OP
- Pokédex No.
- 33
- Caught
- Jun 10, 2019
- Messages
- 1,578
- Nature
- Careful
- Pronouns
- he/him
- Pokémon Type
-
- Dark
- Ground
- Thread Starter
- #81
@bhelryss Adam is indeed discovering that doing things by yourself isn't always the way to go. And yeah, things are still moving along!
@Leon Yorunaki Much as I like Johto, I do think it's a little silly that Clair just refuses to give you the badge after you beat her, so I did want to reimagine that aspect of the game. Glad you liked it!
As for the two guys interested in Adam, I'll admit that your reaction was pretty much just what I was hoping for, introducing a mystery/potential threat after all this went down. I debated including that part at all, but you made me glad I did.
@apocalypsewriter Good old Clear Bell Ex Machina, huh? And yeah, Drascu is absolutely going to have a hard time with the loss of his grandson, even if that's not the focus here.
Yes, hopefully Adam is on the path to getting assistance. As for those with more experience taking matters into their own hands, you may find that addressed in this update.
@Spectacles I suppose I could've written in a loss, but I did beat Clair in-game, and I wanted to stick to that.
I don't know if Doc-Lockes would be Clair's expertise, but she I think has enough of a level head and reasoning mind that she'd be able to take on the challenge without too much stressunlike some Doc-Locke protagonists.
Adam in the Dragon's Den was stressful, but it was necessary to lead up to his outburst at the end, which was good to get out for both him and me.
@Leon Yorunaki Much as I like Johto, I do think it's a little silly that Clair just refuses to give you the badge after you beat her, so I did want to reimagine that aspect of the game. Glad you liked it!
As for the two guys interested in Adam, I'll admit that your reaction was pretty much just what I was hoping for, introducing a mystery/potential threat after all this went down. I debated including that part at all, but you made me glad I did.
@apocalypsewriter Good old Clear Bell Ex Machina, huh? And yeah, Drascu is absolutely going to have a hard time with the loss of his grandson, even if that's not the focus here.
Yes, hopefully Adam is on the path to getting assistance. As for those with more experience taking matters into their own hands, you may find that addressed in this update.
@Spectacles I suppose I could've written in a loss, but I did beat Clair in-game, and I wanted to stick to that.
I don't know if Doc-Lockes would be Clair's expertise, but she I think has enough of a level head and reasoning mind that she'd be able to take on the challenge without too much stress
Adam in the Dragon's Den was stressful, but it was necessary to lead up to his outburst at the end, which was good to get out for both him and me.
Adam’s heart was beating fast as he entered Ecruteak City. He wished the trip could have been shorter, but Mara had only had enough energy to carry him just past Mahogany Town. At least she and the others hadn’t suffered any long-term injuries from battling Clair…but that didn’t mean they were back to top shape.
He angled himself right, remembering what Drascu had said about going to the temple at the north of the city. As he walked, his mind spun wildly, as it had been doing for almost the entire trip. Would the monks believe him? Was he actually going to meet Suicune? How in the world would he manage to handle that?
Time seemed to both stretch on and pass quickly, so that when the temple was in sight, he felt like his stomach had been twisting with anxiety for ages, but also like he had arrived too soon and wasn’t ready. Nevertheless, he continued his walk towards his destination.
That is, until a voice called out his name. “Adam!”
Adam started violently and turned. When he saw who was addressing him, his eyes went wide. Getting out of an old-looking SUV just a few feet away was Professor Elm. He strode in Adam’s direction, while behind him, Adam could see his assistant Joseph get out to stand next to the car. “Adam, what’s going on?”
“Wh-what are you doing here?” said Adam, dodging the question.
Elm frowned. “I saw online that you had won the Rising Badge. I thought that was odd, and when I tried to call you, you didn’t pick up. My intuition told me something was wrong, so I tracked your Pokédex and drove to meet up with you.”
Adam suppressed the urge to wince. He had been hoping that his winning the Rising Badge wouldn’t have been noticed so quickly, though he had suspected it when Elm had called his PokéGear earlier that day. He had been planning on coming up with an explanation once things had been better sorted out…but obviously that wasn’t going to work now.
Elm continued. “I’m not accusing you of anything, Adam, but getting the Rising Badge was not a part of our agreement, so I’d like to know what drove you to take that action. And as someone with a significant involvement in this project of yours, I do think I deserve to know.”
Adam felt hot with shame. Even though Elm wasn’t speaking in an accusatory tone, it still felt like Adam had shortchanged him. But…could he tell Elm the truth? He had held off on it in the interests of safety, and because it was almost too ridiculous to believe. However, Drascu had told him that the Clear Bell had rung for him because he had come out with the truth (and expressed a desire to help others). Could he really continue to suppress it? And while Elm was still wearing a frown, he didn’t look angry. He looked more concerned than anything.
Adam took a deep breath. “Okay…I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you anything. But…I’m doing something that’s kind of unbelievable.”
Elm’s expression became more curious. “How so?”
“Well…you remember that explosion in Mahogany Town? And how I told you I didn’t have anything to do with it? …That was a lie. I was there.”
The professor’s eyebrows jumped up. “You were? Are you okay?!”
“Uh, yeah, I’m fine. Well, physically, at least. But anyway…” Adam took another deep breath. “I was there with Lance, the champion, but Team Rocket killed him and I barely made it out. They replaced him with an imposter that looks and acts just like him, but it’s not him. I’m the only person who knew this, and I was terrified about what he was planning to do, so I thought I could try to get to the Pokémon League and dethrone him as Champion before that, even if that had a miniscule chance of working. That’s why I beat Pryce and fought Clair. I barely won, but she said she wouldn’t give me a badge unless I passed the Dragon Clan Challenge, so I went to their shrine in Blackthorn City and spoke to an elder. He didn’t believe me when I told him what was going on, but I’ve got this item that’s apparently called the Clear Bell and has a connection to Suicune, and it rang when I told him the truth, which he said is reflective of my soul and meant that I wasn’t lying. Then he sent me here to meet some monks and possibly even Suicune itself.” He began to speak more quickly. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to get you involved with Team Rocket’s plot and because I didn’t think you would believe me. And I know I have no concrete evidence; I know this whole thing started with me stealing from you so you know I’m not trustworthy, but I swear it’s true, and if there’s anything I can do—”
“Who said I know you’re not trustworthy?”
Adam paused. “Huh?”
Elm’s expression remained serious, but it looked less intense than it had when Adam was explaining his situation. “Yes, you stole from me and that’s why I sent you on this journey in the first place. But even then, I didn’t think you were really untrustworthy. If I had, I would not have come up with this project as a way for you to repay me. As a matter of fact, I received a lot of pushback from the police when I proposed it along with dropping the charges.”
“You did?” Even as he asked that, Adam realized it wasn’t hard to believe. The stern faces of the officers that had dealt with him swam into his mind. “Oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense.”
Elm nodded. “They were concerned that sending you on a Pokémon journey would give you an excess of freedom—especially since, if you really wished, you could have disappeared entirely and started a new life as a trainer.”
“I could have?”
“Certainly. A place like Goldenrod City, for instance, would be almost guaranteed to have someone who could forge a new Trainer ID for you. Once that was done, you’d just have to catch some new Pokémon registered under it, leave behind the old ones and your Pokédex, and blend into the population of Johto. It wouldn’t be easy, but it would be possible. I, however, did not see that as a concern. I may have moved to New Bark Town only a few years ago, but that gave me enough time to get to know you on a basic level. And you’ve never struck me as anything like a malicious liar. When it came out that you were the one who had stolen my equipment, I thought that was just the result of a teenager making a dumb mistake. So, I thought, why not give him a chance to be more responsible? And you know what? You’ve done exactly that. You went along with my complex project idea and have put in dedicated work to raise many different Pokémon as an honest trainer. It hasn’t always been easy, but you’ve kept going, and with the Pokémon you send back to me, I’m able to see definite results. You’ve shown remarkable talent for it, too—here we are barely a month after you’ve started, and you’ve already proven yourself worthy of all eight Johto badges! Granted, your focus has been almost entirely on raising Pokémon during your journey, which has probably expedited your progress when compared to others, but that’s still no mean feat at all. And, furthermore, you seem to have been raising the Pokémon very well. You’re not cruel or careless. That says plenty about your character, too.”
“But…” Adam hesitated, but the thought had jumped to his mind and wouldn’t let go. “What about…the ones who didn’t make it?”
Elm nodded in understanding. “You mean Gretel, Benjamin, and Victor. It’s more than understandable that accidents would happen, Adam. I’ve never held that against you, especially after hearing the distress in your voice when you told me about them.”
Hearing those words, Adam felt like a large weight was lifted off his chest. Sure, Elm had never said that it was Adam’s fault he lost the Pokémon he had, but he hadn’t been able to shake the nagging suspicion. But hearing this from Elm now, when they were face-to-face and speaking openly…it felt much more believable.
The professor continued. “All that is to say, no, Adam, I don’t think you’re not trustworthy. So if you say that Team Rocket has replaced Champion Lance with one of their agents…” He hesitated briefly. “Well, I won’t pretend there’s no skepticism in me, but at the very least, I do not think you’re lying.”
Adam didn’t speak for a moment. His brain felt like it needed time to process everything Elm had said. All this time, he’d suspected Elm of harboring some inner resentment because of his crime against him, but the man had just earnestly told him that he trusted him, even when confronted with his crazy story. “You…you do actually believe me?”
“I do. And it sounds like you’re caught up in a very serious matter. I’d like to offer my assistance in any way that I can.” A thought seemed to strike him. “In fact…” He turned and walked back to his car, earning an inquisitive glance from Joseph. After exchanging a few words in a tone too low for Adam to hear, he opened the back door, took something out, and walked back. “This might be of use to you. And perhaps it will convince you that you have my full confidence.”
He held out the item, and Adam’s jaw dropped. Sitting in Elm’s hands was a Poké Ball with a purple top, adorned with two red spots and an elegant letter M. “The…the Master Ball?” He looked back up at Elm, his expression bewildered. “You’re…giving it to me?”
“I am. I have not been able to make great use of it, and at least at the moment, I think your need is much greater.”
Still, Adam couldn’t help staring at it. Not only was this one of the rarest known items, a Poké Ball that could catch nearly any Pokémon without fail…it was also the most valuable item he had stolen from Professor Elm, and the one that had really prompted the search for a thief that had led straight to him. Slowly, he reached out his hand, closed it around the ball, and took it. He felt like he should say something, but all that came out was, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I hope it helps. Is there anything else I can do?”
Adam blinked. “Oh! Um…” He racked his brain, and something came to mind. “Well…if I’m going to be working against Team Rocket…I’m a little worried about what they might do in retaliation. Could you do something to keep an eye on my mom? Maybe even get the police’s help, if they’re willing to cooperate? Or, like, even tell them that I’ve gone rogue and might strike again, or something.”
A small smile appeared on Elm’s face. “Yes, I will certainly do what I can in that regard. And your idea’s not a bad one—I think I may be able to convince our good friend Officer Dickless that you still pose a threat.”
Hearing Elm use his crass nickname evoked an involuntary laugh from Adam. It only lasted a second, after which he felt mildly embarrassed, but Elm just let out a small chuckle of his own. “I’ll go ahead with that. Do you know when you’re going to make your move?”
Adam shook his head. “No. I’m still not completely sure what I’m going to be doing, honestly; I was hoping that coming here with the Clear Bell would give me my next step.”
Elm nodded. “Then you go ahead with that and do what you need to do. I need to return to New Bark Town, but keep me updated, okay? That includes telling me if you need my help with anything else.”
Adam nodded. “Yeah, you got it.” He hesitated. “Thanks again for all your help…and sorry for not telling you anything before now.”
“Well, you’ve gotten caught up in something big and very troublesome. I know you had your reasons. Just remember now, though, that you don’t have to do this alone.”
Adam couldn’t help a smile rising to his face. “Okay…yeah.”
He turned to leave, but he had only walked a few steps before he heard Elm snap his fingers and exclaim, “Oh! One other thing.” He turned around. “I believe the Pokémon League itself has stricter guidelines than the gyms, so I don’t think you’ll be able to make a challenge with Pokémon that aren’t registered to your Trainer ID. When I get back to my lab, I’ll transfer all the ones you’ve trained so they’re officially registered to you.”
For the second time in their encounter, Adam’s jaw dropped. “You will? You’ll be giving them to me?” he asked, unable to keep the eagerness out of his voice.
Elm smiled kindly. “Yes. It’s something I’d been meaning to do at the end of your project, anyway, since you’ve invested so much time and effort in them and have formed such close bonds. But it sounds like this is the best time for that.”
For a moment, Adam didn’t move. Then, acting on impulse, he walked up to Elm and hugged him for a couple seconds, too overcome with emotion to put his feelings into words. He broke off and gave Elm a big smile, then ran off to the temple.
He angled himself right, remembering what Drascu had said about going to the temple at the north of the city. As he walked, his mind spun wildly, as it had been doing for almost the entire trip. Would the monks believe him? Was he actually going to meet Suicune? How in the world would he manage to handle that?
Time seemed to both stretch on and pass quickly, so that when the temple was in sight, he felt like his stomach had been twisting with anxiety for ages, but also like he had arrived too soon and wasn’t ready. Nevertheless, he continued his walk towards his destination.
That is, until a voice called out his name. “Adam!”
Adam started violently and turned. When he saw who was addressing him, his eyes went wide. Getting out of an old-looking SUV just a few feet away was Professor Elm. He strode in Adam’s direction, while behind him, Adam could see his assistant Joseph get out to stand next to the car. “Adam, what’s going on?”
“Wh-what are you doing here?” said Adam, dodging the question.
Elm frowned. “I saw online that you had won the Rising Badge. I thought that was odd, and when I tried to call you, you didn’t pick up. My intuition told me something was wrong, so I tracked your Pokédex and drove to meet up with you.”
Adam suppressed the urge to wince. He had been hoping that his winning the Rising Badge wouldn’t have been noticed so quickly, though he had suspected it when Elm had called his PokéGear earlier that day. He had been planning on coming up with an explanation once things had been better sorted out…but obviously that wasn’t going to work now.
Elm continued. “I’m not accusing you of anything, Adam, but getting the Rising Badge was not a part of our agreement, so I’d like to know what drove you to take that action. And as someone with a significant involvement in this project of yours, I do think I deserve to know.”
Adam felt hot with shame. Even though Elm wasn’t speaking in an accusatory tone, it still felt like Adam had shortchanged him. But…could he tell Elm the truth? He had held off on it in the interests of safety, and because it was almost too ridiculous to believe. However, Drascu had told him that the Clear Bell had rung for him because he had come out with the truth (and expressed a desire to help others). Could he really continue to suppress it? And while Elm was still wearing a frown, he didn’t look angry. He looked more concerned than anything.
Adam took a deep breath. “Okay…I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you anything. But…I’m doing something that’s kind of unbelievable.”
Elm’s expression became more curious. “How so?”
“Well…you remember that explosion in Mahogany Town? And how I told you I didn’t have anything to do with it? …That was a lie. I was there.”
The professor’s eyebrows jumped up. “You were? Are you okay?!”
“Uh, yeah, I’m fine. Well, physically, at least. But anyway…” Adam took another deep breath. “I was there with Lance, the champion, but Team Rocket killed him and I barely made it out. They replaced him with an imposter that looks and acts just like him, but it’s not him. I’m the only person who knew this, and I was terrified about what he was planning to do, so I thought I could try to get to the Pokémon League and dethrone him as Champion before that, even if that had a miniscule chance of working. That’s why I beat Pryce and fought Clair. I barely won, but she said she wouldn’t give me a badge unless I passed the Dragon Clan Challenge, so I went to their shrine in Blackthorn City and spoke to an elder. He didn’t believe me when I told him what was going on, but I’ve got this item that’s apparently called the Clear Bell and has a connection to Suicune, and it rang when I told him the truth, which he said is reflective of my soul and meant that I wasn’t lying. Then he sent me here to meet some monks and possibly even Suicune itself.” He began to speak more quickly. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to get you involved with Team Rocket’s plot and because I didn’t think you would believe me. And I know I have no concrete evidence; I know this whole thing started with me stealing from you so you know I’m not trustworthy, but I swear it’s true, and if there’s anything I can do—”
“Who said I know you’re not trustworthy?”
Adam paused. “Huh?”
Elm’s expression remained serious, but it looked less intense than it had when Adam was explaining his situation. “Yes, you stole from me and that’s why I sent you on this journey in the first place. But even then, I didn’t think you were really untrustworthy. If I had, I would not have come up with this project as a way for you to repay me. As a matter of fact, I received a lot of pushback from the police when I proposed it along with dropping the charges.”
“You did?” Even as he asked that, Adam realized it wasn’t hard to believe. The stern faces of the officers that had dealt with him swam into his mind. “Oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense.”
Elm nodded. “They were concerned that sending you on a Pokémon journey would give you an excess of freedom—especially since, if you really wished, you could have disappeared entirely and started a new life as a trainer.”
“I could have?”
“Certainly. A place like Goldenrod City, for instance, would be almost guaranteed to have someone who could forge a new Trainer ID for you. Once that was done, you’d just have to catch some new Pokémon registered under it, leave behind the old ones and your Pokédex, and blend into the population of Johto. It wouldn’t be easy, but it would be possible. I, however, did not see that as a concern. I may have moved to New Bark Town only a few years ago, but that gave me enough time to get to know you on a basic level. And you’ve never struck me as anything like a malicious liar. When it came out that you were the one who had stolen my equipment, I thought that was just the result of a teenager making a dumb mistake. So, I thought, why not give him a chance to be more responsible? And you know what? You’ve done exactly that. You went along with my complex project idea and have put in dedicated work to raise many different Pokémon as an honest trainer. It hasn’t always been easy, but you’ve kept going, and with the Pokémon you send back to me, I’m able to see definite results. You’ve shown remarkable talent for it, too—here we are barely a month after you’ve started, and you’ve already proven yourself worthy of all eight Johto badges! Granted, your focus has been almost entirely on raising Pokémon during your journey, which has probably expedited your progress when compared to others, but that’s still no mean feat at all. And, furthermore, you seem to have been raising the Pokémon very well. You’re not cruel or careless. That says plenty about your character, too.”
“But…” Adam hesitated, but the thought had jumped to his mind and wouldn’t let go. “What about…the ones who didn’t make it?”
Elm nodded in understanding. “You mean Gretel, Benjamin, and Victor. It’s more than understandable that accidents would happen, Adam. I’ve never held that against you, especially after hearing the distress in your voice when you told me about them.”
Hearing those words, Adam felt like a large weight was lifted off his chest. Sure, Elm had never said that it was Adam’s fault he lost the Pokémon he had, but he hadn’t been able to shake the nagging suspicion. But hearing this from Elm now, when they were face-to-face and speaking openly…it felt much more believable.
The professor continued. “All that is to say, no, Adam, I don’t think you’re not trustworthy. So if you say that Team Rocket has replaced Champion Lance with one of their agents…” He hesitated briefly. “Well, I won’t pretend there’s no skepticism in me, but at the very least, I do not think you’re lying.”
Adam didn’t speak for a moment. His brain felt like it needed time to process everything Elm had said. All this time, he’d suspected Elm of harboring some inner resentment because of his crime against him, but the man had just earnestly told him that he trusted him, even when confronted with his crazy story. “You…you do actually believe me?”
“I do. And it sounds like you’re caught up in a very serious matter. I’d like to offer my assistance in any way that I can.” A thought seemed to strike him. “In fact…” He turned and walked back to his car, earning an inquisitive glance from Joseph. After exchanging a few words in a tone too low for Adam to hear, he opened the back door, took something out, and walked back. “This might be of use to you. And perhaps it will convince you that you have my full confidence.”
He held out the item, and Adam’s jaw dropped. Sitting in Elm’s hands was a Poké Ball with a purple top, adorned with two red spots and an elegant letter M. “The…the Master Ball?” He looked back up at Elm, his expression bewildered. “You’re…giving it to me?”
“I am. I have not been able to make great use of it, and at least at the moment, I think your need is much greater.”
Still, Adam couldn’t help staring at it. Not only was this one of the rarest known items, a Poké Ball that could catch nearly any Pokémon without fail…it was also the most valuable item he had stolen from Professor Elm, and the one that had really prompted the search for a thief that had led straight to him. Slowly, he reached out his hand, closed it around the ball, and took it. He felt like he should say something, but all that came out was, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I hope it helps. Is there anything else I can do?”
Adam blinked. “Oh! Um…” He racked his brain, and something came to mind. “Well…if I’m going to be working against Team Rocket…I’m a little worried about what they might do in retaliation. Could you do something to keep an eye on my mom? Maybe even get the police’s help, if they’re willing to cooperate? Or, like, even tell them that I’ve gone rogue and might strike again, or something.”
A small smile appeared on Elm’s face. “Yes, I will certainly do what I can in that regard. And your idea’s not a bad one—I think I may be able to convince our good friend Officer Dickless that you still pose a threat.”
Hearing Elm use his crass nickname evoked an involuntary laugh from Adam. It only lasted a second, after which he felt mildly embarrassed, but Elm just let out a small chuckle of his own. “I’ll go ahead with that. Do you know when you’re going to make your move?”
Adam shook his head. “No. I’m still not completely sure what I’m going to be doing, honestly; I was hoping that coming here with the Clear Bell would give me my next step.”
Elm nodded. “Then you go ahead with that and do what you need to do. I need to return to New Bark Town, but keep me updated, okay? That includes telling me if you need my help with anything else.”
Adam nodded. “Yeah, you got it.” He hesitated. “Thanks again for all your help…and sorry for not telling you anything before now.”
“Well, you’ve gotten caught up in something big and very troublesome. I know you had your reasons. Just remember now, though, that you don’t have to do this alone.”
Adam couldn’t help a smile rising to his face. “Okay…yeah.”
He turned to leave, but he had only walked a few steps before he heard Elm snap his fingers and exclaim, “Oh! One other thing.” He turned around. “I believe the Pokémon League itself has stricter guidelines than the gyms, so I don’t think you’ll be able to make a challenge with Pokémon that aren’t registered to your Trainer ID. When I get back to my lab, I’ll transfer all the ones you’ve trained so they’re officially registered to you.”
For the second time in their encounter, Adam’s jaw dropped. “You will? You’ll be giving them to me?” he asked, unable to keep the eagerness out of his voice.
Elm smiled kindly. “Yes. It’s something I’d been meaning to do at the end of your project, anyway, since you’ve invested so much time and effort in them and have formed such close bonds. But it sounds like this is the best time for that.”
For a moment, Adam didn’t move. Then, acting on impulse, he walked up to Elm and hugged him for a couple seconds, too overcome with emotion to put his feelings into words. He broke off and gave Elm a big smile, then ran off to the temple.
Today has been…I don’t even know how to describe it. SO much has happened. I don’t intend to cover it all here, because I’d be writing all night, but there’s been a ton of significance. The battle with Clair, the meeting with Drascu, and the encounter with Elm—by the way, Elm’s a fantastic guy and I take back every bad thing I’ve ever said or written about him. But I think the most incredible thing was what happened after all that.
So after Drascu identified the bell I got from the Radio Tower director as the Clear Bell, he told me to go to Ecruteak City and show it to the monks in the northern temple, since it’s so rare for it to ring for anyone. Well, I did, and they were amazed. They brought me to a back exit that led me to a path going to the Tin Tower, which was where someone with the Clear Bell should go and wait. I was to do all that alone, so I definitely felt nervous as I made the walk. In another scenario, I might have appreciated the peaceful silence of the area, but this time, it gave me more opportunity to wonder/worry about what was going to happen.
I got to the Tin Tower and hung up the Clear Bell as I was instructed to do. It rang out for a few minutes, then stopped. After that, nothing happened for a while, which I guess makes sense now that I think about it, but I was feeling really restless at the time. I waited for about forty-five minutes and was just wondering if there was a point when I should give this up and go back, when I heard a slight noise in one of the above floors—I should probably note that the area of the tower I was in was a central open space that extended all the way to the roof, so I could see all the floors going up from the ground level. I looked up…and Suicune jumped right down in front of me.
I stood still, and we stared at each other for a minute. I got the sense that Suicune was reading me somehow, but I forced myself not to look away. I even sorta tried to read it back, but to be honest, I got nothing—nothing, that is, until it sprang into action. It leapt backward, then started running and jumping around the area (looking a lot better than that makes it sound), and I got an image of a Poké Ball in my mind. After a few seconds, I realized that it was sending me a message: I was to try to capture it. Unfortunately, my Pokémon—holy shit they really are actually mine now—that I had with me at the time were still worn out from the battle with Clair, so they couldn’t help me weaken Suicune like a normal wild Pokémon. Of course, Suicune was no normal wild Pokémon, and somehow, I got the sense that it wasn’t asking to fight them. It was testing me and me alone.
I had a bunch of Ultra Balls with me, so I started throwing them at Suicune, but it did not make that easy. It was moving so fast that my first few throws didn’t even come close. After that, I started trying to watch it more carefully, to see if it had a pattern. I got a better sense of where to throw from that, though I still missed several times. I was really excited when one finally connected and confined Suicune…but it still wasn’t going easy on me, and it busted out. This continued for a little while; I even started picking up Ultra Balls that had missed and re-using them. I got better at aiming and nearly got Suicune to stay in a couple of them, but they never succeeded. And the balls that it escaped from broke, so my supply started going down.
Then I thought of Elm’s gift. The Master Ball. I worried a little about whether using it would offend Suicune, as sort of a cheat, but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of instances where Legendary Pokemon have evaded capture even when confronted with a Master Ball. Plus, well, I also remembered Elm’s words about not having to do this alone. So I figured it would be fitting to use the thing he’d just given me. I took it out, took careful aim, and threw…and it connected. And I swear Suicune looked at me just before it hit and I got the sense that it could have avoided the ball if it had really wanted to. But it didn’t, and it was sucked in. For the next few seconds, I watched with bated breath, wondering if a Legendary Pokémon could bypass the Master Ball’s capability to flawlessly catch any Pokemon, but after a few moments of wiggling, it came to a stop. I had caught Suicune!
…Holy shit, writing that makes it feel more real, and more unbelievable. This is a Pokémon that some people think acts as a messenger of the gods, and other people think is an actual avatar! People have fought literal wars over Legendary Pokémon, and I’ve just got one in my pocket! Me, a kid from New Bark Town! How fucking insane is that?
I mean, I guess I can come up with a rationale for it. My guess is that Suicune will only be my Pokémon to help with this region-threatening Team Rocket situation, and after that, it’ll go its own way. Still, I don’t get why it’s me of all people that gets to be its trainer for a little while. Well…maybe I’m not the most worthy, but I’ll do everything I can to at least not be unworthy.
When I returned to the temple from the Tin Tower, I found the monks waiting for me, along with Morty and Eusine, whom they had contacted. I wound up explaining the whole situation to them, and since I had met Suicune and it had allowed me to capture it, they believed my story. We also got in contact with Drascu—one of the monks had his PokéGear number, I guess. And between all of us, we formed a plan.
Drascu had thought about confronting the fake Lance himself, but doing so might put him in danger, if the imposter decides to silence him. And with all his current influence, not-Lance can come up with reasons to avoid seeing people, to avoid clueing them in on the truth. So challenging the League still seems like our most reliable way to get to him. Furthermore, we need to do it soon; the League’s annual celebration of the summer solstice is coming up, and that seemed to the others like a perfect time for Team Rocket to make their move. Trouble is, in preparation for it, and to make sure things aren’t shaken up immediately beforehand, Indigo Plateau is closed to all challengers for ten days before the event, meaning I’ve only got until the 11th to complete my challenge.
The next question was which six Pokémon I should use. Obviously I’ve got Suicune. The other five took some discussing. Sadly, I fucked up with my category team and pushed them too hard for the Clair battle, meaning they won’t be fit enough to get started on training as soon as we’d like and I’ll have to leave them behind. I’m disappointed, since it had great Pokemon like Louis, Mara, and Heidi, and I would’ve liked them on my team when I became Champion. Then again, it’s possible I might not get to that point at all—but more on that later. My group and I decided I should lean towards taking Pokémon I’ve been training, since they’re already strong and have a bond with me. I’ll skip over the details, but in the end, we decided to bring Anne Marie and Gavin for their power and Deborah and Faith for their utility. For my sixth, Morty actually came up with a unique idea: Felix, Matt Watanabe’s Rhydon. Apparently, he was quite the battler some time ago, and even though he hasn’t been in that scene for a while, he’s displayed an eagerness to return to it. He’s been helping Mr. Watanabe with manual labor, but Mr. Watanabe’s not a trainer. So we got in contact with them, as well, and Mr. Watanabe agreed to the proposal, meaning Felix the Rhydon is now part of my team! I’m not used to him the same way I’m used to the others, but he seems agreeable, especially once we told him he’d be going with me for some very tough battles.
Wait, is this pretty much just my nickname team again? Weird how that turned out…
Once we’d settled on that, we moved on to next steps. Both Morty and Eusine, as it turns out, have pretty thorough battling experience, so they’re going to help with the training process. It needs to be intense, since we’re gearing up for the Elite Four and Champion, but it also needs to be carefully done, so I don’t excessively tire anyone out like I did the category team. There are also some special moves that will apparently be particularly useful for the challenges ahead that some of my Pokémon will have to work on learning. We’re going to do our best to get it done in just five days, since I’ll need two days to make the journey to the Indigo Plateau, where I’ll be able to schedule a challenge for the following day.
…I gotta say, it does feel a lot nicer to have people on my side to help me through this. I’m way less anxious than I have been the past few days. They’re giving me a lot to appreciate.
That being said, I will have to go through the battles alone. And they’re no picnic. The Elite Four all have different setups for battle, and while Lance has no gimmick, his Pokémon are the toughest of all. Yeah, it’s the fake Lance who’ll be using them, but I’m sure he knows how to. If he winds up backing me into a corner, we’ll need to think of a Plan B to reveal his true identity. The match will be broadcast live, so anything I can do will be sent to hundreds of people across the region. …Shit, that’s probably not the best way to put it. I’ll get stage fright if I think about that too much.
We didn’t actually start training today, since it was getting late in the afternoon when we finalized our plan. I did gather the team and bring them up to speed, though, and happily, they all displayed resolve to go through with it. The presence of Suicune might’ve helped, granted, but hey, Suicune’s presence helps me feel a hell of a lot better, so I can’t begrudgemy the MY Pokemon the same. They’ll be ready to go tomorrow.
I got some dinner, finally able to feel like I don’t have to eat in a rush, then had a long call with my mom. She’s obviously worried for me, but she also said she was very proud of what I was doing. And that was really nice to hear.
Speaking of my family members, I wonder where Zane is now. Now that I’m not keeping my plan to myself anymore, I might actually consider getting his help. Even though he’s kind of a prick, I have to admit he’s a good fighter. But I have no way of contacting him, and while I’m not being 100% secretive about what I’m doing anymore, I’m definitely not going to do something like broadcast it to the region in the hopes of getting his attention.
I think that’s about everything for now. I’m staying in a lodge near the temple, free of charge thanks to Morty and the monks, and it’s got an inviting bed. And I’ve got a lot to do tomorrow. And my hand is getting really sore from writing.
So after Drascu identified the bell I got from the Radio Tower director as the Clear Bell, he told me to go to Ecruteak City and show it to the monks in the northern temple, since it’s so rare for it to ring for anyone. Well, I did, and they were amazed. They brought me to a back exit that led me to a path going to the Tin Tower, which was where someone with the Clear Bell should go and wait. I was to do all that alone, so I definitely felt nervous as I made the walk. In another scenario, I might have appreciated the peaceful silence of the area, but this time, it gave me more opportunity to wonder/worry about what was going to happen.
I got to the Tin Tower and hung up the Clear Bell as I was instructed to do. It rang out for a few minutes, then stopped. After that, nothing happened for a while, which I guess makes sense now that I think about it, but I was feeling really restless at the time. I waited for about forty-five minutes and was just wondering if there was a point when I should give this up and go back, when I heard a slight noise in one of the above floors—I should probably note that the area of the tower I was in was a central open space that extended all the way to the roof, so I could see all the floors going up from the ground level. I looked up…and Suicune jumped right down in front of me.
I stood still, and we stared at each other for a minute. I got the sense that Suicune was reading me somehow, but I forced myself not to look away. I even sorta tried to read it back, but to be honest, I got nothing—nothing, that is, until it sprang into action. It leapt backward, then started running and jumping around the area (looking a lot better than that makes it sound), and I got an image of a Poké Ball in my mind. After a few seconds, I realized that it was sending me a message: I was to try to capture it. Unfortunately, my Pokémon—holy shit they really are actually mine now—that I had with me at the time were still worn out from the battle with Clair, so they couldn’t help me weaken Suicune like a normal wild Pokémon. Of course, Suicune was no normal wild Pokémon, and somehow, I got the sense that it wasn’t asking to fight them. It was testing me and me alone.
I had a bunch of Ultra Balls with me, so I started throwing them at Suicune, but it did not make that easy. It was moving so fast that my first few throws didn’t even come close. After that, I started trying to watch it more carefully, to see if it had a pattern. I got a better sense of where to throw from that, though I still missed several times. I was really excited when one finally connected and confined Suicune…but it still wasn’t going easy on me, and it busted out. This continued for a little while; I even started picking up Ultra Balls that had missed and re-using them. I got better at aiming and nearly got Suicune to stay in a couple of them, but they never succeeded. And the balls that it escaped from broke, so my supply started going down.
Then I thought of Elm’s gift. The Master Ball. I worried a little about whether using it would offend Suicune, as sort of a cheat, but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of instances where Legendary Pokemon have evaded capture even when confronted with a Master Ball. Plus, well, I also remembered Elm’s words about not having to do this alone. So I figured it would be fitting to use the thing he’d just given me. I took it out, took careful aim, and threw…and it connected. And I swear Suicune looked at me just before it hit and I got the sense that it could have avoided the ball if it had really wanted to. But it didn’t, and it was sucked in. For the next few seconds, I watched with bated breath, wondering if a Legendary Pokémon could bypass the Master Ball’s capability to flawlessly catch any Pokemon, but after a few moments of wiggling, it came to a stop. I had caught Suicune!
…Holy shit, writing that makes it feel more real, and more unbelievable. This is a Pokémon that some people think acts as a messenger of the gods, and other people think is an actual avatar! People have fought literal wars over Legendary Pokémon, and I’ve just got one in my pocket! Me, a kid from New Bark Town! How fucking insane is that?
I mean, I guess I can come up with a rationale for it. My guess is that Suicune will only be my Pokémon to help with this region-threatening Team Rocket situation, and after that, it’ll go its own way. Still, I don’t get why it’s me of all people that gets to be its trainer for a little while. Well…maybe I’m not the most worthy, but I’ll do everything I can to at least not be unworthy.
When I returned to the temple from the Tin Tower, I found the monks waiting for me, along with Morty and Eusine, whom they had contacted. I wound up explaining the whole situation to them, and since I had met Suicune and it had allowed me to capture it, they believed my story. We also got in contact with Drascu—one of the monks had his PokéGear number, I guess. And between all of us, we formed a plan.
Drascu had thought about confronting the fake Lance himself, but doing so might put him in danger, if the imposter decides to silence him. And with all his current influence, not-Lance can come up with reasons to avoid seeing people, to avoid clueing them in on the truth. So challenging the League still seems like our most reliable way to get to him. Furthermore, we need to do it soon; the League’s annual celebration of the summer solstice is coming up, and that seemed to the others like a perfect time for Team Rocket to make their move. Trouble is, in preparation for it, and to make sure things aren’t shaken up immediately beforehand, Indigo Plateau is closed to all challengers for ten days before the event, meaning I’ve only got until the 11th to complete my challenge.
The next question was which six Pokémon I should use. Obviously I’ve got Suicune. The other five took some discussing. Sadly, I fucked up with my category team and pushed them too hard for the Clair battle, meaning they won’t be fit enough to get started on training as soon as we’d like and I’ll have to leave them behind. I’m disappointed, since it had great Pokemon like Louis, Mara, and Heidi, and I would’ve liked them on my team when I became Champion. Then again, it’s possible I might not get to that point at all—but more on that later. My group and I decided I should lean towards taking Pokémon I’ve been training, since they’re already strong and have a bond with me. I’ll skip over the details, but in the end, we decided to bring Anne Marie and Gavin for their power and Deborah and Faith for their utility. For my sixth, Morty actually came up with a unique idea: Felix, Matt Watanabe’s Rhydon. Apparently, he was quite the battler some time ago, and even though he hasn’t been in that scene for a while, he’s displayed an eagerness to return to it. He’s been helping Mr. Watanabe with manual labor, but Mr. Watanabe’s not a trainer. So we got in contact with them, as well, and Mr. Watanabe agreed to the proposal, meaning Felix the Rhydon is now part of my team! I’m not used to him the same way I’m used to the others, but he seems agreeable, especially once we told him he’d be going with me for some very tough battles.
Wait, is this pretty much just my nickname team again? Weird how that turned out…
Once we’d settled on that, we moved on to next steps. Both Morty and Eusine, as it turns out, have pretty thorough battling experience, so they’re going to help with the training process. It needs to be intense, since we’re gearing up for the Elite Four and Champion, but it also needs to be carefully done, so I don’t excessively tire anyone out like I did the category team. There are also some special moves that will apparently be particularly useful for the challenges ahead that some of my Pokémon will have to work on learning. We’re going to do our best to get it done in just five days, since I’ll need two days to make the journey to the Indigo Plateau, where I’ll be able to schedule a challenge for the following day.
…I gotta say, it does feel a lot nicer to have people on my side to help me through this. I’m way less anxious than I have been the past few days. They’re giving me a lot to appreciate.
That being said, I will have to go through the battles alone. And they’re no picnic. The Elite Four all have different setups for battle, and while Lance has no gimmick, his Pokémon are the toughest of all. Yeah, it’s the fake Lance who’ll be using them, but I’m sure he knows how to. If he winds up backing me into a corner, we’ll need to think of a Plan B to reveal his true identity. The match will be broadcast live, so anything I can do will be sent to hundreds of people across the region. …Shit, that’s probably not the best way to put it. I’ll get stage fright if I think about that too much.
We didn’t actually start training today, since it was getting late in the afternoon when we finalized our plan. I did gather the team and bring them up to speed, though, and happily, they all displayed resolve to go through with it. The presence of Suicune might’ve helped, granted, but hey, Suicune’s presence helps me feel a hell of a lot better, so I can’t begrudge
I got some dinner, finally able to feel like I don’t have to eat in a rush, then had a long call with my mom. She’s obviously worried for me, but she also said she was very proud of what I was doing. And that was really nice to hear.
Speaking of my family members, I wonder where Zane is now. Now that I’m not keeping my plan to myself anymore, I might actually consider getting his help. Even though he’s kind of a prick, I have to admit he’s a good fighter. But I have no way of contacting him, and while I’m not being 100% secretive about what I’m doing anymore, I’m definitely not going to do something like broadcast it to the region in the hopes of getting his attention.
I think that’s about everything for now. I’m staying in a lodge near the temple, free of charge thanks to Morty and the monks, and it’s got an inviting bed. And I’ve got a lot to do tomorrow. And my hand is getting really sore from writing.
All right, there's a bunch of stuff to go over on the back end this time.
First, the Clair battle. It wasn't as bad as I made it out to be here. Louis took down the Dragonair with Surf and Ice Beam; both paralyzed him with Thunder Wave, but I only had to use a Full Heal for the second, as I gave him a Przcureberry before the fight and he was faster and could 2HKO. Lara defeated the Dragonair with Thunderbolt, dishing out two Bonemerangs and taking two Dragonbreaths. And Heidi took care of Kingdra with Leer and Strength, while it didn't threaten her too much. I kept the victory in the story but changed it to be an undescribed particularly hard-fought win for two reasons: one, I wanted the difficulty to be more severe in-story, and two, it felt weird to give Clair three Dragonair when I've already established there are Pokémon from other regions in this version of Johto.
Second, Suicune. Admittedly, I did use the Master Ball on a Legendary, but I gave it a legitimate try first, using Heidi to get it to red and throwing a bunch of Ultra Balls (and a few Heavy/Great Balls). When those didn't work, I went for the Master Ball—but box Legendary or not, Suicune was still going to have to follow the Alphabetlocke rules, even if that meant not using them for the Elite Four. So, what random letter do I get for their name? An honest-to-goodness A. That's why Suicune will be on the team for this next stretch—I gave them the name Ace in-game, but that may or may not turn up in the actual story.
Third, the team. I rotated to nickname right after beating Clair, so the gameplay followed the rules even if the story didn't quite do so. Originally, Heidi and Igor were on that team, too, but catching Ace knocked off Igor. I went for the Indigo Plateau shortly thereafter, and in Victory Road, I caught Felix the Rhyhorn, so I had to go back and restructure my team, putting him on in place of Heidi. Since interrupting forward progress didn't make sense for the story, and because Adam needs strong Pokémon for this next segment, I reworked things so that Felix was already a battle-toughened Rhydon that he received in Ecruteak City. I'm also doing things out of order by training the team and then going to Indigo Plateau, as it was the other way around in-game, but it didn't make sense for Adam to go there first and then train his butt off in the current circumstances.
Things will be a little calmer the next update, but as you can tell, we're certainly heading for more excitement.
First, the Clair battle. It wasn't as bad as I made it out to be here. Louis took down the Dragonair with Surf and Ice Beam; both paralyzed him with Thunder Wave, but I only had to use a Full Heal for the second, as I gave him a Przcureberry before the fight and he was faster and could 2HKO. Lara defeated the Dragonair with Thunderbolt, dishing out two Bonemerangs and taking two Dragonbreaths. And Heidi took care of Kingdra with Leer and Strength, while it didn't threaten her too much. I kept the victory in the story but changed it to be an undescribed particularly hard-fought win for two reasons: one, I wanted the difficulty to be more severe in-story, and two, it felt weird to give Clair three Dragonair when I've already established there are Pokémon from other regions in this version of Johto.
Second, Suicune. Admittedly, I did use the Master Ball on a Legendary, but I gave it a legitimate try first, using Heidi to get it to red and throwing a bunch of Ultra Balls (and a few Heavy/Great Balls). When those didn't work, I went for the Master Ball—but box Legendary or not, Suicune was still going to have to follow the Alphabetlocke rules, even if that meant not using them for the Elite Four. So, what random letter do I get for their name? An honest-to-goodness A. That's why Suicune will be on the team for this next stretch—I gave them the name Ace in-game, but that may or may not turn up in the actual story.
Third, the team. I rotated to nickname right after beating Clair, so the gameplay followed the rules even if the story didn't quite do so. Originally, Heidi and Igor were on that team, too, but catching Ace knocked off Igor. I went for the Indigo Plateau shortly thereafter, and in Victory Road, I caught Felix the Rhyhorn, so I had to go back and restructure my team, putting him on in place of Heidi. Since interrupting forward progress didn't make sense for the story, and because Adam needs strong Pokémon for this next segment, I reworked things so that Felix was already a battle-toughened Rhydon that he received in Ecruteak City. I'm also doing things out of order by training the team and then going to Indigo Plateau, as it was the other way around in-game, but it didn't make sense for Adam to go there first and then train his butt off in the current circumstances.
Things will be a little calmer the next update, but as you can tell, we're certainly heading for more excitement.
Cycle: Nickname
*gameplay only
| Pokémon name | Category | Nickname |
| Suicune | Aurora | Ace* |
| Tentacruel | Jellyfish | Anne Marie |
| Raticate | Mouse | Deborah |
| Yanma | Clear Wing | Faith |
| Rhydon | Drill | Felix |
| Kingler | Pincer | Gavin |
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, and the realization it won't be an easy task for Adam. The Rockets caught wind of that a bit too fast for comfort, and they aren't pulling any punches.