The Legendary Pokédex Completion: Let's Play Pokémon Storm Silver!

[Deme]

Pokemon LPs are like an eery siren call for me; once you've LPed it once, it feels like it cries out to you. When you pick up a game, you start investing extra narrative and wanting to tell people about it without even realizing. It creeps across your brain.
...And so here we are again. It's always such a pleasure.

Today, and for presumably the rest of time, I'll be showing off Pokémon Storm Silver Version, a hack by Drayano to Pokémon Soul Silver (a sister for Heart Gold exists, of course). I should add that Soul Silver is possibly my favorite Pokémon game. Because Pokémon following you is the best thing (that, or Pokémon-amie). It doesn't completely fix the visual glitching that often occurs in emulated versions of Heartgold and Soulsilver, but...Well, maybe, just for me, that might be for the best. This hack includes added difficulty, such as higher level and more pokémon for trainers, especially gym trainers. It also contains the ability to completely fill out the pokédex in a single game file, and many pokémon have undergone changes to abilities, move-sets, and even types in the hopes of making more of them usable. In pursuit of this, there are some ease-of-life improvements, as well as all-new scenes (particularly ones involving the legendaries and special Pokémon). This is in addition to smaller aesthetic changes. I actually have never played Storm Silver to anything like completion, so some things may be somewhat warped to fit into the LP as it progresses.

What's Our Goal? Nothing less than total completion of the gen four pokédex. 493 pokémon. What. The Heck. Like I said, we'll be here "presumably for the rest of time." To be honest, I'm giving myself the right to change my mind on this one, but for now, let's assume I won't be. Our team will be determined by popular opinion, though to catch them all, I'll also be training and catching pokémon outside the team from time-to-time. How the fact that we're going to have a whole bunch of pokémon will effect how I'll handle characterizing pokémon is to be seen, but for the most part (maybe except legendaries, maybe not), they'll all have nicknames and a chance at having character, regardless of whether or not certain ones just don't get the screen-time for it.

The Party (As of Post Chapter 19 - Spoilers Within! )

Spoiler

Show

-Some things under construction-


Belle
June's first pokemon, and thrilled to be in the role! Belle is eager and ambitious, with a certain idea of what being a top-level pokemon under a top-level pokemon trainer is about, and she won't settle for anything less! She has the unusual ability to recall June's reality-breaking jaunts, which she explains via the bond between a trainer and her first pokemon, and when she's not terrified, she thinks it's really cool that she's the pokemon of someone so...Different. It's special. She's taken a certain amount of control in directing June, who may need it. She sings a slightly different tune when she thinks she's alone...


Professor
Sometimes "The Professor." A self-proclaimed "Student of Force," who likes to style himself a scholar and genius, studying how to create the maximum amount of strength and violence with the minimum amount of expenditure, for the purposes of becoming as strong as possible and RIPPING AND PUNCHING EVERYTHING TO BITS! *ahem* A brilliant mind with an incredible aggressive streak. Has chosen the path of the Flareon, and further ambition. Do not call him weak if you want to survive the next few minutes.


Cleopatra
A playful, fun-loving pokemon. There's little Cleo likes more than games, jokes, and puns -- regardless of the source, and something as simple as someone to encourage her in this regard is all she could have hoped for in a trainer. The puns are bad, but the little lioness is good. Cleopatra's fighting style seems to involve lots of running around the battlefield, giving her opponent little, playful nip...Until all of the sudden, one of them turns out to be a massive bite that takes out a massive chunk of HP-- perhaps a warning of a hidden devious streak in this playful kitty. She's not too concerned with being concerned -- girls just wanna have fun, after all.


Bowser
A young squirtle with a big laugh...But probably not a brain to match. Bowser's aggressive, but not particularly thoughtful or measured -- but also, perhaps, not particularly mean-spirited, either. He's an eager playmate and protective big brother, particularly for his 'minions' or 'bros,' which amount to the same thing -- this seems to amount to a smalltime group of water pokemon "back home," wherever that might be, who he intends to return to COVERED IN GLORY, HA HA, and Pi, who he's taken as a little brother. He thinks pretty highly of himself, matching his big laugh with a big desire for recognition as the boss, a position he largely gave to himself. I'm sorry, did I say Boss? I mean King.


Pi
A pokemon June hatched from an egg... An egg she held while one of her unusual freak-outs ensued. Pi comes across then as an eager, playful child, a lover of justice and heroism...And totally scrambled, with unusual ideas about the universe, time, space... And a growing concern that he had something important to do -- something he lost in the chaos of, well, himself. Is the baby of the group.


Twitch
Forsoothe! 'Tis Twitch, Ye Olde Fashioned Fossil Pokemon. Twitch, having been pulled abruptly through time and space as a result of a sudden, hard death (which he doesn't seem concerned about) to a new life in a strange new time and sense of the world (Which he doesn't seem concerned about, though that last one might merit some attention), it's hard to entirely leave him behind until he gets his, uh, tentacles on the ground. To him, though, it's all chaos, a random current against which he can do nothing. Hopefully it'll turn out OK, but maybe it won't, oh well. This does not make him stunningly popular with certain self-improvement perfectionist fight-a-holics. He's a chipper little fellow, philosophy aside.

Other Pokemon Of Note

Spoiler

Show

Daniel
Status: Former Party Member
A depressive, pessimistic feebas June fished up, and decided to drag along with her. What happens to a dream deferred? They all get siphoned right into this guy! Until we can do more with him, we probably won't be hearing much from him...But Daniel will have his day one day.




Terra
Terra's a stubborn, hard-working pokemon, whose speech is peppered with Southernisms (Does the pokemon universe even have the equivalent of the American South?). She's very determined that she can get done anything that needs doing by herself, and since she can manage just fine, she'll help out those who can't: but there's a way it's got to be done, and she won't accept an answer that involves accepting help. Until June gets to know her better, this section's still a little sketchy.



Cerberus
The first to puff herself up when she's accomplished something, the first to whimper and complain when she's hurt, the first to object to a nickname or diminutive...Cerberus is a volatile pokemon who places a lot of pride in her position and her maintenance, and is hardly afraid to voice it!...Much to the chagrin of the remainder of the party, who seem to all wish she were maybe just a bit more afraid. June's largely oblivious to it, and seems to enjoy calling her Cerby, and doesn't mind breaking up fights.

-Needs some Updating-

For the remainder of our Pokemon and their statuses, please check the absolutely fantastic
Deme's Pokemon Challenge Spreedsheet by Javan, containing all our pokemon.

Index of Chapters

Spoiler

Show

Prelude
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3 (Part 1)|(Part 2)
Chapter 4 (Part 1)|(Part 2)
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Art and Other Goodies

Spoiler

Show

Art
Some Bowser Doodles (By Me!)

Professor's Classroom, Fanart by Javan

Other Goodies
Trobby's Great Naming Challenge - Episode 1 (In Case I Need to Name So Many Pokemon)

[Deme]

I'll be going out of town very shortly, so this first update may well stand on its own for a while... But let it stand!

Prelude

Spoiler: It's a Whole New World We Live in

Show

Blackness. For a second, I can't decide if I'm awake or asleep still -- but I don't feel my bed beneath me, or anything like that, so I'm pretty sure I'm asleep, and not having some sort of infinite-blackness-of-the-void based episode.
Not that I have those.
That'd be weird.

And I'm normal.

No, really. I'm an absolutely ordinary person.

Oh, wait. I guess that means there's someone in the blackness with me.

"Oh, that's all right, then, I suppose."
This is a person I am going to meet, I think in a sort of dreamy way. If I were awake, I'd say that that's silly and there's no way I could know that. That'd be weird.
But I'm asleep, so why even bother keeping up the pretext. This is a person I'm going to meet, and I know this without even seeing his face.


"Sorry to rush you," I say to the man with the ginormous eyebrows, now standing sure-footedly in the bluish void in which I float.


...People say this sort of thing to me a lot, but they usually forget they've said it afterwards. 5, 4, 3, 2...



And it's like he never said -- wait, Oak? Like, the guy with the radio show?
That show's pretty popular... But I can't say I've ever listened...Pokemon is a bit of a sore topic in my house.


"Um, alright!" What sort of prophetic vision does this dream have in store? Fire? Brimstone? The sudden collapse of the ground beneath my feet into a pit of something that's pure whiteness, the destruction of color, all the way down? Because that stinks when it happens.
Not that it happens. That one's even not happening officially-like. It certainly never occured in any form, and everyone normal can agree on that.
And I am normal.


This is the most boring prophecy ever. Even I know that's a Marril.
(Though, uh, thanks for it not being the pit thing.)



"A great variety to the regions' fauna."
That was recent news...It's like everything's gathering here.


"And a great amount of differences in how you raise your pokemon."

Well, there's no sense worrying about that... Mom hasn't let me be around pokemon, you know, personally, for a long time.
...Humans don't like how I'd be around Pokemon when I was little. Mom used to say it made people uncomfortable, and I'd never be able to make friends with human beings if I continued that way. But I'm better now, really.
Most of the time.
And it worked, too! I have lots of friends!
...Well, I have friends!
...I mean, I have Ethan... That's close enough, right?



"Gosh, isn't that what I have been doing? You're in my dream, you should be able to tell what I'm thinking."


Well, I'm a girl. I guess I didn't say that...
What, you think my hair looks odd? I have no idea what you're talking about. My hair looks just fine, thanks. It does not have its own set of physics, so stop asking that!


My name is... Huh. In my dreaming state, I seem to have misplaced it.
Be Right Back.

Well, let's get this vote-train rolling. Our young lady needs a name...
And, for extra content, let's start by picking a starter from Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile. Votes with nicknames recommended.
A few notes for changes that have been made to these three:
Chikorita's ability is now Natural Cure, which heals any status conditions the pokemon has when it switches out, and it gets a few additional attacking moves as it evolves.
Cyndaquil's ability is now Flash Fire, which increases the power of its own fire-type moves if it's hit by a fire-type move. The line as a whole doesn't have many changes to its move-set, but does get a couple of attacks of different types.
Totodile's ability is now Guts, which boosts its attack if it has a status ailment, and its move-set barely changes at all, and where it does, it only does very late-game (or via heart scales).

We'll be able to get the other two much further down the line.

[Illven]

So what No nuzlocke?

I'm thinking whatever you feel Seed would name her daughter.

Totodoile for your starter.

[Sam cw]

Chikorita's general mehness always disappointed me and I'm interested to see if this hack fixes it, so it gets my vote. I'm no good with names, so I'll just edit in a +1 to something good that someone else comes up with.

[Sallera]

Well, our most assuredly normal young lady needs a fitting name... how about Lain?

I'm no Pokémon expert, but I like the sound of that ability, so I'll vote for the Chikorita. Name... Aika?

[Dusk Eclipse]

I think you should get a Totodile, no idea on the name though.

[Trobby]

Hmm...Pokemon, Pokemon...

A Chikorita, named Belle, if you are taking starter names already.

And for YOUR name...Saffron, because it already has a significance in the Pokeverse as a major city. ;p

[Sam cw]

Well, our most assuredly normal young lady needs a fitting name... how about Lain?

I'm no Pokémon expert, but I like the sound of that ability, so I'll vote for the Chikorita. Name... Aika?

Natural Cure heals any status condition on you when you switch out, it's great for pretty much everyone and better than ether of Chikorita's canon Abilities.

[Brance_a_Lot]

Hmm, I would love having a flash fire Cyndaquil, So I vote for him.

For her name I like the traditional game/color-based names.

[Deme]

So what No nuzlocke?

I'm thinking whatever you feel Seed would name her daughter.

*shrug* It didn't add a lot to my first LP, and at this point, an LP for catching them all feels legitimately novel.
...Also, I'm counting that vote for "Whatever nonsense videogame reference I, Deme, find most amusing." So, right now, it's a vote to call her Blick Winkel. Somehow.

Chikorita's general mehness always disappointed me and I'm interested to see if this hack fixes it, so it gets my vote. I'm no good with names, so I'll just edit in a +1 to something good that someone else comes up with.

I'm not sure if the hack pulls it out of meh -- I'm not a terribly good judge of such things -- but it does give Meganium more new options than it gives the other two starters.

A Chikorita, named Belle, if you are taking starter names already.

I am in fact! See, since this chapter was short, I'd like to at least get our starter before ending the next one. And this involves names.

[Seerow]

For character's name I vote Felicity.

Starter I'll toss in a vote for Chikorita, and I'll pick one of the two names someone's already given to avoid having 10 different names up with 1 vote each, and say I like "Belle".

That said, this gen's starters are probably my least favorite bunch of any pokemon game. Luckily there will be a couple hundred other options down the road :)

[ShinyRocks]

Character should be Pamela. Just because middle-aged lady names on children amuse me.

Starter should be a Chikorita, named Basil.

[Dusk Eclipse]

I second Felicity for the main character name, I also want to propose names and personalitied for totodile (if you get one)

Renek if male, overall a nice guy... er pokémon but with a comptetive streak a mile wide that can border on bloodthirstness while battling.

Isis if female, a proper lady, she doesn't really care for battles but will fight fiercely she feels her honour (or her trainer's) is slighted.

[Mystic Muse]

Totodile named Gummy would be my first vote.

Since Meganium becomes essentially a Brontosaurus (I know that's not the right name but I'm tired and can't think of the right one) for a Chikorita, I'd vote Littlefoot.

[LoneStarNorth]

I'll add my votes for a chikorita named Belle and a main character named weird-video-game-reference-by-Deme.

[Javan]

I second Felicity for the main character name, I also want to propose names and personalitied for totodile (if you get one)

Renek if male, overall a nice guy... er pokémon but with a comptetive streak a mile wide that can border on bloodthirstness while battling.

Isis if female, a proper lady, she doesn't really care for battles but will fight fiercely she feels her honour (or her trainer's) is slighted.

I also vote Totodile with this name set, not necessarily the personalities though. Assuming its not past vote time yet.
Main character name being a video game reference works for me.

[Deme]

Voting's not closed. I'm on vacation, and am dubious of my laptop's ability to handle this.
Also, I...was sort of intending that as a joke. At least in part punishment... Please don't make me figure out how to fit Blick Winkel into the character limits. If you mean for a more serious reference, I can probably think of something.

[Javan]

I was thinking a more serious reference.

[Javan]

Voting's not closed. I'm on vacation, and am dubious of my laptop's ability to handle this.
Also, I...was sort of intending that as a joke. At least in part punishment... Please don't make me figure out how to fit Blick Winkel into the character limits. If you mean for a more serious reference, I can probably think of something.

A thought which randomly came to me. Make sure whatever name you choose is one that won't feel weird, because as you said, it will take you presumably the rest of time to finish this and you won't want some oddball name distracting everyone in the future as funny as it may be initially.

[Vauron]

Pamela for the heroine, and a Cyndaquil named Exedo.

[Forum Explorer]

Totodile named Cho'Gath (Yes I'm going to try and name as many of your pokemon after LoL characters as possible.)


Your name can be Saffron.

[Seerow]

So right now by my count we have a 4 way tie on main character names, with Felicity, Saffron, Pamela, and Deme's Video Game Reference of Choice having 2 votes each.

Pokemon votes by my count are
Chikorita-7 votes
Totodile-4 votes
Cyndaquil-2 votes

[Javan]

I think the metrics break down like this currently.

Starter
Totodile: 5

Cho'Gath 1

Male -> Renek 2

Female-> Isis 2

Gummy 1

Chikorita: 6

Belle 3

Littlefoot 1

Basil 1

Aika 1

Cyndaquil: 2

Exedo 1

Main
Saffron: 2
Pamela: 2
VG Reference: 4 -> June, 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors
Felicity 2
Traditional PkM Name 1
Lain 1


Come on, we need a tie breaker here.

[Trobby]

Javan I'm not sure how you got those numbers, but I just recounted and got the same count as Seerow (7 Chikorita, 4 Totodile, 2 Cyndaquil).

[Javan]

Totodile 5
Forum Explorer
Javan
Mystic Muse (Calls for a Totodile, but also gives a name for Chikorita if it is chosen)
Dusk Eclispe
Ivlen

(I had counted Dusk Eclipse's vote twice because one is for the names one is for the starter itself, my bad)

Chikorita 6
LoneStarNorth
ShinyRocks
Seerow
Trobby
Sallera
Sam cw

[Deme]

I'm also getting 6 Chikorita to 5 Totodile...

As for the video game reference option, I've picked some options. If those voting for reference don't like it, well... Vote again. I'm think Camil, from Demon King Chronicle. Or Akane/June, specifically from 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors (I'm not sure which yet).

I'm thinking voting will close tonight.

[Illven]

I like June. That is all.

[Sallera]

Well, since no one likes the Lain reference, I'll change my vote to the other reference; June sounds good.

[Javan]

I like June. That is all.

I concur with this statement.

Metrics updated

[Qwertystop]

You're going to work the glitches into the plot, aren't you.

EDIT: I like June. And... Chikorita.