your kind is aware of everything that goes on in your animal form, so–”

The chipmunk suddenly scampers away, running up the nearest tree. You race to follow, shouting, “Hey! Wait! Please! I need– I need your help.” Your foot catches on a tree root, and it sends you sprawling on the ground, the chain and knife falling from your grasp. Tears fill your eyes from the pain and the loss of hope, and through your watery vision, you watch the chipmunk disappear into the branches of the tree. 

The chipmunk is gone, and the forest is still. You sniffle as you lay on the ground. Your whole body aches, and your limbs feel like they’ve been carrying weights, and you honestly want to give up and stay on the forest floor.

But you need to make sure Bakugou is okay. He never gave up on you. He never stopped helping you even when he could have gotten free without you slowing him down. So you need to make sure you can get to his friends and help them free Bakugou from the hunters.

You get back onto your feet and pick up the chains. This time, instead of carrying them in your arms, you wrap them around your shoulders, so you bear the weight of them on your back. You pick up the knife in your dominant hand, exhale loudly, and continue walking through the forest.

It’s not completely silent in the woods. Wind blows through the leaves, causing the spots of moonlight to dance around on the ground. An owl hoots from somewhere in the trees. Your feet kick up fallen leaves and break dry sticks with muted snaps as you trudge along.

Sleep pulls heavily at your eyelids, but you will not let yourself rest.

A dark shadow looms in front of you, shaped like an old tree that has been struck by lightning, the fire having burnt its bark smooth, though there’s something odd about it. You look at it for a moment before walking around it.

There’s movement in the corner of your eye. Before you can turn to look or raise up your knife, something heavy slams into you, knocking you onto the forest floor yet again.

Your head throbs, and your vision is blurry. But when it clears, you look up at whatever is pressing down on your stomach, and you go utterly still. 

It’s a bear.

Though you are still, your heart pounds rapidly in your chest. The bear holds you down with a massive paw, pressing hard enough that you cannot get up, but not so hard that it breaks your ribs. You stare up at it, but your vision is going fuzzy from your fear, and its black fur helps it blend in with the shadows of the night. 

But then, something moves onto the bear’s head and sits right between its ears. Your eyes manage to focus on it, taking a second to recognize the strangely yellow fur.

“Chipmunk,” you manage to wheeze.

The animal chatters its teeth at you from its position on top of the bear. The chipmunk is on the bear, and the bear hasn’t actually hurt you. You finally realize what this means, and your heart slows a bit.

“Oh!” you squeak out. “You both are shifters, then!”

A rumble comes from the bear, and you think it’s amusement. 

You look at the chipmunk. “That means you heard me. You know Bakugou?”

The chipmunk nods. Both it and the bear stare at you intently, listening carefully to every word that comes out of your mouth.

“I need your help. Bakugou and I were held captive by some hunters. We were escaping, and the hunters were chasing after us. They were about to get me, and Bakugou helped me but decided to stay behind, and I know he’s strong, but the hunters were doing terrible things to him, and I don’t know if he’ll make it out even though he promised–” You gasp, tears pricking your eyes, but you hold them back as the words keep spilling out of your mouth.

“Please help me! I’ll guide you back to the mansion and everything, but I can’t fight the hunters off myself. I won’t leave him behind, even though he told me to run. He saved me back there. I can’t– I can’t just go home and pretend that everything is fine!”

The bear lifts its paw off your stomach, and you get back onto your feet. You bend down to pick up your fallen knife, then look at the shifters.

“Well? Are we going to go back for him?”

The bear holds up a paw.

You tilt your head and look from it to the bear. “You want me to… stop?” Fury runs through you. “What the hell? I thought Bakugou is your friend!” 

But then the bear rapidly shakes his head and holds out his paw once more. You huff out a breath and try again. “If not stop, you want me to… slow down? Oh! You want me to wait!”

The bear and the chipmunk nod. As soon as you nod back and tell them that you won’t be going anywhere, they need to hurry back soon, the bear turns away from you and disappears into the forest, with the chipmunk riding on top of its head.

You sigh, sit down against a tree, and settle down to wait.

–

You must have dozed off while waiting, because you’re jolted awake when someone gently shakes your shoulder. Your eyes widen as you stare into a pair of unusual eyes; yellow irises that are surrounded by black.

“Hi! I’m Ashido Mina, but you can just call me Mina!” She stands up and steps back, clasping her hands in front of her as she rocks on her feet. “We’d love to get to know you, but Kirishima told us that we need to get going.”

You move the chains from your lap into your arms, pick up the knife, and get to your feet. “Kirishima?” you ask, then look beyond Mina at the three others that stand behind her. Your eyes widen as you take in a head of spiky hair that’s clearly a bright red even under the moonlight. “Shitty Hair!” you exclaim, then clap your hands over your mouth. That wasn’t exactly the most polite thing to say to a stranger—especially not a shifter.

Far from offended, the redhead grins at you, showing a mouthful of sharp teeth. “Looks like Bakubro told you about me! I’m Kirishima. I was the bear you met just a little while ago. Sorry if I scared ya, I didn’t mean to!” 

“Oh! You’re the bear? But your fur was black!” You point at the dark-haired male standing next to Kirishima. “I would have thought he was the bear.”

The shifter you’re pointing at grins and shakes his head. “Nah, not me. I’m a gecko! Kirishima here likes to dye his hair, but the dye doesn’t transfer over to his bear form. Oh, and call me Sero.”

“So if Kirisima’s a bear, Sero is a gecko, then you must be the chipmunk!” You look at the shifter on the other side of Sero. His hair is a darker blonde than Bakugou’s, and a black zigzag runs through it on one side.

“Wow, how’d you guess? I bet it was from our instant con-nut-ion.” He smirks at you and finger guns, throwing you a wink.

You blink at him. Then blink again. “I can’t even talk to you after such a bad pun.” You turn away from him and look at Mina, who snickers at your response. It’s only then that you really notice the color of her hair and her skin. The pink reminds you of the fancy ribbons sold at the market back home that many girls would save up to buy. 

“Oh, wow, you’re so pretty! What animal do you shift into? If- if you’re comfortable sharing, of course, I don’t know if there’s some sort of shifter policy–”

Mina squeals and bounds toward you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “Aww, you’re so sweet! My animal form is a poison dart frog. But don’t worry, the poison isn’t an issue in this form!”

You smile at Mina, but are distracted as Kirishima starts moving. You look at him curiously and quickly shut your eyes when you see that he’s taking off his shirt. “What are you doing?”

Sero laughs at your obvious embarrassment. “He’s getting ready to shift. If the shifters with larger animal forms shifted with clothes on, they’d go through more than a set every day. It’s not that big of a deal for shifters to reveal skin.”

“Oh!” So that’s why Bakugou didn’t make a big deal out of being naked until you forced him to cover up with your cloak.

“Anyway,” Mina says, “we have to get these chains off you first. It won’t do you any good to fight the hunters with a pile of metal in your arms.”

“Exactly. It wouldn’t do for someone so flawless to get injured!” The chipmunk shifter winks at you.

You scowl at him before recognition flashes across your face. “Oh my gosh, you’re Dunce Face! Bakugou told me all about you.”

“Kaminari Denki, at your service. Did he tell you about my handsome face and witty charm?”

You smirk. “No, he told me about your bad puns and inability to get a girl.”

Kaminari’s jaw drops, and he clutches his chest dramatically. “Oh, the betrayal! The pain! The–”

He’s cut off by a sharp smack to the back of his head from Sero. “We don’t have time for you to badly flirt,” Sero tells him, then turns to you. “Kiri’s gonna help you get that chain off and then we can go and rescue Bakugou!”

Kirishima approaches you, grinning. He holds his hands out for the chain in your arms, and you pass it over to him, the metal links clinking together. “I’m going to shift to my in-between state, okay? That way, I’ll have enough power to pull the chain apart. I won’t be able to get the cuff off, but at least you won’t have to lug around the long bit!” He rattles the chain for emphasis and crouches down next to your left foot when you nod in agreement.

“Here I go!” The muscles in Kirishima’s back and arms visibly get larger, and a trail of dark hair covers his spine. He grasps onto the chain, one hand right next to the shackle on your foot, and the other just a couple of links down.

He starts to growl, the sound a deeper rumble than Bakugou’s. Then his muscles shift and strain, the metal links are pulled taut, and his growl grows in volume until a metal link finally gives out, breaking the chain.

Eyes wide, you watch Kirishima stand up with the broken chain in one hand. “I- You- Thank you!” you stammer. Shaking your left foot, it feels a lot lighter with the shackle and a couple of metal links dangling from it, instead of the whole chain.

Kirishima laughs, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “You don’t need to thank me! That was just the manly thing to do.”

“All right!” Mina claps her hands twice. “Since we finished with that, let’s get going. Kirishima! Shift!”

The bear shifter drops the chain in a pile underneath one of the trees. Then he reaches for the waistband of his pants, and you quickly turn around to face Mina as he takes them off. 

“So how are we going to get Bakugou out of the hunters’ mansion?” you ask her.

“We’re not sure yet!” She flashes you a blinding smile. “Bakugou’s the one that usually comes up with plans, it’s more our style to just wing it! If you come up with something along the way, definitely share it with us, though. Now get on!” 

Mina grabs your shoulders and spins you around, pushing you toward Kirishima, who crouches down in his large bear form.

“Get on? On Kirishima?”

“He’ll take us to the mansion pretty quickly! Also, you look like you could use the rest. It seems like those hunters weren’t the nicest toward you. Now, let’s go!”

You settle on Kirishima’s back, hands sinking into the dark fur, with Mina right behind you. She holds onto the clothes Kirishima, Sero, and Kaminari had thrown off when they shifted.

You tell Kirishima the direction you came from, and he sets off. With Mina behind you, Kirishima’s warmth beneath you, and Sero and Kaminari sitting between Kirishima’s ears, you feel a lot less alone and afraid than you were when you ran away from the hunters.

Biting your lip, your mind races as you try to figure out a plan for when you all get to the mansion. 

You’re going to get Bakugou back if it’s the last thing you do.

–

Series Tags • @steggy4ever​ @tspice283​ @wesparklebitch​

Other Tags • @simplybakugou​ @knifeewifee​ @gallickingun​ (thank you all for being so kind and encouraging while you sprinted with me!) 

[askkrenko]

Krenko’s Guide to Pokemon: Tyrogue Line ( Hitmon- )

POKEMON SHOULD NOT WEAR PANTS.

DESIGN: 

I’m fine with how humanlike this looks. I’m fine with the bands on his wrists that look like bandages, and around his waist, but he’s clearly wearing shorts and shoes. I’d much rather a design that gave the illusion of shorts and shoes, like making his hip-section very furry and giving him hooves like a satyr.  I accept the simple appearance in the early games, but it could really have used a redesign at some point.

I do love the way the side of its head looks like it’s wearing protection over its ears. Tyrogue is very clearly some kid ready to wrestle in school, and I’m totally on board with that... but actual clothes are wrong.

My other issue with Tyrogue is that it’s a male-only line without a female equivalent. See, female-only lines make sense because of how Pokemon breeding works. Sure, there’s no male Chansey, but that’s because every male Clefable, Wigglytuff, and Grimmsnarl is lining up to fertilize that egg. But with Tyrogue, there’s... nowhere for Tyrogues to come from other than Dittos.

Now, this may explain the relative scarcity of the Tyrogue, and maybe they are all the result of dittos, but it’s really weird to me if that’s the case. You’d think by now we could have a female Pokemon that could lay Tyrogue eggs the way Illumise can lay Volbeat eggs.

Now, Tyrogue has three evolved forms, and the first numerically is Hitmonlee. Hitmonlee is made of kicking, and its body really shows that. It doesn’t wear clothes, it doesn’t have a head, and those leg bands stretch for super kicks.  Now, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this thing in various mythologies, the headless man with a face on its chest, but Hitmonlee’s just got eyes. It’s a pretty simple design when you think about it, but it’s cool and striking and looks like a monster that fights like a man but better.

Hitmonchan has boxing gloves, a skirt, and booties. Look, I’ll get on a lot of Pokemon’s case for being too humanoid or whatever, but HItmonchan is seriously just some dude. His shoulder pads don’t even look like part of him, they look like he’s wearing them. I can’t even begin to imagine what a Hitmonchan might be that it just looks like that in nature.  Its Pokedex entry mentions it has the “spirit of a pro boxer” and while that seems metaphorical, but when you see entries like “A Hitmonchan is said to possess the spirit of a boxer who aimed to become the world champion” you have to wonder if this is one of those supernatural things like how so many Ghost pokemon are actually dead humans.

Hitmonchan is an interesting design for a creature in a video game, but it’s not a good design for a creature in a world, which is what Pokemon need to be. I just can’t accept that your Tyrogue grew up into this without you buying gloves and booties for it.

Hitmontop mostly fixes the issue of inexplicable clothes. Yes, it looks like it’s wearing some sort of V-Neck leotard like a professional fighter might, but as it doesn’t pop off the Hitmontop’s body in any way, it could just be blue fur which is pretty normal in the Pokemon setting. 

I don’t particularly like Hitmontop’s design overall- I think it looks too toylike, and much less badass than Hitmonchan or Hitmonlee. It feels like something you could just avoid by taking a step to the side. But unlike Hitmonchan, nothing in its design actively offends my sensibilities. It just feels more like a middle form than a final form.

Art by MajMajor

EVOLUTIONS: 

I mostly love the design of this evolutionary line. While HItmonchan and Hitmonlee were introduced in gen 1 as a matched set, Tyrogue and Hitmontop came in generation 2. Tyrogue is the best use of a Baby Pokemon, adding a pre-evolution to turn two previously unattached Pokemon into a branching path. They haven’t done that again since, even though there’s multiple paired lines that could really use it (most notably Tauros/Miltank and Cubone/Kangaskhan.) Also, Tyrogue evolves at level 20, but what determines its form isn’t some weird item or what time it is, but simply how its stats fall out. This means that to a novice it’ll seem random which one you get, but a skilled trainer can ensure Hitmonchan or HItmonlee (and a more skilled trainer can ensure Hitmontop.) 

Also, with base stats of 455 each, Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee are much more deserving of getting a Baby Pokemon than things like Pichu and Jigglypuff, whose baby forms don’t do anything for gameplay but get in the way.

Art by IDunnoLawl

TYPING: 

Unlike most Pokemon with multiple forms, all three of Tyrogue’s evolutions are pure FIghting type. Fighting is pretty evenly balanced offensively and defensively, and is notably super-effective against Normal and Steel types. The lack of a second type really hurts, though. Fighting is bad against six types, and that’s not something you want to see on all your STAB attacks.

STATS: 

All three Hitmons are physical attackers with 50 HP and 110 Special Defense, but the rest of their stats vary.  Hitmonlee has a mere 53 defense, making it the most fragile of the three, but its 120 Attack and its 87 speed make it the fastest and most damaging. Hitmonchan has a lower attack and lower speed, but higher defense, and Hitmontop has the lowest attack and speed of all three, but a 95 defense which actually compensates for its low HP. 

None of these stat arrays are particularly impressive, but they all have solid attack stats, and their high special defense means their low HP is only a problem when confronted with physical attackers. Speeds for all three are about average.

Art by mcgmark

ABILITIES: 

Interestingly enough, Tyrogue’s abilities are different than all three of its evolutions... but Tyrogue’s incredibly weak so there’s no reason to talk about building it.

Hitmonchan has Keen Eye (prevents accuracy loss) and Inner Focus (prevents Flinching and Intimidate) but what sells it as a Pokemon is Iron Fist, an ability that increases its punch damage by 20%. It’s not Earth shattering, but 20% on attacks is a very solid boost and Hitmonchan learns a lot of punches.

Hitmonlee can get Limber to prevent Paralysis, but nobody cares. Its other options are much better. Reckless adds 20% damage to any move with Recoil or a Crash chance. Unfortunately, Hitmonlee only has one of these. Fortunately, it’s Hitmonlee’s signature attack, High Jump Kick. Hitmonlee’s other ability takes a bit more work to use, but is even better in competetive battles. Unburden doubles Hitmonlee’s speed if its held item is lost or used.  While berries are an option, a White Herb can be forced with Close Combat, turning Hitmonlee into a potent sweeper as long as it survives that first attack.

Hitmontop has the basically useless Steadfast (increase Speed when flinching), but has the ever-powerful Intimidate, as well as Technician. With Hitmontop already being the most defensive of the three, Intimidate just makes it a bit more survivable by lowering enemy attacks. Technician increases the damage of any moves with a base damage of 60 or lower, and Hitmontop has a variety of attacks that can take advantage of this. Most notably among these is Triple Axel, a three-hit move with an increasing power of 20, 40, and 60. With Technician, these hits become 30, 60, and 90 for a total of 180 power, albeit with problematic accuracy.

Art by Zilvan

MOVES: 

Despite all three being physical attackers, all three use different Fighting type moves. Hitmonlee gets its signature High Jump Kick with Reckless, or can use Close Combat + White Herb with Unburden. Hitmonchan uses Drain Punch. Iron Fist bumps its attack to an effective 90, and the healing increases proportionately.  Hitmontop, unfortunately, doesn’t have any great options, so Close Combat is generally the way to go. Revenge is an option with its slower speed and Technician fixing its ‘failure state,’ but unfortunately Revenge and Technician don’t stack if Revenge activates.

Coverage comes next. Fighting type is resisted by Bug, Fairy, Flying, Poison, and Psychic, and Ghosts are outright immune.  Hitmontop’s Triple Axel is going to work just fine against all of those, even without Technician. 

Hitmonlee has a decent lineup of options- Blaze Kick, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Poison Jab, Knock Off- but which you pick is really dependent on what you expect to face and what the rest of your team has coverage for. Earthquake’s the strongest, but it still doesn’t work against Flying or Bug types.  Stone Edge covers them both, but is a much weaker move. Of course, Hitmonlee could take both. 

Hitmonchan has great coverage options with Iron Fist enhanced elemental punches, plus the aforementioned Earthquake and Stone Edge, as well as Throat Chop.  There’s no real right or wrong answer here, just be prepare for whatever you’re most worried about.

Tyrogue’s evolutions share a lot of utility moves. Rapid Spin, Mach Punch, and Bulk Up can be useful on any of them. For each of the three, I’d suggest a build of a fighting move, an off-type move for coverage, Rapid Spin for Rapid Spinning, and then whatever feels right to you of Bulk Up, Mach Punch, or another coverage move.

Art by birdmir

OVERALL: 

Despite the three Pokemon here being very similar, they each have abilities and stat differences that give them different niches, with Hitmonchan’s being the best defined. I do wish Hitmonlee got more than one attack that worked with Reckless and Hitmontop’s signature attack were stronger (triple kick still only ends up at 90 power with Technician), but overall they’re not too bad, just a bit on the fragile side. A 10 or 20 point boost to each of their HP stats would make me feel a lot better, and small stat boosts between gens is something Pokemon occasionally does. 

Hitmonchan and Tyrogue wearing clothes is really dumb, though, as are the ecological issues of a species that can’t reproduce without the help of a DItto.

In the future, I’d like to see a trio of regional forms for them, granting each a second element, but different from each other. Bonus points if the alternate Hitmonchan has Protean for his elemental punches. That’d be a cool Pokemon. 

Little Asskickers by Aniforce

[toyboxfriends]

Fairy Type !!

Send me a Pokémon Type and I’ll make a Team for my muse using only Pokémon of that type. | @optimismkept

"Can I choose the entire Fairy Type roster as my team? No, okay. Uhm, I didn't do this last time, but I'll go into actual detail about why choose what I do.... I guess. Also, I don't include Legendaries, as their not something just any trainer could get.

Normally, I'd say Gardevoir is a given for any Fairy team, saying it's psychic moves are effective against one of Fairy's weaknesses, Poison. But Galar introduced two new Fairy/Psychics. So, If I'm making a personalized team, I'd have to go with Hatterene. They're slower but pack a much bigger punch. Plus, I relate to their Pokedex entries more.

The second given is the fan favorite Mimikyu, which I will be adding to my team. They remind me of a certain someone. Can't quite put my finger on who, though.

Next, you have to get a Steel/Fairy duo type, as Steel is strong against both of Fairy types weaknesses. That means Mawile or Klefki. As cute as Klefki is, I'll go Mawile, as they have a Mega evolution.

For my remaining party, I'm gonna go for duo types that can cover my left over weaknesses. Right now, my only weakness is Fire types, so Azumarill will take care of those.

That opens two new weaknesses, though. Grass and Electric. I'll cover Grass first with Ribombee, who is also Bug type.

My last pokemon will cover both my new Flying weakness and the Electric one as well. What better way to kill two bird with one stone, pun intended, than with an electric type, like Dedenne. Super effective against Flying and strong defensively against electric.

With that, my weakness are covered, and my team is made. Hatterene, Mimikyu, Mawile, Azumarill, Ribombee, and Dedenne."

[sasuhinasno1fan]

The deer of the forest- Luktober Day 10

Oh look, another prompt from @write-it-motherfuckers, not that I’m really complaining. They’re prompts are good and there are others of there’s I hope to use one day. I didn’t have a solid idea, but then I found this prompt and I had to. I also tried my hand at second person point of view I think it’s called? The point of view the prompts are usually in, I would usually change the pronouns, fix the tense, but to challenge myself, I left Luka’s point of view as that and had Adrien’s in my usual third person. I hope it sounds ok and you like it. I mean, I wouldn’t be that surprised if this actually happens to Luka. He probably attracts all sorts of mythical creatures. Deer 

You found a stag a few weeks ago, on the edge of the forest that surrounded your home. It was in bad shape, its body covered in grime, and a number of wounds visible. It was a strange looking thing, bigger than any stag you had ever seen, antlers badly broken, and eyes a strange silvery colour all over. At first you had thought maybe it was blind, but it seemed to see perfectly despite its strange eyes. 

It took a lot of effort, but eventually you managed to get the poor animal inside your garage, as it was too big to take anywhere else. Luckily the thing remained lethargic and peaceful, mostly allowing you to manhandle it as you pleased. Part of you couldn’t help but wonder how it had even survived here so long. The forest was dying, the trees and plants rotting, the animals sick, and the water poisoned. It was a hard living out here, and the only reason you survived yourself, was because you had other resources, unlike the animals of this area. Despite the fact that most of the people who had been causing this place to die, had left almost a year ago, the damage was too great.

Though you held out little hope for the animal, something urged you to try. After giving it a thorough wash, so that you could treat its wounds, you were shocked to find that it was actually a startling white, rather than the dull brownish grey, you had assumed. The stag had a lot of wounds, all that you treated to the best of your ability, the town not really having a vet, thanks to its now minuscule size, and you being unable to move an animal of this size to somewhere else. 

After weeks of careful care and love though, the stag was looking a lot healthier and livelier. The creature even seemed to trust you. To your surprise, its antlers were regrowing at an astonishing rate, its wounds healing quickly too. The antlers themselves were bizarre, massive and pointed, they looked like the cluttered branches of a tree. There were even small random nubs on the antlers, that kind of reminded you of flower buds. You had never seen anything like it, but somehow it seemed to fit the unusual creature perfectly. 

While cutting up some food for the stag, you pause, peering out the window. You can’t help but wonder, at what point the forest started to regain life. You had been so focused with your strange new charge, that you hadn’t even noticed the way the forest and its creatures seemed to perk up a little bit every day. Even the waters were clearing, as the days went by.

You’re so focused on the scene outside the window, you don’t hear the sound of hooves against the tile floor. You do feel the unwelcome nose pushing itself under your jacket and between your legs. You let out a surprised yelp, the apple and knife in your hand dropping into the sink as you push the nose away. It’s the first time you’ve seen the stag anywhere but the garage. It was starting to try and stand up, but you’d never seen it walk much, no doubt still weak from its injuries. But this white stag seems to love nothing but to surprise you so you wonder how you’re even confused at what you’re seeing at this point.

You scratch underneath its chin, its head leaning into your palm like a cat getting attention. The nubs on its antlers have grown bigger and a part of you thinks of the forest spirit from pictures, with ivy and flowers growing from its antlers. But you know those are the things of fairy tales. You’re broken out of your thoughts by the stag starting to chew on the sleeve of your jacket.

“Alright, alright. If you didn’t get so impatient, I’d be done by now.” You quickly finish cutting the apple. You know that the stag would have no trouble biting through seeds but you’ve been spoiling your little charge and you can’t help it. You moved into the French countryside when the city you grew up in became so overcrowded with noise you couldn’t stand. You came to this family cottage, the only thing left of your father not counting his eye colour, hoping to find peace, but you wondered how long it would last because of state of the nature around you. so many others were gone and you didn’t think the sudden peak in change would change that. You didn’t mind being alone but you also wanted company. Maybe that’s why you spoiled the stag, it was the only company you had so far.

You hand feed the stag, watching the sliced disappear into its mouth and still come begging for more attention. You let it lick your hand clean, using the other to pet it between the ears, selfishly hoping for a moment that it won’t want to leave. You know you shouldn’t. it’s a wild animal who even though it easily accepted help, probably had a home in the healing forest. You couldn’t keep it chained here just to keep yourself from feeling lonely. A bitter pill to swallow, yes, but a necessary one.

                                           ____________________

His father was wrong it seemed. He told Adrien that humans cared only for themselves, that they only destroyed and never cared for what they left behind. For a while he did believe it. The area that belonged to him, the one he protected was being treated horribly. Turning into a white stag caused hunters to come after him and scientist wanted to study his horns. Their case after him started to affect his domain. For every bad thing they did to him, it affected the forest life around it. Before he knew it, he ran them out of town, but they left destruction behind them.

he was so close to dying, thinking his father was right, but then a human helped him. Dark hair, with shades of light blue in it, odd little pricks of metal in his face and ears, his nails dark like some of the tar left on the trees. He thought he was a creature, but he smelt human. He cooed over him, asking out loud what had happened to him. He brought him to his home, even if Adrien’s size didn’t make it easy. The human washed him down, fed him, treated his wounds. He cared for him and in return, unknowingly helped the forest area around him. He’d been feeling up to walking today, a big leap in how he was feeling earlier and went looking for the human, surprising him when he stuck his nose between his legs. He’d seen mothers doing it to their young when helping them to stand, he didn’t know why he reacted like that. But he scratched under his chin and he felt himself melt. He was like a wildcat despite usually changing into a deer and eating the apples out of the painted nails hand was nice too.

He wanted to change back into his normal form, but he knew that wouldn’t be for a while. The forest was healing, but it still needed more time before his powers would allow him to change back. It was fine though; he liked this time with his human. His…Luka. He could only assume that was his name. he heard him once answer with ‘Luka here’ on those odd-looking objects that some humans seemed glued too.

He was resting now in his usual place, warm in his round and soft bed, an equally soft blanket over him. Luka had gone into town and the house was quiet, only the sounds of the recovering area singing to him.

“There you are!” he looked to see a large black cat; his green eyes narrowed at him. Only a moment later was a dark-skinned man, black hair as long and wild as the fur on the cat that once stood there. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for you? I knew you weren’t dead because the forest still had some life to it, but we couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“They came after me in this form. I had to keep them away from you and try to escape. They didn’t make it easy.” He said, this thought easily going to the man in front of him.

He kneeled and looked at Adrien’s antlers, the buds growing. “When do you think they’ll bloom?”

“Not all of them will. There’s still much healing to be done. But I’m recovering, so that means something.”

“A human is taking care of you?”

“Yes. It seems father was wrong about all humans. Or at least, this one.”

The man scoffed. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Plagg.” he scolded lightly. He couldn’t blame his closest friend. He came to this forest and bonded himself to it because trying to live in the forest he grew up in felt like trying to bring life back to the areas full of steel and metal and loud noise. “I’m getting better. I know I’ll eventually be better to leave, but…I want to thank him first.”

Plagg raised an eyebrow. “You seemed to be attached.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing. Whatever. I’ll be nearby. Once you feel able to come back, just call for me. Adrien, I am really glad you’re ok.”

“Me too. And we have him to thank for that.”

                                               ________________

You noticed a black cat leaving your garage as you come home from sending things at the post office. It’s easy to work from home, though most emails have to be sent from town rather than your own home because of the weak signal. You see the stag, still sitting in its bed, its head turned to you as you walk inside. It didn’t seem bothered so you guessed a cat felt curious and came to look. It also fills you with hope. The stag was the only animal you’d seen since you arrived. If others were coming out, that plus the slowly recovering area meant to things were finally fixing themselves.

As the days went on, the stag continued to walk, getting better and stronger. Its wounds were gone and its fur was starting to glow. It still begged for attention like a spoiled pet and since it could now follow you into the house, its pleas became constant.

The dreams that started confused you. you’d be walking thorough a forest, one out of a fairy tale, or maybe what the one outside the cottage used to look like. Standing under a drooping tree would be your stag, white fur gleaming, its eyes a bright icy blue, the antlers bursting with flowers. Mostly white ones, but dotted with pale pastels. And then in its place, would be a boy. No, not boy, he looked to be the same age as you, but he seemed so innocent and delicate. He looked different than the stag, his hair like spun gold and his green eyes shinning in the sun. even if he didn’t have the same flower dotted antlers upon his head, you still know that the person is your stag. You could see it in the kind eyes and gentle smile. Before you could ask his name or anything, you’d wake up, visions of what he looked like escaping your memory.

You’d watch the stage explore the garden, not chewing on the newly grown grass, but nudging at it, like it was trying to encourage it. Your favourite movie is Princess Mononoke, a story about a human raised by wolves wanting to protect her home and a cursed prince who honoured the gods and tried to help protect them. you look at the odd nubs on the antlers, that seem to be becoming a different colour, like flowers ready to bloom and you wonder if you helped a forest god. Then the stag comes, tugging at your jacket, like it does when it wants something, its eyes trained on the handful of nuts you’ve been eating. It seems so unlikely, but you’ve been known to attract some odd things before.

[theangrypokemaniac]

Alola Forms don't make sense.

Exeggutor they focus upon, prod and poke in the classroom, solely because its mutation is the single example of logic in the olid morass.

It's become an unwieldy coconut tree, but excessive heat kills plants quicker than provoking a growth spurt.

Plus it's gone from Grass and Psychic to Grass and Dragon.

Why?

It's based on the dragon tree.

How is that applicable to the situation?

Why would Exeggutor's body, sensing the sweltering surroundings, think to itself:

This calls for a type change. I know: Dragon!

It would only be of use if, as in real life, dragons always breathe fire, thus possess supreme resistance to avoid auto-immolation.

Except that in this world, dragons aren't Fire Pokémon, thus it is pointless.

The sun nurtured its secret Dragon powers.

By 'secret' you mean nonexistent before the Seventh Generation.

Not much point in having 'hidden talents' if they're usable only in a specific point on the globe.

I could take it that Exeggutor's brain boiled like the egg it once was, with Psychic abilities atrophied...

Eh? You mean Alola both destroys and creates magic minds?

It's because of its diet.

But for the fact that Raichu now has them instead.

What, those special floating berries no one else ever consumed?

What really helps is natural endurance, something to aid a Pokémon's survival in the Alola climate.

The most obvious ploy would be for all of 'em to transform into Fire-types. No element is better equipped to thriving there.

How is flying through the air, levitating on his own tail, a response to the tropics?

How does this combat horrible conditions?

If you've got an inferno in yer innards a little excess warmth from the outside won't prove too taxing.

But no:

It goes to a hot country, for which it is suited, and its method of adaption is to develop a weakness instead!

Oh, but it probably lives in the snowy mountains.

You mean a Fire Pokémon, on arrival, decides the best thing is to deeply inconvenience itself by scaling the local peak, risking freezing to death, just waiting for blessed alteration?

Vulpix in Alola becomes Ice!

How did the first example there know it'd happen?

Come on Vulpix! Time to evolve! I spent me life savings on a Fire Stone! Oh...

And Ninetales is a Fairy, as if that boosts its chances.

What part of a suffocating island chain encourages the flourishing of more ethereal qualities?

Maybe if Ice, it cools yer down. The heliocentric Hell hole is taking its toll on the rest, but you exude chilly relief.

Why is it still furry then? Those tails are burden enough.

The other category with an inbuilt sturdiness is probably Ground. A habitat of molten earth and arid wastelands render one accustomed to baking beneath unforgiving weather.

Marowak had the right idea, following my advice and turning Fire, but he lost Ground in the process.

How is that an improvement?

Sandshrew and Sandslash converted to Ice and Steel, both of which melt in flames!

Why would sand on floor, in the trees, in the air even, blown to town by beach-skimming sirocco winds, wear away the Ground in him?

Absurdly, as a Ghost, seems the evolution rites are now so traumatic to a Cubone it dies on the way.

What kind of madness is this?

That's nice, innit? Kick 'im when he's down!

Diglett's sprouted a few comb-over strands and Dugtrio grows a full mane.

Of course it does. Everyone knows hair follicles are stimulated into overdrive by sweating.

Yeah, ones it didn't have in the first place.

And whilst Exeggutor's extra height is the feasible result...

Geodude and its evolutions not only lose their protective Ground type in favour of redundunt Electric, they all have jumbo eyebrows and hairy heads, arms and top lips.

That's the iron filings attracted to his new magnetic aura.

Rattata and Raticate sport moustaches whilst being fried in the fur by a heat-absorbing black coat.

Apparently the sensible thing to do when faced with burning skies is give oneself greater susceptibility to its draining effects.

Good job, now it's worse off.

What's the other aspect of this equatorial location?

The blinding, omnipresent light.

Well Rattata and Raticate, exposed to the sheer incandescent force, naturally bowed to convention to become Dark, the obvious reaction.

That's how you survive the furnace of Alola.

It might do. Perhaps changing to Dark is like a tan. Your body protects itself with it to limit the damage of the sun's rays.

Of course it is, and they kindly arranged themselves in limited amounts as manly additions, rather than coat him in a thousand spikes all over like a sea urchin.

Absolute blackness is bound to block out much of the harm.

And the facial hair? What assistance is that providing? And what of everyone else?

Grimer and Muk also went Dark, which is what happens should you leave the gloomy, nocturnal, poisonous factorial pit of Gringey City for the fresh air and clean beaches of Alola.

New shades of sludge are down to all the interesting variety of refuse it consumes.

What, a load of scotch pancakes?

Oh-oh! I knew arrogant Alola held a supreme fondness for praising itself, but now they've the nerve to claim better junk than us!

Yeah, it ain't just enchanted fruit, Alola is so orsum even its trash is superior to ours, since it produces coloured effects.

Either that or locals use a lot of industrial-strength synthetic dyes, more than they choose to let on.

Reminds me of the Good Old Days in the North when children would play by the canal, fall in, and come out blue, and no one thought anything of it at the time.

One wonders why every living thing isn't Ice and Dark, give that these types apparently work wonders for the host.

At least Rattata, Grimer etc. kept their original types.

Meowth and Persian were so consumed by the miasma of overflowing darkness they stopped being Normal altogether.

That's right, and the crushing gravitational weight of those wormholes bursting out all over squeezed their heads until permanently disfigured.

Anyone else recall that Meowths are naturally quadrupedal, being cats, and that our Meowth achieved his rear-legged stance only from a year's worth of strain, beatings, failure and agony?

Yet Alola Meowth gets it handed to him effort-free, with the achievements of ours diminished in the process.

Here we are then: a land of simmering sultry pressure causes foreign Pokémon to become Ice (cold, hard, unfeeling), whilst its constantly illuminated and long days made 'em Dark (crafty, self-serving, evil).

And so hirsute, like they're desperate for disguise, however much they suffer in the process.

After all, when incest is not only legal, but obligatory, what won't you condone?

Did we complain? No, because we were glad of what we had then. Not like kids today.

What exactly lurks beyond the superficial, ever-grinning, unblinking façade of Alola?

Something's gotta be going on behind the plastic smiles to encourage such a bizarre trend.

[crystalelemental]

Alright folks, there’s a lot of leaks, and a lot to get through.  Bear with me, this is not going to be coherent.

Let’s start with my favorites, and the Pokemon I’ve considered using.  Hatterene!  Healer and Anticipation are garbage-ass abilities, in every way, shape, and form.  Thank god for Magic Bounce as a hidden ability, eh?  Not clear how we’ll even get Hidden Abilities, or if they’re available at all in this game, but that’s at least something for the poor creature.  Stats are...honestly really good.  57/90/95/136/103/29 (BST: 510).  I’m sure by now, everyone knows what I’m going to say.  Why is HP so low?  That’s almost certainly going to be a damning feature.  Gardevoir has better special bulk all-around than Hatterene.  All Hatterene has is better physical bulk, and for some reason a base 90 in Attack.  The hell is it going to do with that?  Should’ve shaved off 20-30 points from Attack and put it literally anywhere else.  The only thing it truly has over Gardevoir is higher special attack, and obscenely low speed for Trick Room abuse.  Which...Gardevoir runs a fantastic Scarf set with Trick, so it really depends what kind of speed control game you want to play.  They’ll both have unique roles to play, though, which is all I can ask for.  That said, I’m anticipating UU.  No Moonblast.  It really doesn’t learn anything useful for Singles.  It has Psychic naturally, thank god, and also packs Healing Wish, can learn Nuzzle through egg moves, and gets both Giga Drain and Mystical Fire through TMs, which...I kinda love that Mystical Fire is a TM, not gonna lie.  TRs give about nothing.  Psyshock, which it somehow doesn’t learn naturally because this game sucks at movepools, and Dark Pulse, which isn’t going to be too useful as it is.  All in all, it’s not bad, but lack of Moonblast or seriously good coverage options barring maybe Mystical Fire will be a hindrance.  Gigantamax may force it into OU.  God, I hope they consider Gigantamax forms separate from base forms...

Alcremie!  65/60/75/110/121/64 (BST: 495).  It’s about as stock standard a Fairy as any.  Oh, except it doesn’t learn Moonblast.  Yeah.  Apparently GameFreak’s solution to Fairy types being too strong, was to just not give the new Fairies any access to Moonblast, but still let it exist on everything else that already learned it.  So that’s...you know, that’s a choice.  A shitty, shitty choice for idiots.  But a choice.  Sweet Veil kinda sucks, only preventing sleep, while Aroma Veil continues to be better and shuts down things like Taunt.  It also learns Mystical Fire and Giga Drain, hysterically, as well as Psychic/Psyshock through TMs.  But still, no Moonblast.  Kind of damning.  Unless Moonblast received a nerf, this is honestly a slap in the face for these two.

Frosmoth!  70/65/60/125/90/65 (BST: 475).  Why?  Why is it so slow?  Yes, I know it gets Quiver Dance, but come on!  Shield Dust isn’t a great ability, but it’s not terrible.  Ice Scales, though?  Halves all damage taken from special attacks.  It’s like reverse Fur Coat.  Which...honestly, it’s going to be nuts.  That’s not just a halving of its obscene weakness to Fire, but a halving of all special moves.  Physical attacks will drop it like a real life moth being hit with a rock, but still.  It gets access to Defog, Quiver Dance, Bug Buzz, and Aurora Veil, but somehow only gets Blizzard and not Ice Beam.  It can learn Giga Drain and Air Slash through TM, and Ice Beam and Dazzling Gleam through TR.  All in all...frankly the best of the Pokemon I’d consider.  Yeah, weak physical bulk hurts, as does its slowness, but it comes with a solid base kit.  It does really need that hidden ability to work at all, though.  Without it, it’s...going to suck.  Royally.

Thievul!  70/58/58/87/92/90 (BST: 455).  To the shock of absolutely no one, it fucking sucks!  Go figure.  Run Away is useless, Unburden is only helpful if you actually have an attacking stat to work with, but Stakeout?  That’s...actually not too bad.  Pure Dark isn’t that good defensively though, so it’s not exactly scaring much out, but doubling the base power of moves against things that switch in is really nice.  That said, it didn’t save Gumshoos, and it won’t save Thievul.  All of its learned moveset is physical.  Because of course it is.  It learns Nasty Plot, but have fun using it with all nothing you learn.  TRs are the only options to teach it anything, and all it gets is Dark Pulse, Psychic, and Shadow Ball.  Considering Dark and Ghost hit the exact same types super-effectively, this is essentially a wash.  Not even Mystical Fire?  It’s a fox for fuck’s sake!  I guess it also has Grass Knot.  Oh, and Round!  Those will save the meta.  Fuck off.

Honestly, I’m done here.  There are others I’m interested in, but you get the picture: movesets this generation are absolute ass.  Which is extra shitty, considering many hyper-critical TMs are now relegated to TRs, which are Gen 1-4 TMs, where they’re single use and gone forever.  No confirmation on whether you can get more than one in a playthrough.  At best, it requires BP.  Which, if there’s no Mantine Surf equivalent, sucks ass.  At worst, they’re single-acquisition.  Which means if you have a team of Pokemon, and you want more than one to learn Earthquake?  Fuck you, play the other game in its entirety, teach nothing Earthquake, and trade over the TR.  God, this sucks.  But to really hammer home the point?  Coalossal.  It’s the final form of Rolycoly, a Rock/Fire type.  It’s a big behemoth thing, so you know, kind of a big deal since those are a fairly popular type, like Aggron and the like.  As a Rock type, it gets two Rock moves of potential value: Rock Slide, and Stone Edge.  Guess which one it learns naturally.  Trick question: neither.  It learns Rock Blast.  At level 54.  As the only Rock move it learns other than Smack Down.  And no, Skill Link is not a move it can learn.  It’s completely useless.  This is Gen 3 Aggron all over again.  Such a cool looking Pokemon that should kick all kinds of ass, and it learns exactly nothing of value.

The whole system of learning moves is entirely fucked if BP isn’t easily farmable.  All the most important moves are TRs now, and are therefore one-turn use.  TMs are mostly nonsense, with a few outrageous picks like Giga Drain and Air Slash allowed in for infinite reuse.  With movepools not making sense either, even Pokemon who should learn the moves naturally may not have access.  Moonblast seems like it takes a serious hit overall, especially with poor Hatterene and Alcremie.  I just...I hate it.

But hey, the meta must be fixed, right?  They said they’d be fixing it, so they must have succeeded just like the last two generations!  Yeah, it’s...it’s a shitshow.  Aside from the disaster that is movepool accessibility, which doesn’t simplify or impact the meta, just makes the acquisition of needed moves that much harder to access for no fucking reason, we also have disasters in the ability field as well!  Ice Scales is busted as hell, Ice Face seems to replenish each turn when Hail is active and takes physical hits as if there were a substitute, among others.  Then there’s Perish Body, which sounds like a great way to finally put a halt to physical sweepers using Dragon Dance and Swords Dance sets, is only on Cursola, who has...wow, 60 base HP and 50 base defense!  So knocked over by a light breeze.  Spectacular, so much for that working out.

Oh, but then there’s the other horrors.  Terrains are still in the game, folks.  That’s right, Surge abilities are here!  The Grass starter?  Yeah, Grassy Surge is its hidden ability.  The other terrains are just as available.  Psychic Surge is on both forms of Indeedee, which, while we’re here, which is which?  My guess is the female form is the one that loses power and speed for more bulk, making it objectively worse than its male counterpart, again, for like the billionth time they’ve made a male/female split on the same Pokemon.

But the worst, by far...is Libero.  The Scorbunny line’s hidden ability.  “Changes Pokemon’s type to the type of move it’s about to use.  Depending on when this goes into effect, this is a buffed Protean.  If it changes start of the turn, this is a straight upgrade.  Because now, even if you catch it off-guard with a Scarf or something, it’s just going to change type and you have no idea what to.  We’ve got Fire, Flying, Fighting, Psychic, Poison, Steel, and Normal as the best options with physical moves learned.  I’m sure someone can piece together the best possible combination of four moves to just never take super-effective damage ever.

This is what pisses me off.  The meta isn’t balanced.  At all.  It hasn’t even started and I can tell you that much.  You left all the broken tools in the game, under different forms.  Yes, the Tapu are gone, but the Terrains still exist and are just as devastating as always.  You got rid of Greninja, fantastic, but now Cinderace exists with the same broken ability, but possibly buffed, and with higher offensive stats.  You still gave a ton of new Pokemon the “Average across the board” treatment, or weaknesses in critical areas like Frosmoth’s low speed or Cursola’s low physical defense or Hatterene’s low HP, and they’re not going to perform well because of it.  Meanwhile others get to be obscene, like Cinderace or Dragapult with its 142 base speed.  And then there’s Thievul over here whose highest base stat is 92, so good fucking luck making that work.  You told me the dex removal was for balancing purposes, and this is what you deliver to me?  This literal shit?  I’m so irritated by this.  They’ll have to pull something really substantial off to make these Technical Records not feel like a severe step backwards in accessibility.

[jumpsitehq]

Top 30 Greatest Anime Quotes of All Time

Are you an anime fan? Who among your many favorite anime characters said the most inspiring and meaningful quote? Here are my Top 30 Best Anime Quotes to encourage you in finding out which one is the best. I know there are hundreds of other anime quotes out there that I’ve forgotten so please don’t hesitate to leave a comment if you know any that is far better than the ones on my list. Have a good read and I hope these best anime quotes will inspire you to do your best and stay hopeful in achieving your goals in life!

Archer Quotes (Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works)

"I am the bone of my sword Steel is my body and fire is my blood I have created over a thousand blades Unknown to Death, Nor known to Life Have withstood pain to create many weapons Yet, those hands will never hold anything So as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works."

Jiraiya Quotes (Naruto)

“The true measure of a shinobi is not how he lives but how he dies. It’s not what they do in life but what they did before dying that proves their worth."

Monkey D. Luffy Quotes (One Piece)

“I don’t want to conquer anything. I just think that the guy with the most freedom in this ocean is the Pirate King!”

Vash the Stampede (Trigun)

“If you only face forward, there is something you will miss seeing.”

Hitsugaya Toushiro (Bleach)

“We are all like fireworks. We climb, shine, and always go our separate ways and become further apart. But even if that time comes, let’s not disappear like a firework, and continue to shine forever.”

Clare (Claymore)

“Don’t be so quick to throw away your life. No matter how disgraceful or embarrassing it may be, you need to keep struggling to find your way out until the very end.”

Roy Mustang (Fullmetal Alchemist)

“The world’s not perfect, but it’s there for us trying the best it can. That’s what makes it so damn beautiful.”

Charles Beams Quotes (Eureka Seven)

"Freedom is something that you need to actively acquire. It's not something that's given with no strings attached. To be free means to take responsibility, and to prepare yourself for what's to come."

Deneil Young Quotes Uchuu Kyoudai (Space Brothers)

"All we can do is live until the day we die. Control what we can...and fly free!"

Edward Elric Quotes (Fullmetal Alchemist)

"A lesson without pain is meaningless. For you cannot gain something without sacrificing something else in return. But once you have recovered it and made it your own... You will gain an irreplaceable Fullmetal heart."

Gildarts Clive Quotes (Fairy Tail)

"Fear is not evil. It tells you what weakness is. And once you know your weakness, you can become stronger as well as kinder."

Gintoki Sakata Quotes (Gintama)

"The country? The skies? You can have them. I’m busy just protecting what’s right in front of me. I don’t know what’ll happen to me in the future, but if something has fallen at my feet, then the least I can do is pick it up."

Hiluluk (One Piece)

"When do you think people die? When they are shot through the heart by the bullet of a pistol? No. When they are ravaged by an incurable disease? No. When they drink a soup made from a poisonous mushroom!? No! It’s when they are forgotten."

Ikki Kurogane Quotes (Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry) (Chivalry of a Failed Knight)

"In order for a mediocre man to defeat a genius, he has to become a monster."

Jae-ha (Akatsuki no Yona) (Yona of the Dawn)

"If you simply obey orders without question to protect your master, that isn't your greatest wish, but your greatest tragedy."

Kaitou Kuroba (Magic Kaitou 1412)

"I'm not here tonight as the son of Touichi Kuroba, your mentor in magic, nor as the second-year high school student you call 'Young Master'. Tonight I'm the one they're all talking about. I'm the villain putting on a show."

Kenshin Himura Quotes (Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan)

"Whatever you lose, you'll find it again. But what you throw away you'll never get back."

Kenshirou (Hokuto no Ken) (Fist of the North Star)

"You are already dead."

Kino (Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World) (Kino's Journey)

"The world is not beautiful, and that is why it is beautiful."

Kuu Quotes (Haibane Renmei)

"Inside my mind, there's a beautiful cup. A very beautiful, clear cup. And tiny drops kept falling into it, 'drip, drip, drip', slowly but steadily, everyday. And today, I felt the cup had finally become completely full."

Mikasa Ackerman Quotes (Shingeki no Kyojin) (Attack on Titan)

"The world is cruel, but also very beautiful."

Mitsuyoshi Anzai (Slam Dunk)

"When you give up, that's when the game ends."

Motoko Kusanagi (Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence)

"We weep for the blood of a bird, but not for the blood of a fish. Blessed are those with a voice. If the dolls could speak, no doubt they'd scream, "I didn't want to become human."

Satsuki Kiryuuin Quotes (Kill la Kill)

"Fear is freedom! Subjugation is liberation! Contradiction is truth! Those are the facts of this world! And you will all surrender to them, you pigs in human clothing!"

Son Goku Quotes (Dragon Ball Z)

"I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace. I am protector of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I am truth. Ally to good! Nightmare to you!"

Usagi Tsukino Quotes (Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon)

"You can't judge how beautiful a girl really is by the way she looks."

Yuu Himura (ef: A Tale of Memories)

"There are no miracles in this world. There is only coincidence and necessity, and what people make of it."

Yuuko Ichihara (xxxHOLiC)

"There is no such thing as a coincidence in this world. There is only the inevitable."

Yuuta Takemoto (Hachimitsu to Clover) (Honey and Clover)

"As time passes, the day will come when everything will fade to memories. But those miraculous days, when you and I, along with everyone else, searched together for just that one thing, will continue revolving forever somewhere deep in my heart, as my bittersweet memory."

Ending Title Card (Cowboy Bebop)

"You're gonna carry that weight."

Sachi (Sword Art Online)

"Even if I die, you keep living okay? Live to see the end of this world, and to see why it was born. Live to see why a weak girl like me ended up here… And the reason you and I met."

[onceabluemoonwrites]

Kill Me With Fire (It’s Not Like I Burn)

Fandom: Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Summary: ‘’Bianchi burns at the stake, but by god, she burns bright. (Lord Romeo kills his lover when she refuses to have him. She’s the one who kills him in their next life)’’ On confusing memories of a past life, Bianchi’s relationship with Hayato, and loving yourself.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

Warnings: Sexual assault (no rape), the witch hunt,  murder (not graphic).

You can find my fic master list here.

Also on AO3 and FF.net. (FF.net only has one of the illustrations- as the cover. The version on AO3 does have both illustrations).

Kill me with fire, It’s not like I burn, A witch of desire, At the stake, I will turn, So hide your eyes, Your face, your skin, My mother before me, Went for the win. My Lord,  (My lord you may not be) Witches is just another word For the ones defying you. (I’ll set them free) The fire is high and flickers around her.

She needs to get to him- where is he? Where? She flinches away from the heat, trembling, but puts her bare feet on the burning wood anyway- she hasn’t got a choice.

Smoke whirls around her, the stench of human flesh cooked alive heavy in the air.

As a little girl, Bianchi likes to dance. It goes a little like this:

‘’One witch burns,

She burns in the fire,

Curses the man,

With strange desire.’’

It feels like fear and something hideous.

She doesn’t know where it comes from, and the dance steps wind around each other strangely. Some ask if she’s playing hopscotch, with the many jumps and turns. But she isn’t. She’s stepping, from high to low, dodging, where the devil goes.

It’s instinctive, unchangeable and real.

Like her dreams.

He was so sweet, at first, and wasn’t it darling? A knight, stepping off his horse to help a scullery maid- only to be charmed into coming back by her laugh, enchanted by the pearl gleam of her scraped back hair and the sway of her hips. 

Romeo, his name was, and he was the Lord’s son, newly knighted and only just returning home after years of being away.

His armor shone in the sun and something about his voice made Bianchi’s stomach flutter.

She brushes off her skirt with care and walks in the light, though she can feel his eyes follow her even in the dark.

Is this love?

Bianchi doesn’t like men. Not even her own papa.

She wants his attention, he should be paying attention, but he’s always too busy, too this, too that. She keeps trying because he’s her papa and thus belongs to her. But still, her nightmares scream: men are dangerous.

She likes fairy tales. Her mama reads a lot of them at day or late at night. Papa doesn’t pay attention to mama either.

When Hayato comes to live with them, she kind of likes him. Sure, he’s a baby, but all princes must start somewhere and she’s sure he’ll become a marvelous princeling one day. She’ll just have to wait and see.

But then mama tells her Hayato is not her son, so that must mean Hayato is her step-brother. Bianchi isn’t sure what to think of it. Step-family is evil, after all.

…Her nightmares grow darker. She dreams of a man, a horrid man, and other flashes too. A woman, out of her mind, green, green eyes and the sting of a slap to the face.

Hayato becomes bigger and bigger, grows at every turn, and the more she looks, the more those big orbs of his turn into the gemstone eyes in her dreams. He’s the beanstalk- green, grows quickly and leads to a man-eating giant.

She’s afraid, terrified, and begins to avoid him. But her papa praises her cooking, finally acknowledges her, and in an act of kindness, Bianchi gives some to Hayato.

She discovers papa didn’t mean it tasted good. In fact, he didn’t taste it at all. He was proud because it managed to burn to through the napkin she put them on.

It burns through Hayato’s stomach the same way, and he keeps lying curled up on the ground and she wants to reach out and flinch away at the same time.

She needs to poison- a man. A boy. Who? What? Why?

…She keeps giving them to Hayato.

Maybe if he’ll stop looking at her with those jungle eyes, her nightmares will disappear.

She snorts.

Who is she kidding?

Hayato is her living nightmare. He’s there day and night, everywhere in the house, and whenever she sees him, she freezes in terror, and nowhere, nowhere is safe.

She just wants to feel safe again. Why can’t he let her?

A gate-away to man-eating giants.

It’s tempting, the thought of staying at the castle on her midday off because she knows Sir Romeo will be in the courtyard today, and maybe he’ll even talk to her again. But Hayato hears her footsteps and flies in order to embrace her, so Romeo will have to wait.

She slides a hand through tangled, silver hair. His small arms clamp around her middle, his cheek pressed against her stomach. ‘’’Miss me?’’

He nods without lifting his head, the rough fabric of her dress chafing against her skin. ‘’Mum got cuckoo again, Bia.’’

Her heart clenches and she lifts him up, though he’s too big for that already. The fact that he lets her only makes her clutch him tighter. ‘’You got away, right?’’

‘’Of course he did.’’

Bianchi looks up. The man leaning against the door opening of the house smirks, black eyes gleaming. All at once the tension leaves her body. ‘’Thank you, Renato.’’

He closes in on them and cups her cheek gently, running his thumb over the surface of her skin. ‘’Always for you, Bianchi.’’

Hayato glares up at him from where he’s cradled in her arms. ‘’Liar! You just don’t want Tsuna to cry because then Nana will cry too and then everybody at your home is crying. You can’t stand crying!’’

Renato raises his hands. ‘’Sue me for being an uncle and a man at the same time.’’

Bianchi laughs, chest warm.

If not for Romeo, she might’ve loved Renato.

Hayato runs away from home, and for the first time in years, Bianchi can breathe easy. But her father takes the steering wheel and suddenly Bianchi is important. He confirms that she is the heir.

It tastes bitter.

Her father is trying, but pretty dresses don’t make Bianchi happy. She hates how he let her learn the way of poison from her mama, but doesn’t let her reach for the guns.

If Hayato had asked, their father would have complied in a second.

It’s an ugly thought, but a true one, and it makes her want to hurl in green jealousy and disgust both.

Her stomach swirls, and she swallows it back in. The sour taste remains, and she feels so awful, so weak and horrible, and she’s never ever going to do it again. She’ll speak her mind, no matter how ugly, because at least then it’s outside, instead of in (it rots you, from the inside out, the hate, the anger, the helplessness).

Is this what it means to be a woman? If so, it’s wrapping its arms around her neck and squeezing, choking her until there’s no air left again, and Bianchi… Bianchi needs to break free.

She’s the second child to escape that house- her mother, her mother aided her.

(Bianchi always knew her mama was a queen)

Romeo… touches her. Not in the way other people do. Not just warm arms around her, not just his lips on hers, bodies resting against each other in the late afternoon sun, peaceful and quiet.

No.

He… He touches her breasts and doesn’t stop when she flinches away. It feels wrong. She doesn’t want him to touch her like that. Not… Not when he looks at her with pupils growing larger than his iris, a black hole of hunger swallowing up gemstones.

She’s not proud of it, but she runs like a deer from the hunt, heart hammering in her chest all the while.

Suddenly, his eyes following her are not reassuring at all.

She writes signs of protection on her skin with the scarlet ink of chicken blood and washes it off with the morning dew, so nobody will see.

She’s a hitman now and a proud one at that. She uses guns and nobody can tell her to stop.

Not if they don’t want a hole through their head, that is.

She’s got power at her fingertips, poison in her veins, and she feels so, so powerful.

She rocks into the arms dealer, and sees him, buried in his frigid magazine. The ceiling stretches out high above her, the endless rows cold steel racks looming over her. They’re filled with plastic cases- but lethal is all of it.

He’s a bel ragazzo.

His eyes follow the sway of her hips, and god, does it feel great. She’s got his attention- undivided.

Not even her mother gave her that.

He takes her to the bar, hand on her waist. Her first sip of alcohol tastes disgusting, burns when it goes down the throat. It reminds her of nightmares and awful dreams. She kisses Romeo and he tastes of smoke.

She’s fifteen. He’s twenty-one.

But Bianchi’s a woman now and can make her own decisions. If she wants black hair, blue eyes and a slick-too-sly pretty boy smile, she can have it.

Girl got gun and she ain’t letting go.

It didn’t occur to her he would go this far until it happened.

‘’Don’t be stupid, Bianchi. There’s only one thing I could want from a girl like you.’’ Romeo’s grin stretches large and wide, spreading farther than it should, and for a second, heart beating in her throat, she thinks his jaw will unhinge and he’ll swallow her whole.

He looms over her like a shadow, his curls a nest of darkened thorns, a crown of sharp beauty and hatred.

How dare he threaten her.

Knuckles turning white, jaw clenching, nails digging into her palms, she hisses: ‘’My body won’t be yours until the last life has left my veins, and even then, I’ll spit on you from beyond the grave.’’

Pretty, pretty poison leaves her mouth and she leaves him standing with a scratch down his cheek and a snarl on his face.

She’s got a brother to come home to.

Romeo touches her and it’s wrong, wrong, wrong. It’s weird, and his touch is so slimy, so dirty, so, so… She squeezes her eyes closed and shrinks into herself, even though she swore she would never do it again.

She longs for weapon-cold steel in her hands, but there isn’t and she… she…

This is her body and what does he think he’s doing, touching it?!

There’s gunpowder in her gut and by god, it explodes.

Her life flashes before her eyes. Except it’s not the one she’s currently living, and suddenly, everything makes sense.

She opens her eyes and remembers.

She’s nineteen. She’s fifteen.

She’s a hitman. She’s a witch

Mother is cuckoo. Mama is a queen.

Red flames leak from her hands,

poison rises from her throat,

and she’s everything

she’s ever been,

a witch and deadly both.

(Lord Romeo kills his lover when she refuses to have him. She’s the one who kills him in their next life)

They call her a witch, and she pleads guilty with her head held high.

Her brother watches from the back of the church, lips trembling, hands entangled with Tsunayoshi’s.

Everything is clearer now. Her past, her present, her future.

Hayato is here too, was reborn! It sings in Bianchi’s heart like no other, screaming hallelujah to the heavens as she finally finds the place where her brother’s staying, and he opens the door and-

She realizes what she’s done, with emerald eyes staring at her in fear as he shakes in his shoes.

She poisoned him. She tortured him. She killed him a little every day. And even if he killed her too (no, she knows now, it was Romeo, trying to suffocate her from beyond the grave), made her gasp for air in fear, she still did it.

He can’t look at her without becoming sick. She wants to cry.  But she doesn’t. She’s a witch. Witches bleed and burn. 

Those who plead guilty are only imprisoned, those who plead guilty, are often set free.

Those who plead guilty watch behind the iron bars as the ones who pleaded innocent are brought to the stake.

This time, her brother is among them.

Bianchi wails.

It hurts, but that was to be expected. It’s cold inside, after seeing Hayato. Empty. A cavern, hollowed by grief.

It’s like her screaming, aching heart has been moved to another plane.

She needs time, she tells herself. Time to heal. Time to discover herself. Time, time to find out just how she can utilize those red flames of hers.

She mingles muted red with poison, and everything she touches is ruined.

It’s her kind of witchcraft.

She learns to smile like a loaded gun until people give her space. Even that part of her is weaponized now.

She won’t ever be defenseless again.

Red flames drip from her hands and burn through the bars like acid.

She climbs through them without questioning- she’s got a brother to rescue.

The pyres are burning, but Bianchi wrestles herself through the crowd and runs between them.

The fire is high and flickers around her.

This is it. Her deepest, darkest fear. To be burned, like the witch she is.

But that’s not true. There’s one thing she fears more than that.

She needs to get to Hayato- where is he? Where? She flinches away from the heat, trembling, but puts her bare feet on the burning wood anyway- she hasn’t got a choice.

Smoke whirls around her, the stench of human flesh cooked alive heavy in the air.

Burnings happen only once a quarter- there are many, many pyres and not all of them have been set aflame yet. Her pursuers are thrown off by her path- they don’t dare to follow so close, sometimes even in the fire itself.

The last pyres- a glint of silver. There’s no fire yet, which means he’s still alive, but also that she will only have a few seconds to set him free.

The Renato of this life, Reborn, is a lot older than her but looks a lot younger simultaneously.

Bianchi doesn’t care. Her love has never been about age or appearance. She hates the touch others seem to crave. She loves him in his purest form, worships the soul he carries.

It’s called asexuality and Reborn cares.

In the right way.

She flies, doesn’t even have to tug at the cords binding him, because somehow, the red fire appears again and burns through it, dripping like acid and marring his wrists. She’ll worry about it later.

For now, she just looks at his shell-shocked expression (he’s gotten so big while she was behind the bars), takes his hand and drags him behind her. He stumbles over the wood, but she keeps pulling- she can feel the hot breath of death on her neck and there’s no way she’ll hand over her brother.

She sees a dark head appear behind the bakery. ‘’Renato!’’

His eyes widen and he rushes to her, taking Hayato and throwing the child over his shoulder, running with her.

Yes. Like this, they might make it. They’ve got a chance! Bianchi can see the edges of town- the woods behind it will make it a lot harder for Romeo to find them and-

The world tilts as her foot glides off a cobblestone. She manages to catch herself, but ouch- her ankle. Her damn ankle.

The forest is in sight, but she can hear the hounds behind her. She’ll never make it.

‘’Bianchi!’’

She ignores Renato’s wild eyes and her brother’s desperate cries. ‘’Go!’’

They have no choice.

She tries to crawl, but it doesn’t work and oh, god- a dark shadow appears above her, and arms encased in gauntlets raise her up in the air by the throat.

‘’You’ll burn this time,’’ Romeo spits in her face.

She laughs. She’s shaking and hysterical, at the end of her wits and so, so afraid of the flames he’ll toss her into.

She’s terribly selfish. Because this is no sacrifice- this is her choosing her brother’s life above her own while knowing she might not make it. Her brother, who needs her.

Her only regret.

Romeo snatches the torch from the executioner and sets her pyre aflame.

She’s going to burn. Just like her spite- that boils inside out. And someday, she swears, it will butcher Romeo too- whatever it takes.

‘’I curse you, in my name and of my mothers before me, for witches kin make witches skin and all men may burn in the fire.’’

Strange, how she dies from the smoke.

She rolls into town like nobodies business and poisons little Tsunayoshi to see if he’ll survive.

He does.

Bianchi’s proud of him. He’s grown so much already in so little time.

He’s different in this life- did not have Renato before, to dry his mother’s tears whenever her husband’s gone again, to teach him how to walk, how to carry himself.

But Renato- Reborn- is here now. And he’ll teach Tsuna how to be a man. And Bianchi?

Bianchi’s glad. Because Hayato is here and Tsunayoshi has always healed him in ways she never could. And slowly, slowly, they begin to patch things up.

She hides her face, so she can spend time with him. And even if he still gets sick at the sight of her, he tries.

And he tries for her.

Bianchi is a spiteful woman, but she runs off love, and it makes her flower and bloom in ways she never expects.

And true love? True love doesn’t catch fire. It blooms and it sleeps in winter, but die it does not.

And it’s everywhere- in the hands of a mother, the smile of a father, a sibling squeezing your shoulder. A friend, holding your hand, a spouse, kissing your cheek. A child, to love unconditionally.

Hayato is her little brother, and she’s a selfish woman who will take what she wants, and teach him wherever he goes.

There’s only one lesson Bianchi’s got left to teach him in the meantime. It’s the hardest lesson ever taught to her, but it’s also the most important.

How to love yourself.

If she can teach him that, he’ll have the world at his feet, and he will never, ever burn.

Not even at the stake.

Author’s note

Did you think the Romeo/Bianchi dynamic was fucked up in canon? Believe, that was far from the only thing wrong with that relationship. Romeo, according to the KHR wikia, was 21 at the time of his death. Bianchi, at the beginning of KHR canon, is 17. Romeo was killed before KHR canon, and he probably wasn’t killed just before canon, because Bianchi calls herself Reborn’s girlfriend at that point. So that would make her at least 16, but in this particular case, I chose 15 to make sure it was far enough from KHR canon. A fifteen-year-old girl with a 21-year-old man? Yeah, no.

The same could be argued for canon KHR Bianchi/Reborn, but that could go both ways and if that isn’t topsy turvy then I don’t know either. Their relationship has always been about unconditional love for me, whether romantic or otherwise.

I wrote ‘’Reborn doesn’t care,’’ at the part about Bianchi’s asexuality, then stared at it, berated myself and erased it. Because that’s a mistake I see often in fiction, and in my own work too. We say ‘’they don’t care,’’ while we mean ‘’they care in the right way,’’, and we really should stop confusing those two. Because ‘’they don’t care,’’ implies they don’t care either way, that it’s not important, and that can feel like erasure. Loving is loving a person whole- loving all their parts, loving them because they are them and because every part of them is important. And I really wanted to express that.

Bel ragazzo = pretty boy. Not sure if it’s just a literal translation or not. I tried to find out, but it’s hard to find a translator that will get the right term in this case.

‘’In The Name Of Love’’, the song by Bebe Rexha and Martin Garrix, was a big inspiration for this!

Thanks to @i-w-p-chan for helping me with the placement of the ‘’’bel ragazzo’’! And thanks to @metronomeihear for the lovely title prompt!

[rebornregionace-archive-blog]

▲▲▲▲

Send me a ▲ for an unpopular opinion

[[Oh boy, y’all really wanna see me talk...aight, well let’s start with a Pokemon one:

I don’t care for the Gen 2 starters!

By that you mean Meganium, right?

Well...no, but they’re a good place to start. Meganium’s faults are

1: Johto hates grass types with a bloody passion.2: They’re a defensive Pokemon with an awful typing.3. Leaf Guard is a godawful ability.

The first one is...well, kinda obvious. Johto’s first two gyms eat grass Pokemon alive, half the ghosts are poison, steel and dragon resists grass, and ice again defeats grass. Now yes, you’re supposed to have a solid team as the game goes on, but barring a few battles, Meganium is honestly kinda useless here, especially since Rocket is a thing. And personally speaking, if one of the mons you have is not pulling their weight, you really have to ask just what you’re getting by keeping them around.

On to the second problem. Meganium does have good bulk...that’s ruined by the Grass typing. That I’m not holding against them, mind you, because let’s be honest, Grass types are horrible defensively. Seriously Game Freak, you can’t remove one of the weaknesses? Just one? Nah, in any case, they I think just need a new typing. Perhaps Grass/Fairy? Grass/Dragon, since they can learn Outrage? I remember a hack that gave them Multiscale and the Grass/Fairy typing, and I assure you, they were a bloody PAIN to kill.

Now this is also not really Meganium’s fault, but REALLY? LEAF GUARD? Oh yes, lemme give my Meganium immunity to status conditions!

In the sun.

Where Fire types get a boost in power.

Good job GF.

Solutions to Meganium:

1. Alter the typing to something a tad more defensively viable.2. GIVE MEGANIUM SOMETHING OTHER THAN LEAF GUARD. Natural Cure, Effect Spore, something!

Well, yeah, Meganium sucks, but Typhlosion is dope, right?

Well...kinda.

Compared to Meganium, the other starters are nowhere near as problematic, but they still have some flaws that need to be addressed. In the case of our favorite fire badger, the problem is a simple one; lack of movepool. See, before the P/S split, they had access to Thunderpunch, which meant that it actually had some way to protect itself from Water types. Now, it runs off it’s Attack, which simply doesn’t possess the fire power needed to nab that precious KO. Thankfully, as always, I have a solution to Typhlosion.

Make it Fire/Ground and give it access to Earth Power, along with maybe a couple other decent Special attacks. Maybe Energy Ball or something, cause Solar Beam is not that great. Flash Fire is fine, but I wouldn’t mind some experiments with Solar Power. Maybe Flame Body?

Now we finally get to the gator, and my favorite of the three. Feraligatr really isn’t too bad off, all things considered. It has Sheer Force, which is one of my favorite abilities out there, and it has just enough coverage to get by, along with the ever reliable Dragon Dance. Honestly, the only change I’d see is maybe increasing it’s speed by 5 or so points.]]

[mrauthor3ds]

Things I hope to see in Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon

Time for early wishlists! Assuming that Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon are indeed sequels to Sun/Moon, what kind of things would I like to see in them...

1: Lusamine and Nihilego’s redemption arc

I’m sure a lot of us hope to see that Lusamine is making an effort to atone for her insane actions in Sun/Moon. Perhaps it can also give us more insight on when and how she lost it. But I also hope to see that specific Nihilego redeem itself, too.

I’m of the belief that that Nihilego, the one that was hanging out next to her in Ultra Space and was supposedly in that Beast Ball, is the same on that appeared at Aether Paradise twice, and could be the one that applied its neurotoxin to Lusamine long before the story began (judging by how long Gladion stayed at Route 8′s motel, I’d say about 2-3 years prior).

And keep in mind, after Nebby got Lusamine and Nihilego to de-fuse, Nihilego went back into the Beast Ball, and likely got brought back to Alola with her. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lusamine was tasked with making sure Nihilego doesn’t try to cause more trouble, and maybe eventually, that Nihilego will truly become an ally to us.

2: Mohn gets a role in the story

We’ve seen Mohn managing Poké Pelago, yes. We also hear the name as that of the leading professor on Ultra Space studies. And there’s way too many in-your-face hints that he’s the husband of Lusamine who got unexpectedly pulled into Ultra Space and was never seen again. Given what tends to happen to Fallers - people who have gone through Ultra Wormholes - as we see with Anabel, it’s easy to guess that Mohn suffered amnesia when he reappeared where Poké Pelago is now.

So I’m sure a lot of people wanted to know why we can’t just bring him to Gladion and Lillie to resolve things sooner. Well, perhaps Mohn can make an appearance in USUM’s story and maybe clear that up. Maybe he’ll remember scant tidbits about his time in Ultra Space, which can provide some help to us.

And who knows, maybe his wife and children might not be able to fully restore his memory, but they can be happy that he’s still himself in spirit. I know that’s not quite the happy ending that most people would want, but I think that would still be happy enough, and it would give a subtle but important lesson in the process.

3: A different Team Skull

And by that, I don’t mean make the Trial Captains of Sun/Moon be its members. We’re talking if this is a sequel. No, I mean a completely different Team Skull, with slightly different duds and perhaps a more serious mission. They can still retain the goofy quirks of the previous Team Skull, but with a SERIOUS MISSION.

...Likely involving Necrozma. After all, one of the reasons everyone suspected the Aether Foundation in Sun/Moon is because their white/gold color scheme goes with Solgaleo and Lunala. Well, Team Skull had an emphasis on black, which is clearly Necrozma’s primary color. Also, the “necro“ in its name can relate to the skull of Team Skull (death and all). So...yeah.

But who would lead this Team Skull? Well, one Punk Girl in the trailer park near Tapu Village tells that Team Skull was originally founded by a disgraced kahuna, but was deposed by the wrath of the tapu. This is likely long before Guzma rebuilt the gang. Perhaps that disgraced kahuna can make himself known here in USUM.

I’m sure the previous Team Skull of Sun/Moon won’t be happy to hear about a Team Skull appearing. Guzma and Plumeria especially might not be happy about this. You know, it can be sort of like the new Team Plasma of Black2/White2, but under a different management altogether.

4: An Ice-type specialist

One of the fascinating things about Alola is that there’s a specialist for just about every type. The Trial Captains cover Normal, Water, Fire, Grass, Electric, Ghost, and Fairy, the kahunas have Fighting, Rock, Dark, and Ground, Kahili has Flying, Molayne has Steel, Guzma has Bug, Plumeria has Poison, Faba has Psychic, and Ryuki has Dragon.

...But no Ice-type?

Okay, I know Sina has Ice-type Pokémon, but she’s only battled in the Battle Tree. That and Dexio is another Psychic specialist, so I’ll have to count them as complete outsiders (though Ryuki might also count as an outsider).

Point is, there’s a lot of things in Sun/Moon that beg for an Ice user to appear in these games that clearly put focus on Necrozma. For instance...

Post-championship, an Aether employee in Secret Lab A will comment on how Pokémon moves were used for cryostasis on the Pokémon in Lusamine’s “collection“. This makes me wonder...the possibility of a high-ranking Aether member, alongside Faba and Wicke, who specialized in Ice-types and was ordered at some point to deep-freeze all those Pokémon, as well as the three Type: Null...and afterward s/he left.

Again, it seems that Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon will be putting focus on Necrozma. In Refresh, when you pet the horn above Necrozma’s face, your hand will freeze. But it’s not Ice-type? Still, that gives me another theory. What if that same Aether member who was told to freeze those Pokémon defected to this new Team Skull, which is trying to harness Necrozma’s power for...something? Wouldn’t be the first time the new team got an Ice user while harnessing the power of a cold legendary Pokémon - I speak of course of Zinzolin in New Team Plasma (BW2 again).

Either way, in Aether or in Team Skull, I really hope that s/he has some prominent blue on the outfit.

5: Hau as the new Melemele kahuna

I know, I’ll be taking a lot of cues from Black2/White2 for this. But what if Hau finally succeeds Hala as the new kahuna of Melemele Island by this time? This is of course a similar vein to how the rival Cheren became the first Gym Leader you face in the sequel.

Not sure if he’d have a single type specialty, or if he’ll be anything like Blue (as the Viridian City Gym Leader in Gold/Silver) and use a few Pokémon of completely different types. You know, like say...Flareon, Vaporeon, and Leafeon.

6: Don’t replace the island challenge with Gyms!

Seriously, I doubt that Alola is going to just give up the island challenge altogether in favor of the classic Gym formula. I mean, come on! The island challenge is one of the things that made Sun/Moon so unique to the series!

Yes, I know. Alola has a Pokémon League now. But that doesn’t mean it has to use Gyms just like all the other regions. It can still work its traditional island challenge into it.

So in short, keep the island challenge. Make new trials for this time around, sure. Maybe see some new kahunas as well (likely just replacing Hala and Olivia, since they’re Elite Four members now).

7: New Alolan variants

I know some people were bummed to only see variants for Gen-1 Pokémon. Well, this can be a chance to add Alolan variants from other generations! Might probably be just Gen-2 ones, though. Since the Gen-1 games came to Virtual Console leading up to Sun/Moon, I believe that Gold/Silver on VC will lead up to Gen-2 variants.

Wouldn’t be new. After all, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire added a lot more Mega Evolutions. So...

What would you think? Lately, I’ve been toying with the idea of a Fire/Ice-type Girafarig, so it can get a new duality to play around with. Or maybe a Grass/Fire-type Sunflora, as a result of getting so much sun in Alola.

Anyway, I feel we should look at the Pokémon that currently can’t be found within Sun/Moon for ideas on new variants, especially since Masuda said that we’d see Pokémon in USUM that can’t be found in Sun/Moon.

8: More signature moves

This can be a chance to give some Pokémon their own new signature moves, like Mimikyu. For such a standout Pokémon, it doesn’t have an exclusive move that it can call its own. Maybe a Ghost- or Fairy-type mimicry of Pikachu’s famed Electric attacks? And Nihilego stands out even among the Ultra Beasts, but it doesn’t have its own unique move. This can be a chance to truly give Pokémon like them their turn in the bigger spotlight.

Along with this, I also hope to see a few more unique Z-Crystals. You know what I mean, right? The Z-Crystals that give exclusive Z-Moves to certain Pokémon. What Pokémon do you think deserve their own special Z-Moves? Silvally? Nihilego? Lemme know.

9: More clarification on the Ultra Beasts

The reports that Wicke provides on the Ultra Beasts in the post-game do give a few neat details on how SUPER WEIRD they are. But I hope we see EVEN MORE information on the Ultra Beasts, like how they came to be. Perhaps Lusamine and Mohn can give more insight?

10: Visit Ultra Space

Yup. Being able to access pockets of Ultra Space during your journey. Perhaps you can meet Pokémon that have hidden abilities in there, similar to the Hidden Grottos in Black2/White2. Well, that and be part of the main story.

11: Story battles with special twists

So we know that Totem Pokémon, and Fused Lusamine’s team, get stat boosts right at the start of the battles, which can set them apart from normal battles. But apparently, that’s not good enough for SOME people. Perhaps there can be other twists in some story battles, like against the antagonists. For instance, that suggested Ice-type specialist could do something that neutralizes Ice-type’s weaknesses during some battles. Or, someone could make it possible for all of his/her Pokémon to use their Z-Moves, rather than just one. Or someone whose Pokémon are all Mega Evolved. You know?

12: Difficulty toggle

So clearing Black2/White2 will let you access different difficulties. Easy Mode to reduce opponents’ levels, and Challenge Mode to raise their levels. Perhaps something like that can be enabled for Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon...though preferably without needing some keys.

And...that’s all I can think of at the moment. What about you? What features - whether story or gameplay - to do you hope to see in Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon?

[charlion-em]

Voltron Pokémon AU

...that I’ll never actually write so here is a summary/bullet point/outline thing

Summary:

Wild Pokemon in the Altea region begin to turn up without any power, unable to fight, and completely helpless. Professor Sam Holt and his children are the first to discover them, and together they search for a cure.

Meanwhile, Team Galra finds wild pokemon will no longer fill their needs and begin to steal the quintessence from trained pokemon. Once word spreads, five unsuspecting trainers are summoned by the elite four to help defeat the threat. Not only must team Galra be stopped, but they need to discover a way to return the stolen quintessence to the pokemon.

There is a rumor of an ancient pokemon named Voltron, a pokemon strong enough to defeat Team Galra and restore stolen quintessence. Too bad it is only a rumor. Or is it?

With the guidance of the mysterious Allura and Coran of the elite four, the five trainers set out to save the Altea Region.

Pairings: Implied past Keith/Shiro. Probably Heith and either Pance or Shance as endgame, but the romance is such a minor background thing I never put much into it. Could just stay platonic.

Katie/Pidge:  grass/bug types

Everything was peaceful in the Altrea region, so much so no one would believe young Katie Holt when she discovered pokemon unable to fight.

Her father, Professor Holt, thinks it is a simple anomaly and keeps it in his lab, “It can't survive in the wild. It's a miracle it has managed this long.”

Professor Holt and his colleagues in town, including their gym leader, Sendak, come to the conclusion it is a new disease.

But Katie isn't having it, something is wrong.

Seriously wrong.

But when Katie discovers a 2nd, then 3rd… she declares there is something amiss. But what?

What could cause pokemon to lose their power?

Even if no one will want to believe her, her father supports her decision to go in search of more data. 

Determined to find the source of the weakened wild pokemon, Katie set out with just her trusted pokemon and her wits.

She heads further East, back into the wooded mountains where she discovered the first helpless Pokemon

Sam Holt, her father is unable to reach her after the first three days

Her brother sends word to his best friend, Shiro, in hopes of keeping her safe- but Shiro is on the West side of the region. Matt is already on a research mission, and alters his course to try and find and help Katie.

Shiro: Steel/Fighting types

Across the region, Shiro discovers a weakened wild pokemon.

Despite once being one of the top authorities on Pokemon, he is retired from training and doesn't have the supplies to care for it.

Yes, he was a legend by the time he was 19

He tries to call Matt, but the phone system has been on the fritz for the last couple weeks.

He takes the injured pokemon to the poke center in his town, but they can not help.

“Everything is fine, maybe it is just weak and needs trained,” the nurse means well, but Shiro can sense her inexperience.

He may have let people believe he was dead...

After a bad breakup, he moved and never responded to media requests

Same media ran a story saying he was dead

He didn’t care, so he didn’t correct them

Only the Holts knew he was alive

Matt likes to call him “The youngest hermit I know”

Keith: Fire/poison types

Lives in the town on the outskirts of natural hot springs.

They are dangerous and highly acidic, but he enjoys the pokemon found in the area. And it is quiet. Quiet enough he can relax and enjoy his solitary life.

A few weeks after moving here he began to feel a pull towards the cave system behind the springs.

He spends his days exploring and mapping, but can't pinpoint why he is drawn to the area.

The last thing he needs is Shiro showing up with a pokemon with a mysterious injury. But also- Shiro is ALIVE?

Oh man, is he pissed and happy and completely overwhelmed

Hunk: Rock/Fairy types

Was on track to be a top poke engineer, but he decided a quiet life would be better for him.

He still occasionally tinkers, but doesn't want the attention which would come from his inventions.

He currently runs a battle restaurant and pokemon spa in the largest city in the region.

Everything was going swell- his best bro worked across the street, business was booming, and he was able to try new recipes each week.

Then, the powerful trainer, and current leader of the elite four, Zarkon shows up, demanding a dish he doesn't have the ingredients for.

Denying Zarkon would spell disaster for his business, he would surely be shunned.

So, he does the sensible thing and heads west to gather the rare ingredients from the acidic hot springs. Anything to save his restaurant from certain doom.

Lance: Water/Flying

Just won (okay it was passed down to him from his grandpa) the title of Gym leader.

His gym is right across from Hunk’s restaurant.

Battling has been hard

He lost one and gave up a gym badge

Hunk tries to get him to understand he can lose now and then. Thats why there are badges

He has a lot to prove, to himself and his family.

And hey, running off with Hunk is just the right sort of distraction.

Team Galra

Team Galra, in their matching purple uniforms, harvest quintessence from stolen Pokemon.

Their leader, Zarkon is a power hungry asshole who is using the quintessence to power his pokemon.

With Haggar’s magic, he is able to transfer the quintessence from wild pokemon.

But that isn't enough, and eventually he becomes determined to be the only person with pokemon able to battle.

Allura: Fairy type

Unable to use the phone system, and on the run from Zarkon, she sends letters to the trainers she has been watching.

They are, she believes, the only chance they have to stop Zarkon and save the pokemon.

The Elite four has been comprised by Zarkon

She uses random trainers to deliver letters as they travel looking for the lions

giving them tips ext

eventually will meet up with them

Coran:  ?

Protects Allura (she doesn't really need it though).

He is on the run with her, but is sent to find the trainers while she tries to locate the Galra base.

And the only way to restore the quintessence is to find the legendary pokemon, Voltron.

Which is actually the temporary formation of 5 separate lion pokemon. (Which the 5 paladins find on their journey)

It has a special move which restores stolen quintessence

But they need to locate Team Galra’s stores first

Starts with their intro chapters- basically the above minus Allura and Coran. Then:

Hunk and Lance show up as Keith and Shiro are examining the injured pokemon

The first lion is in the cave system near Keith’s home

Hunk is directed by someone at the pokecenter to see Keith about the ingredients he is looking for

Keith is more than happy to escort Hunk into the hot spings areas as a distraction from Shiro

And he charges for tours- gotta make a living somehow

Lance tags along- banter with Kieth

Hunk encourages Lance to not antagonize Keith since they need his help

Shiro comes with so Keith doesn’t run off before they solve/help the pokemon

Lance is nosy and asks whats up- is amazed when he finds out this is SHIRO

his hero

and he wants tips/ext on how to be a good gym leader but doesn't know how to ask and also HOW is Shiro alive? Where did he go? Did he fake his death?

Or was it all a rumor that got out of control??

While searching for the ingredients, they run into Team Galra Grunts

Ignore each other- Keith mutters about weirdo tourists

May have also been a jab at Lance

Find a cave with the right ingredients

follow/ext

Find Lion #1-- Blue

It won’t fight any of their pokemon, just stares at the group

Grunts show up

they fight and win- duh

Lance approaches the lion and it lets him touch it.

Hunk suggests using a ball

Lance catches it

He is silent on the way back to town, how could a pokemon like that choose him?

He can barely handle his gym

They (mostly Shiro and Hunk) discus what pokemon it is

Keith reminds them of the legend about the lions and mentions some writings he’s seen in the caves

Back East, Coran finds Katie.

She just took down a bunch of Galra Grunts and is working on analyzing the few files they had on them

Coran tells her what he knows (about Zarkon)

They meet up with Allura on the way down the mountain

Allura stresses the dangers of what is happening

Coran and Katie head West

Allura goes south to try to locate the other lions

Hunk wants to go home now that he has his ingredients- gotta save his restaurant

Lance agrees- wonders how Blue will handle at the gym

Keith and Shiro ask about heading there too

They hope to find answers at the research facility there

As they travel, Coran and Katie join them

They took a boat down the river to save time

Yes, it weirds them out that Coran knows who they are

“How is this good in the Elite Four”- Lance, Probably

Katie gives the info she gathered to Shiro

Okay, Keith is pissed because it is CLEAR she knew he was alive

They locate Lion 2 (Green/Katie) and 3 (Yellow/Hunk) on the way back to the main city

Mostly thanks to Allura’s secretive guidance and odd insistence of which trainer approach which lion

And okay- why are they trusting them?

Hunk: Because they are less scary than Zarkon

Shiro works with Coran to decipher Allura’s 3rd letter

Lance and Katie go find the Green Lion near the next town while the others train

Hunk and Keith go to the abandoned mines to their south to find Yellow

Hunk frets about his restaurant

Keith offers support

Galra Grunts and a boss at each Lion

4th Lion is found to the North of the main city

Red is temperamental and refuses Keith

As they argue about what to do, Zarkon shows up

Huge battle

Zarkon’s Pokemon are way stronger than normal

think robeasts

Red comes to defend them

Whoops butt

Zarkon escapes

Go to town

Here about trainers who’s pokemon suddenly can’t battle

Hunk invites them to his restaurant

Frets about Zarkon

Lance has a bunch of trainers waiting to fight him

oooooops

Shiro gives him encouragement 

Lance decides to battle one trainer then call it a day

Lots of chat while eating

Keith opts to help Hunk in the kitchen to avoid Shiro

Lance picks Shiro’s brain on various topics

Lets it slip Hunk has some cool poke’gadgets

And yes, Shiro is very interested in the incubator thank you very much

Katie and Lance argue over the best pokemon training spots

She also has some ideas to improve the incubator

Hunk gives up trying to keep them away from his workshop downstairs

Distracts them temporarily with food

Allura shows up as they finish eating

And omg Hunk is an amazing cook

She tells them the last lion is in the city

It’s why Zarkon was hanging around

Black Lion is under the city

Maze of tunnels ext

Lots of Grunts

Allura and Coran stayed up top to fight Zarkon should he show up

Get Black Lion

Haggar and Grunts block their way out

Her pokemon are way stronger too

Hard fight, they win

Allura and Coran are missing when they return

A letter at the restaurant for them to train and figure out how to form Voltron

Train

Battle Restaurant, so plenty of opponents without needing to go out looking

Struggle over forming Voltron

Is the legend even true?

Lots of arguments between the five

Shiro and Katie team up to get them to work together

Shiro convinces Lance to try again

Katie real talks with Keith

She tells him to grow up and get over Shiro

And he has no reason to be upset over anything because he broke up with Shiro

Lance may have overheard and is a little jealous

Hunk is the one who finally calms Keith down enough to try Voltron again

He basically tells Keith to live in the now and not the past

They go outside and find a field

Get Voltron YAY

Damn that is one large pokemon

How do we control it?

Separates

Train some more

Take a break

Interlude chapter

Lance works on his gym

feels much more confident now

Hunk and Katie tinker a bit

Shiro disapears

Katie goes to watch/help Lance

Ends up being the gym helper who fights trainers before getting to the leader

Not many make it to Lance

Hunk shows Keith how to cook some basic dishes

Katie shows up just in time to eat those dishes

Lance and Shiro talk about his time “dead”

Shiro asks about his family and what his plans are for the gym

They figure out how to get their lion pokemon to merge and form Voltron

It gets easier

and lasts longer

They learn to control it

Test out returning quintessence to pokemon

It works!

They travel, trying to restore as many wild pokemon as they can

Allura finds them

Urges to go on the offensive against Zarkon

Otherwise, they will never win

They find Zarkon’s secret base

except it isn’t secret

its the elite four

he’s taken over the whole thing

Allura and Coran were the only ones to escape/oppose him

They fight their way through

Zarkon is at the end

fight through very strong Galra Grunts and Officers

All with altered pokemon which are very strong

They fight Haggar and Zarkon together

Form Voltron to defeat them

Almost lose

But they win

They set up a restorative center in the building next to Hunk’s restaurant

Trainers and researchers bring their pokemon for healing 

Katie’s dad comes, apologizes for not believing her

Turns out their town’s gym leader, Sendak, was on team Galra and mislead them

Lance no longer feels like a fraud for being a gym leader

Katie offers to stay and help run it

Shiro is, well, in the news again. He debates running, but needs to face it

After this, he knows he needs to stay and help research

Plus, he made some great friends

Hunk’s battle restaurant is busier than ever

People want to battle the legendary pokemon

Keith says he will return to his shack by the hot springs

Hunk asks if he’d rather stay with him

To help with the restaurant. Totally just that.

Keith smiles and agrees, though it wouldn’t be just to help

Allura and Coran set to fixing the elite four

Ha, It got less detailed and more loopy towards the end. oh well. IDK what happened to Matt. I forget what he was going to do... oh well. Just another plot whole to go with this. I remember I had something planned for one of Hunk’s inventions, but I can’t remember WHAT.

I was going to write this for the voltron big bang, but it was more than I could handle at the time so I dropped out. I even had the outline mostly done, but I know my limitations... and well, after writing it all out I realized I wasn’t going to stay interested in it long enough to write it fully. It needs a lot of work with the details and names of things.

Feel free to use this in part or whole for your own fic, just please credit back.