Dex Entry
Entry unknown.
- Pronouns
- He/him
So the idea for this run came to me when I was watching the new seasons of Raven (basically it's a physically-oriented kids' game show with a thin layer of 'in-story' narrative glazed over the top) a few years back; it amounts to 'okay so how would a world where Pokemon are basically humans with physical traits and powers matching their species still look loosely like the Pokemon world of the video games?' although it's been kinda metamorphosing into long rambling worldbuilding sessions at times as I've been writing it (so, uh, sorry if some parts seem to drag on I guess?) As you might be able to tell from the rather convoluted ruleset, I had the outline of the story written before I ever started the games!
The chapters here are probably going to be mostly between 500-1500 words and given how much my brain has refused to let me do anything but write this I'm hopeful I can maintain a pace of 2/week updates. Also this is gonna be a lot more off-the-cuff-ish than CotD was probably, chiefly because that's kinda the style I was going for. Let's see if it works.
Part 1: Beginnings
The chapters here are probably going to be mostly between 500-1500 words and given how much my brain has refused to let me do anything but write this I'm hopeful I can maintain a pace of 2/week updates. Also this is gonna be a lot more off-the-cuff-ish than CotD was probably, chiefly because that's kinda the style I was going for. Let's see if it works.
1) Catch only the first thing encountered on each route.
1a) Dupes clause; 5 attempts to catch a non-dupe per route
1b) Pidgey clause; forced encounters don't count as encounters, for better or worse
2) Pokemon that faint are considered 'dead' (from a gameplay perspective, not so much a story one) and must be released
3) All Pokemon must be nicknamed.
4) Immediately preceding each rival battle, a Link Battle is held between the two different playthroughs. Obviously Pokemon that faint here do not count as dead in the story!
5) There Can Be Only One - Trade and Gift Pokemon can only exist on one game, unless the Pokemon can be acquired multiple times in a single game normally. The same is true of the Mega Ring; only the victor of the Link battle at the Tower of Mastery (which in-game is ostensibly for the sole Mega Ring) may use Mega Evolution until the in-game rival gets a Mega Ring too.
- The bit where Korrina just kinda foists a Lucario on you and forces you to Mega Evolve it to progress is exempt from this rule for the duration of that fight and that fight alone; whoever lost the prior rival battle must immediately release their Lucario after the fight (though this does not count as a 'death.')
6) Play Fair - Level limit of the next Gym leader's ace, or the Elites' aces after beating all the Gym leaders. Pokemon that exceed this limit must be boxed until the limit catches up with them.
7) Champion Perks - Except for rules 1-3 above and There Can Be Only One, all restrictions and rules are removed once the Champion has been defeated.
Eurwen (Pokemon Y)
No Remote Items - Cannot use items from the bag on own Pokemon in battle. Can use items on foe Pokemon (ie Pokeballs) or the battle in general (ie Poke Doll) freely.
Nothing But Training - Cannot increase the Affection of her Pokemon.
No Sponsorship - Cannot purchase items, except for immediately after each Gym Battle, where she can spend 1000x her current Badge total in the settlement she just won the badge in
Ace Trainer - Has a total of three levels' leeway over the level limit - this may be one Pokemon three levels over, three Pokemon one level over, or anything in between.
Julian (Pokemon X)
Focused Trainer - Restricted to using two Pokemon in a fight, not including Pokemon dragged out by opposition moves or if he immediately switches out and his original Pokemon isn't hurt by Pursuit etc. If he's forced to send out a new Pokemon due to all his 'front liners' dying, the new Pokemon is locked in until it dies or wins.
Grow Closer - Maximum Affection from Pokemon-Amie is capped by the number of Gyms beaten since that Pokemon was caught (it doesn't have to have been in the party for the Gym battle.)
Essence Amateur - No held items allowed except for Mega Stones, if applicable.
Learn From Your Battles - Eurwen and Julian benefit from relaxations of their game-specific rules after each rival battle.
- Eurwen may benefit from Pokemon-Amie the same as Julian, but with Affection additionally capped at the number of battles they've had.
- Julian may use one extra Pokemon in a fight and one held item per battle they've had.
1a) Dupes clause; 5 attempts to catch a non-dupe per route
1b) Pidgey clause; forced encounters don't count as encounters, for better or worse
2) Pokemon that faint are considered 'dead' (from a gameplay perspective, not so much a story one) and must be released
3) All Pokemon must be nicknamed.
4) Immediately preceding each rival battle, a Link Battle is held between the two different playthroughs. Obviously Pokemon that faint here do not count as dead in the story!
5) There Can Be Only One - Trade and Gift Pokemon can only exist on one game, unless the Pokemon can be acquired multiple times in a single game normally. The same is true of the Mega Ring; only the victor of the Link battle at the Tower of Mastery (which in-game is ostensibly for the sole Mega Ring) may use Mega Evolution until the in-game rival gets a Mega Ring too.
- The bit where Korrina just kinda foists a Lucario on you and forces you to Mega Evolve it to progress is exempt from this rule for the duration of that fight and that fight alone; whoever lost the prior rival battle must immediately release their Lucario after the fight (though this does not count as a 'death.')
6) Play Fair - Level limit of the next Gym leader's ace, or the Elites' aces after beating all the Gym leaders. Pokemon that exceed this limit must be boxed until the limit catches up with them.
7) Champion Perks - Except for rules 1-3 above and There Can Be Only One, all restrictions and rules are removed once the Champion has been defeated.
Eurwen (Pokemon Y)
No Remote Items - Cannot use items from the bag on own Pokemon in battle. Can use items on foe Pokemon (ie Pokeballs) or the battle in general (ie Poke Doll) freely.
Nothing But Training - Cannot increase the Affection of her Pokemon.
No Sponsorship - Cannot purchase items, except for immediately after each Gym Battle, where she can spend 1000x her current Badge total in the settlement she just won the badge in
Ace Trainer - Has a total of three levels' leeway over the level limit - this may be one Pokemon three levels over, three Pokemon one level over, or anything in between.
Julian (Pokemon X)
Focused Trainer - Restricted to using two Pokemon in a fight, not including Pokemon dragged out by opposition moves or if he immediately switches out and his original Pokemon isn't hurt by Pursuit etc. If he's forced to send out a new Pokemon due to all his 'front liners' dying, the new Pokemon is locked in until it dies or wins.
Grow Closer - Maximum Affection from Pokemon-Amie is capped by the number of Gyms beaten since that Pokemon was caught (it doesn't have to have been in the party for the Gym battle.)
Essence Amateur - No held items allowed except for Mega Stones, if applicable.
Learn From Your Battles - Eurwen and Julian benefit from relaxations of their game-specific rules after each rival battle.
- Eurwen may benefit from Pokemon-Amie the same as Julian, but with Affection additionally capped at the number of battles they've had.
- Julian may use one extra Pokemon in a fight and one held item per battle they've had.
Part 1: Beginnings
1.1 - Below!
1.2 - Below!
1.1 - Below!
1.2 - Below!
Part 1: Beginnings
It was a peaceful night on the outskirts of Vaniville.
Or, at least, it had been. There had, however, been the deep rumble of a big vehicle making its way down the road outside, which had left Julian awake at an obnoxiously early hour in the morning.
There were not supposed to be two two o'clocks in one day.
The rumble had stopped now, but only to be replaced by a loud beeping meandering its way slowly back down the road.
He sighed, sitting up and swivelling around so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. An arm reached around him and tried to pull him back down. "Mmmmmppffghhr," Shauna complained, eloquently. After a moment she gave up on him and stole the duvet instead, cocooning herself in it with a pillow over her head in an attempt to drown out the noise.
Judging from the fact that she joined him by the window less than a minute later, it didn't work. "What is it?" she grumbled.
He crouched slightly to let her see over him, and she leant against him, head resting on his shoulder, arms wrapped languidly around him. She was still mostly asleep. "Some big truck." It had finally come to a halt - outside their house - letting a smaller car drive around it and pull up at the house next-door, before starting up with the infernal beeping again as it laboriously moved forwards and back until it was at about a thirty-degree angle (totally blocking the road in the process.) "Ohh, I think these must be our new neighbours," he realised. He was going to blame the rude awakening for the amount of time it took him to figure that out.
"Who thought it was a good idea to move in at half-two in the morning?" Shauna's voice had a distinct Tone. This was going on her status page, he knew it.
"I have no idea."
The driver and passenger of what must have been - it was so obvious now - a moving truck got out and opened the back of the truck, while the occupants of the car - three figures, though he couldn't see much of them in the darkness - got out and started clustering around the front door of their new house.
A sudden glow from the two movers caught his attention, and both of them got noticeably bigger and a lot more muscular, reddish-brown Essence shimmering over their bodies. So they were Pokemon. In the dim light and from this distance he couldn't see any physical traits that might have identified them, so instead he tried wracking his brain to figure out what move that was - Strength? Maybe Harden? Or perhaps something like a controlled, drawn-out Superpower? - rather than staring too much at them. He was really not awake enough to deal with this.
One of the three new neighbours obviously got bored of watching the other two struggle to unlock the door, because they headed back to the car.
And...he could see it happening, like it was in slow-motion. The way one of the movers didn't see, in the dim light, that she was closer to the truck's platform than she thought and lost her footing while they were trying to carefully move a dresser out of the truck, the way the other struggled to hold it on his own and failed, losing his grip, the way the much smaller figure of the homeowner shifted slightly as if they saw it coming but didn't know what to do -
- and then there was a loud crash and splintering of wood and the figure disappeared beneath the dresser as it toppled over.
Or, at least, it had been. There had, however, been the deep rumble of a big vehicle making its way down the road outside, which had left Julian awake at an obnoxiously early hour in the morning.
There were not supposed to be two two o'clocks in one day.
The rumble had stopped now, but only to be replaced by a loud beeping meandering its way slowly back down the road.
He sighed, sitting up and swivelling around so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. An arm reached around him and tried to pull him back down. "Mmmmmppffghhr," Shauna complained, eloquently. After a moment she gave up on him and stole the duvet instead, cocooning herself in it with a pillow over her head in an attempt to drown out the noise.
Judging from the fact that she joined him by the window less than a minute later, it didn't work. "What is it?" she grumbled.
He crouched slightly to let her see over him, and she leant against him, head resting on his shoulder, arms wrapped languidly around him. She was still mostly asleep. "Some big truck." It had finally come to a halt - outside their house - letting a smaller car drive around it and pull up at the house next-door, before starting up with the infernal beeping again as it laboriously moved forwards and back until it was at about a thirty-degree angle (totally blocking the road in the process.) "Ohh, I think these must be our new neighbours," he realised. He was going to blame the rude awakening for the amount of time it took him to figure that out.
"Who thought it was a good idea to move in at half-two in the morning?" Shauna's voice had a distinct Tone. This was going on her status page, he knew it.
"I have no idea."
The driver and passenger of what must have been - it was so obvious now - a moving truck got out and opened the back of the truck, while the occupants of the car - three figures, though he couldn't see much of them in the darkness - got out and started clustering around the front door of their new house.
A sudden glow from the two movers caught his attention, and both of them got noticeably bigger and a lot more muscular, reddish-brown Essence shimmering over their bodies. So they were Pokemon. In the dim light and from this distance he couldn't see any physical traits that might have identified them, so instead he tried wracking his brain to figure out what move that was - Strength? Maybe Harden? Or perhaps something like a controlled, drawn-out Superpower? - rather than staring too much at them. He was really not awake enough to deal with this.
One of the three new neighbours obviously got bored of watching the other two struggle to unlock the door, because they headed back to the car.
And...he could see it happening, like it was in slow-motion. The way one of the movers didn't see, in the dim light, that she was closer to the truck's platform than she thought and lost her footing while they were trying to carefully move a dresser out of the truck, the way the other struggled to hold it on his own and failed, losing his grip, the way the much smaller figure of the homeowner shifted slightly as if they saw it coming but didn't know what to do -
- and then there was a loud crash and splintering of wood and the figure disappeared beneath the dresser as it toppled over.
Julian jolted back in shock, frozen for a couple of moments before he instinctively found himself half-running, half-stumbling down the stairs in the dark as a loud male voice started shouting something loud and incomprehensible, pulling at the chain that held the door shut and running out to find...
He breathed a massive sigh of relief. It must have just been the angle he was looking at. The figure he'd thought had been crushed under the dresser must have just been knocked over by it, because although she - it was a woman, he could see now, probably not much older than he was, with messy blondish-brown hair down to her shoulders - was lying on the ground, she was a good foot or so away from the dresser, and she was already sitting up.
He could see the origin of the shouty voice too, now - a big man who probably rivalled the two movers in height and bulk even after their Essence enhancement, with a large grey horn protruding from his forehead and two ridges running down the back of his skull, who was bellowing at them in...what was that, Kantan? They probably had no more idea what he was saying than Julian did.
Shauna caught up with him a moment later at the front gate to their house, the first aid kit from the kitchen clutched in her hand. "Oh, thank Arc," she muttered, all but unheard, when she saw the scene. "Um...h-hello?" she asked, skirting around the argument, carefully, Julian following her automatically. He wasn't entirely sure any of the three noticed - the two movers were now arguing back at the big man - or at least shouting arguments at him that he probably couldn't understand any more than they could his. The last of the three figures had now abandoned the front door too, crouched down by the figure who'd been hit (?) by the falling dresser. She was older - maybe the first one's mother? "Um, I don't know if you can understand me, but I'm a qualified first aider, so if you're hurt, I can look at your leg for you?"
The older woman looked blank, but the younger woman said something and her expression spread into a smile. "I, uh...thanking you!" she responded, haltingly, adding something else in...yeah, Julian was pretty sure that was Kantan. "...much good at Kalosian than me."
"Much better," the younger woman corrected her, in Kalosian. There was another rapid exchange in Kantan that neither Julian nor Shauna could follow, but the reluctance in the younger woman's voice and body language was easy to see. "I'm fine," she added to Julian and Shauna.
"I just want to make sure you're okay," Shauna protested, a little put out.
The younger woman frowned, but the older woman - almost certainly her mother, or at least a mother figure - nudged her and said something else before darting away towards the argument, which was steadily getting more and more heated. "Look, I'm fine," she repeated, getting to her feet smoothly. "But...sure. Better than staying out here, I guess," she admitted, looking over to where her mother seemed to now trying to bring a halt to the argument (not an easy feat when she only understood half of it.)
Even if she was standing fine, Julian still moved over to support her, pulling one of her arms around his shoulders so she could lean on him if she needed to - they were much the same height, which made it easier. She didn't stop him, but she didn't put any weight on him at all, not even resting her arm on him. It did make him feel a little silly, but there was no reason not to be cautious.
"So what's your name?" Shauna asked, once they'd settled the woman on the couch. "And...put your leg up on here."
"Eurwen."
"Arwin?" Julian repeated. No, that wasn't quite it.
It took him a couple of tries to get it close enough, while Shauna poked at Eurwen's leg. "I told you, I'm fine," she repeated.
"I...I saw it hit you," Shauna protested. "It could've done a lot of damage."
"It didn't hit me."
Shauna gave Julian a look that could best be described as demanding, but he had no idea what to say any more than she did. "So, uh...I guess you're moving in next door?"
"Yeah."
Eurwen shifted her leg off the coffee table, sitting back on the couch. For all her reluctance to come in in the first place, she didn't seem particularly inclined to go back out and get involved in the argument, even if she appeared to be the only one of the three who could actually speak Kalosian.
"Sorry if we woke you," she added, after a long, awkward silence.
"'If'?" Shauna repeated. "It's the middle of the night!"
"Rafe insisted he'd got the time difference right. Turns out he hadn't. Who knew?" Judging from her tone, Julian rather suspected Eurwen had probably tried to correct Rafe more than once.
The sudden cessation in the argument outside caught their attention. Rafe had apparently taken it into his own hands to right the fallen dresser single-handedly, earthen-brown Essence flowing over him as he laboriously hauled it back into an upright position.
"Ugh. Idiot," Eurwen muttered.
Julian raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't press the issue. Eurwen obviously wasn't a fan of...whoever exactly Rafe was to her and her mother...but it wasn't exactly the sort of thing you could push someone on less than five minutes after meeting them.
"Your Kalosian's really good," Julian observed, after a moment. It sounded forced even to him - though it certainly wasn't inaccurate. She barely even had an accent.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess." There was another long pause. "Thanks."
"So are you guys from Kanto?" Julian asked. "That...that is Kantan you were all speaking, right?"
"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "You know much about it?"
"Not...really," Julian admitted. "I know it had some...had some stuff happen a few years back. That made the news over here. Trevor probably knows more about it - he took an elective in Kantan at school."
Eurwen tilted her head on one side slightly. "Trevor?"
"Oh, a friend of ours," Shauna explained, airily. "We met in school and...well, stayed in touch. I'm sure we can introduce you, if you want to talk Kanto with someone. We're taking the League Challenge together this year, so we're meeting up pretty often."
That got Eurwen's attention. "You're joining the League Challenge?" she asked, noticeably more animated. "Can...can I ask you something about it?"
"Sure!" Shauna answered for them both. "Julian's going to do amazing! He got one of the highest marks in the aptitude test!"
"Heeey!" Julian protested, blushing. It wasn't like he wasn't unused to Shauna singing his praises to everyone they met but that didn't stop it being embarrassing (which was usually the point, of course.)
"Actually it was that test thing I wanted to ask about," Eurwen admitted. "I took it virtually, back in Kanto, but the mark I got...didn't make sense?"
"Ooh, you're joining, too?" Shauna beamed at her. "We can all take part together!" Julian nudged her and she stopped before bombarding Eurwen with a hundred more questions.
"What didn't make sense about it?" Julian asked.
"The final mark I got was...I think three grades lower than the individual marks for each of the tests. That's...not how averages work." It wasn't much of a question.
It took Julian a moment to consider. "Uh, it happens, sometimes.
"How much do you know about the Kalos League?"
He breathed a massive sigh of relief. It must have just been the angle he was looking at. The figure he'd thought had been crushed under the dresser must have just been knocked over by it, because although she - it was a woman, he could see now, probably not much older than he was, with messy blondish-brown hair down to her shoulders - was lying on the ground, she was a good foot or so away from the dresser, and she was already sitting up.
He could see the origin of the shouty voice too, now - a big man who probably rivalled the two movers in height and bulk even after their Essence enhancement, with a large grey horn protruding from his forehead and two ridges running down the back of his skull, who was bellowing at them in...what was that, Kantan? They probably had no more idea what he was saying than Julian did.
Shauna caught up with him a moment later at the front gate to their house, the first aid kit from the kitchen clutched in her hand. "Oh, thank Arc," she muttered, all but unheard, when she saw the scene. "Um...h-hello?" she asked, skirting around the argument, carefully, Julian following her automatically. He wasn't entirely sure any of the three noticed - the two movers were now arguing back at the big man - or at least shouting arguments at him that he probably couldn't understand any more than they could his. The last of the three figures had now abandoned the front door too, crouched down by the figure who'd been hit (?) by the falling dresser. She was older - maybe the first one's mother? "Um, I don't know if you can understand me, but I'm a qualified first aider, so if you're hurt, I can look at your leg for you?"
The older woman looked blank, but the younger woman said something and her expression spread into a smile. "I, uh...thanking you!" she responded, haltingly, adding something else in...yeah, Julian was pretty sure that was Kantan. "...much good at Kalosian than me."
"Much better," the younger woman corrected her, in Kalosian. There was another rapid exchange in Kantan that neither Julian nor Shauna could follow, but the reluctance in the younger woman's voice and body language was easy to see. "I'm fine," she added to Julian and Shauna.
"I just want to make sure you're okay," Shauna protested, a little put out.
The younger woman frowned, but the older woman - almost certainly her mother, or at least a mother figure - nudged her and said something else before darting away towards the argument, which was steadily getting more and more heated. "Look, I'm fine," she repeated, getting to her feet smoothly. "But...sure. Better than staying out here, I guess," she admitted, looking over to where her mother seemed to now trying to bring a halt to the argument (not an easy feat when she only understood half of it.)
Even if she was standing fine, Julian still moved over to support her, pulling one of her arms around his shoulders so she could lean on him if she needed to - they were much the same height, which made it easier. She didn't stop him, but she didn't put any weight on him at all, not even resting her arm on him. It did make him feel a little silly, but there was no reason not to be cautious.
"So what's your name?" Shauna asked, once they'd settled the woman on the couch. "And...put your leg up on here."
"Eurwen."
"Arwin?" Julian repeated. No, that wasn't quite it.
It took him a couple of tries to get it close enough, while Shauna poked at Eurwen's leg. "I told you, I'm fine," she repeated.
"I...I saw it hit you," Shauna protested. "It could've done a lot of damage."
"It didn't hit me."
Shauna gave Julian a look that could best be described as demanding, but he had no idea what to say any more than she did. "So, uh...I guess you're moving in next door?"
"Yeah."
Eurwen shifted her leg off the coffee table, sitting back on the couch. For all her reluctance to come in in the first place, she didn't seem particularly inclined to go back out and get involved in the argument, even if she appeared to be the only one of the three who could actually speak Kalosian.
"Sorry if we woke you," she added, after a long, awkward silence.
"'If'?" Shauna repeated. "It's the middle of the night!"
"Rafe insisted he'd got the time difference right. Turns out he hadn't. Who knew?" Judging from her tone, Julian rather suspected Eurwen had probably tried to correct Rafe more than once.
The sudden cessation in the argument outside caught their attention. Rafe had apparently taken it into his own hands to right the fallen dresser single-handedly, earthen-brown Essence flowing over him as he laboriously hauled it back into an upright position.
"Ugh. Idiot," Eurwen muttered.
Julian raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't press the issue. Eurwen obviously wasn't a fan of...whoever exactly Rafe was to her and her mother...but it wasn't exactly the sort of thing you could push someone on less than five minutes after meeting them.
"Your Kalosian's really good," Julian observed, after a moment. It sounded forced even to him - though it certainly wasn't inaccurate. She barely even had an accent.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess." There was another long pause. "Thanks."
"So are you guys from Kanto?" Julian asked. "That...that is Kantan you were all speaking, right?"
"Yeah." She hesitated for a moment. "You know much about it?"
"Not...really," Julian admitted. "I know it had some...had some stuff happen a few years back. That made the news over here. Trevor probably knows more about it - he took an elective in Kantan at school."
Eurwen tilted her head on one side slightly. "Trevor?"
"Oh, a friend of ours," Shauna explained, airily. "We met in school and...well, stayed in touch. I'm sure we can introduce you, if you want to talk Kanto with someone. We're taking the League Challenge together this year, so we're meeting up pretty often."
That got Eurwen's attention. "You're joining the League Challenge?" she asked, noticeably more animated. "Can...can I ask you something about it?"
"Sure!" Shauna answered for them both. "Julian's going to do amazing! He got one of the highest marks in the aptitude test!"
"Heeey!" Julian protested, blushing. It wasn't like he wasn't unused to Shauna singing his praises to everyone they met but that didn't stop it being embarrassing (which was usually the point, of course.)
"Actually it was that test thing I wanted to ask about," Eurwen admitted. "I took it virtually, back in Kanto, but the mark I got...didn't make sense?"
"Ooh, you're joining, too?" Shauna beamed at her. "We can all take part together!" Julian nudged her and she stopped before bombarding Eurwen with a hundred more questions.
"What didn't make sense about it?" Julian asked.
"The final mark I got was...I think three grades lower than the individual marks for each of the tests. That's...not how averages work." It wasn't much of a question.
It took Julian a moment to consider. "Uh, it happens, sometimes.
"How much do you know about the Kalos League?"
