#or do it for free but having to go to like a pokécenter or something

[goldensunset]

i don't really know how to word this but like i feel like i'm gonna forever have to deal with the pain and heartache of one of my very first pokémon games- the first 'normal' pokémon game i've ever played, that i will have lasting nostalgia and love for as a result of it being formative to my introduction into the series- being the one that will forever be looked down upon for bad graphics and technical issues as a result of the game having been rushed

like i honest to goodness want to scream and yell and cry into the void about how this means everything to me and will always be one of my fave games just in general. but how am i gonna do that without someone being like 'the broken overpriced mess? the one that's missing all this stuff from the older games that was great? the thing with all the cringe? that one?' or whatever. and the thing is they aren't wrong for their criticisms either like i know the fact that they rushed this wonderful game hardcore is a massive stain on its reputation and it hurts me too but like i cannot turn off the brain full of love in me and be a mean critic. or even an impartial one. i mean i criticize everything i love don't get me wrong i am constantly running my mouth about what i like and don't like. but at the end of the day i approach all media with an unusually optimistic mindset. if you see me talk a ton about something no matter what i'm saying you can bet it means i love it.

just. aaagh. it's always tough being a new fan of an old series. i'm like too embarrassed to express my opinions bc i feel like they're invalid y'know? i feel so exhausted every time i see something to the effect of like 'oh those poor kids these days having to deal with such bad quality everything what a bad time to be a fan of pokémon wow y'all make me feel so old' well see the thing is i actually am thriving and i love it here. and i'm also an adult myself so i have more critical thinking skills than people who played red when they were like five years old did. and even with the power of critical thinking i manage to be in love with this. join me in marvelling at the beauty of life

[savvyqueen18]

SilveeLocke | Let's Go Eevee ZombieLocke | Pt.4

♡♡♡

Part 4: Between a Brock and a Hard Place

♡♡♡

>Next Part

>Previous Part

>Part 1

>Meet Silviana

>Meet Xander

"Okay," Silviana held Trahp's pokéball in her hand, Junipur was standing on her shoulder. Both of them looked at the Gym, "I guess we should head in then." Releasing her Bellsprout, all three of them walked into the Gym.

The gym smelled musty, like the inside of a cave. Along the sides she could see rows of chairs high up above, there were a few occupied seats with people who came to watch. The whole center of the Gym was decorated and made to look like cavernous walls.

"I'm guessing you are here for the Gym Challenge?" Silviana turned, walking up to her was a spiky, brown haired man with slits for eyes. He put one hand on his hip, "I'm Brock the Gym Leader here in Pewter," he shook her hand with his free one, "are you ready for your battle?"

"So soon, umm, I..." Her eyes darted around, she felt something fuzzy touch her cheek, Junipur was staring at her, when the Eevee flicked her ear again, it brushed Silviana's cheek gently. She turned to Brock with a determined look, "Yes, I'm ready."

"Fantastic!" He pulled out a pokéball and tossed it into the middle arena. From the pokéball, a geodude popped out and smashed its fists into the floor, it let out a fierce growl and raised its fists in the air.

Silviana took another deep breath and marched into the main arena after Brock. When she stepped into the battle circle, the crowd near the top broke into claps and hollers. She tried not to let that distract her, she looked down at Trahp and smiled, "Go get'em!"

The Bellsprout let out a little toot of excitement and bounced into the circle, the Geodude floated around Trahp. Trahp let out a spray of seeds, but the Geodude easily dodged them.

"Trahp you have to pin it down!" Silviana yelled.

Trahp kept its eye on the Geodude but nodded in understanding. With one of her vine-y arms, she threw out more vines and wrapped the Geodude in a tight knot. Swinging around, Trahp threw the Geodude into the floor, the rocky pokémon collapsed unconscious in a cloud of dust.

With a gasp, Silviana yelled, "Oh yea! Good job Trahp!" She jumped excitedly.

Brock laughed, "I'm glad to see you so excited, but the battle's not done yet."

Silviana looked questioningly at the man, she jolted when the entire arena started to shake. Looking closely at the back wall, where Brock was standing, small rocks dropped. Dust and moss fell off of the feature and when she looked close enough, she could see a massive thing come out of the rocks. With a loud screech, an Onix rolled out onto the battle field, the massive rocks shifted and rolled on its body. The other pokémon looked massive compared to Trahp.

Oh my god! How am I going to beat that!?

She looked anxiously at the Onix. Brock gave a chuckle, "It's alright, Onix here may look big and intimidating, but this is only your first gym. I wouldn't put you against anything too strong." He smiled.

Only slightly unnerved at his comment, she shook her head and clenched her jaw. She shouted to Trahp, "It's okay! You can beat it I believe in you! Use vine whip!"

On her command, the little pokémon threw it's arms forward releasing two vines that wound around the Onix's large body. The Onix threw its tail up and pinned the vines to floor, it snaked its way closer and wrapped it's massive body around Trahp. The little Bellsprout looked frantically around as it was being encircled by the massive rock monster.

"No! Trahp! Uh, umm," Silviana shook her head frantically, "I gotta think, gotta think!" She could only watch as the Onix further tightened it's body around the Bellsprout. When it couldn't coil it's body any further there was a bright light that eminated from it. Streaks of light came from the Onix, and many large vines came up from the ground and wrapped around the rocky pokémon. The entangled pokémon reared its head, but struggled against the strong vines. The large beast was now pinned to the ground unable to move.

A pokémon came forward from the center. Its yellow body floated through the air and came to sit in front of Silviana. It smiled gently at the young girl.

"Trahp! You evolved!" She dropped to her knees and hugged the Weepinbell. She heard clapping.

"That was a fantastic battle! It's always pleasant to see a trainer's pokémon evolve in battle." Brock came to stand in front of her, Silviana stood with a smile on her face, "Congratulations! I proudly present to you the Boulder Badge." He hands her a small pin.

Silviana gratefully accepts it, she pulls her backpack around and pins it to the side of her bag, "Thank you so much! There's so many more I can collect." Brock smiled at her as she thought about the strange green-haired boy and his jacket full of pins.

◇◇◇

Walking out of the Gym she couldn't help but jump for joy, she put her hand down to pat her newly evolved Weepinbell and chortling could be heard. She looked up to see a boy, about her age, in a dark blue button-up and dark slacks. He had really spiked up hair, far spikier than Xander's, and a necklace with a sharp tooth. Silviana looked at him curiously.

"That was a really interesting battle," he smiled slyly at her, "You obviously have a knack for pokémon, not every trainer can get their pokémon to evolve mid battle. You might even be able to rival my skill in battle," he sauntered forward, "the name is Lake," he said with a flick of his hair, he grabbed silviana's hand, "and you are?" He pulled his lips closer to the hand he picked up.

Silviana quickly pulled her hand away, "I- uh, I'm Silviana." She could hear a growl rising in Junipur's throat.

He blinked a couple of times at her sudden pull away, "Well, well, well," he took one step closer.

Silviana took a step back.

"What a wonderful name. Here," he picked up her hand once again and placed two Ultra Balls into her hand, "think of these as a gift for your first big victory." He winked at her. He turned and sauntered off, with a wave of his hand he said, "I look forward to seeing you in the future."

After he had turned the corner Silviana muttered, "Oh my god what s stuck up little..." she crossed her arms frustrated. She looked at Junipur who had her eyebrows crunched together, "I can see we can agree on one thing," She chuckled.

In preparation for the next route, they walked off to the pokémart once more. She discovered that the pokémart now offered a larger array of items for her. When she asked about the pokéballs that Lake had given to her, the clerk asked for the number of badges she had.

When she showed him her recently acquired Boulder Badge, the clerk gave her a soft smile, "I'm sorry, but you don't have enough badges for equipment this strong, congratulations though." He finished giving her her change.

She walked out of the pokémart grumpy. Huh, not strong enough. I'm going to show him. I'll collect as many badges as that mysterious guy had.

"Let's get to the next city, I'm sure Xander already beat me to the next gym."

They walked along the path that led them to Mt. Moon. Silviana battled every person she could see and Junipur didn't seem to mind the battling either. She was even beginning to enjoy the battle encounters. Silviana though she could see a smile form on Junipur's sharp teeth.

The two walked confidently, having won many battles, their spirits were filled. Silviana pulled out the region map she got from the pokémart, "Okay if we keep heading down this path we'll get to Mount Moon." She smiled as she talked to Junipur.

"Hey trainer!"

Silviana looked up from her map. There was a dark haired man in a trench coat staring at her.

"You wouldn't happen to be Silviana would you?" The man asked.

"Uhh, yea. How did you–"

"Your friend Xander said you would be coming by here sometime, I'm what's known as a Coach Trainer, I'm going to be testing your pokémon's power." He pulled out a pokéball and released the Meowth that was inside. The thin pokémon narrowed its eyes at Silviana.

"Okay then!" Junipur leapt from her shoulder, "I have to warn you we've been on a winning streak."

"Eevee!" Junipur agreed with a puff of her chest. She rushed forward aiming a tackle at the Meowth. The Meowth stood on its two hind legs and was able to push back against Junipur's attack. As the Meowth jumped out of the way it clawed at Junipur's exposed ears. Junipur cried out.

Silviana covered her mouth with her hands.

"I do have to warn you as well, I'm testing not only your battle poise with your pokémon, but how well you handle real life situations." The man narrowed his eyes at Silviana, "Like a life or death situation with your parter."

Silviana looked at Junipur, the Meowth was jumping circles around her. Junipur couldn't keep her eyes on the pokémon long enough to aim an attack at it. Frustrated, she just ran after it. The Meowth easily dodged all of Junipur's weak attacks and even managed to hit Junipur in the side of the head knocking off her hat.

"Junipur..."

The little Eevee fixed a glare at the Meowth. The other cat pokémon seemed to laugh. Junipur, long ears pinned back, growled furiously. Letting out a loud caterwaul Junipur released a mass of stars in a spray at the Meowth. The Meowth, its eyes growing wide, was pushed back as the stars pelted it, it seemed like a never ending galaxy was hitting the pokémon. Junipur stopped, it was breathing heavily as it watched the other pokémon collapse. With a final tiny howl of triumph, her legs buckled under her.

"Juipur!" Silviana rushed forward.

"She should be fine, she collapsed most likely out of exhaustion." The Coach Trainer walked over to Silviana. It looked at Junipur, "Yea, she's just tired. There's a pokécenter right up the road here, so there shouldn't be too much of a problem getting her healed up."

"You know that's really cruel, what kind of a trainer are you!?" Silviana clutched Junipur in her arms, the pokémon was indeed breathing steadily now.

"Listen kid, you're going to find yourself trapped out there in the world where the only resource you have on you is your pokémon," He took a few steps back, "you have to be prepared for anything." He crossed his arms.

Silviana didn't care to listen to any more of his nonsense. She took off in the direction of the pokécenter as fast as she could.

[brokenmimir]

When Eyes Meet, A Battle Begins

White Rose Week 2019, Day 8: Free Day

All the stories talked about meeting a rival on your Pokémon journey, one who would challenge you again and again and keep you on your toes. Ruby just hadn't expected her's to be so pretty.

I've never gotten into the anime, and this probably got a bit too into the weeds with staying true to the video game. Still, I'm a huge fan of the games, so this was fun to do. I also wrote this before the new Corgi based Electric Pokémon got announced, which is obviously an even better fit for Zwei.

White Rose Week has been a blast, and I hope everyone has enjoyed themselves as much as I have.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19253242

“Zwei, you can do it!” Ruby shouted, bouncing in place. “Use Tackle!”

The Lillipup bent its tiny legs, before launching itself forward with a cheerful bark. It slammed into the small, bud-like Pokémon, sending it reeling back. With a grin she pulled out a Poké Ball and tossed it, catching the Grass-type inside. The ball rocked back and forth for a moment, making her bite her lip with worry, before it finally settled down with a click.

“Yes!” Ruby shouted, jumping up and down. “We did it, Zwei! We caught the… uh… the something!”

Before she could retrieve the Poké Ball and use her Pokédex to figure out what the cute little Pokémon was, a voice scoffed behind her. “You don't even recognize a Budew? What kind of trainer are you?”

Ruby turned around, and found herself stunned at the sight in front of her. The girl couldn't be more than a year or two older than her own fifteen years, and without her heeled boots she might have been even shorter than her own barely five foot height. Despite that she looked elegant and refined in a way that Ruby had never seen in real life, even standing along the forested trail of Vale Route 4.

“Well, are you going to say anything?” the girl demanded.

Ruby blushed and looked down at herself. She was a bit dusty, having spent the last few days living out of a Pokécenter while trying to fill Professor Ozpin's Pokédex. She'd already caught a few new friends to go with Zwei, the Lillipup her father had bred for her when she was still a little girl, but she suddenly found herself wishing that she'd spent at least a little more time on her appearance. Her dusty, grass stained black and red dress and beloved red cape, looked silly next to the other girl's perfect white dress and bolero jacket.

Why did she care, though? She'd never worried about what anyone else thought of her looks before. In the end she fell back on habit, meeting the girl's blue eyes, one of which had a really cool scar, and offering a challenge. “We've made eye contact. That means we have to fight.”

She smirked. “Hmph. Perhaps you're not a total loss as a trainer if you at least know that. Prepare to be defeated by Weiss Schnee!”

“Well- well you prepare to be defeated by Ruby Rose!” she responded, to which Zwei added a cheerful bark. “That's right, Zwei! Let's get her!”

The two faced each other down, Weiss pulling out a Poké Ball and throwing it out. “Myrtenaster, let's show this girl who's boss!”

From the Poké Ball emerged a Pokémon like nothing Ruby had ever seen before. It appeared to be a fancy, elegant sword, with a long, scarf-like blue tassel emerging from its pommel. The weapon floated in midair, and she could see decorations on the hilt that resembled eyes and a grimacing mouth.

“Alright Zwei, use Baby-Doll Eyes!” Ruby shouted.

Zwei barked, and focused on Myrtenaster, his big, glistening, incredibly cute eyes making it hesitate. Ruby still wasn't sure what kind of Pokémon the sword was, but nothing was immune to Zwei's cuteness.

The other trainer wasn't immune, either. “Ahh! It's so cute!”

“I know,” Ruby said with a grin. “Nothing's cuter than Zwei!”

Finally shaking off the cuteness overload, Weiss pointed dramatically at the Lillipup. “Myrtenaster, use Fury Cutter!”

The sword hesitated, obviously not wanting to hurt the cute little puppy, but eventually it swung its body. Ruby braced herself, worried for her cutie, but the hit didn't do too much damage. Zwei shook it off, barking confidently as he set himself again.

“Good boy!” Ruby shouted, suddenly much more confident. She didn't know what Myrtenaster was, but she wasn't afraid of it if it could only hit that hard. “Use Tackle!”

Zwei jumped forward… and flew right through the Pokémon, not hitting it at all. Ruby blinked, confused, but he hadn't missed. The attack simply hadn't done anything at all.

Besides making the other trainer laugh. “Really? Don't you know Ghost-types are immune to Normal-type moves? Your Lillipup doesn't stand a chance against Myrtenaster!”

“Oh yeah?” Ruby said. “Well, um, your face doesn't stand a chance either! And it's not like yours did much either!”

Weiss smirked. “Didn't it, though? Myrtenaster, Fury Cutter again!”

The sword-shaped Pokémon attacked again, using the same move, but this time it hit harder. Still, Zwei was a tough little Lillipup, and he was okay even with several more hits like that one. She had a secret weapon ready, just for jerky Ghost types. And finding cookies. Mostly the cookies. “Zwei, use Odor Sleuth!”

The Lillipup sniffed the air, focusing in on Myrtenaster. Weiss just ordered her Pokémon to attack again, this time hitting poor Zwei hard. He kept his feet, but Ruby fretted, almost going for some medicine before she realized what was going on.

“Figured it out?” Weiss asked. “Fury Cutter is twice as powerful every time it hits! Next one's gonna take your little doggy down!”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Ruby said confidently. “Zwei, use Tackle!”

“That won't work, you dolt,” Weiss chuckled. “Myrtenaster's a Ghost-type, remember?”

The Lillipup charged forward, but this time instead of passing through he slammed into his opponent, knocking it back a bit. “Now who's a dolt,” Ruby said triumphantly. “Odor Sleuth lets Normal-Types hit Ghosts.”

“You're still the dolt, dolt,” Weiss said, blushing at having not known that. “Myrtenaster, finish that cute little Pokémon off.”

Myrtenaster swung one more time, this time sending Zwei tumbling back. Ruby ran over to him, but while obviously out of the fight he wasn't too hurt. Still, it was with a heavy heart that she had to recall Zwei to his Poké Ball.

“Is he alright?” Weiss asked.

Ruby looked over at the other girl, and felt herself smile just a little. She'd been kinda acting like a jerk, but if she cared about her opponent's Pokémon then she wasn't a bad person. “He'll be okay.”

Weiss returned to her cocky stance, resting one hand on her hip as a smirk stretched across her face. “Ready to give up?

“No way!” Ruby shouted, pulling out another Poké Ball. Silently she thanked her Uncle, grateful for the training trip he'd brought her on that had led to her getting this Pokémon. “Crescent Rose, let's kick her butt!”

The Pokémon was strange looking, with a four legged posture, light pink fur, blue eyes, and a huge red scythe blade sticking out of one side of its head. Ruby felt her chest puff out with pride as she saw her opponent's reaction to the unusual Pokémon.

“No way!” she said. “Is that a Shiny Absol?”

“Yup,” Ruby said. “Your Ghost-type is going down. Crescent Rose, use Bite!”

The Absol jumped forward, opening the mouth in its strangely human-like face and taking a large bite out of Myrtenaster. Crescent Rose was too powerful for the Ghost-type, taking it down in a single bite.

“Alright, so you've got some good Pokémon,” Weiss said, making a face as she recalled the sword-like Pokémon. “I'll still beat you!”

“Bring it on,” Ruby said with a grin.

“Hmph,” Weiss harrumphed, hesitating for a moment, before pulling out another Poké Ball. “Glyph, you can do it!”

The Pokémon had green hair with two red, disk-like horns, and red eyes. Its body looked like it was wearing a white tutu, and it danced in place like a ballerina on two legs.

“That's a Kirlia!” Ruby said, recognizing it from Trainer school. “Absol's are immune to Psychic-type moves!”

“But they're weak to Fairy moves!” Weiss shouted. “Glyph, use Disarming Voice!”

The Pokémon shouted, a wave of energy emerging from its mouth to strike Ruby's Absol, knocking it back and hurting it badly. Still, Crescent Rose was tough, and she wasn't defeated by one hit. “Crescent Rose, use Bite!”

It hit hard, but the Kirlia withstood it. Ruby had forgotten that being a Fairy-type also helped it resist Dark attacks. “Glyph, finish off that Absol!” Ruby winced, bracing herself for the attack, but the shout left Crescent Rose still standing… barely. Still, she needed something else, so she quickly recalled the Absol, pulling out her last Poké Ball. If this didn't do it she was in a lot of a trouble. “Come on, Wormy, you can do it!”

“Wormy?” Weiss asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

Ruby threw out the Poké Ball anyway, revealing a three foot tall bee with lance like cones for forearms. After seeing it Weiss scoffed and tossed her hair. “Seriously? A Beedrill? Why did you name it Wormy?”

Ruby blushed and poked her finger tips together. “I caught her when she was a Weedle and thought she looked like a cute little worm. I didn't know what she turned into.”

“Dolt,” Weiss said, rolling her eyes. “Glyph, its a poison type, so use Confusion!”

“Wormy, hit Glyph with Poison Jab!”

The Beedrill was fast, much faster than the Kirlia, and it slammed one of its poisonous lances into the other Pokémon, taking it down in one blow before it could move. With a sour look on her face Weiss pulled out another Poké Ball. “This is my last Pokémon, a gift from my sister when I was young. He's more than enough to beat you, though!”

She tossed the Poké Ball, and out came one of the most adorable Pokémon Ruby had ever seen. It looked like a spherical ball of striped fur, but with two tiny slits for eyes, and a pig nose at the front. She couldn't see any legs or mouth, but its little nose moved up and down as it grunted cutely.

“That's adorable!” Ruby gushed. “What is it?”

“This is Boarbatusk, my Swinub,” Weiss said proudly. “Swinub, use Mud Bomb!”

“Wormy, Posion Jab!” Ruby replied.

Wormy was faster again, but this time the hit barely did any damage. The Swinub oinked loudly, before somehow launching a clod of densely packed mud with a flick of its body. It slammed into the Beedrill, doing quite a bit of harm.

“Swinub is an Ice/Ground type,” Weiss said. “Your Poison type doesn't stand a chance. Hit it again!”

Seeing how hurt the Beedrill was Ruby bit her lip, before she remembered what it could do. “Yeah, well… Wormy has the Swarm ability, so Bug-type moves are way more effective now that he's hurt. Wormy, use Twineedle!”

The Beedrill darted forward, slamming its two lances into Boarbatusk. The Swinub was obviously badly hurt by the enhanced attacked, but it wasn't enough. Ruby felt her heart fall as the Swinub replied with another mud ball… only for it to miss completely.

“No!” Weiss shouted.

“Wormy, finish it off!”

The bug darted forward, slamming its lances into the Swinub again before it could move, knocking the Pokémon unconscious. “Alright! You did it Wormy! Good job!”

“Here,” Weiss said, tossing some money at her. She looked upset, and Ruby could understand why since nobody liked losing. Still…

“You were amazing,” Ruby said.

“Not enough, obviously, since I failed,” Weiss said.

“You just lost 'cause you got unlucky,” Ruby said. “If that Mud Bomb had hit I'd've lost Wormy.”

“You still had Crescent Rose,” Weiss pointed out, looking only a little mollified by her words.

“Yeah, but she was hurt pretty bad,” Ruby said. “I'm not sure if she could've beaten your Swinub.”

“I guess we'll never know,” Weiss said with a sigh as she gathered up her Poké Balls.

Ruby bit her lip, before running over and grabbing her own, as well as the Budew that she'd captured before the fight started. When she turned around she saw Weiss already starting to walk off. “Wait! Where are you going?”

“To get my team fixed up,” Weiss said.

“Let me go with you,” Ruby said. “Mine's pretty beat up, too.”

Weiss hesitated for a moment. “Fine.”

Ruby ran up beside her, grinning brightly. “You're really good, you know.”

Weiss shook her head. “I lost.”

“Yeah, but, I mean, we're both pretty new as trainers, right?” Ruby said. “We both only have three Pokémon on our team. The best way to get better is to lose, or at least that's what my dad always said.”

“My father told me a Schnee should never lose,” Weiss said.

“Well, he sounds dumb,” Ruby decided. “I mean, you're awesome and you lost, so losing can't be that bad.”

“You are such a dolt,” Weiss muttered.

Ruby grinned. “Come on, it's getting pretty late. Let's get some dinner while our teams are getting healed!”

Weiss looked at her for a long moment, before blushing and turning her face away. “You're paying.”

Ruby plucked up the courage that led her to become a Pokémon trainer in the first place. “Of course! You're always supposed to pay when you ask someone out on a date, right?”

If Weiss had been blushing before, it was nothing compared to how red she turned with those words. She still managed to raise her chin in the air proudly when she spoke again. “Good, at least you know that much. But if you intend on courting me, I expect you to also prepare yourself appropriately for the evening.”

“I will!” Ruby promised, desperately hoping she had something in her pack to wear on a proper date. She also suddenly wished she hadn't run and hid whenever Yang tried to teach her how to put on make up.

“Good,” Weiss said primly, before looking away as she reached over and grabbed Ruby's hand. It was cool and soft, and fit her own perfectly. She wasn't sure which of the two turned more red at the contact, but while Weiss kept her expression stoic Ruby grinned from ear to ear.

What had she gotten herself into?

“Don't think this means I've forgotten you won by luck this time,” Weiss said, squeezing her hand a little. “I'm going to beat you next time!”

She couldn't wait to find out.

[drossna]

Keep It To Yourself

Fic for Pokemon Sun and Moon to celebrate Acerola and Nanu’s anime debut. 

Word count: 6689

{AO3 Link}

Slight warning for body horror/gore (nothing major, just a ghost)

Acerola grew up with three shadows. The first was her own, the proper black one that dogged her heels and stretched in the sun. The other two belonged to the parents she’d never met.

They were hazy shapes, thin films of TV static that kept her company in her lonely moments. But they were completely void of any detail—faces, voices, comforting wisdoms. They were silhouettes without souls.  

She learned quickly that no one liked the girl who saw ghosts, the girl who hallucinated, the girl so ashamed of being an orphan that she invented a mother and father like other kids invented make-believe friends. Ghosts lived in the Megamart; they didn’t flatten themselves like cartoons and follow little girls. But the shadows were real. They were as real as the ache of a sunburn or the bite of cold winds that blew down from Lanakila.

And Acerola wasn’t the only one with tagalongs.

Other people had their ghosts, too, though theirs were often much more defined. The matron of the orphanage had a translucent Mankey. The burn scars along its arms would flicker in and out of existence, and it would follow the matron on rainy days, swinging from the doorframes and passing through walls. She’d never acknowledge it, but would sometimes sigh like she could feel its heavy presence.

A boy in the grade above Acerola had a spectral twin. Two phantom Rockruff could be found waiting patiently outside the door of the Tapu Village Pokécenter.

They weren’t there all the time, but they appeared just enough to give Acerola a reputation, as if being a descendant of the archaic Alolan royals wasn’t status enough. Anytime she brought up someone’s ghost, they’d look at her like she was inhuman, or they’d snap and yell. Or they’d cry. So, she shut up. She ignored. Out of sight and out of mind became her motto.

But that didn’t stifle her affinity for ghost-types. By the time her Island Challenge brought her full circle to her hometown of Tapu Village, she’d amassed a team of spooks and spirits—a clingy Sableye and lazy Drifblim and playful Sandygast. Her childhood companion that she’d met in the grass outside the orphanage had evolved into a Froslass. Together, they’d steamrolled three islands’ worth of trials as well as two intense battles, but the kahuna of Ula’ula crossed his arms and scowled as he sized them up.

“That’s your team for the Grand Trial?” he asked.

“Yup,” Acerola said, but her brave face wavered. There was nothing to worry about, though. They were fighting on the raised boardwalk that wove through Ula’ula Meadow, surrounded by a sea of flame-red blossoms, the air sweet and the sky cloudy. This was home turf for her. This would be her victory. “We fight three-on-three, right?”

“No, let’s not.”

“Huh?”

He sighed. “Look, kid, I think it’s cute that you’re going for a speciality, but you’re a little young. Wait until you’re older before putting yourself at such a disadvantage.” He tossed his pokéball with a limp wrist and a black stripped crocodile took shape on the boardwalk, its tail lashing in a fluid motion, its eyes sharp and alert. “We’ll make this a one-on-one. Don’t wanna waste anyone’s time.”  

Acerola’s heart spiked in her chest. Okay, yeah, she knew she’d be at a disadvantage fighting a dark-type expert, but now everything was riding on this one fight.

Taking a deep breath, she recalled all the members of her team sans Shivers the Froslass. “I’m counting on you, Shiv.”

Shivers floated out to face the croc. Wherever the droop of her arms brushed the wooden planks, a thin sheen of glistening frost sprouted up. She grumbled, a sound like deep ice breaking, as the Krokorok glared at her. Intimidate taking affect. Not that it would matter.

“Ready?” Nanu asked. Acerola only had to nod before he called out his first command. “Dupin, Crunch.”

The Krokorok lunged down the boardwalk, vicious energy gathering in the crook of its jaw.

“Dodge to the left!”

Shivers snapped out of the way and the Crunch met dead air. Ice dusted the wildflowers as she propelled herself on plumes of winter wind, flying over the meadow at speed.

“Don’t let up.” And the Krokorok launched in pursuit.

The battle became a chase. The Krokorok was agile, darting through the flowers and striking hard, but each time Shivers would dance out of the way. She outpaced it. That was her advantage. But it was slowly slipping away as the Krokorok learned her pattern.

The next Crunch pinched her arm and she shrieked. Like a skittish child, she retreated to hover at Acerola’s side, her wound bleeding black smoke.

Nanu didn’t say anything as his Pokémon clambered onto the boardwalk.

Acerola resisted the urge to bite her thumbnail. Krokorok was a physical fighter, and Shiv had an answer for that, but first she needed to stop panicking and concentrate.

“Your friend tired?” Nanu asked.

Shiv bobbed sluggishly, guarding her bleeding arm.

“We’re fine to keep going,” Acerola said, steeling her will. She could trust Shiv.

He shrugged. “Don’t push yourself.” And the Krokorok took off again.

It barreled towards them, and Acerola waited. Its claws dug into the planks, closing the distance, but she kept her mouth shut. They needed a clean shot. A foot from its target, the Krokorok opened its spring-trap mouth. Acerola blinked.

“Now—!” Shiv swept out of the way, twirling above the croc in an arc. “—Will-o-wisp!”

Pearls of blue fire bombarded the Krokorok’s flank at point blank. Its teeth caught Shiv’s skirt on the dismount, but they released almost immediately as the burns wormed into its muscle tissue.

And now Acerola could start an offensive. “Ice Shard!”

The Korokorok hopped backwards—noticeably less limber than before—scurrying to avoid the chunks of ice that whistled through the air and embedded in the boardwalk.

It wouldn’t get a chance to recover. “Draining Kiss!”

Shiv gathered a halo of opalescent energy, but as she flew towards her opponent, the Krokorok drew back a clawed fist to meet her head on with Assurance.

Before the attacks could make contact, Nanu held up a hand. “Dupin!”

The croc stuttered to a stop, and the shout stunned Shivers out of her charge. Everyone looked to the kahuna.

“I fold,” he said.

Acerola frowned. “Wha?”

“Fighting smart,” he said. “That’s all I needed to see. You win.”

“I— really?” Her words choked off into stunned silence as Nanu withdrew his Krokorok and crossed the boardwalk towards her.

“You’re a girl who knows what she’s doing,” he said. “I’m not gonna hold you back just cause I happen to have one up on you type-wise. You’ve got your bases covered.”

“Oh, my gosh! Thanks so much!” Acerola said, the adrenaline fading and a smile stretching across her face. “And thank you for the battle.”

“Don’t make a big deal out of it.”

“It’s still nice of you—“

A flash of movement over Nanu’s shoulder caught her eye. Her blood ran cold and she clamped hands over her mouth to muffle a shriek.

Nanu whirled around on high alert. “What is it?”

But he couldn’t see the ghost.

It was the figure of a young woman, her limbs bent and mashed at uncanny angles. Her head lolled to the side. Half her face was coated in blood, a thick stream of it that snaked over her crushed ribcage and torn stomach, soaking around what could be seen as giant teeth marks. It was more pulp than person. It looked like a chewed piece of gum.

Acerola stared until her eyes watered. This was the worst ghost she’d ever seen. Bile rose in her throat, but Nanu was still looking around in bewilderment, and so she spoke up. “It’s… fine.”

“You sure?”

Acerola nodded meekly. “Yeah. I thought I saw something, but—” The ghost still hovered behind him, and she swore that its one remaining eye was trained on her. She averted her gaze. “—but it’s fine.”

“If you say so,” Nanu said, still uncertain. He took one last sweep of the area before flicking a shard of Darkium-Z to Acerola. “Here. Have fun on Poni, and take care of yourself.”

Job done, he didn’t bother sticking around. As he left, the ghost paused for a moment before following, and Acerola watched them go. The ghost remained corporeal until they both vanished from sight.

It took a few days for the initial horror to fade, and Acerola’s first few nights on Poni were plagued with nightmares. Afterwards, all that was left was a burning curiosity.

But the next time she met the kahuna, they didn’t have time to talk. The final trials were a serious, ceremonial affair held on the plateau of Lanakila with everyone bundled against the cold and battling through the hail. This time, they had a real fight. Their Sableye matched blow for blow, but Acerola finally won out after her Palossand sunk both his Absol and his Persian. She couldn’t rest on her laurels, though, and was promptly whisked away to heal her team before facing Poni’s kahuna in her final fight. She didn’t catch a single glimpse of the ghost.

Months passed, but that curiosity clung to a dark corner of her mind, even as she settled back into her routine at the orphanage.

Part of this routine were weekly trips to Malie—nearly a two-hour ride by bus to get there, and a two-hour ride back—so that she could visit the collection of books her father had left the library in his will. Her two shadows would meet her at the door. They’d follow her past the front desk, into the stacks where the collection was housed, and they’d keep a silent watch as she read. She felt closest to them there, when she was soaking in all the knowledge that her father had amassed over his lifetime. And it was warm in the library. In a way, it was more home than the orphanage would ever be.

It was during one of these pilgrimages that she again crossed paths with her island’s kahuna.

It was off-season for tourism, and the cobbled streets of Malie were blissfully free of obnoxious travelers. Telephone lines bowed under the weight of Wingull and baile Oricorio. Shopkeepers chatted with passerby. Screen doors were propped open by cinderblocks, and the chime and clang of restaurants serving the lunch rush spilled into the backroads.

Acerola spotted him from across the way while she was walking to the library as he headed in the opposite direction. No ghost, but he had a pair of heavy cardboard boxes stacked in his arms.

There was barely a decision to be made.

Acerola bounced up to him. “Whatcha got there?”

He kept walking, but shifted the boxes to get a better look at her. “Who’s asking?”

“Do you remember me?” she asked, realizing in her next breath that if he did remember her, it was probably as the weirdo who screamed at thin air. “We battled, uh, last trial season.”

“Oh,” he said. “Ghost girl.”

“That’s me!”

And the ghost winked into existence, just as gory as ever with its face hovering over Nanu’s shoulder.

A chill went up Acerola’s spine, a thrilling feeling. She kept the specter at the corner of her vision and asked again, “So, what’s with the boxes?”

“They don’t deliver packages up north anymore, not after Po Town went under,” he said, “so, I have to come out here and fetch it myself.”

“Cool, I guess,” Acerola said, “but what’s—“

“A bunch of semi-precious rocks. Friend on Akala sends me her leftovers since I’ve got a Sableye to feed.”

The ghost followed them, floating, frozen in a static position to Nanu’s left. It didn’t move otherwise—it’s arms and legs hung lame at its sides, some of the them twisted from their sockets.

“Do you need help carrying them?” Acerola asked. Breaking her streak of library visits stung, but the ghost had a sense of magnetic mystery about it. Who had it been? Why did it look like that? She needed more time to observe.

“What, nothing better to do?”

“Nope! Give it.” She reached and slid the topmost box off the stack, stumbling forward when the full weight hit her shoulders, but she managed. “You know, I’ve got a Sableye, too.”

“I remember from the final trials, yeah.”

“I can’t buy her gemstones, though. It’s way too expensive, so I hunt around the beach for sea glass.”

“She’ll eat that?”

“Totally, but it’s turning her eyes green. I bet she’ll turn shiny if I do it long enough.”

Acerola rambled all the way out of Malie and to the bus stop—Nanu’s had flown his Honchkrow into town, but a passenger plus cargo was too much for the old bird to bear. Nerves turned her chatter up to eleven, so between the ghost, the kahuna, and the growing awareness that Nanu probably did not appreciate her word vomit, she was talking faster than a Jolteon on X Speed.

Between erratic changes in conversation topic and Nanu’s one-word answers to questions, she took mental notes on the ghost: it was wearing a business suit; its hair was shorn in a sharp, no nonsense bob; it wouldn’t stop staring at her. Which was unsettling, because all the other ghosts would only pay attention to the people they were attached to. Acerola gulped.

The bus line followed the road that cut between Hokulani and Lanakila, so the trip was much shorter than Acerola was used to. But thanks to Po Town’s collapse, the line only bothered going halfway, and by the time they reached the police station on Route 17, Acerola’s arms were starting to go numb.

When Nanu set his box down to open the door, he said, “Satisfied with your good deed for the day?”

Acerola was too busy wringing the pins and needles out of her arms to do much else besides tilt her head in question.

“You helped a poor old lady carry her groceries. Be proud of yourself.”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Well, you’re welcome.”

The door opened and a cacophony of high-pitched yowls assaulted their ears. Seventeen odd pearl-grey Meowth blanketed the furniture, sprawled on the windowsills and uncurled from their countertop beds to wail like famine victims. Like a church choir of feline entitlement. They’d been left alone for hours and wanted their grievance known.

“Oh, my gods,” Acerola said, delighted.

“Shut it, you freeloaders,” Nanu shouted into the station. “Marple, control your children.”

An Alolan Persian perked her head out of the writhing mass of cats, looking thoroughly harassed.

Nanu piled the boxes inside near the door, pushing aside the Meowth that tried to rub against his legs. “No reason to stick around, kid,” he told Acerola. “Get home before it’s dark. And close the door.”  

The ghost followed him in, still limp and bloody, still staring at Acerola.

“Okay,” she said.

And that’s when the ghost spoke. Its voice was eerily human, a warm cadence you’d expect from a kindergarten teacher, its mouth framing each syllable perfectly. “She was so excited.”

Acerola slammed the door.

What. In the name. Of Lele’s magic pixie dust. Was that?

Shaken, she hurried back to Tapu Village, and that night the nightmares resurged with a vengeance. But instead of scaring her off, they fed into an obsession, the all-consuming mystery of the shredded ghost that spoke. It spoke! A ghost had never done that before.

She returned to the police station three days later. She’d meant to wait longer, but the curiosity had drilled into her brain and was steering her from the inside.

She knocked, and when Nanu opened the door he grimaced. “You’re back,” he said.

“I’m back,” Acerola said.

“Why.” Behind him, the ghost clipped into view.

“I didn’t get a chance to really see the cats last time,” she said. “They’re so cute. Can I have a little time to pet them?” And to do some ghost watching.

“I was heading out.”

“I’ll come with you then,” Acerola said, a little too quickly, and Nanu folded his arms. She continued, “because, I mean, no one else really lives up here, and I thought maybe you could use some company.”

“You thought wrong,” he said, “but if you’re gonna stalk me then I’d rather know where you are. And you can help.”

“Um, with what?”

“Got a complaint about ankle biters in Haina. The Ground-types are acting up again. When they get tired of scrapping with each other, they take it out on humans, so I have to go out there and remind them who’s on top. Bulu doesn’t like children playing on their lawn.”

They flew together over the sea route, Acerola riding atop her Drifblim. The squishy balloon didn’t get much use as transport due to being agonizingly slow, but it floated over obstacles just fine. On foot, they passed through Tapu Village, the blackened walls of the old village, and the trailer park that surrounded the oasis.

The cliffs that surrounded Haina were layers of dusty strata. Scrub grass clung to the rock. The sky was calm—a rarity—and heat mirages rose off the backs of burning-hot stones.

Once they were past the canyon that led into the desert, Acerola set her Palossand loose on the rowdy critters that surged up from the sand in challenge.

“Iolani! Use Giga Drain!”

Stark green light ringed a Trapinch as its life force was sapped away. By infusing her essence into the sand, Iolani whipped the ground into whirlpools, burying Gible and Gabite to their necks where they wriggled and trashed.

A Sandile scuttled across the sand, its belly pressed low before leaping high to Bite her flank. A transparent shield met it midair, and it crashed to the ground. Protect.

“Good work, Cordelia,” Nanu said.

His Sableye gave a chittering giggle.

The ghost floated in the same spot it always did, watching impassively. The clouds of dust that drifted through its body and gave it a washed out look. Acerola was so wrapped up in the fight that the next time she glanced over, she startled. The ghost’s mouth was moving. It was speaking again, but she couldn’t hear it over the hiss and spit of battle. She squinted, trying in vain to read its lips. A sharp pain light up her calf.

“AH!”

The rebuffed Sandile had snuck behind the frontlines and clamped onto her leg. She brought a heel down on the croc’s head in panic. It gave a squeak of pain and released, disappearing back into the sand.

Nanu frowned. “Shit.”

Four rows of punctures bled down her calf, but she kept a straight face. “It’s not so bad.”

“No,” Nanu said. “Let’s pack it up. We’re about finished anyway.”

Putting weight on the leg made her cringe, but they made their way to the Tapu Village Center just fine, and Acerola sat off to the side in the lobby while a nurse cleaned and dressed the wound.

Nanu trudged over. “Hand me your ‘mon. I’ll get them healed.”

Acerola passed him Iolani’s pokéball. As he walked to the main desk, the ghost swayed like it was being pulled in two directions, but instead of staying locked at his side, it hovered by Acerola instead. She felt the hair on her arms prickle.

“There wasn’t a lot of sun,” the ghost said, voice as hearty and full of life as ever, “not where she came from.”

“Who?” Acerola whispered. “Are you talking about you?”

“What was that, miss?” the nurse asked, glancing up from her work.

“There wasn’t a lot of sun,” the ghost repeated, and Acerola had to smile bashfully and say, “Oh, it’s nothing, sorry.”

But it wasn’t nothing. It was a big fat something, and it was going to drive her insane. So, a new item appeared on her weekly schedule. She’d bus into Malie on weekends, and her spare weekdays were spent on Route 17 hanging around the old kahuna. Whatever he was doing that day, she’d join in. Even on the days when he was sulking or napping, he’d still open the door so she could play with the Meowth—to tire them out, he said.

It was on one of these days, a day where the sky broke open and streams of rainwater leaked from the gutters and where the police station, against all odds, felt warm and comforting, it was on one of these days that Acerola got down to some real investigating. It had become a hobby. She’d poke and prod at Nanu until he let spill some tiny life secret, and then she’d back off. If she stuck her nose too far into his business he’d get grumpy in a hurry, but recently she’d found that sweet middle ground, and he’d been giving her bigger and bigger chunks. Sometimes it was even multiple sentences at a time! Today, she was poised, ready with a big question.

Nanu was sunk into the middle of the sofa, exercising his slouch while a clowder of Meowth piled on his legs.

Acerola sat on the floor, criss-cross, scratching behind the ear of a demanding kitten. Now was as good a time as any. Gently, she led into her interrogation. “Isn’t it kinda boring?”

“If you’re not having fun, you can go home.”

She giggled, keeping it light. “No, I mean the kahuna work and the police officer stuff you always do. It’s more or less the same, and then if you’re not doing that, you’re here. It’s not boring?”

“I don’t see a need for it to be particularly interesting.”

“But you’ve done other things, obviously. What did you do before you were chosen as kahuna?”

There’s a pause for thought. “Traveled.”

“You were a globetrotter? What, you hit up all the biggest cities, saw all the sights, broke the hearts of all the locals? Tell me about Kalos.”

“Do I look the tourist type to you?”

“Gotcha. What happens in Lumiose stays in Lumiose.”

“It was not as fun as you’re imagining.”

Acerola took a guess. “More police-work then?”

There was a sigh. Sometimes she thought that he’d caught on to her investigation, but he couldn’t suspect it was anything more than a cheery girl being too friendly.

“Something like that,” he said. “It was a lot of moving around, a lot of late nights and bad coffee, so nothing exciting. There was a month where I got to know the back alleys of Lumiose pretty well, though.”

A neon sign lit up in the back of Acerola’s head, flashing pink and green the words “SECRET PAST”.

The covert questioning continued with Acerola earning a snippet here and a snippet there but never the full story, and halfway through she swore he started making stuff up. No way was there a time travel cult in Johto. The conversation shifted and digressed and eventually she forgot about the investigation entirely. It wasn’t until Nanu hauled himself into the kitchen for a cup of coffee—upsetting five or so Meowth in the process—and Acerola was left alone that she refocused.

Because she wasn’t alone. The ghost hovered over the armrest of the couch, exactly where it had been for the past hour. She had gotten used to its macabre presence. It was almost background noise now, the invisible third wheel in an awkward friendship.

Could Nanu sense it, too? It would be hard to tell since his mood hardly rose above a brooding simmer, but Acerola was beginning to suspect the ghost only showed itself whenever she was present.

“She knew what she signed up for,” it said, and Acerola squinted up at it. Its shoulders had popped back into place, almost like it was trying to reassemble itself. There was less blood, today, too. “She knew what she signed up for, but she didn’t know that what she’d signed up for was too much.”

That night, Acerola lay awake in her bunk at the orphanage, listening to the ocean rage outside.

There was no way around it. She was going to break her rule and ask Nanu about the ghost. She’d go crazy if she didn’t. The agony of uncertainty made her brain itch.

She’d thought about going the indirect route, maybe asking the trial captains what they knew, dig up some new information so she could solve the mystery on her own, but that option came with its own mess of complications. She had to bite the bullet, no matter how scary. She needed confirmation.

During the week it took Acerola to summon up her courage, she joined Nanu on a house call to the trial site south of Tapu Village. They walked the length of the beach. He kept above the tideline, but she strolled below, leaving gushy footprints in the black sand.

“Don’t you have anything better to do?” he asked. They’d rounded the beach by then, slipped under the shade of the crumbled roadway.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“You’re at the station every other day now. Got a motive?”

“Cause you seem lonely,” Acerola said, even as her gaze wandered.

Spirits were made of thin smoke and memories, but the ghost loomed behind Nanu like a dense, foreboding shadow. Now, not only were its shoulders level, but its stomach had stitched back up and its neck had lost the sickening tilt. It looked almost healthy, and its eye pierced Acerola in judgement.

Nanu, too, looked skeptical.

She swallowed hard and smiled wide. “No, really! I mean, no one at the orphanage really likes me, so I don’t have any friends. After a while, I kind of got used to it. I started thinking that maybe I just belong by myself. I like being alone. But that doesn’t mean I’m not happy when I have someone to spend time with.”

Nanu considered this. “Sure. Dunno what else I expected.”

The ghost turned to face the sea. “She was too friendly,” it said. “A doormat. That was only part of the problem.”

They continued up a set of salt-worn stairs and across the parking lot of the Megamart. The building was a concrete husk, the cheerful signage left to peel away in the face of the ocean storms, the roof held together by creeping vines and the persisting will of its occupants.

Nanu went to pry at the sliding doors, but an invisible force beat him to it. The glass rattled as they slammed open. An enraged wail that scrapped the bottom of Acerola’s gut roiled out, and two bolts of shadowy energy shot forth. Nanu stumbled into the chain-link fence and the bolts sizzled past, colliding with the crumbled stump of the lighthouse in the bay.

“Son of a bitch,” he said, craning his neck. “He hasn’t been here for at least a month.”

“What’s happening?” Acerola asked. “You said we were checking on the trial site, but that’s a natural disaster!”

The scene inside the mart was apocalyptic, like someone had shaken a jar full of bees and unleashed hell, only the bees were ghost-types and the hell that had been unleashed was entirely literal. Gengar chased a cloud of Shuppet as a Banette toppled rows of shelving. Shadow Balls rebounded like pachinko. Ectoplasm dripped from unseen corners.

“Someone tipped me off that the captain here has been slacking,” Nanu said. “Not that I blame him for avoiding this garbage dump of a day job, but if he’s gonna be this irresponsible I’d appreciate a formal letter of resignation. Now he’s gone and made it my problem.”

Acerola put hands on her hips. Peering deep into the Megamart, she saw the chaos, the infighting, the linoleum coated in spectral smog, but she also saw a bunch of children. This exact song and dance played out at the orphanage daily, and she wouldn’t stand to see it recreated. There was childish and then there was bratty.

She marched through the doors, and when Nanu went to grab her, she shrugged him off. Inside, the air dropped ten degrees. She balled her fists and shouted, “Alright, are you guys done or what?”

A Shadow Ball shot from the dark. She pressed the trigger on the pokéball at her side and a metal blade cleaved the air, shattering the attack into shards of smoke. Her Dhelmise’s anchor swung like the pendulum of a clock, rocking to a stop.

“Honestly, you get left alone for a couple weeks and it’s like Lord of the Cutieflies in here! Are you ghost-types or are you toddlers?”

A hundred sets of dead white eyes stared. It was quiet as thick swirls of dust drifted to the ground. Then there was a twitch in the shadows, and as one the residents of the Megamart descended upon her.

“Oh, real mature! Use Brutal Swing, Holoholo!”

The ghosts scattered like bowling pins, backhanded by an anchor that flashed pitch black.

“Now, Heavy Slam!”

Holoholo carved swaths of destruction through the aisles, evaporating spectral limbs and laying waste to the petulant ghosts. It was a full-on hoard battle. Acerola went hoarse shouting commands, covering the blind spots that the glass eye of a Dhelmise could not see. Gastly wailed. Banette spat. Mimikyu screeched until, finally, the mart fell silent once more. Bits of spectral energy ebbed on the floor and spirits grumbled in hidden crannies, but it was all aftermath. Not a dissident ghost remained. Holoholo dragged their anchor across the tile as a last warning before being recalled to Acerola’s palm.

She caught her breath, almost choking on the dust, but a voice spoke from the doorway and it sent a jolt of ice down her spine. “I’m never the hero,” it said, “that’s my problem. I let other people do the rushing in. I let other people hesitate. I let other people make mistakes.” The voice was feminine and full of sunshine. And in first-person now. Somehow, that was so much worse.

Nanu was waiting at the door, hands in his pockets and ghost at his shoulder. “Not bad, kid.”

As Acerola stepped back into the light, she did her best to shake off the goosebumps. “Why do you sound so surprised about it? I beat you, remember? Twice!”

“But you still can’t take a compliment.”

“Bluh.” She stuck out her tongue.

“Eloquent,” he said. “I feel obligated to reward your housecleaning, so you wanna head into Malie? There’s decent sushi.”

Acerola had had her fill of ghosts, so spending more time around Nanu wasn’t the most tempting offer.

She hesitated, and he ruffled her hair. “I’ll pay,” he said, “so let’s go.”

Free food. That decided it.

She took one last look at the Megamart—nothing to see but bitter Pokémon licking their wounds—and hurried to follow Nanu across the parking lot. As they walked back towards Tapu Village, she was too winded to notice the two extra shadows that floated beside her on the sand.

Acerola chose a sunny day for the confrontation, hoping the blue skies would give her confidence, but for the entire journey up to Route 17 it only served to rattle her stomach. By the time she arrived at the station, she was almost feverish.

It took a dozen knocks before Nanu swung open the door. “Again with this?” he shouted, then stopped when he saw who it was. “Huh.”

Every bit of Acerola stood straight on end. “What are you doing?” Her voice skipped up an octave.

“Sorry,” he said, only slightly apologetic. “Went and tracked down the captain yesterday, finally got him to resign, but he wouldn’t quit arguing and followed me home. Asshole. Guess that’s my fault for not keeping tabs on who gets chosen.”

“Eesh.” Acerola wandered inside.

“You know, it’s good you’re here.”

“Really?” Her nerves spiked. “That’s a first, but I came here to ask you about something, actually.”

Nanu closed the door and went to slouch on the arm of the sofa. “By all means.” He fiddled something in his hand, flipped it over and over like a coin—a captain’s sigil, the four-petal token that marks their station.

“Were there ever accidents when you were doing your police work?”

“Of course. There’s accidents in every line of work.” His tone is flat, revealing nothing, but the ghost snapped into view.

Acerola had been so nervous that she’d forgotten to look for it at first, but there it was, staring at her and more complete than ever before. There was barely any blood now. It could have been mistaken for a human woman, and its appearance bolstered her.

“What about a woman with short hair?”

Nanu stopped fiddling. “What about her?”

“Who?”

“I— what are you talking about?”

“I’m just wondering if you ever maybe worked with a woman like that, and if she had an accident where she got sort of—“ Acerola thought back to the first time she’d seen the ghost. “—chewed?”

There was a beat of silence.

“No one should know about that.”

It was mostly disbelief, but there was something like desperate guilt in his voice, and it made Acerola’s stomach drop. She’d always known it was a possibility, but what if Nanu was responsible for the creation of his own ghost?

“How do you know about what happened on Poni?” he asked. “That mission was classified and locked under seven kinds of clearance. You must have been three years old at the time. How do you know?”  

“The mission? I don’t—“

“Who told you? Who else knows?”

“It’s just me, but—“

“Then how?” He was shouting now. He wasn’t a tall man by any standard, but his meager height was more than enough to tower over Acerola.

“I don’t know about any of that other stuff,” she said. “I only know about the lady because she’s a ghost that follows you around.”

“A ghost.” And there was that dehumanizing stare, the incredulous eyebrows, that realization that Acerola was off her rocker. She’d seen it all before.

Tears beaded in the corners of her eyes. “I promise I’m not lying. It’s just that I’m the only one who can see her. She floats around beside you and talks about being excited to see the sun and about how she feels bad for letting other people make mistakes.”

Nanu clenched a fist around the captain’s sigil. “Leave.”

“What?”

“I said leave. Get out. Right now.”

“I’m sorry,” Acerola mumbled as she backed away, felt for the doorknob, slipped outside. “I’m really sorry.”

Once free of the pointed, angry energy roiling through the station, she let the tears fall freely. She was so stupid. What was she thinking, trying to be some great detective? Nothing good ever came from telling people about their tagalongs, so of course the worst ghost would cause the worst reaction.

She wasn’t scared, only embarrassed and guilty, so she went around the side of the station to sulk and calm down. She slid down the wall and sat with her knees up to her chest.

The ghost sat down beside her.

Acerola’s mouth fell open and nothing but sputtering came out.

It had fully recovered to the point of moving its arms and legs as naturally as any living person might, and it laced its fingers together and stared off into the middle distance. “We knew it would be dangerous,” it said, “but none of us knew the true nature of what we’d been sent to do. In that sense, we were doomed from the start. A certain one of us especially.”

Acerola listened in wonder, watched the ghost gesture effortlessly with its hands, as it told a story in what she now understood to be someone else’s voice. The sound itself was bright, warm, and cheerful, but the sentences were short and tired, the beginnings clipped, the allusions dark.

It told the tale of three heroes who journeyed to an exotic island to hunt a beast. But they were foolish. They underestimated the beast, overestimated each other, panicked, fell apart, and the weakest of them died. Her death was entirely preventable, and the blame flew back and forth, rubbing salt into fresh wounds and driving a rift between the two remaining heroes. They weren’t heroes after all.

“So, really, I lost two people that day,” the ghost said, but then it froze stock still, its mouth still open. And it vanished.

Acerola was left alone to contemplate her new perspective. It made her feel very small.

After a while, she heard the door to the station open, footsteps, and then Nanu peered around the corner. “Sorry about that,” he said.

“It’s fine,” she said, talking into her knees.

“I can answer your questions now, if that’s what you want.”

“It’s fine,” she repeated and stood up, shaking, to dust off her dress. “You sort of already did. I’m going home now.”

A week passed at a slog, and Acerola stayed far away from Route 17 and the police station. The days were long. She slept until noon, wandered the beaches like a zombie, the ghost’s story—Nanu’s story—ringing in her head.  

He found her on the cliffs west of town, overlooking the ocean, as her Drifblim played in the wind blowing off the water.

“There you are.”

Acerola turned, arms already folded protectively over her chest.

“I kept waiting for your next visit,” he said. “Took me longer than it should have to realize you weren’t coming back.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop that. We’ve both already apologized, so there’s no need to be redundant.” She glared at him, and he sighed. “I am sorry. For blowing up. But that part about seeing ghosts, that was true, huh?”

The ghost was back to being a piece of human pulp, back to floating rooted at Nanu’s side.

“You believe me?” Acerola asked. “The ghosts, the woman, all that?”

“It would explain a few things.”

She gave a nervous laugh, relief washing over her. “Yeah, probably.”

“And I guess that’s the real reason why you were always hanging around.” He sounded disappointed. “Ghost hunting. I knew there had to be something.”

“Well, maybe not the only reason,” she said. “The cats were a nice bonus.”

He cracked a genuine smile, however thin. “Glad to hear it. One more thing.” He tossed something towards her, something that glinted in the sun, and she clapped it between her palms.

She opened her hands, and it was the captain’s sigil.

“It’s yours if you want it,” he said. “I was going to give it to you last time, but…”

Acerola held the sigil like it was made of fractured glass. “It’s mine?”

“You showed the Megamart ‘mon who was boss, and you seem to have a horrifying amount of free time, so I thought it’d be a good fit. The only problem being that if you take it I’ll have no chance of ever getting rid of you.”

Being appointed to oversee a trial was a huge honour. “For real?” she asked. “I get to be the new captain?”

“Don’t look so thrilled.”

She rushed forward to hug him—it was more of a tackle, really—and he stumbled back.

“Thank you,” she said. “Thanks so much.” She was less thankful for the position than she was grateful to keep her new friend.

“Yeah,” he said, “but no slacking off, got it?”

“That’s probably the most hypocritical thing you’ve ever said, but alright. I’ll do my best.”

Acerola’s schedule once again underwent a radical shift. Trial season was fast approaching, and she threw herself into preparations: tidying the Megamart, setting up her challenge, wrangling the Totem Mimikyu into more or less civil behaviour. Her remaining free time saw her up on Route 17, doing her best to be as annoying as humanly possible.

The visits to the Malie library dithered until they disappeared entirely, but that was okay. Her shadows weren’t human. They wouldn’t miss her. And as warm and familiar as the library felt, she had new places she could call home.

[cyanoticfireflies]

Pokémon Sword Avatar Challenge Playthrough Part 2

Greetings and welcome back to my written Let’s Play of Pokémon Sword: Avatar Challenge.  For those of you unfamiliar with Avatar Challenge, a quick guide to the rules is available. Avatar challenges are the only types of Pokémon challenges I do, and this time I’m doing Water Tribe since it’s my third playthrough of Sword and the only starter I haven’t used yet is Grookey.

I’ve been doing Avatar challenges for several generations and always have a lot of fun with them! Because you’re limited in the Pokémon you can use and need to get creative with your dual-typings, it can actually lead to you using a lot of Pokémon you haven’t used before.  They’re a very beginner-friendly challenge for those looking to spice up their replays.

 If you missed Part 1, it’s available HERE.

 In Part 2, we’re diving in to get a sixth member of our team, explore the Wild Area, and get our first Gym Badge.  Ready? Let us commence.

We finally made it to Professor Magnolia’s house just in time for her and Leon to discuss this generation’s one-off mechanic, Dynamaxing.  Because we’re already over Mega-Evolving and Z-Moves – those are so last generation.  I kind of liked Mega-Evolution at first, but then I got over how gimmicky the whole thing was.  Let alone Z-Moves and Dynamaxing – just let my Pokémon Pokémon, you know?

We go grab the Great Ball to the side and TM57 “Payback” behind the house then get ready for a “spectacular” battle with Hop.  I mean, we have two more Pokémon than he does at 1.5x to 2x his level, but points for enthusiasm I guess Anyu the Grookey one-shot his Sobble, so.

Suddenly there’s an amazing Wishing Star.  Total coincidence.  (I’m going to rag on this game a lot.  Just so you guys know, I do enjoy it.)  We sleep over at a complete stranger’s house because Hop’s brother knows her so I guess it’s okay.  But she gives us the super dope Dynamax Bands.

Hop challenges us to a catch-a-thon, but we’ve got the team I want from here for now so we just accept the loss with grace.  He gives us “Swift” as a consolation prize, so no complaining.  Our moms come to the train station to see us off then we hop (with Hop) on the choo-choo all the way to where the Wooloo herd cuts us off in the Wild Area.

I have to say, I actually do like the Wild Area.  It kind of reminds me of Gens 1/2 where you had more flexibility about where you went when. You can take on something way above your level if you have the guts or else run past all the fully evolved ones that will kill you – whatever you’re up for.

I’ve played “Let’s Go, Eevee!” so I get the free Eevee from the guy in the corner and name him “Varro.” Normal type is allowable for all nations and I can evolve it into a Glaceon, Leafeon, or Vaporeon later depending on what we need so that’s actually pretty handy.  Level 10, so he’s not far behind our team at all.  Ability is “Adaptability” which is… frankly fantastic. 200% on STAB sounds awesome. Relaxed nature like Anyu, so low Speed and high Defense.  I’d rather have this nature on Anyu to tell the truth.  We’ll see what we can do with a slow Eevee.

Our first area is drowning in Combees and Bunnelbys (Bunnelbies?) but neither of those is too exciting even though I did do an Air Nation run with a Vespiquen one time…. Eh, been there, done that.  Varro Quick Attacks down a breeder’s Grookey with minimal damage thanks to Sand Attack, then we switch to Amal the Chewtle for Scorbunny and Rajuna the Skwovet – then to Rorou the Dottler (apparently Sobble has high Defense?) – for Sobble.  Nice way to get the last starter in your ‘Dex.

We go ahead and make some changes to our team.  First we catch a Wingull to add some Flying type to our team, sending Karane the Grubbin to the Box.  We name her Amelie.  She’s level 10 so just a bit behind the rest of the team, but we can take care of that in no time.  Hydration ability which we probably won’t get really any use out of.  Quiet nature, so less Speed and more Sp. Attack, which is actually really not bad.  Still, I’m not sure if I want to use a Gen 3 Pokémon the whole way through, but for now it’s an added type on the team.

Thanks to lucky snow, we also get an early Ice type.  We capture a male Vanillite and name him “Kovali.”  We say a quick farewell to Varro the slow Eevee to keep Skwovet since we only need one Normal type.  He’s level 12 so not far behind us.  Ice Body ability, which won’t actually help us much but that’s okay.  Lax nature, so more Defense and less Sp. Defense.  We’ll see.  At least it starts out with “Icy Wind” as a solid early Ice move.

We do our first bit of camping while grinding a few more levels in the Wild Area.  We make some Fancy Apple and Oran Berry curry that gets acceptable reviews from the team.  We grind up to about level 15-17 just exploring around and picking stuff off the ground.  During this, Anyu the Grookey evolves into Thwackey, which is probably up there for worst mid-stage ‘Mons.

After all that fun and excitement, we finally make our way into Motostoke.  After a stop at the PokéCenter we get our hair cut, grab “Focus Energy,” get a Miracle Seed from Leon, then take the lift up to the stadium.  All this excitement and we haven’t even gotten our first badge yet!  We register for the challenge and (sort of) meet Bede before we’re shoved toward the Budew Drop Inn.

Can I just say how dumb Team Yell is?  I didn’t mind the evil teams right up until Gen 6.  Team Flare was just no (though having an Elite Four member be one of them was neat) but these guys are… yeesh.  Though they don’t pose like Team Skull.  And we get to see Kiss-Fan – I mean Galarian Zigzagoon.  Kovali makes quick work of these goons.  Turns out Icy Wind hits the full far side of the field.  At least Marnie is chill.

We get our first glimpse of the gym leaders then have to head over to Turffield via Route 3.  This game has a LONG lead in before you get to a gym!  We’ll call it here for now and pick back up next time!

[rabbitwrite]

pick a peck of colors

「ｓｈｉｎ ｈｏｓｅｏｋ x ｒｅａｄｅｒ」

characters: reader (gender neutral), florist!wonho

genre:  pokémon au, fluff

word count: 1450

a/n: no pokémon knowledge is actually required to read this fic! though I have an explanation post about the franchise [here]. this time around I didn't whip up the names of places from my imagination, haha. for future reference...

Floaroma Town is a location in the Sinnoh region (Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum), a Pokécenter is a location where trainers can bring their Pokémon to get healed, a Pokémart is a store where trainers can purchase supplies for both themselves and their Pokémon, ₽ is the symbol for Pokédollar currency they use, a Sprayduck is a watering can that is meant to imitate the appearance of the Pokémon Psyduck, and Eevee is a Pokémon that Wonho seems to really love ♡

You didn't intend on taking a detour at the quaint little town of Floaroma. At first, you were fixated on staying within the main dirt pathway that winded in and out of town, but the moment you found yourself within the rural area you were instantly captivated by what it had to offer.

Enchanted by the flowers in bloom across the verdant sheets of meadow, you hopped off of your bike and placed it upon a section of grass that was not occupied by flora. Inhaling the fresh air that collided with the fragrance of pollen and plant life, the separate scents went hand in hand to form a soothing combination. Smiling softly to yourself, you took a moment to fully scan the rest of your surroundings that did not include the flowers or the wild Pokémon that frolicked among them. A Pokécenter, Pokémart, as well as an array of cottages, the standard features of a town within the Sinnoh region. However, there was a particular establishment that towered among the hills, and it commanded your attention once you laid eyes on it. Separated from the main dirt path that navigated through the town was a quaint little Flower Shop, constructed of lavender colored bricks with a cute little striped overhang that was situated to cover the entrance. Above that awning were golden letters imprinted onto the wall, reading "PICK A PECK OF COLORS". You chuckled at the choice of name for the shop, finding it quirky yet catchy. It drew you closer nevertheless, and before you knew it you found yourself waltzing into the building's interior. It was lovely and minimalistic ー aside from the questionable choice of wallpaper and floor tiles in multiple pastel colors, they were a bit clashy and did not match with design ー with all sorts of pots and vases that contained a variety of different flowers. Back by the counter was one man, the only person who seemed to be working at the moment. Even from the entrance of the shop you were able to catch a glimpse of his beauty, specifically his smile so radiant it seemed to be on par with the sun. "Welcome!" he greeted as he stepped away from the cash register and headed towards you instead. Your attention was momentarily diverted towards the tiny Eevee that followed the florist, noticing the flowers that adorned its tail. That was until you focused on the man now in front of you, and it took quite a bit of self control to prevent yourself from gasping. His soft, friendly features were a stark contrast to his muscular build, but for some reason those qualities seemed to mold together in an unusual harmony to create the perfect combination.

Hoseok 𑁋 according to the name tag pinned onto the pink apron he wore 𑁋 flashed you a hospitable grin. It was boyish, friendly with a hint of confidence, and it was the sole cause of the blush that had now dusted your cheeks. “Can I help you with anything?”

“No, it’s alright, I’m not here for anything in particular,” you responded as your eyes darted around to focus on other things within the shop. You weren’t sure how long you could last by simply staring at the attractive florist.

Perhaps Hoseok noticed, because he took a few steps backwards in order to provide you with more space. “Gotcha. Thank you for stopping by, though! We’re kind of a pass-by sort of establishment, so I’m always grateful for anyone who goes out of their way to drop by.” He bent down to pick up the Pokémon that poked at his legs, chuckling when the Eevee leaped up to perch itself on Hoseok’s broad shoulders.

You smiled but said nothing, making your way towards a few vases that contained their own unique assortments of bouquets. Floaroma town was a small town, no doubt, but you suddenly felt guilty about your lack of intentions with it. The more time you spent there, the more you came to appreciate what the land had to offer. The beauty of its landscape as well of as its inhabitants.

Turning around, you were met with the image of Hoseok peppering the Eevee with chaste kisses on the cheek as it nibbled on the berries the florist must have taken from the berry baskets behind him. Not wanting to interrupt the Trainer-Pokémon moment just yet, your focus returned to the flowers.

Each bouquet was different, a bundle of whimsical colors each unique from the other. The contrast in their combinations was somehow pleasant, much like the florist who must have put them together. “You made these bouquets?” the sudden question surprised Hoseok a bit.

“Ah! Yeah, I did,” the florist responded somewhat sheepishly. “Do you… do you like them?”

“I like…” you trailed off while nodding, realizing how you almost replaced the intended “them” with “you”. But considering how fast your heart was beginning to beat, accidentally saying “I like you” wouldn’t have been false. “I’d like to buy one,” saving the previous statement for a later time, you blurted out something else without much thought.

Hoseok’s eyes lit up in astonishment. “Really? That’s great to hear! Which one would you like?” he darted towards the bouquets, the motion more akin to skipping rather than just a simple walk.

Taking a moment to decide, you pointed to the bouquet with a good portion of your favorite colors. Hoseok lifted the bundle of flowers from their containment, wrapping them in a thin sheet of paper with a cute Pokéball design before securing it with a pink ribbon.

Ushering you towards the counter, he gently placed the bouquet on its surface before the florist gestured for his Eevee to get something. The Pokémon hopped off of his shoulders and skittered off somewhere, but you were too busy focused on the adorable little doodles of the Eevee etched into the countertop in pencil.

“That’ll be ₽250!” Hoseok declared. Just as you placed said amount of Pokédollars out on the counter, you noticed Eevee coming back with a box of berries perched on its back.

Your heart sank at the sight of the product, well aware you were unable to afford it. After all, you only had the scarce amount of prize money from the Pokémon battles you previously fought. “Um-”

“The berries are free!” Hoseok cut you off before you could utter another word. “They’re for you and your Pokémon, you must have a long way ahead of you.”

“Ah, you really don’t have to!” you attempted to refuse, but the florist was much too persistent.

“Please, I insist. We’ve got way too many of them here anyways, and eventually they’re going to rot.” Suddenly, Hoseok’s grin softened, and he averted his eyes shyly. “Besides, I want to give them to you. Oh! And something else too!”

Flustered by his generosity, you could only watch as he ducked down and rummaged through the contents of the counter below. Your blush returned the more you anticipated what else he was going to offer, but all assumptions diminished when Hoseok reemerged with a Psyduck-shaped watering can.

“Here’s another gift, from me to you! Your very own Sprayduck!” he handed the contraption to you with such enthusiasm you didn’t have the heart to decline.

“Uhm, thank you?” Observing the odd (but undeniably cute) material, you smiled awkwardly.

“Hah, I’m just kidding! That’s not what I actually wanted to give you,” the florist chuckled a bit childishly, turning around soon after. “Keep the Sprayduck, though.”

“Really Hoseok, you’re much too kind but I don’t think I can accept-” your words were cut off once Hoseok faced you again, this time with a beautiful pink flower in his palms.

“This is a Gracidea,” he explained, carefully transferring the flower to you. “It’s a flower meant to convey gratitude towards the receiver.”

“It’s beautiful,” you gasped, enraptured by the Gracidea you held before yourself.

Hoseok winked. “It’s yours.”

Looking up to face the florist once more, you shared a gaze before mirroring his wide smile. “You’re too kind Hoseok, and I’m really glad I stopped by here.”

“I’m glad you did too,” he replied. “And I really hope you come back again.”

“We’ll see,” you claimed your purchased bouquet, hesitantly taking the box of berries after Eevee nudged them towards you eagerly.

Hoseok nodded in understandment, ruffling his Pokémon’s fur playfully. “Best of luck on your journey!”

“Thanks,” nodding to both Hoseok and his Eevee, you retreated to the storefront. With one last turn you added, “Good luck with your shop!” before exiting.

Needless to say, you did intend to make Floaroma Town one of your destinations in the near future.

[the-howling-wind]

Nuzlocke Omega Ruby - Part 1

Prologue

Revenge.

My first thought every morning and my last thought every evening for the last year.

Since I was betrayed and thrown in jail.

I was a League Champion. But mine was a brief reign, my kingdom crumbled when my former associate and friend decided I didn't deserved the title. So he framed for a crime I've never committed... He forged evidence that I belonged to a local crime syndicate and they believed him. I was arrested and the League covered up the whole deal, saying that I just retired. My family disowned me. My Pokémon – my friends – were taken away from me, their fate unknown. And I heard that the bastard became Champion in my stead.

So yeah. Revenge was not only a recurring thought. It was my motivation to endure the days in prison. Day and night I imagined the moment of my vengeance. But first, I had to get out.

- - -

Chapter 1 – The Fugitive

The wheel of fate turned in my favor for once. I was being transferred to a new prison complex on a truck when something happened. I believe it was attacked by a wild Pokémon or something. It doesn't matter really. The truck got turned over and I managed to sneak out.

Free.

But I knew it was just an illusion. Once they realized I escaped, they were bound to come looking for me. And I was still shackled, both wrists and ankles. But it seemed that Lady Luck was still on my side. I was near Littleroot Town, home of Hoenn's Pokémon Professor. I moved as fast as I could, given my bounds, towards the town and I arrived near at night. Perfect. I sneaked into the lab and found one of the Professor's Pokémon: I grabbed a random Pokéball and used the creature, a Mudkip, to break my chains. After that I just put him back: taking an officially registered Pokémon like that one was like wearing an easily traceable target. But the Lab could still be useful to me: I fired up the device to print me a brand new Trainer Card to move freely and some Pokéball to catch something wild.

Why?

Because if I wanted revenge, I had to meet the Pokémon League Champion and the easier way to do that was as a challenger.

I left the small town and found myself on Route 101: catching a Pokémon without battling it wasn't easy, but not impossible, especially if it was a weak one. I decided for a Wurmple, so I caught one: Kara was her name, but I wasn't there to make friends. I continued my journey, expanding my party: I found a Zigzagoon, Chantal, but I enjoyed her company for a short time, as she died shortly after, during a wild encounter with one of her own species that critted her... Weak, she had no use to me. Kara was a bit worried about my approach, but she didn't question it.

After spending the night hiding in the woods, I resumed my journey. On Route 102 I caught Nomandla, a proud Seedot warrior that gladly joined my cause just for the amusement of fighting. There I made a peculiar encounter: a kid who was trying to catch his first Pokémon. I didn't have time for that... and yet I stopped and helped him. Maybe he remembered me my past, the excitement of starting an adventure... Or maybe it was just pity, he was a mess. Wally, the kid's name, thanked me for helping him in catching a Ralts and I left him to his own devices.

I reached Petalburg City, trying not to draw to much attention. My Trainer Card allowed me to get in the PokéCenter to heal my team and access the PC. After that I resumed my journey, but I made a startling discovery: my father had become Gym Leader there. I didn't want to meet him. He abandoned me, turned his back on me, chose to believe to the false accusations rather than his own son. I hated him. But I wasn't ready to fight him. I ran away from the city, deciding for another Gym to begin my League challenge.

- - -

Chapter 2 – The Return

On Route 104 I caught Joanna, a Wingull with a strong maternal instinct... It was something that could be used as a good motivation for her to fight, so it was a good thing. I dove into the Petalburg Woods, catching Makoto, a hard headed Taillow with a wild character to match, and quickly crossed the woods: while I was there I heard some sort of commotion, but I didn't want to get involved in pointless situations, so I didn't investigate. In the end I managed to get to Rustboro City, home of the Devon Corporation... I wasn't happy to be there, but I needed provisions and, more importantly, the Badge from the local Gym.

While traveling I always kept my ears wide open, being a fugitive and all... For that moment, no one was on his tail and I managed to gather some useful intel. It seemed that after my 'retirement', the bastard changed all the members of the League: new Gym Leaders and new Elite 4. That would explain why my father was in Petalburg, it must have been the Champion's sadistic humor. Still, it was useful to me: probably the Gym Leaders wouldn't recognize me, I'd be a normal Trainer in their eyes. Any unwanted attention.

It was a double edged weapon though: I lost my advantage from challenging again an enemy that I was already able to beat. But I was determined to see it through, so I began my preparations. I needed a wider party to begin with. On Route 116 I recruited Zoran the Nincada and after that I caught Katrine the Whismur. Kara evolved from Wurmple to Cascoon and finally to Dustox, while Nomandla became a Nuzleaf, very useful against the Gym Leader, since I discovered she was specialized in Rock Types.

I trained a bit and then I reached the Gym. Luckily, nobody noticed anything peculiar about me, so I pressed forward, easily defeating the Trainers using Nomandla. The Gym Leader was pretty young, but cocky: yet she was against a former Champion and it was time to rebuild my fallen kingdom. The battle was pretty straightforward: despite being continually slowed down by Rock Tomb, Nomandla endured, using Harden to decrease the damage and hitting hard with Razor Leaf. Roxanne's two Pokémon fell and I got my first Gym Badge.

- - -

Info & Rules

Trainer: Howling Wind

Badges: 1

Time: 4:52

Deaths: 1

Rules: 

No Starter

No Mega Evolution

Double Clause

Battle Mode Set

Team:

Kara (Dustox ♀ Lv 12 - Confusion / Gust / Poison Sting / Harden)

Kara is the first one that joined Howling Wind’s quest, but she doesn’t share her Master’s ruthlessness, his drive for revenge. And yet she stuck around: he sees him as a lost soul that needs healing and she gives her all to support him, both in battle and outside of it.

Nomandla (Nuzleaf ♀ Lv 16 - Razor Leaf / Cut / Torment / Harden)

Nomandla is a fighter, plain and simple. She trained to fight, she likes fighting and she’s good at fighting. His Master’s methods are rather straightforward and she’s okay with it, she likes the martial discipline. Give her a target and she’ll eagerly strike it down. She goes along with Howling Wind’s quest for revenge like a fire in a wood house.

Joanna (Wingull ♀ Lv 13 - Watergun / Growl / Wing Attack / Mist)

Joanna is the mom of the team: she has a strong protective instinct and she’s willing to put herself on the line to help others. This is a good counterbalance to Howling Wind’s general uncaring attitude towards his Pokémon: whenever one of them can’t find comfort from their Master, there’s Joanna for them. She resents Howling Wind, but she keeps fighting, not for him, but for his team.

Makoto (Taillow ♀ Lv 12 - Peck / Growl / Focus Energy / Quick Attack)

Makoto is a Pokémon as simple as you can get. She’s optimistic and carefree, a bit (a lot) stubborn and easygoing. She has a strong will that allows her to keep going forward no matter how hard she falls. This whole journey is just an adventure for her and maybe it’s for the best.

Katrine (Whismur ♀ Lv 11 - Pound / Echoed Voice / Astonish / Howl)

Katrine is just a small Pokémon with a big dream: she wants the world to hear her voice. She has ideas, opinions, even philosophical concept, along with a decent tongue to express them. She’s not on board on the whole revenge quest thinghy, but if her Trainer becomes Champion, she’ll have the perfect stage for her speeches.

Zoran (Nincada ♀ Lv 9 - Scratch / Sand Attack / Leech Life / Harden)

Zoran is the typical quiet type... Or at least from the outside. Her introvert attitude is the effect of a rather unquiet mind, torn between two different voices that keep echoing through her mind, a confused mess of feelings and thoughts that leave her unable to act on her own. The directions of a Trainer actually help to break her from apathy, but it doesn’t solve her situation. Only time will tell about her fate.

Pokémon Caught:

Route 101 - Kara (Wurmple ♀ Lv 2 - +Def -SpAtk)

Route 103 - Chantal (Zigzagoon ♀ Lv 2 +SpAtk -Spd)

Route 102 - Nomandla (Seedot ♀  Lv 2 +SpDef -Spd)

Route 104 - Joanna (Wingull ♀ Lv 3 Neutro)

Petalburg Woods - Makoto (Taillow ♀ Lv 5 +Atk, -SpDef)

Route 116 - Zoran (Nincada ♀ Lv 6 +Atk, - Def)

Rusturf Tunnel - Katrine (Whismur ♀ Lv 8 Neutra)

Dead Pokémon:

Chantal, Lv 2->5, Vs wild Zigzagoon (Crit)

[sage-nebula]

Tag Thing!

I was tagged by @kcgane!

RULES:

1. Always post the rules 2. Answer the questions given by the person who tagged you 3. Write 11 questions of your own 4. Tag 11 people

1.) Do you have any plushies?

I do! My main one is an arcanine plushie I got from the PokéCenter (the online PokéCenter for U.S. residents, not one of the actual PokéCenters in Japan) that I keep on my bed. She’s a representation of my arcanine in my games, who is named after my platonic soulmate, Shiloh, who was a sheltie when she was still alive.

Aside from the arcanine plush (and any awkwardness you may now feel---sorry about that), I also have a Toothless plush that I made at Build-a-Bear, as well as Classic Sonic and Classic Tails plushes that are . . . somewhere. Oh, and at work I have four kuttari cutie plushes on top of my dual monitors: a sleeping umbreon and sleeping growlithe on the left monitor, and an awake espeon and awake charmander on the other. They’re quite cute!

2.) Have you ever walked out of the cinema before?

I . . . don’t think so? Movie tickets are kind of expensive, even with a student discount, so I don’t think I would ever walk out no matter how bad the movie was. That said, there was a time when I certainly wanted to, and that was when some friends of mine and I went to go see Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s objectively a bad film. However, cannibalism makes me extremely squeamish. Like, it’s a major squick. And truth be told, I didn’t even want to go see the movie in the first place because of this. I knew it was going to squick me out. But my best friend at the time really, really, really wanted me to go, and given that I was already pretty in love with her (not that I realized this at the time, I don’t think---I’m pretty sure I was still oblivious to my own feelings), I ended up giving in. That said, I didn’t really watch the film; I tried, but I ended up putting in my headphones (I was still stupidly using earbuds at the time, so at least they were easy to hide) and playing Ace Attorney to distract myself. So while I didn’t walk out, I still pretty much ignored the movie, because I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to get through it without vomiting if I didn’t.

3.) If you could have a mascot, what would it be and why?

I . . . don’t know, actually, haha. I think people used to associate me with Shiloh because of how close we were, how much I used to talk about her and the pictures I used to share of her. And I mean, she was my platonic soulmate, so that was a totally fair (and wanted) association to make, but then again, that’s just it: she was my platonic soulmate, not my mascot. I really don’t know that I have an answer to this, though I do know that my two signature pokémon are arcanine and charizard. I know, most people only have one signature pokémon, but I can’t pick just one. I have two. It’s just who I am, Dad.

(That last line is a quote from How to Train Your Dragon, I promise I’m not just being weird.)

4.) What would your theme song be?

Haha, this is another one I don’t really have an answer to, although I won’t lie: Part of me wants to just cheat and say Alan’s leitmotif, haha. Though that said, I will say that I used to very, very heavily associate “Forbidden Friendship” with myself and Shiloh, and after she died it was a year and a half before I was able to listen to it again without breaking down. (Even now it can be hit or miss, truth be told, though since I’ve started projecting it onto one specific fic idea for Alan and Lizardon, it has gotten easier.) Aside from that, hmmm . . . “It’s Raining Somewhere Else” could work, as well as “Don’t Give Up”, which is a song that’s actually pretty important to me given the concept it encompasses.

So yeah, maybe one of those!

5.) Do you have any phrases or sayings you find yourself coming back to often?

Do you mean like verbal tics? 

I used to say “most probably” and “point blank” a lot a few years ago, though not as much anymore. I still say them sometimes, just not nearly as often, especially when it was pointed out to me how much I was using those phrases. (Once you become aware of it . . .) I think I use the word “fantastic” quite a bit whenever I find something that is, well, fantastic, and along a similar vein I started using “aces” whenever I found something cool, though I don’t know how often I use that.

My favorite word, though, is Determination, because of the concept that comes along with it. Determination . . . being determined, staying determined . . . my favorite characters tend to be Determinators because they don’t give up, they refuse to give up, even when every single odd is stacked against them and there seems to be no hope for survival. Sometimes they do die, but then they come right back because they are too determined to live to stay dead. And that’s a pretty powerful and important concept to me, because I’ve been through and faced a lot in my life, yet against all odds and expectations, here I still am. I’m still persisting. And sure, there are a lot of times when I consider quitting . . . but I haven’t yet, and whatever reasons there are for that, I think that the concept of staying determined is still a really important one. It’s important enough that I still plan to get a tattoo on each wrist to remind me of how important it is.

So yeah, Determination is something that’s pretty important to me, so that could count, too.

6.) What’s the nearest object to your right?

My cell phone!

7.) Would you rather live in the big city or out in the middle of nature?

BIG CITY. CITY, CITY, CITY. My god, nature is good to view from a distance, and I guess there are rare occasions when it can be fun to explore (on like, a hike or something), but please don’t strand me out in the middle of nowhere. It’s boring, and there are bugs everywhere, and no internet access (hence how boring it is), and just . . . ughhhhh. I’m with Pidge on this one; I am in no way suited to outdoor living.

(“But Scrawlers, you’re a Taurus---” WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY YOU SHOULD STOP STEREOTYPING US AS PLANT LOVERS, FFS.)

8.) Are you working on any creative projects right now? (fic/art/music/photography/etc)

:/

:/

You tell me.

9.) What’s your favourite movie score?

Probably predictable, but How to Train Your Dragon 2! I’m tempted to also say How to Train Your Dragon, but I think the second movie’s OST edges it out with tracks such as “Where No One Goes”, “Flying With Mother”, “Hiccup Confronts Drago”, “Stoick Saves Hiccup”, “Stoick’s Ship”, “Toothless Found”, and “Two New Alphas”. Like, the first OST has some gems as well, but John Powell really outdid himself with the second movie’s score, damn. (Well, “Where No One Goes” is Jonsi rather than Powell (though it incorporates the first movie’s leitmotif, which was Powell’s work), but still.)

10.) I say ‘Vol,’ you say . . . ?

. . . Voltron?

I can’t think of any questions, really, so anyone who wants to do something like this is free to answer these ones!

[aldreaoakley]

Kissed by the Baddest Trainer! [KBTBB Pokemon!AU]

(Based off a lot of @maidofstars’ and @catchthespade’s posts. Just a warning, I will be jumping back and forth in time. I'll denote that when it happens.)

MEETINGS OF FATE PART 1

___ sits on a bench at PokéCenter taking a deep breath. She is glad that Nurse Joy can get Minccino back into shape after dealing with that Magicarp seller. The man was trying to sell the poor thing that ___ orders her old friend to tackle the seller before using a Poké Ball to catch the flopping Magicarp in midair. The poor Pokémon is also in the PokéCenter for care from the suffering under the Magicarp seller. ___ keeps giving the little light above the door occasional glances but it hasn't turned off since she assured Minccino everything will be alright after she gets taken care of. Then a soft ding sounds and ___ springs to her feet the same time the door slides open. "Your Pokémon are all healed," Nurse Joy smiles at ___ while her. Nurse Joy's Chansey appears behind her pushing a cart with Magicarp's Poké Ball and Minccino riding it. "Hey~" ___ laughs as Minccino launches at her with a tackle hug. "For a wild Pokémon your Minccino is most certainly a lively one, even injured," Nurse Joy smiles. "I had to use a Soothe Bell to calm her." "Huh?! My Minccino is a she," ___ cries out. Nurse Joy nods. "I'd thought she was a male due to how she fought back from wanting care and wanting to be with you but the behaviors didn't match up," Nurse Joy explains. "It's not uncommon for trainers and their Pokémon to be the same gender. It's something that isn't noticed until during battle." "May I call Professor Foster," ___ wonders as Mincino settles herself on a shoulder. With a nod and some directions from Nurse Joy, ___ moves to the phone while remembering what happened when she first met him. ~Two Weeks Ago~ "Um... Professor Foster," ___ calls out and looking around. "I came here for my starter Pokémon." A loud cry of pain accompanying a couple of Pokémon shouts. ___ tilts her head as a tired and rumple coat man gets pushed out of a door. He turns to look at her and she realizes who it is as a Marowak runs out after him. "Professor Foster," ___ exclaims. "Yes? What are you here for," the professor sighs as he gets up with Marowak assisting him. "I'm going to start my journey as a Pokémon trainer and I'd like a starter Pokémon," she requests. Despite how the professor stumbles towards her, she notices that he's studying her in a funny manner. "Hm... that won't be necessary," Professor Foster muses while looking at her shoulder. ___ moves her head to see where his eyes are when she sees her old friend. Minccino. Then she did a double take. Minccino normally is at home or occasionally joins her on shopping trips, making many people think that it is her Pokémon. "Mincci," it smiles at her. "How'd you get here," ___ whispers in shock. "Is this Minccino your's," Luke asks. "It's a wild one yet so familiar with you... But you don't have a Poké Ball for it..." "Uh... this one is actually more of a close friend if anything," ___ admits. "My parents nor I don't ever use Poké Balls for them because they don't mean us any harm." She watches Professor Foster before he suddenly reaches for Minccino and attempts to remove it. "min-CCI," the little Pokémon protests with a scratch attack. She wasn't expecting that but then she didn't know attached her friend is to her. "I'm sorry Professor Foster," ___ apologizes. "No need to worry," Professor Foster chuckles. "I'm only gauging its reaction if it can easily be separated from you. That isn't the case here. So I have an offer." ___ listens as Professor Foster explains it. His offer is where he'll provide her with five Poké Balls at a time to catch other Pokémon with Minccino as her starter. ___ agrees with a smile and giggles as Minccino's fluffy tail tickles her neck. "And before you go, take this as well," Professor Foster adds in while holding out a Pokédex. "This will help you if you see any Pokémon you don't know." ___ nods as she tucks the device into her backpack. "Also... this," Professor Foster sighs while holding something out to her. "What is this," ___ wonders as Minccino wonders down her arm enough to sniff it. "A Pokémon egg. Take good care of it," he replies. "If you take excellent care of it, you'll have a wonderful Pokémon as a teammate." ~Present~ "Hello," croaks Professor Foster. "I'm sorry," ___ apologizes to the man even though he's on the other side of a screen. "Did I wake you?" "No... just got a cough *cough cough* but I'll be alright after Chansey uses Healing Bell and Audino with Healing Echo," he coughs. "How *cough* How can I help you today?" "Chansey," she hears one of his Pokémon scold him. "Uh... I can call back later," ___ suggests. "No *cough*. It's okay," Professor Foster assures her. "Okay.... um... how can I know what attacks my Pokémon can use," ___ asks after a short pause. ___ listens as he explains how to use the Pokédex for that function and if she'd seen any fossils. ___ tells him she hasn't but promises to send him any if she does. ~*~ Eisuke sighs as he opens a secret door in his room. He looks in and gets a happy tackle and kisses from Ninetails. He hugs the Pokémon back before showing him a new squeak toy. Ninetails' tails wag while crouching and Eisuke chuckles at the scene. It was almost like when they first met while he was in England. ~Nineteen Years Ago~ Eisuke is sitting by himself in the school's courtyard frowning. He can't bring out his Meowth without him being taken away by the dorm prefect as punishment. It is a rule not to use personal Pokémon to attack or battle the wild Pokémon on the school grounds for entertainment. So all Eisuke can do is fiddle with a cheap toy from a store in his hands. "Vul?" He jerk his head up at the sound. He wasn't sure if he heard right. He know Vulpix are common in Japan because of their nature but in England... "Vul?" "Woah," he yells and tumbles off in a manner not fitting as the heir of the Ichinomiya Corporation. "Vulpix?" Eisuke looks up from his sprawled position on the ground to see that there is a Vulpix looking back at him. Eisuke cannot help but feel confusion. Normally all Pokémon, save his Meowth, are scared of him. The rest of his own team were personally hand-picked by him with a servant catching them for him. He still has a painful memory of almost being struck by a Combee's Psybeam attack. "Vul?" "I guess you aren't scared of me," Eisuke sighs as he uprights himself. "Now go away!" The Vulpix didn't. It stares at the toy he was fiddling with earlier. Eisuke notices it and holds it up. The Vulpix's tails wag as it crouches. Eisuke throws it and the little fox-like Pokémon chases it. Eisuke was about to walk off when the Vulpix tackles him while holding the toy in its mouth. ~Present~ Eisuke laughs as the Ninetails brings the toy back to him. "Good boy," he cheers and takes the toy off the ground. "Again?" Ninetails crouches and Eisuke throws it again. It last for about an hour before Eisuke had to reluctantly leave his secret friend. "I'll be back before it's time to sleep," he promises. Ninetails nuzzles him then pads off to eat his meal that a servant brought in. As Eisuke steps out, he had to wonder when he'll be able to bring Ninetails out of hiding. Persian is his main Pokémon no matter what but in terms of friends, Ninetails was his confidant when Soryu or Luke wasn't there to talk when he was still a Vulpix. ~*~ Soryu walks down the road to Luke's lab. He wonders how long has it been since he'd seen him. He remembers that Luke had left the boarding school where they went with Eisuke as boys after a situation and hadn't heard from him until that day. "That was really something," Soryu mutters while tapping his Poké Balls with a gentle finger. "Eisuke nor I would expect to run into you that way Luke-senpai." It was a regular secret meeting between himself and Eisuke about the Pokémon hunters and poachers until Eisuke hit a bit of a planner's block. ~Eleven Years Ago~ Soryu frowns at the map in front of him. Team KōriRyu had to change tactics upon hearing about Pokémon poachers and hunters. He finds Eisuke and the two pool their resources in making the best effort in stopping them. Both men aren't amoral but they do have values and standards they hold themselves up to. To them, Pokémon are like people. They have every right to be able to choose of their own free will, but not everyone has that same view. Neither of them are happy with it. "Damn it," he hears Eisuke cuss and looks up at him from the map. His childhood friend faces a huge planning board buried by papers and writings. But the one that he can tell Eisuke is looking at is giving him frustration. He is looking at something that had several messy scrawls on it that belong to only researchers and scientists at Ichinomiya Corporation. "Why can't they agree on something that can easily work," Eisuke mutters with a frowning tone. "Those damned people..." "There has to be something that can easily offset them. Knock their aim off," Soryu mused as he looks back down at the map. The map shows the locations in the news, through rumors and from observers of various types where they saw or heard poachers. Not a pretty sight, especially when your team is bent on creating a new pseudo-legendary Pokémon to help with creating a better world. Which is what Soryu has to wonder because he frowns upon what his father and grandfather struggle with on using wild Pokémon as test subjects as capturing or forcing a legendary Pokémon into listening to a human can only mean your funeral. That was something that Soryu isn't planning on. And lately he's been working on a more humane way of doing it with a lot of crash and burns piling upon failures upon failures. He sees Eisuke tapping something on his Pokétch and he hears a door open. "About time Luke... and why is your Chansey pushing you in here," he sees Eisuke scowl in the dire- "Luke-senpai," he yelps and turns to see that Luke is indeed being pushed in by his Chansey with a worried Marowak behind them. ~Present~ "I can't believe that Eisuke finally settled on a bola net for humans," Soryu grumbles. "Better than that stun gun idea... Good Lord... that would be a real pain for carrying..." He knocks the door and it opens to show Luke's Audino and Jigglypuff. He watches as Audino alerts Luke of his arrival while Jigglypuff opens the door wider to let him in. While he is grateful for Eisuke letting him eat his green peas, Soryu has to admit that he still has to sometimes duck under some doorways to get in. Thankfully Luke's doorway is tall enough. He sits himself down as Chansey pushes a tea trolley in with Luke behind her. "Soryu," Luke greets. "Luke-senpai," he nods back. The two men talk about the Pokémon that Soryu's been recently recovering from poachers and how to take care of them, all while not touching the subject of Pokémon breeding. ~*~ Shuichi puts another notebook away before calling Hikaru. He found something of interest that would help Dodrio bond better with him. As the phone rings, he looks at his hobby. Being a connoisseur means you know your Pokémon but Shuichi has been doing this since he was little when he can't think on his schoolwork. Breeding Pokémon isn't easy work and neither is predicting their hatching. He does have to wonder how the Togepi egg he handed to Professor Foster is doing. That one was not doing well in terms of health that he had to find him and ask for help. He understands that the professor wasn't a breeder but his PokéCenter/lab/home is the only one that can provide the tools better than a typical PokéCenter. Little does he know about who the egg is with now. ~*~ ___ carefully wraps the egg in a blanket before going to sleep at the PokéCenter before the next city on her list. Minccino sniffs it again that ___ giggles. She and Minccino hardly see Pokémon eggs so this is an exciting thing for her. She's glad that Nurse Joy told her that she only has a few more weeks until it hatches. She can't wait to see what it is.

Author's Note: I realize that this is gonna be super long if I piled everyone together. I don't know how many parts "Meetings of Fate" will have but I'll let the titles change to let everyone know when I reach it. I'll be mixing the anime and game together. If anyone has seen the conversations between @maidofstars and @catchthespade, their posts have more content from the games than the anime. I've not played any of the games but watched a certain amount of the anime. I'll be clashing and mixing both in a way that will work. I'm going to refer to catchthespade's pick of Shuichi being an Ace Trainer as an example. @maidofstars explained what one is but I found the concept of connoisseur more applicable due to not only how perceptive he is but also his mix of kindness and sternness. If anyone were to notice, I made him have he side hobby of breeding Pokémon as my only reference to the posts. That's only because I can only glean so much from them.

I also used some of a conversation between me and @maidofstars regarding the Vulpix.

and please pardon that i mix my british english with my american english... i am an american (currently not that proud of) but i do know a lot of british words.