Aphelli

Yes... these were some dark days indeed. They're thankfully over -- but I fear that they will still appear in some nightmares. I'm glad that there was still some cute upbeat stuff, even though it's definitely not my forte. Perhaps I should ask Azzie for lessons or something. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed your summer (or, for at least one exception, that you will enjoy your hard-earned rest after a how-tf-can-it-still-be-legal internship)! Apparently you all kept reading or checking this story, and I'm very glad that you did. Thank you. As some of you might have read on discord or as a status update, it hasn't been the easiest time to write for me... but now summer break is over, I no longer have this excuse to avoid working on my thesis (I can still find others, but none that will let me write this instead^^), so perhaps it really was the best time. So I still wrote a lot of chapters in that time, and my "buffer" has grown to a length that has been unrivalled since the finale of Part 2. The difference is that I have lots and lots to edit, and a less clear picture of how the story goes on (spoiler: one sentence at a time). I'm pretty confident that this chapter isn't as good as it could be. But I'm tired, I'm feeling bad for not posting in some five weeks, and I don't think I'll be able to make good edits before another long time, so here it is. I hope you enjoy, and don't hesitate to comment either way! Chapter 56: Business as Usual Character rates:

Many useful TMs are still unavailable in game yet. Unless I'm mistaken, all of the following TMs are unavailable: Dragon Claw, Calm Mind, Ice Beam and Blizzard, Thunder, Earthquake, Sludge Bomb, Fire Blast, Energy Ball, Volt Switch, Swords Dance, U-Turn. There are several memes on that topic, for instance https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonReborn/comments/i4mo4m/maybe_earthquake_is_the_friends_we_made_along_the/ or https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonReborn/comments/hzjfy7/this_is_all_i_want/ Back to the content of the post: you're making some good suggestions, even though I personally find them terrifying (I'm not very good). Permanent fields, no weather games from the player and limited set-up? That certainly ramps up difficulty a fair bit. I really can't see how they trivialize the game (against a fully EV'd team, of course), but apparently it does, and it's now standard, so why not? I'm not going to end up playing in hard mode, although I'm interested enough to discuss one. But I'm not convinced by the idea of limiting Common Candies. I just can't imagine managing exp as part of the game, but maybe I just lack imagination. Mining rocks are already in a finite number, so I guess you want to limit/hardcode their content to curb the maximal number of heart scales that one might have?

According to the item guide, these Mega-Stones aren’t available yet.

You can teach Fly to one of your Pokemon and fly back to Reborn City. To go on with the plot, I think you have to talk with Ame at the Grand Hall, but there are also sidequests that you can do. You’re not going to be disappointed.

I think it's said at Jenner's makeshift funeral after the fiasco at Valor Mountain. I have had similar thoughts about this line as well.

Hello and welcome on the forums... I guess? I'm not exactly the most emblematic (or known, for that matter) person here so I'm not sure I can really greet you in these terms. But never mind. The text is rather good overall. Clearly, you've put effort and quality into it. This is why I'll be a little more critical than I usually am (hopefully not making too much a fool of myself in the process). That your writing sensibilities are somewhat close to what I am accustomed to read may be another reason why I comment this extensively. Of course, a lot of this is opinion-based, so you're free to ignore it: your work, your choices. I adore your vocabulary. It's varied, it's broad, and you use it rather well to describe the scenes and characters. And I love finding new words in there. Sometimes I feel it's a bit overwhelming though. And sometimes I find your word choice a bit strange (Is Victoria overjoyed to ask Ame for a starter, if the text calls her "elated" [btw my dictionary off- and online do not know "elatedly"]? is Ame "compassionate" when she offers Victoria a Reborn starter, rather than maybe "agreeable" or "accommodating"? Pickup is an ability, not a nature, but is thrifty really the correct adjective for it?), but we're likely from extremely different backgrounds and most words don't evoke the same ideas in our minds. Beware the hyphens, I think you're using too many of them. Some offenders are (I'm reasonably confident about them, but don't take it as gospel): Regarding content: what I find strangest is the intermittent medium-awareness. Alisa soft-resets (a lot but that's not a problem), proving that it really is a videogame (not to mention natures, abilities [by the way, how can a Zigzagoon riding shotgun in a bag pick up new items?], etc), and yet she's worried about internal bleeding of all things. I find this a little confusing. The best explanation I can come up with is that Alisa is playing Pokemon Reborn 20.0, the well-known VR version of the game when Pokemon falls into the public domain.^^ Or perhaps I'm taking this too seriously. I told you what I thought of your descriptions (a lot of good), but I would have liked a description of Alisa, and perhaps of how Alisa sees the Peridot Ward. Regarding dialogues, I think you should try and find your own voice, because a lot of characters say almost verbatim what is in the game. I know it's scary to do (and there's nothing wrong with borrowing from the dev's work), but some of the lines from the game don't work as well when the MC is speaking, or refer to stuff that is plain ridiculous ("no one cares if you run inside") to utter. Besides, you're not the first one writing Reborn runs or fanfiction, so it might be a good idea to find ways to stand out. The ticket inspector might be too verbose or sophisticated, too ("Make sure you don't. And while we're at it, you shouldn't put on fancy airs in this region. Some people would knock you down a couple of pegs." -- maybe?), for someone who can't pronounce "shenanigans". Wow, that was a lot to write. I hope I'm not coming across too rude. I think there's a lot of good there and I'm interested to read what's coming next!

This has been a long time, hasn't it? I hope you've been doing well. I've really been struggling on the chapters following the previous one, as I may have hinted multiple times. I'm not too sure why. And to top it all, I was hurting inside a little each time I saw Candy's frequent updates (or Derog's, I guess) -- always very good, while my writing is an uphill battle these days. Maybe it'll change now that I'm "on vacation". Maybe I need a true break from this too. I don't know. Still, the view counter keeps going up, and we're far past the amazing 15k views, so wow. I'll stop delaying and give you the chapter. Just a warning: it's a long one, and I'm not sure the quality matches the quantity. The plot is taking a little nap, but it's going to wake up soon... I hope you enjoy! (and if you do, please do react or comment, even about earlier chapters -- they're not too old to be relevant) Chapter 55: Cultivating The Garden

I did not expect to ever hear again of Urashima's story, to me it was more like a children's book someone told me they read in grade school. I didn't expect it to actually a "folkloric tale", with the importance that it implies. I like Vanilla's approach to responsibility, although it is probably terrible for her own mental health and long-term improvement. Then again, in her choice of 'career', long-term prospects are uncertain, aren't they? But in this respect, losing her mortality could very well be the worst thing to ever happen to her (after all, now, everything bad would be her responsibility... forever -- because these always happen eventually). I'm also noticing a certain confusion in Vanilla's thoughts about strength. Wolfie didn't die because she wasn't strong enough. It would take tremendous strength (we're speaking of state-moving power, like serious blackmail or a huge support for an open movement) to prevent her base from being raided. If one insists on pinning the blame on Vanilla, then perhaps Wolfie died because she wasn't prepared enough. Which has little to do with becoming an unstoppable sword or an unpenetrable shield. At least, you don't get cunning plans when training for strength. A question I'm thinking about is "whether Vanilla could have actually saved Taka". That implied realizing that it was Taka in the armor, speaking in Lin's voice with her patterns and her demeanour. And conveying the message to Titania... when she didn't even know Titania's intention! This would be an egregious breach of Lin's invincibility if it were allowed to happen. And, certainly, of Titania's more... pro-active attitude. Funny how Vanilla's conflicted about that too (she says "I could have saved Taka" and a few paragraphs later "nah, she would have found a way to one-up us anyway"). Now that we know Silver to be a ghost, I like the mention that he's a 'terrible quitter'. Not even his unhappy ending could prevent him from trying to decipher the mysteries of this old mystic who could be a seer? Speaking of which, I can't help but think of the Queen's special interest in Vanilla even in exile and her peculiar letter to Candy (btw, why not make her demand appear magically in Meteor headquarters? that would have been far more spectacular, no?)... this could indicate that Vanilla was lied to regarding her family... which still seems really unlikely, since Candy would have to be complicit. And, since you've established that the most shocking parts of canon remain canon, I'm very worried about what happens at the Fiore Mansion... even though with Julia already there, Vanilla shouldn't be in too much trouble... should she?

This is splendid. But, cass, dev blogs can’t be a mistake – otherwise we would have no inkling of the diaboli ex machina impossible battles magic squares niceties that you wonderful people are working on. And you would have no way to satisfy the Radomus urge (aka “I know what’s in store and you don’t so I’ll cryptically tease at a small bit”)! … at least, I hope I’m not the only one with that kind of impulse.

Wow, math. Your post made me realize that indeed, natures had effects of considerable magnitude – I didn’t think that it could offset subpar IVs that well. Yes, Disaster is beautiful and deadly and very fast. Don’t be too upset about not resolving analytically the inequation, since you would still plug the solution in a computer to get the result. The solution I found out is the following: a <= floor(x) < b iff ceil(a) <=x < ceil(b). And then plug it in. (Where “ceil(x)” is the smallest integer no less than x). What would be interesting to see is how the effect scales for higher-BST Pokemon. I’m giving the figures at level 100, for fully EV-IV’d mons. A favorable nature is equivalent to adding 10% of the base stat plus 4-5 points (I didn’t check the rounding but it shouldn’t be too much of an issue – same below). So a +Speed Mew has the equivalent of a Serious mon with 114 base speed. It is also equivalent to adding 20% of the base stat, plus 9, as IVs. A +Speed Mew has the equivalent of 60 Speed IVs. Then again, it’s fun to get worked over these numbers, but for example, the defence stat only is used as a factor in the formulas, so a *1.1 nature means (up to roundings) 1.1 times less damage, full stop. That’s useful, but is it really as game-changing as speed (which is why you chose your example very well)?

I think Candy gave you some useful advice. What I wanted to add is that there are a few fanfictions on the forum. So you can look at them to try and find what you think works best. The site allows you to do some nice stuff with the layout (changing colors, fonts, sizes, alignments) so it shouldn't be too hard to come up with something neat. Also, we're not very demanding readers, so you can just experiment with your first chapters until you find a presentation that you really like. And above all, if you want to write, don't overthink it too much... Happy writing -- (that's Candy's formula, but I think it's a great find).

I’ll be honest – I’ve never read, written or watched horror stories. I don’t like being frightened (or mock-frightened). But when such a fairy tale-like story goes wrong – what else could it be than horror? (I guess I’ll find out). Yes, I agree that wine red does have a regal feel. Although I’m no interior decorator either so I’m not sure what it would feel like. I was thinking of another fanfiction I read (a Star Wars-themed one) where a certain character (let’s call him OK) is handed another character’s (let’s call him P) job, office and quarters. But P has… peculiar tastes in interior decoration (too much red) and the writer emphasizes how much better and calmer OK feels after masking all the red with greenery. I guess that impression stuck. Ah, that makes sense. It’s good to pay attention to details! But, well, astrology… My horoscope says I’m a skeptic. Yes, Vanilla certainly mellowed. I think I hadn’t realized that the early game had happened so fast after Wolfie’s death – that explains why she was in such a foul mood. But she still tried to punch Radomus (not that he doesn’t deserve it). And yet Silver has a very “NPC” feel (“just watching”), while Radomus definitely has an agenda that he keeps hidden. So perhaps Silver’s less threatening to her. I’m just terrible at picking up foreshadowing. Absolutely terrible. But I’m still trying. But Taka tried to disappear off the radar, that’s a pretty obvious indication that he switched sides. I wouldn’t put past Sirius (or Lin/Terra) to realize that Taka’s loyalty was flimsy and to Solaris exclusively and thus to keep watch of him. I don’t remember Tania’s Gym that well, but if we could teleport there, why not Taka as well? Still, it’s not very clear why he obeys Lin in there.

Wow, a new chapter… Why put the link in spoilers though? I liked it! I like your character’s reaction at all the insanity that happens around him – the labs that just have to be an evil underground lair, the sassing between the “managers” of the League, Jenner’s unexpected “request”, Veronica, Saki and the hotel... Could he have handled the Starly quest too? I’m particularly fond of the

Wow – I can’t believe I almost missed the new chapter. And it’s a very good one too! I feel forced to comment (a little bit nonsensically) that somehow Vanilla’s reaction to Titania (as you spoiled it) is absolutely spot on - I can’t imagine anything fitting her better. (and yes, that’s nonsensical, because you’re writing her so of course what you write is the essence, the epitome of her very self!) It’s a very good idea to have made the Andersen family an old Everish family that moved away. It nicely explains how, well, mysteriously magical (almost dreamlike, and very clearly like something-not-quite-from-this-world) Titania’s Gym feels. And of course the Andersen family would be related to Everland. I’m curious to see where you’re headed with the “story of the story”, or so to speak. If it’s really going to matter, if it’s a one-time thing or a red herring. Speaking of dreamlike and magic, am I the only one to find everything in this chapter rather unnerving? Like something really wrong is already happening and the fairy tale is going to turn into a horror story. Vanilla seems to faint and lose memory for no reason in particular. Silver just appears and seems to be noticed exactly when he wants to be. His room has deep red walls. How can he even feel at ease there? No one else has ever hinted at his existence (or when is that dream you mention?). Yet Julia isn’t surprised in the slightest to meet him. He seems to know either some very wrong things or way too much (might Vanilla be mistaken regarding her identity or lineage?). Either way, it’s unsettling. Also, astrology on the same footing as quantum mechanics? I know, magic, fantasy, but still… Vanilla has punched people for way less than Silver did – she ended up in pajamas in his bed without knowing how or why. Still she lets him be. Does she even snap at him more than anyone else she wouldn’t want to chat with? Silver is utterly unfazed by Lin’s presence, and even lets her address Vanilla to the exclusion of everyone else… and there’s the second unexpected visitor… I’m a bit surprised that Lin should be able to bypass a magical protection that Vanilla could barely distinguish. Does that mean you have an actual plan in mind for Lin? Or are you just keeping with the game pattern of “basically impossible to outdo until the very end of the game”?

Ah. Oops. Please, don’t do that? Your first reaction at a ten-year-old experiencing massive issues due to epically messed-up parenting was “kill her for being annoying”. You’re definitely a villain. But keep working on your justifications and you could become an interesting one. How do you know that? Murder for revenge still exists (and was once an institution, known as dueling). Even though it’s illegal. Nah. This is more like a pre-emptive strike, where the ethical ground is shaky and is obviously illegal. Self-defense requires an immediate threat to your life or others, one that they cannot simply flee, and proportionate use of force. I think that in some US jurisdictions you can use lethal force to defend your home, even if you could have fled. I agree that Terra is insufferable. It still doesn’t mean she has to go. It’s not like you have to interact with her any more. I think I’d ask you to spare Amaria. This prevents you from committing three more murders (because Julia/Florinia/Titania will not take it well – Titania certainly won’t rest until she kills you), and again, it’s not like you have to interact with her. Wow. While that line of argument is seducing (and is depicted to somewhat work), I think it’s flawed. Do you know what would realistically have happened after Titania’s little tantrum? (hint: replace “Team Meteor” by “any real-life criminal organization, terrorist or not”) The trouble with violence is that it’s an escalation. And that the other side always has crazily unhinged psychos who will be ready to unleash any horror upon you or anyone you may care about. I’m not saying that “thou shalt not kill, ever, full stop” is true. I don’t disagree with your point about these heroes who pride themselves on not killing even though their nemeses just escape to wreak havoc and misery again and again. But when you shed blood – you make the other side fear you. Some (like Simon) will cower. Some might see the error of their ways. But some will escalate. Want revenge for their comrades. They’ll be driven to anything to make themselves safe from what they see as a raving lunatic slaughtering them. You can make someone else back down with violence. Not an entire criminal group that literally cannot be disrespected. Once if you start the bloodshed, there’s no putting the genie back into the box. Remember: you’re alone. They’re many, at least as motivated as you are. They’re better than you (not all of them, but enough). They’re crazier than you (same). They’re more bloodthirsty than you (same). And they only need to get lucky once. So, do you feel lucky?

It doesn’t happen onscreen. But how else can one explain Elias’s behavior when he’s in the Castle as Radomus’s butler? And honestly, what was the point of doing that anyway? Radomus could already get the Amethyst Pendant the regular way (taking it off Elias’s hypnotized body in the Citae)… @Siv Murder is still punishable by law, and Julia/Florinia would kill you if they decided that you killed Titania or Amaria. So if Titania’s death is a “stray” bullet, why not “suicide” Amaria? (In exchange for this previous advice, I would like you to spare someone else because “annoying” isn’t a reason to kill people… right?)

I don’t really want to kill anyone… especially not any of our “allies” even if they are being murderous or simply evil at some point… killing is wrong, isn’t it? And it leads to some people hurting about it (not just the ones to end up dead). This does not include the wish to sic Saphira on Sirius or Connal, or the inhabitants of Ametrine on Blake – these [REDACTED] would totally have had it coming. Still, I think it acceptable to kill off Lin and Terra. It’s not that I hate them – it’s because without them, Team Meteor basically falls. And their most heinous members can then get their comeuppance. And after the Meteors are no longer a threat, we can: ground Bennett for his actions with them – he’ll resent that more than anything else come up with a suitable punishment for Fern jail Radomus for what he did to Elias (also for flaunting that he knew everything going on and we didn’t – thus endangering Luna and Cain) get Amaria some therapy (ECT might work for her, ironically) “discuss” the ethics of murdering Meteors with Saphira and Titania.

Are you sure about that? Gabriel just went above and beyond to rescue Charlotte from an awful place. Whereas each time he worked with Amaria, Gabriel got out in a far better state than she did. But I will be merciful… after all, no more Gabriel means no more story, right? That’s underestimating Saphira’s power. She’s going to Hyper Beam them to orbit instead. Yes, Noel doesn’t have it easy, does he? I think I can only answer all this comment by “Read the next chapters to find out!” Or, I assume, wait until I finally get back to 1) finishing that >@$!?#%*!< chapter 55 that I seem to be plain unable to write 2) having a little more certainty on the next plot points 3) growing back my now-inexistant buffer Sigh…

Oh dear... I worry that it says something about me that I didn't even consider it to be a sad chapter. For Noel: I think he's supposed to be “on the spectrum”, which implies that he can tend to think or react differently. As he's (when he speaks) pretty pragmatic and unemotional, I thought it was in character for him to view this ordeal as a price to pay -- and, all things considered, one he would be willing to. That doesn't mean that he won't suffer emotional consequences from everything that happened... perhaps they'll just take longer to appear or be deeper. I'm not exactly sure how or when, though. I just hope I'm not getting him utterly wrong. As for Saphira: this is going to be so fine... there's absolutely no need to worry... This Sigmund is a little bit milder... I haven't settled on that yet. In canon, the children are rather well-adjusted: Saphira and Charlotte hate the guy and the others find him scary, which is rather superficial as far as psychology is concerned. So I think the Orphanage issues will be overshadowed by some more specific ones to each: Saphira and Charlotte have some sort of anger issues, Laura has something that may already be noticeable, and I'm not entirely sure about Heather (though canon is probably sound), Shelly (we'll see how this goes), Anna and Noel (I'm least sure about them tbf). Thank you! I don't know how much of this is true in the real world. I guess that corruption happens even in first-world big cities. But here, I thought that everything should be up to eleven: how many people actually believe Reborn City can be fixed rather than live on out of inertia or "base" hedonism (and unwillingness to lay down and die)? Everyone else is, on some level, a cynic. Some of them don't actually care (or don't realize deep-down what is on the verge of happening) and are in it for the money and the connections -- they're the greedy (or the corrupt for those who go to extra lengths). And of course, there has to be a good dose of incompetence because it's really unbelievable that Blacksteam could operate so long with a PULSE inside it. And yes, of course, the burden is on everyone else. But I don't see Ame snapping. She's far too aware of how important she is, has too much experience to lose her cool at important moments. And I guess she has people she can confide in (I suppose that voicing one's frustration at someone like Florinia, who will not react, can control it).

Hey! I hope you're all doing well. This is the 128th post, an amazing number -- thank you to all of you who helped me keep making progress! I've had an idea for the story in the past few days, for a little difference in the plot... but I don't know if it's a good one, because it's, well, different, in ways I'm not sure I fully understand. Its climax isn't happening before 10 chapters at the very least, but I don't have a good idea of the specifics of what happens until then... and I have very little idea of whether it can have a noncontrived satisfactory resolution. I suppose it's better since it involves more "moving pieces", but, still... I wish I didn't have to decide on that soon, but I feel like I sort of do... Anyway. A new chapter is here, and we'll be taking a little rest from the action and the overall madness. So it's a little self-reflection, and there's another glimpse of a character we haven't heard of in some 20 chapters... To be fully honest, that's a chapter whose idea I stumbled upon as I was writing the former one (so 53), and... I didn't realize I wanted this written that badly. It may be one of the chapters I've managed to write the fastest. As usual, I appreciate any feedback that you may give -- a reaction here or on the Discord announcement, a comment (wait am I watching youtube too much these days) -- including if it's about an older chapter because that's what you're currently reading. Enjoy! I just remembered: the chapters contains spoilers for Prisoner of Azkaban and some background information from pre-1945 Potterverse history that I don't think is a real spoiler. But if you want to discover everything about Harry Potter by yourself, you should start reading after the first star. I just remembered bis: there is a mention of a "day of the week" information in this chapter. I thought I had included some in earlier chapters, but I can't see it at all. If you remember or can find one, please comment. If it contradicts the information given in this chapter, it's not too bad either (but I kind of like when everything is consistent so I would really like to know). Chapter 54: After Hours