#this is a pokémon i have a hard time caring about outside of its involvement as the leader of the electrike in amp plains

[front-facing-pokemon]

[havetheavengersdoneanythingwrong]

An Aside — The Professor’s Report

[It seems someone has contacted me. I couldn’t verify their location — but even if I could, I don’t think I can move from this house roof without getting myself stuck in a wall.]

[I suppose the appearance of ♀ . where it shouldn’t belong is worrying enough to begin an analysis. It has evolved to modern times, as the others have.]

[Dear Donator B, I have outlined how to care for this being you have found — and what it can do. I hope you may find use in this.]

—

♀ ., the 4 h Pokemon, is a resident of what I’ve lovingly nicknamed the Dokokashira Region.

It’s more than a little difficult to get your hands on for a variety of reasons, the least of which being that encountering one in Kanto tends to mean your demise. Reality appears to dislike this one more than most — unlike MissingNo, it lacks the ability to ‘maintain’ itself naturally, and thus must take prey with which to validate its existence by cementing itself in the victim’s mind.

In Dokokashira, however, it is far more open to regular human contact. Furthermore, so long as you are in an area of this region where its [deverification] moves are rendered moot, it is perfectly safe to understand and learn of.

I have discovered that it functions as a bit of a mixed bruiser. It carries decent physical strength, as well as decent physical bulk, likely due to its immense size and weight. It is more weak to magical or Special attacks, however.

Its ability is one that most Dokokashira natives share — that being Rule Breaker. This Ability is omnipresent, and due to this, no other Abilities exist for this creature — however, it serves as the only explanation I have for this being’s effects.

Rule Breaker can generally be one of three things.

>Level: The weakest type of the three. It simply breaks the level cap, allowing a unit with it to grow stronger than even the strongest ‘real’ beings out there.

>Power: The middle type. Alongside the strength cap being broken, it also appears to have a special ability unique to itself, whether helpful or harmful. They can often impact fights, steering a battle hard in a certain direction.

>World: The top type. These beings appear to directly alter the world around them, having a ‘Power’ far stronger than even others of their kin. Their strengths don’t just impact the immediate fight — but they also impact everything around them, as well, resulting in catastrophic damage. Generally, there is no way to control one of these — in fact, even seeing one may often result in one’s demise.

♀ .’s variant of Rule Breaker involves its voice — and it’s been ruled by myself as a ‘Power’ variant. It appears, at the start of battle, it inflicts a Medusa-esque ‘lock’ on its opponents with its rampant screams and song — so far as I know, done with the intent to verify its existence in reality before a fight begins. It also does appear to alter the world around it temporarily, turning one’s surroundings pitch black — however, this doesn’t appear to be permanent.

In terms of its moveset, it tends to learn mostly normal attacks — with the exception of two that need to be discussed.

Called the ‘Cooltrainer’ move due to how computers have difficulty reading its name, it’s believed to be the ‘lack’ of a move given form. It appears to be a weak physical attack, but witnessing the attack itself tends to inflict irreversible mental trauma on the witness without preparations taken beforehand. Furthermore, comprehending its name is extremely dangerous in certain scenarios.

The second, referred to by previous researchers as ‘Super Glitch,’ is best described as ‘undescribable.’ Its abilities vary drastically, and it doesn’t appear to have a solid ‘effect.’ Merely thinking about using it can do incredible amounts of mental damage to anyone nearby — however, the effects appear to vary based on your location.

It is often weaponized by wild Dokokashiran fauna alongside careless trainers to guarantee a victory, due to a curiously consistent effect upon its opponent if you check up on a ‘real’ creature before comprehending the move — it tends to freeze and burn your target opponent simultaneously, resulting in your opponent’s demise. However, this will almost assuredly shatter one’s mind as well on use.

Neutralizing these effects requires a bush to be northeast of your location — within eyeshot. The further northeast it is, the less the effect will occur. Once you’ve done this, you will be able to handle ♀ .’s abilities and skills with no harm done to yourself. Furthermore, its song does not appear to effect its Trainer.

Having a ♀ . as your starter is a… curious decision, Donator B. However, regardless of where you are, you will be safe so long as the proper precautions are taken to ensure your safety.

With the brunt of this report finished, I will now go over their raw abilities as my computer dictates them.

—

♀ . (Level 100)

Normal/Normal

Ability: Rule Breaker <Power> (If fought outside of Dokokashira, has a high chance of preventing the opponent from fighting when it lets out its cry, until it has finished. This could go anywhere from 10 minutes to whenever ♀ . is withdrawn.) Cannot hold an item, or be affected by buffs from other Pokémon (Baton Pass, Decorate, etc.).

BST

HP- 134

ATK- 139

DEF- 132

Sp.A - 80

Sp.D - 80

SPE - 145

Moveset <Lv. 100, assuming ‘derealization’ moves intact>

- — (13 PP, ‘cooltrainer’ move)

- [Super Glitch]

- [TM50]

- [TM02]

Nature: [N/A]

[kreactionsentertainment]

Pokemon x Exo pt. 2: Beginning of the Journey

Admin Note: I would like to reiterate that both main characters are over 20 in this story.

Disclaimer: I don’t own pokemon, exo, nct’s Haechan, or the boys in general. This is for fictional and creative fun.

Tags: Pokemon, Exo, Reader insert

Placing a gentle hand on the right-hand side. The ball seemed to shiver at your touch as if frightened by the sudden pressure. Carefully picking up the ball in your hands, you looked up at the Professor with a smile. The Professor nodded without saying a word, whereas Donghyuck picked up the most energetic ball in his hands. His grin rivaled a thousand suns as he called for Scorbunny to leave it’s pokéball. Scorbunny leapt from the ball and hopped over to Donghyuck. You looked down at the ball in your hands and sat down on the ground.

“You don’t have to rush; I know this is happening so suddenly. You can take your time; I know we will be great friends in the future,” You spoke softly to the Sobble inside it’s pokéball.

“Y/N ah, why won’t your Sobble come out,” Donghyuck complained as he can his Scorbunny chased each other around the room.

“This is a big change for the little guy, Sobble needs time to adjust to this change. After all, he didn’t ask for this. I will not force him if he is not ready to meet me,” You explained as you held the ball in your hands.

“Y/N hurry and become friends with Sobble, Scorbunny and I want to battle,” Donghyuck sighed as him and Scorbunny settled down.

“Battling is not always a priority. Anyone can see that you and Scorbunny have an instant connection. However, some partnerships need time to develop to their fullest potential,” You explained as you put your pokéball gently in your bag.

“Do you two know where you want your journey to go?” The Professor leaned against her desk as Grookey hopped up on to her shoulder.

“I’m not sure where this journey will take me,” You answered after a moment.

“I want to challenge the nine brothers!” Donghyuck jumped up and posed for the security camera in the corner of the room.

“Ah yes Donghyuck, you’re very ambitious. The nine brothers are all very talented in their art,” The Professor nodded with a smile.

“Can you tell us more about the nine brothers?” Donghyuck asked excitedly.

“I suppose I can, you will need some information about the Nine before you run into them on your journey,” The Professor and Grookey walked behind her desk to a black bookshelf and picked up a small, framed photo.

“I’ve known those kids since they were young and ambitious, Donghyuck reminds me of the younger brothers while you remind me of the older brothers,” The Professor chuckled as she handed you the framed photo. Twelve people smiled in a field surrounded by different types of pokémon.

“The three adults in the photo are me and their adoptive parents. The three of us were friends in school, quite close. We were all very interested in the scientific side of pokémon. Unfortunately, their parents passed after an accident involving the research of the Dynamax evolutions of the Galar region. Since then, I worked hard to give those boys every opportunity I could, eventually I was given the professor title alongside Aciano. Just when I thought things were coming together, Aciano was caught doing horrible experiments to innocent people and pokémon,” The professor looked away from the small, framed photo to look at the Grookey on her shoulder.

“That’s so sad,” You mumbled as Donghyuck came over to look at the photo with you.

“Indeed it is, yet the boys proved to push through their difficult beginning. Look at them now, they have no doubt made their parents proud,” The Professor smiled again.

“The Photo is foreshadowing who they have become in the future. Starting off on the left side Sehun, Chanyeol, and Junmyeon will be the first gyms in your journey. Sehun has an infinite connection to Grass type pokémon. The only pokémon I know that will be on his team for sure is Leafeon,” The Professor explains as Grookey climbs down to inspect the photo.

“Right! The Nine as considered to be the best of the best, rumor has it that each of them has their own eevee. Although from what you have said I’m assuming this isn’t a rumor?” Donghyuck asked as he looked up to the professor.

“You are correct, Donghyuck. It’s not a rumor, each of the nine has an eevee that they had since they were young. Each of them has a different connection to the special type pokémon, their eevee’s have evolved according to their connection with their trainer,” Something about this statement doesn’t make sense. If this were true, why would Baekhyun be the leader of a dragon type gym rather than a normal type gym?

“So therefore, Junmyeon will have a vaporeon and Chanyeol will have a flareon,” The Professor stopped talking as something about your atmosphere interrupted her.

“Your explanation doesn’t make sense with the Champion,” You looked up from Baekhyun’s smiling face to face the professor. She smiled and nodded, thinking for a moment.

“Baekhyun has always had a special connection to the sky. His connection to dragon type pokémon is something I’ve never seen before. The only connections more important to him than his dragon type pokémon is to his partner pokémon and to his brothers. He’s always known that his eevee would never naturally be a dragon type, until the emergence of the Star Stone. Although it never stopped him from being a great trainer to his eevee,” The Professor defended the Champion.

“How about I take you two to the pokémart down the road? You’ll need some items for your journey from now on,” The Professor stood up and the Grookey quickly climbed up to her shoulder again. You and Donghyuck stood up, you gently placed the photo on the professor’s desk and followed her out of the Research Center.

“Professor, the Nine are older than us, right? Yet, you are older than them? You don’t look as old as what you’re saying,” Donghyuck rambled slightly as the three of your walked down the street to the pokémart.

“I’ll take that as a compliment, Donghyuck. I am quite old, although I still feel young,” The Professor chuckled softly. The doors of the pokémart opened up quickly.

“Now go gather some items for yourselves, I will take care of the bill this time,” The Professor pointed to the three different areas of the pokémart. You knew from stories that the woman straight ahead can heal a team of pokémon no matter their state after a battle. The blue area to your right is where you can buy potions of different types and some pokéballs to add to your bag. You weren’t quite sure what the area to your left is, but you figured you would find out sooner than later. You walked over to the blue area and picked out two dozen pokéballs and two dozen potions.

“Thank you for shopping with us, the bill has already been taken care of!” The two men behind the counter nodded their thanks and began speaking with the next customer as you took your items and put them in your bag. A small pressure on your shoulder grabbed your attention. Sobble snuck out of his ball and he crawled up to your shoulder.

“Ah hello! I’m so happy to see you’ve come out. Do you want to meet Donghyuck and Scorbunny?” You asked the little Sobble. The Sobble seemed to shake a little bit, but it made its way to your bag and made a little home for itself outside of its pokéball. You smiled and made your way to meet up with the others outside of the pokémart.

“If you continue on this path, you will reach Route 1 and 2. The first city you will reach is Zinnia City. The tall grass is where most wild pokémon will hide, try and make a small team before you challenge Sehun’s gym,” The Professor advises you both.

“Alright, but before we go anywhere, I challenge you Y/N!” Donghyuck is going to get his challenge before the two of you begin your journey.

[pokeverse-amethyst]

Sooooo… this is gonna be a long one, strap in. What follows is a metric ton of HCs about every single evil team and how they have worked themselves into every aspect of daily life, as to make them way more difficult to get rid off than just with a couple of arrests. Timeline wonkiness when trying to explain what likely happened first is to be expected, I’m playing fast and loose with all of this stuff. I might be way off topic in some regards but HECK HERE GOES. ~~~

TEAM ROCKET: This is pretty much of a no-brainer. What we have here is a classical mafia structure, and you just need to look at countries with extensive mafia presence to know that they are baked into every single fucking thing. Giovanni has worked years upon years to cement himself straight into Kanto and Johto, consequently making it impossible for any of the other teams to even THINK about gaining a foothold there. No further explanations necessary. ~~~ TEAM AQUA / TEAM MAGMA: This one is a bit of a more difficult one. But then again, let’s presume that most of the teams recruit a mixture of people who fully believe in the team’s message, who misunderstand the team’s message, and who see themselves in the team, but not necessarily in the message (so just looking for somewhere to belong and to gain some kind of direction). Oh, and monetary gain. Can’t forget that. So in the case of both Aqua and Magma? I like to believe it started out with Maxie and Archie working together on a plan to give nature back to Pokémon. Like, with trying to get more protected zones established, kinda like Fiore has them? But they were hitting resistance too often. Now I’m not saying that they were on the wrong track from the start or developed into what is basically eco-terrorists, but… they probably saw way too much bad shit happening to Pokémon around them. Maybe they heard what Team Rocket was doing to Pokémon in Johto and Kanto. Maybe they heard rumors about what Cyrus nearly accomplished, what Lysandre almost triggered, what Ghetsis managed to fuck up with his whole power play madness (TWICE, too!), what the Aether foundation might have had triggered if not for the intervention of a Legendary, what Rose made possible in the GALAR REGION of all places… Suffice to say, they probably felt like they needed to seriously up their game… to make sure that the other teams didn’t fuck up the world beyond repair before THEY could make the world a better place. The only thing that finally broke Archie and Maxie up though, was an inability to settle on what would be better. More landmass, more sea? What would be the gentler way of resetting humanity? Suffice to say, their vision might have attracted way too many who nudged them along. So TLDR: Archie and Maxie mostly reacted to what the other Team Bosses were doing and were helped along by Grunts/Admins that were way too into the whole “we will be the only humans deserving this new, shiny world”. They were numerous enough and determined enough to turn into a slightly terroristic group, but until the ultimate use of Kyogre/Groudon, they never really registered that much on Interpol’s radar. And when Interpol learned of them stealing a whole ass sub? It was already too late stopping them in their tracks in time. After all, Interpol had all the other regions to monitor as well… ~~~ TEAM GALACTIC: So. Charon doesn’t need much of a head canon fuckery. He just did it for the money, that much he stated openly. And Jupiter, Mars and Saturn? They all admitted openly to being along for the ride because they believed in Cyrus and the world being fucked up beyond repair, thus needing a good ol’ divine intervention from the whole-ass creation trio. But I don’t think any single one of them fully understood what Cyrus’s goal was. The commanders (that are not Charon) squarely fall into the category of “misunderstanding the ultimate purpose of the team”, as do all the Grunts. And as mentioned above with Team Aqua and Magma, Galactic probably saw some of the stuff that was happening around them and ultimately decided (and this is mostly for the Grunts and the Commanders) that Cyrus probably wasn’t so far off with the human spirit being incomplete. But they made one crucial mistake (pretty much the whole team, even Charon). They thought that Cyrus’s assertion over the incomplete nature of the human spirit was a reason for the man to believe in a world that should be made whole, not in wiping the whole fucking slate clean and going Tabula Rasa on the whole of creation. Much to the annoyance of everyone involved (and with that I mean the Creation Trio and the big boss of them), he actually went far enough to step on everything just to gain the power to control the legendaries. Also, time to unearth an already yoinked HC of mine that Giratina mostly retreated into the Distortion World to get some good alone time in, only to be disrupted by Cyrus bursting in. On that point also: time not really working all that clearly in the Distortion World. Kinda like Narnia rules, in as there is no fixed constant for time moving forward in either one or the other extreme. Sometimes, time will move forward extremely fast, other times, you spend years and years in the Distortion World and only a few seconds passed. After all, everything gets a bit… wobbly in there. But around the time Cyrus entered, Distortion World time became… more orderly. And that was what prompted Giratina to go VERY UNAMUSED ON HIS ASS. Think of it as time being influenced by what is thrown into the Distortion World. BACK to the Team, though. Galactic honest to Arceus believed that what they were doing would give the world a much needed boost… and were unpleasantly surprised when they were later on all shown that Cyrus wanted to go destruction and rebirth on the world. But that is not to say everyone was unhappy about this revelation. ~~~ TEAM PLASMA & NEO PLASMA: What easier time to convince disparate beliefs than with the apparent reason that they were just helping Pokémon that would have been unhappy in the care of their trainers? Wether the Grunts believed that the Pokémon should then consequently be released back into the wild or that they THEMSELVES deserved the Pokémon way more than others? What easier way to convince them of Plasma’s ideals? And there was no real discussion amongst the Grunts over this dichotomy. Sure, a few were disputing the one or the other stance, but most were still agreeing that the trainers they took the Pokémon from did NOT deserve them. No matter how pure their reasoning was. No matter how reality really looked like. Sure, they were removing Pokémon from some really nasty trainers? But on the greater scale of things, they mostly took Pokémon from trainers who they loved being with. And Ghetsis had his thumb on this a lot. See, Ghetsis didn’t want N to sway too much, before he finally met the protagonist. So Ghetsis made sure that only obviously abused Pokémon removed from trainers were brought to N. …why, no, this doesn’t mean at all that they were usually just from the outside. Ya think Ghetsis only had his main team? Dream on. ~~~ TEAM FLARE: What is there to say about Team Flare? They are basically a mix of the worst of the self-viewed elite of the region. There is entitlement to being viewed as the best of the best (and you can’t tell ‘em otherwise), there is doomsday fans who would do the whole shit with bunkering down and then fighting in an apocalyptic wasteland and fancying themselves new leaders in that changed world, there’s the ones who just think they will be able to surpass even Lysandre… What about the Admins of Flare? They half share Lysandre’s views of beauty. But mostly, they are in too deep to quit, and also half about relishing the fact that they get to work on something truly unique and devastating. They want this whole power thing to work out for them because some time in their lives, they might have felt like they were owed power and didn’t receive it. They were owed recognition and didn’t receive it. They want to be the new top of Kalos without working TOO hard for it. Without anything laying rocks in their path. Without any obstacles telling them that, no. They fucked up. ~~~ AETHER FOUNDATION: The moment Lusamine found out about the Ultra Dimension, she ostensibly was lost to her goal of getting her hands on the power to change the face of the world. And to preserve beauty. In many ways, her goal was similar to Lysandre… to a degree. The Aether Foundation is half staffed by people who truly believe that conservation work is the most important factor in the Pokémon World, to preserve some of the more endangered species around the world, and half staffed by people who truly believe that the Ultra Dimension holds answers to problems humanity might not even have recognized as such. This latter half was unpleasantly surprised when they started to learn the truth from the Ultra Dimension researchers. Finding out that Necrozma had destroyed the natural light of that world and was now the only source of more light for the city? That was a shock. But that didn’t necessarily mean that the Aether Foundation would have been broken up by that. Because honestly? The part of the conservation enthusiasts who were not deterred by the Ultra Dimension incident made the Foundation bloom beyond what it was possible to become. So in short: this foundation survived its leader far better than many others, and actually managed to get accepted. ~~~ MACRO COSMOS: This is the team that shocked their region with just how far their influence had gone. And that is to say that they existed at all, right under the noses of the region. Rose’s whole deal is a big part why Leon would later be plunged into a crisis of conscience, despite everyone assuring him that he had no way of knowing just how far Rose was willing to go to show the region how wrong it was to not immediately acquiesce to all that he envisioned for the future. The mere fact Rose was UNWILLING to wait what would at most have been half a day for Leon, to celebrate with the others after another big Champion Tournament? That was what sat so ill with many in the region. It wasn’t so much the message that Rose felt everyone had missed (that was actually just his version of events - most of the Macro Cosmos Grunts were attached to him solely for the reason of having privileges that none other had, and when they saw how he was acting, only the most dedicated few could ignore what was going on). So we are dealing with another team that was shocked how far the leader would go, but even more so than the Aether Foundation, the members scattered when Rose enacted the Darkest Day right out of nowhere. There is still worries that remains of Macro Cosmos could be out there, trying to bust Oleana and Rose out of prison and actually finding another way with which to scare Galar into complicity. How well that would even go is a whole different question… because the new champ is even stronger than Leon, and THAT is real fucking bad news for anyone who would want to establish themselves.

[prof-peach]

This might be similar to a question asked before, but what do you think is a good pokemon for someone with depression and anxiety? Sometimes it's hard to get up and face the world - what do you think would be a good companion in everyday life?

I really do understand this issue, having both myself, but take all advice with a pinch of salt. Not everything works the same for everyone, and that’s perfectly fine, trial and error is a huge part of recovery, working out what’s right for you and how to negotaiate with yourself to do things you want or need to do. It’s tough, and I wish you luck on the journey.

Now everyone’s different, we all like what we like and there’s not much we can do about that, appart from embrace it. You need to find a partner that does things you enjoy to do as well, that is endearing and loyal, and this means it could technically be anything, so long as you and that Pokémon get along well. A lot of recovery for me was found in joy from Pokémon companions. Their growth and love gave me meaning, I could look at the day and think ‘ok, I feel miserable, I don’t want to get out of bed...but the seedling oddish I planted will need watering. If I don’t do it they might be thirsty, so I guess I have to get up.’ You can begin to do things a little easier because it has purpose outside of yourself. You do things for others because you love them, and they love you in return, Pokémon have an extremely good ability to form bonds with humans. You simply need a species that fits your lifestyle best. 

If you have limited space of course choose something small, a sunkern is incredibly rewarding, jolly and gives off a gentle fresh smell that is proven to improve moods. You could pick a growlithe if you feel you’d like to do more walking, or perhaps a Lillipup, both very sweet and loving partners. Maybe a water type, Corpish or Buiezel make good partners for those who want to do more swimming (which is suppose to be good for depression too, bonus). If you just like to stay at home a lot and read or do whatever, perhaps a Munchlax or slowpoke could be a good match. Both love to nap and chow down, and often are known to help those who struggle to remember to eat in the day, as they work like clockwork for meal times. I know I for one would always forget to eat for like hours on end, and it helped to have a buddy around who needed feeding, so I would remember to eat anything at all that day. 

There is also the Pokémon who are generally good at relieving symptoms of depression and anxiety. Psychic types in general are excellent at learning how to regulate brain activity for their trainers. It does take time if caught from the wild, but there are plenty of professors who train and give these Pokémon out at a low enough level for anyone to take them on. Their training is tailored to the individual Pokémon, and they are chosen from hundreds of young Pokémon hatched and grown for breeding programs, for their aptitude with their skills and willingness to be with humans. Those who do not want to be on the program are returned to the wild with their friends and family. 

Species who would do this well include Natu, Solosis, Espeon, and Chimecho, but of course many others would be suitable. Ones to avoid would be Abra, Eglyem, and Wobbuffet, due to limited abilities or occasionally unsafe skills/techniques used by the Pokémon. 

Alternatively you have grass types who can use scent to calm the mind and body, making things just generally a lot easier and pleasant. Chikorita comes to mind straight away, these Pokémon are always good fun, can use vines to perform tasks and help you with the jobs that you struggle to get done, like maybe sweeping the kitchen, or putting a dish by the sink to help. They produce soothing scents, a few in fact, that can do various things to both humans and Pokémon. One is an energising smell, tangy, zesty, fresh and bright, its proven to give you more stamina to do things, you feel more up beat. This helps a lot in the mornings especially, and after intense social situations when your energy tanks from any panic or nervousness about it all. They can pep you up just enough to get home or through the rest of the day. Another scent is calming, floral and delicate. It soothes your mind, you can sleep better, calm down faster from panic or stress, and maintain focus on tasks better. There are more, they make scents to express feelings to others normally, so take note of them all should you choose a chikorita. They just are really neat. Others who do this include Roselia, Cherrim, Sunflora, and Bellossom. The draw back with grass types is they require care that could be new to some trainers. In winter they may decide to root in for a week or more, depending on their size, health and age, becoming dormant and docile while they soak up nutrition for the coming year. Some species need this all year round, such as Tropius, and Lilligant. If you have limited space, a balcony or just pots indoors, choose a smaller species and invest in an everstone for the time being. You may need to perform routine care for them, much like any Pokémon, that involves gardening skills. It’s not difficult but can be daunting, so some choose not to use grass types for this reason. Also consider allergies, pollen can be released by many species and you don’t want to get a Pokémon you’re unable to be around haha. I would avoid lilligant and lurantis as options, they can be testing to work with even for experienced trainers. 

There is of course also Shuppet my die hard, sure fire way to beat the blues down to just a small heap in the corner for a while. These Pokémon eat up all the negative feelings your body is producing, just the energy behind it. You get sad, they come along, yum yum, eat that sadness right up, and hey presto you can get past the sadness. You almost like acknowledge it and it goes away. Very useful. This works for envy, anger, anxiety, sadness, and jealousy especially well. I kind of always suggest people pair a Shuppet up with a more active Pokémon should they need to. When you get a partner, especially ones who are supporting you, they also need time off. Having two on rotation, so that one can take breaks while the other helps you, means everyone’s not working too hard, and becoming stressed. 

You must evaluate where you feel you struggle the most, and pick a partner that can be there for you at that point. If you’re struggling to get up and face the world, then I think the most important factor is you need a friend. A Pokémon who wants to be with you, who likes to hang with you and play games, even indoor ones. I do hope this helps you pick the perfect buddies, you are wonderful and need to know it, and boy do Pokémon show love by the bucket full. Good luck out there.

[bard-of-worlds]

Acullay this is a day late and it’s chapter 13, sorry all.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Bonnie laughed as she ran ahead towards the café, Serena following behind her as Lilith and Nimue followed behind them.  Lilith looked over her shoulder for a second before she followed her…friends into the café. If I was home I would be with my cousin or her trying to get away from that rich idiot waiting for a new mission or finding a Quest to do!  But here I’m just out with friends and I don’t have a care beyond hoping those Bug users don’t come and make trouble!  I have a sample to send home from Ash[At least I think it’s from Ash] so a few days off to fix my cover and then the worry.

 “Come on Lilly, you don’t want to be left behind do you?”  Nimue’s voice caused Lilith to look up and saw Nimue and Serena standing by the door waiting for her.   She shook her head and sent a smile towards them.

 “Coming girls, just give me a second.”  She called out as she moved towards them.  Above them a cloaked figure with two glowing eyes watched from on high.

 “Taicho, how should we precede from here?”  A voice behind it caused it to turn saw another cloaked figure.  The first only looked at it for a few seconds before it turned back towards the girls.

 “If he’s involved with one of those girls then when we take them we have to be fast.  I’ve already instructed two of ours to get all evidence of our origins out of that place.  He will most likely attack and destroy them utterly.   All that matters is that we receive the data on the facility holding our leaders. We watch and when there’s a single moment we strike, take the blond and the black back to our client, our target is one of those two.” The one in front said as he watched the girls sit at a table outside the café, each carrying a plate of food and a drink.

 “That match was amazing, I’ve watch a few Pokémon battles over the years, but it was so different, it was so intense watching a Gym Battle live!”  Nimue said as they sat down and put their food down.  Bonnie and Serena smiled at her and Lilith smiled as well, but inside she was worried.

 “Back home I’ve seen a few tournaments, but that was something.”  Lilith said as she smile masked her thoughts.  Nimue’s hiding what she was feeling earlier, good.  If I’m right about it then it might be like what’s wrong with Lady Delia. But if they are responsible, how did she get away from them.

 “So you said you went on your journey because of your teacher, right Lilith? And where’s home?” Serena’s question caused her to look up and saw the question on Serena’s face.  Lilith smirked and just sipped her drink

 “Yeah, she taught me everything I know about training and living, but about where I’m from….As teacher would say.  ‘A Secret makes a Woman A Woman’.”  Lilith said as she grinned at her friends, to Bonnie puffing up her checks and the others started to chuckle.

 “You’ll tell us eventual through, right?”  Serna said as she ate her food.

 “Maybe, probably.  But like I said “A Secret makes a Woman….’” Lilith began before Nimue interrupted her

 “…A Woman’, right? Man, she sounds like she has that woman of mystery thing going for her, hu?”  Nimue said as she leaned back.

 “She kinda does, she has this old group and she totally loves this old friend but she can’t even see it.  And she’s very dependable, she always has been.” Lilith said with a smile.

 “So there’s this boutique that has a dress that I think you’ll love Serena, and it’s near that fabric store that has what I need.”  Niumue said as they finished their food.

 “A dress?”  Serena said only to start to blush when she saw the look of mischief in Lilith’s eyes.

 “Yeah, I think Ash would love to see you in it.”  Lilith said as she smirked, giggling with the others when Serena started to blush.  Then Serena grinned at Lilith and a small grin formed on her face.

 “What about you Lilly, didn’t you see anything that Clemont might like to see you in?”  Serena asked and started to laugh when Lilith turned to the side.

 “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  Lilith said as the others started to laugh while Bonnie grinned.

 Lilith frowned as she walked behind Bonnie and Serena as they talked with Nimue who was leading them towards the fabric store she wanted to shop at.  Did she care about Clemont like that?  She had only known him for a few days so why was she…  Lilith stopped and her eyes went wide, Aura Link.  Could it be possible, I mean could it really be possible that he’s mine?  Lilith shook her head and walked after her friends.  Serena looked over her shoulder and started to walk a bit slower until Lilith had caught up to her.

 “You okay Lilly; I was just teasing you back there.”  Lilith looked up at Serena and smiled at her when she noticed Serena’s look.

 “Yeah, sorry but have you ever met someone that it seems like you’ve always known them?”  Lilith said, but after the words left her mouth she said them.  Stupid, stupid, stupid!  I don’t want to think about what the seal’s doing to her because it’s blocking Ash!  

 “Ash, I felt like that when I meet Ash.  Mom had moved to Pallet town because some rabid fan of hers had raided our garbage and he was the first person to treat me like a normal person in a while.  Pallet Town was great!  Pr. Oak kept the paparazzi away from town and we had teleported to move so we were safe from that, by the time we moved to Kalos they still hadn’t figured out where we moved.  I was so nervous that mom sent me to a summer camp the Professor was running to meet the locals and that’s when I meet him.  Of course the next winter was the Siege and then we moved again when the Racing Circuit died.”  Serena said as she shook her head as she started to look sad.

 Lilith shook her head as she mentally started to pull her hair. Fuck!  She did meet Ash and might have sparked a link then, but if she left her Aura’s range then that might explain how she’s sane!  When I find out who did it to the prince I’m gonna kick ‘em down under! Lilith sighed and stopped when she noticed something at the edge of her sight, a flash of green that caused her to walk faster, grabbing Serena’s hand and pulling her along moving towards Bonnie and Nimue.

 “Lilly, what’s wrong? Is it them?”  Serena asked as she looked around trying to find what had set Lilly off.

 “Act natural.  You have your naginata, right?  I’m thinking we might need it.  Why did I decide to have my team be given a full checkup today of all days?”  Lilith moaned as she smiled as they caught up to the other two.  Serena merely looked at her friend as she started to get scared.

 “So there you two are! Anyway the shop I need to go to is up ahead, where’s….” Nimue trailed off as she saw Lilith’s eyes.

 “Nimue, Bonnie act whatever you two do just act natural.  Can that horn head of yours carry you, Bonnie and Serena away from here if we get to a river?”  Lilith asked as soon as Nimue stopped speaking, her question causing Nimue to look at her and caused Nimue’s eyes to grow hard.  Bonnie meanwhile looked at Serena and started to grow worried as she saw the look of fear in Serena’s eyes.

 “One other person and maybe Bonnie, and that’s a maybe.  I’ve never trained her to carry a heavy load, and I usually travel by holding onto a tow cable from a ring on a harness.  And I think there’s a bridge over a river to the right, it comes out near the center.” Nimue said with a smile on her face.  

 “Nimue get Bonnie to the Pokémon Center, Lilly and I’ll make do and hold them off.  Just get help if we can’t get away.”  Serena said with a smile on her face.

 “Serena…”  Bonnie began before Lilith put her hand on Bonnie’s shoulder and squeezed it.

 “We’ll be fine Bonnie, we just have to make sure you’re okay.  So the fabric store is ahead of us, over that bridge there right?” Lilith said with a tone that seemed absent minded as the group moved on.

 “Yeah, sorry about going this way but there’s supposed to be a sale and I need a bit of fabric for a new costume.  And it’s better to shop with people I can talk about it with.”  Nimue finished loudly as she led them towards a bridge.  Lilith eyes went hard when she saw a few people wearing green jackets loitering around the opposite of the bridge.  A quick glance around the area showed that that the a path between the buildings would lead away from the bridge and she spotted a few people in green jackets following them.

 “When I say now jump into the river and get Bonnie away from here, Serena cover our back and I’ll give you cover.  Just get her to safety.  Serena we’ll head to the right through the back allies to get away” Lilith said softly as she smiled as they neared the bridge.

 “NOW, RUN!”  Lilith said as she drew her whip as she pushed Bonnie towards the river. She ran towards the bridges as the people in the green jackets looked towards them and started to react.  Some of them drew out clubs or hammers and started to run at them, a couple of them hanged back and released a couple of Yanmas and a Beedrill that started to fire Silver Wind attacks at Nimue as she released her Samurott in the river, diving in after Bonnie who jumped ahead of her.  Serena turned backwards and drew her spear and shot at the people behind them as she released her Fennekin.

 “Fennekin, use Ember at any Bug type you can get a bead on!”  At Serena’s command her Fennekin started to fire Ember at any of the Bug Types in its range as Lilith’s whip started to strike at anyone who tried to get over the bridge while Nimue and Bonnie jumped into the river, going under.

 “Beedrill, Poison Sting on those bitches in the water!”  Nimue had just swum up from under water when she ducked back down to dodge the white needles.  She saw Bonnie nearby trying to move towards Samurott and swam to her, grabbing her in her arms and swimming towards her Pokémon.  A cry caused her to look up and saw Lilith’s whip hit the Beedrill a second before an Ember from Fennekin hit it, causing it to jolt backwards.  Nimue swam to her Pokémon, putting Bonnie between her and it as grabbed onto the spikes on its helmet and pushed her and Bonnie’s body close to Samurott’s.

 “Samurott get us out of here!  Stay down Bonnie, we’ll be safe soon.”  Nimue said as Samurott speed through the water, Nimue hanging onto Bonnie as they speed away, noting that Bonnie was barely moving.  The impact must have shocked her or she went in head first, hold on kid just hold on.

 Lilith smirked when she saw Nimue’s Samurott speed into the distance and her whip hit a ganger member above his eyes while Serena was holding her own against one wielding a large hammer.  She moved towards her and slashed with her whip, scoring a hit on the ganger’s head, running past him as she did.

 “Come on, we gotta move!” Lilith called as she reached Serena who was looking at the gangers on the other side of the bridge.

 “Hold on, Fennekin Ember on the bridge!  Full burn!” Serena called out

 “Fennekin!”  Her Pokémon cried out as it breathed fire at the bridge, which swiftly caught fire as the gangers drew back, some of them calling to their Pokémon to fight the flames as the two girls ran off, Serena recalling her Pokémon as she did.

 “You are evil girl!” Lilith said with a laugh as they ran through the alley.  Serena merely giggled as she ran after Lililth, a smirk on her face.

 “As my mother once told me, if you’re running from someone, make it hard for them to follow.” Serena said. Before they could move out of sight multiple glass balls hit the ground around them and they exploded into green dust that enveloped the girls.  As soon as it hit them Lilith and Serena collapsed to the ground and two figures in dark cloaks landed around them as the dust dissipated.  Lilith tried to get up as she tried to fight the spores and was able to see the

 “Good advice, here’s another.  When hunting thinking prey, give them a way out so they run into your trap.”  The figure in front said as Lilith’s vision grew dark as she lost consciousness, the last thing she saw was a pair of glowing eyes.

  Nimue panted as Samurott staggered out of the river dragging her and Bonnie out of the river.  She snarled silently as her thoughts raced.  We got away but the others, they might not have.  I gotta keep Bonnie’s spirits up until we reach the Center and get help.

 “Told ya we’d  be safe Bonnie.  Bonnie?  Bonnie!” Niumue cried as she turned Bonnie around and noticed a white needle piercing Bonnie’s right shoulder. Looking at her Nimue saw that Bonnie was panting and seemed to be barely consciousness. Fuck!  That Poison Needle attack must have hit her!  No wonder she didn’t move, and here I thought she was shocked!  Think Nim, think!  The Center, their the people who deal with Pokémon related injuries out here and I don’t know where the hospital is. Nimue bent down and picked Bonnie up, running towards the Center with her Water type guarding them.

   Clemont looked up as Ash sat down at the table he had claimed to do some repair work on his backpack, he had put off that talk Ash wanted as long as he was able to from the look on Ash’s face as he walked towards the table, Pikachu on his shoulder.

 “So you want to have a talk with me?”  Clemont asked as he polished some of his tools.  Ash stayed silent for a few seconds as he looked around and Clemont noticed that they were far enough away from others that they wouldn’t be overheard.

 “More like I wanted to ….” Ash began before Nimue’s voice echoed from the front of the Center.

 “Help! She need some Help!” Clemont looked towards the door in confusion.  The girls should be shopping but someone needs help…  Bonnie! Lilly!  Clemont shoot to his feet and ran towards the front, Ash following behind him as Pikachu raced ahead of them.

 Clemont looked and saw Bonnie being loaded onto a stretcher as Nimue panted as her Samurott stood nearby, seeming to watch everyone moving closer.  Clemont looked and started to grow pale when he realized that she was alone.

 “Nimue, what happened to Bonnie?  Where are Serena and Lilly?!”  He demanded as soon as he and Ash reached her.  Nimue looked soaked with water, dripping with water and a glance as Nurse Joy wheeled Bonnie away showed she was wet to.  Nimue looked grim as she started to speak.

 “Lilly noticed something was following us and had me lead us towards a river to get Bonnie out of there. Serena and Lilly stayed behind to cover us as I got Bonnie out of there, but one of the people who attacked us had a Beedrill it shot Poison Sting at us, one shot hit Bonnie and she’s been unresponsive since.  I realized what had happened and I got her here, since the Center was the only place I knew of to handle Pokémon related injuries….” She trailed off as she saw the look on Ash’s face as he clenched his fists.

 “Was it the people who attacked you before, the so called Buzz Lords.”  Ash demanded and looked around when as soon as he said their names the people who had been milling around went quit and most of them started to leave the area.  Ash watched them leave and just shook his head with a scowl.

 “I’ve dealt with gangs with reputations before but this is something else, anything from the native?” Ash asked as he turned his head to look at Clemont.  Clemont looked conflicted for a few minutes as he looked where Bonnie had gone before he shook his head with a scowl as he seemed to struggle with something before he spoke.

 “My home, Lumiose City, is the place in Kalos that has melded the most with other regions so we’re a little different culturally from other parts of Kalos.  I was born there and my dad told me to look out for myself when I went to another city, not to let anyone walk over me.  I didn’t know what he meant until I noticed that some students let others go ahead of them, take first pick and other things.  I later learned that those people were descended from old nobility; a lot of places treat people like that based on how their ancestors were ruled.  I’m guessing the leader is descended from whoever used to rule this city state during the war.”  Clemont said as Ash just looked at him, while Nimue merely shook her own head as she remembered her home and its own leaders.  Ash turned and he put down his backpack and took his hat off and put it inside his bag, pulling out a battered looking black cloak that he threw over his body, raising the hood until a shadow covered his face, he then put his shield on his arm and put his sword into a scabbard he put over his right shoulder. He looked at the others and nodded to himself.  It’s time to show the Kalos underworld that the Battler is here.  That might bring a few bounty hunters after me and a few old foes, but I don’t leave any of my friends behind, ever.

 “I’m going to try and find the others, and no Clemont you can’t come.  I can move unseen a lot easier alone.  Niumue where did you guys go after you left the gym?”  Ash said as Pikachu jumped onto Ash’s shoulder. Clemont spluttered for a few seconds before he steeled his eyes.

 “Good luck Ash.  I’ll look after my sister, once I’m sure she’ll be okay I’ll wait for you, if you’re not back in two hours I’m going to Officer Jenny!”  Clemont declared.   Ash merely nodded and looked at Nimue.

 “Good, now Nimue, where were you when you were attacked?”  Ash asked as Nimue looked at him. For a few seconds she saw some kind of form behind Ash, chains all over it.

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  A grey pokemon with four arms in armor with four gauntlets with gems glowing red led four Machoke clad in armor with swords and shields as they moved through the woods watching for anything that might threaten their charge, a Lucario with a collar with a diamond on the front that glowed purple.  They were sent out by their leaders to meet the Poison pack and give them the missive.  As they moved through the forest, animals and a few Pokemon would move out of their way, dashing for cover, hiding from the party as they moved, hoping that the Fighting Types were there to hunt for food.  The Lucario dashed after the five Pokemon in front of it as its thoughts moved back towards the audience it had with its rulers before it left.  It had to fulfill its master’s orders in the way they wanted.  Lucario was so deep in thought it walked right into an arm barring its path.  It looked up at the Machamp that was leading to see it gestured ahead.

 “Machamp champ champ.”   At the words that the Machamp spoke the Lucario looked forward and saw that they had reached their destination, fence broking the way, a swamp just beyond it.  Farther in the swamp was an large island at the center that had been a dumping ground for chemical waste until the pack they were looking for had moved in and drive off enough humans that they had set trainers on them.  A few Grimers spawning from a pool had caused the trainers to fall back and two Ranger had been called in and been driven off had but after they had found the dump site and that had caused the humans set up a fence a few meters. Lucario looked at the fence and noticed signs on the fence; humans often put them on places where they didn’t want others of their kind to travel through, nodding as its thoughts ran back to its orders. If the pack was strong enough to cause the humans to do this then my lord and lady were right.  Their strength must either be theirs or dealt with.

 “Champ, Machamp!”  The Machamp’s sharp order caused Lucario to look up and Lucario shook its head as two of the Machokes to move forwards and destroy a section of the fence, creating a path forward.  Lucario nodded to Machamp and the Machamp gestured and the party move into the swamp.  The four Machoks went first, Lucario following and Machamp bringing up the rear. As the party moved along the sides of the swamp they never noticed what looked like a log floating in the much seemed to stare at them before it went under the water and shot away from them. Lucario stopped and looked out over the swamp before it moved on shaking its head, not noticing the ripples where the log had been.

 Lucario swatted a fly or a mosquito away from it as the group moved through the swamp.  They had been lucky enough to have found a raised path leading to smaller islands or abandoned structures that let them move towards their objective and so far they had been able to make good time.  If Lucario had to guess they might run into territory markers in the next few minutes.   It reached the end of the pathway they were on and walked on the deck of a platform that had railings at the edges overlooking the water.  From the broken chairs, tables and abandoned building the humans had made this for a reason and as the four Machokes started to secure the site Lucario couldn’t see Machamp and frowned, turning around it finally saw Machamp farther back on the path looking into the water with a frown on its face.

 “Cario Luc!”  Lucario cried out.  The four Machokes stopped and looked back and saw the Machamp standing there. Lucario started to get mad as it was ignored, it was about to walkover when the Machamp shot it a look and gestured to the others to get ready to fight, causing Lucario to look at the water and the Machokes to start to move in front of Lucario as Machamp picked up a piece of rubble from the path and threw it at a floating log with enough force to cause the part of the log it hit to break off.  Machamp stared as the log bobbed in the water and looked at the chunk torn from the log before it turned and moved.  As it nodded at the others Lucario fell into step with it as the Machokes moved ahead of the.

 “Lucario?”  Lucario questioned in a low voice as they moved.

 “Champ, Machamp.”  The answer Lucario received caused it to look at the water along the path and frown.  A log had surfaced and seemed to be following them.  Lucario looked over its shoulder and noticed other logs in the water that seemed to be moving parallel to the group and it felt its heart start to beat, were they Chimera?  It noticed that the Machamp had coughed and made a few quick signs with its hands that caused each of the Machokes to nod and start to move towards the structure’s railing.  One of them pointed its sword at one of the logs and as it started to glow blue a pink tentacle shot towards the Machoke and wrapped around its arm!  As the tentacle started to pull the Machoke towards the water one of the other Machokes grabbed the tangled Machoke around its waist and pulled as another of their comrades sliced through the tentacle with its sword.  Lucario tried to move forward when suddenly Machamp grabbed it and threw it away from the railings as the Machokes started to move away from the railings fast as eight tentacles shot at the railings and suddenly the sound of things exiting the water fast sounded before five shapes hit the floor of the structure.

 The creatures were reptilian with four shot limbs, their bodies ten feet long and low to the ground with two long tentacles just behind their front legs.  Their faces had three eyes on the top of a long snout that was all mouth.  Lucario noise twitched as the creatures smell reached it, they were diseased, and these weren’t Chimera and that maybe it all the more deadly.

 “Machamp!  Mac Champ Champ!”  Machamp ordered as the creatures{[Mutagator]} started to move towards them, their tentacles striking the ground as they moved towards them. The Machokes held their shields up. As Lucario watched the Mutagator’s started to cry and move closer to give their tentacles a closer target. As its soldiers fought back the Machamp commander looked around, trying to find a way out of this.  Lucario meanwhile had jumped onto the roof of the building on the platform and noticed three more ‘logs’ moving towards them and noticed a larger wake moving in the water behind them.  Turning around trying to find anything they could use to turn the tide Lucario saw a raised path that led deeper into the swamp away from the beasts, turning it saw the Machokes slash at the tentacles as the Mutagator moved closer and made a choice.

 “Lucario!  Cario Lucario!”  It called down to the Machamp and when it looked up Lucario pointed beyond the four Mutagator, conveying that soon their enemies would have help and something even bigger was following them then Lucario pointed at the path behind the structure.  Machamp merely gritted its teeth as it watched two of the Machokes kill one of the Mutagator and move onto the others.  A yelp caused Lucario to look and stare as it saw one of the Mutagator in midair, three black tentacles around its body that was pulled towards the gapping mouth of a giant fish with a snakelike lower body and a crazed look in its eyes.  Lucario noted a smaller wake speeding off into the swamp and cursed as black tentacles started to grab the railing.

 “MACHAMP, MACHAMP!” Machamp screamed as it gestured to the Machokes to follow it as Lucario jumped form the building onto the pathway. As the other three Mutagators tried to follow the Pokémon the building started to give way.  As the structure started to come apart tentacles grabbed The Machokes jumped onto the path as the structure gave way, Machamp brought its hands into a sphere and started to form an energy sphere that grew as it moved its hands apart while Lucario cupped its hands and the gem on its collar started to glow as a purple energy sphere formed.  As the fish creature finished eating the Mutagators and looked towards the group Machamp fired the sphere as Lucario shot the purple sphere at the water around the creature, freezing it in place before the blast from Machamp hit the creature and blew it apart, chunks of it raining around the frozen water.  Lucario watched as wakes in the water speed away from them and turned to the Machokes only to notice that they had gone still.  Lucario turned and saw members of the pack they had been sent to find looking at them, four purple snake Pokémon behind two larger ones with hoods. Lucario looked at them and clasped its hands together and bowed to them.

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  Deadeye grinned as it watched its seven followers as it led them towards the forest.  Since it had secretly gained the power from that creature that held that sharp thing it had led five of its siblings on hunts and it had decided to attack the forest. No other groups had returned from that the area from what it had heard from the others and with the addition of the one with the oversized arm[ Brute] and the clawed one [Clawer] it decided that it could try that place.  Deadeye grunted as the other five started to slow down but Brute and Clawer kept pace with Deadeye, causing Deadeye to grin as it saw that it was right to ‘recruit’ those two.  As they passed the outlining trees Deadeye grinned as it saw deer and rabbits with more of the bug creatures here and there in a clearing with a small pond. Deadeye looked at its followers and gestured for them to take up positions in the shadows around the clearing one and waiting for one of the animals to move closer before it jumped onto the back of a deer and broke its neck with a savage crack.  The noise caused the others to look at Deadeye getting off the dead animal and everything in the clearing bolted, two of the deer running into four of the Goblins while Clawer shot from a tree it had climbed at a purple Bug creature with wings and brought it down and slashed at into its head. Two green Bugs with bright red antenna tried to get away when they ran into Brute with the last Goblin grabbing and killing them.  Deadeye looked towards the pond and upon noticing a fish jumping at an insect it grinned and walked towards the pond while dragging its kill with the others following, none of them noticing an insectoid creature with a light purple body flying away from the clearing with tears in its eyes.

 The Venomoth flew through the forest, dodging trees as it tried to reach its leaders as fast as it could. The Goblins had struck without warring and it had to tell its leader what had happened.  It finally reached its destination, a cave set against a two story hill that had two fang-like rocks in front of the mouth. Around the cave mouth six Pinsir stood guard as a steady stream of red dragonfly Pokémon carrying either fruit or fish wrapped in silk.  One of the Pinsir noticed Venomoth flying towards the group and motioned to its fellows.

 “Pinsir!”  The Pinsir that noticed cried as it brought one of its hands up facing the Venomoth. Venomoth hovered and Pinsir was taking aback by the way it looked at it.

 “Venomoth!  Venom moth venom!”  Venomoth chatted at the Pinsir who looked at each other before one of them nodded at the Bug-type and led it into the cave.  As they moved deeper into the cave they passed other Pokémon moving about. The two of them finally reached an opening to an inner chamber guarded by three ape-like Pokémon with bodies of red, blue and green.  The Pinsir merely nodded and the two were let in.  They entered a large chamber with a rock pillar reaching the ceiling, two tiny white Pokémon holding onto two flowers, one blue the other black as the flowers move about the a space in front of a tall feminine Pokémon with a white face, a green lower body resembles a mermaid's tail with two large leaves blooming on either side of the flukes and a large bouquet of ornate blue flowers around its head was watching as the two white Pokémon spared with each other. Pinsir and Venomoth stayed where they were until the feminine Pokémon called a halt to the sparing and gestured for them to come to it.  Pinsir walked forward and went to a knee while Venomoth hovered next to Pinsir and bowed its head.  The two tiny Pokémon moved to hover by the larger feminine Pokémon as she regarded the two Bug Types.

 “Florges, florges flor?”  Florges asked as it noticed at Venomoth had been crying tears.  Venomoth hovered before it started to speak.

 “Venomoth, venom moth venom venom.” Venomoth said as it lowered its head. Florges looked down at the Buy type before a hard look came to her face.   Chimera attacked her domain?!  That Mountain Ogre dared to send a hunting group at her lands?!  She turned towards the Pinsir kneeling before her and barked a command at it.  As it looked up she began to tell it what to do.

 Deadeye laughed as he looked over just what he had gathered, three horned animals, two of the bug creatures and from the pond a large fish creature with a horn and a white water creature.  It would have to come back with a larger group, this place had such food to gather and that wasn’t even taking in to account the humans or plants they could gather, for once its sire might have given good advice.  A rustling in the bushes at the edge of its vision brought a smile to its face, more food.  Brute and Clawer moved towards the bushes with grins on their faces when suddenly a rain of white needles shot at them at them from above!   Deadeye stood as it watched 10 Pinsir charge into the clearing and noticed at least 20 Beedrills hovering behind trees farther back.

 “Ragil!”  Deadeye barked to the other five as it ran towards Brute and Clawer.  The other five started to grab what they could of their kills and ran as Deadeye looked at the creatures before it.  It noticed that that Clawer looked like it had been poisoned, and with the way it was backing away Brute was stunned by the how they were attacked so fast, perhaps it could use that to gain their loyalty.

 Deadeye charged towards the Pinsir and picked up a stray branch and started swinging at the Pinisr when it passed Brute and Clawer.  It roared at the two and Brute snapped back to its senses and grabbed Clawer and ran in a different direction then the others had run, perfect.  Deadeye looked at the Pinsir in front and let the organs in its arms release the electricity as they charged at each other.  Pinsir’s skin flashed a white pulse and raised its right arm and broke the branch as it struck Pinsir’s arm.  Pinsir’s arms glowed white and it struck Deadeye quickly muiltiple times, pushing back Deadeye to the edge of the clearing.  Deadeye looked up and saw that the others in its party had retreated with half the kills, and the Beedrill had moved above the rest and knew it had to leave if it wanted to live, but it looked at the Pinsir and sniffed deeply, it would remember the scent of this one, and Deadeye would have revenge.  It punched a tree to the left and ran backwards as the tree fell, cutting off the Pinsir from following as it ran after Brute and Clawer, it had to find them, there was a way to get them under its banner and against their sire.

 Pinsir looked at the fallen tree and jumped on it and saw Deadeye moving too fast for them to catch it and shook its head.  They had thrown back the Chimera but hadn’t killed any of them, they might be back.  From where it stood Pinsir gestured toward the remaining kills and pointed towards the branches on the ground, they would burn the remains and hopefully the Chimera wouldn’t be back for a while.

 Florges sat at the mouth of the cave and worried for the future.  Her daughters had finished the Final Battle and soon one of them would be leaving her. This forest had gone through so many changes, ever since that Ogre in the mountains and those strange humans had started to prowl around the outskirts of the forest she had known sooner or later something would have to give and the balance would topple, but that didn’t account for those two and their forces.  They would have to get stronger and gather the other groups in the forest to survive if the Ogre was some sending its forces out again, if what had happened when she was younger was happening again then the only way for them to survive would be to join together, only then would they be able to defend their home.  She looked up when she heard noises and saw the party she had sent and was startled when she saw the Pinsir leader come back with a proud look on its face and smiled when it nodded at her, Florges nodded back, perhaps they would survive here after all.

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  Lucario walked after the Poison Pokémon as they led them through the swamp. The presence of those…diseased things were a good omen, it could use that as a plus to get them to follow its leaders, that would please its masters.  As they moved through the swamp they started to pass dead trees and water that had started to gain a dead smell.  At the edge of its vision Lucario saw what looked like amorphous purple blobs moving, if this was their territory then the offer to serve might be better received then it thought when it received its assignment.  Lucario looked up when he heard mutterings that didn’t sound like the snake like Pokémon and saw more of the snakes and floating purple balls with faces and muiltiple geyser-like protrusions while larger spheres with identical features pulse a smaller sphere with eyes and a mouth attached to the larger sphere connected by a thin tube floated here and there over the water, some watching the party others looking out into the swamp.  At the end of the path they had followed was the island they had been looking for, and more of the spheres and snakes Pokémon were watching the party approach Machamp fought to keep its arms down as it noticed the kill zone they had walked into, why did that stupid Lucario agree to come and meet the pack’s leaders?!  This was just asking to be killed and eaten; giving the swamp’s condition they had to represent a good meal.

 “ARBOK!”  A cry caused Machamp to look ahead and this caused it to signal to the others to silently get ready; here were the pack’s leaders.  Two powerful looking Pokémon, an Arbok and a Wheezing stood on a hill before them.  Machamp looked and saw other Arboks and Wheezings standing or herding younger looking Ekans and Koffings away as the two leaders watched Lucario walk forwards and bow to them.

 “Lucario, Lucario cario.”  Lucario greeted the two Pokémon.  They looked at the party before them and Wheezing tilted forward.

 “Wheezing wheeze zing?”  Wheezing questioned as the Pokémon around them started to conversion to themselves. Lucario hid a smile as it heard the mutterings around it, there was no way that it could fail.

  Lucario, the Machokes and Machamp walked out of the hole they had made earlier and Lucario just starred in shock, so out of it that Machamp had to lead it by holding one of its paws.  The pack was leaving, the territory was so dead that the pack had voted to move on and split up into family lines to survive.  They had actually come when they were splitting and the leaders, the ones the Lady wanted most of all were going to find their old trainers, a few migrates said they saw two humans who looked like them.  And worst of all none of the smaller packs had opted to journey back to follow the Lord and Lady, and Lucario worried what that would mean to its masters.  Lucario looked around, hoping to find a chance to slip away, it had seen what happened to those who failed the masters for all they acted where others could see them, it didn’t want to be the next one to ‘leave in shame’, let the others take the blame.  Then all he had to do was out run the Slayers, maybe find a trainer.

 “Arbok.”  The voice caused Lucario to look up and saw an Arbok lead three other Arbok and ten Ekans after it towards them.  Once it reached them they bowed deeply to Lucario who fought back tears, it seemed on family line had decided to throw in with Lucario’s masters.  Now all it had to do was get them back to base and mission accomplished, nothing could go wrong now!

  Protector smiled as it sat up the tree and watched as the others gathered Berries and fish from around the river bed.  It watched with pride as Gazer showed Weakling how to spear fish and how excited it was when it speared one.  It looked like bring Weakling into the pack was a good thing, and while it was weak, there was something about its energy that made Protector look at it and how it acted proved it was a fit for their pack.  All Protector had to do now was find a few creatures to bring back to their sire, it couldn’t let Deadeye prove superior, then the others might look to it to emulate and if that happened!  Protector rubbed its scare and promised that this time it would prove better. Protector turned its head as it felt something from across the river and moved down the tree, banging on it as he went. Five small gray skinned creatures in armor charge from the other side and suddenly a knife that hits Gazer in the chest before Protector could reach them.  Gazer’s right hand went to the knife and clasped it before it crumpled to the ground.

 Protector went still before a snarl formed on its face as the other four goblins with them charged at the creatures before Protector charged and passed them; roaring as it jumped at the creatures, determined that it would lose no one else.  Protector hit the one who had thrown the knife and slashed downward with a claw strike that left glowing trail as it slashed through the air.  Protector’s slash caused blood to rush from the deep cuts as the Machop feel to the ground bleeding out as Protector released a roar and charged at another one before something hit Protector’s body and sent it flying through the air for a good five feet before it hit the ground and rolled back upright. The figure standing in front of it was a large grey creature wearing armor and holding a metal stick with a ball on the end in its right arm and the left one was empty.  This was the one that threw the knife and it was grinning; a smug grin that showed Protector that this was giving that thing pleasure.  Protector flexed its hands with a growl and its claws started to glow blue, sparing a glance at the others it noticed that they were holding their own with their makeshift spears and turned all its attention to the four armed one and charged, hoping to take it out before it killed anymore of its fellows.

 Weakling tried to help Gazer, crying tears from all its eyes as it tried to slow the blood from the wound after it removed the knife.  As it watched it looked over its short life and how Gazer had shown it how to fish, how Protector had giving it food and how proud Gazer looked when it killed its first fish and the look Gazer had when it realized it was hurt.  Would that be the last memory they had together?   There had to be something it could do, there just had to be some way to heal Gazer!  Suddenly Weakling felt something and looked down and saw that its arms were glowing pink, pink energy was flowing from its hands to Gazer and Gazer’s wound was closing! Trying to keep what it felt going, Weakling kept pouring on the energy and soon Gazer opened its eyes and looked at {[Healer]} and looking at the battle Protector was having and scowled and picked up the knife.

 Protector had been able to dodge the blows the Machoke was throwing at it and noticed the others had killed some of the smaller ones and were helping those who hadn’t and lucky enough the bigger one hadn’t noticed yet.  All it had to do…. Suddenly the Machoke stopped and looked around, gaining a scowl when it noticed the way the ambush had gone for its side and suddenly raised its right leg and slammed it down, causing the area to suddenly shake as it brought its leg down again and again until Protector stumbled and fell.  Looking up Protector was terrified to find the Machoke swinging its arms back to slam both maces into it.  It had lost, it wouldn’t be able to save its fellows, but hopefully while it finished Protector then the others could escape from it.  Protector gritted its teeth to meet its end with dignity when suddenly something hit the Machoke’s back and a knife was plunged into its left arm.  It dropped its weapon and it started to twist and buck and finally it threw a goblin off its back, revealing it to be a healed Gazer!

 Protector stared for a second before it got back up and noticed the others had finished their opponents and that Gazer had grabbed the mace and was looking at the Machoke with a scowl as it looked around, noticed that it wasn’t in the best shape to continue the fight and raised its foot again, then it dashed into the woods when the Goblins braced themselves for an Earthquake that never came.

 Protector looked into the woods for a few minutes before it turned and swept Gazer into a hug.  Gazer just patted Protector’s back until Protector looked at the wound and its wondering eyes followed Gazer’s sight, turning Protector saw Healer putting a pink glowing hand on a hurt Goblin.  Protector watched with shock as Healer helped the hurt Goblin and its wound started to heal.

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  The Machoke cursed as it ran through the woods, that mission had ended in total failure!  This vengeance mission had failed, its top right arm dead, the team it had been leading were dead, and it looked like it would join them when its Lady found out what its leadership had caused!  It had to find something to prove its worth, there had to be something that would let it live.  It stopped when it heard a branch snap and saw two unusual looking Goblins crossing a clearing ahead of it, one of them had a larger arm then its other and the other one had prominent claws that looked like it was sick.  This was going to be easy, and bringing back the corpses of such might save its skin.

 Brute snarled as it watched Clawer move with a dazed look on its face. That hunt was nothing more for that old one to see how strong the forces there were!  That damned old one had used them as bait to draw out the forces of that place.  Thankfully the one who had lead the group had stayed and let them escape from the battle, if it was still alive then that one would….  Suddenly something flew through the air and hit Brute in the head, causing it to fall to the ground.  It fought to stay awake and looked towards the direction the hit had come from and saw a grey creature with a limp right arm and a savage grin on its face as it walked towards them.  Clawer moved forward shakily as it raised its arms to defend the one who got it away from the ambush in the forest.   The grey creature started to chuckle when Clawer stumbled towards it and when Clawer shot one of its arms at Machoke it grabbed its wrist, picked it up and threw it at Brute who was trying to get up.  As Brute groaned under Clawer it saw the Machoke walked closer, snickering as it did.  Just when it was about to strike at the two of them, something jumped over the two Goblins and kicked the Machoke away, it was Deadeye.  

 Deadeye looked at the two on the ground and threw a purple-pink berry at Clawer which bounced off its head.  Clawer looked at the berry and realized it’s sent carried a hint of cure, this would help heal it.  Clawer looked at Deadeye’s back and felt tears from its eyes as it realized that Deadeye had gone out of it way to find them and to find a way to cure it.  Deadeye smirked when it heard the tears, with this Clawer was further under its power. Deadeye looked at the Machoke and smirked when it saw that one of its arms was damaged, this might be easier then it thought.  Machoke snarled as it watched its opponent and charged, sending a devastating left hook at Deadeye who dodged it and put its left arm on Machoke and released a powerful electrical shock that sent Machoke to its knees as it tried to fight as its muscles clenched up!  Before it could do more than glare at it Deadeye sliced through its neck with its right claw.

 Machoke collapsed as its left hand went to its neck as it bleed out before the light left its eyes.  Deadeye looked over its kill and turned towards Clawer and Brute.  It looked over them and turned to its kill it puffed out its checks and spat a large amount of a black liquid onto the corpse.  It tor the legs away from the body before throwing the chest towards Brute while it throw the legs towards Clawer.  

 “Wrogli.”  It said as Brute and Clawer started to slobber as it looked and with that word they leapt onto the meat, each biting and tearing at their feast.  As soon as the first bite passed its lips Brute staggered backwards as a burning swept through its body as it saw a phantom image of what it had eaten, it looked and saw muscles, additional limbs, a left arm the same size as its right and a punch covered in fire and a poison spit.  It felt that it could only chose two and it chose the left arm and the muscles.  As the burning swept through its body its left arm started to glow black as did two points on its lower sides.  Its left arm grew to match its right and the glow stopped when both arms were the same size.  Brute’s muscles all over its body seemed to have changed while staying the same. Brute started to throw multiple punches and smiled, it didn’t even feel the least bit tired.

 Clawer meanwhile chose the shaking and muscles and as the burn stopped it looked at a tree and slammed its left leg down and laughed when the shaking caused the tree to fall.  Deadeye looked at them and smiled, with this it had them, once they understood what Deadeye had done they would know that their Sire had lied about everything it had told them.

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  Brock just sighed as he finished setting up the tents.  Yuji and Kunz had been gone to long for his taste; they had to have found something. And he was worried that Yuji might let the suspicions he had about Kunz and Agalia keep them from working together if their attacked.  He looked up as his Steelix looked at him and trilled.

 “I’m alright partner, just worried about the others.  They should have been back by now.”  Brock said as he rubbed Steelix’s jaw.

 “They be back when they’ll back. Kunz isn’t one who would be taken out without us knowing about it.”  Agalia voice caused Brock to turn and look at her before he sighed.  Since Yuji had told Brock about his brother and the policy, he had been keeping an eye on the other two and he had more questions then he thought he would.

 “With the way that pack reacted I’m still worried.  We have to find what is happening on this mountain and then we have to get home safe.” Brock said and he hid a frown as he noticed Agalia fists tighten for a few seconds.  So Yuji might have been right about them.  They do have another reason for being up here.  I can’t tell what it is but I have to trust that they’ll fight with us against the Chimera!  Brock kept his face blank as he turned towards the campsite and started to walk towards the fire, deciding to let his mind wander as he cooked dinner.

 Agalia looked at Brock and turned away from him, a frown forming as soon as she was sure he couldn’t see her face.  What is taking that simple minded idiot so long! Do a quick search with the other idiot and then come back here! What’s taking so long….  Wait what’s that!  Agalia whipped her head towards the right and flinched as she sensed a powerful Aura moving towards them.  She looked towards the direction where what she sensed was coming from and then quickly looked towards Brock, nodding when she saw his back was towards her.  He didn’t notice, good.  I don’t know what’s coming towards us but if I position myself so he’s facing the brunt of it then then I might be able to deal with him if I have to when it’s done. Agalia thought to herself as she moved towards the other side of the camp.

 Brock looked behind him as he heard Agalia move about camp and turned back when he saw her moving towards the left side of the camp.  He shrugged and turned back to fire and soup he was making and looked at the supplies they had brought and started to try and work out how long he could stretch them. He had expected to be able to find some food up here in the wilds but so far the pickings had been slim to none, whatever was active up here was very hungry.  And that’s not even counting how damaged the eco system is up here, that Paras pack had to be moved because of how scarce the food was for them.  Brock thought with a scowl as he looked over the mountain.  He would have to send a report to the Rangers after he returned, they would need to do a full survey of the mountains to see just what would need to be done to get this area back in order.  He didn’t want to think about how hard that would be but the effort would have to be done before the before something happened to destroy the path to Indigo Plateau.

 “You know for being the capital of the Kanto League, it sure is hard to get there on foot.  And if the land lines are destroyed.”  Brock muttered to himself as he finished get the soup ready to boil.  A sudden motion from his Steelix caused him to look up and notice it was staring into the distance to the right and he slowly reached for his other two Pokéballs. He caught Steelix’s eyes and swore when he realized what it had seen.

 “Croagunk, Swampert, time to fight Chimera!  Agalia! Thery’e coming!”  Brock called out as he threw the balls, releasing a dark blue, bipedal frog like Pokémon and a cobalt-blue quadruped with two fan-like black fins on its head and a black fan-like tail fin.   Agalia released a quadruped, leonine like Pokémon with a blazing mane that stood protective in front of her as she readied two swords.

 Brock rushed to his bag and pulled out his two hammers and readied himself for battle as he prepared himself.  As trees and bushes at the edge of his vision stated to move he greeted his teeth and cursed that there were only two people here.

 “Croagunk, Swampert, no limits, use your best judgments and stay alive!  Steelix, hand back and go pure range but strike if you have to!  Agalia, watch out!”  Brock was able to get out before 2 Alphas came charging at them leading 20 Warriors, it was all Brock could do to notice what they looked like before he started to swing his hammers at two of the Soldiers that came at him, breaking the head of one while the other dodged his strike.

 Agalia started to strike at anything that came at her as her Pyroar started to breath fire at the Chimera, killing two of them in one blast as his trainer sliced the head of another one before she dodged a large energy needle that one of the Captains fired at her. She looked at them and noticed that one was looking at her and the other was looking at Brock, and with a start she realized that the two were direction the other Chimera.

 “Brock, the two with the horns, their the leaders!”  Agalia called out before she parried one of the stingers of a Soldier.  Brock slammed one of his hammers and broke the stinger limb of the Soldier that had dodged his earlier strike and notice that Croagunk and Swampert had dealt with 2 of the Chimera and were on watch for the next one that would try to kill them.  Steelix had been firing green blasts over the heads of the others and Brock had a few seconds so he followed the beam’s path and saw another 5 Soldiers, wounded but moving towards the battle.  He looked around at what the Chimera were doing and let his experience decide what actions to take.

 “Steelix, keep it up! Croagunk and Swampert, target the horned ones!”  Brock called out as he slammed a hammer down on the Soldier with the broken limb. Agalia smirked as Pyroar slashed at another Soldier as she slice off one Soldier’s right arm just behind the stinger. She watched Brock charge a grouping of four Soldiers as she caught her breath.  Hmm.  Maybe I should bring Rock boy back for recruitment, it would do to have a doctor in the gang and he is easy on the eyes.  She thought before a charge of one of the Soldiers facing her forced her to dodge and take her eyes off Brock as she fought to stay alive.

 Croagunk charged ahead of Swampert and tackled the Captain that was observing Agalia and jumped backwards; dodging the limb it sent backwards at it turned to face Croagunk. Swampert blasted a stream of water at the other Captain and sent it backwards into a tree then it fell to the ground.  Swampert snarled at it as the Water type stared the Chimera down as it got back to its feet.  Croagunk dodged the glowing horn of its opponent and shot multiple purple darts from its mouth as, each hitting the Captain as it tried to defend against the attack, raising its stingers trying to block the needles.  Croagunk used the time when the Captain lost sight from raising its stingers to move right next to its head and delivered a savage jab with a purple covered hand, breaking the Captain’s head and pulling its hand away from the Captain’s head, Croakunk’s hand dripping with black blood as it turned and looked towards the battle and noticed that the Chimera attacking Agalia had lost their cohesion, fighting as wild animals.  An explosion suddenly sent Croagunk flying!  Swampert saw the remains of the Captain that Croagunk killed was the source and started to move backwards, firing a stream of dark brown mud that pushed the Captain back.  Croagunk weakly started to move when it noticed three Soldiers about to kill it, it looked at Brock who was staring against and smiled a weak smile at its trainer.

 “Croakunk, NO!” Brock cried stared at what was about to happen and felt something give within him as he suddenly felt stronger.  He started to glow brown, causing Agalia to stare before she hardened her eyes. Feeling something, not even noticing he was glowing he slammed one of his hammers into the ground, and suddenly three pointed rock pillars pierced the three Soldiers.  Brock stared at what he had done looking at his hammer then at the three pillars.  Did I do that?  I know about Aura because of what happened in the Kingdom but this is beyond what Ash’s did.  What was that and why do feel so strong? Brock wondered as he looked at the battle.

 Agalia absent mindedly sliced the head off a Soldier as her Pyroar bit through the neck of another one as she kept her eyes locked on Brock.  He woke his Aura, now I have to kill him!  We can’t let the knowledge free.  Too bad, he coulda been something in the Order.  She thought as she killed two more of the Chimera with quick strikes. A Soldier charged at Swampert and forced it to stop firing at the Captain, paying attention to the Chimera attacking it, wincing when the stingers hit. The last Captain standing shook itself and suddenly gave a shrill cry that echoed over the battlefield.  Brock stumbled and when he looked up he noticed the bumps on the remaining Soldiers body start to glow and with horror he noticed they were looking at Swampert.

 “Swampert, Protect!” Brock called as he reached down and helped "back to its feet.  Swampert formed a green half circle around it and started to tank the white energy darts that the other soldiers fired at it, winching when the Captain stared to fire large energy needles at the shield.  As cracks started to form Brock looked about and noticed that the Chimera had stopped attacking Agalia and were attacking him and his Pokémon and quickly looked at the last Captain, noticing that it had its attention on them.

 “Croakunk, I need you to handle that one, I’ll try and get the others attacking Swampert.”  Brock said softly as he gripped his hammers tightly. Croagunk looked at the Captain and nodded before it lunged at the Captain, forcing it to direct its attention at it as Brock charged the other Chimera as Pyroar started to fire blasts of fire at the other Chimera as the Protect shattered, causing Swampert to be blasted by at least 20 energy needles.

 Brock snarled as he killed another Soldier as he looked heard Swampert whimper softly as it stood back up diffidently as it looked from Croagunk to Brock before it barreled into a Chimera lining up a stab at Brock, slamming its fists into  the body of the Chimera, forming cracks with each hit. The Captain gave a fierce whistle and suddenly the other Soldiers turned their heads at Brock and fired streams of silk that quickly covered his arms and body, sending him to the ground just before Croagunk kicked upwards and snapped its neck, picking up the body and throwing it at the other Chimera, killing three of them when it exploded. The other two Chimera looked down at Brock but before they could do anything Steelix was there, slamming its body down onto the Chimera, splattering Brock with their black blood as it raised its body, dripping with parts of the dead Chimera while Swampert threw the body of what it had just killed to the side.   The three remaining Chimera turned and ran, leaving the battlefield as their opponents watched.  Brock suddenly felt so tired he could barely move as his Pokémon started to surround him and give off soft cries.

 “You can’t move can you?” Agalia asked from his left as Brock strained the webbing holding him.  He looked up and was able to take stock of his team condition and gave a bitter laugh.

 “No I can’t and these guys might be on their last legs, it’s a good thing the survivors fled when they did, I don’t think they could hold off another attack.  We might not have found the source but bring” Brock said bitterly.

 “No they won’t. Pyroar, Incinerate on the Steelix and then handle the others!”  Agalia cried out to Brock’s shock before Pyroar shot a beam of black, red, orange and yellow fire that hit Steelix, causing it to cry out as it fainted before the Pyroar tackled Swampert into Croagunk, using one to knock out the other.

 “So I was right, you aren’t League Hunters.”  Brock said as he turned his head to glare at Agalia as she spun her swords around.

 “Yep, sorry about this Dr., it’s too bad really; you might’ve gone far in the organization. But then you had to wake up your Aura, and that sealed your fate.”  Agalia said as she moved to stand before Brock.

 “My Team?”  Brock asked as he desperately tried to get any bit of energy. How am I so weak?  Just what is affecting my body so much? Brock thought as he tried to break the webbing.

 “I’m sorry to say they will have to be victims of the same Chimera that got you; it just doesn’t flow right without that.”  Agalia said as she raised one of her blades.  Suddenly a shot rang out as her blade broke half down from the tip.

 “Infernape, Lucario, Close Combat on the Pyroar!  Cameron get Brock free!”  A voice called out as someone charged from the trees as an ape with reddish-brown with sections of white fur on its chest, head, and lower legs and with a large flame trailing from its head, a powerful looking Lucario.  Brock whipped his head and stared as Riley came charging right behind his two Pokemon and Cameron and his Lucario ran towards him as Riley shot forward and tried to punch Agalia, only for her to dodge and pointed her one of her hand at him and shot a fireball at him.  Riley stayed still until the fireball was near him before he backhanded the fireball with a glowing blue hand and sent the fireball to the side.  Her Pyroar moved as it dodged the strikes from the two Pokémon and moved to stand next to its trainer, snarling as it looked at the others

 “So a Wilder dares to stand against me?  I don’t know what your think is happening but you don’t know what you’re up against.”  Agalia said as she started to form two fireballs in her hands as

 “I know exactly what you are.  The Order of the Protectors of Humanity.” Riley interrupted her as he looked at her with a hard stare.  Brock looked at Agalia as she actually stared at him.

 “Who the hell are you to know who I am, a wilder might have killed a team that was sent against you but how do you know our full name?  It doesn’t matter, a lowly wilder…” Agalia began as she slowly moved one of her hands behind her before interrupted her.

 “I am one who is a Guardian.”  Riley declared in a firm voice causing Agalia to look at him in shock as she started to splutter.

 “You can’t be one of them! We killed them all years ago. You’re all dead!”  Agalia said as she starred. To think one of those survived all these years, I have to tell them, everyone needs to know!  She thought as she moved backwards with a shocked look on her face

 “You all failed, but I will have a long talk with you about that.”  Riley said before Agalia threw a ball infront of him that released a smoke screen that blocked Agalia and her Pyroar from sight.  Riley braced himself when he heard a colossal roar that echoed off the mountains but when the smoke cleared they were gone.  Carmeon finally finished getting Brock freed from the webbing. Brock got to his feet and scrambled to his Steelix and started to look over its wounds as he recalled his other two Pokémon.  

 “It’s okay partner, you’re gonna be just fine.  Let me just get you back into your ball….Riley, is that you?  Brock said as he recalled his Steelix and saw a red haired woman walk into the clearing putting a gun away at her side.

 “I’m Master Riley’s student, Carmeon.  This here is a friend we made yesterday her names….” Carmeon began before he was interrupted.

 “Rosette Zargo of the Kanto Guard.  A please to meet a former Gym Leader sir, but what are you doing on the mountain, those things over whelmed me at the cabin I was stationed at and the League should have gotten my message before I had to escape.  Hey what’s the matter?”  Rosette asked as she saw Brock staring in shock at her.  Carmeon looked at Brock when she said he was a gym leader.  A Kanto Gym leader with a Steelix, I wonder if he knows Ash.  He did say he knew a few leaders in Kanto well.  Carmeon thought as Riley came to stand by them.

 “My group found your cabin and a corpse of a Chimera like these things, but there was no record of a call on to the League when I set out on this expedition a few days ago.” Brock said flatly causing Rosette to stare then start to curse.  Riley only shook his head as his thoughts raced, he hoped was worried for nothing.

 “We need to get back to Viridian, we have to get off this mountain and tell people the Chimera.” Riley began only to stop when Brock caught his eye.

 “I can’t, I still have two more people up here; one of them came with Agalia, the person you just drove off.”  Brock said causing Carmeon to stare and look at his teacher who anserwed his student’s look by shaking his head looking grim.

 “We have to get off this mountain, we’ll head to where they might be and then start heading down. We’ll try to find them but we have to get away from here and defend Viridian, the swarm is getting larger.” Riley said as he looked towards the mountains peak, knowing that a horde was even now being born and readied to strike.

   “Stupid, stupid!  How the hell did some of the Guardians survive and why’d they have to turn up on one of my ops?!”Agalia screamed as she rode her Pyroar away from the campsite, heading into Johto.  She had to get to a safe house and tell the others about what she had found out, the Guardians were still alive!  And she had to get the information about the Doctor as well; he would have to be dealt with soon.  All I can do is run and hope that Kunz gets away. The roar Pyroar gave off should tell him that I had to escape and he’ll wait for an opportunity to finish off that gym trainer.  But how the hell did the Guardians survive the ambush, no one survived that, the whole island was destroyed!  She was so deep in thought that as she and her Pokémon moved through the mountain away from the battlefield she never noticed a metallic saucer was following her from the sky as she rode her Pokémon, nor did she realized that she had been marked as a target by the saucer’s masters, that soon her destiny would change in ways she would have expected.

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  Yuji ran through the woods silently, Kunz behind them as they followed the lines of webbing.  He looked over his shoulder at Kunz as he led the way through the wood, he did have a few reservations about him and his sister but something about the webbing he was following was a concern for him, he couldn’t explain it but he had to find out what was at the end of the line. I know there’s something wrong with their story but this might be more important than that, I just have to watch him and hope I’m just wrong.  I guess that maybe in Johto things in the League might be different then here in Kanto, but I doubt it. Yuji thought as he looked ahead as he moved, paying attention to everything around him.   A roar suddenly echoed off the mountain, out causing him to stop and looked about as Kunz stopped.

 Kunz looked about while inside he was screaming.  Something happened back at camp, she had to leave and my luck she did so after trying to kill Brock.  I just need to wait until there a chance to kill him and slip away, if I’m found I’ll blame it on the Chimera.  Kunz looked at Yuji and adopted a flat look.

 “That roar might have been from the camp, shall we return and come back here with others or should we continue?”  He said robotically as Yuji looked around the trees around them, trying to find what had made that roar.  After a few seconds Yuji looked at Kunz then turned and looked at the webbing.

 “You can if you want but I’m going on.  I can’t describe it but this is important, we…I have to find out what laid this; I can’t describe why it’s important.  Like I said, go back if you want to but I’m going on.” Yuji said as he walked alongside the cable, confident in his choice.  Kunz looked at him and followed behind him with a frown on his face.  ‘Some people get feelings, you can’t explain it but sometime they will sense somethings you can’t, trust them until you have to put a knife into their back.’  Teach you had to be right didn’t you, this is why I prefer destroy missions only.

 After a few minutes they came across a few more lines that joined at a large glowing sphere that continued as a larger cable along the same heading as the first line they had followed.  He looked at a tree closer to the boil and saw that it was practically dead with brittle leaves.  Quickly looking at the other trees he frowned as he saw the upper branches were barren and light was passing by the dead branches.  Suddenly he noticed multiple lines of webbing connected to the boil that looked dead for some reason that was connected to a large cocoon by a farther back and walked to it, drawing a knife that he used to cut the webs, cursing when he saw the bones of a wolf within it.

 “Whatever these things are their stealing the life from the trees and animals in these cocoons, I don’t want to think what these things will do to a human or Pokémon.”  Yuji said with a scowl as he looked at the skull of the wolf.  Kunz merely looked at the skill as he thought what he had seen over the years, kills that made this look like a day at the beach.  He noticed that none of the legs were broken and wondered just how that they had been put in the cocoons as he looked around, finally making a decision.

 “We should release out Pokémon now and ready our weapons.  If this is the result of the Chimera we’re up here for we need to be ready to fight.”  Kunz said flatly as he released his Combusken and drew forth his axe.  Yuji looked at him and nodded, pulling out his mace and released his Rhydon.

 “Partner we’re investigating this webbing, I think its connected to the Chimera we’re tracking up here.  Keep an eye out and get ready to blast anything you sense, okay.”  Yuji said to his Pokémon.

 “One thing.  A while back the two of us heard a loud roar echo from somewhere.  So it is advisable to be on guard.”  Kunz said flatly as he looked behind them.  Yuji nodded but never noticed that Combusken had picked up something its trainer had said that Yuji didn’t and started eying Rhydon.

 “I have point and the right, Kunz, you two watch our back and the left.”  Yuji said as he walked forward, his Rhydon falling into step between him and Kunz as they moved on.   Kunz watched the Ground type as it walked behind its trainer and started to watch the left side and moved after Yuji.

 The party moved along the line of webbing, after a while they discovered other boils that had line of webbing that moved alongside the cable they had been following the same size as the first but surprisingly they didn’t merge together but run in parallel. Finally they came upon a cave that the lines went into and when Kunz was going to walk into it, Yuji grabbed him and pulled him behind a tree.  Kunz was startled and looked at Yuji, seeing him put a hand over his mouth and point to the right.  Following Yuji’s hand he saw a party of 1 Alpha, 6 Warriors and 8 Workers walking into the cave.  Kunz looked on in shock, that so many Chimera were working together and the way they were moving showed that they were doing something routine, and that scared him more then he thought he was capable of.  Yuji moved his face closer to Kunz and started to speak.

 “Some of those were more of what we recovered at the cabin, the others look similar enough to have come from the same source I think, I haven’t seen many Chimera.”  Yuji whispered in a low voice.

 “Yeah, most Chimera in Kanto are loners, you rarely see a swarm built up like this by one of them spawning.  In scenarios like this long range combat is usually the best thing to do, set up a killing field or find a way to immobilize the prey or strike to kill them in one shot, to save on ammo at the very least.”  Kunz whispered back as he eye’d the cave the Chimera had entered.

 “Any advice… wait something’s happening.”  Yuji said as the Alpha walked out of the cave leading 2 Warriors and 4 Workers, the Workers carrying a cocoon of something that released a blue glow from within. Yuji watched them and stayed quite until the Chimera were out of sight before he turned to Kunz.

 “So do we turn back or try to find out what inside there first, there are a lot more Chimera then I thought there would be.   And let’s not forget that a lost less came out then went in there.  In an enclosed space up against creatures with capabilities is not smart.”  Kunz said as Yuji silently touched a button on his Local Gear, a motion that Kunz didn’t notice.  He’s right, I don’t know what that procession was about or what they took from the cave but.

 “Your right, it is time for us to leave, we can return with help later.”   Yuji said as he turned before he noticed that Kunz had gone still and turned back to the mouth of the cave.  Three Alphas were walking out of the cave, leading thirty Warriors.  Two Alphas led ten Warriors to the left and right of the cave’s mouth as the last Alpha stood in the center as something started to leave the cave.  10 Workers carried a large arachnid like Chimera, it had no legs, instead its legs would be were instead mouths that were closed.  Its head had compounded eyes and a two horns above its eyes while it mouth was a dripping maw.{[Gather]}.

 “What the hell is that, why the hell are they carrying it?”  Yuji muttered as he looked at his Pokémon as he brought up his Local Gear and snapped a quick picture of it, not noticing Kunz was walking backwards away from him.  The sound of a Pokéball caused Yuji to whip his head and saw Kunz releasing his Rapidash and sneering at Yuji.

 “I have no idea, maybe it’s their spawner. Whatever it is; good luck surviving them.  Combusken, HYPERBEAM ON THE CAVE!!”  Kunz roared as Combusken fired an orange be that passed over the Chimera and hit the mountain, causing rocks to fall on the creatures leaving the cave, covering the back half of the Gather and crushing the Workers carrying its back half.

 “What the hell?!  I knew you two weren’t what you said you were!! I’ll kill you ya scum bag!”  Yuji snarled as Kunz recalled his Combusken and rode his Rapidash away from the.  SCUM!  FUCK! Those things are gone come…we gotta get out of here.  He saw two of the Alphas move towards the Gather and take charge of the Workers there but the last Alpha was….looking…right…at…them!

 “Oh fucker!  Rhydon, we’re running!  Use that Protect variant we developed, the traveling one!”  Yuji screamed as he turned and started to move, running away from the area his Rhydon right behind him forming a green domed energy shield behind it as it followed its trainer.  We should have turned back when we found the webbing but I had to go on, I had to investigate but damn it I never thought that Kunz would have done that. I knew that something was wrong with those two, I knew something was wrong but I had to trust that scum to watch my back, should have paid more attention, I should have kept a better eye on that traitor!  But I had to trust that he would have fought with me against the Chimera, not use them to kill me!  Why the hell did he…that roar, it had to have been a signal from her, did she kill Brock, did he run her off.  I have to get away, what that thing they were carrying, it has to be important to those things!  Yuji thought as he tried to think of a way to survive and get the information he had discovered back to his Gym.  His Tauros wouldn’t be able to handle the mountain and build up enough speed to stay ahead of the Chimera, he didn’t know how fast they were but he had to find some way to survive against them, he had to make it back home!

 Behind them the Alpha that had seen them thundered through the woods, leading 4 of the Warriors as it chased after them.  It had seen a human and a creature and it was after the ones who dared to attack them. Still if they were strong enough to wound they would be an excellent source of food.  The tracks they had left were of a human and a larger creature, it was fast and heavy, it would give much strength to the swarm.  Perhaps the Queen would give it the strength first as a reward?  Would it be passed onto the Princess, strength for the new hive?  A flash of green

 Yuji frowned as he heard the noise from behind them, they would have to turn soon, and try and fight them off.  He needed to find a large enough place to stand against their pursuers; he couldn’t just let them run them down!  He remembered a spotting a meadow a few meters ahead of them that they passed when they followed the line of webbing and maybe he could hold there, that place gave him a line of sight that would let him have some control of the battle. It increased his chances a small amount, but he had to try.  

 “Rhydon, we’ll try and hold them up ahead, use your instincts to hold them off!”  Yuji commanded as they ran, hearing their pursers closing on them.  When he reached the right place he turned and ran into the clearing and stopped at the center turning to meet the charge as his Rhydon circled him, the both of them ready to meet the charge of the Chimera.  

 The Alpha stopped at the edge of the meadow, the Warriors passing their leader and charging at their prey. Rhydon spun around, it’s tailing glowing green as it hit the first Warrior, sending it flying backwards as its trainer sliced down with his mace at another Warrior that got close to them, breaking its head.  The other two dropped back and opened their mouths and sent white needles at them, only for them to hit a green energy shield that blocked the attack.  Yuji clenched his teeth as he tried to keep his eyes on the battle, but the way the Alpha was just watching the battle was making him worried, something about its gaze was causing him to want to charge it and kill it.

 Shadow cursed as he watched the battle, it would have been smarter to go after the Order member but the Viridian trainer was an innocent and he had seen that large Chimera, if it was important to swarm then Viridian and the League had to be warned, and he couldn’t do it without them finding out he had been up here, he had to make sure that that the trainer made it down the mountain.  He noticed that the kid was keeping his eyes on the Alpha and he started to reach for his throwing knives, it wasn’t good when a Chimera stayed back, that means it could think and that was always trouble.

 The Alpha looked at the battle and began to fall backwards, it would attack from behind and strike at the bigger creature and then it and the other would be food.  Its mouth stated to water as it looked at the creature, imagining its abilities added to the swarm.  Suddenly it sensed something and turned, just as a knife hit penetrated its head, killing it in one-shot.  Shadow smirked under his masked before the dead Alpha started to glow and exploded!

 Yuji looked up at the explosion and something told him to dodge to the left, narrowly missing the thrown Warrior striking with its stingers at him, it was back and had circled around to their back but had charged at the same time the other two charged at Rhydon, dropping all pretense of strategy and charged like starving animals after a bit of food.  They hit the Protect with their bodies, snapping their mouths as Yuji and the third surviving Warrior circled each other.  What was that explosion, why the hell are these things acting like this, I don’t get it.  They acted like Pokémon before, now their acting like wild animals!  Their barely using any moves, their just using their body parts.  Yuji thought as he dodged the stabs of the Warrior he was fighting.

 “Rhydon, treat them like those wolves we dealt with a few weeks ago, their just animals now!”  Yuji cried when he dodged to the left and destroyed on one of the Soldier’s chitin stingers and watched as it moved backwards, snarling as it did so as it back away from him and turned, running into the forest in the opposite direction of the cave, which Yuji was between it and the Soldier.  Turning back to his Rhydon, a smile formed on his face as he noticed that it held one in its claws while the other was crushed under its foot.

 “Hold it there partner, I’ll kill it and we’ll bring it back.”  Yuji said as he walked towards it and drew a knife that he quickly inserted into the Warrior’s head, killing it painlessly.  Looking towards where the explosion happened he saw the Alpha’s body was in tatters.  That thing was the source of the explosions, something killed it.  Wait, they started to act like animals after the explosion…. I have to get this information back, if we target the leaders then we can make the others act like animals, well those things with stingers at least.   Yuji thought as he looked back towards the mountain and turned towards Viridian then looked around the meadow.

 “We’re leaving partner come on.  We’ll head back to camp, if Brock is alive we’ll grab him and head home, these things have to be the source, if they aren’t we still gotta tell the boss about what’s up here.”  Yuji declared as he walked out of the battlefield, his Pokemon following behind him and unseen Shadow followed from the treetops, a meeting in their future but not now.

  OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 Ash moved quickly and silently along the river Nimue and Bonnie had used to escape from the ambush. As soon as he had reached it he had released Fletchling and Froakie and had had them shadowing him from the sky and water as Pikachu ran after him.  He had been making good progress so far and hadn’t run into anyone which was starting to worry him.  No one’s looking for Bonnie or Nimue; no lookouts at the Center so they weren’t the targets.  Then was it Lilly or Serena?  Why, what reason do they have to go after them?  This better not be like the Spector and May damn it!  Ash cursed in his head as he and his team moved silently.

 “Fletch!”  Fletchling cried out above Ash’s head.  Ash looked and saw a bridge ahead of him that looked burnt.  He started to look around the area as his Pokemon started to spread out, Froakie and Pikachu looking around as Flectling hovered on over watch.  He noticed a few spots with dried blood here and there.  So Serena fought back here while Lilly held the bridge.  Then they moved this way down this alley.  Ash walked a bit down the alley in question as Froakie and Pikachu followed, with Fletchling guarding their back.  Ash stopped when he noticed green dust on the ground near the remains of a few pieces of glass.  Ash spent a few more moments looking over the alley, noting a few marks that showed that two people jumped from a high location. Sleep spores, a Bug-Type could have used it but this glass and the tracks from jumping down to the ground; the tactics look familiar for some reason, where have I seen like this before.  

 “Pika?”  Pikachu asked as it used its tail to push a piece of glass around.  Ash sighed and looked at his partner as he took out his Pokédex and opened a special app.

 “You’ve seen this before to, hu Pikachu?  Where I can’t remember, but this was a professional job.  I think it might be a good idea to talk to the local Joey.” Ash said as he recalled his other two Pokémon.  

 “Straight House, Aces High! Read ‘em and pay up gentle folks!” Harley chuckled as he spread his hand on the table.  As he grabbed the chips the other three started to curse as Harley laughed.  A few days to decide what direction I’m going in and I’m gone.  Maybe setting those bug users on Ashey was a waste of time but I still came out ahead here.  Harley stopped when he saw a few people stand up from their tables and look towards the door. He went pale when he saw a figure in a battered looking black cloak walk into the room.

 “The Battler!?”

 “What’s he doing here?! I thought he was in Kanto!”

 “I heard that he slaughters Chimera to wake up in the morning!”

 The people around him muttered to themselves as Harley sank lower into his chair as he looked at the Battler.  He had escaped from Sinnoh with a small bounty for a few actions he done in the Eastern part of that region and he had noticed the Battler moving about the docks when he had gotten on a sea plane so he was worried that he was the target. When the Battler passed by and walked towards Joey behind the counter he gave a sigh of relief.  Maybe I should leave once he’s done, yes I think I’ll go over to Lumiose City, yes that’s what I’ll do.  Harley thought as he stared at the Battler in horror.

 Ash walked towards the bar as he heard the murmurs around him, cursing a few bounties he had brought down over the years and the fact that one or two mob boss’s had fallen to him. The blond man behind the bar looked at him and silently kept cleaning a glass.  As soon as Ash reached the counter the man behind it looked at him with a deadpan look.

 “So what brings an infamous person like you to my Den?”  Joey asked as Ash reached slowly into his cloak and brought out a black coin.  Joey merely looked at it before he picked it up and bit it before nodding at Ash.

 “Your office.”  Ash said, causing Joey to walk towards a door that he opened and Ash followed him into.  As soon as the door closed half the people in the room started to run for the exit, Harley was one of them.

 “So what do you want to use a coin to pay for?  Possible locations of a bounty you’re tracking?  The list of Black List Chimera? Or maybe it’s the location of Team Plas…” Joey began as he sat behind his desk before Ash interrupted him.

 “Your silence on my request and all you can tell me about the gang in this city that uses Bug Types and where I can find them.”  Ash said as Joey leaned back and gave a short laugh.

 “Wasting a Coin on them?  Eh, who am I to tell what to spend it on.  The boys you’re asking about are call the Buzz Lords, their leader is Rex of the Tristo family, the bastards who ruled this area back during the Great War. And unlike a lot of other nobles they were more like tyrants than anything else.”  Joey said as he removed a folder from a file cabinet that he handed to Ash who started to look over reports on the Buzz Lords activity and a few on what the Tristo family had done in ancient time.

 “No resistance against them?” Ash asked with a surprised tone as he read about the people the family had killed, looking up as Joey just sighed.

 “It was around that time that they started that the forces from around where Laverre City started to step up their spy craft and did such damage that they were used as an excuse at least once a year until the end of the War for the family to get rid of the people in their territory who gave them the most trouble.  Fun fact, about ten years after the first time they used that excuse the patriarch at the time killed the boyfriend of his daughter, and when she learned the truth she started a civil war between the family that lasted for the next three generations, they only remarried into each other about four generations ago.”  Joey mused as he watched the Battler.

 “Current affairs of the family?”  Ash asked as he put the folder down.

 “The family gained a fortune the real estate business after the war and own most offices between here and Snowbelle City.  Going through records Rex Tristo has two siblings, a twin sister who was sent away to boarding school and since she’s come back she’s been seen about town with another young woman her age and then there’s the younger brother, he recently took part in the Pokémon Contest and was disqualified.  The parents died a few years back, their bodies were found in a Chimera den but they were just bones and a few scraps of clothing so how they died is a mystery.  Funny thing is that happened a few weeks after Rex was passed over to be the Gym Leader around here, and that was a month before the Buzz Lords started up.”  Joey snickered as Ash looked at him.

 “Where are they?”  Ash asked, prompting Joey to hand over a piece of paper.

 “This has all the properties that the Tristo’s don’t have on the market.  One of them probably is their hideout, and personally I would try the ones at the edge of town.  Don’t know why you’re after them but good luck to ya, they have so cut into my profits lately, but get outa here before you drive off the rest of my profits.”  Joey said as he gestured to the door.  Ash nodded and walked out into a much more empty room.

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  Rebecca smiled to herself as she walked down the hallway back towards her chambers.  She had retrieved the Key of the Lord, and her brother didn’t know just what he had lost!  The symbol of leadership in their family, she was now the Lady Rebecca of the Tristo Nobile family!  Everything was going perfectly!  All she had to do now was help Claudia and then get out of this wreck.  She stopped when she noticed members of the gang standing guard outside the security room and moved forward, wondering what was the cause.  As she approached, the LT in charge noticed her and moved towards her.

 “Lady Rebecca, greetings.” The Lieutenant said as he bowed.  Rebecca noticed the way his eye were on her and gave a small smile while on the inside she glared at him.  Just wait, a few more days and then you’ll have plenty of dates in prison you pervert!

 “Greetings LT, what is the meaning behind the guard?”  Rebecca asked as she gestured towards the other two gang members.   The Lieutenant looked ashamed as he looked at her.

 “Last night the watch staff was killed, we didn’t discover it until the shift change.  We don’t know who did it and to make matters worse the computers were destroyed and it looks like a virus destroyed the cameras so it’ll be a few days until we can finish repairs.  What with the mission the boss sent those shadows on…”  The Lieutenant muttered, causing Rebecca to snap her head towards him.

 “What mission for the shadows?”  Rebecca asked dumbly as she stared.  He didn’t, please tell me he didn’t do what I’m thinking of… She prayed as she waited for a reply.

 “He sent them on a kidnap mission; I heard they came back with two girls about ten minutes ago. One of them was to be sent to his personal chambers and the other was to be sent to recruitment.  Are you alright m’lady, you’re looking pale” The Lieutenant asked as Rebecca leaned against the wall of the hallway.

 “What were the girl’s hair colors?”  Rebecca asked barely breathing as she prayed she was wrong.

 “The girl sent to recruitment had black hair and the other was a honeyed blond I believe.”  Rebecca moved past him and walked faster back towards her section of the building, it was time to leave.  As she moved higher she cursed to herself.  It had to have been that Gym battle that caused Rex to do this.  This is bad, this is really bad!  I was planning on giving a tip to Jenny about this but with what I know about him he’ll be here soon, no choice I have to finish this and get out with just my girls.  He’s probably coming soon!  She thought as she moved through the hideout, not paying attention to who she passed in her hurry. When she finally reached her area she whistled sharply, gaining the attention of all of her followers.

 “Time to clear out ladies! Have Claudia and our friend join me in my chambers and the rest of you begin to clear out all evidence of our presence here, we’re leaving in one hour!”  Rebecca said as she walked to her room and put the Key on her bed as she started to pack away all her things.  That idiotic bastard!  Why did he do this, just what does he gain by forcing a confrontation with Ash?  What did he see in that battle that gave him the single idea that this would… Ash’s tactics. That has to be it.  The one time he listened to me about the plans to take over the town and he does this? I don’t know what I was expecting anything else from him but it would be nice if he was at least constant!  She thought as she looked around the room and cursed under her breath.

 “Has something happened M’lady?”  Claudia voice caused Rebecca to stop thinking and pulled her back to the present.  

 “Indeed, the girls are packing up and I saw a few of them preparing cuttings from all the plants and gathering seeds while having their Pokémon move or destroy the furniture.  I know your plans were to leave this place soon but has something happened to accelerate them?”  Damian asked, not bothering to disguise her voice.  Rebecca sighed and finished puttering away her clothing before she stood and turned to Claudia in her maid uniform and Damian standing next to her in the doorway.

 “Rex sent those people he had on retainer to capture two of the girls who watched Ash’s gym battle in person, they returned a few minutes ago.  I believe he will be paying this place a visit within the next hour or so.”  Rebecca said before Damian just looked blankly at Rebecca before she exploded.

 “He did what?  That stupid idiotic buffoon!  You don’t tickle the sleeping Pyroar, you move silently by it!   I knew he was an idiot for taking everything at face value when he lost the Key but this, I can’t even.” Damian said as she shook her head at Rex’s stupidity.

 “This will have to change our plans.  When you deal with Rex do blunt his memory of Aura use would you?  That would make the battle with Ash a more even match.”  Rebecca said. Claudia looked at her mistress in confusion as Damian nodded.

 “Rest assured I will deal with it.  This could help make Pikatrainer more believable and my assassin is already deployed.  And don’t worry; I’ll blunt his skills, what small amount he has.”  Damian’s words caused Claudia to stare in confusion before she spoke up.

 “M’Lady what does she mean by that?  Why would you act against your brother?”  Claudia’s question caused Rebecca to sigh and look at Claudia firmly. Claudia stepped backwards only to bump into Damian who smiled through the bandages.

 “Yeah, I’m going to have to unlock you first Claudia.”  Rebecca said as she picked up the key by the head and pointed the key at Claudia.  

 “Unlock?  Mistress what are you talking about?” Claudia said as the key started to glow green as Rebecca pointed it at her.  Rebecca frowned as her eyes started to glow green as the Key fed her some information. Release all locks?  How many did Rex make, wait how old is this, then……… dad, you did this to sis? Why did? Rebecca steeled her eyes and decided she’ll ask Claudia about it when her memories are back.

 “Oh Key of the Lord, whose might seals away that which your owner desires from their subjects, release the lock!”  Rebecca chanted as a beam of light hit Claudia, causing her to gasp and fall down onto her knees.  Rebecca smiled and released a Vivillon that hovered before a blue glow covered Claudia’s body as she started to float.  Rebecca turned to Damian with a scowl on her face.

 “Go do what you have to do and I’ll see you with my girls back at the mansion.”  Rebecca said shortly as she walked out of her room.  Rebecca frowned as she stalked out of her…. former room.  Once she returned back to her family’s mansion and started to consolidate her new empire, then she would deal with what happened to Claudia.

 Damian looked as her friend walked away with Claudia’s body and the Vivillon following and frowned.  What had Rebecca sensed from that Artifact?  No matter, she had a job to do now Damian thought to herself as she drew forth a Pokéball.  

 She walked down the stairs leading out of Rebecca’s section and smiled when she saw two gang members and one of the maids she threw her Pokéball and released a yellow furred small biped with a coin on a string in one hand.  The sound of the release caused the people to look up before Hypno’s eyes glowed blue and they gained a blue outline and their eyes went blank.

 “Good job Hypno.  Now then, lets erase all the memories of Rebecca, her followers and myself from their minds, and don’t let them struggle and we’ll put them to sleep until I’m done.” Damian said using her real voice as her Hypno obeyed her commands.

  OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

   “Frank Isolod.  Twenty years old; a trainer who failed the Gym Trainer exam of the Santalune Gym. Was seen about town for the next two months doing Quests before disappearing the weak after the Santalune Gym Tainer Viola became the Gym Leader last year.  Was seen leading an attack on a convoy the next month and has since then been assumed to be the leader of the Scolipede Riders.”  Jenny said as she read from a folder as a teen in black pants, a white shirt with a green jacket over and wearing a jade green bandanna around his neck.  He leaned back with a sneer on his face as he watched Jenny over the table, his arms folded.

 “So you know who I am, what am I supposed to be impressed?”  He sneered as he looked at her.  Jenny just glared back at him, wondering if she should have tried to get around the limitations about interrogations and had a Psychic on hand.

 “It’s to make you think! I have enough on you to put you away for years, decades even!  And I will unless you deal with me!”  Jenny snarled as she slammed a hand on the table.  All she received for her words was a laugh that’s bitter edge caused Jenny to stare at him.

 “There’s only one thing you can do with me, ship me out of the city.  And then my boys will be there to bust me out and I’ll be back where I was before the months out.”  He sneered as she glared at him, knowing that he was right.  Damn the Commissioner’s policy that all gang members are to be sent to prison outside the city their captured in. ‘Make it harder for them to break out’ my ass!

 “Regardless your crimes as the leader of the Riders will still send you away for a long, long time. Enjoy the next few days, there’ll be the last days you spend in this city for a long, long time!”  Jenny said as she exited the room, leaving the ganger smirking as he sat there as she slammed the door, not noticing two eyes in the vent in the room looking at the ganger.

 Jenny stalked down the hallways, the look on her face causing the others in the hallway to stumble out of her way as she walked through the station.  That bastard!  And damn the commissioner for stupidly announcing that policy at that party!  We might catch them but at least fifty percent of those scums either escape or are broken out and those that don’t are usually broken out when the prisons are raided after at most a year!  And the Pokémon they have are usually taken back by the gangs before the people are.  Jenny moved in the central area of the station and moved about the hustle and bustle of the station and walked into her office.  She closed the door and sat behind her desk and leaned back in her chair and sighed, that person knew exactly what restraints she was under and how far he could push her hoping to spark a reaction from her.  A the sound of her phone caused her to look up and smiled when she saw it was from the station in Snowbelle City and smiled, she would call about today.  She picked up the phone and smirked.

 “Hey cousin, how the temperature up there, hot yet?”  Jenny asked with a total deadpan tone.

 “A balmy 22 degrees, the suns out and I’m in a grass skirt, how are the bugs down there, swarming?” A playful voice asked, causing Jenny to laugh.

 “Don’t mention bugs, we finally got the Scolipede’s leader but the brat knows what we have to do with him and he’s not breaking.  And what’s worse he was caught with members of the Buzz Lords with him so how far they’ve been working together I can’t say, but this is really going to give me trouble.”  Jenny said as she turned the chair around and looked out her window.

 “I would give anything for a gang like them up here; it would be so much more easier to deal with then what’s happening.”  Jenny sat up and started to look worried.

 “Why did you say that, what’s happened?”  Jenny demanded in a rush.  She heard a sigh and what sounded like something being put down.

 “In the last three weeks patrollers have found blood remains of animals, Pokémon and as of today three humans.  I think a new Black Mark has been born around here.”  Jenny went white as soon as the words registered.

 “Are you serious!?  A new Black Mark!?” Jenny demainded as she stood up and sent her chair rolling against the wall.

 “Again we’ve only found remains.  I’m having our corner look over the human remains for any marks that are constant, and some officers are hoping it’s just a human sicko but I’m not.”  Jenny reached for her chair and forced a laugh.

 “Maybe that gang you’ve been talking about will run into it and they’ll take each other out.”  Jenny joked and heard a laugh from the phone.

 “I’m not that lucky cousin. Still if something does turn up like I’m dreading I might be calling on you for help.”  This caused Jenny to grin and chuckle.  

 “As long as there’s nothing happening here I’m always up for helping out family.”  Jenny said with a smirk before a sudden commotion from the interrogation room caused her to look up

 “Sorry got to run, something’s happening stay safe you hear me?”  Jenny said as she put the phone down without waiting for a replay.  She rushed out and saw people milling about a doorway, every one of them had looks of shock, anger or looked like they were going to be sick.  She went still when she realized that they were in front of the room she had used with the captured ganger and she pushed past them to stare into the room and went white.  The body was her suspect, Frank Isolod, dead.  Something had thrown a knife made of what looked like ice into his throat and clawed out his eyes and torn away his lower jaw.  Jenny’s eyes noticed one of the vents was missing with the surrounding metal partially frozen over and pieces of ice on the floor.  Jenny turned to the others mulling about and looked towards the officer in charge of the cellblock.

 “The other gangers?” Jenny asked, already knowing the answer before she even asked, not surprised when he shook his head.

 “I was bringing them their supper when I discovered them dead from a blow to the neck; it was fast and quick at least.  I can’t understand how they died, the wounds small enough for a knife but I can’t even tell where the knife went.”  The sergeant said with a scowl on his face as he scowled.

 “Ice.  The wounds were made from something made of ice.  The assassin was a Pokémon, something small enough to get through the vents.”  Jenny said as she pointed at the frozen metal before she turned and moved toward the front. As soon as she reached the squad room she started to give out orders.

 “This is bad but we will find some way around this!  I want people outside looking for anything small enough to fit through the vents and can use Ice moves!  I want at least two people going over every sighting of the Buzz Lords to try and find their base or where they might have someplace they’ve been seen often!  And someone call Viola, I need to talk to her about failed Trainers!  I’ll send a request for help from national!”  Jenny barked as she moved towards her office, the people who heard her moving to carry out her orders.

  Meowth looked at the police station from across the street and threw a rock covered in a piece of paper up and caught it as he thought about what he was doing.  His team was changing, they had proven more than the rank and file years ago and there was that thing with Looker but that was against Team Plasma so it could be excused, but this was taking a stand, and he prayed that the Boss never found out.   Or if Butch and Cassidy ever find out, that’ll be trouble. Those two have been acting capgy last time we saw them.  But they ain’t got anything on how Domino’s been lately. Meowth thought as a shudder as he thought about the look she had in her eyes the last time they had seen her. Forget everything about how some of others acted, there was just something wrong with her. Thankfully she was mostly in headquarters so they hadn’t seen her much but there were rumors among the team about her that had been going about, and Meowth didn’t like them one bit.  But this was something else, no matter how he’d justify it this was just one more way Jessie and James were starting to pull away from Team Rocket, if they ever decided to say no to Team Rocket then he’d have to make a choice.   But that was for the future, this was the present, he had to stay focused.

 “Still, we’ve all got our reasons for being here, but we’ve also gotta act according to what we can live with ourselves.”  Meowth muttered as he looked at the windows, wondering where he should throw the rock through when he noticed movement on the roof.  Meowth ducked down behind the wall at the roof’s edge and sneaked a glance over the edge and saw a Weavile get out of a vent on the station’s roof. Meowth’s eyes went hard when it noticed it throw a small piece of meat into the air before it swallowed it, did the meat have something hanging off it?  Meowth watched as it jumped off the roof onto the next building, heading towards the north of town, the opposite direction of the Buzz Lord’s base. Commotion by the station’s entrance caused him to look and notice as police poured out, running every which way and looking for anything that looked out of place.  The local Officer Jenny came out a second latter and looked like she was ready to kill something.

 Meowth snarled as he realized just what this meant.  That Weavile had killed someone in there and now the plan was so much scrap!  If he threw it now they’d think it was a trap at best, them being screwed with at worst. This is just perfect!  I can’t think of any way to get this information to them that they’d believe it! I can’t not pass on this information and there’s no way that won’t have Jess and James in hot water with the Boss! There has to be a way…ello, what’s this? Meowth wondered as a sandy blonde woman with a camera around her neck was running towards Jenny.

 Jenny had a scowl on her face as she tried to get her emotions under control as she tried to get some control over the situation.  That stupid, arrogant bastard! ‘The security of the station is the responsibility of all officers stationed there and no others.  We shall not escalate or give the  criminal element an excuse to even think about doing the same.’  Whose side is he really on, the law or the lawbreakers?  An assassin sneaks into the station, kills people in custody and when I request some help to handle a raid he shuts it down the same hour I make the formal request.

 “Jenny, hey.  Woah, what died around here?”  A voice caused her to turn her head and look at Viola who was looking around in confusion.  Jenny just sighed and shook her head, knowing just how Voila would react about what she was about to tell her.

 “Three people died, more to the point the three were the people who were caught outside your gym after they assaulted those two girls.”  Jenny said as she braced herself for the eruption.  Viola only stared in shock before she started to go red in the face.

 “WHAT, THE, HELL.  How the devil did they?!” Viola demand as she started to flex her fingers, grasping an invisible throat.  Jenny just sighed and locked eyes with Viola’s.

 “Something that could use Ice moves and move through the vents of the station.  The two lower ranked were killed quickly, the leader’s body was desecrated.  Do you know of any Bug types that that can use moves that could create a small weapon and throw it at a target?”  Jenny asked only to watch Viola shake her head.

 “Nothing that could move through the vents, if they were frozen solid then I could think of some Bug types, heck I have one on my team!”  Voila said as Jenny cursed.  There goes the hope that she would know something the general public doesn’t, I admit it was a long shot but I had to try. A commotion from the sides caused both of them to turn their heads.

 “Look kid I’m telling you….!” The speaker was one of the patrolmen who was arguing with a blond boy in blue overalls wearing glasses and wearing a large backpack.

 “And I’m telling you I will be speaking to your boss or so help me!”  Clemont began as Viola noticed who was arguing with the policeman.

 “Clemont, is that you? What are you doing here?”  Viola called out as she gestured for him to be let in.

 “Voila, it’s good to see you but I’ll get to the point, a few hours ago my sister and three of my friends were attacked and only my sister and one of them was able to escape. Ash went to find them and he sent me messages that he followed the tracks to an abandoned theater where people wearing the same clothing as the people who attacked Lilly before were.” Clemont said in a rush, causing Jenny and Viola to look at him.

 “They attacked them? You’re sure about that?”  Jenny demanded as she grabbed Clemont’s shoulder.  Clemont met Jenny’s eyes with a hard look in his and replayed to her question.

 “My sister was brought to the Center because a Beedrill poisoned her.  So yes I’m sure about it.”  Jenny looked at him for a few minutes before she turned to her men.

 “I want all force ready to go in five minutes!  We have a lead and I am not letting it slip through our fingers this time!  Gym Leader Viola, would you mind assisting us on this?”  Jenny asked as she turned back to Clemont and Voila.

 Meowth just smiled to himself as he absorbed over what he had heard.  I guess Jess and James are going to get a front row seat for the Twep’s next rage.  It’s always something to see if you’re not on the receiving end!  But I guess stealing form them will be easier with ‘help’ from him and the law.  Sorry I couldn’t get here in time, hope you’re okay girls.  Meowth thought to himself as he started to make his way back to his friends.  He could only hope that they had arranged the disguises they would need for after the raid.

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 Ash looked at the ‘abandoned’ theater and frowned when he saw all the people in green outside it. As soon as he had discovered the base of the Buzz Lords he had sent a message to Clemont and he hopped that it took a while for him to bring the Calvary, he wanted a few minutes to ‘talk’ with this gang’s leader, preferably over weapons.  So five people outside, two Beedrills and a Pinsir as backup.  So Pikachu for the guards and Froakie and Fletchling to handle the Pokémon until Pikachu can help them.

 “Pikachu, like when we raided that place in Kanto.  Froakie, Fletchling handle the Pokémon that remain moving after Pikachu leads off, I’ll handle the people.”  Ash said as he put his cloak back into his bag and adjusted his shield and sword as he looked at his Pokémon.  

 “Froakie.”

 Flechtling!”

 “Pika!”

 “Thanks guys.  Pikachu give me a 50 count to get closer.  Once that’s done Thunderwave and then melee the Pokémon until their knocked out.”  Ash said as he moved down the alley, getting closer to the theater as he moved, counting down in his head as he went.  When he reached 35 he had crept close enough to overhear the guards talking to each other

 “Did ya see the new girls that were brought in earlier?  They were both lookers.”  One of the guards with a broken tooth asked another wearing an eyepatch.

 “Did ya see the rack on the black haired one, can’t wait to have when she’s trained up a bit.” Eyepatch said.

 “Blonde’s more my style mates, can’t wait until the boss is done with her.”  One wearing glasses said with a laugh as Ash started to greet his teeth.

 “Pika?”   A cute sound voice caused Ash to smirk.

 “Hey, ain’t that a Pikachu? What’s wrong little guy, want some food?”  Another one asked.

 “Pika Pikachu!” Pikachu cried as it unleashed a devastating Thunder Wave that caused the guards and their Pokémon to cry out and when it ended, all but two of them were on the ground as their Pokémon struggled to get up.  Before one of the Beedrills could do more then start to get up, a sphere of water hit it, sending it back to the ground unconscious.

 “Where’d the hell did that come from!”  The leader asked as he struggled to steady himself.

 “Up there boss!” Glass’s cried as Froakie, Pikachu and Fletchling attacked the other two Pokémon.  As the two guards stared at the battle Ash darted behind the leader and bashed him with his shield, knocking him out.

 “So let’s have us a talk about where those two girls are, shall we?”  Ash said with a smirk that caused Glasses to start to pale and stumble backwards, pulling out a short blade that he pointed at Ash.  Glasses looked at the battle between Ash’s Pokémon and paled when he saw Pikachu use Iron Tail to slam the Pinsir against a wall of one of the other buildings as Fletchling shot silver crescents at Beedrill as Froakie threw another water sphere at Beedrill.

 “Call those three off, call them off now!”  He demanded as Ash swung his sword and took a stance.

 “Make me.”  Ash said with a small smirk.

 “RAAAGGGHH!”  Glasses cried as he ran at Ash and sliced down with his sword, Ash parried the blade with his sword and locked eyes with his opponent, seeing the fear in them and mentally went over his plan.  So just another bully when he’s with a group, hu?  I just need to disarm him and then he’ll sing like a canary once I’m in a position where he’s weaker than me.  A bit of intimidation and then I’m in.  Ash thought as he led Glassess backwards, away from the theater as he tried to isolate his opponent.  

 Glasses stared at the person who had attacked the gang, he was falling back like cowards always do, all he had to do was disarm him and he could force his Pokémon to stand down. He thought what the boss would do when he walked into the base with someone who’d attacked the gang, and as he slashed at the attacker he started to fantasies about what he’d get for this. Suddenly he saw his opponent smirk grow and stopped and looked around, paling as he did so.  The guards Pokémon were all on the ground and he was surrounded by the attackers Pokémon and the attacker had stopped moving backwards and was staring at him.

 “So you figured out what I was doing too late, so you have a choice to make.”  Ash said as he watched Glasses paling face as his hands started to shake and he looked around.  Glasses dropped his blade and raised his arms above his head.

 “Don’t hurt me please! I never did anything more than scare a few people and collected some money from people we offered insurance to!” Glasses stammered as he watched Ash.

 “The girls, where are they?” Ash demanded as he watched the stammering fool.

 “The black haired was brought to what’s called General Initiation, I’ve never been there.  The blond was to be brought to the boss. That all I know I swear!”  Glasses said with a quiver to his voice. Ash looked at the theater and saw no movements from within and thought.   No signs that they know that anything is happening out here, so maybe I’m lucky, but I have to move on.

 “Right, you’ve been a big help, so I’m going to do you a favor.  I’m only going to knock you out, not paralyze you.”  Ash said as he knocked Glasses out with his shield.  He walked towards the doors to the theater and saw that the doors were locked.  Just like that time hu, so we went quite but now it’s time to go loud.

 “Pikachu break the door down.”  Ash said as he stretched and gripped his shield and sword as Pikachu gained a smirk as the others moved to stand by Ash.

  Inside the lobby 10 members of the Buzz Lords milled about.  Ever since the others that had returned with the girls the base had been on lockdown and the group had been ordered to move to their squads bases and go dark and prepare for a big announcement and those at the main base were those who hadn’t join one of the squads yet.  With the guards who had been killed in the monitoring room the whole base was on edge, and with the lockdown a lot of them were nervous that something might happen.

 “So you decided what ya going to try out for yet?”

 “The say that the boss of the ‘Riders was caught by the cops, guessing their Vice is going up in rank.”

 “I heard that the reason the boys were killed was because one of the other gangs around here are planning to move on us and they were taking out our eyes.”

 “There’s no way any of the scum around here coulda done that, if they were they’d been here by now….” One of them scoffed right before the doors exploded sending the remains of the door flying towards them, some of the pieces knocking out four of the gangers in the lobby and causing wounds on the others.  They looked towards the remains of the door and saw Ash walk through the smoke and stood defiantly with his Pokémon by his side.

 “Evening all, a lady I know told me that you guys found two friends who were wondering around the city and I’ve come to pick them up.  I told a friend of mine where we are and he went to see Jenny for help in rewarding you all for taking care of them.  So want to wait nicely or do we have a nice spar beforehand?”  Ash asked with a smirk.  The gangers stared at him in shock as some of them drew forth weapons or Pokéballs. Ash just shook his head and stepped backwards, while Pikachu blasted them with a bolt of electricity!

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  Rex snarled as he heard the explosion from the front of the building.  Perhaps it was one of his enemies coming to talk with him.  He looked up and saw Damian walking into the room with a Hypno walking behind him and his Weavile.

 “What are you doing here? I didn’t call you, did you handle the problem at the station?”  Rex demanded as Damian started to chuckle before he replied

 “My friend made sure that the captured fools wouldn’t speak anymore.  It was the least I could do as a last request for an idiot like you.  A fool who couldn’t even tell the truth of someone right in front of him.” Damian said with a feminine voice. Rex dropped his mouth as he realized what Damian had said, more what Damian sounded like.

 “Who the…what the….Who the hell are you!?”  Rex demanded before a blue glow outlined his body and he lost control of his body.

 “Allow me to reintroduce myself.” Damian said as he reached up and grabbed his bandages and another hand grabbed his cloths and spun around, disappearing from sight as he twirled.  As the clothing and banadages started to move off Damian’s body a feminine shape appeared, revealing that Damian was a woman.

 “The name is Darcy, master assassin of the Returners.”  The woman said in a seductive tone of voice.   Her long white hair flowed in waves down her back and she wore a black short corset dress that ended at her knees and she had on black knee high boots. Her lips were painted an abyssal black and her eyes were the color of ice with blue eyeliner above them.  She had an hourglass figure and as she strutted towards Rex he felt a wave of desire hit him before his rage killed it. She gave off a musical chuckle when she looked into his eyes and saw the emotions in them.

 “So you fought it off, I need to change the makeup of my special perfume to work better.  Ah well, this has been a great relationship Rexie-dear.  Your sister is now the head of your family, the rage you felt at being passed over will be the perfect answer to why you did this.”  Damain…Darcy to Rex’s confusion. What the hell is this broad talking about, what’s her endgame. This can’t be the will of the Regent, it can’t be!  Rex thought as he struggled to reach one of his Pokéballs as Darcy laughed.

 “Oh, you didn’t know? That paperweight is actually the symbol of your family’s headship; by losing it you lost all rights to lead your family.”  Darcy said with a musical giggle at the end as Rex reacted, feeling pleasure as she saw the rage and anger in his eyes at the fact his sister had pulled one over on him.

 “I’d love to stay and chat, but it’s time for you to sleep and forget.  It has been anything but a pleasure to have known you.”  Darcy said as Rex’s eyes grew heavy as he fell asleep as Darcy put both her hand parallel to his head.

  “My Lord, My Lord wake up!” A voice said as someone shook Rex awake. Rex blinked and saw one of his Lieutenants shaking him.  Rex looked around and heard the sounds of battle farther towards the front of the base

 “I’m awake, what the hell is happening!?”  Rex demanded as he looked around and saw five of his followers around him.

 “A trainer with a sword is slaughtering us!  His Pikachu strikes our Pokémon and his other two finish them off!  And his Pikachu is knocking our guys out or paralyzing them!” Rex stared in shock before he slapped himself.  So he’s brave enough to challenge us on his own, prefect.  I know he’s a great trainer since he beat Viola’s strategy but this is great! Once he’s under my command I’ll finally have a worth second.  But still, why did I have to recruit this guy the hard way without trying the soft way first?  No other choice then to handle this myself since those people already left.

 “You!  Bring that new blond and somebody get me my armor and weapons, I’ll handle him here.”  Rex ordered as he stood up.  He could still handle this, his conquest of this city was still on track, and once he had conquered this town he would march on his families estate and take it back from his sister, and prove that he and he alone should have been giving his families leadership in the first place no matter what his father thought before he and his mother thought about him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

P A treon.com/bardofworlds for special rewards for all patrons

  Black Mark; A Chimera that has earned an epitaph. League policy is to put bounty on all identified Black Marks, but most aren’t identified by dead bodies recovered by people.

[elven-ariaera]

Welcome all!

If you’re reading this, I’m assuming you’re familiar with my work as either an artist, cosplayer, writer or any of the other creative things I do. Recently, I had been asked about some of the work that I do, and I thought a fun way to just that was to fill out a few questionnaires. Here I talk about some of the high and low points of doing what I do, what inspires me, and my process of creativity.

For those who are only interested in certain segments, I’ve broken the article into the following sections for you to easily maneuver your way throughout the piece: Art, cosplay, writing, and questions asked by you.

I know I’m no professional and compared to a lot of others I don’t have as outstanding an amount of followers, but if this article can help inspire at least one artist to try something new or learn something they didn’t know, well, that’s good enough for me! I hope you enjoy!

Art

When did you get into art?

I’ve been drawing as long as I can remember, but I do recall middle school in particular being the time that I really started pursuing art. I had to choose between volleyball and art club after school, and guess which one I picked. It wasn’t just academics either. My notebooks were full of fan art of mostly Link and Zelda, but you could find some Kirby, Pokémon, and Naruto scattered in there as well.

Show us your oldest piece of art you have on hand.

Yeah. It’s… Something.

What defines your artistic style?

I think the faces of the characters I draw distinguish my art. I always have a certain way of drawing the eyes, ears, and other features. I always give my females more prominent eyelashes than males as well. Certain clothing as well — The way I draw capes and hoods are distinct. Not to mention when designing my own clothes, I tend to use similar patterns.

Do you practice other styles/have you tried other styles in the past?

I occasionally dabble outside my comfort zone. I’m not necessarily a huge fan of the “Cal-Arts” style, but I’ve tried it every now and then, especially when creating fan art for shows like Steven Universe, The Amazing World of Gumball, and Amphibia. I don’t really do it too often, but I’ve made a piece for my portfolio mimicking several art styles from a variety of different shows just to demonstrate that I can do it if I’d like to.

What levels of artistic education have you had?

Honestly, just high school. I thought I was going to college for digital illustrations but it turned out communication/graphic design was totally different. I actually got into that because I could draw when not many other people in that field could. Of course, I’m always interested in learning outside of school. I learn through watching other artists on social media, seeing how they create their work. Just watching a speed draw can help so much! The way I learn the most, however, is just by doing. Practice, practice, practice! 

Show us at least one picture you drew or sketched recently that you did not put on a public site.

I’ve been doing a lot of Fire Emblem doodles for my new sticker line, so here’s Setsuna. Honestly, I just like drawing bust portraits like this.

What is your favorite piece that you have done?

I can’t just pick one! I’ve drawn over 900 things since I first joined DeviantArt (and I’ve been drawing even before then), you want me to pick just one? Haha, I’ll narrow it down to three of my favorites (in no particular order):

I love this one because it was like the first cute drawing of Ivysaur I’ve ever done. Ivysaur was always a tricky pokémon for me to draw, but this was the first time I feel like I nailed it. Ivysaur also happens to be one of my absolute favorites, so that’s a plus.

This is Minerva, a Guardian from my fantasy stories. Every time I drew her prior, I could never quite get the look I wanted. This was the one that I really liked and so I colored it and am very happy with how it turned out.

I don’t know why I just love this drawing I did of Dimitri from Three Houses. I think its the eyes and hair. And the color contrast — especially in the original ink sketch (that I hung up over my craft table.) I just love it.

What is your least favorite piece that you have done?

Again, you want just one? Haha, too many failures. I’ll be fair, though, and post three of those as well.

Here’s one from my early days. I was trying so hard to get the hair all detailed like and instead it came out looking like gross looking veins. Not to mention how atrocious the proportions were. Oh man, I’m sorry past me, I know you tried.

Here’s one I was so proud of: I copied the official art for Twilight Princess and thought it came out amazing. So amazing I titled the piece “Awesomeful Link.” Yeah. Um. Nope.

Here’s a more recent one that I’m not too pleased with. I was so excited about the latest batch of Steven Universe episodes (which I would later learn were a big bunch of filler episodes and that didn’t make anything better) I drew Pearl reciting her ‘big line’ of the trailer. I tried to mix styles and I tried something different with the eyes and all in all it just came out… Meh.

What do you like most about your art?

I like the faces that I draw. They’re always the most fun and I think they come out the best. I especially love the eyes, I go into so much detail on them (even though they’re usually so small when I print them.) I’ve had issues in the past where I made all of my characters look like they had the same face, but I feel I’ve been doing a lot better at individualizing the face of each character and that makes it all the more fun as well.

What do you like least about your art?

The hands. Sometimes I draw them well, but I still struggle hard and sometimes it really shows. For chibi drawings, I don’t really care as much, but on my more “serious” art, I get a little bummed when I’ve got a wonky hand hanging off their wrists. Feet also sometimes give me a bit of trouble, but usually only when I do poses that involve more movement, which is why I sometimes make my art stiffer and I don’t like doing that either.

Have you ever considered taking commissions?

I do take commissions. In fact, I’d love to take more if it were possible.

Are you looking to pursue a career in art?

I do it part-time right now. I’m satisfied doing commissions and artist tables at local conventions. I think I’d like to pursue writing more than art, but I do love art just as well, so part-time is perfect for me.

What do you like drawing the most?

As I mentioned before, faces. I love drawing facial expressions, I feel like it’s the very core of a character. It’s the first thing I notice when I look at anyone’s art, so I always go all out on my own. I also like drawing hair and wrinkles in clothing. I used to be really obsessed with wrinkles and it would always look like my characters didn’t iron their laundry, but I’ve definitely toned it down since then, haha.

All in all, I like drawing human characters the best — or humanoid. Elves, fairies, merfolk; I love them the most. I like drawing animals too, but not as much as people. 

What do you like drawing the least?

Once again my answer is hands. They are still as difficult to draw as the day I started.

Backgrounds are also not enjoyable for me to draw. It’s an important part of a piece, but I get so bored drawing anything that’s not a character — which is why you’ll probably notice in a lot of my art that I do a lot of very minimal backgrounds. I’ve been trying very hard not to just take stock photos anymore (with the exception of my Mythical Month art as they’re meant to be stickers,) and I’ve been using games like Skyrim and Breath of the Wild as inspiration with their gorgeous scenery. 

Do you draw more fanart or original art? If fanart, what fandom do you draw the most of?

I post a lot more fan art than original — at least I used to, but I also think I have expanded in sharing my original art more and more with my Mythical Months/Mondays. I guess maybe I’d say about half and half.

What medium/program do you use the most in your art?

Digitally I always use Photoshop. Always. As for traditional art, I’ve been using Copic knock-offs (I’m still learning, so I’d rather not waste the money) and the Sakura Micron pens for my ink sketches. I’ve really been enjoying them, actually, it’s very therapeutic. However, no matter digitally or traditionally, I always, ALWAYS start with a pencil. I like mechanical pencils, I don’t like traditional #2 pencils anymore. The thin lead helps me keep control better.

How would you rank your art? (poor, mediocre, good, etc.)

I always say I think my art is “above average.” I know it’s not bad, but I think it could always use improvement. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to a place where I think my art is phenomenal, but I’m content with it, it makes me happy, and that’s all that matters.

List at least one of your “artspirations.”

My art style was greatly inspired by Naruto, Fire Emblem, and Zelda. I always liked more proper body proportions with that hint of anime inspiration. I like bigger eyes on my characters because they help convey emotion so much better, but I also don’t like the oversized baby eyes outside of the occasional chibi style. Avatar: The Last Airbender was also a great influence since the creators did exactly what I like to do and execute it wonderfully.

What do you think you could stand to improve on?

I feel like I can always improve on everything that I do in my art. There are things I’m good at, but I don’t feel like I’ve mastered anything in particular. Then there’s hands and feet again which I definitely need to work on. Lastly, motion. I want to be able to draw more fluid character motions. I’ve been working on it with my original art that I don’t post online, but hopefully I’ll start incorporating it into all my work.

Do you have a shameful art past? (recolor sprite comics, tracing art, etc.?)

Ugh, yes, YES! I admit I was so bad at first, but I also think that’s just how we learn. I used to do a lot of tracing. I started first just full-on tracing images off my computer — That’s right, I’d put the paper up to the computer and trace it like that. Then I started using bases, which was better because at least I had to draw all the details like hair and clothing by myself. Then I finally worked up the courage to stop using them completely. I’d use references, but I would force myself to figure it out by eye rather than copy it straight from the source. I’m happy to say I haven’t been tracing since my late middle school- early high school years.

Cosplay

How many years have you cosplayed?

My first cosplay was when I was fourteen, and I’m twenty-five at the time of writing this article, so eleven years now. Wow.

How did you get into cosplaying?

I honestly don’t know. I was invited to a convention where I heard people dressed up and was like “hey, I want to try that!” I guess it was because I didn’t really do Halloween as a kid and I was so deathly terrified of costumed characters as a toddler that I never took an interest until high school.

How many cosplays have you done?

That’s funny, you want me to remember how many cosplays I’ve ever done. A lot. According to my photo collection, I’ve done about 60 different cosplays (59 exactly if I’m counting correctly.)

What was your first cosplay and why did you choose it?

My first cosplay was Osaka from Azumanga Daioh in her blue summer uniform. Azumanga Daioh was my second ever manga series and my cousin and I were so obsessed with it. She even went as Yukari with me to the convention (though only, like, two people knew who we were.) Tomo is probably my favorite character, but I related personally more to Osaka, being the air-head that I am. I also didn’t have to really style my hair (because that was an era before I used wigs.)

What is your favorite cosplay you’ve done so far?

It’s a tie between my Trainee Link (Hyrule Warriors) costume and my Royal Guard Link (Zelda: Breath of the Wild) costume. Both are alternative costumes for one of my all-time favorite characters that I hand made all the really detailed pieces all from scratch. Link has always been a special character for me to cosplay, but these two are my favorites.

What is your least favorite you’ve cosplayed?

Rapunzel (Tangled). I was obsessed with her at the time which is why I wanted to cosplay her originally, but my dress was not the best and I didn’t look good as her. At least I think so. It was the only costume that made me feel insecure.

What cosplay is the most uncomfortable or troublesome?

Okay, I love this costume and character to pieces, but my gosh the struggles I go through for Pearl (Steven Universe). Blue Diamond (Steven Universe) is the worst in terms of how long it takes me to put my makeup on, but Pearl is right behind her at about 2 hours being my best time. However, the thing that makes Pearl more troublesome to wear is one thing and one thing alone: armsocks.

They look great and prevent you from having to dab makeup all over your body, but I literally couldn’t even hit the home button on my cellphone and it’s not like I could just take them off like gloves. They’re attached at your middle and putting them on is a hassle on its own. Getting your fingers into each tiny socket is so time-consuming. Now imagine this while also being coated in body paint. Plus, having white be the color of the stockings, you have to be conscious of everything you touch because it will stain and show. Because of all this, I refuse to use the restroom dressed as Pearl, and while that is “in character,” it is not healthy and totally NOT recommended you do that.

What is your most comfortable cosplay?

During the winter, Ravio (Zelda: A Link Between Worlds) for sure. It’s like wearing a giant snuggie. However, in summer, it does get hot very quickly (which is why I literally only wear biker shorts and a tank underneath if I ever do take it out on a hot day), so I only wear it in summer if I know there will be AC. Heatstroke is a real thing. Miss Frizzle (Magic School Bus) is probably the best all-year cosplay in terms of comfort. It’s just a dress, stockings, and a wig really.

But in all honesty, most of my cosplays are relatively comfortable. There’s really nothing that I’ve been so uncomfortable that it’s made my physically ill or scarred me physically. My health is important to me, and should safety should always come first.

How do you research the cosplay before you make it?

I look up lots of reference images. I need an image of the front and back, though if it’s not available, I just improvise based on the images I do have on hand. After that, I kind of just wing it.

Do you sew your cosplays yourself?

A good majority of them, yes. There are a few exceptions to this, though: My Disney princesses are all bought since I use them in performances and want them to be durable if children come and tug on the outfit. Pearl, also being a performance cosplay, I did buy as well. For her second reformation outfit (the sleeveless with the ribbon) I got specially commissioned to look and fit me just right whereas her movie/future appearance (jacket and mom-jeans) I literally found at a thrift store. I also love to find costume pieces at thrift stores. Whether I use them as is or make alterations, they make life so much easier when you make a good find for a cheap price. Leni Loud (Loud House) is probably my favorite thrift/sew hybrid. I found a base dress, altered the top and added strap sleeves, put lace around the edges, found a blingy pair of sunglasses, bought earrings and painted them, and made bows for sandals I already had. The most expensive part of that cosplay was the wig I bought from Arda (and it’s always worth it to buy from them in my opinion.)

When I make a costume completely from scratch (like Ravio, Thranduil, any of my Link cosplays) are when I really love the costume and character and want to take on a challenge and bring it to life myself. They also tend to have pieces that can’t be altered from your everyday clothing, but that just makes me work harder and learn more!

How did you learn to sew?

My grandmother taught me how. Osaka was my first cosplay, but my mom altered it from a tee shirt we found at a thrift store and a lucky skirt find. Kabuto Yakushi (Naruto) was the first cosplay I made from scratch (and I won best novice at the convention I wore it to — even with my terrible wig, haha.) She showed me how to use patterns when we made that and my Ayame Sohma cosplay, but after that, I scrapped using patterns and I basically just eyeball everything now. It’s totally not recommended, but I’m a little weirdo and just prefer to do things the way I do. Still, I wouldn’t be able to use a sewing machine if it weren’t for her. Thanks, Nanny!

Do you make your own props?

Most of them. I don’t really use props too often as I find them cumbersome to lug around a convention (which is how I thought of the Fire Emblem, Gravity Falls, and Skyrim book boxes to store your stuff and add some extra flair to a costume.) The few props I have made include Link’s sword, his trainee shield, his original shield from Zelda 1, and Soren’s Wind Tome (which I used for Laurent (Fire Emblem: Awakening) because I didn’t finish Soren (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance) yet…) Then there’s my prized cosplay prop; Victreebel for James (Pokémon). That was all thanks to my fleece hat business in high school that taught me the skills to build that thing.

I actually think the only prop I store-bought was my Hylian Shield because it was so lightweight and easy to carry, plus I was dreading doing all those details at the time. Maybe one day I’ll make it from scratch, but for now, I’m content with my store-bought.

Do you style your own wigs?

Yes. I have been improving my styling skills a lot more since I first started. It was always a more difficult task for me, but I’ve been practicing more and more. The first one that I attempted on my own was my short-haired Rapunzel. That was basically just giving it a haircut, though. My first real styling challenge was Breath of the Wild Link. It took a long time, but I actually had fun figuring out his hair.

For most of my costumes, it’s really just the bangs that need that extra pop, to which I use Got2B gel and spray. Does the trick every time and keeps everything in place. For those who are wondering, though: No, I did not style Pearl’s wig. I am not ready for that kind of gravity-defying styling. That was all E-Bay.

What skill has been most useful for making your cosplay?

Well, sewing mostly, but other skills that have come in handy for me personally have been painting, crafting, makeup, styling, and overall decorating. Probably other stuff too, just nothing more I can think of off the top of my head.

What is the hardest thing when making a cosplay?

Probably figuring out how things connect. This is the main reason I’m timid when it comes to armor. I’ve been getting better, but I’m still having trouble figuring out how everything attaches and how to put on these kinds of costumes, which is why my Skyrim Elven Armor has been put on hold.

What was the biggest screw up you’ve had making a cosplay?

I’m not sure if I had any major crisis’ when it comes to making cosplays, but I’ve certainly had my fair share of irritating mishaps and mistakes. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve accidentally sewn the sleeves on a costume inside out about 4 times before I finally got it right.

I’ve cut holes in my clothing, I’ve sewn sleeves on too tight, and I’ve even completed a hat that took hours just for it to wind up being too small when I put a wig on. I guess most of the major issues I’ve had with sewing are measurement issues, so my advice to you is to always measure and try on your costume as you go. Don’t wait until the day of the con to try out your new cosplay.

How often do you injure yourself while making a cosplay?

Not too often, I occasionally prick my finger with my sewing needles, but I haven’t had too many serious injuries. I think the worst was when I slashed my thumb with the exacto-knife when making my first shield for Link. Needless to say, there was a lot of blood.

Do you try to stay cheap or do you splurge on materials?

I am a frugal soul; if I can save, I will. That’s why I thrift so much. However, on a costume I’m really passionate about, I will spend more to ensure the quality. For example, I spent a little more going to a more shimmery material for Royal Guard Link. It cost about $50 for the blue and red material, which to me, is a lot (and that was with coupons). However, the results were 100% worth it. PS, Michaels and Joann’s ALWAYS have coupons. I totally recommend downloading both apps.

I also stand by that with wigs and contacts. I love Arda, their quality is great, but they are more expensive than Amazon. Contacts I don’t mind spending more for as well since the quality is VERY important in this case; they are going on your eyes, after all.

However, as I said, I am absolutely not opposed to going cheap. If you can make it work, make it work. My Nyo!Austria (Hetalia) cosplay came out very cute and it was literally made from bedsheets. From using mostly thrifted and recycled materials, a lot of my cosplays came to around an overall price of around $30. Some of these costumes include Mega Gardevoir (Pokemon), Tomoyo Sakagami (Clannad), Spyro (Spyro the Dragon), and Luan Loud (Loud House.)

Cosplay can be totally affordable, you just have to be creative and think a little outside the box sometimes to make it work.

Have you ever cosplayed with a partner or group?

Yes, a few times. I’d love to do more group cosplays, but we all have to think of something we all like. Luckily, two of my very good friends decided they would dress up as Steven Universe and Amethyst to go with my Pearl this year for Comic-Con and it was such a great experience! I’m trying to convince them to do others as well, such as The Loud House and The Magic School Bus with me as well, haha.

Do you try to act in character?

Always: but I don’t always succeed. It really depends on the character. Pearl I could roleplay for days. It’s probably because I connect so much with her and performing as her doesn’t hurt either. Dee Dee Magno Hall says her favorite lines to say are peoples names, and after giving it a shot myself, I totally see why. I even practiced Garnets “Stronger than you” monologue in Pearl’s voice and tone (in case no one volunteered to sing during our karaoke event) and it always makes my friends laugh.

The characters that stump me a little more are the more serious characters I choose to portray; Link, Laurent, Thranduil (the Hobbit), Belle (Beauty and the Beast), just to name a few. I’m kind of a goofball/airhead so those characters clash with my personality a little bit, but I am getting better. Blue Diamond is surprisingly the easiest of these types to stay in character for.

That being said, I love being the outgoing, oddball characters. Like I said, Pearl is second nature to me, as well as Anna from Frozen. Back in my Hetalia days, Austria and America were my go-to guys. I could act as them forever, and my friends and I literally lived as them for a while with how much we role-played. Most of the Disney Princesses it’s pretty easy for me to stay in character, especially (like I said before) Anna, Sofia the First, and Merida.

How do you react to cosplayers dressed as a character from the same anime/game/etc?

If there are some good character opportunities, I will role-play on the spot, but more often than not I will ask if we could all get a picture together. There were so many fun interactions with other Steven Universe cosplayers when my friends and I did our little group, but one of my favorite interactions was probably when I was dressed as Laurent and I stumbled across a Miriel cosplayer and I just shouted out “MOM! I FINALLY FOUND YOU!”

Do you try to duplicate your character’s expressions, walk, movements, etc?

I can talk the talk (mostly), but I have more trouble walking the walk. I’ve been trying to replicate movements better, but facial expressions I have trouble with (ironic as it’s my favorite part of drawing.) I’m not as photogenic as I’d like to be, as you could probably tell by most of my pictures being the same face, but I definitely am striving to improve on that.

What was your funniest experience of acting in character?

Okay, there’s a lot that I could share, and eventually, I want to do an article solely on cosplay “in-character” experiences, but the one I HAVE to share right now is a recent experience when I was dressed as Ariel from The Little Mermaid.

I was performing at the family day event my church helps out at my pastor’s air force base as Ariel, and after my sing-a-long, my makeup was a little smudged. I asked a volunteer where the restroom was so I could touch up before I headed back out to the crowds. I thought he’d take me to a private restroom, but he brought me to the public one where there were families waiting outside. They noticed and the dad joked “See? Even princesses have to go.” to which I laughed and gave my best Ariel shrug to play along. I went inside, fixed my makeup, and went back outside.

It wasn’t long, so the family was still outside the men’s room. As I walked by, the man’s son shouted out “Ariel, congratulations on going pee-pee!” to which I bursted out laughing. Everyone was. I mean, if you gotta congratulate a princess on using the bathroom, you picked the right one! After that, I did explain that I was just putting on makeup but I appreciated his enthusiasm and thanked him for it.

Do you compete in cosplay contests?

All the time. I love them. Whether I win or lose, I always get something out of it. I learn tips from other cosplayers, get to meet so many interesting people, and those times I do win I get prizes which is always nice as well. Most importantly, though, the memories that are made there are the very best part.

Have you won anything?

I have won quite a few. I have three trophies, a medal, a few certificates, and have won a cash prize as well. My first win was my second convention as Kabuto where I won the best novice trophy. My most recent win was for Ravio in August of 2019 with best in show. It’s amazing, I never thought I would get this far, but I’m so grateful for everything I’ve been a part of.

Again, it’s totally not about winning, but I’ll admit that it does feel really nice to have my hard work appreciated. Just as drawing, I still feel like I have a lot of room for improvement in my cosplay, so winning a few contests here and there definitely helps my low self-esteem.

Do you prefer skits or walk-ons?

I’ve only ever done walk-ons. I’ve never had anyone to do a skit with and I don’t think I could pull one off on my own. I’d love to do one eventually, but for now, our panels are good enough.

How many friends have you made because of cosplay?

Quite a lot. My Instagram is full of cosplayers I’ve met at conventions and I love seeing their cosplays and drawings, it’s all so inspiring!

Do you attend photoshoots and meet-ups outside of conventions?

Occasionally. I’ve never done a professional photoshoot (though one day I’d like to,) but I have attended a few meetups. I’ve done one for Steven Universe, Once Upon a Time, Disney, and I actually accidentally walked into a Fire Emblem: Awakening one dressed as Laurent, so that worked out.

What is the funniest reaction you’ve gotten cosplaying from people outside of the community?

The best one was when I was dressed as Link and my friend and I were on the subway. There was a mom and her kid sitting across from us and she pointed to me and said to her child, “Look, an elf! You see? Santa’s got his helpers out all year round, so you have to be good!”

I also had another wonderful experience outside of a con dressed as Link, though it’s not as funny but more just a sweet memory. It’s quite a bit, but luckily I’ve already written about it for Zelda Universe so I’ll just link it here for anyone who’s interested. 

Name a few cosplays you’re planning to do next:

I’ve got to get Soren (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance) done soon. I’ve been wanting to do this cosplay forever and I did start it, but I need to finally finish it. Dimitri (Fire Emblem: Three Houses) is also on my list to do next. Not sure about who else I want to do for sure, but some ideas that have floated around in my head have been Tilly Green (Big City Greens), Anna with her Frozen 2 look, Princess Peach (Super Mario), and a Thalmor Mage (Skyrim.)

What is your dream cosplay?

Princess Zelda from Twilight Princess. I’m still too scared to try to cosplay her. I bought a cheap starter costume that I was going to build off of and it wasn’t turning out the way I wanted, so I put it off again. One day I’ll feel confident enough to make her costume, but until then I’m totally satisfied with my Link cosplays.

What do you take into consideration when picking a character to cosplay?

Honestly, I just have to love them as a character and the costume itself has to seem do-able. I mean, I’m totally not opposed to buying cosplays if I really want to be a particular character, but like I said, making it means all the more to me. It’s my display of affection towards that character, the creators behind them, and the series as a whole.

Is cosplay serious business for you?

Yes and no. No because I don’t do it for money, likes, or internet fame. I do it because it’s fun and what I like to do. Yes because I go all out when I cosplay. I do everything I can to get the look the way I want it and I put my blood, sweat, and tears into it when I make them by hand. 

What is your favorite thing about cosplay?

Everything: Dressing up as a character I love, roleplaying them, taking photos, just everything! I would do it more often if I could!

How do you want to grow as a cosplayer?

I want to learn how to make more. I want to build armor, I want to learn new makeup and hairstyling techniques, and so much more. I’m happy where I am, but I know I can be better. I will watch others and learn from them and push myself to try new things!

Are you willing to answer questions and help other cosplayers?

Absolutely! I may not be a top dog of cosplaying, but if I can help someone with something I’ve learned along the way, I’m more than happy to help!

Writing

When did you start writing?

I started in middle school as well, I used to write a Nintendo fan fiction called “The Kirby Show,” where Kirby and his friends would get into wacky sitcom scenarios. They were really just knock-offs of the television shows I used to watch back in the day, but hey, everyone’s gotta start somewhere.

As for my original writing, I started that more in high school. I still wrote a lot of fan fiction at that point, but I was starting to develop my own characters as well. I thought it about time to think of my own creations, and I did. I remember I was in my Godmother’s car when I thought of the main three characters and since then the cast has expanded so much, their stories are much better developed, and the lore is much more solid.

When you were a beginning writer, what did you write primarily? What do you write now, primarily?  (i.e. romance, fan-fiction, poetry)

As mentioned before, I started out writing stories about characters that were not my own. Now I do all original writing — well, aside from my work at Zelda Universe. There I get to write about all the unique aspects of one of my favorite game series of all time, so there’s that as well. Writing there has helped me start writing little fandom topical posts for my own blog, such as top 10’s, reviews, and other things along those lines. 

How often do you write?

I make it a habit to try and write at least a half-hour a day. If I’m really on a roll, I could write up to a few hours a day before I get burnt out. Even though I’m not always writing, I’m always developing the stories in my head. 

When is your favorite time of the day to write?

I always write a half hour before I go to bed. The later it is, the more ideas keep rolling in. With my early hours for work now it’s harder to stay up late, but that doesn’t stop the ideas. I just gotta push myself a little harder to start earlier to have more time before I need to go to bed. 

Do you have a writing muse? If so, who/what?

Not in particular. I always just write about what I like and incorporate different aspects of my life into it. I guess I’m my own muse in that sense? I don’t know. I just write what I do know. 

What is your most popular lit piece?

Out of all my public pieces, I’d say either my “Animal Crossing Diaries” series or my “Endless Ocean” screenplay. “Vagabond” gets some decent attention as well, which is nice, but honestly, I’d be happy if there was just one person enjoying my work, so I really can’t complain. 

What is the piece you are currently writing?

Out of my public blog works, “Vagabond,” from my Zelda Universe collection I’m working on a character piece on Colin from Twilight Princess. 

What is the piece you most recently finished?

On my blog that would be my “Top 10 Favorite Fire Emblem Characters” list. For Zelda Universe, it’s actually a piece about Fire Emblem as well — It was DS week, I could write about whatever DS game I wanted to, of course I have to sneak in some Fire Emblem.

What piece are you most proud of?

While “Vagabond” definitely needs some more work, out of all the pieces I’ve posted publicly, that one is the one I am the proudest of. If anything just for Kurt and Maerwynn. They are two of my favorite characters to play around with and I’m so happy that somehow I was allowed to think these two up.

In my more private works, my fantasy story is my pride and joy. I feel so blessed to have been able to come up with these characters, and I do hope that someday I will be able to share them, whether on a television screen as I’ve always dreamed of in a novel of some sort. One day, maybe. 

What piece are you most disappointed in?

It’s not so much disappointment, but rather I’ve grown so much in my work, it’s very hard for me to look back at my first romance story. It’s a little cheesy and the dialogue is a bit clunky, some of the actions that my characters had performed totally go against what their characters have become now after spending a lot more time with them. It’s something I would love to revisit and maybe even go public with, but it’s going to take a lot of work. 

From all of your stories, who is/are your favorite character(s) and why? (try to limit it to 3)

Since I only published “Vagabond” online, I’ll stick to characters from this story in particular.

Maerwynn is definitely a favorite because she’s got a lot of qualities that I wish I was bold enough to enact myself. She speaks her mind without a care of what anyone else will think, even if it’s blatantly rude. She goes for her goals, even if they may seem ridiculous, and she pursues them with great passion and ferocity. Even with this rough and tough exterior, she’s still got a softer side that she’s just discovering in her new life at the palace. Now, I wouldn’t ever recommend being like Maerwynn ALL the time, but there’s definitely is a time and place where we could all be a little bit more like her, I think. Her confidence is the thing I admire most about her.

Kurt I connect with as well. Again, he says all the things that we all wish we could get away with at one point or another, but he knows he can because he’s royalty. However, he’s got so much going on underneath the surface as well with the complications of his past. He’s learning to open up, connect with others, and understand his feelings. Despite feeling restricted by the laws of his kingdom and the traditions of the royal family, he finds his own way to feel free and be himself. 

What is the best compliment you ever got on your writing?

My best friend who I’ve been sharing these stories with for as long as we’ve known each other told me the nicest thing not to long ago. I always laugh at myself for going so crazy in-depth with the lore and characters of my fantasy world, but she told me how she’s admired that and the love and care I put into each little thing was what made it so great. It really meant the world to me to hear that and I can’t thank her enough for all the love and support throughout the years! 

What is your main goal in writing?

I don’t know if there’s one main goal in particular, but I suppose if I had to pick just one, it would be to show good through the works of my characters and hope and pray that it inspires others to be like them. Kindness is growing scarce in the world, and if I can just inspire a little bit of it in someone, I suppose that’s all I can ask for. 

Have you ever been published?

No, but I am aiming for it. Once I complete Vagabond, give it another revise myself, and hopefully find an editor to give it another look over, I’d love to find someone to publish my book or even self publish on a platform like Amazon. Just something to get my work out there.

Questions asked by you

Who is an artist that you look up to? There are a few artists online that I follow who I just adore their work. Three that come to mind in particular are Bianca Roman-Stumpff, Bellhenge, and TheStarfishFace. Their art is so different from mine, but I think that’s probably why I love it so much (if that makes sense?)  They each have such a unique style and great subject material, I highly recommend giving them a look!

What did you think of “Frozen 2”?

I loved it. No secret that I’m a huge Frozen fan, so I was bound to like it. I was actually really nervous about how it was going to end, but I can say (without spoilers) that I am 100% satisfied with how it concluded. Also, Kristoff finally gets the spotlight that he deserves, thank you, Disney.

However, as much as I did love it, I do totally admit I do see flaws in it that could have been improved on. That being said, there was that in the first movie too and I stilled loved it. The characters have enough charm to keep the film entertaining throughout and I just adore them!

What does your family think of your art?

My parents have always encouraged me about my art and I know my grandmother loves it; I gave her a sweater with the art she liked of mine last Christmas and my mom says she wears it all the time. The rest of my family knows and supports my art as well, I  never really had any issue with my small art business and the family.

Any memorable cosplay experiences at a con?

So many. I’ve shared a few before, but I think I’d like to make a whole article on the great cosplay experiences I’ve had! There are so many to talk about and stories to share.

Is there a type of art that you would like to get into? I’ve seen a lot of people doing wood carving and burning, but that looks insanely difficult.

I’ve actually been considering wood burning, haha! It does look difficult, that’s why I’ve been hesitant, but maybe in the future I’d give it a shot. I think they’d make my Skyrim wood pieces look legit.

I’m really up for trying anything. If money wasn’t a thing, I’d have tried a lot more by now. In the future, I’d love to try needlepoint as well! 

Recently, I had been asked about some of the work that I do, and I thought a fun way to just that was to fill out a few questionnaires. Here I talk about some of the high and low points of doing what I do, what inspires me, and my process of creativity. Welcome all! If you're reading this, I'm assuming you're familiar with my work as either an artist, cosplayer, writer or any of the other creative things I do.

[thelaverrewitch-blog]

hey! can i have a partner or a team please! whichever is best for you! 💕

my star sign is cancer, my mbti is enfp, and my enneagram is 6w5! my hogwarts house is gryffindor, and i believe my patronus was a dragon? that or a thestral - i can’t remember which i got last time, haha.

my favourite colour is a soft lavender-blue, but i like most soft colours, like pink, yellow, green, orange - you name it! my favourite places are either bustling cities, old towns with lots of scenery, architecture and history, or out in nature. i really like cathedrals and other beautiful buildings!

i’m a passionate person, and i also get pretty excitable - i’m easily pleased, and i always love to get involved in the things i enjoy! i’m pretty empathetic, and i care deeply about everybody i meet - i love helping others, and i’m always there to listen! around groups of friends, i tend to take on a nurturing, leader-like role - but i’m just as content being a follower too! i like backing people up and making them feel safe around me. however, i’m also stubborn, and don’t ever know when to quit. i can sometimes seem a bit forgetful or scatterbrained, but i’m also pretty kind and playful. patient while also being extroverted.

i really love storms - almost as much as i do the summer heat - and i hope to be a zoologist! animal behaviour and ecology have always fascinated me - as has ancient history (particularly the military side, haha).

thank you in advance! i hope your blog goes well 💕

Hey there! 

Thank you for the first submission and the shout out on your blog! That is really appreciated, and thank you again for your patience :) 

I read through all Pokémon to have better ideas of maybe hidden meanings I didn’t know about. I found a lot of Pokémon for your profile, and actually had a hard time picking 6 among a dozen. Here’s my input though. 

I also can’t help but notice that we have a lot in common ^o^

Your partner is… 

Riolu.

• Known as the Emanation Pokémon, Riolu is not all about brawls. It is very sensitive to a type of energy called Aura. Although it doesn’t fully understand the powers it may have, it can still sense and see them, and that makes it extremely empathetic, just like you!

• As it can see and feel other people’s emotions like happiness or anger, you and it wouldn’t have any problem communicating or understanding each other ! A mere look would suffice for you guys to bond. 

• But this sixth sense comes along a superhuman strength with this little dude. As a very stubborn and determined Pokémon, it would be the perfect companion for the Gryffindor at heart that you are! Besides, looking through my Pokédex, three words come up to describe it : playful, energetic (excitable) and loyal. Sounds familiar? 

• You guys would make an awesome duo, as it would be there to protect you just like you would protect it, and you would share a friendship a lot of people would envy you. It would have no problem walking out in nature by your side, or exploring ancient buildings, and its loyalty would know no limits. How lucky you are! 

How about the rest of the team, now ? 

Tricky, isn’t it? I can see a lot of Pokémon that would love to have some adventures with you. Let’s see. I see something very small. It seems to be a bug.

Cutiefly.

• Cutiefly is one of the smallest Pokémon ever discovered so far. As innocent as it may look, this little fairy bug knows more than one trick and is also very much connected to the realm of auras and emotions. I can see it being the Pokémon that you would encounter right after Riolu. 

• A lot of people misunderstand it because of its size, but you too might very well get along. Capable of detecting auras in living things, it can predict the movements of its opponents in battle. However, Cutiefly tends to pick up on the strong emotions of the living beings around it, and it can let those emotions overwhelm it a little due to its gentle and kind nature. This is why he is drawn to people, especially people with a good heart like yours. 

• You can find one in fields or meadows, especially during the summer time as they do like the climate. However, a lot of Cutiefly are also very much attracted to the city, and notably old towns or buildings. Why, you may ask? Because all the emotions and feelings packed in those places attract them! Like you, they find the beauty of those feelings endearing, and seek those old, memory charged places. 

• This is why your Cutiefly would be more than happy to go on a trip with you, whether it’d be a warm meadow, or an old church. 

Another Pokémon soon joins the duo. He’s green, and very intimidating for such a small size.

Bulbasaur.

• Ah, yes. Bulbasaur was one of the first Pokémon that came into my mind while getting to know you. An extremely loyal person that likes to help others and take the position of leader when needed? Bulbasaur can get behind that idea! 

• It is not by pure chance that Bulbasaur is a Pokémon professors give away to young trainers. Those cute little Seed Pokémon are known to be friendly and extremely protective. In a group, they often assume the role of guardian, in a very natural and casual way. They often like to carry the young ones with their vines to rock it in the air, too ! 

• Nurturing and friendly, they often are casual leaders and will not boast about it. Besides, they love to rest outside, bathing in sunlight.

I see those three Pokémon forming a trio very dear to your heart. However the team doesn’t stop there. I can see more companions, eager to make themselves known to you.

Baltoy.

• Baltoy is probably the only member of your team that doesn’t look like an animal. However, the mystery around it makes it even more interesting, doesn’t it? 

• Intriguing and fascinating, Baltoys have been known to populate the planet since thousands of years. It is said that humans made it out of clay during the ancient times, a time where it started to guard its human creators through many centuries. Paintings on cave walls proved this statement. 

• Nowadays, you can find those weird looking Pokémon in ruins, graveyards, or buildings that have a deep connexion to the past. As a living being bond to History, Baltoys are regularly being studied by researchers that discovered they often cry in unison when they’re reunited. Some believe they’re grieving their friends, gone hundreds of years ago. 

• As a trainer fascinated with History and old architecture, Baltoy will most likely be your guide to the most breathtaking sites of the world while having find a new friend to protect. 

Electabuzz

• This one is bigger than the rest. It might also appear less friendly but don’t let yourself be fooled by its demeanor! Electabuzz are very excitable Pokémon that are overwhelmed with the energy stored in their big fuzzy body. 

• It often makes them restless or mischievous, but it doesn’t mean yours can’t have a big heart. Although it can be found near power plants for its energy, you can meet Electabuzz in grasslands. Those creatures love thunderstorms, just like you do, and even feed from them. 

• This is why they will often chase them to get recharged in energy, and your Electabuzz will probably guide you to some of the most spectacular storms you might ever see, without putting you in danger! It is said that it is quite a show to watch them recharging, especially if they’re struck by lightning. Be careful though, as it can sometimes be a bit unaware of its strength! 

Gabite

• Made popular by Cynthia, Sinnoh’s Champion, Gible and its evolutions are known to be very tough Pokémon to care for. However, I am not surprised to see why this Gible would evolve by your side to become a Gabite. 

• The sharks of the sand often get a lot of attention from those who love to study the behavior of Pokémon, and their Dragon type makes them even more complex and interesting to get to know, doesn’t it? 

• Gabite are fierce, predatory Pokémon that will protect their territory no matter what. I find it similar to how you care a great deal about your loved one’s safety. Along with Riolu, Gabite would be the most fearless warrior of your team and would protect the 5 of you without a second thought. 

• Besides, he shares with you that stubbornness that makes him unable to see where he should stop once he’s involved in something. 

• Did you know that his scales had medicinal properties? Yes, Gabite doesn’t only protect his group with his body! Its scales can heal most illnesses, and what’s best for a caring soul like yours than to be friends with a strong Pokémon that has healing properties? 

Yes, I could very much see those Pokémon surrounding you. However, I see some other shapes appearing along these ones. Maybe you would also be happy to own a Mimikyu, a Kangashkan, a Mudbray or a Galvantula? Only time will tell. In the mean time, thank you a lot for trusting the witch for today.

I hope you like your team ^o^ That was an awesome experience, please feel free to ask for another option if one just doesn’t feel right! I really had a hard time choosing between a lot of them, so if you liked one of the four I mentioned last, I can totally switch one or even give you a brand new Pokémon :) 

[firstpuffin]

Using language choices to point towards a certain image.

-Note (08th of February)= So I received the feedback for the assessment I wrote this about and I appear to have the First and Second - orders incorrect. The First-order would appear to be a connection between the feature in question and a group; the Second-order is this connection plus assumptions or ideology. I don’t know if I got that wrong in this article which suggests that I still don’t understand it properly.

I wanted my readers to go into this piece being aware that the content is... maybe incorrect.

I’m gonna cheat with this upload, sorry.

  First of all, to get you interested, Indexing is a means of how we construct our self-image and interpret other people’s personas via how they dress, act or speak. It is quite closely connected to stereotyping. Naturally I will be primarily focusing on how people speak, accents and dialects, as that is what I am studying, but you can’t talk about Indexing without focusing on a few areas.

So how am I cheating?

  I’ve got an assessment coming up on something called Indexing and I was hesitant to spend time on a personal, non-professional and non-academic blog when I had this to do. The assessment should really be my priority, especially as I have another assessment that I really don’t want to do, and I have a eulogy to write. So I’m kinda busy and was seriously considering not uploading, but then I realised that I could combine my goals.

  So I’m gonna write this article on Indexing and hope I don’t plagiarise myself. Two birds, one stone (or scone) and all that.

 So where do I start with this? I think an example would help me learn so I’ll do that.

  There is a particular variable common in British English called the “glottal-stop” and that is basically when we don’t say the T sound in words like butter. It becomes something like “buh-er”. It’s often considered to be lazy because it is not “propa’ English” and because we aren’t moving our mouths enough to make the T sound. Try it. Say butter, or better or, ironically, glottal and don’t let your teeth meet. After the initial consonant, keep your mouth open.

  Congratulations, you are speaking British English.

  So what does this variant of the T sound actually say about the speaker? Well practically speaking, it is less likely to occur during careful or formal speech so it is likely that if you hear the glottal-stop then the speaker is being informal. There is no semantic, or dictionary, meaning in a glottal-stop so the meaning is pragmatic (practical). That is “First-order Indexing”.

  Second-order Indexing involves the listener’s interpretation. As I said, this variant is common in British English so you may assume that the speaker is English and that they are lazy for speaking like that, even if they are neither. This is where Indexing crosses over into stereotyping.

  And then there is the “higher-order”, a name which disagrees with me because it doesn’t follow the established order. Shouldn’t it be Third-order? Whatever.

  Higher-order Indexing is also known as “wine talk” which will also work as an example. This higher-order refers to the conscious effort of using technical words and jargon to portray an image. For example, by using the terminology usually reserved for wine tasters a speaker will attempt to be seen as the well-bred, educated sort of person who knows about wine.

  Let me try again; a lot of people across the world know about the BBC accent which is considered the posh, “proper” way of speaking. It was common in the past where BBC presenters would use this accent and you wouldn’t hear a glottal-stop anywhere. By using this BBC accent, the presenters were putting over an image of a proper and well-educated Englishman (or woman, I don’t believe we have a unisex term). Chances are they would go home and speak a more common accent, stopping glottals (unofficial terminology, don’t mimic this) and dropping H’s.

  In case that wasn’t clear, people will choose words and accents to put across a particular image, like playing at being medieval knights and saying “thee”, “thou” and “art”. And we do the same outside of language all of the time: a man shaves his head to be practical; we see a man with a shaven head and you may think he’s a thug; if your friend wants to look like a thug then he may shave his hair.

  This is a simplistic explanation, but I want to imagine this man is wearing a suit. Suddenly he’s not a thug but maybe a professional, too busy to deal with hair. Give him a studded leather jacket and he’s suddenly dangerous again.

  Now imagine a woman with a shaven head and what do you think? It may be outdated but she is likely neither threatening nor professional. You may even think that she’s fighting cancer or something similar.

  We do this all the time with language and often don’t even know it.

  Now this isn’t to say that a glottal-stop equals a British speaker, other languages appear to use them too, but should a glottal-stop appear in the English language, with examples of h-dropping (not saying H like “ ’ouse” instead of “house”) and longer vowel sounds then you might safely assume they are speaking with a Cockney accent rather than speaking Arabic (which apparently has glottal-stops). The skinhead with studs in his jacket, or the bald man in a suit. It’s everything together that works to index a specific image rather than the one thing on its own.

  I feel that I should point out that the interpretations of these things are not necessarily correct. A bald man in studded leather is no more likely to be violent than a bald man in a suit; dropping the H in words isn’t necessarily lazy or a sign of poor-education; the point is that it is how people interpret these signs.

 All of this Indexing is a part of semiotics, which is basically the study of signs and symbols in communication. Words are symbols as are clothes and accessories. I don’t always do so, but I like to dress smart: dress shirts, ties and blazers. I don’t always wear these, in part because dressing formally in informal situations is a fantastic way of creating space between people and heaven knows I have a hard-enough time communicating.

  I also have a Pokémon wallet because I value the series from my childhood. I am fully aware that big and rare words actually make you look dumb, with stupid people using big words to try and look smart (higher-order Indexing, remember?) but I also love words so I’m torn between my passion and not looking like a pretentious prick.

-I went through my cringy “intellectual fedora” phase roughly a decade ago and learned from it-

   This is all indexing, which is all semiotics. Fascinating. I tell you, I’ve had three modules this semester, and I’ve only enjoyed this one.

 The thing about university is that you can’t just talk out of your rear-end or copy what your lecturer has told you, you need real academic sources, not cool puffin themed blogs, and you need to have read enough of them that when you cite them you can be sure that they say what you say they say. Unfortunately, a lot of academics seem to write for some perverse masturbatory reason rather than to actually explain their ideas and reading their essays can be hell.

  I have to take out all of the extra words just to remember how many of the sentences began.

  Still, the higher-order Indexicality that I spoke of came from Michael Silverstein’s 2003 paper, although I can’t find out where the first two orders came from. Was it Silverstein? Was it William Labov who writes just as confusingly as Silverstein? If I am to go by how Moore and Podesva (2009) explain it then it is all Silverstein, but not only does Labov have his own, similar three-step method but someone called Blommaert has come up with something they call Order of Indexicality and I don’t think they are the same. Why so confusing?

  Still, that ramble has four papers that I could cite and there’s more considering the same authors revisit their own theories later.

 So at this point I’ve finished writing my assessment and don’t have a whole lot else to add. Indexing is fascinating and I’m still a long way from understanding it all. I keep finding myself wishing that I had chose a purely English Language course rather then a Joint Honours, so then I would have more time to focus on what I’m learning.

              Ah well. I have nothing left to say. Maybe not very professional to end like this but hey, I’m not a professional.

[bills-pokedex]

Hey bill. My folks decided i needed to learn responsibility while living on my own, and got me an Absol cub from a Breeder. What can you tell me about absol care in general and if there're any Shows i can enter her in in the American regions? are there any pokemon i should Avoid letting my absol interact with for her own safety?

Allow me to start with the easiest question here: There are quite a few that you could try, including ones for canine pokémon (which absol is considered to be), for dark-types, for pokémon in general ... you would really have to be more specific about where in the United States you’d like to go and what sorts of shows you’re considering.

If you mean shows as in contests (that is, you’re considering becoming a coordinator), each region actually has its own circuit, but many of these are much smaller than the ones you would find here in Japan. The two biggest circuits, that of Unova in the northeast corner of the United States and Cielo in the southwest, tend to be difficult to get into and maintain a place in for three reasons. First, it’s extremely competitive, as Americans tend to be rather vicious when placed in competition with each other. Second, there is a preliminary audition for both regions before you enter the circuit proper. This is because of the third reason: contests in the United States are filmed and treated much like any other sort of reality television. For this reason, American organizers tend to be particular about who gets to be on stage in the first place.

Of the two, though, the Unovan contest circuit tends to be easier to get into because there’s a little less competition. While the Cielo contests have no real rivals (aside from the film industry itself), the Unova contests are often overshadowed by pokémon musicals.

On that note, the second easiest question to answer: your absol will likely get along with practically any pokémon. When putting together a team, it’s more important to pay attention to the pokémon as an individual, rather than its species. Occasionally, you may have to handle a pokémon with type biases or known rivalries (obviously, never stick a zangoose with a seviper or a red basculin with a blue), but these are rare occasions. Otherwise, you’d be surprised what can get along with what.

Finally, the third easiest: care.

To start things off, it’s a myth that all dark-types are nocturnal. Absol especially are active in the day or whenever their trainer is. This is because their danger sense compels them to be awake and alert whenever their “charges” are. (Sometimes, that charge is an entire village. Other times, it’s just their trainer.) With that in mind, absol can sleep pretty much anywhere, and they often prefer a hard floor to a bed. You’re welcome to provide one, as well as anything to make your absol more comfortable, but all it will really need is a safe place to sleep indoors.

Grooming is likely the most challenging aspect of owning an absol (other than, obviously, dealing with its precognitive abilities), as it not only has thick fur but also a horn that needs to be well-maintained. Brush your absol daily, and be sure to wash it at least once a month with shampoo designed for dog-like pokémon. (It’s okay to wash your absol between your regular session if it gets into something particularly unpleasant.) Be sure to dry your absol off thoroughly, especially around its mane; it can grow mold if you’re not careful. 

When it comes to horn care, your absol will often prefer to maintain its sharpness by grinding it on a rock, so be sure to provide one outside. Brick or a scratching post (normally designed for cat-like pokémon) work just as well. You may also wish to polish your absol’s horn if you’re considering entering it into shows, but be warned that not all absol will allow you to do this. If yours does, use horn polish (generic works just as well) and a soft cloth. Use firm but gentle movements. Don’t pull too roughly, or your absol will protest by bashing you with its horn.

Finally in terms of grooming, be sure to file your absol’s claws every couple of weeks, and clean its teeth daily. This will not only maintain its physical health but also its mental health. Also, some shows may judge your absol based on these traits especially, as claws and fangs are hallmarks of the dark type.

As for extremely basic care, absol are largely carnivorous, just like most canine pokémon. If you aren’t feeding yours specially designed kibble or wet food for its species, make sure that at least half of its diet consists of meat—the leaner, the better. Poultry is ideal, particularly dark meat if you can find enough of it, and eggs are great as your absol grows older. The rest of its diet can consist of a mixture of berries and starchy or colorful vegetables. Avoid fats and fatty foods whenever possible, as well as foods that are typically poisonous to dog-like pokémon (including chocolate, grapes, and so forth). Grains should also be avoided, less because it would kill your absol and more because not a lot of absol can tolerate grains.

In terms of enrichment, an absol doesn’t require much beyond attention, but many enjoy the same types of toys any other dog-like pokémon loves, including balls, ropes, and chew toys. Absol are especially fond of squeak toys, although researchers have yet to figure out why.

As for exercise, all absol should be let out at least once a day (because, well, many are house-trained, so this is how they’ll relieve themselves), so plan for a walk at the minimum. They should also be trained for at least an hour a day, as per usual for any pokémon. Targets are especially valuable when training your absol, as many of its abilities involve its horn, which is, strangely enough, not a thing most absol innately know how to aim with. On that note, always stand upwind from your absol when training it.

Speaking of abilities, the donphan in the room: its “disaster sense.” For the most part, if you treat your absol well, you won’t have to worry about its precognitive ability. Most trainers live their entire lives without their absol’s danger sense triggering because, well, most of us raise our pokémon in fairly safe environments. That said, this is an ability that absol innately know how to use, so very little training is required from it. However, if your absol stops in its tracks for several moments and then bursts into an unusual amount of activity and agitation for seemingly no reason, drop what you’re doing and follow it. That is what its disaster sense looks like, which means that whatever it foresaw, you very likely do not want to be in the vicinity any time thereafter.

It may be worth it to note that if you did want to train your absol to control these visions or to increase its reach into the future, you could pair it with a psychic (either of the human or pokémon variety) for further teaching. Oftentimes, though, it isn’t worth it unless you work with disasters (say, as an EMT, a firefighter, or an insurance salesman).

Best of luck, anonymous!

[snaggerleo]

"Do you like the Pokémon trading card game?"

Leo looked up from his squatting position, brows furrowed while he tried to determine if the question was some kind of trick. Then again, he had been squatting in front of a modest display of trading cards in a Poké Mart. It was a normal supply stock-up when a couple of cards, Espeon and Umbreon inside a blister pack, had caught his eye. The guy bothering him looked somewhere in his late teens, in a long-sleeved red shirt, sleeves rolled up. Fingerless gloves and a red bandana. The long-sleeve was open to show off a short-sleeved shirt underneath it. Typical trainer fashion, comfortable layers for walking around in.

“I don’t play.” Leo dismissed his comments and turned back to the cards briefly, before leaning on his knees to stand up straight again. “Doesn’t seem like there’s much point when you could just be training Pokémon.”

The stranger laughed and shrugged that off. “That’s like asking why play chess when you could just become a knight and corner a queen.”

“Not the worst career path I’ve heard.”

That earned a chuckle. “Step outside, let’s have a friendly. If you lose, I’ll buy you those cards and teach you the basics of the game.”

That got a suspicious eye from Leo, who didn’t trust free things, but still liked them. And he wasn’t one to turn a battle down anyway. Even if he wasn’t one for card games, there were worse ways to waste time. “If I win, you can buy me a hot dog instead.” It was cheaper than the cards and would benefit him more, so it felt like a fair exchange.

The stranger laughed again. “Name’s Mark. Let’s make it a good one!”

The parking lot was spacious enough for a battle, as long as they didn’t get too over the top. Signs posted around warned against the use of Fire-type attacks, and any Pokemon with external flames were similarly banned from the premises. Mark took a well-worn, downright old-fashioned looking Pokéball from his pocket and let it loose - a Hitmonchan breaking out of the ray of light and jabbing the air a few times before beginning to bounce on his toes. Leo had to admit he was right; the relatively tight quarters were ideal for close attackers. He tossed a Great Ball, and a Hariyama touched down with a heavy thud. Palm on the ground, eyes forward, greeting its opponent properly.

Hotel brought himself to a standing position, hands out defensively, and there was a few seconds of tension while the two Pokémon both waited for their opponent to make the first move. “Comet Punch!” Hitmonchan broke the tension by rushing in, quick boxer’s feet closing the distance while his arms kept up a guard. Once close enough, his fits jabbed out, again and again, slamming into Hariyama’s palms while trying to feel out an opening. Hotel’s defense was solid, but the Hitmonchan’s attacks hurt, and he couldn’t keep guarding with his hands if he wanted to hit anything with them. Or touch things for the next several hours.

Blam. Blam. Blam. Blam. The punches rang out, leather on tough skin, and Hotel was actually forced back from the raw strength. “Push ‘em back!” Leo shouted, and Hotel went on an offensive of his own - those heavy hands slamming forward, cutting the momentum of Hitmonchan’s fists short before slamming into his body. Two, three times, before Hitmonchan was willing to give up ground to avoid the attacks.

“Out of his range, out of his range!” Mark shouted, throwing his arms to his right side to guide Hitmonchan into strafing. Hotel had short arms, his attacks could only reach as far as his hands could. Dodging quickly, Hitmonchan was able to land a heavy blow against Hotel’s side, but his body was strong. The benefit of sumo. Hitmonchan kept piling on hard hooks, and Hotel seemed barely fazed, able to wrap hands around him and straight up lift Hitmonchan off the ground and deliver a good toss against a nearby chain link fence.

Hotel didn’t need to be told to follow up. He leaned down and rushed forward, slamming the ball of his palm against Hitmonchan’s body, threatening to force him through the metal fence - bending it backwards, a hair’s breadth from tearing. Desperate, the Hitmonchan threw its head forward, connecting a headbutt against his opponent and leaving him dizzy so he had the room to counter.

Headbutts were technically illegal in boxing, but his opponent wasn’t a boxer, so you did what you could.

Hotel stepped backward, flinching while the world spun around him. Hitmonchan got his feet under him, slid forward, and pounded a hook against the side of Hariyama’s ear. Sound went away after that, just a loud ringing that became the soundtrack to a dizzy world. One more hard straight into Hotel’s forehead sent him reeling backward, a heavy blow to the top of a bottom-heavy Pokémon sending him reeling backward like a bop clown. Hotel hit the ground with another impressive thud, falling onto his back and needing a minute to recover.

This forced an appreciative whistle out of Leo. “Not bad, not bad one bit. You don’t see a lot of high power Hitmonchan.”

“I only have a few Pokémon that I’ve been training hard for a long time now! Their cards were big time in the card game back in the day!”

Leo pursed his lips. That was probably a good clue to the rest of his team make-up, but he didn’t know dick diddly about card games. Time to go for what worked in normal battles. A flash of light, and Leo’s Espeon touched down, looking poised, watching Hitmonchan like a hawk - spry limbs ready to jump out of the way if his opponent made a move.

Mark wasn’t biting though. Hitmonchan returned to its ball, and a Scyther came out. Echo didn’t waste the opportunity to get in a free hit, a cannonball of kinetic energy, almost invisible if not for the warped light, slammed against the Scyther. It reeled backward, body not strong enough for heavy Psychic attacks, but wasn’t down yet. A problem. Scyther’s wings kicked up dust, filling the air with noise almost like a chopper. The distance between it and Echo was closed almost instantly, with sharp blades spinning and whirling around or thrusting forward to try and control the Espeon’s positioning. Faster than even that Hitmonchan. Leo’s eyes narrowed while he watched, commanding Echo through a defense. Were all of his Pokemon trained like boxers? Interesting technique. Most people would assume Scyther would benefit from sword training, but it can’t hold a sword like something with wrists. Haymakers were the way to go.

If Echo could get in just one more hit, this Scyther would be toast, but he needed space to form up his attacks, and the pressure wasn’t stopping. Leo thought about a pun involving its special Swarm ability being utilized well as a boxer, and immediately wanted to die for having thought it. Echo had to get out. This rushdown style was his exact weakness, and part of why he relied on a teammate in doubles.

The Espeon vanished mid-attack, and his Hitmontop spun into place, kicking the Scyther’s blades away before landing more rapid kicks into his chest. Scyther was actually forced out, but Hitmontop didn’t lose momentum, spinning right into him to keep forcing his attacks out - a powerful defense and offense all in one. Scyther resisted the attacks well, but his stamina couldn’t beat the fresh Hitmontop’s. Hitmontop handsprung off the ground, slamming his entire body into Scyther’s chest once he was open enough, sending the insect to the ground.

Scyther vanished into light and was immediately replaced. There was very suddenly an electrified fist slamming against Hitmontop’s body, not caring at all about either his offense or defense, just one powerful blow that sent Hitmontop reeling across the ground. Electricity crackled around his body while Hitmontop slowed in his spin. “Damn, damn damn...” Leo muttered under his breath. Hitmontop was an outboxer. Scyther was a swarmer. That made this Electabuzz a slugger, who didn’t care at all about balanced fighters. Your defense had to be impeccable or you were going to hurt.

“Get in there!” Hitmontop had to keep up the pressure. He raced forward again, picking up more spinning momentum to add force to his attacks, hard kicks hammering the Electabuzz one after another. Being that close was to Electabuzz’ favor, though. The side of his electric fist powered into Hitmontop’s body - kicks nailing his forearm to bruise it, but not enough to stop the attack, another thunderous haymaker sending him hurdling away. More crackling electricity. The static wasn’t letting Hitmontop perform at his best.

And then Electabuzz did something he’d forgotten Mark’s Pokemon would even be capable of; he gathered electricity in his palm and threw it, a thunderbolt slamming into Hitmontop at range, just one more tool to punish his opponents for not getting in where he needed them to be. Hitmontop was fried. Leo returned him; all he had left was this Espeon.

But Echo had an advantage now. “Set up the offense!” Echo’s eyes flashed, and Electabuzz fired off another Thunderbolt. Not a big deal. Echo had more training than Hitmontop, and could take ranged hits better. He was built to. “Fire!” Another Psychic cannonball slammed into the Electabuzz while he tried closing the gap himself, and he went down.

Scyther immediately tagged in, and went on the usual rush, not wanting to give Espeon time to fire off an attack. But Electabuzz already had. Before Scyther could get close enough to swing, more kinetic energy appeared from nowhere, slamming Scyther into the ground, enough damage to finish the battle. Future Sight saves the day again.

“Whew!” Mark sighed out while wiping his forehead. “Can’t be mad about a battle like that! You beat our tactics! Boxing has its flaws, but it’s worked for us alright so far. You’re a great trainer. No wonder somebody like you doesn’t need outside hobbies.”

“You’re talking too much.” Leo cut him off while kneeling down beside Espeon, treating his partner’s wounds with some fresh berries from a pouch in his coat. Echo slowly ate, getting enough stamina back for proper treatment later. “You’re a good trainer too. Focusing on fewer Pokemon doesn’t make you less talented. Recognizing your limits is an important skill.”

“Guess I owe you lunch, huh?” Mark returned his Scyther and stepped over to offer Leo a handshake.

“Looks like it. But I think I’ll get those cards anyway, and you can teach me how they work while we eat.” He put on a playful smirk and accept that handshake, before they walked back into the convenience store together.

And were promptly kicked out for battling in the parking lot and wrecking the owner’s fence.

[pokemon-channel]

Valentine’s Exchange Mix-Up Mixer

When the flock from the Prestige Pidgeot Crew returned, DJ Mary released the breath she’d been holding.  Three years since she first started doing this Valentine event, and not a single time had it gone right.  Dozens and hundreds of complaints of mismatched Valentines flooded her inbox and voicemails.  She was trying her best, darn it!

But this time, nothing could go wrong.  Absolutely nothing.  She’d invested too much time and effort for this to not go right.

And as DJ Mary welcomed each tired Pidgeot from their wrong trek, she couldn’t help but shake the feeling that something had gone terribly, horribly wrong.

Nah, couldn’t be.

What DJ Mary brings to you, under the cut, is a tragic tale of woe.  Each Valentine has been preserved in its original state.  None of the people who actually received each Valentine were the intended recipients.

To further add to the confusion, each Valentine was randomized three separate times along with their sender counterparts.  Thanks to the based RNG gods, some people received quite the coincidental string of Valentines…

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Sabrina WHO RECEIVED IT: Lance CONTENTS: I really hope this makes it to you, Red. But if it doesn’t, Happy Valentine’s Day, you!

VALENTINE SENT BY: Hilda WHO RECEIVED IT: Lance CONTENTS:

Hi and Happy Valentines Day!

Felt like this would be as good a time as any to send a letter of thanks. For being my friend, one of the few human friends I’ve made on my journey (Not to mention one of the few kids I’ve gotten to know here. Not sure how you go about being a gym leader at this age, but good on you, sister!).

But more importantly, for being one of the few people I’ve met these past months that I can TRUST. I’ve seen some really scary people and things and had my trust betrayed in ways I’d much rather not talk about.

And of course thank you for all your help with April! Taylor and I are indebted to you! Baby Pokémon are so hard to take care of, and we worried about keeping her. I didn’t even know before that Dragon Pokemon imprinted!

A happy happier day than my day from your friend Hilda.

VALENTINE SENT BY: Clair WHO RECEIVED IT: Lance CONTENTS:

This gift is a hodgepodge of gifts: chocolate and a stuffed Teddiursa, as well as some colorful stickers and a purple plastic cup.  “I didn’t know what you wanted, so I got you all of them.  Happy days, Clair.”

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ 

VALENTINE SENT BY: Morty WHO RECEIVED IT: Moon CONTENTS: 

VALENTINE SENT BY: Clair WHO RECEIVED IT: Moon CONTENTS: In a manila envelope is a mushed-up wad of chocolate.  It almost looks like a lump of coal.  In fact, that is exactly what it is.  Next to it is a sheet of paper with a hastily-written note on it.  “How does one get SO LOST in a SIMPLE plains??  Don’t you Kalosians use fancy maps or whatever??  You were right outside of TOWN!  You’re so frustrating I can’t stand it.  Clair.”

VALENTINE SENT BY: Lillie WHO RECEIVED IT: Moon CONTENTS:

Thanks for helping me Work Up my courage as a Pokemon Trainer! You’ve made a Giga Impact on my life. Wishing you a happy Valentine’s Day!

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Hilda WHO RECEIVED IT: Clair CONTENTS: Hey…I know we don’t know each other very well. We’ve only met once or twice. I’m reaching out to you because I would really like to be friends with you.

I don’t have too many human friends. I’ve found it harder rather than easier to connect to people since my Pokémon Journey (which is like a less formal Island Challenge in other regions, and in Unova it’s for teenagers because of how unsafe it is here). It wasn’t exactly a great experience, due mostly to some terrorism (is that too strong a word?) from a group called Team Plasma, and my encounters with them. Those events really changed me. I haven’t found myself connecting to people because I worry (sometimes rightly so) that they wouldn’t understand what I have been through.

But I’ve sort of gotten wind of a group that you were involved with (not by choice) called the Aether Foundation that had a good deal in common with Team Plasma, and I wanted to get to know you better because I think we might really understand each other.Sorry, I don’t think I articulated that very well. This kind of stuff is hard for me. I hope I didn’t come off as weird or knowing too much about you. I just want to make friends.

Your hopefully future friend, Hilda

VALENTINE SENT BY: AZ WHO RECEIVED IT: Clair CONTENTS: Black trillium. A note in shaky lettering that says “It is not the end. Only the beginning.”

VALENTINE SENT BY: Ethan WHO RECEIVED IT: Clair CONTENTS: Hope you have an egg-cellent Valentine’s Day, Morty!!!

VALENTINE SENT BY: Silver WHO RECEIVED IT: Clair CONTENTS:

VALENTINE SENT BY: Professor Kukui WHO RECEIVED IT: Clair CONTENTS: Champ, Happy Valentine’s Day to a world-class trainer! Alola couldn’t have asked for a better Champion, and we’re all so proud of you. Say hi to Homura and the gang for me! Love, Kukui

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Delinquent Anzu WHO RECEIVED IT: Iris CONTENTS:

VALENTINE SENT BY: Professor Kukui WHO RECEIVED IT: Iris CONTENTS: Shark bait, Aether is lucky to have a prez like you. Have a happy Valentine’s Day! Cheers, Kukui

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Ethan WHO RECEIVED IT: Misty CONTENTS: Hope you have an egg-cellent Valentine’s Day, Lance!!! 

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Clair WHO RECEIVED IT: Gladion CONTENTS: This one is just a card with a Meowth hanging precariously from a tree limb.  The caption HANG IN THERE reads underneath it.  The inside has several words, but they are all scratched out, as one does when they are unsure of what to say.  The card’s generic inside reads “Thinking of you.”  Underneath “Clair” is written.

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ 

VALENTINE SENT BY: Clair WHO RECEIVED IT: Shadow Triad Moros CONTENTS: Custom made from Build-A-Beartic, a jolly purple Goodra smiles goofily.  Around its neck is a fancy blue ribbon that gives the plush an even squishable appeal.  Attached to the leg is a note that reads, “To the future of dragons.  Clair.”

VALENTINE SENT BY: Moon WHO RECEIVED IT: Shadow Triad Moros CONTENTS:

for you :)

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ 

VALENTINE SENT BY: Ethan WHO RECEIVED IT: Fire CONTENTS: I think you’re egg-cellent, Lyra! Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

VALENTINE SENT BY: Clair WHO RECEIVED IT: Fire CONTENTS: A card that resembles a cartoon ghost smiles as awkwardly as the writing within.  “How do people even DO these things??  Write stuff.  On Valentine’s.  Feels like I need to summon spirits or whatever to make any sense!!  ……Raising dragons is easier.  happy valentines day (i guess)”

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Clair WHO RECEIVED IT: Professor Kukui CONTENTS: Several yellow daffodils are tied together by a neat white bow.  Attached is a simple white card that says, “I missed you.  C.”

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Giovanni WHO RECEIVED IT: Lovrina CONTENTS: Twelve roses, all pitch black, accompanied by a plain card that says, “Hatefully yours, Giovanni”

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Professor Kukui WHO RECEIVED IT: Ranger Kellyn CONTENTS: Lils, It was to see you at the lab again! I’ve been missing my favorite assistant. Happy Valentine’s Day from Burnet and I! Love, Kukui

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Anonymous WHO RECEIVED IT: Lyra CONTENTS: To Clair, Your spirit burns with a fiery passion, but not as fiery as my love for you. Behind your tough exterior, I know, lies a sweet and delicate soul in need of tender love and affection. Be my Valentine, -Anonymous

VALENTINE SENT BY: Morty WHO RECEIVED IT: Lyra CONTENTS:

VALENTINE SENT BY: Lovrina WHO RECEIVED IT: Lyra CONTENTS: So, like, I’ve been thinking. I’m super hot, you’re super hot… we should totally take over the world together! Whaddya say, cutie pie? <3

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Lillie WHO RECEIVED IT: Silver CONTENTS: You light up my life! Happy Valentines Day!

VALENTINE SENT BY: Sun WHO RECEIVED IT: Silver CONTENTS:

VALENTINE SENT BY: Anonymous WHO RECEIVED IT: Silver CONTENTS: Half a dozen yellow roses. There’s a handwritten note that says only, “To Sabrina.”

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Anonymous WHO RECEIVED IT: Sun CONTENTS: A single white rose. The attached note says, “Thinking of you.”

VALENTINE SENT BY: Morty WHO RECEIVED IT: Sun CONTENTS:

VALENTINE SENT BY: Anonymous WHO RECEIVED IT: Sun CONTENTS: Dear Terrible Human Being,

Congratulations–you’ve pissed someone off so much that they went out of their way to pay me to send you the worst thing you can ever receive in an envelope: mother f****** glitter. Some poor idiot works 8 hours a day, 5 days a week to support themselves, or is a temporarily homeless traveling Trainer who is just trying to find themselves and enjoy their Mewdamn life, and you’ve been that much of an asshole that they paid me to send this to you.

It must be a great honor receiving this letter to inform you that your douchbaggery has not gone unnoticed. Your trophy has come in the form of craft herpes. It’s a sort of recognition for the way you waste precious air and people’s valuable time since now I’m going to take a little of yours.

Obviously, you are a terrible, horrible person and this is just a little payback; don’t take it personally, or do, whatever, we don’t care.

If you’re at work I hope that the glitter got all over your desk and that your co-workers now start questioning why the office idiot is spreading glitter everywhere.

If you’re at home opening mail I really hope that you spilt this s*** everywhere.

And if you’re a ninja/evil henchman thing, I hope this sparkly demon powder blew your cover and makes whatever you wear for being stealthy eye-catching and unusable. Because you know what? For the next few weeks, glitter is going to haunt you. Have a nice day!

Custom message from the person who hates you: How does it feel to have your day ruined by someone whose identity you don’t know? Someone you can’t even gather data on to avenge yourself? How does it feel to be suddenly shocked and humiliated when you were just trying to go about your business (you know, something YOU do to people on a regular basis)? You’ll never know who sent this! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No, no, don’t actually include the laughter. It sounds too stupid. Did you remove it? You removed it right? It’s not going to be in the letter is it? Okay thanks.

ShipYourEnemiesGlitter.com

At least a tablespoon of brightly colored, tiny, static-y glitter has fallen onto everything. A bit of investigation reveals that many other members of Team Plasma, including both of the other Shadows, received similar letters. N was reported to have audibly shrieked when his glitter fell out. Part of his message read, “I had to skip lunch for a week to afford all of these, but it was WORTH IT!!” Ghetsis received 3, as well as an entire box of loose glitter. Unfortunately for the sender, after the second envelope he grew wise and made a Grunt open the third and the box over a disposal. [[Or maybe karma was especially vigilant that day and he didn’t. Your choice.]] Good thing, too, as the box was rigged with a string for the bottom to fall open if the top was undone before anyone noticed the string taped to it. But what he DIDN’T avoid opening was the spring-loaded container of these. No, really.

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Ethan WHO RECEIVED IT: Giovanni CONTENTS: I think you’re egg-cellent, Silver! Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

VALENTINE SENT BY: Morty WHO RECEIVED IT: Giovanni CONTENTS:

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: AZ WHO RECEIVED IT: Sabrina CONTENTS: “You are much more than you think. You are stronger than those I’ve known before. Have pride. Be joyful that you have reached this point.”

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Sun WHO RECEIVED IT: Guzma CONTENTS:

VALENTINE SENT BY: Giovanni WHO RECEIVED IT: Guzma CONTENT: An expensive box of chocolates and a dozen red roses in a crystal vase. A note attached says: Happy Valentine’s Day. Yours, Giovanni

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Clair WHO RECEIVED IT: Lysandre CONTENT: A small box of coconut-almond chocolates is accompanied by a plain red card.  “Maybe if you weren’t such an ass, people would like you better.  Me too.”  Signed on the back is the Blackthorn City gym’s stamp.

VALENTINE SENT BY: Professor Kukui WHO RECEIVED IT: Lysandre CONTENTS: G, Here’s some touchy-feely bullshit for you: happy Valentine’s Day! -Kukui

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Anonymous WHO RECEIVED IT: Lillie CONTENTS: In careful, curly handwriting, alongside three small heart cookies: “You’re cool! Like, really cool! But I feel like you hate me… but I think we can really be friends if we try. I genuinely believe that! I won’t make you if you don’t want to be my friend, I understand if you don’t!!! But I just think that we got off on the wrong foot. Let’s talk sometime soon… I hope!!!”

VALENTINE SENT BY: Professor Kukui WHO RECEIVED IT: Lillie CONTENTS: Sun, Happy Valentine’s Day cousin!! You and Rotomdex are doing GREAT! Keep up the amazing work and I know you’ll finish the dex in no time. Love, Kukui

VALENTINE SENT BY: Morty WHO RECEIVED IT: Lillie CONTENTS: Dear Clair

I Choo Choo Choose you!

Happy Valentine’s day,

Morty

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Giovanni WHO RECEIVED IT: Morty CONTENTS: A bouquet of pink roses and a bottle of rosé. The card says, “Celebrating future successes. -Giovanni”

VALENTINE SENT BY: Sabrina WHO RECEIVED IT: Morty CONTENTS: I really hope this makes it to you, Fire. But if it doesn’t, Happy Valentine’s Day, you!

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Kid WHO RECEIVED IT: Delinquent Anzu CONTENTS: Three cookies! Shaped like hearts! and a note that reads: “I don’t know if you know it, so I’m gonna tell you: you’re amazing! I’ve met lots of people but you’re one of the nicest! I feel like not enough people take the chance to interact with new people anymore, but it was amazing to meet you! I hope we can really be friends!

(P.S. I hope you like the cookies!!! I made them myself!!!)

Sincerely, Kid”

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Clair WHO RECEIVED IT: Maxie CONTENTS: This one is a small box, with hand-crafted ornamental symbols on the side.  They’re dragons.  There is a tag that says “AZ” on the outside.  Inside the box is a necklace.  Its chain is a soft braided leather.  Small aquamarines are knotted beside a dragon fang, bleached to white perfection; two long, thin dragon scales hang next to it.  The kanji for HOPE is engraved on the fang.  There is no note but the Blackthorn City emblem inside.

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Sabrina WHO RECEIVED IT: Ace Trainer Kid CONTENTS: I really hope this makes it to you, Misty. But if it doesn’t, Happy Valentine’s Day, you!

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Anonymous WHO RECEIVED IT: AZ CONTENTS: Dear Guzma,

I want you to give me the best dick I ever had and leave me with a yeast infection and an unwanted pregnancy while you skimp out on child support and don’t come to the kid’s birthday parties.

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

VALENTINE SENT BY: Lillie WHO RECEIVED IT: Red CONTENTS: I love you to the moon and back! Will you be my Valentine?

[thoughts-of-a-bibleophile]

bit of a rant/review of pokemon the movie i choose you

Ok. Can we talk about the Pokémon movie? It was a beautiful fucking mess.

Why?

Let me preface this by saying I am a huge Pokénerd and am a fan of the games and anime (I haven’t watched it in years but what I have seen recently I enjoyed). Saying that, I also am someone who won’t take “well it’s just a kid’s show/movie, it doesn’t have to be good” as an excuse ever, especially with well-done kid’s movies are coming out every year at this point.

Anyway. if you are curious, for some reason, about my opinion of the latest movie in the Pokémon franchise....continue reading.

Also. SPOILERS BELOW.

So. Like I said previously. It was a beautiful, terrible hot mess.

A h o t mess

Let’s start with why I thought it was terrible (and weed out the butthurt fans right off the bat)

Story wise, there were issues. Since they crammed the entirety of season 1 into it with different characters and picked the best episodes of the season as story points.

Like I would compare it to The Last Airbender movie in how over-stuffed it was in story, since that movie also tried to an entire season into a movie, but I can’t compare them because The Last Airbender movie is actual garbage and this movie is.....not that.

Main complaint is movie length. Why is it so short when it could have been so much longer and filled with more character interaction and development?? I’m not asking for Pixar quality because I’m not expecting Pixar, but if you’re gonna introduce us to new characters and expect us to love them and miss them when they leave, give us a bit more to go on than just snapshots of their journey. Speaking of snapshots, though, I did like that little touch of Verity going through her phone to show the moments they’ve all been together -- clever, time-saving story-telling choice, that.

“No one watches/plays Pokémon for the story/characters” -- WELL I DO. THEY’VE DONE IT IN THE PAST AND MADE A MEMORABLE STORY AND GAME FOR US, SO THEY CAN DO IT AGAIN. Have you even SEEN Pokemon Mewtwo Strikes Back? BECAUSE BOI THERE WERE TEARS AND IT WAS THE BEST.

Just...The reason the other Pokémon movies worked so well/better is because we knew the characters involved aside from Ash. If we’re being introduced to new characters in this movie, give us a reason to care about them.

There was also just very little tension because I knew that they were just highlighting parts of the first season (or so), so whatever problem they had would be worked out by the end. Also, because it’s Pokémon and Ash is an OP MC.

My boi Sorrel tho

I love Sorrel, though. A+ dude. I wish he had more screen time because he's such a cute little bean and I FUCKING CRIED when his Luxray died HGHSJJJJjdee (but does he only have Lucario?? Like I know he was too afraid to love a Pokémon after Luxray, but boy are you seriously going on your own with one mon???)

I was also happy to see that he found Articuno, but WOW these kids are lucky because together they’ve all seen like four legendaries (Entei, Raikou, Suicine, Ho-Oh) in the span of a year (or so?) Some people, apparently, don’t see legendaries EVER and these kids see FOUR? I know it’s because plot but dang.

Verity (like the lake!)

Verity (ha her name is Verity and she's from a region with a lake named Verity lol) kind of just reminded me too much of Misty with her Pokémon being water types. If they were gonna add that little background about her mom, I wish they would have done more with it. Like...explain how she uses water types because her mom loved water types. She uses a Piplup because her mom has an Empoleon. I just wanna know MORE about her. GIVE ME MOREEEE DANG IT

I also def thought they were gonna have her mom as someone we've met in the games/show before, but no. Just random, faceless character we never see/meet.

Angry child Cross who is essentially Kacchan from My Hero

Can we talk about Cross for a second?

Yes, he’s an asshole, but, especially with that little redemption arc, he’s not EVIL. Like I know they needed someone to set off all the bad things, but this boy doesn’t have an evil heart. Just say....like a darkened heart or whatever because if he was evil he wouldn’t get a redemption arc like that. He’s just a proud asshole who believes in strength over friendship.

Honestly, true antagonist is Marshadow because WOW SOMEONE NEEDS TO COOL THEIR JETS. I was also incredibly confused as to if Marshadow was good or bad.... Like they say its a guide and someone who restores the balance or fixes the Ho-Oh feather, which sounds like a good guy, but this little bitch was stirring up all the trouble and ends up being the main villain like good lord what is going on.

The animation, the colors

Damn I forgot how good the battles look. Like DAMN. So much tension for a battle I know Ash is gonna win. So much hype when LITERALLY NO ONE UNDERSTANDS TYPE MATCHUPS LIKE A PIPLUP VS A PIKACHU THE PIKACHU WILL WIN IDIOTS

Ahem. But I'm probably thinking too much like the games and not the show which kind of throws the games out the window so whatever.

But yeah, man, I forgot how beautiful something can be when it goes onto the big screen. Like, the Pokémon anime has always had a certain look, a certain charm to it (yes, even in the Sun and Moon series), but it just looked so great and beautiful and gorgeous and lovely on the screen and I’m honestly excited for it to come out on DVD/BluRay whatever so I can see it again.

Ok...it’s not Your Name or a Ghibli film. But...it’s still a very pretty Pokémon movie and it touches my nostalgic, nerdy heart.

ALL THE NOSTALGIA

You read my complaints above, but I will admit that, while it was a bit ridiculous to cram the entire first season into one movie, I enjoyed that it was a celebration of sorts of the show from its beginning? Which was honestly great. They had all of the best, most memorable moments from the show (the pilot -- obviously, finding Charmander, Bye Bye Butterfree). I was near tears a few times with all the nostalgia, guys.

I wish they had brought back Misty and Brock if they wanted to really really celebrate the first season, but c’est la vie.

AND THEN THAT THEME SONG GAVE ME LEGIT CHILLS. I DON’T CARE THAT IT WAS REMIXED. I HAD CHILLS. GOOSEBUMPS E V E R Y W H E R E.

I saw the theme song remix on YouTube prior to seeing the movie and I felt all the nostalgia then, so you’d think I wouldn’t get chills when I saw it.

Welp, we’d both be wrong then. Because ALL THE CHILLS. ALL THE HYPE FOR THE REST OF THE MOVIE. IT WAS GLORIOUS. (imma put it on repeat after i post this, tbh.)

Other things that don’t really have a place elsewhere

Also, this was pretty much the X-Men days of future past of Pokemon. Tbh. Because, unless this is just AU first season? (I can’t remember if this was confirmed to be just the alternate universe first season), it’s like they’re saying well, here’s the NEW beginning of the show so now we can do whatever we want woo! (Jesus I sound like Kukui)

Speaking of doing whatever they want...

PIKACHU SAID WORDS??? ENGLISH? WHYY???????????? I WAS SO CONFUSED AND WONDERED IF MY SODA HAD BEEN SPIKED

I know they were trying to do the throwback to Mewtwo Returns (BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT WAS ONE OF, IF NOT THE, BEST MOVIES AND SO DOES THE POKÉMON COMPANY) and we all want to remember why we love Ash and Pikachu so much and why THEY care about each other so much. But....that was.......strange. Maybe the Japanese audience liked it more because that seems to be the only opinion they really care about, but I know I wasn’t the only one in the theatre just staring at the screen in confusion asking what the actual f u c k was going on.

Last things

I may have my complaints -- that I’m throwing out into the ether just to get them out of my head -- but that doesn’t mean I disliked it.

It’s still Pokémon and I’m still a fan and everyone will still be fans regardless of any issues with the movie, any story problems, any characters featured (or lack thereof **MISTY AND BROCK).

With its beautiful animation, particularly in the battles, and gorgeous set pieces, because WOW did you say some of the views they had?, it was nice to see Pokémon celebrated with an old story told with a fresh coat of paint.

This movie may not be the best. It may not be Pokemon: The First Movie Mewtwo Strikes Back (honestly, most movies aren’t that, so that might be a bit unfair to say.) But it’s still got that Pokémon charm we all know and love and has some pretty cool characters along the way. It’s definitely something that every Pokémon fan, young or old, new or a veteran, should watch and enjoy. Because, despite its flaws, it reminds you of better times, nostalgic times.

It reminds you of that first time you played the game or watched the show, when your biggest choice was your starter Pokémon and adventure was just outside the door, waiting for you to take the first step.

(Yes, I’m basically saying nostalgia is what powers this movie, but we’re celebrating the 20th anniversary, so of course there will be nostalgia.)

Some fandoms can’t say they’ve been around for over 20 years -- but Pokémon, with its die-hard fans and ever-growing fanbase who will support just about anything that comes out relating to the games/show, can. And the movie understands that. It understands that just about everyone who sees it will put on their hat, grab their Pokémon, and sit in those theatre seats like we’re all excited 10 year olds waiting to go on our own journeys, waiting to revisit the world of Pokémon regardless of how good the movie is. And that, the strength of the fans and the perpetual love of the series, in my opinion, is the greatest strength.

[dukeofriven]

Brevity Isn’t My Jam: Musings on Nerd Culture 2017 [An Adjuration for Compassion]

Watching the news flow out of SanDiego Comic Con I am realizing just how much Import Nerd Stuff there is that I used to watch but stopped caring about because it’s mediocre. It feels like 99% of what’s hip and mainstream in nerdom right now is stuff with great visuals, punchy dialogue, and no soul - bonus points for confusing cynicism and violence for mature storytelling. I stopped watching the Marvel Netflix TV shows after Daredevil Season 2 demonstrated that it had a lot to show about violence but nothing to say about it. I walked away from Game of Thrones a long time ago when I realized that great cinematography and great acting don’t make-up for a show whose real themes all end up being bleak, cynical, and rather juvenile - GoT smears a lot of mud on everything, but it’s a simulacrum of realism, not the real thing. Westworld? I enjoyed the first few episodes, but when I went away on a trip and came back the impetus to pick it back up again was gone. I knew what I’d get watching it: some pseudo-serious philosophic musing intercut with bloody violence and titivating nudity that in the end don’t actually mean anything.

It’s not that any of these shows are bad per-se - but they’re not great, either. They’re fine. They’re okay. It feels like the entire scope of Nerdom industries is just... biding it’s time, waiting for something to effect actual change, while everything else just sort of continues on, like Bilbo aging with the ring of power. HBO-esque blood dramas look and feel like this, super hero movies look and feel like that, indie hits all bleed into another. It’s why I watch a lot of cartoon shows - it’s like they’re ten years ahead on finding post-modern deconstructed narratives played-out. They’re not afraid to be sincere in their emotions, they’re not afraid to experiment in truly unusual ways. They’re not afraid to be kind. I struggle a lot with kindness. As an often-bullied, thinks-he’s-so-smart hey-there-faggot sort of kid, sarcasm and irony were my tools of survival, the shows I enjoyed often as sarcastic and ironic as I was - or, like with MST3K, a celebration of heckling itself.* But for irony to have any meaning it has to have some kind of sincerity to bounce off of, just as a deconstruction needs a construction to be a reflection of. What’s GoT a deconstruction of, exactly - Lord of the Rings? Our nearest filmic touchstone is the Jackson movies, which - like GoT’s - were incredibly violent. The biggest difference, besides their postive-versus-cynical tone, is that LOTR has far less female characters, but doesn’t treat them so brutally or disposable. Is that really what we needed in our lives? “Man LOTR was all-right but what it lacked was violence against women, especially sexual violence. And tiddies. I hope someone with an extremely dim view of humanity comes along and rectifies that on TV”** It was hip to be cynical when your reference point for fantasy films was 1985′s Legend and saccharine Disney flickers, but almost every fantasy film since Shrek has felt the need to acknowledge within the text that the conventions of fantasy are unrealistic: every fantasy movie seems to feel the need to reassure its audience that it knows better than to be a fantasy movie. Shrek came out in 2001, which means no teenager alive came of age in a time when animated movies didn’t have someone hanging a lampshade on the conventions of the genre and winking at the camera. In others words, none of them came up in a world experiencing any of those lamp-shaded conventions our cynical, deconstructive media is skewering in the first place. (Also, no one under 20 remembers the merchandizing world that existed pre-Pokémon, which blows my goddamn mind.) What has all that wink-and-a-nod cynicism done to our psyches? Preserved ironic teenaged detachment well into adulthood, certainly, which is possibly the only reason something so ridiculously juvenile as Frank Miller’s take on Batman can be enjoying such a renaissance. My point, which I’ve largely let drift away from me here, is that it is very hard to be kind when your instinct is to be cutting - to get a laugh from the crowd by bringing someone down rather than raise them up. The impulse to wander over into the AvClub and treat everyone to my rapier wit about how their crummy show sure likes stacking up the bodies is a strong one, but what’s that get me? I want to be kinder. I want to be better at it. For the time being if you hit my particular buttons (like defending your right to use noxious fabric softeners that can be smelt a block away and make scent-sensitive people physically ill) I’m going to get riled up and pissy - but I don’t want to be. There’s a Vonnegut quote, good for any occasion 

“Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.” that I wish was more in circulation. Take a look at the crop of today’s nerdy properties and what binds most of them together is the shared belief that kindness is so rare as to be miraculous. A brief, unexpected respite from the awfulness that is the default human existence is almost unbelievable to the rational mind. Kindness is the exception, not the rule - left to their own devices the people of Westworld will abuse robots with no thought to morality. The Fates in Westros do nothing but punish the hubris of anyone who acts with honourable intentions. Don’t know what is happening on Marvel TV, but it probably involves a lot of slow punching, corrupt politicians, and the most fleeting reprieve from grinding, eternal despair. The real world is awful enough as it is right now without all of our media feeling the need to double-down and reinforce the air of cynicism and disheartenment; nobody finishes an episode of The Walking Dead and feels upbeat about the future. I’m not asking for endlessly cheerful propaganda, but in the bad times our media should reflect the best of us, just as in good times it should check the hubris of gilded tunnel vision. Modern Nerd media has vey little to say about the modern: it merely holds up a mirror to the real world to reflect its worst elements. I get that every day from the news - I’d like my stories to be a little different. I’d like a world where ‘Cruel to Be Kind’ is only a great Nick Lowe song, not a mantra that demands that our only heroes be as morally compromised as our current crop of political leaders. I’m tired of a media landscape that tells me that kindness is a rarity: I want a landscape that repeats the opposite over and over until people stop thinking the former is true and start finding kindness in unexpected places - such as within themselves. The most adult movie ever made has no gore and no brutal violence against women in the name of realism or verisimilitude. It’s called My Dinner With Andre, where two theatre people sit and eat dinner for an hour-and-a-half and talk about the nature of happiness and spirituality. They talk about what it means to be human - and not a single horde of zombies needs to make an appearance for either of them to make their respective points. I don’t need GoT or The Walking Dead to be nothing but people having mature conversations - but I would like to kill the notion that watching people be awful to each other is some kind of profound or meaningful insight. It’s not anything but a choice the show made: the world is not inherently horrible just because it is in Game of Thrones. I’d like to kill the notion that kindness is a unicorn, and that stories are better when compassion is rationed and withheld from the audience (because they would find a surfeit unrealistic.)

If nothing else, I’d like to end the notion that the best way to wind-down after a miserable day is to watch five nominally different TV shows that all have the same story: people are miserable and are capable of nothing but creating more misery.

_______________ *This is not entirely fair: outside of some real atrocious stinkers like Monster-A-Go-Go. MST3K always had an affectionate love for the cheesy movies it was showing; its humour rarely came from a place of malice or cruelty. That is why I prefer it to Rifftrax, which often comes-off as three grumpy old men getting cranky about having to watch a film that has people under the age of sixty in it.

**More than once George R.R. Martin has compared his works to LOTR, and every time has shown a remarkably poor understanding of LOTR, to the point that if you told me he hadn’t engaged with the work since he was fifteen I would nod my head and go ‘yeah that’s obvious.’

[pokemaniacal]

Pokémon Moon, Episode 11: In Which I Perform an Exorcism

With no other clear direction obvious to me, I leave Malie City and wander south.  The southeast coast of Ula’ula Island is dominated by extremely rough, rocky, arid scrubland.  Although the Z-Crystal that I earned in Sophocles’ trial gets me through the Island Challenge barricades on the southeast road, it doesn’t take long before the rocks become totally impassable.  Fortunately, Hapu (who is almost certainly very important, though I’m still not sure why) is on hand to offer me the solution: she allows me to freely summon her Mudsdale as a riding Pokémon.  Mudsdale is slow compared to the other Tauros and Stoutland, but can move effortlessly over rough terrain that would reduce them to uncoordinated stumbling. Hapu points me in the direction of Tapu Village, at the base of Mount Lanakila, for my next trial, then bids me good luck and farewell.

The southeast road curves along the barren, rocky coast of Ula’ula Island until it finally reaches a ramshackle settlement made up of a motel and a few broken-down mobile homes huddled around an oasis.  Is this… Tapu Village?  It’s… kind of a dump.  Hau has arrived here just ahead of me, brimming with energy as always.  As we talk – or, more accurately, as Hau bubbles at me cheerfully – a voice cuts across from behind me. “You only have one volume, don’t you?” it asks disdainfully.  I turn to see Gladion, the strange pale boy working for Team Skull that we met on Akala Island. “Gah! He’s back!” Hau cries.  Gladion makes a face at him. “Haven’t you ever heard the expression that silence is golden?” “Believe me, dude, I’m with you on that one,” I tell him.  Hau looks upset, but Gladion ignores me and continues speaking. “Listen, Team Skull is looking for a Pokémon called Cosmog… Do you two know anything?”  Hau’s eyes widen and he starts spluttering. “What!? N-not that we’d tell you!” “Hau, shut up and let me handle this,” I hiss, shooting him a quick cautionary glance. Gladion fixes his gaze on Hau, like he’s staring right through him. “So you do know something.” “What if we do?” I ask.  Gladion keeps glaring at Hau, who is rapidly wilting under the pressure.  “Hey.”  I snap my fingers.  “Look at me when I’m talking to you.”  Gladion rolls his eyes and turns to me, and Hau breathes a sigh of relief.  “What if we do know something?”  I give him a conspiratorial smirk.  “How much is it worth to you?”  Hau looks shocked, but Gladion just grunts. “Ugh… Look… Cosmog isn’t even a strong Pokémon.  But it has the potential to summon Pokémon so terrifyingly strong that you don’t even know.”  Summon…?  Like, through an Ultra Wormhole?  Can Cosmog create Ultra Wormholes?  But then- then Lillie must already have what she needs to summon the Ultra Beast that she was researching in the Malie Library!  Unless… no… no, it has the potential to, Gladion said.  I can still stop Lillie’s plans if I can find out what will unlock Nebby’s potential and stop her from getting it… but I can’t let her realise how much I know.  “If something like that happened, it would be a disaster for Alola,” Gladion continues. “A disaster?” Hau exclaims.  “Like… a real disaster?  Then what’re we supposed to do about it?” “Protect it!” Gladion answers, exasperated.  “If you do know where Cosmog is or if you do find anything out… just keep it safe!” “Safe from what…?” I ask, fishing for more information.  “You said you work for Team Skull.  Why would you want us to keep Neb- uh- this ‘Cosmog’ Pokémon safe from them?  What’s your real angle here?”  Gladion tenses up slightly. “Working for Team Skull doesn’t mean I always have to agree with them.  You’ve met Guzma.  Can you even imagine what he would be like with Cosmog under his control?” I stare at him intently. “You’re lying,” I state matter-of-factly.  The truth is, I’m actually not sure this time, and I certainly don’t want Guzma to be able to summon god-killing abominations from the Endless Void at will – but there’s no reason to let Gladion know that. “Something else is going on here. They’re looking for Cosmog for someone else… or… to keep it away from someone else?”  He doesn’t take the bait. “I know I might be working for Team Skull right now, so you may not trust me or even care, but… I’m going to tell you this just once.  You have to protect Cosmog!  No matter what!”  He turns and leaves, ignoring Hau’s attempts to ask more questions. 

Well, at least I know one thing for sure: the saintly Aether Foundation has nothing to do with this.  After all, Lusamine seemed so nice!  Her foundation couldn’t possibly be involved with anything as disreputable as a turf war with Team Skull, let alone Lillie’s apocalyptic plans to summon Lunala and plunge Alola into eternal night.  Nope; that is one Alolan faction that I see no reason to investigate whatsoever.

Now that I’m free to explore the oasis, I quickly discover that this is not Tapu Village at all.  The “village” is a blasted ruin to the west of the oasis, at the bottom of the trail that leads up Mount Lanakila, where only a Pokémon Centre and a few stone totems are still standing.  The cluster of beaten-up mobile homes seems to be a makeshift settlement of Alola’s assorted hopeless and dispossessed.  Honestly it seems like this is just a place where the Alolans ditch people they don’t want to think too hard about – a campervan graveyard on the edge of the unforgiving Haina Desert, where the local deity, Tapu Bulu, is said to live in isolation.  So… if I’m understanding the situation correctly, the Tapu of Life lives next to a cemetery, and the Tapu of Abundance lives in the middle of a desert.  I can only assume that no one has ever offered the Alolan pantheon any sort of image consulting.  Among the societal debris of this alleged settlement are several members of Team Skull, who seem to own one of the campervans.  I guess this is their home, making me the intruder this time, but they make no effort to make me feel unwelcome.  They even talk to me for a while, satisfying some of my curiosity about who they are and where they come from.  Team Skull, apparently, had once been led by an Alolan Kahuna, but fell out of favour after they “got smacked down by the wrath of the Tapu,” which, to be honest, I can sympathise with.  I’m rapidly starting to feel like Team Skull may be the victims in all of this (or at least, many of their members; I have yet to develop any particular compassion for Guzma).  Alolan society and tradition have left them behind, casting them out to the edges of civilisation, and now Kukui’s revolution is threatening to do it again. There’s some straight-up classism just below the surface here.

If Professor Kukui’s Lanakila League ever takes off, then Tapu Village might become a thriving settlement again thanks to the tourism, but for now, it barely even qualifies as a village.  Aside from the Pokémon Centre, there’s just a big abandoned supermarket, sitting just back from the black iron-sand beach on the south coast.  Apparently it was built on sacred land, drawing the wrath of the Tapu, and is now overrun by Ghost Pokémon.  It’s also a trial site, but its Captain – presumably that Acerola chick who was conspiring with Lillie at the library – isn’t here.  Out in the bay, there’s a ruined lighthouse, and there’s no word on what happened to that.  Maybe Tapu Bulu just has really terrible aim?  Outside the “village” to the northwest is only other location of any importance, a gleaming white building in the distinctive cuboid architectural style of the Aether Foundation: Aether House.  The sign outside proclaims it to be a place “where people and Pokémon huddle together” – a refuge of sorts, not unlike the Aether Paradise, though Aether House also seems to harbour human children (orphans?).  Despite the name, and the golden trident-like logo of the Aether Foundation prominently displayed above the reception desk, there don’t seem to be any actual Aether Foundation employees present.  There is a receptionist manning the desk.  However, this receptionist is an Oranguru.  No one questions this.  When Hau and I first arrive here, we manage to get into a fight with the unusually warlike children who live in Aether House with their Pokémon, but it doesn’t take long for Acerola to show up and reassure them that we aren’t their enemy. She seems to work at Aether House in some capacity, but I’m not clear on whether she’s part of the Aether Foundation – if so, it’s odd that she’s working with Lillie.  Perhaps she’s a double agent working for Lillie’s terrorist cell to bring down the foundation from within… The plot thickens.  Acerola formally invites me and Hau to take her trial at the abandoned Thrifty Megamart, which should be a good way to get the measure of her properly.

When I leave Aether House, Lillie is just outside – shouting at a member of Team Skull. Oh dear. “Your bag was moving!” the grunt accuses her.  “Right in front of my eyes!  And I’m just supposed to ignore that?!”  That bag is where she hides Nebby when they’re in public. Ohhhhh dear. “Even if it’s not that rare of a Pokémon, I bet I could still get paid, yo,” the grunt continues.  Lillie feigns terror, cowering with her bag held protectively behind her, but he clearly sees through her flimsy ruse and takes a step closer to her, looming threateningly. “Damnit,” I mutter under my breath.  If this idiot forces Lillie’s hand, then either I’ll be railroaded into a confrontation with her right now, or Team Skull will get her Cosmog, and I’m not sure either of those scenarios end well. I recognise him as the grunt with the Drowzee that I battled a couple of times on Melemele Island, so I decide to step in and try to defuse the situation. “Hey there; what’s up, uh… homie?” I say cheerfully as I hastily insert myself in between Lillie and the grunt.  “I’m sure we don’t need this to get violent, right?  Why don’t you and I just leave the girl alone and I’ll, uh… buy you a nice Tapu Cocoa down at the Pokémon Centre or something?”  He looks at me suspiciously. “You again?  I remember you – you’re that numskull what B keeps talking about.”  I blink a few times. “Yeah, I- um.  Wait, he does?  Really? Like… what kind of things does he even say?”  Lillie cocks her head and stares at me in abject confusion.  I give her some frantic hand signals behind my back in hopes of getting her to scurry into Aether House. “I dunno, he just, like… never shuts up when we’re all hanging out at the boss’s crib. It’s mad distractin’, yo!  Homie needs to check himself ‘fore he wrecks himself.” “Well… no, I mean, yeah, I get it, just… like, for example…?” I ask, doing my best to appear casual while simultaneously progressing my hand signals for Lillie to more insistent and obscene levels.  My strategy is working in one respect at least; the grunt is now getting far too mystified with my line of questioning to pay any attention to her. “Uh… I guess last time we was all chillin’, he kept talkin’ about how you beat the boss in Malie City.  It’s like that numskull don’t even know what Guzma’d do to us if he heard someone mouthing off like that!”  My reputation is spreading!  At this rate, Guzma will have lost control of Team Skull by next Thursday!  Meanwhile, as the grunt talks, Lillie slowly creeps up the Aether House front stairs.  “What’choo even care for, yo?” “Oh, well, I don’t, I just- Well, the more of you know how strong I am, the easier it gets to keep you from causing trouble, right?”  I pause to think.  “Not that that’s stopped any of you from trying to fight me so far…” Lillie has made her way inside, and is now nowhere to be seen.  Mission accomplished.  “Do you think you could give B a message from me?” I ask, trying to keep the grunt’s thoughts disrupted as long as possible. “…sure?” He waits for a few seconds. “So…?” “Um. Just… tell him I said hi?”  I suggest.  “And, uh, maybe tell him to tone it down when Guzma’s around?  You know, check himself before he wrecks himself?” The grunt looks at me like I just told him I want dancing lessons for my Walrein because it’s the wrong shade of orange. “Whatever, homie,” he says with a shrug.  “I gotta split.  Laters!” He wanders off, still looking baffled. 

…what? It worked, didn’t it?

Acerola meets me outside the defunct Thrifty Megamart, as promised, and explains the rules of her trial.  All I have to do is find her Ghost-type Totem Pokémon within the ruins of the store and take its picture with the Rotomdex’s camera.  Easy, right?  She even offers me a hint: the Totem Pokémon will probably be hidden, but should come out to “join the fun” if it sees the other Ghost Pokémon enjoying a photo op and gets jealous.  Well, this should be refreshingly straightforward.  Acerola bids me good luck and, with the Rotomdex hovering at my side, I enter the abandoned store.

…wow, this place is a dump.  Empty storage boxes and overturned shopping trolleys blocking half the aisles, piles of canned food that no-one ever bothered to claim, bare shelves coated with dust, windows gone dark from years of neglected grime… No Ghost Pokémon yet, but that’s not surprising; most Ghost-type species prefer to observe humans on their own terms before engaging.  I walk softly past a collapsed shelf of decaying magazines, scanning the store for movement.  Somewhere to my left, I hear a loud “clunk,” and one of the checkout conveyor belts starts moving on its own.  That’s… not normal.  I go to examine the checkout. “Zzzzt! What are you waiting for?” the Rotomdex buzzes, floating around in front of me.  “Take a photo!”  It waves its ‘arm’ at the empty air in front of us. “…dude, you’re glitching again.  There’s nothing there.” “WooooooOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOO!” “You were zzzzzzzaying?” “...it’s the wind.  Probably.” “You really can’t zzzzzzzee that?”  I shrug helplessly.  “Juzzzzzt look through my camera!”  The Rotomdex boots up its camera function and hovers right in front of my nose.  I blink, uncross my eyes, and peer at the screen. The Gastly floating overhead laughs and pokes out its tongue.  The Rotomdex clicks loudly and snaps a photo of the Gastly, which immediately turns itself visible and attacks.  Startled, I yelp, tumble backwards over another checkout counter, and fumble for my Golisopod’s Pokéball.  A quick Payback attack is enough to see the Gastly off, leaving Golisopod to wonder what her trainer is doing upside down on the floor of a derelict supermarket. 

“So you can see Ghost Pokémon even while they’re out-of-phase?” I ask the Rotomdex as I creep further into the building, my Golisopod in tow. “Zzzzt! I’m a Ghost Pokémon too, remember, bosszz?” “And you can project what you see onto your display?”  A discarded trolley starts rattling, and we move to investigate. “Close enough.  My cameras can pick up all the same thingzzzz my eyes can.” “Oh, that makes sense.”  We detect and dispatch a Haunter in the same way as the Gastly before it.  “…wait, you have multispectral cameras?” “Zzzzt! Sure do, bosszz!” “Um… why?” I ask. “What do you mean, why?  I’m a top-notch rezzzearch tool!  I’m zzzztate of the art!” the Rotomdex responds indignantly. “Jeez, it was just a question; no need to get your circuits knotted.”  It buzzes at me with irritation.  “Although… you’re not really, are you?” “What’zzz that supposed to mean!?” “Well… the body that the Professors gave you – the Pokédex – that’s where all your useful functionality comes from. You’re just… kind of an annoying tour guide.” “ZZZZZZT!  Without me, thizzz thing is just a glorified Kindle with the battery life of a suicidal Voltorb!  I’m the one that allows new information and data analysis to come out of your random stumbling around Alola!” “Random stumbling!?  That- well, okay, that’s fair, but… hang on.  Analysis?”  Over in the back corner of the store, I see a Pikachu doll and a Marill doll levitate off their shelf. “Who do you think writezz all those Pokédex entries!?  Zzzzt!” “Wait – you write… yourself?  Every one of your entries is your original work?”  The Rotomdex is silent for a moment, then gives an embarrassed buzz. “Not exzzzactly.  I’m the… ethereal spark that lets the Pokédex’s AI function.  But I don’t really know how it works.  If I want to know something from my database, I can juzzzzt… think of it, and it’s like I knew it all along, but I don’t know how I know it or where I learned it.” “…trippy.” “Zzzt! You’re damn right it is, boss! But I wouldn’t pass it up for anything! While I’m living inside this box, I’m the zzzmartest thing in the universe!” “Whatever; don’t get a swelled CPU.”  We snap a picture of a Gengar, walking on air and controlling the floating dolls.  The Gengar attacks, and my Golisopod smacks it through a wall with Payback.  We’re at the back of the store now, and nothing else seems to be moving.  The whole place is eerily quiet.  Suddenly, there’s a voice behind me. “Piiii-pikachu!” I spin around and see a little Pikachu in a gloomy corner.  It runs off alongside the back wall of the store and ducks through a door that… I’m almost certain wasn’t there a second ago. “Oookay…” I say out loud.  What would a Pikachu be doing in a place like this?  I walk slowly towards the door.  It’s ajar, and swings open with only a slight creak.

The room beyond is… tiny, barely large enough for me and Golisopod. The stark concrete walls are decorated with a dozen or more child’s drawings of a Pikachu with a little girl. “What… is all this doing here?” I ask. We’re in the back room of a supermarket, why…? “Pi-ka!” I turn around.  The Pikachu is standing behind us. “Hello there…” I say cautiously.  The Pikachu cocks its head.  “Could you help me?  I’m looking for a Totem Pokémon, and-” The Pikachu suddenly starts laughing, a scratchy, high-pitched sound that seems totally out of place. “Uh… boss?” the Rotomdex asks.  “Who are you talking to?” “The-?” I blink.  “You can’t see-?”  I look to the Rotomdex, then back at the Pikachu.  It flickers for a moment and then vanishes.  The tiny room’s door slams shut and the lights cut out. “Ohhhhhh god…” The Rotomdex turns up its display brightness, and I catch sight of the Pikachu again – only it suddenly looks very wrong.  Its skin is freakishly pale, its head lolls to one side, its ears are bent and crumpled, and its face looks scribbled on with a marker.  It laughs again, and I snap.  “OH SWEET JUMPING CR@P!” I shout, and roundhouse kick the not-Pikachu in the head.  It just keeps laughing as its neck goes limp and its head dangles uselessly over its back. “KILL IT KILL IT KILL IT!” I scream at my Golisopod, who clumsily tries to attack around me, leaving several dents in the concrete walls in the process.  With another deranged, maniacal laugh, the not-Pikachu leaps onto Golisopod and beats her senseless.  I hastily call on my Toucannon for a Beak Blast that burns the not-Pikachu and starts to seriously crack the walls, but it just pops a Lum Berry in its mouth, grabs my Toucannon and slams her to the ground.  “ARCEUS I’VE ALWAYS BELIEVED IN YOU!  I’M SORRY FOR BEING TERRIBLE!” I shout as I send out my Salazzle. Panicking now, I perform a flailing improvisation of Kiawe’s fire dance and command an Inferno Overdrive.  That does the trick, blasting the not-Pikachu right through the wall, leaving a gaping hole in the back of the supermarket. Unfortunately, it also fills the tiny cubicle with thick smoke and concrete dust.  Coughing and hacking, I stumble outside into the light and collapse on the ground, exhausted.  A minute later, I become aware of a curious face peering at me from above. “This one’s going straight on my instagram,” Acerola says cheerfully.  “Hashtag spooked!”

Ridiculous quote log: 

“I want to do business with Pokémon.  For example, I could use the pincers of Crabrawler, which grow back constantly.” Wait, use them for what?  Are you going to torture Pokémon to produce an endless supply of crab meat?

“Lana put her soul into the fishing rod she made.  Er, don’t you think that the rod is Lana herself?” Um. Well, I didn’t until now, but you’re saying that with such conviction that I’m not sure anymore… and I’m going to start watching what I say around my fishing rod… 

The team:

Tane the Decidueye Male, Timid nature, Overgrow ability Level 35 Steel Wing, Razor Leaf, Synthesis, Spirit Shackle

Rhea the Toucannon Female, Lax nature, Keen Eye ability Level 34 Screech, Roost, Beak Blast, Brick Break 

Ashley the Psychu Female, Timid nature, Surge Surfer ability Level 34 Discharge, Hidden Power (Ice), Nasty Plot, Psychic

Hypatia the Slowpoke Female, Hardy nature, Own Tempo ability Level 34 Psychic, Yawn, Façade, Scald

Joanna the Salazzle Female, Timid nature, Corrosion ability Level 35 Flame Burst, Nasty Plot, Dragon Rage, Toxic

Sigourney the Golisopod Female, Careful nature, Emergency Exit ability Level 33 Brick Break, Payback, First Impression, Leech Life

[dricaswrites]

Game of the Year 2016: Has There Ever Been a Better Time to Play Video Games? The Answer May Surprise You!

This article has also been posted to my blog on the website Giant Bomb. You can read it there as well if you’d like.

Hey, internet. You might remember me from such hit gaming crit pieces like the game of the year list I wrote last year, or the 0 other things I wrote about games because I’m a lazy idiot and I didn’t have the time or energy to write anything else in the time from then till now. Woops. I meant to write more, I swear.

Anyways, a lot of bad, scary shit happened this year and I’m sure if you possess both a heartbeat and the ability to understand communication about the outside world you know that already, so attempting to address any of that in a silly video game ranking list seems like a bad idea. But if we were to judge 2016 purely by how good its video games were (which, as we all know, is the only metric that matters), I’d say 2016 was a pretty good year.

So good, in fact, that I kind of feel bad that I either didn’t even get the chance to play certain games, or that I wasn’t as into certain other games that others seemed to love. Sorry, DOOM, I just don’t love you the way everyone else does. I appreciate your tongue-in-cheek tone, fast-paced action, and the mere fact that a critically acclaimed Doom game exists in 2016, but you just didn’t click for me. Sorry Civilization VI and Dark Souls III, you both surprised me that I actually liked you, given that I didn’t care for Civilization V or any of the other Souls games, but you’re both unfortunate victims to me just plain liking other games better than you. And finally, sorry to Planet Coaster, Thumper, Titanfall 2, Brigador, Watch Dogs 2, Darkest Dungeon and probably a few more I’m forgetting. I just didn’t have the time and/or money to get to play much of any of you. I probably would have liked at least a few of you if time and money weren’t obstacles.

But enough doom and gloom and apologia. It’s time to get to the games I enjoyed the hell out of in 2016.

11. Death Road to Canada

Adding Death Road to Canada to this list feels a bit weird to me. Not because I don’t enjoy it – I do, quite a bit, actually. It’s just that despite how much I enjoy my time playing it, it’s a hard game for me to recommend.

For those of you that don’t know what the game is, the premise is as follows: After a zombie apocalypse destroyed most nations on Earth, only Canada exists as a last bastion of uninterrupted civilized life. You play as a group of up to four either custom made, randomly generated, or rare special event survivors as you make your increasingly difficult trip through generic American towns seeking shelter in Canada. Throughout your trip, you’ll fight off zombies, gather supplies, build your survival skills up, and try to have your group of survivors not kill or double cross each other. It’s essentially Oregon Trail but with zombies (and way better than the other game that tried to do the same thing).

Despite the premise, the game is pretty goofy, with jaunty 8-bit rockabilly tracks and humorous dialog and events littering the death road. Which is actually one of the first reasons I might not recommend it for everyone, actually. The comedic writing hits more than it misses, but when it misses, boy does it miss. Between its actually funny original writing there’s the occasional joke that’s referential for the sake of being referential, as well as enough jokes about Canadian stereotypes that it’s actually occasionally grating.

The combat in it could also be better. It’s essentially one button to attack, with your character’s effectiveness with their weapon of choice (as well as their stamina and ability to repeatedly use it, if it’s a melee weapon) being based on said character’s stats. It works, but it might be a bit too shallow for some.

But despite that, I still really, really enjoyed most of the time I spent playing this game this year. The game’s RPG mechanics are actually surprisingly well done, with much of your characters’ stats being initially hidden until it actually comes time for them to use them. The random events that happen between resource gathering missions are usually pretty funnily written and occasionally oddly humanizing in their pettiness, involving things like arguments over who let a nasty fart rip in the car, or what song to play on the radio. Sometimes, some of your characters will even be bummed out if you do something good like help other survivors with no reward if they’re assholes. It’s things like that that give the game its real charm and appeal to me, and what gets me invested in making sure my group of survivors makes their way to Canada.

I’ve already written way more than I expected to about this game, so I’ll close by saying that despite the relatively low amount of songs in the game’s soundtrack leading it to be a bit repetitive, what’s in there is pretty stellar. This one in particular is my favorite.

10. Superhot

Superhot is probably one of the most stylish and cohesive games I’ve ever played. It’s very short, but only because it doesn’t need to be any longer. It busts down your door, delivers a gut punch of stylized hyperviolence, then puts a shotgun under your chin and blows your head off with its unexpectedly off-the-wall narrative, leaving you shattered in pieces by the time it’s done like the many red, featureless enemies featured throughout the game.

In other words, Superhot is the most innovative shooter I’ve played in years.

9. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2

For me, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is the video game equivalent of comfort food. I’ve already stated in my list last year for the previous installment in this game series how I have a kind of nostalgia for Dragon Ball Z, fueled by how often I watched it with my brother when we were kids. Playing Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 takes me back to the show’s overly dramatic storylines and over the top battles that are endearingly cheesy to watch as an adult.

But this sequel has quite a bit more going for it than pure nostalgia factor. The mission structure feels much more smartly designed than its predecessor. I’ve also felt like there’s just overall more to do in this sequel than I did with the last game. I’m not sure if there’s actually more side quests or if the game has just guided me through all it has to offer better than the last one did, but the end result is the same.

Sure, the combat is still pretty button mashy, but that almost feels appropriate to the source material. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 isn’t the deepest fighting game ever (and probably not even a fighting game at all but I don’t give a shit about that argument at all), and I don’t know if someone who doesn’t have at least a bit of reverence for the Dragon Ball universe would enjoy playing it, but none of that matters to me. It makes me feel all warm and happy inside when I play it and I love it for that.

8. Pokémon Moon

Despite considering myself a fan of the Pokémon franchise, I haven’t played most of the Pokémon games. My first was Pokémon Red/Blue when I was a kid. Being a certified 90’s Baby™, I was the perfect age to fall in love with both that game and the cartoon that spawned from it.

After I stopped watching the show or caring about the first game, I lapsed on playing any Pokémon games all the way until Pokémon X/Y came out a few years ago. While I enjoyed that game for what it was, in a lot of ways it felt like it was clinging onto to a few old design decisions, either out of complacency or some misguided notion of what a game in the series should be. I kind of checked out on playing it before I beat it, likely because of how clunky it could be at times.

With Pokémon Sun/Moon, it feels like Game Freak has learned this lesson and made the game feel a lot more like a modern video game, at least for the most part. There’s still a few weird clunky bits and questionable design decisions here and there (I’m looking straight at you, theoretically infinite calling-for-help mechanic), but overall, it’s much more pleasant to both navigate and play. For example, once you battle an individual Pokémon at least one time, the next time you battle the same type of Pokémon, the game will tell you which of your moves will be super effective, effective, or not effective. Quality of life improvements like that have gone a long way in improving my experience with the game.

The game’s fake Hawaii setting of Alola is also a really pleasant place to be. Everything about it from the music to the palm trees and tropical clothing make the game just feel chill, man. It’s an inviting world that was a joy to visit every time I launched the game this year.

Also Team Litten 4 lyfe

7. Stellaris

I’ve been a huge fan of the Paradox style of grand strategy games ever since Crusader Kings II stole many hours of my life a few years ago. Since then, I’ve spent countless more hours in Paradox’s other offerings, such as Victoria II and Europa Universalis IV. But despite how much I enjoyed their more historically-oriented offerings, I always felt like they could apply this formula to more fantastical settings.

So needless to say, when Stellaris was announced, I was super excited for it. So much so that it almost feels like a bit of a disappointment that it’s not higher (lower? How do lists work) on my list. A relatively shaky launch marred with an almost nonexistent midgame and a few technical issues soured me a bit on the game initially.

That being said, after a few post-release patches addressing this and a few other balancing issues, the game feels like it’s most of the way to where it should be. The political ethos system you can set for your race at the start of the game is the perfect springboard for thinking about how you want to roleplay your empire, which has been the most enjoyable part of the game for me. It’s easy to get lost for hours playing the game and tackling any issues that come your way how you think your empire would handle them, not necessarily how you would personally handle them.

I still wish the game had the political and economic complexity of Victoria II and the depth of character of Crusader Kings II, but nonetheless Stellaris has been another Paradox grand strategy title worthy of the hours it’s sucked from my life.

6. My Summer Car

So, I know what you’re probably thinking seeing this game on my list. This has gotta be a joke, right? Nobody would enjoy this clunky, bizarre mess of a game enough to have it on their game of the year list, right?

Believe me, I felt similarly when I first started playing My Summer Car. The premise and all the pre-release trailers almost made it feel like a joke game, like your Surgeon Simulators or your Goat Simulators. But at some point during my time with My Summer Car, it stopped being a joke for me.

At least not entirely. It’s still a game with a dry, distinctly Finnish sense of humor, but the  crude humor almost belies the game’s mechanical depth. When you’re putting your car together, you literally have to put your car together, piece by piece, bolt by bolt. It’s strangely therapeutic to put your digital hoopty together. There’s a real sense of accomplishment once you finish your build and fire your car up for the first time.

What’s great is the fact that your car will always kind of be a piece of shit in My Summer Car. When I first started my car up after my initial build, the car kept making a horrifying grinding sound. Also it was eating through brake fluid like nobody’s business. It felt like I was really struggling to put a piece of shit old car into a semi-drivable state.

It’s an extremely janky game for sure, but its intricate car building mechanics punctuated with bizarre Finnish pop songs and copious amounts of drinking make My Summer Car legitimately one of the most unique video games I’ve ever played. I can’t wait to see it come out of early access.

5. Motorsport Manager

In a lot of ways, Motorsport Manager is the game I’ve wanted to make for years. Ever since I got into F1 thanks to Giant Bomb’s Alt+F1 podcast, I dreamed of a modern F1 management game that had Crusader Kings II-like traits for all the characters in the game. To be fair, there have definitely been well-received F1 management games made in the past, but Motorsport Manager is a great, modern take on the idea.

A deep set of skills and traits make a lot of the drivers that populate your game’s race world feel unique. If your driver is a bit of a primadonna, they could refuse any orders you attempt to give to them, as they want all the glory for themselves. Drivers can fall in and out of love with each other, which affects their relationships with each other as well as their performance.

It’s not just a spreadsheet game, either. Outside of the more menu driven ways you micromanage the more minute details of your team, you also manage your race strategy on the fly during the actual race. You decide when your drivers pit, as well as when they push their cars to the limit and when they ease off to conserve fuel and car part wear.

There’s a few problems I have with the game, such as the fact that, despite the game’s use of fictional drivers, the pool of rookies and drivers signed to teams at the start of the game is set in stone and not randomly generated, meaning you can just remember which drivers and staff members are good to sign at the start of every game, rather than a more dynamic hiring process that randomly generated drivers and staff would allow. There’s also a few issues the race AI has in regards to respecting blue flags, making overtakes when they have the opportunity to, and making pit stops that make sense.

But a few minor quibbles didn’t hamper my enjoyment of the game that much. The loop of the game is engrossing enough that I often found myself playing the game for hours on end without intending to, telling myself that I’d play for just one more race. It’s got some room for improvement for sure, but Motorsport Manager is pretty much everything I want out of an F1 management game.

4. American Truck Simulator

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found myself appreciating games that embrace mundanity more and more. Games like American Truck Simulator appeal to me because I feel like it respects me enough to simply enjoy driving in the space between towns that are often ignored in games. There’s probably a million different ways that SCS Software could have made the game feel more “gamey”, like the boring racing and other types of minigames that other open world games have at such a rate that it almost feels like they are required to by law, but they didn’t. The game doesn’t cut down the long and winding roads between major cities out of a fear of a lack of excitement. Rather, it revels in those spaces.

The game currently simulates California, Nevada, and Arizona, with plans to eventually get to the rest of the country stated by the developers. Despite this relatively large area, the world of American Truck Simulator is surprisingly detailed. Little bits of personality like roadside sculptures made from propane tanks, burned out hotels with bare mattresses laid on the floor, and billboards around Las Vegas for divorce lawyers are littered all over, making the world feel more lived in than you might expect from a game like this.

It’s a game that many people describe as a “podcast game”, and while that’s not an inaccurate statement, I prefer to make a playlist of my favorite sad, slow, contemplative songs and hit the road. There’s in-game internet radio, much like Euro Truck Simulator 2, and while it’s fun to listen to hokey country music stations and the like, there’s a certain zen-like state that my mind goes to when driving down long highways and through small towns while listening to my playlist that kept me wanting to come back to this game throughout the year.

I can’t wait for them to expand the game’s map as time goes on (especially into Illinois, which is my neck of the woods), and I definitely see myself coming back to this game to explore more of this digital version of the States for a long time.

3. Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley came completely out of left field to me. I didn’t follow the game’s development process, only first hearing about it once it had already came out and was generating a lot of positive buzz. I didn’t play any of the Harvest Moon games before, so I don’t have any particular nostalgia or affinity for this type of game, so I wasn’t really sure if I’d like it or not. Imagine my surprise when it ended up being one of my favorite games of the year.

The game’s premise is fairly simple. You inherit a farm after your grandfather’s death, available for you to move to whenever your corporate cubicle farm job gets to be too much. After taking up this offer and setting off for the titular town, you have to turn the overgrown remains of your grandfather’s farm into something he’d be proud of, all the while making friends and lovers with the town’s residents along the way.

It’s a bit of an overly romantic view of country life as simple living, but that’s easily forgivable. The game is charming as hell, with so many different things you can do and unlock that it’s mindblowing that the game was made by one person. Throughout my time in Stardew Valley, I’ve never felt like I didn’t have anything to do. Quite the opposite in fact, as I usually felt like there was a glut of different things I could do at any given time, even after sinking dozens of hours into the game.

I’m a sucker for games with a lot of heart and empathy in them, both of which are qualities that Stardew Valley possess. There’s really humanizing moments to be had with characters that are homeless, suffer war-induced PTSD, alcoholism, depression, and more. The game doesn’t really turn its nose up at many of the characters and make them 100% irredeemable assholes, even if they might appear that way at first glance.

Given that it appears that I haven’t even seen close to what the game offers combined with the fact that the game keeps getting additional content added in via updates, I can see myself getting lost in Stardew Valley well into the new year and beyond.

2. Overwatch

I’ve kind of fell off competitive shooters as I’ve gotten older. I used to play games like Halo and Rainbow Six: Vegas all the time when I was younger, but their appeal to me waned after high school. I’ve definitely put some time into a few of them over the years, especially after getting my own gaming PC a few years back, but not like I used to.

Because of that, I wouldn’t exactly say that I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed Overwatch, but it’s the most I’ve enjoyed a competitive shooter in years. Nearly everything about the way the game is designed seems like it was made to minimize the feeling of letting your team down that turns many away from competitive shooters. The game rarely highlights your shortcomings to your team, instead opting to show everyone the best play of the game and several cards with the players that did the best at the end of every match.

The different heroes in the game (which are basically just classes) not only give you many different ways to play the game, but also inject lots of personality into the game as well. It doesn’t too long of searching through any social media site’s gaming tag to find the myriad of fan art and jokes that build off of the different personalities that inhabit the world of Overwatch.

There’s also been a good amount of post-release content as well, with new heroes and new maps joining the fray at a pretty frequent rate. It’s enough to get me back into competitive shooters and make Overwatch one of my favorite multiplayer shooters in recent memory.

1.  Hitman

After 2012’s Hitman: Absolution failed to recognize what made previous games in the franchise so good, I cynically thought there’d never be another good Hitman game. I was so sure that games like Hitman: Blood Money could never be made in the modern games industry, at least not with the budget and team size needed to make it truly great. So if anything, Hitman has taught me to not be so cynical about the state of the games industry, as it is an incredible game.

With it, IO Interactive has found a way to have their cake and eat it too in regards to being both highly accessible for players new to the franchise and deep enough to hold the interest of veterans to the series. The challenges system is the perfect introduction to both any given map as well as the game’s mechanics, guiding you step-by-step through a hit designed by the developers. The brilliance of it is that through tackling these different challenges, you naturally learn the intricacies of the map and how the systems in the game interact through doing, not through some more boring and traditional tutorial system.

The masterful design doesn’t stop at the challenges system, either. Each map is designed to be just one or two steps away from mayhem, just waiting for you to spring the trap like a murderous game of Mouse Trap. And even where the designers didn’t intend for chaos to unfold, there’s enough of a variety of tools at your disposal to create your own brand of murder wherever and whenever you’d like.

While the episodic nature of the game was much maligned prior to its release, it actually ended up being one of the game’s strongest suits. The steady trickle of escalation missions and elusive targets punctuated by new map releases gave me plenty of reason to keep coming back to the game throughout the year. It makes the case for the episodic release structure better than any other game I’ve ever seen.

Speaking of elusive targets, I can’t end this piece without mentioning how incredible of an idea they are. For the uninitiated, they are one-time assassinations that are available only for a limited window of (real-life) time that you only have one chance to complete. If you mess it up or miss the window, it’s gone forever. This elimination of the safety net of save scumming and infinite retries makes elusive targets some of the most intense and rewarding things I’ve done in a video game all year. There aren’t many words that can describe the feeling of coming up with a plan and executing on it perfectly, all the while knowing that any slight misstep will lock you out of any future attempts and permanently mark your failure on your record.

Top to bottom, Hitman is a masterstroke of game design that not only lives up to the name of previous entries in the series, but far surpasses them. And with the prospect of a season two nearing us, it seems like the fun times in this world of assassination are just beginning.