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

[Deme]

With the exception of the Out and In votes, that doesn't change anything. And those votes would be ignorable, so...Yeah. And the reason I didn't include something like those from the start is pretty much unchanged: that they're confusing. How does an out vote effect the standing of all the votes involving taking a Pokemon out to replace it with such-and-such? Do they all get +1? Then which do I go with? What if they win, but are tied, because they really only won because of that out-vote, having each, on their own, received one vote?...You get the idea. I suppose at that point, I could vote to throw my weight around, but once I start doing that, it's rather hard to stop, and it rather defeats the point of the system if I'm just picking through equal one-vote suggestions via fiat. Worth thinking about for next session, though.

Unless you meant formatting. In which case, yeah. Do that. Bold it, too. Makes it easier on everyone.

I'd recommend trying something like what we use for training sessions, but voter turn-out is pretty meh, and that really wants higher voter turn-out. In general, I want a system that doesn't make it super-easy to switch the entire party around, because I'm telling a story here. "The party changes every 5 seconds" is considerably worse for me than "The party never changes." That, and you could basically do the same thing with this system, if you bothered to list 5 votes (you can make 5 votes if you felt like it.) But I want enough room for change that a couple of voters -- since we rarely have more than a couple of voters -- can vote through a change if they actually agree on something.

That said, if I were calling the votes now (I'm not), we would be changing the party, so no, it's actually not impossible to do, and the party will not stay the same forever. What constitutes enough to win does take into account low voter turn-out.

[Javan]

With the exception of the Out and In votes, that doesn't change anything. And those votes would be ignorable, so...Yeah. And the reason I didn't include something like those from the start is pretty much unchanged: that they're confusing. How does an out vote effect the standing of all the votes involving taking a Pokemon out to replace it with such-and-such? Do they all get +1? Then which do I go with? What if they win, but are tied, because they really only won because of that out-vote, having each, on their own, received one vote?...You get the idea. I suppose at that point, I could vote to throw my weight around, but once I start doing that, it's rather hard to stop, and it rather defeats the point of the system if I'm just picking through equal one-vote suggestions via fiat. Worth thinking about for next session, though.

Unless you meant formatting. In which case, yeah. Do that. Bold it, too. Makes it easier on everyone.

I'd recommend trying something like what we use for training sessions, but voter turn-out is pretty meh, and that really wants higher voter turn-out. In general, I want a system that doesn't make it super-easy to switch the entire party around, because I'm telling a story here. "The party changes every 5 seconds" is considerably worse for me than "The party never changes." That, and you could basically do the same thing with this system, if you bothered to list 5 votes (you can make 5 votes if you felt like it.) But I want enough room for change that a couple of voters -- since we rarely have more than a couple of voters -- can vote through a change if they actually agree on something.

That said, if I were calling the votes now (I'm not), we would be changing the party, so no, it's actually not impossible to do, and the party will not stay the same forever. What constitutes enough to win does take into account low voter turn-out.

Yeah the more I thought about it after I typed it the more confusing it got. Seemed like a good idea though.
But making the votes Bold is a good idea. No question there.

[Hawkflight]

For the record, I think you're misunderstanding my vote. I'm straight-up voting for Cleo to stay, and for Oliver to sub in for Terra for a while. I think this would help both Oliver's and Cleo's character progression, especially if Cleo becomes a sort of mentor figure for Oliver, and all the responsibility that entails.

Note: I'm not suggesting Terra stay out forever, just for a while. Maybe she could make a dramatic comeback in a future gym or something. (I really wanna see her reaction to Jasmine, actually.)

[Deme]

In other news, sorry for the delays: I've mentioned it elsewhere, but I had some very distracting part-time work for a week there, leaving me no time to finish this!

Intermission 1

Spoiler: I wish I could Think of Something More Dramatic

Show

It's not like I don't try. I take my meds. I try to avoid situations where things go horribly wrong.
I do *try*.


It's just...

Nothing ever changes. A world in monochrome, like a watery flashback to some earlier, forgotten time. Where it seems like, really, nothing *can* change. Everyone moves about their day in the usual way; I think if a criminal organization took over, no one would even lift a finger.

...Ok, that sounds like an oddly-specific off-hand reference. That means it's eh, pretty likely to happen. Guess I should practice breaking knees, in case the pokemafia starts putting pressure on our town's, like, 5 people, and the only way to ensure someone's protection is to join them, slowly bloodying my hands in the name of my poor mother.


Enforcer.
Not the worst thing I've considered being called. Honestly, I'm called worse all the time...


Mostly by this jerk. He lives next door, and is about my age, which means, on average, he's around me a lot during my little "episodes."
The ones that probably don't really happen. I mean, rationally.
But if they don't happen... Then why, when they're over and it's several minutes before they didn't happen, is he so bugged by it?

I try to extract myself from whatever terrible fate I've met with this time, pull myself out of the wall, and head downstairs.

My mom ambushes me.
"Red, Honey, can we talk?"
"Oh, sure."
Don't ask why everything just tasted grey, don't ask about the sounds, just...don't.
"I think it may be time for you to fly from the nest. Move out. See the world! All those things!"
She smiles excitedly at the idea.
"...You want your barely-a-teenager son to go travel the world."
"Right. All boys leave home some day."

"Oh, well, who am I to argue with our media overlords? I'll pack my things."

I mean, fair enough, really. There are people who train pokemon at my age -- pretty successful ones, too. Anyway, it's not like I can't see how nice it'd be without me destroying, or thinking I destroy, but everyone else feels I destroy, space-time in the house.
It's not a big deal.

Now, where to go?
...I bet Cinnibar is nice this time of year. Yeah, OK. Cinnibar, let's go!
"But Red! You can't swim, and you don't have a ride! How do you get to Cinnibar?" You say, though of course, you do not exist. You can't be saying this, silly thing; go back to the corner of despair.
But if you must know...


You go up against the barriers that lock the town in, and you push.
If you're me, and the sun's just rightly painful, burning white light in the air, the sound of cicadas blurring out to a static hum in the depths of your brain...


And here we are. One ticket out of town. Since I'm not sure other people can understand the exact way I'm sort of in the same space as the barriers and not there, dodging through the particles like rain drops, it's not like anyone's physically capable of stopping me. Honestly, people sometimes scream or faint or the world explodes a little, but it's really pretty simple. Like being underwater and not getting wet. Or... Maybe it's like not really existing?
Well, anyway, I'm off --


...Wild freaking pokemon.

"Look," I say in a reasonable tone, "You don't really want to do this. You really want to let me go about my business before one of them get invol-"
I do not get to finish my sentence, before something... Appears? Emerges? Shifts states, so that one minute it was never there, and now, somehow, it is. It is a screaming -- and I mean that visually, like if you could see a scream, there we are -- mass of abstract shapes, like blades of grass cut and scattered, the colors splattered and strange, and the raticate whimpers at the sight of it, advancing casually forward.
What is it?

It's a pokemon. I guess. Probably not really, though, but it's easiest to think about it that way.
It twitches from some ailment or another, and I decide that it's best to hightail it out of there while the Raticate is going mad from witnessing a horror beyond normal reason.

"Yeah, see ya later, uh...Dude."
The thing croons. It sounds sort of like a ghostly song. Well, I'm not hanging around.


I'll stay nice and safe up on these barriers and it'll be tropical drinks in Cinnabar in no time!

Oh. I've been spotted...
"Sorry?"
"Aaaa! What the -- What are you even -- Stop that!"
"And do what, exactly?"
And that's when he brings out his starmie. Which means...
"Oh, dude. You're going to wish you didn't."
I really can't go anywhere.


And then it, looking slightly different -- but probably being the same thing, it's hard to tell sometimes with these guys, or girls, or things -- comes phasing into reality. The man gibbers: I think seeing a guy half-in a barrier probably didn't help.
But it's not like I can just walk away, either. You don't pick a fight with me and get to walk away.

The creature does not and cannot turn, but it looks at me the same, its uneven, undistinguishable features somehow expectant. If I leave town on my own, they always show up. Sooner or later... They're hard to remember, and I'm not really sure they "exist" in the same way, say, this Starmie does.
"Look, dude, uh..."

"Do whatever. Attack it with...Whatever it is you do." I've got a good sense for pokemon attacks, and what this thing does is *not* a pokemon attack.
Which makes sense, I guess. Calling it a pokemon's only a good metaphor.


They're not terribly obedient, either. The, um, whatever. They're out to protect me, or annoy me, but really, they do what they want.
"I'm sorry, this'll take forever, why don't we just --"

And then the world snaps back, with a gentle and audible twanging.
And I'm suddenly back in my house, and my mom's talking about something.


...Oh, what? Uh, thanks, Mom. Thanks. That's...very useful.
I guess I should go see him before making another attempt at a jailbreak.


"Gramps isn't around!"
"Do you know where he is? It's apparently time for me to see the world, so I probably won't be able to come back."
"You're so dramatic about everything. Gramps is probably out looking for pokemon."
"Oh. I'll see him on my way out, then."
To the north. Yes. The north.
Pokemon haven't been around much recently; Kanto boasts only about...Hundred, hundred and half?
I can see where he'd be worried.

This doesn't seem to satisfy Blue, as an answer. His whole face sort of clamps down.
"I'm going on a journey, too! Once I get a pokemon, I'm out of this podunk!"
"..."
"Next time you see me, I'll be the league champion!"
"...Why would I be seeing you then?" I say, though a little crinkle up my spine says that this is true.
"...Dang weirdo. Look, just...Stay out of my way."

...Whatever.
Well, I can't stay here forever, apparently. It says so on TV.
"..."

I kind of wish I had something dramatic to say; I mean, you don't leave your hometown every day.

The pokemon prof himself comes charging up, an expression of undo concern on his face.

"Wild pokemon live in the tall grass! You need your own pokemon for your protection."
"It's cool. I've got..." I pause. Not like he'll believe my explanation. And it't not like I actually trust my terrifying nightmare not-pokemon. I'm pretty sure they'll just pick their...toes? "Do things which mankind weren't meant to so much as imagine have toes?"
The Prof is used to that sort of question. He just sighs and shakes his head.
"You already said I can't imagine them, Red."
"Oh, right...."
He smiles, perhaps in the way you would when dealing with someone who's not entirely in control of their senses.
To be fair, I'm not.
"I know! Here, follow me!"


On the way back, I am very careful about not passing through anything. But I think the moment's passed. I'm good. I am OK.
I'm led back to his lab.


"I'm fed up with waiti- Hey, weren't you leaving forever, oh woe is me?"
"I never said I was sad about it."
"You know what I mean!"
"Oh. Then...Anyway, I was stopped."


I swear, he needs to keep a notebook or something. Or to delegate. He says he's so scatterbrained because he's so busy, but then he also is the one who makes himself busy.
After a second of what I assume to be mental file-rummaging, he comes up with what he probably said a half-hour before his previous idea.
"Oh, that's right, I told you to come! Just wait!"


"There are 3 pokemon here! When I was young, I was a serious pokemon trainer. These three are the last ones I have left. You've got a good head for pokemon --"
"If nothing else."
"If, admittedly, nothing else. You can have one! Choose!"

"Hey, Gramps! What about me?"
Prof said something concilliatory, but to be honest, I stopped listening. A pokemon. Me and pokemon are...A little special. Well, like there's something about me that works exactly as nature intended. Well, I assume. Nature is crafty.
And honestly, it's one of those things that worried people... But it also meant I could handle them pretty well. Anything's easy to talk to after terrifying burblebeast. So, a pokemon... A pokemon...


I reach out my hand and end up, like it or not, drawn to...


"This one."




"You got a name, little man?"
"Please don't call me something dumb, please don't call me something dumb, please don't call me something dumb..."
Fair enough. On my own. I'll have to explain it next time.
"I don't want it to be something dumb... Aqua, maybe?" I'm terrible at names.
"Eh, that'll do. Could be worse. I mean, in the big scheme of things..."
Someone's not really pleased about this, if that sigh's an indication.


Blue snatches an adjacent ball.

He glances over my way, like he expects me to be annoyed.

"Thanks, 'Pokemon Prof.' Aqua and I are heading out."

"Let's check out our pokemon!" Blue practically chased after me. I shrugged. "Come on, I'll take you on!"


"...Oh, alright."

"I thought you were going to back down... Well, there's no way I'd forgive that! Alright, first match with a new trainer...Let's hope he's decent."
He sighed.


...But despite sighing, he put up a pretty tenacious first match.


Barely eking out a victory against an equally-matched foe. Part of it was that I told him not to let up... But...

He listened.
He actually listened.


"I picked the wrong pokemon!"
"That's a loser's philosophy."
I shrug. This only gets Blue madder.
"I'll train it up so it's stronger! This won't happen next time!"
"...There'll be a next time?"

"You're cold. That's some ice-cold shooting down.... I like that."
Ha.



Off I go. I wish I could think of something more dramatic to say... But now I'm starting to wonder if I'm really leaving.

We walked mostly in silence. I mean, he doesn't know I'll understand. And I'm not very talkative, outside my head.
When we hit Viridian, I figured it'd be good to stock up. If anything bad happens to me, those...things...will step, or lurch, or whatever, in. But they probably won't do anything for Aqua. Only I can do something for Aqua.


"You know Professor Oak, right?"
"It's not really possible to come from Pallet and not know him." That's how it is.
Anyway, the woman asked me to bring him a package he'd ordered.

You know how it is.

I *know* you do. I'm not fooled. I don't just narrate my life to no one every day.


Aqua was getting stronger, and I had to admit...I was probably avoiding a conversation.
"...Oh. I should tell you. I understand everything you say."
"What."
"Yeah. True fact." I nodded. "Sorry. It just sort of...Seemed like a hard topic to introduce."
"So I could have said my name was anything I wanted, and you'd have gone with it?"
"...Not if you said it like that."
He eyed me suspiciously.
"So, what? Are you some sort of pokemon-child, some sort of semi-feral chosen one, one of those --"
"No."
He blinked, slightly dazed out of his speech.
"I'm not 'one of those.' I'm 'one of me.'"
"And that's...?"
I shrugged.
"You're young, for a human. I need to watch my mouth..." He muttered.
"How old are you?"
"Old enough to know better."

We arrived back pretty quickly.


"How's my old pokemon?"
"...Doing pretty good?"
"Happy to get out of this place."
"Enjoying the fresh air and sunshine," I try, diplomatically.
"Well, it seems to like you a lot. You must be talented as a pokemon trainer!"
Shrug.
"He's got an awfully long way to go, but I'm sure if he listens to me, it'll work out."
Shrug. In my bag, the parcel slips.

"Oh, right. This is for you." I hand it over, to his surprise. It's apparently a custom-order pokeball, made by some master craftsman in Johto.

Something about that...Has a strange feeling.


...Oh. It's Blue.

"Oh, right!" Had he sent us off and then called us -- well, called Blue, anyway -- back within an hour? I swear.
"I have a request of you two. On the desk there is my invention, the Pokedex!"
He gave a quick run-down on the encyclopedia. A community-edited electronic encyclopedia? It'll never catch on.

"Take these with you!"

"To make a complete guide on all the pokemon of Kanto...No, the world. That was my dream. But I'm too old! I can't do it. So, I want you to fulfill my dream for me!"

I got the strongest feeling...Of someone else's problem. Not just like I didn't want to do it, but like... Like...
Someone's looking over my shoulder, protectively. If I do it, then that protection doesn't exist. Something like that. Best to ignore it.

But...What difference would it make if I did it? I'm just going to do...Something.
...Well, I'll take it, just in case.


"Alright, Gramps! Leave it all to me! Red, I hate to say it," Liar. "But I don't need you! I'll borrow a town map from my sister and tell her not to give you one! Hahaha!"
I shrug.

And leave. This time, for real. I don't think...I'll ever actually be back.
I never did think of something dramatic to say. I guess it didn't mean much, after all.

"I wonder what I'll do now..."


"Well, there's always challenging gyms. Beating people up. Where do you live, kid?"
I think about the conversation this morning.
"Probably nowhere. Anymore."
"You know what a pokemon does when everyone's turned their back on him?"
"What?"
"Beat the sh-snot out of everything until everyone respects you. Time-honored pokemon tradition."
...And people really worry about the ethics of pokemon.
"Well, I guess we'll try to find a town where a trainer can get some money and a place to stay, or something."
Ignoring that idea.

Well, there was nothing to do but blow through Viridian...

Picking up incredibly creepy vibes off this man. We'll probably see him again.

Anyway, onward and upward!
...Actually, I don't really know the area well. I usually get turned back by something by this point.
"Hey, ma'am, what's up ahead?"
"Oh, are you headed to Viridian Forest?"
...A forest?
I back out of the building and look beyond it, at the forbidding walls of trees.

"...There's going to be bugs."
"What, you mean you're afraid of bugs? Really?"
"And sticks."
[font=timesnewroman]"Why are sticks a problem?"
"And thorns and annoying stuff like that."


Ok, yeah. Screw mazes.
"Well, I know what you are. A whiner."
"I'm just thinking...It'd be nice to avoid it."
"And how, exactly, will you do that?"
"Pht. Ask me a hard question next time."

Outside, the light glints, just right, white and painful.

"And up we go."
"W-what are you..." His voice trembles.
"Don't worry about it. It only sometimes causes the world to collapse into basic elements."
Aqua's only response is a choking noise.


I find the entrance to the forest: what an odd little place, just that little path from the house, and then the great canopy. When we're in some clear space, it sounds like Aqua's calming down a little.
"I was hoping to find a better bypass... What do you think happens if I walk forward? Think it'll shatter?"
"WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!"
"You know, sort of... Everything's a scattered array of bits of tree and carbon and there's only the faintest bits of light or air, the grass shining from the sky in dappled waves, the buildings growing in blades from the ground... Shattered. Happens all the time."
His response was an additional choking noise.

To my surprise, it didn't. Turns out, whatever rules govern the universe figure it's totally cool to just completely ignore the forest, provided you can first...Um, completely ignore the forest.

It was a simple matter to walk through or over trees until I saw precious land again...Well, for me. At first, I thought Aqua may have just been crying -- the choking noises had gone into something softer, and more like that sort of unrestrained sob a child has. I wince a little, but...It's easier than going through the whole forest, right?
"We'll be done soon..." I offer.

It's certainly a strange little clearing, though, is it? I wonder if it really exists... Maybe there was a time the forest wasn't so thick, and it looked like this?...I'm not sure how that works, actually.
"We're not...supposed to be here..." Aqua muttered, in a voice that was and was not his. I had a feeling that, the longer we stayed...Something bad would happen. He sounded sick.
"...Sorry. We'll turn back."
I'd never thought about it before... What happens when I rope someone else into all of this.


I head back, and once we're clear, decide to let Aqua wander outside the pokeball to catch his breath.

After a while, Aqua regains his composure.
"Ok. Yeah," he croaked. Then he took a breath to try and sound less like he was more together. "One of you. Got it."
"...Yeah. Whatever that is."
He shoots a wicked glare at me.
"...And you were worried about bugs."
"...Well. Yeah. It's not like they're super-comparable."
He sighs, and retreats into his pokeball.


...I hate the woods.

Even as you walk around, there are leaves sticking to your shoes and...Bleg.
"Given what you say... You're OK with the world breaking, but not OK with leaves?"
"Well, look, I..." I shake my head. "Maybe one day I'll find a big snowstorm to hide in. Then they'll all be dead, as we all will be one day."
I turn my head. "Have we seen that tree before?"
"I'm in a ball, remember? You're doing the navigating."
"Then as navigator, I can say without a doubt... We're probably lost. A little."

"Um, hey, mister... Hey! Hey! Yeah, that's right, look this way."
Trying to get my attention as hard as it could was...
"...A pikachu? What do you want?"
It tried to leap into some ridiculous pantomime I have no time for.
"Look, I can understand pokemon pretty OK, so why don't you just cut to the chase?"
"What?! Um, OK, well, you're lost, right? And I need to skip tow- I mean, see the world -- so I'm thinking, why don't we help each other? All you have to do is fight and catch me, and I can show you out!"
The pikachu explained, enthusiastically.
"...Eh. I'll take my chances."
Fighting at a disadvantage doesn't seem like a good idea.
"Don't I get a say?"
I sigh. Dealing with other people...
"Fine, what do you say?"
"I'm not sure I want to be alone. Or lost in these woods, before Mr. One-of-Him here starts getting creative."
"That sounds...A little spooky when you put it like that. But whatever! Bring it on!"

The two battered each other around pretty badly -- Aqua's stronger, but then this Pikachu has electric attacks... So when the time to throw a pokeball comes, it's pretty even.

"Not...bad..."
"Yeah. It'll be a pleasure working with you."
"Alright, so about that way out... Both of you look a stiff breeze away from total collapse."
I could take them out.
The Pikachu, who I'm calling Bolt because try and stop me, laughs a little.
"Yeah, probably a good idea... We want to get out of here as soon as--"

Really? Really? Now's not the...Fine.

We take him out, healing on the way, and then it's onward for us.

With Bolt's help, though, we healed and headed...Yes.
Back across the woods.

Oh, thank heaven we are officially done with this.

"So...what now?"
"Who cares! Having a goal is your job; I'm just happy to be out of those woods, seeing the world, away from Beedril debt-collectors!"
"Well, when in doubt... I want to see your snuff as a trainer. Let's see about that gym!"

...Whatever. Something to do while passing through town, anyway.


I'm sensing a theme.


"You're still light-years from facing Brock!"
That theme is apparently space. Intergalactic scales, visually compressed while still existing in this world. Each step that appears to exist across this room is hundreds and hundreds of miles.
"What an intimidating gym."

With such unintimidating pokemon.


Finishing him for a level's a simple matter...
Leaving us to Pokemon #2.

[font=timesnewroman]"This guy's fast!"[/timesnewroman]
Yeah, he definitely puts up a fight.
"Don't let up! It'll be easier just to bust through."



"Oh, wait! A Light-year doesn't measure time!"

"...So you're saying this room obeys conventional physical laws?"
"...What?"
How dissapointing. I'd have liked to stay here...

I cross the dissapointingly not-at-all-light-year-sized room to the gym leader.

"...Hi."

"...Gym leader! I believe in rock-hard defense and determination! That's why my pokemon are all the rock-type!"
"...Then why's your disciple have ground-types?"
"What? He does?" Brock sighed. "He just has some trouble following directions, is all. I can't say he's really representitive of me."

I shrug, which seems to bother him a little, but he takes a deep breath and crosses his arms.
"Fine then! Show me your best!"



"Alright, Aqua. We'll break down those rock-hard defenses. Just go for an all-out attack!"

[font=timesnewroman]"Not bad, not bad..."

"Hm. I wonder which of us is up to snuff?"
"Don't you think you're getting ahead of yourself?"
"Oh, not you, I'm sure you're fine."


"We'll see how confident you are when I've softened you up!"
"Don't get distracted!"
"But-! He's planning something..."

Yeah, but his plan is to set up first; he can't take us in a straight bubble-vs-giant rock-snake fight, so he's going to try and make that not what he has.
"Who cares?... At the end of the day, all we have to do..."
This guess...I don't think it really has room to fail.
"Is not falter."




...Granite. If you were going for a pun, you've got to commit.
"As proof of your victory, here's the boulderbadge!"

"Wooh! I'm the greatest! I beat up the biggest thing in town!"
"...I guess we did it."
"That's an official pokemon league badge!"
He rattles off some technicalities no one cares about. I turn to go; I don't think it's a big deal, really.



Yeah, also don't care about this.

I head outside and take a nice breath of sunshine. Not too painfully bright.
"Hey, back there... You did good. Not bad. You're a weirdo, but... You're certainly up to snuff."
"Awww, how precious! Big bonding moment!" Bolt laughed.

Well, well, well. Not a bad start...
Maybe these guys'll keep my usual 'bodyguards' off my back, anyhow.
Just one thing has changed.

[Javan]

This was really fun. Took me for surprise for a second because I didn't read the title till I expanded the spoiler and saw black and white photos. But it was really entertaining.

Intermission 1
"I have a request of you two. On the desk there is my invention, the Pokedex!"
He gave a quick run-down on the encyclopedia. A community-edited electronic encyclopedia? It'll never catch on. *chuckle*

Anyway, onward and upward! Onward and upward!

[Trobby]

....Well well...this is going to be an...interesting interlude.

[Qwertystop]

So, Red's reality-breaking works differently.

[Deme]

While I'm glad to see that everyone's been intrigued by the interlude, I've got to say where I've been, and what it might mean for this LP.
Yes, ORAS has been mightily distracting. But before (and now, during) that... I've just been stuck, and on the whole, it's made me question if this LP is a project that'll really work long-term; if it's got the right elements and characters and ideas and my own understanding of a good pacing for it, that things could work out with it in the long run. Or even the short run. I...don't really know. I'm not confident in it, but I'm not sure what a good fix without scrapping the whole thing would be. I dunno, maybe I'm just nuts.

I'll keep working on this update, and give it some thought and your feedback (and probably another update) before I make any sort of final choices.

[Illven]

I dunno, maybe I'm just nuts.

Well if you are, it'd be perfect for this storylocke.

[Javan]

Well if you are, it'd be perfect for this storylocke.

That is a true statement.

[Deme]

Wait, what's this? An update? Yeah, actually. Thank Trobby for this one -- he really helped me sort through, and reminded me about what I really enjoy in this LP. It's Bowser.
More details on where some things are going will be below. For now, update schedule is...tentative.

Chapter 15

Spoiler: I Shall Be as a Slavering Beast in the Night

Show

...Huh. I feel like a dark shadow passed over the world, freezing it for several months, and then suddenly vanished, as if it had never been at all.
It must be a Monday. That sort of thing always happens over the weekend.

My initial plan when I finished the training was to put my team back as it was, but...

"P-please...Don't leave me there." Oliver stopped me.
"Is the box bad? Or scary?"
"No...Not exactly. Um... It's just..." He wibbled his lip. "I'm...I'm afraid of what might happen to you. If you leave me alone...What if...What if you don't come back?"
"I'm sure I'll come back. I always come back."

Here, he lowered his head, so that I could see the eye-holes on the skull, but not the real look, in his real eyes. "I've heard that before..."
...And...That person didn't come back, did they? That's something...That's totally apparent, just from the way he looks right now.
"What am I supposed to do...?"

"Well, sugar, you got to let him come along!"
"But then I'll have to leave someone else behind, too."
Terra shrugged.
"Then I reckon I'll take that shot. If someone's gotta do somethin', then it's gotta be me -- any other way means it won't be done!"
...That's not a lot of trust, is it?


"Are you sure?"

"Nah, it's OK... I know how he feels. But when you're not strong enough to manage the dark yourself... Then it's up to those who are to manage it."
She smiled, gave Oliver a little tap on his bone head, and headed into her pokeball and accepted the upload.


"...Well, then..."
"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" And then he attached himself to my leg, and I had to walk around with a cubone as a handy training weight.


"Well, let's see what we have to work with. Tactically, your options are limited, but perhaps we can..."
"Uh, when did you become the trainer here?"
"Avoiding merely relying on natural strength requires a careful analysis of all available resources...Certainly, even if circumstances have changed, I don't intend to surrender that." He looked up at me, and I guess remembered that, at the end of the day, it's by coming with me he's gotten to evolve. He tried not to look embaressed "But you're right, I suppose...I should consult with you, first."
I'm not entirely sure what to do with Oliver, either, in terms of battle, but I'll do my best to be a good trainer to him.
"Wait, consult?! At what point was my authority completely eclipsed?" Only the sun, moon, and distant planets in perfect alignment get eclipsed like that!

But I guess it's back to business.


Ah, it feels so nice to get a package from my mom after so long. Well, so long, but it wasn't any time at all. You understand. The berries aren't bad, I mean.

"Well, onward!"
"...Isn't that my line?"
"Would you say it, if it was?"
"...Sometimes. I say dramatically appropriate lines some of the time."
"Some of the time isn't good enough! You need to really put your back into it!"
It's just shouting.

"Hey, you!"

Yes, shouting just like that.
...Wait, that was familiar shouting.

"Oh, um, sure, as long as you are not driven mad by the knowledge!"
"Is it true that Team Rocket has returned?"
"Aah, I guess so..." Watch his fists, watch his fists... I did send them packing, so...Maybe not anymore? I hope not anymore?" Let one round of heroism be enough.
"What? You beat them? Hah! Quit lying!"


"Is he saying we couldn't have beat them?"
"I believe that is what he's saying."
...I feel a sudden wave of menace.
"No one else would."
He smirks at me, looking almost more smug and self-assured at the idea that I beat them than at the idea that I did not.
I guess you'd call that wanting to be beaten by the best!
"Are you serious? Then let's see how good you are."


Well, here we go...


Pull back, abort, abort!
"Cleo, let's do this!"

"Rrrrawr!"

Well, that was worthwhile. Yeah. Sure.
"You know, I don't think you have time to worry about how intimidating I am. Take it easy!"

"Just take it easy. Have a niiice nap. Teehee."

Alright, that's round 1...

Time for round 2!

"...Not the best damage, Bowser."
"Oh, you want better?! I can do better, buddy!"
Of course, that was before he set up a smokescreen.

"Oh, you think you're so clever? *cough, cough* WELL TAKE THIS, SMART-GUY!"

The Quilava braces and...
"...Taken."
"*cough, cough* TAKE THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND --" At this point, his arms are spinning like windmills, just trying to fling water through a heavy cloud of black smoke, that just keeps getting thicker and thicker. He really doesn't even try and lay a claw on Bowser.

...It doesn't go well.
"Come on, bro! No one beats king of all shells, right?!" Pi at least was still cheering him on.
"Y-yeah, you just need one good shot!"
This caused hoim to, for a second, stop just swinging wildly... To take a deep breath, look into the smoke...
"Can't look bad in front of my followers... That aint good..." Mutter a heroic rousing point to himself...Uh, if that's what that is, anyway...
And...
Go swinging wildly even harder.

But let's not knock what works, OK?



"Alright! My turn! I won't let the new kid show me up!"
"Show you up?"
"Look better in front of Momma."
And I'm feelin' like a ghost... And that's what I hate the most...
"...I'm not sure she's paying attention to anyone...Actually..."
"Waaa!"

"This time, you might just disappear."


"What, is this inoccous spot the seat of your true power?!
...Because, really, man. I mean, you need to do better. This is on a major street. At least put a rock or a tree or something.
I've never seen a lousier seat of power in my life."
"...Do you see a lot of those? Because I'd certainly be interested in the implications of such a location. For violence."
"A couple. You know, here and there. They sort of have a tingly feeling."
"Shut up! I just meant it was bad to get in my way."

"Oh, well, then, Professor, you should have no trouble. Just go for the most vital organ you can find."
"Well, according to my research, the best place to attack to disrupt psychic powers is..."

[color=red]"Here."[/b]
Ooh, right in the spoon. And I don't mean the one in the hand.

"*High-pitched, agonized squealing.*"


"Listen, you. You won only because my Pokemon were weak."
"Then start by not calling them useless."
"Actually, it's because we were strong!"
What she said!
...Wait, no one else understood that.
"My team was strong!"


..He wasn't listening at all.

"I hate to see them hanging around. That goes for Team Rocket, too."


"You're the same, aren't you?"
"Hey, I just beat you!"
"No. Your pokemon beat mine. There's a big difference -- you've got nothing solid in you. You're just flimsy, hiding behind stuff that's better than you."
...
That's not... Uh, that isn't...
"You stay out of my way. You won't be an exception if you get in my way."

And he marches off before I could think of something to say.
"You can't let that jerk talk to you like that! I'm not going to stand for it!"
"I didn't mean to! He just...sort of got ahead of me."
Besides... He might be right.

It's not like I'm strong enough to keep bad things from happening -- all I do is keep apologizing.
"That's a lame answer! We've got to kick you into shape! Practice your come-backs!"
"I can help! I've got some great come-backs! ...Well, they're more one-liners. But they're zingers, and that's what counts!"
Huh...

"Got any for him?"
"Well, not exactly. Most of them are for Bowser."
"WHAT?! Why you...?!"
"It's just because you're fun when you're angry, and it's, like, super-easy! I guess you need a...thicker shell."
She turns to me expectantly. Which is when Bowser leaps out of his pokeball and tackles her, sending her flying into the dust.
"GRAAR! No one insults my shell and gets away with it! I'll stomp you flat!"

I turn from the resulting wrestling match with a sigh.
"Well, anyway, we love you, Momma, right, Belle?"
"That's right!"

"Aww, thanks, guys." Well...
"Onward!""Onward!"
Darnit!

Let's just head to the next area...

"Oh, hey... Everyone's gone."
"What?! Haa, well, they just couldn't stand the site of such a macho display of manliness."
"...Is that what it's called when I'm playing kick-the-can with your entire body?"
"Yeah, but look how manly I am when my shell's spinning across the ground. That is a POWERFUL shell-spinning!
...
Well, I guess the fun's over already."
"Wait for us, you guys!"



Only if mischief will stay out of me!
...I don't know if that was the right thing to say, but I'll stand by it.


Oh, hey! What a pretty little woods, full of mind control parasites and other fun things.
These woods are lovely, dark and deep... And I've miles to go before I sleep...
It's entirely possible I'll never sleep again.


"A distressed person! We need to...Um. Well...Uh. I dunno. I just don't know anymore."
Ask "What's wrong?"
Though, uh, file that one away to ask Pi, too. Poor little fellow sounds like this whole 'new sibling' thing has him in doubt.

"...Maybe they abandonded you." Oh, that's the sad voice.

"And you think I'd do a better job?"
Well, I can probably talk them back into their labor, producing 9/10ths of the logs for charcoal to recieve 1/10ths of the profits.


"Sneak up from behind and catch them...Do you think you can do that?"

"I shall be as a slavering beast in the night."
"Eeep..."
"I wonder if they wouldn't be running because she's scary."





Wow, that's an oddly perfect pile on twigs, like they've been swept. Twig Conspiracy? Maybe. Maybe.


"Surprise!"
I could try reasoning, but...Eh. FARFETCH'D HUGS!

"Oh, fine... What, that lazy kid couldn't get us himself?"
"...Maybe he abandonded you."
"No one abandonded anyone, sweetie."

We brought the Farfetch'd back.

"But there is one more missing. If you step on a branch, it will face that way, remember?"

I know, I know...


Is this a part of the twig conspiracy? We cannot confirm or deny.


I have failed espeonage!


"...Look, can we just..."
"Ha-ha! Catch me if you can!"
"I like this guy."
"T-they seem really reckless to me...Always running off alone."
"They work all the time -- when you're penned in like that, it's good to live reckless and fun! Let's go chase 'em, June! Let's go, Let's go!"


Ok, now, easy does it...

"Tag, you're it. And by 'it,' I mean 'going home,' and not, say, 'becoming a demon.' I appreciate the confusion."



[b]"Thank you so much!"
"...Well, yes. I mean, you asked me to."
Oh, wait... Maybe his short-term memory fritzed out. Is that a thing that happens around me now? Honestly, it's hard keeping track what with all the otherworldly horror.


Aaah. A respect problem.
...
I sympathize.

Speaking of which...

His boss comes crashing through the woods, too.

...Is...
Is that really their names?
Says the queen of bad nicknaming.

"Without them, we wouldn't be able to cut trees for charcoal."

Don't...Don't you have, like, saws?




This looks like a job for Dagget! At least for now.


How fortuitous! The stars are in alignment, but not so perfectly in alignment that the end of times is coming!
...Probably.


I'mma run back and get him! See you guys!


...Somehow, this doesn't feel like what Cut's supposed to look like...

"It's slice-and-dice time!"
I guess it is, Dagget.


Huh. Smoke. Is someone home?

What.

But they were --

But now they --
They didn't pass me...
Wow, that's some good space-time warpage. I accept your might, oh masters.


Ooh, I will accept destruction of the world in the name of presents!

"...When a pokemon holds that."

Well, then that sounds like a handy tool for Professor!


"Here, you should take this. I bet it'll be useful."
"This is...An exquisite force-multiplier. Perhaps not the most versatile, but my practical weaknesses at the moment --"

"Glad you like it."
He pauses and looks at it a moment longer, clutched in his paw. He looked up at me, his brow furrowed. And away. And back at me, until eventually,
"This...isn't something I'm quite equipped to express, or expect. In this world's race to be strongest, I'd always believed -- that is, empirically speaking, I -- well, I never anticipated given something as useful as this."
"It's a piece of charcoal, dude."
This just caused him to smile, a softer expression than I'm used to seeing on the normally focused Professor.
"Ah, but that's the genius of true study, is it not? To take the most humble...And prove how hot it might one day blaze, just by following its own terms." It went red-hot in his grasp, as if to prove his point. He slipped it into the warm ruff around his neck.

"Well, anyway, thank you. That's what I wanted to say. I'll put it to fine use."



Dagget attacks that spooty tree like he means it, until it's low enough to let us pass.


Now This is a place of power.
(
Whose woods these are I think I know...


The answer is not 'presents,' but I'll appreciate it anyway!
...Uh, say. What is that thing?

Huh.
"Think of it as the path in the woods not travelled for someone like me. I can feel it from here."

Pi got a level-up as we went...


And even picked up a new move, some sort of unsettling synthesis of techniques!


Huh...?
What's that lady doing?
Is that a ivysaur in those trees?


-Sshhhh-


"Hey, wait, where'd that person go?"
"...I have used my warping of space-time to determine that this entire discussion has never happened. I didn't see anything, didn't hear anything, no ivysaurs were stripped of their innocence.
I have destroyed time and space so that this is the way of things."
"...I thought you said you couldn't do that."
"We all make exceptions."
"...Huh."
"This is a family-friendly forum, thank you very much."
"What? ...Say, where'd that TM 86 come from?"

"...I...I just didn't have the heart to erase a present from reality."
So I'll keep the TM she didn't give me so I didn't tell anyone about the things I definitely didn't see.

"Did everything just taste blue for a second?"
"Let's move on to lighter things."

Like more presents!



Dude, dude! I know the endorphins from beating yourself against random objects feels nice, but it's not worth it!

...Actually, it's strange; you don't see that every day. I might not be the strangest thing in this forest.
I could run into the woods and never see the light of day and no one would think I was the strangest thing.
"Hahahahaaha!"
HAAAHAHAHAAAAHA!
"Wait, don't abandon everything!"
"By that, do you mean 'mostly me'?"
"...M...Maybe?"


"I'm shaking trees using headbutt."
...Well, OK, then.


Hmm...Let me think... Well, Professor might like it, and...
"Put me in, coach! I've got a hard head!"

...That is true.



And I'll teach it to Cleo, too!


As I head back up the "path," such as one would call clear spots...

A woman spots me and comes near. It's like the girl by Violet City, but... different.

"Poor girl lost in the dark Illex Forest."
"...Are you related to the woman who wanted to know about Pi's egg, in Violet City?"
"Oh, you've seen someone like me in Violet City? ...You must be imagining."



"I'll certainly try."
"Try?....Are you lost in the forest as well? How do you know how to get out of here?"
"The protector and I are certain to meet, so it's probably fine. Besides, I know... It's not thataway!"


"I'll do it!"

Uh, Pi, you're...Um...I appear to have made you a bit invisible there. Sorry.

I sort of feel him moving...Maybe past her, pointing the way we're going? Just a vibe. I have a lot of those.

Should I say something? "I appear to be making things a wee bit invisible?"
But if no one notices, then no one cares, right?
"You are such a smart pokemon!"
"A hero of justice will never give up, never hide, never be defeated, and never accept evil!"
"...And such a rarity...Hm. How interesting."
She bows to me and looks at me, her dark eyes piercing from her pale face.

...Maybe I've just straight-up gone nuts.



I end up waiting there for a long time... Until things snap back, and Pi's clearly been waiting for me to get going for several minutes.

"...Sorry."
"It's alright! I liked being invisible!"
....What.
"What?!"
"That way, no one can find you and you can watch over everyone!"
"But then no one could ever find you..."
Oliver trembled sadly.
"..Would you like me to hold your paw so you don't get lost?"
"Yes please."

"Geeze, what a baby."
"This does seem kinda like a daycare sometimes..."
"You gotta take care of the little guys! That's what being the biggest and the best is about!"


Is being the best also related to getting stuff? It better be.


"I did! I rate its tingliness a 4/5, would pay homage again."

"I think it must be a grass-type pokemon."
Because when you think time, it's grass.


I...I might not worry about that so much; it's so stressful.
"You must be battling all kinds of pokemon. Try using this TM for a change."

K!
That's Taunt, which doesn't have much to do with the pokedex.

And blocking my way is... That woman who gave my Professor.

"You might pass through here. You're probably wondering why I'm even here."
"Not really; you're as likely to be here as anywhere else. More, in fact, due to the simple fact of all your previous actions and interactions resulting, perhaps inevitably, in your arrival here."

"...to use. It's known as an Odd Keystone."


Hmm...I feel like I can use this, too. It's got kind of a ghost-y flavor. It's kind of an iron-y taste, like blood in your mouth.

"...sightings of a weird pokemon there."


"...In Goldenrod City. It's in the process of replacing that old bike shop..."

I guess I will...


But I'm not at the city just yet!

So, what will I be doing differently? Well, I still intend to catch all the pokemon, for content's sake... But I won't be worrying about that from a writing perspective, either capture or training. Until a pokemon is added to the party, called on to do some service, is an event pokemon, or otherwise is specifically called into the story... It just flat out won't exist from a writing perspective. If it's voted on to be in the party after its capture, due to evolution or whatnot, I'll give it a proper introduction at that time.
This should hopefully give me a lot less to worry about, in terms of having to create and manage characters and fonts and the like.
For the sake of the spreadsheet, and otherwise keeping track of progress, I'll be making OOC lists of what's been going on with them at the end of posts, like... So.

Spoiler

Show

On our journey through the forest, I caught...


This Shroomish, name of Toadette.


Pikachu, name of Candy (If you're curious, that's my standard name for the Pikachu in Yellow from when I was a kid).



Buneary, name of Bugs.


Pineco, name of Andross.

Hopefully, you won't even notice the other decisions I've made.

Now, as we have a new route, we also have some new voting, so let's strap in!
Standard rules apply, but for refreshment, you can vote any pokemon in, any pokemon besides Belle out (but you have to vote things in and out as a pair, so that a pokemon voted in will have a slot, and a pokemon voted out will have a replacement) You can also vote to not change the party, or to keep certain pokemon in, if you like how some things are. Belle is immune.

New Pokemon for Route 34
Drowzee, Gulpin, Electrike, Bonsly, Mime Jr., Ditto, Snubbull.
Also, breeding is an option now, so keep that in mind for stuff like more Eeveelutions.
For other options, in terms of already caught pokemon, check Javan's spreadsheet, linked in the OP.

[Illven]

.... I helped to.

[Qwertystop]

New item, clearly nodded in from the sprite... Guessing that leads to Celebi?

And was the Gardenia thing in the original?

I vote to keep the party how it is.

[Deme]

.... I helped to.

Yes, you did, but I'd already decided this update would be a thing.

New item, clearly nodded in from the sprite... Guessing that leads to Celebi?

And was the Gardenia thing in the original?

Nope, but good guess.

Also, no. Nooo. That would totally not make it across Nintendo of America's desk -- not for something as high-profile as a pokemon game. I mean, I am probably making that...Uh, is it a joke? I mean, it's not funny, as such, unless you're a really juvenile 12 year old boy, but whatever... Anyway, I'm probably making it sound worse than it is, but it really is something that'd not be suitable for an actual release of a Pokemon game. Anyway, in Soul Silver and Heart Gold, you get TM 86 via pick up or Route 11, according to Bulbapedia.

[Qwertystop]

Also, no. Nooo. That would totally not make it across Nintendo of America's desk -- not for something as high-profile as a pokemon game. I mean, I am probably making that...Uh, is it a joke? I mean, it's not funny, as such, unless you're a really juvenile 12 year old boy, but whatever... Anyway, I'm probably making it sound worse than it is, but it really is something that'd not be suitable for an actual release of a Pokemon game. Anyway, in Soul Silver and Heart Gold, you get TM 86 via pick up or Route 11, according to Bulbapedia.

I didn't mean the entire thing - that was clearly something you came up with - just whether or not Gardenia was normally there (with some other dialogue).

[Javan]

Spoiler: Funniest Bits

Show

"Tag, you're it. And by 'it,' I mean 'going home,' and not, say, 'becoming a demon.' I appreciate the confusion."


What.

But they were --

But now they --
They didn't pass me...
Wow, that's some good space-time warpage. I accept your might, oh masters.

YAY! An update! I'd like to thank the Academy and Trobby, Illven and especially Deme for making this happen. Wait...

The spreadsheet is up to date.

[Trobby]

I feel like there should be a better fanfare for this, but I can't be bothered....*yaawwn* blame the early morning.

Anyway, THE GREAT POKEMON NAMING QUEST OF 2014 continues!...into 2015. Hush. ;p

New Pokemon for Route 34
Drowzee, Gulpin, Electrike, Bonsly, Mime Jr., Ditto, Snubbull.
Also, breeding is an option now, so keep that in mind for stuff like more Eeveelutions.
For other options, in terms of already caught pokemon, check Javan's spreadsheet, linked in the OP.

Drowzee - Morpheus if a boy, Hypnos if a girl
Gulpin - Gooey if a boy, Chuchu if a girl (because it's making a kissy face, and the onomotopea for kissing in Japanese is "Chu").
Electrike - Raiju if a boy, Makoto if a girl
Bonsly - Makar if a boy, Saria if a girl
Mime Jr. - Binky if a boy, Margaret if a girl (Because my cousin Margaret has been trained in the ways of being a clown)
Ditto - Bubble (as in Bubblegum).
Snubbull - Jake if a boy, Peach if a girl

[Deme]

I didn't mean the entire thing - that was clearly something you came up with - just whether or not Gardenia was normally there (with some other dialogue).

Nope, she isn't there in standard. There are a lot of gym leader cameos scattered about.

Anyway, glad to see people are happy to see this back, and continuing to help me out here...

And I've got another chapter for you!
Chapter 16

Spoiler: I'll Be the Best By Extension!

Show

We don't have very far to go to Goldenrod... Well, so I hope. These maps are hardly the most honest things in the world.
The most honest things...Probably rocks. Rocks do not lie. Except pyrite. The jerk.



"it got!"
...Do...Do we have to do this at the same time? Can we have a line?


Well, this is going to be an interesting fight...
"OK, Bowser, retreat!"
I'll send in...
...
I have no idea. We don't have anyone with a fighting-type attack...
"Belle?"
"Thought you'd never ask!"


I'm glad to have gotten Bowser out early.

"Not bad, kiddo! Not bad at all!"
"T-thanks..."


"Oh, come on! No being cheap!"

"Does it matter, if you make up the difference?"
"Of course it does!...I look less cool."




"Man, and I thought Professor was an egg-head."

"...Well, I guess you look plenty cool now."
"I guess I do!"
She sounds so pleased.


Bowser's brief entry here does him some good.


We're not done yet, so let's heal up...
While I'm distracted and busying myself with potions, I hear a sort of psychokinetic, low-whine hum of confusion...
Whacking Oliver psychically in the face.

"Which...Which way is up again...?"
"Sometimes, I am not sure myself."
"It doesn't matter which way is up! Just throw your bone!"

And before we're really in trouble with directional concerns,

Belle finishes things off.



"Nothing ever ends, really."

Oh, hold up, phone call.



"...No. I have forgotten completely. Who are you? Where am I? Hello?"
I wonder what would happen if he took me seriously.
"My rattata is different from regular rattata."
"So it is a mutant rattata? A monster from beyond the stars, perhaps?"
"Not exactly."

"Do you know what I'm saying?"
"Ah, a god amongst Rattata, I see."

"He didn't seem that special to me. Well, if he's a god amongst rattata, then I'm the top percentage of Bayleef!"


"Aah, that's cold!"
"Wow, that is fun. I always assumed Bowser did it just to mess people up, but that's a great face!"
"You two play around a lot, don't you?...I'm glad. I remember how happy you were when you found you had someone to joke around with. I'm glad... I dunno, I'm glad that my doing things has made someone happy, for a change."
"Aww, enough mushy stuff..." She squirms under my gaze, trying to hide the warm little smile she had.
"Now, see, that's a perfect face."


Well, if you're gonna be so polite.





It's time like these I wish we weren't limited to 6 pokemon. Professor would be so handy right now.


But Pi can take this...almost as well as Professor, right? All things being equal and all.

All things are rarely equal.


"Pi, wake up already!"


"Oh, Pi!...I'm sorry, little one."
Ok, now what?


"That's a little overkill."
"There is no overkill! Only 'fire' and 'reload!' He messed with one of mine!"


This condition, I can do something about.
"... But it'll be over faster if we push through!"

Now, wait just a...
"I'm sure we can... spark something here!"
"That one was a bit forced."

"Sorry, sorry! I'll do better next time!"
I'm sure she will.


"...Like with pom-poms?"
"Heck yeah! We need one of those!"
"GWAHAHA! How great! Doesn't the king of shells deserve some cheering?"



"Well, that sounds nice!"
And I can get these cackling egotists calm.


Sounds great!


First things first...
And the more important (but less urgent thing second)

"I'm sorry, Pi."
"Mmm...What? I was having a nice nap..."
He never even noticed. But I still have to try harder as a trainer!


"I've never really been to school as a trainer (for understandable reasons); how exactly do you rank that?"

Oh, I see.

It's not a particularly interesting round 1; a couple of aqua jets and goodnight.


As scary as this attack'd seem to Pi, after last time...
"I won't let anything keep me down!"

It's pretty managable.

Let's just forget that was even an attempt.

Really, Whatever system they use, it hardly seems accurate.


"In my class, wouldn't I?"
"Don't worry about that; I wouldn't want to cause a panic."
Also, I think I'm too old for your specific class.

"Phone numbers with me?"

"Eh, sure."



Anyway, let's head along to...

Oh, wait, is that...?

"Been as healthy as can be! You look fit, too!"
Ah, it's Ethan.

He turns his head to spot me.


I like that Ethan goes "A trainer" and not "A source of endless nightmares."

W-well, I'm not exactly... Um... Maybe a bit?
"Darn right! She's gonna be the best!"
"Yeah!"
"So then I'll be the best by extension!"
"...Yeah?"

Unaware of the investment being put in,
"Well, not as good as you, Grandpa, of course!"
Is he actually your grandpa?





He pulls me inside the little house with the little pen.
Actually, I've never considered his family besides his parents.


Well, I guess they might be. But then, I think he latches on to people...
"Let me introduce my friend. This is June!"

The woman laughs.

"I see. Hmm."
"You see? There's nothing to see. I am invisible."
...Man, I agree with Pi: I wish I was invisible... More often.



Ethan bristles, too, so we're on the same page here, I'm sure.
"She just happens to live nearby..."
He looks down, blushing a bit. How odd.



I am threatened by all these people and pokemon thinking good things about me!


"I'm sure I will, if I find time."


"See you, Ethan."
As he walks away, he suddenly stops, as whatever ideas he has in his head finally manage to attract his attention.






"Don't be silly why would I know about that I don't talk to anything that most people can't imagine talking back ha ha --"

I pause, and realize he is probably thinking of, well, more normal stuff.
Ethan does not usually get the memo.


Well, that sounds like fun!



He glares fiercely at her, a hot blush on his face.
"We are both trainers, and we are supposed to exchange numbers.
That's. All."


Well, that happened.






I am just rolling in phone numbers! I should only meet people in passing more often!

"I'll be happy to have a use for this Pokegear my grandchild gave me."



You know, I almost missed this person.
"IF you're really confident, does it matter what I think?"
"Yes!"
"...She doesn't understand how confidence works, does she?"
"Aint that the truth."


"He must have swift, like a coursing river!"

"But not all the force of a great typhoon."

How much is "enough"?



Getting all the numbers.


And, with my phonebook filling up, I enter Goldenrod city -- like hitting a massive wave of people, teetering on the brink of alienation!
...Wait, that's bad.

Pokemon Caught

Spoiler

Show

Makar the Bonsly



Bubble the Ditto

The main voting for this chapter may take a while for me to set up -- I don't know everything that's been changed for Goldenrod city here, and I want to assemble a list of things for people to assemble a shopping list out of.
It'll also take me a while to post an update on several things, since I'm heading to the beach soon, so I guess that works out. I'll try and update our cast list and such, too.

In the meanwhile, I do have some more things for you to think about, to tide you over...
#1: I intend to send different members of the cast out into the city in groups, because that's entertaining. Of course, we're not very far in, so among our main crew, there aren't super-strong pairings that suggest themselves yet. So, why not try and build some fun clusters? Including June, if you have any groups of character (2-3 characters, to be exact) you think would be fun to see hang out, let me know, I'll see what catches my imagination.
#2: Well, since I'm not going to be able to update, let's have some character Q&A time! I'll call spoilers on anything I think would be a spoiler to answer, but other than that, sky's the limit.

[Brance_a_Lot]

Heh, of course you found a ditto near the daycare center. I have a feeling you will be seeing more of Brandon's grandma than he would like!

Good work as always, glad to see you posting again. For characters, I think I like Bowser's interactions and Professor's interactions with others.

[Forum Explorer]

Whoo, glad to see this is back.

[Deme]

^^^
Glad for it to be back!

Heh, of course you found a ditto near the daycare center. I have a feeling you will be seeing more of Brandon's grandma than he would like!

Good work as always, glad to see you posting again. For characters, I think I like Bowser's interactions and Professor's interactions with others.

Certainly, I will need to go produce a pichu now that I have the chance. Also, we can get more eevees now, or more eevees later (via Celadon game corner, I think it was)... I'll need to make a full mental list of the stuff I need to breed up.

I'll make a note of that for my own happy feelings, but is there any particular characters you like them interacting with? All our present party members (and probably Daniel, since I can work towards evolving him now, and that's probably a fair thing to deal with) will be getting bits, probably, it's just a matter of with whom.

[Javan]

Would we be able to see Percival and Bors out and about together? Maybe with Bowser thrown in for good measure?
And Professor with our newest student, Oliver.

June's Pokemon List

[Trobby]

Cleo and Bowser, because those two are too cute. ;p

And...Pi and June, because they ought to have a heart-to-heart about their true destiny and what Pi is becoming.

Also Belle and Professor, because they're her first two pokemon, and would likely have a lot to say to each other.

And finally Terra and Oliver, because....reasons.

[Qwertystop]

Cleo and Bowser, because those two are too cute. ;p

And...Pi and June, because they ought to have a heart-to-heart about their true destiny and what Pi is becoming.

Also Belle and Professor, because they're her first two pokemon, and would likely have a lot to say to each other.

And finally Terra and Oliver, because....reasons.

I second the first three.

[Hawkflight]

#2: Well, since I'm not going to be able to update, let's have some character Q&A time! I'll call spoilers on anything I think would be a spoiler to answer, but other than that, sky's the limit.

Oooo, I love it when this happens.

Question for everyone: What is art, to you?

[Deme]

Since this is a "for everyone," question, I'll only be answering the ones I can come up with good ones for, and I'll be editing as I manage to articulate answers.

"Art? Art comes in two basic forms, in my opinion. The first is entertainment -- which, I should be clear, is not simply the matter of 'oh, this was fun,' but anything which is created on the grounds of aesthetic or emotional pleasure. The second is propoganda -- the creation of something in order to control the narrative the audience associates with the subject, and is a vital thing to master if one is interested in war or governance; Caeser was a master general, yes, but also a master of self-advertisement, and both were vital to his success. As you can tell, I'm much more interested in the latter than the former, when it comes to art."
"Art? I guess that'd be a way of channeling man's desire for expression, understanding, and permanence, in a world where all of these things are tenuous at best, and perhaps truly impossible at worst. Um, I don't mean that I think it's worthless. I think it's more important for that. Oh, but I suppose I could also answer... Art is a sort of waking dream, which we enter willingly, and leave when something in it causes it to break."
"Sissy stuff."

[Deme]

Anyway, unless I go out to the park and such as well (Which might be a bit much for a single chapter, but we'll see)...

I've been thinking we can talk shopping and pokemon. I'll leave it up to you guys to generate a shopping list.
While I haven't had much chance to look at lotteries and password-related points, here's a couple of things:

New Pokemon
Normal voting rules apply.
Smeargle, Tangela, Porygon, Lileep, Anorith, Omanite, Kabuto, Cranidos, Shieldon.
And, please, regardless of what you want to do, party-wise, select one of: Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup.

If there's anything that you want for any of our crew, I'll make it happen.
Shopping List
TMs: Protect, Substiture, Ice Beam, Swords Dance, Flamethrower, Rest, Thunderbolt, Safeguard, False Swipe (If you want to give it to a pokemon in reserve for capturing purposes, let me know), Brine, Light Screen, Reflect, Solar Beam, Focus Blast, Fire Blast, Thunder, Blizzard, Hyper Beam, Dig, Grass Knot, Roost
Vitamins: Full Stock
Held Items: Silk Scarf, Zoom Lens, Wide Lens, Metronome (Oh, and I'll be able to get, though I'll do this regardless of the shopping list, a Thick Club for Oliver, and a Light Ball for our pikachu)
Stones: Fire, Water, Leaf, and Thunder Stones (To be more exact, are there any pokemon who I can evolve for the dex data that we might want to hold off evolving? If you want to know any move changes that might effect that decision, ask.)

Since this is our "stuff about the party" post, I may edit this later asking about other things, like if there's any use for the TMs/HMs we have now that you guys want.

[Javan]

Tangela
Anorith
Kabuto
Cranidos

Chimchar

Flamethrower (For Professor?)
Thunderbolt (Pikachu)
False Swipe (Using it for capturing purposes is virtually its only purpose, in my opinion)

Thunder Stone (for a Jolteon)

I never watched the Pokemon anime to be honest, but my first Pokemon game was Yellow, Pikachu has a special place in my heart (and roster) for that reason.
I vote to switch Pikachu (Candy) in for Luxio (Cleopatra)

[Hawkflight]

I vote to keep Cleo in.

[Trobby]

Fact: I am bad at item shopping.

This new list of pokemon took me by surprise, but let's see what names I can come up with!

Smeargle - Picasso if a boy, Keeffe if a girl
Tangela - Gossamer if a boy, Medusa if a girl
Porygon - Bob
Lileep - Petey if a boy, Audrey if a girl
Anorith - Arthor if a boy, Mokey if a girl (Don't ask for the logic behind this one).
Omanite - Twitch
Kabuto - Met
Cranidos - Pachy
Shieldon - Proto if a boy, Cera if a girl.

...Also it is really hard to vote anyone out of this party. ;w;

I vote that Cleo and Bowser stay.

I vote that Professor take a break and let a Chimchar into the party.