Candy

Chapter 21 A good rest in a comfortable bed, after a couple days of sleeping over webs and leaves, was just the exact thing Brenda needed. She was so happy snuggled in her blankets, that she didn't wake up as early as she started doing when she became a trainer. “Oh well,” she scratched her head as she checked the time. “A late start, I guess.” She took a warm shower, and wore one of the two outfits she had left. Given that she now had enough money from winning some battles in Pinwheel forest to make a decent living, she bought brunch and promised herself she would buy a new set of clothes to replace the ones she had to dispose of. After all, I'm in Unova’s fashion central, she thought as she bit into her egg salad sandwich. “Let's go. We're going to explore the city!” It was hard to decide where to begin. Castelia City was so large, a day was too little time to explore in its entirety. However, Brenda was determined to take no rest all day long, to get familiarized before meeting her friends the next day. The first place they walked to was Castelia National Park, to check the meeting location beforehand, but since they were there and the weather was perfectly sunny, she decided to spend some time at this location. They passed some joggers with two dog pokemon: one which looked foreign, perhaps from Alola. Just minutes after seeing them, they happened to reach a picnic spot, where many trainers were laughing and playing with their pokemon, some of which, again, she wasn't very familiar with. “Look Ren. Castelia City is full of trainers from other regions. This is so exciting!” Yet, Ren’s interest was not quite directed to pokemon diversity, but on a pastel pink and baby blue car which was making soothe bell jingle sounds. Brenda didn't need N’s language abilities to read Ren’s face, which had “ice cream!” written all over it. “Shouldn't you feel sorry that you are the reason I'm perpetually low on cash?” Brenda pouted, but in good spirit. They walked over to the ice cream stand, and joined the queue of about 20 people. “Must be good ice cream, if there's this many people lined up,” she pondered aloud. “It's not just ordinarily good ice cream, my dear,” said the old woman standing in front of her. “Castelia cones are internationally recognized to be the best ice cream in the world.” The Panpour she was holding in her arms raised her arm, likely in support of what the grandma said. “Really?” Brenda said, feeling the saliva starting to fill her mouth. “I'm looking forward to trying it.” Ren, in unusually great humor, jumped in excitement. After what felt like an eternity, it became their turn to order their cones. “Sorry, we just ran out of Castelia cones,” was the welcome Ren and she received at the stand. “No! Can't you please scrap the deepest depths of your ice cream dispenser?” “Unfortunately there is no-” “Just one! Just one cone is enough!” “I'm sorry, we really don't have anymore,” said the shop attendant, who seemed indecisive about what to do with the girl, who was now resting both arms and face on top of the counter. Next to her, Ren had fallen back and was lying on his back on the sandy ground. “Now, now. Come child, don't trouble the cashier,” Brenda heard the old woman she had spoken with earlier say, while gently patting her back. Without any choice, Brenda slid her upper body on the counter, and slowly stood back upright. The old woman smiled at her. “You know what,” she said. “I live here and can get these anytime. Would you accept them?” Brenda widened her eyes, but declined politely. However, Ren, with almost invisible speed, jumped up from the ground and grabbed the cone the Panpour was offering. “Ren! You're not supposed to do that!” Brenda shook her head. Now she knew she should've disciplined him after the incident with Annie and her Delcatty. “It's alright. Have this one also,” the old woman took Brenda’s hand, and placed the cone in her grip. “Thank you so much,” Brenda thanked, as she sent Leaf out of her pokeball. “Here Leaf, you can have this.” Leaf smiled and wrapped her vines around the cone, but realizing that her trainer had none for herself, raised the cone to Brenda’s mouth. Brenda thanked Leaf for her kindness, and took a bite off the soft cream and cone. “Mmm!” She exclaimed without words. “There is no doubt in my mind. I've never had anything more sweetly tasteful than this ice cream.” The old woman, who watched as Ren gorged on his dessert and as Brenda made unnatural faces in response to the savour, chuckled. “Are you a tourist or a trainer, young lady?” Brenda took out her badges collection from her backpack’s side pocket, and showed the old woman her two glistening badges. “I'm a trainer, soon-to-be pokemon master,” she replied. “I've come from Nuvema town to take on Burgh’s gym.” “Nuvema! From that far away,” the woman commented. Brenda nodded with confidence. The lady was silent for a moment, before brightening her face. “Say, do you happen to have some spare time today?” “Well, I just have sight-seeing and some shopping planned. All the training is taking a toll on my clothes, so I need to buy new ones,” Brenda scratched her head. “What a coincidence,” the woman replied, but explained further that she wanted to send some clothes as a gift to her granddaughter, who had finished the year with top grades. “My granddaughter is a student of the Castelia School of Fashion Design. Like my daughter, she wants to become a great designer and open her own boutique,” the woman said. “I want to buy her clothes, but you know how youngsters are. They have a different fashion sense compared to us, grandparents. I would be grateful if you could help me, just for an hour or two.” Brenda replied that it was not a hassle. Besides she internally felt relieved she could return the favor for the ice cream. The old woman was visibly pleased. “That is wonderful,” she said. “We may as well introduce ourselves then. My name is Annabelle Gladys, and you can call me Annabelle or Anna. What is yours?” “I'm Brenda, nice to meet you.” “Shall we be on our way?” By the time Annabelle suggested this, Ren and Leaf had already finished eating. The first place they went to, was about 20 minutes by subway, a method of transportation much slower than flying but convenient for those without flying pokemon. “I can't believe where we are now,” was the first thing Brenda said as she ascended the stairs. They were standing in the middle of Mode Street, a wide street with lots of traffic both motorized and pedestrian. Brenda walked side by side with Annabelle, talking all the way until their destination. Annabelle told her about how she has been lonely after her husband’s death 2 years ago, since both her only daughter and her husband work a normal 8 hour schedule during the week, and her only granddaughter is also away in school during the same hours. “Only Rainy keeps me company,” she said and petted her Panpour’s head. “I'm sorry to hear that,” Brenda replied. “What about your friends? Wouldn't they hang out with you?” Annabelle smiled. “It so happens that all my friends have moved to less noisy places like Driftveil and Nacrene,” she explained. “I suppose I should do the same, but oh. What would I do in an unfamiliar place without my beloved daughter and granddaughter?” “Hmm, then what you should do is befriend people in the city. Like you did today, with me.” Brenda stretched her arms, and laughed with such a playful expression as to turn out contagious. “That is true. I'm happy to make acquaintance with you, lovely child.” At long last, Annabelle pointed at the shop they were going to enter. The impeccably transparent glass doors had thick golden frames, and led to a room with wooden floor, which was perhaps composed of one eighth clothes and the rest empty space. Unlike to what Brenda was used to, the store was practically empty, save for a number of customers she could count with a single hand. Both the customers and store workers seemed to recognize Annabelle, for they greeted her by her name. “Madam Annabelle,” welcomed one store attendant. “What may we help you with today.” “Good afternoon, Lucia. I'm looking for a dress to give my granddaughter as a present.” “Oh the young Miss Annabelle? I have a selection of dresses I'm sure she would be delighted to wear.” The attendant led them to another room, equally empty but also equally elegantly arranged, where there were dresses of multiple colors and lengths. “Miss,” the attendant spoke to Brenda. “Do you happen to require assistance with your shopping?” Brenda was puzzled by the question, but Annabelle responded for her. “She is Brenda, and is accompanying me with my shopping.” “Oh, my sincere apologies, madam. Welcome to our boutique, Miss Brenda.” Then the attendant followed to ask Annabelle what color, length and cut she was hoping to find. “If you are looking for a smart casual dress,” she commented. “We have excellent dresses in our new arrival collection. They are perfect for the coming summer, with their vibrant but elegant floral patterns.” The old woman inspected the dress by touching its material. “What do you think about the style, Brenda?” Annabelle asked. Brenda scratched her neck. “I honestly don't know much about dresses. I've always been one to wear pants, so I don't think I can be helpful here.” Annabelle smiled. “Then, there's only one way to find out.” The four of them walked over with five candidates of dresses to the fitting room. “Here, try this,” Annabelle handed Brenda a white dress with red and orange flowers. “Wait, I'm going to wear them?” Brenda asked, though it should have been obvious from the moment they came to the fitting room. “Indeed. We won't know if they look well unless they are worn.” “But, I'm not sure what goes well with me will fit your granddaughter.” “Do not worry, Brenda. My granddaughter and you share stature and facial shape. She has perhaps more bust and her hair is golden, but I believe you will be a better model than, say, I would make,” Annabelle chuckled at the thought. Without giving Brenda a chance to argue back, the store helper pushed Brenda to enter the changing room, and then pulled Ren’s hand to remain with Annabelle while his trainer changed. Inside the changing room, Brenda sighed and unzipped the dress. When she did, she happened to catch a glimpse of the price tag. “500,000 pokecoins?!” she gasped quietly, as to avoid being heard by the others outside. “No wonder people avoid this shop like the plague.” However, as she stroked the silky texture of the floral dress, she wondered how anything could be created that was so soft and comfortable to the touch. Deciding against further thought, she slid the dress on her, and came out for everyone to see. “It’s a gorgeous dress,” Annabelle pondered. “However, I don’t believe it would suit my granddaughter. She is not a fan of excessive colors.” The next dress Brenda was given was a striking blue dress with white flowers. “Um, I don’t feel comfortable being seen in this dress,” she commented from inside the changing room. “What is the matter?” “The cut shows too much of my chest and back.” For someone who had worn shirts with cuts no more than 2 inches from the base of her neck, wearing a strapless dress was a culture shock. “It is fine, just let us see you for a second,” Annabelle told her. “Then you can take off the terrible dress.” “It’s not terrible. It’s actually very pretty, just that the cut doesn’t go with me.” However, Brenda acceded to exit the changing room. “Really elegant and beautiful,” Annabelle said. “That one might be it, but let’s see the other dresses.” Brenda wore the other two dresses, a yellow one which was discarded because it would match Miss Annabelle’s hair color, and a pink one with lilac flowers which Annabelle liked but decided against it because she guessed her granddaughter would classify it as childish. Ren watched Brenda come out with different dresses each time, but was bored and almost falling asleep by the time they were finished. “Alright, the blue one shall be it,” Annabelle said, and then told the store attendant to find her the dress with her granddaughter size. As the attendant collected the other dresses to be put back on the hangers, Annabelle stopped her from retrieving the dress with red and orange flowers. “Brenda, I believe the first dress you tried suited you very well,” Annabelle smiled. “Would you receive it as a token of my gratitude?” “Me? A 500,000 pokecoin dress?” Brenda jerked her head back, as though she had received a punch on the chin. “No no, I doubt there would be any reason for me to wear something like that.” “Please, it is a gift. I’m sure you will find good use for it.” “Wait,” Brenda pleaded, but Annabelle had already told the attendant to charge both dresses to her account. “You meant to buy new clothes, am I wrong?” the old lady teased. “But Mrs Anna…” Annabelle looked at the child who had her eyebrows wrinkled. “I barely ever have an opportunity to go shopping with my granddaughter anymore,” Annabelle sighed. “Today, I feel as though you revived a lovely memory which had been buried in the past.” After the check-out, Brenda was given a fancy bag which contained her brand-new dress, of quality she would probably never afford in all her lifetime. “Thank you for a lovely afternoon,” Annabelle said. “I hope your stay in Castelia will be enjoyable, and I wish you luck in your challenge of the Unova League.” “I had a great time, thanks for everything,” Brenda laughed, as she waved at the old lady who headed home. Once they were on their own again, Brenda looked at the fancy bag and sighed. “Guess I shall wear this tomorrow,” Brenda stuck out her tongue.

that's like such a great idea! might be stealing that idea in one of my future runs rodent pokes are "weak" but can be useful if strategically arranged in a team

Buneary/lopunny are one of my favorite pokemon, but I feel they turn into the best they can be through breeding (stab fake out gets you an extra turn, and cosmic power of course). Though they are sometimes overshadowed by bulkier pokemon with better typing, I usually have a lopunny in my team just because it's adorable. I think I like the challenge of not using OP mons too so I'm also playing the intense mode haha

sometimes it's helped me to set up defences higher, so that each attack feels like the bite of a mosquito then, once I can stop worrying about being knocked out, I come in and sweep teams lol example: cosmic power lopunny

Flabebe's colors are randomized, so you can get any color of flower. So I'd say it's not worth it, given you could get a shiny but have no control over what color flower it'll be

Getting games was a luxury for me, given that my parents didn't believe in wasting time playing video games. So when I would get a much coveted game, I would play it (of course with a 2 hour limit) and be so excited that I would read the manual multiple times xD Now that I'm not with my parents (but still don't have money to buy games with manuals) I guess I won't be reading them more than once haha

I think paint just adds the background by default. This is what I found from a quick google search: https://appuals.com/ms-paint-turn-white-background-transparent/ Otherwise, you could try other painting software (I use paint brush, and it works great)

I'm not sure if I understood correctly, since my reading comprehension is sub-par. I think what you're describing is a scenario in which the superior, more experienced people in your group don't accept your ideas because they're too radical for them. You want to change an approach, but since they believe they are smarter than you, they don't even listen to your suggestion. If that's the case, I think I can relate and give some advice, which *important* only applies to situations that have no dire consequences (for example, school team projects, sports, etc). Since I'm not a good arguer, I could never push my idea through constant rejection. What I would do instead, is to give my idea, let my teammates ponder about it, perhaps reject it, and carry on until the end when they'd inevitably realize they should've taken my suggestion. That's how I started to gain more of people's confidence. People would listen to my ideas more, because many other times they'd proven to be good/correct. Of course, if my ideas had been proven unique but wrong, then things wouldn't have gone the way they did, so if I were you, I would just make sure that your idea is viable and perfectly realistic

Chapter 20 Walking silently, Brenda noticed the number of trees decreasing gradually. Eventually, her team reached the border of the forest, where the grassy ground turned hard and grey. “Look at that,” Brenda let out a sigh of admiration. “The buildings that reach the skies. The heart of Unova, Castelia City.” The sight of all the glitter seemed to cheer her up, despite the incident with the office workers. The fact that Brenda was now smiling again also brought a sense of relief to her pokemon. “I hope the city isn't full of thugs like the ones we met,” Brenda laughed. She quickly checked the map to see how she could cross the roads and wide river in front of them. It turned out that Skyarrow bridge was a 5-minute walking distance from the exit of the forest. The three of them climbed up the white stairs, which were illuminated by streetlights. At the checkpoint, she showed her Basic badge to prove she was authorized to pass through, and then she stepped on the southeastern end of the long bridge. Skyarrow bridge, so named because of how straight it seems to cross the sky when looked at from below, had two lanes for cars to go to and from Castelia City and Striaton City. There were also two lanes for bicycles, on which bikers seemed to race the cars at top speed. On the outermost space, left for regular pedestrians, groups of students, office workers and tourists were standing, watching and taking pictures of the magnificent nighttime scenery. Brenda, too, forgot about her haste, and stood for a long time, bewitched by the lights. They reminded her of Winter Solstice Festival, which was an yearly event at her town, when everyone decorated their houses with as many light bulbs as they could fit on their walls. “I wonder if Bianca and Cheren are still here,” she suddenly thought. It felt like an eternity since she had seen them, though it actually hadn't been a week since then quite yet. She called both of them with her Xtranceiver, and both picked soon enough. “Brenda!” Bianca, who was already wearing her pajamas, exclaimed. Cheren didn't greet aloud, but raised his palm instead. “How are you two? Look,” here she rotated her Xtranceiver to show them the scenery. “I'm just about to arrive at Castelia. Do you happen to still be around?” “We're both still here, actually,” replied Cheren. “You too, Cheren? I somehow thought you'd already be long gone to Driftveil or Mistralton.” “Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm actually having a hard time beating Burgh’s Leavanny with type disadvantage.” “Same here,” Bianca sighed. “Both Chris and Moon are struggling against her.” “I guess I won't have an easy time either,” Brenda pouted, recalling that Leaf’s dual typing makes her susceptible to bug type attacks, and Ren’s fighting type attacks aren't very effective against bugs. “But we'll do our best!” “That's the spirit,” Bianca snickered. “We should meet up tomorrow. What do you say?” Cheren asked. Brenda scratched her chin, and shook her head sideways. “Why not the day after tomorrow? Seeing you two would be the greatest birthday present,” she smiled shyly. “Why not meet both days?” “Don't be impatient, Cheren. If we meet tomorrow, then the dramatic reunion wouldn't happen on my birthday!” Cheren smirked. He knew Brenda’s obsession with drama well enough not to insist. “Ok,” said Cheren. “We shall meet at the central fountain in Castelia National Park. Does 12PM sound good with everyone?” The two girls replied in affirmation, and thus their plans were set. With an enthusiastic good-bye, Brenda hung up on her friends. “I can barely wait for the day after next,” Brenda exclaimed. “I guess both of you know Bianca, but Leaf doesn't know Cheren. They have cute pokemon too, so be prepared for a full day of fun!” So Brenda and her pokemon carried on their way through Skyarrow Bridge, to hopefully find a Pokémon Center and rest.

I've so far always stopped playing Pokemon games once I entered the Hall of Fame I'm plot-driven, so once the "bad guys" are beaten, and my main aim as protagonist - that is, to become the regional champion - has been accomplished, I just lost interest in pursuing anything further than that. It's even the case that I didn't know my games had a feature called "post game" until fairly recently. Even knowing that, though, I still never played them haha!

There're some mods out there that will allow you to use HM moves by just owning them. The one I use is this weather mod which has this additional feature.

Chapter 19 N, his pokemon and Audino reached the vegetarian restaurant, and though they had no appointment, they were allowed in right away. So, what did Brenda write in her letter? Zo asked, for she could not read the human handwriting on the paper N was holding. N glanced to the paper again, folded it neatly and placed it back into the envelope. “She only apologized for leaving abruptly,” he said. “And that she hopes to see me again.” That’s a rather short letter, for a person who tends to talk more than a hyperactive Chatot, Zo chuckled at her own joke. The members of the party looked at the menu for quite sometime, before making their order. To N, every menu item was practically the same Buneary food, but finally he opted for a mixed vegetable omelette. It is a shame though, Zo murmured and caught N’s attention. Here I was, thinking my trainer was finally freeing his antisocial self, and yet his first friendship lasted no more than a day. Audino laughed in short bursts of sound, but N was not as amused. “I have had many friends growing up,” N replied, with indifferent composure. Yes, a lot of pokemon befriended you, as I did. It is no wonder you feel uneasy around those of your kind. “I don't feel uneasy around Anthea and Concordia,” stated N. Well, they must be referred to as Godesses for a reason. They achieved the impossible with their powers. “Zo, where are you getting at?” Nowhere. I just would have enjoyed watching more of your stand up comedy. Zo smirked, and licked her paws. The food was just about to arrive. Don't misunderstand me. The fact I won't have to see that annoying little puppy of hers makes me feel relieved. I only think I might miss that girl and her energetic foolishness. Coco whispered that she would too. The food arrived, served by a Bellossom. Quickly, everyone started chomping into their plates. N felt emotionally drained, but it wasn't because of the grassy texture of his omelette. He remembered the last line of Brenda’s letter, which he had omitted from his quick summary earlier. P.S. Be prepared to be proven wrong! N shook his head slowly. The thought did not make him feel better. Meanwhile, Brenda was lost in Pinwheel forest, and would have to pass the night with a make-do tent. Brenda was quickly realizing how encouraging it was to have Leaf in her team, for without her sticky webs, making a tent out of plain leaves would have been physically impossible. Trying not to lose to Leaf, Ren also joined the tent making party, even if he almost got trapped in the webs a couple of times. After about two or three hours, their hard work bore fruit. They felt the tent was smaller than expected, but Leaf volunteered to return to her pokeball when it was time for sleep, which solved the problem. At night, they ate sandwiches they bought by selling some potions and pokeballs, though Brenda saved a couple, including the pokeball she received as a present in Accumula Town. Before going to bed, they all sat down on the grass outside, and looked up at the stars, which were visible from the space between trees. It was, in fact, something she had planned on doing together with N and his pokemon friends, but even if she was no longer with them, she figured it was too beautiful a night to waste it going to sleep early. “Isn’t it great? I can already smell summer right around the corner,” she said, but just as she spoke, a strong breeze pushed her ponytail on top of her face. “Perhaps not too close, but at least it’s warm for a spring night.” Ren and Leaf laughed a little. “It’s been quite a while since I last camped out like this,” Brenda smiled. “It’s something I always did when my father visited. We’d go to mountains and forests, flying on top of his Hydreigon. Brenda closed her eyes. She could vividly see the many memories of her as a child, playing together with her father. The one time she knocked a beehive over, and a Vespiquen together with her minions angrily ran after her, her father called on his Hydreigon, Axew and Druddigon to appease the bee pokemon. Another time, she slipped and fell into the river, but her father successfully surfed on his Druddigon to catch her. “It’s been six years since my father last visited home. I wonder if he’s already at the Pokemon League. Maybe he’s already beaten the Elite Four!” She looked at the sky, and wondered if her father was doing the same. “It’s too bad I won’t be home for my birthday this year,” she said, rather talking to herself. “Every year, he sends me little presents. For my twelfth, he gave me this cap.” She took the cap off her head, and placed it on top of Ren. “For my thirteenth, he gave me this handkerchief,” she said, opening her cherry-blossom-colored handkerchief, and placing it on top of Leaf. Looking at Leaf’s naturally smug face all confused at the texture of her head cover made Brenda laugh. “Maybe, if we are very lucky, we’ll run into my father sometime. Who knows? Maybe he’ll be the Unovan Champion by the time we make it there!” With that, Brenda leaned back and lay down on the grass. The three of them remained silent looking at the stars for some time. They eventually fell asleep, forgetting all about the tent. The next day, and the day after the next, Brenda and her team worked hard to find an exit to Pinwheel Forest. On their way, they found a few other trainers who were either lost like them or just looking for battles. Brenda lost no opportunity to polish her battling skills, and won four out of five matches. The match she lost was against a veteran, who had just happened to come to Pinwheel forest with his wife and two children to have a picnic. The kind gentleman gave her potions to heal her pokemon. Since Brenda really wanted to spend her birthday, which was now two days away, outside of Pinwheel Forest, she decided to work her way through the forest even after it turned dark. She told her two pokemon to pay close attention, for she didn’t want to end up making the same mistake as N had. “If I fall off a cliff after laughing at N for it,” she sighed. “I’d be the bigger idiot, wouldn’t I?” So they went, passing sleeping pokemon and beasts who were out on the hunt for defenseless prey. The nocturne pokemon’s eyes glared with the moonlight, but they seemed uninterested in attacking an awake human with two trained pokemon. Their trip through the forest was going better than expected, until they happened to walk into a group of three office workers. “Walking alone at this hour of the night, lady?” One of them asked. “I’m fine,” Brenda smiled. “My pokemon protect me, and I just want to reach Castelia City as soon as possible.” “How ironic,” another one said. “We just came here to escape the noise of Castelia.” Brenda’s face brightened. “Does that mean I’m almost there? Castelia City is close by?” she then jumped off the floor, energized by the information. “Yeah, just cross the Skyarrow Bridge, and you’ll be on the outskirts of the city.” “Yes! Thanks for telling me,” Brenda clapped her hands. “I’ll be on my way then. See you!” Then she took some steps forward, but the three men blocked her way. “Oh, what is it?” “Why are you on a hurry?” the first man asked and approached her. “We could have fun together. What do you say?” The man’s breath was impregnated with alcoholic smell. “Ugh, sorry. I’m fifteen and don’t drink,” she said, approximating her age. “We’re not policemen,” the third person said. “You’re missing out if at fifteen you haven’t had even a sip of the best drink on the planet.” Two men grabbed her wrists. Ren and Leaf immediately attacked the men, but they also sent out their pokemon, and it turned into a nasty fight. Clearly, Brenda’s pokemon were not strong enough to be match for the Liepard and Herdier. The man who wasn’t involved in the pokemon battle pushed her over, and pinned her to the ground. “Get off me, you don’t know how strong I am!” Brenda shouted, but the reality was that the man was too heavy for her muscles. Brenda’s blood receded out of her face as the man’s face approached hers. “Cut it out,” she screamed off the top of her lungs. At that moment, a shadow appeared with invisible velocity, and tackled the side of the man’s head. The man flew away and was knocked over with the impact. Once the shadow stopped moving, Brenda realized that its identity was just a Minccino. On the other side, where Ren and Leaf were already in their last stages of consciousness, being beaten repeatedly by the men’s pokemon, something weird was also happening. It started with the Liepard - one time it was pounding on Ren’s head, and the next, it was choking without being choked. At least, that is how it looked to Brenda, for the pokemon was struggling for air without being attacked. Once the Liepard lost consciousness, the illness passed onto the Herdier, who ended with the same fate. “Liepard, Herdier! What has happened to you two?” The drunk men exclaimed as they retrieved their pokemon. “You should know better than to bully amateur trainers,” a voice, which Brenda had heard before even if she couldn’t tell where, said somehow without revealing its owner. “If you don’t want to lose your jobs, leave here immediately. I won’t hesitate in making your lives a misery, stinky pieces of scum!” The three men collected their belongings with trembling hands, and ran after each other with faces so white they were observable in the darkness of the night. “Are you alright?” the same voice asked, but now a person was suddenly standing next to Brenda. The person, who was wearing clothes so dark she blended into the night, stretched a gloved hand toward her. Brenda took the hand and stood up. Being pushed to the ground had left wounds on her elbows and a dull ache on her back. “Thank you, Miss,” Brenda said, shyly. “You rescued me from a tight spot back there.” The woman took her head covering, revealing her orange hair, which had somehow been tucked in. The sight shocked Brenda. “The Striaton Gym Leaders’ cousin?” “Carol,” the woman corrected. “And you owe me no thanks. I just happened to hear your cries during a meeting with The Invisibles.” “Even then, I really would like to do something to express my thanks,” Brenda insisted, though she knew fully well that the amount of money she had on her was miserable compared to the favor she had received. “Then, do me a favor,” Carol said, with a stern expression. “Become stronger, so you can kick people’s ass. We have to teach that bunch of scum some manners, don’t you think?” Carol smirked. “Now if you will. I have to return to the others.” The female ninja explained, and pressed a button on her right wrist, which expelled a hooked rope towards a tree branch. “Smoke, Unseen. We’re going,” Carol called, and the Minccino and the Kecleon, who finally revealed himself to be the cause of the choking, jumped onto both of her shoulders. “This is goodbye, Lil' Azurill.” Brenda batted her eyes, as she waved at Carol, who jumped from branch to branch with incredible agility. “My name is Brenda,” she reminded her, but Carol was already out of sight.

Yep, the problem with both is that we don't have the means to discern the truth. We can't see through another person's eyes, so we have to make assumptions (that since number of cones and rods is mostly the same, we must have similar vision), much like we must assume dinosaurs were dull colors so they could escape predators. However, cells have some minor variations even within one person, so it's no wonder there's even more variability between people. Why should DNA code the amount of pigment on your skin, but not the signals triggered through seeing colors?

What about talking to in-game Jan character in a pokemon center? Maybe turning followers off and then back on might make it work? Dunno

So far we have to assume that if we have structurally similar cone cells and similar optical nerve connection to the brain, we must have similar color perception. However this is actually impossible to ensure with current technology, much like we don't yet know what color dinosaurs were back in prehistory. Theres a rather old vid I recommend watching:

Chapter 18 Ever since he met Brenda, N was confident his dislike for her was rooted in that she was easily excitable and overly talkative. He wasn’t used to such type of people, and would much rather spend time with those who didn’t disturb his mental peace every three minutes. However, now he was starting to believe that his conjecture was ill-founded. Following their little quarrel, Brenda came with him to the PC to heal their pokemon. While Nurse Joy, muttering some complaints to herself, took care of the three pokemon who had battled, Brenda, with Leaf on her lap, sat close to him on a seat in the lobby. Yet, for the twenty or thirty minutes that elapsed, Brenda said not a word. He sometimes sent her hidden glances, but every time she had the same cloudy face, solid as though she were made of concrete. The silence made him anxious. Her lifeless face made him desperate. It was so daunting waiting there, that he even contemplated starting a conversation to fill the silence. However, what would he talk about? It had always been her who started talking. The best thing to do is to keep silent, he thought. If I say something, I might make the situation even worse. He looked at Brenda again, but the only movement he could observe was her blinking. Ironic. Now that I have obtained some quiet, I want her to talk. In the end, they just sat for almost half an hour without any form of conversation, until Nurse Joy escorted their healed pokemon to them. Coco, enthusiastic about seeing her favorite trainer, jumped high and landed on Brenda’s chest, using Leaf’s head as support. N watched their interaction from the very corner of his eye. “Feeling better?” Brenda asked, forcefully curving the ends of her lips into a half-smile. Coco noticed that the hand that caressed her cotton fur wasn’t as lively as it usually was, and cooed in hopes to cheer Brenda up. She then jumped up and down a few times, to show she was completely healed. “I’m glad to see that,” Brenda laughed a little. She then handed Coco over to N, without so much as a glance toward his face. Brenda then looked at Ren, who was looking diagonally down, away from her direction. “Ren, come here,” she said, and Ren complied, albeit slowly. When he was within touching distance, Brenda stretched her arm and patted Ren’s head. “How are you feeling now?” she asked. “You had me worried, with all those tiny wounds.” I’m okay, N heard Ren murmur. Still, his face was facing the ground. “Don’t feel sad. We’ll do better next time,” Brenda encouraged, pushing Ren’s chin upward. Zo looked at them, and then jumped onto N’s lap. I have a feeling the girl is still angry… or sad. I don’t know much about human emotions, Zo whispered as she licked her fur. Either way, I think you destroyed her hopes too soon and too abruptly. N did not say a word, but Ren heard what she said. He instantly turned to the direction of Zo, and without warning gave her a slap on the face. “Stop that, Ren,” Brenda clenched Ren’s arms tightly. “I know you’re mad you lost, but what happened in a battle remains in the battle.” She then apologized to Zo by softly caressing where Ren had slapped her. What do you mean I destroyed her hopes, stinky fox? Ren barked without trying to break free from Brenda’s grasp. You misunderstand me. This is why dog pokemon are a pain. You just jump to conclusions without thinking through, Zo sighed. I was talking to my trainer. It concerns you not. Ren then looked up at the emotionless face adorned by grass-like hair. What did you do to Brenda? I knew she was too careless in trusting a stranger like you. “I only said the truth,” N replied. “Enough,” Brenda said, extrapolating on the content of the conversation. “It doesn't bother me anymore.” However, she right away followed her statement by finally directing some words to N. “I hope you don’t mind if I stay in my room until supper,” she made an effort to look nonchalant. “I’ll meet you in front of your room at seven.” She lifted Leaf from her lap, and left N, Coco and Zo alone in the lobby. I never thought she could ever be depressed, Zo observed. But this was beyond what I imagined. She even forgot we haven't had lunch yet. “Let us return to our room as well. I have to think of what to say at supper.” N purposefully waited for Brenda and her team to enter the elevator and disappear, before wheeling himself to the elevator. Brenda entered her room, took her cap and undid her ponytail in record speed. She then jumped onto her bed, and squirmed a little to find a comfortable position. Finally she settled with placing the pillow under her calves, and letting her wavy hair form a half-circle from her head. Ren also lay on his side on an unoccupied bed, because somehow he felt awkward sharing the bed with his trainer at this precise moment. Five hours passed in silence, with Brenda drifting in and out of sleep. Finally making up her mind, she woke up and sat on her bed, facing Ren. “I like you Ren,” she started, with a respectful grin. “And I’ve enjoyed our companionship until now, even though it had its ups and downs.” Ren also sat on the edge of his bed, and Leaf looked at them with concern from the top of the desk. “Although I had the best intentions, it is as N says - I might be committing a selfish act by forcing you to stay by my side,” Brenda sighed. “I don’t want to make you suffer, just to feed my own ego. If you want to leave, tell me, and you’re free to go.” Ren watched as Brenda blinked three times the usual rate and explained her will to give up. Yet, he was at a loss as to how to act. He shuddered at the idea of jumping on top of her in the hopes of being embraced, as Coco had done. It was just not something he had the ability to do. Thus, Ren did the only thing he knew how to do. He crossed his arms, and sat on the bed with his legs also crossed. He looked to the side, and pouted. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Brenda asked a few seconds after Ren stopped moving. Ren made a deep noise, coming from the back of his throat. “Let me phrase it differently,” Brenda scratched her head. “Are you going to stay with me?” Ren turned his head to face her but not actually to look at her, and paused a little before nodding once. His action allowed Leaf to relax, and Brenda to jump off her bed. “That makes me so happy, Ren!” she took both of Ren’s arms, and took a couple of twirls, as though she were the pillar of a merry-go-round. She then released him back onto the bed, and lowered herself so she could show him a bright smile inches from his nose. “That means I’m on the right track. Now in addition to Bianca, Cheren and you, Ren, I’ll also prove my abilities to N. We’ll see who’ll laugh last!” Leaf chuckled, for it just hit her that all her trainer needed was a little pat on her pride, in order to make it boost over the skies. On the other hand, Ren was just taken aback by Brenda’s sudden cheerfulness, and slightly felt made a fool of, for even worrying about her at all. However, both of Brenda’s partners were surprised by what she had to announce next. “Shall we be on our way to Castelia City, then?” At 7PM, N’s heart jumped at the sound of someone knocking on his door, though he had been preparing himself for it since 30 minutes ago. His roommate groaned, and turned his body to change positions on his bed. Wishing he could exchange places with the peaceful napper, he moved his wheelchair forward to open the door. However, the person standing outside his room was not Brenda. “Good evening,” said Nurse Joy, who was accompanied by an Audino. “I’m afraid Ms. Brenda left a few hours ago, and therefore one of my Audino assistants will auxiliate you from now until your recovery.” “Is that so?” N said, a little embarrassed that his voice came out raspy. “Where did she go?” “She said she was joining her friends in Castelia City.” “Right,” he nodded. He wanted to ask whether Brenda continued on with her ill mood, but he didn’t have the courage to do it to Nurse Joy. “Ah, she left you a note,” Nurse Joy took out the almost-forgotten envelope from her apron pocket. “Here. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must take a leave.” Nurse Joy said goodbye to Audino, and returned to her post. N felt disoriented at the sudden change of plans. He was holding Brenda’s letter, but did not feel like reading it while Audino stood in front of him, watching him. “Audino,” N called. “I’d like to have dinner now. Would you like to come with us?” The Audino batted her eyes and grinned. That is not a question. I’m a nurse, and hence required to go wherever you go, she replied. “Right. Will you push my wheelchair?” Yes, she said as she came to his back. Where do you want to eat? “I believe there was a seafood place close by. What about there?” Out of question, said Audino. Seafood has too much cholesterol. It’s not suited for patients. “I see. Alternatively, there was a barbeque place near the connection to Route 3,” ventured N. No no, Audino repeated. Do you know how many carcinogens are in meat? Besides, it’s not recommended to have such heavy meals when you’re sick. N was out of ideas. “Where do we go eat then?” There’s a vegetarian restaurant just behind the Pokemon Center. Aren’t you familiar with it? “I’m not really fond of vegetarian cuisine,” N scratched his head. Well, you shall be fond of it, once you realize how good vegetables are for your health! Audino started pushing his wheelchair while humming a little melody. N wondered why Audino bothered to ask him for his dining preference at all, but opted not to ask. Instead, he exchanged looks with Zo as she climbed up his shoulder, and dropped his gaze upon the envelope, which had his name written with messy penmanship.

Chapter 17 “So, N,” Brenda cleared her throat. N was a rather slow eater, and had been nibbling on his energy bar for around 15 minutes already. Yet, Brenda had waited hopelessly for him to start a conversation, for unlike her, he did not need to talk to fill in the awkward silence. To the mention of his name, N slightly jerked his head upward, but did not move his gaze away from observing how Zo took interest in the composition of the Cottonee’s fluffy body. “What are you going to name your Cottonee?” Brenda said, realizing he was looking at his pokemon. “Coco,” he replied, and took a bite on his bar again. “It seems you have a naming pattern going here,” she commented. “Calling your pokemon by the first two letters of their names.” N nodded. “Ah, I hadn’t thought of that. It makes it more team-like, having a common theme in their names.” “Is that so,” N replied, and looked at her, resigned. “Yep. I mean, if I think really really into it, I can sort of argue that I named my pokemon by a plant theme. Leaf is obvious, and Ren … it means lotus flower in Japanese. Pushing it, perhaps, but all’s well that ends well, right?” N let out a snort, and softened his forehead, though his lips were fixed and far from a smile. Nonetheless, Brenda counted it as a win, and felt encouraged to keep speaking. Not that she would have stopped had she not received encouragement. “Cottonee, cottonee,” she called, and on the third try, the pokemon turned around to see her. The cotton ball quickly approached her, when she saw Brenda waving her hand. “Cutie, your trainer is going to give you a name,” Brenda said, caressing the pokemon. “Everyone else keep silent and brace yourselves!” Leaf and Zo looked at N and Brenda, but Ren only glanced once before directing his back to them. “Ok, drumroll, and announce Cottonee’s name!” N tried to ignore Brenda’s face, which was beaming in anticipation. In his mind, he vowed to never catch a pokemon in her presence ever again. “Coco,” he sighed. Brenda clapped her hands, pulled N’s heavy arm, and placed his hand over Coco. “Don't be shy, pet her and show some love,” Brenda smiled. N did as was told, but for whatever reason, Coco moved away from his hand and instead buried her face in Brenda’s chest. “Oh she's so shy and adorable,” Brenda said, taking a quick look at N. He had his eyebrows knitted again, but otherwise showed nothing like disappointment or contempt. Instead, he silently took the final bite of his energy bar, and neatly folded the wrap into a small square before slipping it into his chest pocket. “Right, now we should have a practice battle,” Brenda said, raising an arm. She lowered Coco onto the floor, and sprang off onto her two legs. Since there were too many trees and slopes where they were, Brenda suggested they move outside Pinwheel forest, to the place she had recently battled against Bianca. “Ready? I'll go easy on you, just so Coco can get the hang of battling,” Brenda said to N, who was standing opposite to her across the field. N looked at Coco, spoke some words in pokemon language, and pointed a finger to the field. Whether Coco misunderstood the message, or simply ignored it, they could not know, but Coco ran across the field straight into Brenda's arms. “Easy there,” she said to Coco. “You have to stand on the field, dummy.” So she released Coco, who finally obeyed and stayed on the field, jumping and floating, visibly ecstatic. “Please go gentle on her,” she told Ren, but he had already started running toward the field. The way that Ren had seemingly ignored her gave her a bad feeling about the battle, but she didn't want to possibly aggravate Ren’s mood by switching him with Leaf. Yet, recalling the battle itself would paint her as an indecisive loser. She had no choice but to trust that her premonitions were just an illusion. “Alright, Ren. Use force palm, gently,” she said, repeating herself. “Coco, fairy wind,” said N, hoping to exploit the type advantage. Ren, being more experienced, ran in a half circle to Coco’s back, and used bullet punch instead. The sharp fists sent Coco flying, and had she not been composed of light material, she would have received additional damage upon impact with the ground. “Ren, that's not what I said,” Brenda shouted. To finish her turn, Coco blew a little fairy wind, but it was not strong enough to go the distance and reach Ren. He had waited for his opponent’s turn to end, since he had good sportsmanship, but once it was over, he did not wait for his trainer’s orders to finish his opponent with a second bullet punch. “No,” Brenda let out a gasp in agony, as she saw Coco fall to the ground, fainted. Without thinking, she ran over and scooped Coco from the ground, as though she had been the one to lose the battle. The small fluffy pokemon opened her eyes and cooed, an act Brenda took as Coco’s attempt to cheer her up. After watching the whole scene, N seemed taken aback. At first, he thought Ren acted this way because of his unfounded hatred of him, but on closer inspection - the way that Ren remained agitated while his trainer was borderline crying with Coco in her arms, made him change his mind. The realization allowed to snap back to his usual composure. “Coco, return and rest,” he said as he pressed the pokeball’s button. Coco instantly disappeared from Brenda’s arm, and was taken into the ball. Zo stepped on the field, feeling that this was her cue to fight. Brenda watched the sparks of rivalry fly between Ren and Zo, and became even more anxious. “I think we have to stop,” Brenda shouted to N. “Or at least, Ren, come back and change with Leaf!” However, neither Zo nor Ren seemed interested in calling off the match nor being replaced. “The battle will not end until one of those two faints,” N replied. “Besides, our current situation won’t be solved until Ren is knocked unconscious.” Something in the way he said that - perhaps the way his eyebrows furrowed more than usual, or plainly because he spoke longer than one sentence at a time - made Brenda uneasy. She decided to comply, but that didn’t make it easier for her to figure out what to do. Should she command Ren to use weak moves, so that Zo could knock him out faster? She doubted Ren would even listen to her instructions either way. “Zo, double team,” N commanded, but Brenda remained silent, still thinking what to say. Ren, as she had expected, started attacking without waiting for her. He used bullet punch and force palm one after the other, while Zo continued to make hundreds of copies of herself. He landed none of his attacks, and at that point, it was virtually impossible to tell where Zo was at any point in time. “Zo, use fury swipes.” Each attack was inconsequential, but as Ren could not prevent them from landing repeatedly from every direction, the battle was already decided. With one last scratch, Ren fell to his knees and then unable to support his own weight any longer, lost consciousness on the ground. Brenda bit her lips, and walked what felt like miles to retrieve her fallen partner. “What happened today?” Brenda sighed to a sleeping Ren. “If only I could hear your thoughts.” “You don’t need to know his language to know how he feels,” N told her as he lowered an arm to let Zo climb over to his shoulder. He wheeled himself closer to Brenda, who apologized profusely once he was within conversation distance from her. “What good do apologies do, if you’re not going to learn from your mistakes?” N said. “I didn’t want to believe that you were the same as all the other irresponsible trainers that inhabit this world.” “I’m not an irresponsible trainer,” Brenda could not help but arguing. “I take care of my pokemon with all my heart. We just need time to get to know each other.” “It’s been almost a week since we met. Do you need months? Years? Of suffering and enslaving, to finally realize you were mistaken from the start?” Brenda widened her eyes like he had never seen her do before. He could tell her whole body was trembling. “What authority do you have, to know I am mistaken?” she snapped, but tears fell off her eyes. “I promised. I promised Ren that I would show him the wonders of having a trainer. I am not a liar.” “You cannot promise something you’re uncertain about. You will regret it.” “I am certain.” They each looked at the other in the eye, with so much intensity that Leaf and Zo feared for their trainer’s welfare. N finally broke eye contact. He pinched his nose bridge between his fingers and sighed. “I’m only saying this for Ren’s sake. If you value him, as you say you do, set him free,” he said, and added, “You are not supplying him with what he wishes for.” With this phrase, which sunk onto Brenda’s stomach as though she had swallowed lead, he turned his wheelchair around to the direction of the Pokemon Center.

I like the 3rd one but the 1st is good too

I have often felt this way. I sell myself as an emotionless person (though the reality is unfortunately different) because I have trouble interacting with people and just showing basic humanity (love, empathy, own sadness, etc). That way I don't have to fake being someone I'm not, and don't disappoint anyone in the process. Also, I'm a pessimist too, we're welcome to exist, no worries I'm one of those people who wish they had never been born, because I have a similar view of the world as you. (However, I have never tried to reverse what has been done by death. No one guarantees death will be better, so I prefer to live life just living and doing whatever I need to enjoy life ) You asked why you try hard. If it is something you care about, do it for yourself. If it's to support an illusion that is not yourself, just don't try- it's that simple. At the end of the day, what matters is that you enjoyed your life as much as possible, and didn't get dragged down by others. Don't loathe yourself for being "selfish" - it's actually the first step in being human. Selflessness only comes after one has loosened themselves a little, with time and relaxation.

No problem Speeding up was a quite a must for my breeding days xD

Do you happen to know that you can press the command key to speed up?

Hydreigon Scizor Salamence Garchomp Talonflame Aegislash

trainer name: Candy trainer type: Idol Favorite type, types or theme for a team: Cute-theme (Lopunny, Florges, Milotic) or fairy type (Florges, Sylveon, Whimsicott/Ribombee) Ace Pokemon: Cute-theme (Lopunny) or fairy type (Sylveon) Character traits or personality: Bubbly, relaxed, perhaps irresponsible (optimal): if you were an important figure what would your sprite be like: Not picky

Xatu

This is a pretty interesting thread My opinion would be to keep it serious, a little bit like documentaries, and your first post was perfect in terms of length.