[[CW] Alisa: Reborn Anew [Feedback]]

So. Hi. Unintentional double post here, which I will take my chance to correct via a chapter update/personal check in. I've noticed that there are some of you (ah, you know who you are) who for some reason or another, do not see fit to give any of the feedback and/or content critique that I had previously requested. That's somewhat disappointing, but it's okay. Your views still matter to me. If there is anything that you'd particularly like to see in any of my upcoming chapters, you know how and where to reach me on this site. I'll be sure to implement any proposed additions that you may yet provide to me. I pray that you do so if you feel the urge to do so. Until then, I'll nurture my writing craft and writing talent and hone it via revisions and uploads upon this smashing website. Later, losers 

 

Valyrian_Reforged.

[Pokemon Fan Game Recommendations [Community WIP]]

Pokemon Fangame Recommendation Update: Here are some fangames that I had seen get recommended within Best Pokemon Fangames lists thanks to PokeTubers.

 

Please do research them and if they sound like they might be worth a playthrough to you and/or to your friends, etcetera, feel free to experience them for yourself. I do hope that this will not be considered a double post. If so, I do not mean for it to and I can edit this information into my previous post if need be. :)

 

• POKEMON Amethyst

• POKEMON Alchemist

• POKEMON Bushido

• POKEMON Empire

• POKEMON Enigma

• POKEMON Infinity

• POKEMON Jade

• POKEMON Melanite

• POKEMON Nightmare

• POKEMON Nightshade

• POKEMON Paradox

• POKEMON Parallax

• POKEMON Postscriptum

• POKEMON Raptor Ex

• POKEMON Royal

• POKEMON Unbreakable

• POKEMON Vengeance

[The Odd One Out -- A Reborn Story]

On 9/19/2021 at 4:30 AM, Mindlack said:

Good evening! I hope you're all doing well. 

 

It's been a little while, and I had expected to be able to make progress in the story in the past two weeks... But I haven't, much. Summer break is over, and I am now studying with a vengeance (and some impressively irregular hours). So instead I worried about the next fights in game (Serra, Sirius/Sigmund, Steelix, Abra, Noel), tried to plan for them and got the important details wrong -- but never mind. 

 

I'd like to say that the information I've given in my two previous posts isn't entirely canon. They're how I view things at first, but I haven't thought them fully through. But they look consistent enough. 

 

Valyrian -- these are some interesting remarks on food. That may explain why I'm always wary of eating around a US college, when I go there. 

 

Valyrian, regarding the contents of Part 1: well, in the stories I had seen, I had thought the devastation and the challenge level somewhat understated, with the PULSEs looking like early game bosses. But it didn't fit with my vision of the things -- they're literal bioweapons, engines of destruction wreaking havoc on huge areas. In my view, Gabriel isn't (at least at that point -- all bets are off for the late game) the golden hero that will always win effortlessly, so really the question was more: how could it not be a struggle of life or death? 

 

I'm glad I was able to convey all this. 

 

 

Anyway, we're moving on, with another very long chapter, with a title that may or may not be one of the most appropriate ones in the story. It has a lot of dialog that I'm not sure I got quite right, but I suppose that is part of an author's occupational hazards. Also, an offhand comment from about a year ago gets finally fully explained. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Chapter 57: Psy Ops

 

  Reveal hidden contents

I found my right leg, the one farther from the entrance of the cave, wet when I woke up after an uneasy sleep. Really wet, almost as if someone had thrown a bucket of water at it. I sat up uneasily, my sight blurry after I turned my headlight on, before I managed to make out a vague, slimy, turquoise shape.

 

I shut my eyes, and then opened them again. No, I was probably not dreaming this time. Not because I could pinch myself, but because I could clear-sightedly think about it. My right knee was indeed the teddy bear of a snoring blue Shellos.

 

It had stopped raining outside, but it was still very dark. I had probably only had a few hours of sleep. In case I had to stay outside for another night, I didn't want to use up the lights too fast. I yawned. Perhaps I could manage another few hours of sleep, despite the lack of comfort of my position, due to the rock and the way the Shellos was slowly but surely inundating me with the water oozing from its viscous body.

 

 

When I awoke for good, my entire lower body was drenched and cold, and they were my spare clothes. The Shellos was still snoring. It was just before dawn: the earth was dark, but the sky hid a shy promise of light. Soon, the day would break, and it should be much easier to find my way, realize which way is down...

 

Or, I realized, feeling deeply stupid at how obvious this solution was, I could just have Batley fly around to find the best path. But to do that, I would have to get up, which meant disturbing the peacefully sleeping Shellos. I found this, to my own surprise, difficult to do. Even though I knew -- I felt -- that it was rather gross, getting up wouldn't solve this, and would just inconvenience the little Pokemon.

 

I sat and waited for a while, watching the dark sky get slowly lighter, before I decided to get ready. So I -- still trying to move my leg as little as possible -- dragged my bag nearer to me, drank some water, and ate a few sweets. It was unhealthy, nor did it feel really sufficient, but I couldn't afford to take more.

 

In the end, I couldn't stay much longer. Trying to be nice to a Pokemon was probably not that bad, but I had to be ready as fast as possible, lest I spent another night in the mountains. But it was still rather dark outside, and the Shellos had to have come from somewhere in the cave. It could be a good idea to explore it just a little, in case it led to an exit downstream.

 

Unfortunately, the cave, which really was more a narrow corridor, was clearly going up, and a trickle of water was running down towards the exit I knew. I found in perhaps fifteen minutes the end of the tunnel, where a thirty centimeter hole in the rock, one meter fifty above the ground, was the only way to go on. Just out of curiosity, I tried to peek through it, with my arms pushing the headlight inside so that I could have a better look.

 

The air in front of the hole was noticeably hotter, and the room was very foggy. Some of its surface seemed to be shining, as if it were wet. A warm spring of water? I had seen stranger sights. I realized dimly that the room itself was already warmer than it should be. But it wasn't immediately useful (and the water was probably not even drinkable), so I retraced my steps.

 

"Los!"

 

The Shellos seemed to be interested by the hot water too. Otherwise, why would it have woken up so quickly and dragged itself about halfway up the tunnel in its direction? But it wouldn't be able to reach it... and I was in a hurry. I went past the aquatic Pokemon.

 

"Los! Los!" it insisted.

 

I turned back. The Shellos was making a U-turn. Could it be more interested in me than in the geyser? Would I have to feed it, play with it? Could I refuse to? Would I lose more time again? The Shellos was coming back towards me and I wasn't entirely sure what to do, except avoid getting wet again -- so I was slowly taking steps back.

 

"Los! Los! Los!" it accelerated towards me again.

 

"You want to come with me?" I found myself muttering, unable to believe it.

 

"Los! Los!" it sounded pretty enthusiastic about that, too.

 

That made everything simpler. I presented it a Pokeball... and I had my first very own Water-type. Seeing where I had found it, finding a nickname was easy.

 

 

And then I walked out of the cave into the cool, humid morning, ready for a long walk. I took another Pokeball, and sent out Batley.

 

"Can you find a way to the town that should be around there?" I asked her, pointing in the direction of the low sun, since Spinel Town was supposed to be eastwards.

 

The bat Pokemon took off, and I watched her soar higher and higher, turning around me in an ever widening circle. I couldn't help but think that it was deliverance, ascension, the happy end of it all... That I was free at last. The dream didn't last for long, of course. Little in my situation had actually changed, but the tiny spark of optimism felt good.

 

Batley came back perhaps ten or fifteen minutes later, having found a path, and I followed her guidance down the mountain. Neither the muddy earth, nor the slippery stones would hinder me any more. I followed my Pokemon's lead through narrow, twisted, sinuous, muddy paths, disregarding my legs' complaints at the changes in altitude, at the consistent unsteadiness of the footing. It was taking a long time, but I knew -- I trusted, at the very least -- that I was in the right direction, and I couldn't stop. Not yet. Safety was not at the next step, not in the next hundred steps, nor even the next thousand, but it would be there eventually.

 

After perhaps two hours and a half, my surroundings didn't look mountainous any more. I was in a flat brown forest of mud and sparse leafless trees. Even better, what I was treading on looked clearly like a path, albeit a narrow one, that might lead straight to a town. I could have taken a break for lunch, but whatever sweets I had left would probably be better as a snack for another time.

 

And, walking briskly, I saw ahead of me someone in a beige overcoat that came down below their knees. They looked rather unremarkable, except for their hood and their very particular gait, not really slow but rather grave, as if each step had a deep significance that they did not want to undignify by rushing. I slowed down for a while, waiting for a time when the path would be large enough for me to walk past them without risking to slip. But soon enough, I decided to pass before them anyway, as they were slower.

 

So I pushed left, slightly straying from the path, and went on walking, knowing that soon enough I would distance them, and then I would be able to get back on track.

 

It didn't happen that way. One second I was walking in a deep mud puddle, and the next one I had lost my balance and fell headfirst on the more solid path.

 

Twenty meters in front of the other man, I realized dizzily. How on earth could I cover so much distance in so tiny an amount of time? My right knee had hit the ground harder than everything else, and I guessed that I would have a nice wound to disinfect. At least when I decided to keep some first aid in my bag.

 

My bag!

 

I didn't have it on my shoulders any more. I pushed the ground away, managed to stand with only some sharp pain in my right knee, and looked around.

 

The bag was perhaps fifty meters behind me. On the left of the path. What?

 

"Are you all right?" the other person had caught up to me now. He was an older man, easily over fifty, and his deep voice sounded as steady as the earth itself -- if not more, given what had just happened.

 

"I'm fine, thank you." I mumbled, shaking my head. "Excuse me, I need to get my bag..."

 

I glanced towards the point where I had just seen my bag. But it wasn't there any more.

 

What?

 

"Is it not right there?" the man pointed somewhere in front of us.

 

Indeed, there it was. At a place where I was sure I had never set foot. It was just too much in front of us. Perhaps Batley had put it there, but this looked unlikely due to the bag's weight.

 

But the bag couldn't have teleported, right?

 

I repressed an urge to get out from this place as fast as I could.

 

"I heard that Chrysolia Forest has seen some strange occurrences in the previous days." the man said gravely. "But I did not expect to see them myself."

 

And then he started muttering with his head lowered, and, after watching for a few seconds, I hurried to grab my bag back before, however incongruous it sounded, it managed to elude me again. I winced a little bit after noticing that it had landed in the mud and that I yet had to carry it. But it didn't matter too much. I had to go on.

 

"So, are you going to Spinel Town?" the man had caught up to me again and stopped muttering. He looked around, and his gaze settled on the Swoobat. "You must be a Trainer, then?"

 

"Yes, I am." I answered uneasily. I wasn't sure why I wasn't at ease. Maybe there was something too intense about the man. I certainly couldn't sustain the gaze of his inquisitive, piercing light blue eyes. "And you?"

 

"I am," he replied, his voice solemn, "a servant of the Lord Arceus."

 

 

So, a priest? I supposed some people had to play that role, although I struggled to understand how they managed to stay that way, since, even on my more delusional days, I barely managed to convince myself that such an entity as a Lord could exist.

 

"And you are going to Spinel Town too?" I replied, trying to drown my inner voices' argument about tradition versus logic in the noise of physical voices.

 

"Yes." he answered, starting to move forward. I followed him automatically, staying barely behind. "But I walk there for a duty as sacred to me as my service, yet very distinct. If you are a Trainer, surely you must know a Gym Leader named Luna?"

 

"Er..." I racked my brains, taken aback at the sudden question. There was Luna Lovegood, of course, but I decided that it wasn't the one. First, because she was fictional, and second, because her father was not a priest. "No. I don't have many Badges."

 

"But, the Lord willing, you will." he answered. "Luna is my daughter." he explained gravely. "She has lost the Lord's light. People that she could not know better than call 'friends' swayed her towards a path of darkness. A year ago, she denounced me as her father and disappeared. I have been trying to find her ever since. Since then, I have not spent a day when I did not pray for her soul and for her safety. But if it pleases the Lord to put me to the test, I will bear the burdens that He has chosen for me."

 

Ah.

 

"And you think that she is in Spinel Town?"

 

"In truth, I do not know. I heard that she has been spotted there several months ago, but it may simply be false. But the League management has refused to help me in my search, so I am trying to talk directly to the Gym Leaders who I believe will be willing to talk to her."

 

"The League management refused to help you?" I reacted, surprised.

 

Or perhaps it was to be expected. After all, the daughter was affiliated with the League, not the father. Of course they would take her side, or at least not out her whereabouts against her will. The League and Reborn City had certainly their share of issues, but none of these seemed to include siding with an outsider against one of their members. Explicitly, at least, I mentally corrected, the entire Orphanage business coming back to mind. But I still felt surprisingly sad for the father who saw an organization deny him knowledge of his daughter's activities.

 

"Many of the people I talk to were sympathetic to my plight." El explained. "But there are those, more vocal, that hold the view that I am a relic past his time, that I and everything I stand for, everything that I deem important, are doomed to disappear -- even that such a prospect is to be encouraged. It is their right to believe so, but I did not expect..."

 

As he was speaking, his head turned slightly backwards, a tree materialized perhaps two meters in front of us. I blinked, unable to believe my eyes. Batley shrieked. El froze, made a few hand gestures, and muttered something.

 

"I did not expect," he repeated himself, still calm and solemn, "their enmity to be so merciless."

 

"What is happening here?" I muttered.

 

He turned fully towards me, eying me, then Batley. "You should recall your Swoobat... what is your name?"

 

"Gabriel."

 

"Gabriel, your Swoobat looks tired. You should recall her for a bit. These Pokemon do not care much for daylight."

 

"Batley!" I called. The Psychic Pokemon came back towards me. "Thank you for all you did. You can rest, if you want."

 

Batley took the offer gracefully.

 

"You know Pokemon, too?" I asked El.

 

"A little." he replied. "My life has been eventful."

 

"I am sorry this happened to you." I said. "About your daughter. It's... so sad. A flight of a year, without hearing about her..." I cut myself off, as I was imagining the anguish of a father who had no news of his child for months...

 

Exactly what I was doing to my family, of course. Although on a shorter time-scale, but worse odds of survival.

I felt the tears well up.

Stupid Gabriel. No point in crying.

 

"So what do you think happened with this tree?" I asked, forcing myself to change the topic. "It just appeared out of thin air."

 

"This is most concerning, indeed." my companion replied gravely. "I do not know what could produce such effects. Perhaps a powerful psychic Pokemon might manage it, but it should have been close enough for us to see it. A more plausible alternative would be that a more mischievous Pokemon decided to hide the tree from our sight, until we were too close to be fooled."

 

An invisible, powerful psychic Pokemon that tried to play tricks on us? Three times now -- me, my bag and the tree? I was not sure I was very fond of this.

 

I walked on, my eyes trying to be alert for any kind of suspect behavior in our surroundings, but it seemed very quiet. So if this really happened, it had to be done at long range.

 

So, a hugely powerful Pokemon with long-range effects...

Oh no. Hell no.

 

This sounded a lot like another PULSE. But if so, then it was frightfully inefficient. Instead of putting trees on our paths, it could have flung them at us. Instead of moving me fifty meters to meet this man, it could have moved me a hundred meters above ground, to plummet to my gory death.

 

Because if it was a PULSE, it was Team Meteor. Again.

And they wanted me dead. And I was all alone.

 

But, since the psychic things were far less deadly than they should have been, wasn't this a clue that this wasn't a PULSE?

 

Then again, Team Meteor stuff had always had an odd -- but overall not that unpleasant -- propensity to fail to kill me, even though I was entirely at their mercy. But, even without that, there really had to be a lot of things one could do with PULSEs, if the goal was to drive everyone outside.

 

And some of them had to be far more effective than so temporary and overt a plant invasion...

 

"By the way," I switched topic again, wishing to end this trail of thought, "I didn't ask your name."

 

"I am named El." he answered.

 

Like the suffix of so many of these first names, rooted in ancient faiths and languages. Rather appropriate for a priest, except perhaps for the implied hubris, which wasn't his fault.

 

"Do you work in Reborn City?" I asked after a while, wishing the conversation to go on. It wasn't like I had many people to talk with these days.

 

"It is there indeed that I serve according to my calling."

 

"That has to be difficult." The objection came naturally to mind. "The city is in a terrible state, isn't it?"

 

 

"The Lord has indeed decided to test Reborn City." El answered, his voice lower and sad. "But His message is never so loud as in such a situation. Indeed, my very flock is made with people who escaped dreadful lives. They were stuck in empty violence, working for gangs who stole their possessions, their hopes and their souls. But I was able to show them a path to an unwavering light. Even then, it is not easy, and I wish every day that I could do more, convince more of them to leave the dog-eat-dog world where they roam and struggle to turn a blind eye to their own blemishes. But I am glad for every man and woman whom I can bring to listen to their conscience and save from their own degradation."

 

I didn't find anything to answer to that. It was, indeed, a worthwhile endeavor to try and convert members of gangs. It had to do some good, certainly. But given the situation of the whole City, this felt like a drop in the ocean. Even if they went from muggers to the most perfectly honest of people, how much would the overall well-being of the city improve? Not by very much. Although, of course, it would be better for them specifically.

 

But whether Reborn City rotted or recovered -- it wouldn't be decided by a hundred low-level mobsters turning into paragons. Not even, in all likelihood, by the kind of people that would dedicate their lives to such a task.

 

My heart was too heavy, too worried about the future to applaud El's efforts, and I didn't feel like acting skeptic, because I was far from his level of positive impact myself. So instead I shut up and tried to come to terms with the anxious realization that Reborn City's life -- and therefore, my own fate -- depended from nothing I could even legibly act upon.

 

But of course, in that train of thought lay an unpleasant answer. Perhaps Reborn City's recovery wouldn't indeed be decided by the men who spent their lives helping gang members back on the straight and narrow. But it was certainly hampered by anyone who thought like this -- that actions such as El's didn't actually matter. Myself included. I should have expected it -- acting or not, thinking or not, nothing good ever came from it as long as it wasn't as it wasn't as clear as a math problem.

 

That wasn't a grim thought or anything. Just fact. All that mattered was what I did with it.

 

El did not mind the silence either and made no effort to break it. We walked in silence another half hour until we finally reached Spinel Town.

 

 

"Well," El concluded, "I believe this is where our roads part, for now. I will see the Gym Leader, Serra Voclain. The Gym is located near her house, northeast of the town. But the Pokemon Center is in this way," he pointed westwards. "May the Lord smile upon your endeavors."

 

I thought of all that I had done lately. This didn't sound plausible.

 

"Good luck too." I waved at him as he left.

 

 

                                                                                              *

 

On the previous night:

 

Lost in thought, Noel was looking through the window, admiring how the lamps of the living room could not light the depth of the black night, not even enough to see the rain drops that he could definitely hear.

 

The dinner had been fantastic. Laura had definitely learnt a lot about cooking in the few months after she had managed to get out of the Orphanage. She had offered to teach Saphira a few things, but she had been met with a stern refusal.

 

"My cooking may be simplistic," she had replied, "but it's fast and good enough for me."

 

Everyone had been in a cheerful mood. Or more precisely, the Belroses and Cain had been in an excellent mood, Anna was spectacularly managing to put a smile on Shelly's face by telling her stories more and more ridiculous about the life at the Orphanage, now not a place of dread but a relic of a remote past, a little accident of history to be drowned into laughter. He had even caught Heather managing a smile. He had put a polite smile on, tried to not wince when he was the butt of Anna's stories, and listened, trying to find some sense in the talk.

 

They were drunk on their own happiness, all of them, he thought. Not thinking of what they could really do, which was very little since only three of them had Pokemon. He, Anna, Charlotte, Heather, and Shelly too, they would have to resign from the League, since they didn't have Pokemon any more. Ame would be devastated. Five standing League members, not to mention the Elite Four!

 

And he could think of someone who didn't share the ambiant happiness, someone who had been involved in every recent development of the story and yet couldn't enjoy its mostly happy conclusion. He had seen through the window in a sleepy haze that Saphira had left with him, and Laura had taken his things away from the house. Given how heavily it was raining and empty these parts were -- Laura had shown him a map, knowing he liked them -- he wasn't too sure what to wish for.

 

And, the excitement falling, the sleepless nights catching up with everyone but Laura -- who was rigid about her lifestyle and especially her sleep schedule -- and Saphira -- who wasn't as orderly but wasn't tired either -- they had all gone to bed, happy, warm and fed, and Laura and Saphira were wishing good night to everyone else...

 

He had slept so late already that he didn't feel tired. But he didn't have much to amuse himself. Perhaps Laura had paper and pencils for drawings.

 

"It is late, Noel," Laura commented when she climbed down the stairs. "Will you not sleep?"

 

"I'm not tired, Laura." he answered.

 

She glanced at the window he was standing close to. Not even the rain was visible in the darkness. She knew that the boy had something in mind.

 

"Noel," she began. "Is something the matter? You look lost."

 

"I was wondering..." he began hesitantly, then took a deep breath and winced a little, before asking the question. "What happened to Gabriel?"

 

"He wanted to go to the Spinel Gym." Laura answered, her tone cautious. "He wanted to go on with the League. And we asked him to order some flour, because my reserves for the bread are low."

 

Noel studied her.

 

"I don't believe you, Laura. Why did you pack his bag instead of him? Why did Saphira give him a lift without even his bag ready?"

 

"And what about the note that you wrote?" Laura quipped back, looking at the boy straight in the eye. Saphira had not had time to give her the full rundown yet, but she trusted her sister's judgement. After all, she had met many more people of all kinds than her.

 

"The note?" Noel asked automatically.

 

"Please do not attempt to play the innocent." the Elite Four member replied levelly. "Cain said Gabriel had been given a note. One with a ciphered text and a drawing. Who else would have done that but you?"

 

"You're counting your words again, Laura." Noel sighed.

 

"How is that any relevant to our topic? It is late to worry about Gabriel, Noel. Since you lied to bring him into this."

 

And then Noel changed. His childlike face, his thin features, hardened. Bitterness filled his usually observant, curious black eyes, and they started to shine a little. Laura wasn't looking at a child any more. She was looking at an old general, who had ordered a thousand battles and sent millions of men to die.

 

"I had to." Noel whispered, his voice hoarse. "I had no choice."

 

Laura stared at him, waiting for him to explain himself. She was over eighteen, while the boy was barely twelve, but she had enjoyed spending time at the Orphanage with him. He was sensible, mature enough, not too overwhelming. They had made drawings together, learnt from each other's styles. She had taught him chess and they fondly played, his progress mostly matching hers despite the age difference.

 

Above all, he was simple to deal with: if you offered to do with him an activity that he liked, he would agree, gladly participate in his own quiet way. If not, maybe next time -- in the meantime, he was not going to beg for your attention, because he could keep himself busy. Always an even temper, not joyous but not really sad either.

 

And in the long time she had spent with Noel, seeing him grow, she had never seen him in this state. Apart from that time, perhaps two years ago now, he had always been very calm, almost detached. Always halfway in a world of his own, but never so much as to miss anything interesting. That -- that was not the Noel she knew. She motioned at him to go on. He stared at her for a while, making a visible effort to regain his composure, but it was impossible to him when Laura was staring intently at him.

 

 

"I did it for Anna. For Charlotte too, I suppose." he managed in a mutter. "I couldn't stand her attending her... therapy... day after day... It never worked. It never will! And I couldn't let her suffer... every day for something so pointless."

 

"But why involve this Gabriel of all people?"

 

Noel took a deep breath, tried to steady his voice, but all he managed to do was to speak less loud, more uncertain.

 

"I'm usually interested in hearing stories from the Onyx Trainer School," Noel explained, "and one intern at the Orphanage has a sister there. He told me that this Fern, who is apparently running the student body around, had decided to ban a certain challenger from entering the Gym. So she was discussing the latest math homework with friends when this challenger turns up and very politely offers to help them if they let him enter the Gym."

 

"This challenger was Gabriel, if I understand correctly?"

 

"Yes, that was him. He made good on his promise, too. That was a pretty hard problem, apparently, and they say he solved it like it was easy. She said he looked transformed... he was nervous, uncertain, and then he was really glad to do the math, completely at ease. And then, two days after I hear the story, there's this... young man... to whom Anna opens the door of the Orphanage... and then he claims he represents someone who's interested in Heather."

 

"Are you still referring to Gabriel like that?"

 

"Yes." Noel confirmed. "But you had to be there, Laura. He was pretty nice, not, you know, trying to. Sincere. And he needed the door opened to him... he didn't have an appointment. He looked nervous, too. And you should have seen his face when Anna started trying to prevent him from seeing the Doctor. It was obvious, just looking at him, that the speech was a pretense, but the purpose was sincere. He had given his name, and James -- the intern -- had described him for me -- for the story, you know -- and I decided that it had to be the same person. And... I decided I could trust him."

 

He chuckled sadly.

 

"So I deceived him. Of course."

 

"Did you have to write a coded message?"

 

"I was worried that it would backfire if I didn't do it." he sniffed. Tears were running from his eyes, now more open than any time before. He couldn't bear to face Laura's disapproving look, and he lowered his eyes. "Plus, I thought it added some authenticity. Especially for someone who loved math -- he would relish the challenge, trust its outcome." Noel's sob was a full shudder.

 

"I hated it." he added in a sad mutter. "I hated lying to him. You know that I don't like lying at all. It was a wretched idea with worse consequences, but I would do it again if I had to. But... are you... are you going to tell them? Cain, Shelly, who did a lot to try and help us... Shelly was taken like us too... will you tell them that I lied to get them involved?"

 

Laura eyed him. Noel was looking miserably at the night, dreading to catch her eye, focused on the sound of the pouring rain outside.

 

"I understand very well what you are saying." Laura said softly after a long silence. "Saphira will figure it out if she needs. Cain, Shelly or Gabriel, I would think not. I will not disclose what you did, Noel."

 

 

 

Character rates:

  Reveal hidden contents

El: 7/10. Apparently pretty decent. And such a sad story...

 

 

Hi, Mindlack,

 

Thank you for your insights. I shall continue to read this fanfiction and see where Gabriel's journey will lead him. I like how realistic your take upon Gabriel's Pokemon journey is. The main games do not take into account how much or how little the protagonist may or may not want to step in and save the Pokemon world/s.

 

They simply thrust the protagonist headlong into the adventure, danger and drama in spectacular fashion because of their own belief that this is the right thing to do for all and by all. This is what makes Gabriel's reluctance logical, reasonable and understandable, in my opinion.

 

I agree about the Chapter 1 events being understated. I really enjoyed reading about the devastation (that the world wasn't protected from xD) that had been wrought upon the wards and your colourful usage of words such as malignant flora and fauna.

 

You made great use of the world that had been built within Reborn and had fleshed it out magnificently so that it read cleanly and eloquently off the pages to great effect.

 

I had been understandably engrossed within your turns of phrase and by your battles themselves that by chapter's end, I had felt more than somewhat at a loss, yet eager to read more of your work. I have alot to catch up upon in regard to my readthrough of this work of yours, but I do not see my having to catch up at all a chore.

 

In regard to the lateness of your updates, worry not - life delays the rest and the best of us and I imagine that I won't be the first among the fans and the readers of your written works to say that writing as great as your own is well worth the wait.

 

It's easy to feel as though you may have let your audience down via your time away from your keyboard. Know that you have not done so and that you could not do so. Keep up the fantastic work - I'm cheering you from the sidelines, my writer friend.

 

Apologies for my late response. I appreciate your reply. :)

[[CW] Jester: Reborn [Feedback]]

Oh, my Lords Arceus, Helix and the like,

 

Hello, all, and apologies for my abscence. Life has been a Whirlwind for me as of late, which has necessitated my taking time out to myself and for myself. I assure you all that I am doing well and refocusing alot less upon fangames that I need to play (I am focusing solely upon the ones that I am writing about here, instead), as this will result within less stress about meeting self-imposed deadlines and more chill time to write and post my story content in a timely yet relaxed manner and method. In my defence, I have been afk up until today.

 

*

 

EDIT: I will now write and post Chapter Four asap, starting from tomorrow, my time. (Fri 24/09/21). I will edit it here upon its completion. OK, so I have decided to focus my attentions upon each of these fanfiction works, but one at a time. I will complete Alisa, then Alto and only then will I complete Jester, then Myriad. I had been focusing upon posting one chapter for each and splitting my attention between them before now, but I have to do what's right for me. If this will require a story repost for Alto, Myriad and/or Jester, then I request permission to repost them (I don't know how and/or if posts that don't get updated regularly would then get archived or not.)

[[CW] Alto: Radical Rejuvenation [Feedback]]

Oh, my Lords Arceus, Helix and the like,

 

Hello, all, and apologies for my abscence. Life has been a Whirlwind for me as of late, which has necessitated my taking time out to myself and for myself. I assure you all that I am doing well and refocusing alot less upon fangames that I need to play (I am focusing solely upon the ones that I am writing about here, instead), as this will result within less stress about meeting self-imposed deadlines and more chill time to write and post my story content in a timely yet relaxed manner and method. In my defence, I have been afk up until today.

 

*

 

EDIT: I will now write and post Chapter Four asap, starting from tomorrow, my time. (Fri 24/09/21). I will edit it here upon its completion. OK, so I have decided to focus my attentions upon each of these fanfiction works, but one at a time. I will complete Alisa, then Alto and only then will I complete Jester, then Myriad. I had been focusing upon posting one chapter for each and splitting my attention between them before now, but I have to do what's right for me. If this will require a story repost for Alto, Myriad and/or Jester, then I request permission to repost them (I don't know how and/or if posts that don't get updated regularly would then get archived or not.)

[[CW] Myriad: Desolation [Feedback]]

Oh, my Lords Arceus, Helix and the like,

 

Hello, all, and apologies for my abscence. Life has been a Whirlwind for me as of late, which has necessitated my taking time out to myself and for myself. I assure you all that I am doing well and refocusing alot less upon fangames that I need to play (I am focusing solely upon the ones that I am writing about here, instead), as this will result within less stress about meeting self-imposed deadlines and more chill time to write and post my story content in a timely yet relaxed manner and method. In my defence, I have been afk up until today.

 

*

 

EDIT: I will now write and post Chapter Four asap, starting from tomorrow, my time. (Fri 24/09/21). I will edit it here upon its completion. OK, so I have decided to focus my attentions upon each of these fanfiction works, but one at a time. I will complete Alisa, then Alto and only then will I complete Jester, then Myriad. I had been focusing upon posting one chapter for each and splitting my attention between them before now, but I have to do what's right for me. If this will require a story repost for Alto, Myriad and/or Jester, then I request permission to repost them (I don't know how and/or if posts that don't get updated regularly would then get archived or not.)

[[CW] Myriad: Desolation [Feedback]]

Hey. So, just a bit of a progress update before I post my next Myriad chapter. Not to worry, I haven't given up upon this fanfic. I have simply been caught up with the usual day to day tasks and responsibilities. Thank you for sticking by me with your views - it means alot to me to have your continued creative support. Admittedly, I have been sidetracked lately by the Sucker Punch-es of the whims of Fate and of life, as well as with certain Pokemon fangames (why must you be so darned addictive, fangames? xD) and Let's Plays. In any case, it's been on my mind to keep you all in the loop in regard to my writing here. Please consider yourself/ves looped in.

 

How am I doing thus far? Please let me know what you think of my Myriad fanfic if you feel inclined to do so.

[[CW] Alisa: Reborn Anew [Feedback]]

Hey. So, just a bit of a progress update before I post my next Alisa chapter. Not to worry, I haven't given up upon this firecracker of a fanfic. I have simply been caught up with the usual day to day tasks and responsibilities. Thank you for sticking by me with your views and with your feedback, Mindlack - it means alot to me to have your continued creative support.

 

Admittedly, I have been sidetracked lately by the Sucker Punch-es of the whims of Fate and of life, as well as with certain Pokemon fangames (why must you be so darned addictive, fangames? xD) and Let's Plays. In any case, it's been on my mind to keep you all in the loop in regard to my writing here. Please consider yourself/ves looped in.

 

How am I doing thus far? Please let me know what you think of my Alisa fanfic if you feel inclined to do so.

 

*

 

Oh, my Lords Arceus, Helix and the like,

 

Hello, all, and apologies for my abscence. Life has been a Whirlwind for me as of late, which has necessitated my taking time out to myself and for myself. I assure you all that I am doing well and refocusing alot less upon fangames that I need to play (I am focusing solely upon the ones that I am writing about here, instead), as this will result within less stress about meeting self-imposed deadlines and more chill time to write and post my story content in a timely yet relaxed manner and method. In my defence, I have been afk up until today.

 

*

 

EDIT: I will now write and post Chapter Five asap, starting from tomorrow, my time. (Fri 24/09/21). I will edit it here upon its completion.

 

*

 

Chapter Five: The Will and the Won't

 

I have Pokemon to save, was Alisa's first thought. Upon emerging from her shower this morning, Alisa followed her train of thought to its logical conclusion. Pokemon to save, as well as this Region. If I don't do it, who will? I have the autonomy that most do not. I have the will and the resources. In addition to these, I have the inner reserves of a Champion to be. I can- and I will - do this. Sliding the shower door closed behind her, Alisa toweled off and began to get dressed.

 

Today was nondescript black clothing day. Her outfit consisted of a streamlined black Nike hoodie with silver satin interiour lining, as well as crisply pressed black silk underclothing and jeans. Black cotton socks of the Egyptian variety and black, silver shoe-laced Nikes encapsulated her outfit within a microcosm of perfection. Once she was clothed, Alisa sank into a catlike crouch, pulled on her black Nikes, and began to lace them up. Her SilphCo running shoes were still in her backpack.

 

No-one had ever asked her about her thoughts upon this save the world matter, Alisa mused. No-one had thought to ascertain her stance upon anything, truth be told. No, they had just expected her to go along with their region-rescue and Pokemon-rescue in their stead. Alisa imagined the supreme indolence that surely must, even now, be reflected within the stance of one and of many. She imagined the pitiless horde peering out through grimy appartment windows, ungluing themselves from their TV screens to gawk at Alisa, unabashed, as she passed them. She imagined the look of resolve upon her face. This, combined with the purpose within her swift yet economical movements, would serve to lower their self-estimation and lift her within their sense of awe and personal lack.

 

She would be the heroine that this region needed, but had not asked for.

 

The Pokemon that she was set upon saving? They had belonged to Corey. Alisa clicked her tongue, disgruntled, as she laced up the silver satin shoelaces of her Nikes. She hadn't been able to save him. This left her with lingering remnants of caustic unforgiveness of herself. Her heart still went out to Heather. The young girl talked a big game, but Alisa sensed that there was more to the tormented ten year old than met the eyes. Alisa suspected that Heather would always wonder why she hadn't been worthy enough, within her father's estimation, to be the one that he stuck around. Perhaps Heather had expected that Corey would have remained with her until the day of their deaths.

 

Cocking her head to one side as her renegade muse struck her like ten million bolts from the blue, Alisa slowly smirked. She had an idea. Brimming with reinvigorated and renewed resolve, Alisa straightened from her crouch. First things were first, though. After ensuring that she had everything that she needed to suit her various region traversal requirements, Alisa left the Great Hall's Pokemon Center suite room. Closing and locking its door behind her, Alisa checked in at the reception desk. She tried to turn in her borrowed suite key, but the Nurse Joy in residence would not accept it.

 

"For all the help you've given us, you can keep that suite," Nurse Joy said. She employed a volume and an inflection of such good cheer that Alisa thought that she could give Julia a run for her money. "But so many people could make use of it in my stead! It wouldn't be fair to those in n -," Alisa responded on autopilot, always with her thoughts towards others, rather than toward herself. "In need? Oh, we're all in need, honey. But we need to help ourselves," Nurse Joy said philosophically. Alisa's jaw dropped. Nurse Joy gave full sway to her own amusement.

 

She scrambled to close her dropped jaw before the nurse's throaty chuckling could divert the apathetic and mutinous stares of the Hall's many other occupants. Alisa was successful at this endeavour.

 

This still did not sit right with Alisa. She dithered where she stood, which only made Nurse Joy continue guffaw. Before Alisa could stop her, Nurse Joy performed a series of remarkable actions. She cut her laughter off with brute force and gently slid the key from her grip, only to attach it to an official Reborn Great Hall ID lanyard, which was minus its ID card. "Incognito mode activated," Nurse Joy said beneath her breath, as handed it back to Alisa. Accepting the gift, Alisa frowned slightly as Nurse Joy took hold of her hands.

 

Pressing Alisa's fingers softly closed around the key and lanyard, Nurse Joy held her gaze and spoke. "The world doesn't owe us anything. We owe you. Take the key. Take the suite," Nurse Joy implored. Still feeling like an extremely stunned mullet, Alisa nodded, thanked Nurse Joy and put the lanyard and suite key into her Key Items bag pocket. Alisa turned to leave.

 

"Oh, and honey? We've perfected our state of squalor and lack. You don't need to. Show our world what for. Thanks for all that you do us all," Nurse Joy called, in a brisk and peppy tone of voice that conveyed her respect and gratitude.

 

Pausing only a moment to turn back with a rueful grin and a hearty wave, Alisa pivoted toward the Center's entrance and left the Great Hall.

 

Striding swiftly and determinedly back up the nearby Hall steps, Alisa trekked back to North Obsidia Ward, then turned left and hurried up the staircase that led directly to Lapis Ward. The citizens of Reborn glowered at her from the foot of the staircase, milling about either alone or in a ragtag group of threes and fours. Everyone nearby bristled at her approach, but a look of self-pride and censure was enough to make everyone resume their conversation/s. Alisa re-entered Lapis Ward. Descending its entrance staircase, Alisa turned due left at its foot and kept moving. A long walk back to Shelly's Gym was cut in half as she jogged through the Ward, ignoring the derisive looks and exclamations of outrage as she made a zigzagging beeline around a trio of wealthy passerby.

 

"Well, I never!."

 

"Oh, stow it, Clotilde. You would have legged it and joined her if you'd been that upstart's own age!."

 

"Fiddlesticks, Cordelia, must you get my goat? I. Would. Never. Do that."

 

"In my day, Mother would have tanned my hide right proper for that gallivant," someone else interjected.

 

"No-one's gabbing to you, Cecilia!," the first two said simultaneously, turning back toward each other.

 

"Not now, you aren't, but you'll not refuse a chat around a pot of chamomile tea, should I put it on to brew."

 

At the mention of chamomile tea, Clotilde and Cordelia stopped in mid-conversation and swung to face Cecilia expectantly. "Alright, you cunning old shrews! Go on, then, join me and mine for tea and scones," Cordelia said cannily. "Cunning old - Cecilia, we're your own age!," Clotilde and Cordelia said in mock outrage. "True, but I'm the only one who actually acts our age," Cecilia said primly. The trio then set off with purpose, ribaldly needling at each other with playful shoulder-jostles, conspiratorial looks. This trio's broad smiles were continually brightened when looking at each other, only to be continually dimmed upon meeting the hostile and haughty gazes of their neighbours.

 

As Alisa threaded her way around this group, she got the sense that these three had been bickering and bantering since they had been her own age. For once, Alisa felt proud of her sixteen years of life and all that she had managed to achieve within her life. If she could gain such friends as these three seemed to have and to be to one another, then Alisa would count herself extremely fortunate indeed. The trio made their way to Cecilia's house, which was situated within a gated compound lot. Alisa decided to watch the trio from afar.

 

After keying in a code upon the keycode scanner by the compound's front entrance gate, Cecilia chivvied her friends and neighbours through the gate ahead of her. Scanning her immediate vicinity with a rapid and all-encompassing gaze, Cecilia then turned back to the keypad. She punched in the lock code, running through the gate before it could close behind her. Alisa watched the gate slide smoothly and quickly closed. Although the front gate itself was comprised of thick steel, Alisa guessed what would be occurring behind its now inscrutable and locked façade.

 

Upon rejoining her friends at the front steps of her house, Cecilia looked back up the driveway that she had hastened down before she shook her head. Upon Clotilde's and Cordelia's urging, Cecilia stepped onto the front stoop of her manor house. Unlocking her front security door, Cecilia stepped forward and unlocked her front door as Clotilde held the door open for her. In their turn, the trio entered Cecilia's house. Entering her house, Cecilia locked both doors firmly and securely closed behind them all. The uninitiated and the uninvited were not getting to Cecilia easily.

 

Upon re-entering Shelly's Gym, a short trip upstairs led Alisa to Shelly and to Victoria. "Oh, hi, Ali! So, I'm still really worried about Shelly. That man that we'd seen before Shade took him away? He'd been Heather's father," Victoria explained. Shelly looked up from the couch that she sat upon, her small elbows dug deep into the skin of her upper kneecaps. Her face was streaked liberally with ceaseless tears and she shook with visible, myriad and conflicting emotions as she stared at Alisa. "I'm fine! Tell Vicky that. My challengers are waiting for me. I've got to go now!," Shelly said vehemently. Shelly stood up quickly, but Victoria gently placed her hands upon the young girl's shoulders.

 

Shelly took one look at Victoria and then flung herself into Victoria's open arms, allowing Victoria to hug her and hold her in a consoling and maternal manner. After she had sufficiently comforted Shelly into a state of gentle compliance and complacency, Victoria guided Shelly back onto the couch, sat down beside Shelly and then spoke, looking up at Alisa. "Alisa, thank you. I should have waited for you. But never mind that. Shelly really needs our help," Victoria said pragmatically, wringing her hands as she spoke. "How can I help you both?," Alisa enquired.

 

"Oh, I'm fine, really, but Shelly's beside herself right now. A doctor that may be able to help her more than we can," Victoria added. "What's the name of this doctor, and where can he be found? I could speak to him with you, if you'd like," Alisa offered. Shelly lunged up from the couch as though she had just been scalded by it.

 

"Doctor Connal? I won't be checked into that cracked pot's asylum!," Shelly raged. Victoria looked scandalised. "Shelly, honey, no-one said anything about checking you in anywhere. And I'm sure it's not an asylum. It's an orphanage. It has an additional treatment center," she said, her attention swiveling between Alisa and Shelly. "I don't NEED to be treated for anything. I'm just FINE," Shelly said, crossing her arms and planting her feet as she spoke. Awarding Alisa a pointed look and a nudge of her chin toward the staircase, Victoria bit her lip before she turned toward Shelly and spoke soothingly yet maturely to the young Gym Leader. "Of course you are, Shelly. Everything will be alright," Victoria soothed. They lapsed into a prolonged conversation which swiftly escalated into a heated debate.

 

Shelly surprisingly held her own as Alisa turned to leave the room. Descending the staircase, Alisa reached its foot and ventured toward the gym guide. Having gathered that this 'Doctor" was some kind of psychiatrist, Alisa empathised with Shelly's point of view. Still, a word with this doctor surely would not, metaphorically, hurt. "Although Shelly is currently accepting challengers, I cannot allow her to do so in such a fragile emotional state. Please feel free to return at a later time and date," the Gym Guide said seriously. "When would it be best to return for my Challenge?," Alisa asked the Guide. He shrugged dispassionately. "You will know as soon as I know," the Guide answered.

 

He would not be drawn for further comment and so Alisa left the Gym. Visiting Dr. Connal's Center, Alisa was almost barged into by someone who was exiting the center as she was about to enter it. "Oh, excuse me! I simply must get out of here. Right now," the young woman said. She had long, eye-scorchingly bubblegum pink hair and looked to be around eighteen or so. She wore a green outfit. "No dramas at all. OK," Alisa replied in a jovial tone. The young woman smiled with slight warmth at Alisa, then hurried past her, almost running now as she moved toward the ward's dual purpose entrance and exit.

 

Alisa entered the Center. She was met by several people who saw fit to introduce themselves to her. The first, a young girl, seemed to stare straight into her soul from mere inches away from Alisa. She wore her glossy, purple-black hair in high pigtails that dropped to rest at mid bicep height and a magenta outfit. It was her eyes, however, that provided the most unsettling sensation to ripple throughout Alisa in a radiating series of waves. Pigtails possessed violet red eyes that were truly boggling to the mind to behold. When Pigtails spoke, it took Alisa a great effort to wrench her attention off of the peculiarity of Pigtails' eerie eyes.

 

"You're new! Huh, you're not Laura. Not that it's not great to see a new face, quite the opposite, but did you see her? Laura?," Pigtails said manically. "Laura? Er, would the Laura that you speak of have long, bright pink hair? Because if so, she just left," Alisa answered, in a taken aback tone of voice. Pigtails' expression, which had considerably brightened upon hearing Alisa's response, subsequently fell in response. "That's our Laura! Oh, she left? Dang. Anyhoo, who are you, with your glowing self, all set to razzle-dazzle?," Pigtails asked. Giving Pigtails a subtle smile and a slight nod, Alisa spoke. "I am Alisa. Your name is?," Alisa responded sweetly.

 

Pigtails beamed at Alisa. At a glance, Alisa estimated that Pigtails could not be any older than twelve to thirteen years of age. "Anna. Great name! Why are you all super glowy-showy?," Anna replied, her eyes narrowing as she squinted at Alisa with a perplexed expression. "Glowy-showy?," Alisa queried, her own expression shifting from polite interest to sudden bafflement.

 

A chiding voice spoke up as if to break the feeling of awkward tension that had risen up within the face of Anna's focus and question. "Anna, dear, no-one is glowing," a nearby person, a young boy, said seriously. "But this person clearly is, even if you can't see it. Never mind. Come on in and meet everyone!," Anna said charitably. Walking up to the room's centre, Alisa faced Anna squarely, her expression resolute. "You already know me. I'm Anna. This is Nostra, my Jirachi. She says that it's nice to meet you," Anna said, with a childlike solemnity. Feeling profoundly foolish, Alisa waved at the Jirachi doll that Anna held, mirroring its own wave which had been initiated by Anna.

 

"Over there, you'll find Noel, my twin brother, and his Cleffa, Nomos. Say hi, you two!," Anna added. The young boy nearest to the door slid idly off of the mint condition white couch that he had been seated upon. He shared the same unique hair as Anna and he made his Cleffa bow to Alisa as he, too, bowed to her in acknowledgement. Noel straightened up and so did Nomos, with an athletic grace that Alisa wouldn't have attributed to him upon first glance. He had a more serious countenance than Anna, as well as a pair of red violet eyes that matched Anna's own. "Nomos and Nostra are just dolls. Hi. Nomos says hi to you, too," Noel said, speaking in a stoic tone of voice. Anna rolled her eyes. "That's my brother, alright. Always the wise-guy. That's not true," Anna replied, her expression lapsing into one of grievous injury.

 

Noting this, Noel sought to lift his sister's flagging spirit. "Uh, OK, Sis. Whatever you say about that. Nomos says hi," Noel said. Far from being placated, Anna angrily folded her arms, glared one million daggers at her twin and then stomped her right foot against the floor for good measure. "Noel, you lie. They are, too, real. You're being ridiculous!," Anna said insistently, her tone verging heavily toward antagonistic. "Sis, you're one to talk," Noel replied, arching a snide eyebrow. He made a show of metaphorically rolling up his sleeves for a great debate. Before the rising tension could further escalate, Anna changed the subject.

 

"Anyway! That's my friend Charlotte. She of the fantabulous purple-pink hair," Anna said, turning upon the spot upon which she stood to cut her gaze to the left. An older girl forcibly tipped up her chin toward Alisa. The ends of her own high pigtails looked as if they had been partially drenched within smog purple paint. Her side-swept fringe, which fell in a swoop over her right eye, had been given the same artistic treatment. Her virulent crimson outfit terrifically clashed with her dark pink hair, but Charlotte seemed to care less about this fact. She exuded an aura of recklessness, relentlessness and rebelliousness and Alisa liked Charlotte, platonically, at first sight.

 

"Um. Charlotte's really, really pretty. Just try not to stare at her burn scars," Anna advised. The older girl looked visibly aggrieved and annoyed as she flung an inscenced look at Anna, then swiftly swung her look of appraisal back to Alisa. "Look, it's a treat to meet you, Alisa. In all seriousness, I am unmarked," Charlotte said with certainty.

 

Noel rolled his eyes skyward and heaved a short, glass sharp sigh. "Charlotte has no scars, Anna. We've rehashed this many a time," Noel said contentiously.

 

Anna opened her mouth, closed it, opened it once more, then pressed her lips closed. With a shake of her head, Anna spoke. "But - uh - oh, shoot! I didn't mean to call attention to them. I won't speak of them any further. Really," Anna said, visibly distressed. She wrung her hands incessantly, as if by habitual reflex. Charlotte shook her head with a resounding and tolerant sigh. "Again, there's nothing to speak about. Tch, never mind that. Hi, Newbie," Charlotte said testily. "As I hadn't been mentioned to you by name yet, I'll provide it to you and to Noel. I am Alisa. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances," Alisa said casually. With a wave of her right hand, Charlotte cleared her throat. "That's cool and all, but you saw Laura on your way in, yeah? I overheard that you had. She's my sister," Charlotte explained, her expression relaxing as she spoke.

 

"Your sister? I see the clear resemblance between you both," Alisa replied neutrally. They both had the same unforgettable pink, somewhat mismatched hair. Whether that had been a conscious decision of either of theirs, or simply an unintentional collision of a previously discussed style collusion, Alisa could not tell or say. "Right. Laura's a Reborn Elite Four member. It's no big deal, but awesome runs rivulets within our family tree," Charlotte said placidly. Noel smiled a slow, combative smile as he leaned forward toward Charlotte, paying her his full attention. "Well, those are fighting words. You say that, I might mention that Anna -," Noel began boldly. "Anna, what, exactly, if I may ask?," Alisa asked. Noel made to answer her directly. However, Noel was interrupted by his kid sister.

 

"Er-heeerm. Laura's so cool! Charlotte and Noel? They're also Reborn Gym Leaders," Anna said, quickly and courageously.

 

Noel pressed his lips closed in response to Anna's verbal brush off. "Anna," he began warningly. He appeared to be entirely used to being cut off in midsentence. Anna's interjections did not seem to phase Noel in the slightest. "Whose intro is this, anyway? I'm gonna really miss Laura, but it's great that she's finally free of this dump - er, fine center," Anna said, eyeing the nearby orderlies, clad head to toe in crisp white uniforms and caps, toward the end of her introduction. Noel seized his chance to a) one up his twin and b) further hijack her introduction. "Yowza! Laura turned eighteen today. She's well rid of this place and probably of us, too," Noel said morosely. Charlotte sighed. "Of all of us? Surely you jest. Of this place? For sure. It's partly an orphanage," Charlotte grumbled.

 

"How long will you all need to be here for?," Alisa enquired with interest. "Basically? Forever," Noel said plainly. "Until we either turn of age or earn the Doc's consent, we're stuck here," Charlotte contributed. She spoke within a mutinous tone. Noel suddenly full body shuddered. In response to Alisa's quick and quizzical look, Noel shed light upon his nonverbal response.

 

"The Doctor's really scary," he said fearfully. Anna nodded thrice, each movement following the one before it with metronomic precision. "Yeah. Doc Connal has this freakishly strong Electric Pokemon. He uses it in his quote-unquote 'therapy.' It's sickening, if you ask me," Anna replied, forgetting to lower her voice as she said this. "Anna, no-one did ask you. It's Doctor Connal to you," a nearby orderly said antagonistically.

 

Anna lowered her voice. "Its shocks really hurt. Nostra thinks that his past patients have D - I - E - D. Around him, you'd think so, too. Listen carefully and you'll hear a disembodied voice," she concluded in a whisper. There was a truly confounded expression upon her face as she gave voice to this previously internalised observation. Charlotte scowled. "I haven't heard anything like that. So I really don't know about that. Moving on. Alisa, what brings you to our cosy abode?," Charlotte asked, her tone saturated with a sarcasm so blatant that even Alisa could not doubt nor ignore its prescence.

 

"Someone that I know needs my help. That's why I am here, to seek some medical advice from the Doc -," Alisa began, but Charlotte's cacophonous gasp interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. "Trust me, this is the last place that you should bring anyone to. It'll only make whatever ails your friend worse. Oh, drat and derring-do, the Doctor's headed right for us. Eeeep!," Charlotte said, wearing a genuinely freaked out expression as she turned toward the door that was directly North of their location.

 

A man with sedate blonde hair that had been side combed to his right hand side entered the main room. Middle aged in chronological appearance, he wore a white laboratory coat over charcoal grey slacks, black socks and black shoes. Upon catching sight of Alisa, this man's eyes narrowed in immediate distrust and his expression was one of forced professionalism. "I had been right to investigate. Greetings, Stranger. I am Doctor Sigmund Connal," the man said pompously. Dr. Connal continued, speaking as if she had already spoken.

 

"You may refer to me as Doctor. How can I assist you?," Doctor Connal said in a cloying, obsequious tone. The term 'try-hard' seemed to have been expressly invented to become purposefully and personally attributed to Doctor Connal, in Alisa's subjective opinion. "I had heard that there are Gym Leaders here," Alisa supplied upon the fly, having to think fast within the confines of Doctor Connal's unblinking scrutiny.

 

"And so you came here because of that, perhaps? If that is all...so be it. There are, indeed, some particularly gifted individuals that are here within our care," Doctor Connal said, pausing to take a breath before he continued. "Several of them have managed, either through artifice or undeniable, proven skill, to inherit or earn positions of high ranking within the Reborn League. I take it that you must have some degree of battle prowess. Let's see you prove it," Doctor Connal said sadistically. "I'm ready," Alisa replied, speaking with the truest of grit. She readied her first Poke Ball and Doctor Connal called upon one of his two, main room orderlies to battle Alisa. "Orderly John! Please conduct a concise examination of this challenger," Doctor Connal directed. "Yes, Doctor," the chosen one said dully, stepping forward with a gleeful expression.

 

The first orderly sent out his Level 31 Slowpoke against Alisa's Level 31 shiny Noxious, her Swalot. "Noxious, Toxic!," Alisa commanded briskly. Noxious roared its approval as it slung a large globule of dark purple slime toward Slowpoke. Her opponent immediately failed to dodge the attack and it took two turns of Poison damage. It was immediately recalled by its Orderly Trainer, who then sent out his Level 32 Magneton.

 

The Electric/Steel type glared with baleful irritation at Alisa before she recalled her Noxious. The next two Pokemon, a tanky Level 31 Eelektrik, was taken down by several Confuse Rays from Alisa's shiny Ampharos, combined with the switch-ins of Daenerys the shiny Mightyena and her Bite and Snarl attacks. The Orderly and Alisa recalled their Pokemon, fainted and otherwise, while Doctor Connal spoke.

 

"Very impressive...Alisa, was it not? Young Anna's voice had carried so, you know. I'm afraid that an audience with our esteemed Trainer contingent cannot currently be arranged. We are, most inauspiciously in fact, in the midst of extensive renovations to our battle arena. The common areas are unsuited to battle conditions," Doctor Connal said regretfully. "That's understandable. Thank you, I will leave now. It was ever so neat to meet you. Bye now!," Alisa said, turning to leave as she spoke. Doctor Connal's voice, as oily as a snake oil salesman's yet many times more clinical and detached, made Alisa stop short in midstep. "Oh, but there's no way that I can possibly permit you egress," Doctor Connal said deviously. "And what possible reason could you have to keep me here in an involuntary capacity?," Alisa enquired irreverently.

 

Doctor Connal's eyes gleamed as Alisa spun back to face him. "Sadly, that's for me to know and you to ponder over the next few days. You will remain here. Orderlies, seize Alisa, I beg of you!," Doctor Connal demanded. The left hand and right hand orderlies advanced upon Alisa, who was swiftly dragged out of the Center by Anna and Charlotte.

 

"Man. That simply doesn't fit Alisa's flat out schedule. She'll check back in with you in...I wouldn't hold my breath," Anna called over her shoulder.

 

"Nostra can feel your friend's sorrow waft from you. Something bad must have happened recently," Anna said to Alisa, quietly and grimly. "Yes, it has. How can you possibly know that and feel that?," Alisa asked. "Listen. The one who's been truly hurt by this is the one that's truly in dire need. Your friend should seek her out. Then she won't have to feel sorry for herself and she'll be with her friend in need," Anna said empathetically. "Is there anything in particular that you should bring to my attention?," Doctor Connal called out, as he, too, began to advance toward the trio. "Nothing at all! Bye, Alisa," Anna and Charlotte said breezily.

 

Alisa heard the sliding door swish closed mere millimetres from the tip of her nose. She heard the sound of the glass door mechanisms being clunked into lock position. This made her suspect that the distraction that had been caused by Alisa's hurried departure had been taken full advantage of by Noel. He would have slipped away to locate and activate the door locks to ensure Alisa's ultimate and convenient personal security.

 

Left with the parting words of Charlotte - "This guy is not the right doctor for your friend" - Alisa shook her head slowly. Smiling sadly through the glass doors at her new friends, Alisa sighed as Charlotte and Anna turned to meet their resulting punishment. The knowledge that she couldn't currently re-enter the building and help her friends made the wait to do so feel unbearably long in the teeth to Alisa.

 

Having made a pit stop to heal her Pokemon, Alisa retrieved her replenished 'mons and returned to Victoria and Shelly.

 

*

 

Now, on to Myriad. Please stand by. xD

[Pokemon Fan Game Recommendations [Community WIP]]

Hi. I'd like to recommend Pokemon Ashen Frost. It's a different suggestion to the aforementioned ones and it's definitely a must play, in my opinion. You are a Pokemon Detective. You start off with a very different Starter (I won't spoil what it is) and you solve Cases during your playthrough.

 

I'm going to dedicate myself to it more fully after my completion of Pokemon Reborn, Pokemon Desolation and Pokemon Rejuvenation and I quite look forward to doing so. I also recommend Pokemon Empyrean and Pokemon Gaia, plus more once I discover them for myself.

 

There will be no spoilers here in my posts, so if you are interested within these games that I have mentioned, I strongly recommend (although it is absolutely your choice) that you check them out for your own self and see what you personally make of them. :)

[[CW] Alto: Radical Rejuvenation [Feedback]]

Chapter Three: Alto and Outro

 

I visited Karrina as per her request, marveling at her surroundings sproadically. The black and gold decor was a great thematical touch to the mobster's main room and Alto could appreciate the many bookcases that were in plentiful supply here. "Alto! A woman after my own heart, it seems. It gladdens my heart to see that we have such a fine and mighty Trainer upon our side," Karrina said earnestly. "Thank you for your invitation. So, if I may ask, what has brought about my induction into your organisation?," I enquired, politely but with backbone. 

 

"A straight-shooter, to boot? I like that. To not put too stark a point upon it, I require your assistance," Karrina replied. "Can you please elaborate?," I requested, speaking with as much brevity as I could. "Certainly. There is going to be a gang fight tonight between my gang and a rival gang. Ever since their arrival here a few years back, that gang has been causing no end of trouble. We aim to put a stop to them. Are you in?," Karrina answered. 

 

"I'm in, but why ask me to help you? Are there not others who may be just as qualified as I am?," I asked, with feeling. "Go figure, but the city holds no love for my gang and I," Karrina replied loftily. "And why do you think that is?," I asked seriously.

 

Karrina scraped her fingers through her vibrant auburn hair and shook her head in exasperation. "I have no idea! We're only trying to help the citizens of this city! There are few others of your caliber that I feel that I can ask. Please meet us at Amethyst Cave, post-haste. Ta-ta!," she said pleasantly. Lowering her hands to her sides, Karrina awarded me a curt yet professional nod and then strode briskly out of her office. Reminded ever so strongly of Venam, I took a quick look around Karrina's office, then made my own exit of it. After exiting the gang HQ, I put paid to a couple of loose-end sidequests, then made my way to the East Gearen train station.

 

A train ride later and I stood at Route 2's entrance, looking down the metaphorical barrel of yet another Trainer gauntlet. Steeling myself in preparation, both mental and physical, I set off at a brisk pace. Upon reaching the entrance to Amethyst Cave, I experienced a flashback of my previous experience within it. With an involuntary shudder, I met up with Karrina and her gang a little ways within the cave.

 

A battle against Technician Edward later and I re-encountered the same enigmatic Xen Grunt who had delivered the Melia death-sentence pronouncement earlier. He didn't seem at all surprised to see me back within Amethyst Cave. This immediately struck me as suspicious. His casual address of me ratcheted my suspicion up a further seven notches. "I see that you failed to heed my earlier warning," Enigmatic Grunt said. "You'll find that I'd done the exact opposite. Why do you still see fit to be a human barricade?," I responded in my turn.

 

The hooded figure ignored me. "You'll soon find this to be a hopeless endeavour indeed. Now that you've experienced the pain of losing someone, I assure you that pain will forever remain a part of you," Enigmatic Grunt continued, speaking as though I hadn't spoken at all. Without further ado, Enigmatic Grunt turned and made a beeline toward open doorway that was just behind him. "What is this, Riddle a Minute Day? You know that I'll just follow you to see what you're up to," I said, doing just that as I spoke. My trip through the open doorway revealed two Trainers, train tracks jutting up from a portion of the cave floor and a secondary doorway.

 

Dashing through the snow secondary doorway. I encountered a black haired girl who immediately took my photograph. Blinking the bright white spots that were dancing before my eyes, I listened to the young woman speak. "Say cheese! Oh, wait, I was meant to say that prior to my snapshot. Oh, well, you're in my memory bank now," Snapshot said impishly. "I'll say," I said, but the young woman spoke over me.

 

"You've been randomly selected! Congratulations, you are now a Fun Games competitor. Your grand prize? Entrance to Sheridan Village. Let us begin," Snapshot said, enthused. I was warped to some weirdo dimension, where I was urged to play three consecutive games.

 

Having correctly guessed which of three rocks held a purple pebble (the central one) and which of the three trees was a fake (the third one), I won my way through to Game 3, a battle with Snapshot herself. "You should know something before we battle. I've been watching you for some time now," Snapshot said.

 

"Uh, why would you a) admit that, b) watch me in the first place and c) think that would not creep me out?," I enquired, a little more harshly than I'd intended to ask. Again, Snapshot acted as though I hadn't spoken. This was starting to become a theme with her.

 

"I watched you during your Venam battle. No-one took any notice of me! I wanted to talk to you then, but I just couldn't. It takes so much focus for me to be physically present. But I digress! My name's Nim. I'm a wanderer with a metric truck-tonne of spirit. Nice to meet ya," Nim said spiritedly. I opened my mouth to speak, but she spoke first. "Oh, we're sooooo going to be besties, just you wait and see!," Nim said exuberantly. The battle began. Nim sent out her first Pokemon, a Level 16 Darumaka and a Level 16 Inkay.

 

I sent out my Level 23 Padfoot and my Level 20 Feebas. "Brine, Feebas! Take that Darumaka down," I commanded of my shiny fish. "Padfoot, Bite that Inkay until it's down for the count!," I commanded my Mightyena. Both performed their attacks admirably and took down both of their opponents. Nim recalled her fainted Pokemon and sent out her Level 18 Solrock and Level 18 Lunatone. Padfoot Bit down upon his opponents, backed up by my spectacular Hermione, whom I switched my Feebas out for and the battle tide was turned in my favour. I won the battle. We both recalled our fainted Pokemon.

 

"Oh, my Lords Helix and Arceus! You are the Fun Games victor. Congratulations, you phenom," Nim yelled, completely losing what little composure she seemed to have as she leapt up and down upon the dimension floor. She handed over her prize money. "OK, calm your farm, Nim. Thanks. Good battle," I replied, not sure how to take my new superfan's pinnacle of zeal.

 

"You're top notch, you know that!? From the very moment that I witnessed your defeat of Venam, I knew, I just knew that Fate had tied us together with many strings! So. Freaking. COOL," Nim continued, utterly unabashed. "Thank you, but can I leave now? I've got a gang war to end," I said lightly. Nim pretended to think about my request for a moment, but then she shook her head. Her brows furrowed more than slightly as she spoke. "Sorry. There's just one more game remaining to be played. Answer this question with the truth. With your truth. The question is: Did I cheer you up?," Nim concluded. I emamined my current emotional state.

 

The answer that was clear and true to me was yes. "Nim, you did cheer me up. Thank you for that," I answered diplomatically. Nim stopped bouncing upon her heels, lowering herself slowly to the floor with an ear to ear grin. "Yes! Exactly the answer that I'd hoped for. I'd wanted our first impression to be a great one. That way, you wouldn't easily forget me!," Nim said contentedly. I smiled back at Nim.

 

She invited me to chill with her, so I approached her and stood by her right side, just far enough apart from her that she didn't feel crowded. "Say, that Ren guy gave you this humungo grief speech, but I thought to take the opposite approach. I spread happiness to brighten the dark of that," Nim said gently.

 

I blinked, betraying my shock and to mitigate the shock that she had given to me, Nim made an additional confession. "My apologies for the shock. I'd also watched as you fought Zetta, Alto. I'd wanted to help, but...no matter how much I tried to assist you, I just couldn't," Nim confessed. "Your attempt is noted and appreciated. Try not to beat yourself up about it. What had been done is now past," I said consolingly. Nim looked off to one side with a beatific smile, a llok of gratitude washing over her face before she schooled it into a mask of neutrality.

 

"Anyway, after you'd been swept into the Rift, I watched Zetta toss Melia's bag off the side of the cliff. I delved into the depths in search of it and...I found it. Completely water-logged, it was, but otherwise intact. I was able to retrieve this," Nim said. She handed me a Room ID Card, which I tucked away into the Key Items pocket of my Bag. "There wasn't anything else around. If I missed anything, I apologise," Nim said regretfully. I sought to reassure Nim. "That's quite alright, Nim. I'm thankful that you'd managed to retrieve this. Thanks for gifting it to me," I said appreciatively. "Awww, Alto, you sweet-talker, you! But seriously, this horror-filled world is the pits," Nim replied.

 

I frowned. "What gives you that impression of the world?," I asked. Nim shrugged a shrug that was meant to cast off her cares. Her cares stubbornly refused to budge from her shoulders. "I'd been traveling, for awhile, with someone. Eventually, we'd had to part. But if you don't remain weird and zany, this world would get sooooo unbearably boring, you get me?," Nim said cheerfully. I nodded and she continued. "There's just so much out there. Blink and you'll forever miss it all. I want for you to continue, Alto. Keep at it with your head held high!," Nim said.

 

"I will," I replied, surprising even myself with the ringing endorsement of humility and of sincerity within my level tone. Nim nodded as if I'd restored her faith within the world. "Excellent! Sorry for dragging you out here. I'd just wanted a chat with you. So, I'm going to send you back now. I believe in you! Bye now," Nim said, in a slightly-regretful tone of voice. Before Nim did this, though, she spoke.

 

"Don't you go and forget your bestie now - me! Nim. Now go forth and conquer all!," Nim called. A blindingly-bright white light enveloped the dimension and I vanished. I reappeared within the Cave alone. Nim's parting words echoed throughout my mind. "I'll always be watching, never forget that! I'm your personal guardian angel of sorts." The way to Sheridan Village, at the top of the steps before me, lay unbarred.

 

Now, however, was not the time for me to venture that. I backtracked back to where Karrina lay in wait for me. She appeared to have jarred her ankle, though to what degree, I did not yet know. "Oh, don't mind me, I just slipped off the side of this cliff while I was battling. Finish off their leader for me, pretty please?," Karrina said snidely. There was more than a bit of predatory bite within her tone, but I attributed that more to her current state of pain than anything else.

 

Steeping onto the raised plateau, I battled the Motorcyclist in front of Karrina. "You wish to battle me? I'll crush you into pulverised nanoparticles, Karrina's stand-in," The Motorcyclist said, in the tone of a genuine threat. He sent out his Level 21 Cufant and I sent out my Level 23 shiny Talonflame, Ventilate. "Don't take Gang Member Charly lightly, Alto. He did defeat me. With that being said, show him what for, talent galore!," Karrina called to me.

 

Charly's eyes lit up even as his brows narrowed over them, sizing me up upon the spot. "Alto, huh? I'll remember your name. Cufant, Rollout twice!," Charly called. His Cufant performed two consecutive Rollouts, which took Ventilate down to red health points.

 

"Great job, Ventilate, return! Go, Feebas," I called to my wounded bird, zapping him back into his capsule. I sent Feebas into battle and commanded it to use Brine over two turns. The burn that Ventilate had inflicted, in addition to the Water attacks, sent Cufant plummeting to the floor in a faint. "Noooooo, Cufant! You'll pay for that. Vigoroth, shut that fish down for good!," Charly called. I smirked. "Too late for that jazz. Padfoot, get 'em, boy," I yelled, calling Feebas back and sending out my Mightyena.

 

"Bite, then Snarl for good measure!," I commanded haughtily. Padfoot barked, bristling with canine hostility as he obeyed my commands. Vigoroth chittered with pain as Padfoot's combined attacks brought it down to yellow health points. "It's almost downed completely! Bite attack," I commanded and my will was carried out to the hilt.

 

Vigoroth screeched with agony as it crashed to the cavern floor, but it ultimately succumbed to its injuries. It fainted. Charly recalled it, then sent in his Level 21 Mankey. He had it annoyingly spam Seismic Toss attacks, but I took it down with my Dustox's, Hermione's, Gust attacks. "Dang it! Take your money and scram!," Charly said fiercely.

 

Handing over his battle cash with a scowl, Charly eyed me for several intense and intimidating beats before he turned away. Striding angrily up to his motorcycle, Charly mounted his bike with a sneer. "No slouch in the battle department, you are. Fine, have it your way, then," Charly said gravely.

 

"What is that supposed to mean?," I asked Charly, before he could ride off. "It means this: You have made me reevaluate my life of crime. We'll stop, my gang and I. Retreat!," Charly snarled. He hit the gas and I nimbly leapt aside, left in Charly's metaphorical dust as he led his gang out of the cave. Karrina limped toward me. "Considerably well done, Alto. You've disbanded that bandit gang and left our gang as top of the heap! Please, take this as a boon of my gratitude to you," Karrina said kindly. She handed me a shiny Houndour, which I nicknamed Firestorm.

 

Karrina reached forward and squeezed my left shoulder with a surprisingly-forceful grip. Patting my shoulder twice before she retracted her right hand, Karrina nodded her chin toward the Great Ball in my left hand. "Take good care of Firestorm for me, y'hear me? I'll know it if you don't. Bye, and thanks for your battle help. See you around sometime!," Karrina said flatly. Before she could try to limp her way out of the cave, though, I spoke. "Hey, Boss Lady, it's OK to use my shoulder to lean on now. Let me help you out of this cave," I offered compassionately. Karrina's grave countenance shifted into a look of middling appreciation.

 

I saw the glimmer of burgeoning respect within Karrina's eyes as she nodded her assent. "Alright. How very considerate of you," Karrina said graciously. I rested my left arm across her back, bracing my left hand against her left shoulder-blade. She did the same, albeit in reverse. As a team, we made our steady yet plodding way out of the cave.

 

After Karrina pointed out some raised, dead end tracks within the cave that were nearest to its entrance, I enlisted help from a nearby Trainer to rip two of the larger tracks out of the cave floor. Karrina then used these as makeshift crutches. Making our way back to the station, Karrina and I sat across from one another once we had boarded the train.

 

Karrina and I went our separate ways upon reaching East Gearen City. Once I had accompanied her back to Gang HQ, I returned to the Help Plaza and handed in my side-quest reports. These netted me money and a shiny Pichu.

 

Returning to the Gearen Laboratory, I paid a service fee and grabbed a shower, changing into my secondary travel outfit of a Miles Morales red and charcoal hoodie, worn over clean underclothing. A crisp pair of charcoal denim jeans, orange basketball print socks over a sky blue background and a pair of black Pumas with gold detailing capped off my outfit. Upon my Lab return, I checked into a free Trainer Suite, locked its door behind me and crashed upon its foldout sofa bed.

 

It had already been set up with a fresh change of everything - although, seeing as this was the Reborn region, 'fresh' itself was debatable. It was serviceable enough, I supposed, as my right cheek hit the fluffy pillow. I was out like a light for remainder of the encroaching night.

 

******************************************************

 

Arpeggio sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had just returned from Route 2 and from Amethyst Cave. Ren and Venam had gone off to do their own things and here he was, sat here upon one of the visitor's chairs within The Great Hall. The Dimensional Galvantula had been a deeply formidable foe. Had he not had a reliable Doubles partner in Ren, he was certain that he would have sustained far more heavy casualties than he actually had. After venturing to the Poke Mart to stock up upon much needed supplies, Arpeggio decided to visit the Help Centre.

 

Having tackled and completed a request or two, Arpeggio returned to the Gearen Laboratory. He grabbed a quick, overpriced shower. Thanks to the plentiful region Trainers, however, a somewhat steady income was there to be made. This was a small consolation. Behind his Trainer Suite's closed and locked door, he changed out of his regular outfit and into a set of new clothes.

 

He changed into a black Harry Potter hoodie with a teal Slytherin left sleeve, a maroon Gryffindor right sleeve, butter yellow Hufflepuff pockets and a sapphire Ravenclaw hood. Rounding his outfit out with a pristine pair of navy blue denim jeans with white pockets, black with Golden Snitch print socks and a pair of maroon Nikes with black matte black detailing, Arpeggio grinned at his mirrored reflection.

 

Oh, yes, he was set to slay within this region and beyond. Arpeggio followed a hooded figure through a certain portion of Amethyst Cave, Arpeggio found, battled and was befriended by Nim. Upon the completion of Nim's oddly-titled Fun Games, Arpeggio was zipped back to Amethyst Cave. After checking in with Karrina and helping her to take down her rival gang, Arpeggio was rewarded a shiny Houndour from Karrina. He nicknamed it Cerberus because in his opinion, the male Houndour was worthy of the name and its reputation.

 

Their gang had been kind enough to help carry Karrina back to the train via a Midday Lycanroc back-ride. Arpeggio had ran all of the way back in their wake. He had tried to keep pace with the rock wolf 'mon, but he just hadn't been able to do so. Next upon his list was seeing what room the Nim-gifted Room ID would unlock. Arpeggio checked the rooms near Professor Jenner's starter lab and lucked out upon finding Melia's room.

 

Ordinarily, Arpeggio wouldn't trespass in anyone else's room, let alone a girl's and this girl's, but the Card did require a usage. It also helped that he was understandably curious about what Melia's bedroom happened to say about her. Scanning the Room ID within a keycard scanner panel just below Jenner's starter lab, Arepeggio turned the door's handle.

 

He then stepped through into Melia's previously-forbidden room. The room reminded him of a time capsule that had been expanded to real life size. Melia's suitcase was sitting upon a central table, awaiting Melia's pick up. Beside the case was a framed family photo of the Jenner family, as well as a Gym Leader acceptance letter, which Arpeggio read.

 

The letter was congratulatory and somewhat concise, detailing Melia's new Gym location and a potential personal escort via car to Grand Dream City and its Athenaeum, which would have played host to her Normal type Gym, had she survived to take up her post there. Movie posters that Venam had painstakingly picked out for Melia adorned the wall beside Melia's personal wardrobe. The wardrobe itself had been left open as if Melia had been debating which clothes to pack for her new job before she had left the Laboratory. Picking up the Exp. Share that had been resting upon the desk at the foot of Melia's bed, Arpeggio immediately saw a use for it in battle.

 

A Wigglytuff doll was sat upon Melia's bed, just chilling out at the foot of her pillow, while a Clefairy doll sat to the left-hand side of a desktop computer monitor. Its screen was of the gigantic sized variety and it suited the life of relative privilege that Melia must have led up until her unfortunate and untimely demise. It was a room that one could feel proud of, furnished with just the right ammount of personality, practicality and professionalism.

 

Exiting Melia's bedroom, Arpeggio left the Laboratory and set off toward Amethyst Cave...and his next destination, Sheridan Village. With thoughts of the most advantageous team composition upon his mind, Arpeggio set out to train his current team, build several backup teams and cut a broad swathe through the region while he was at these endeavours. He would catch all that he could, while he could.

 

*

 

A/N: May edit additional scene content here, but I could decide, upon second thought, not to do so. Stand by.

[[CW] Jester: Reborn [Feedback]]

Chapter Three: The Cousin

 

"No. Freaking. Way. I can't believe you aced that Shade battle!," Jester exclaimed. She flopped back onto the futon, then sprang to her feet. Her expression of utmost alarm made Connor laugh as he closed and locked the appartment door behind himself. "I'm glad that my bed meets with your approval, Mewtwo. That dark Field hadn't been a walk in the park," Connor replied mildly.

 

Feeling the lingering effects of sheer mortification, Jester lifted her nose into the air. "Your Luxray sure came in clutch in that battle, but your Mighty was the sheer MVP," Jester replied. Connor nodded, but it was obvious that his mind was elsewhere, unfocused upon naught but his own troubled thoughts.

 

"Earth to Elder! Do you read me?," Jester enquired, with a roll of her eyes. Returning to his present with a concerted effort, Connor blinked and shook his head slowly. His head-clearance attempt was moderately successful as he replayed her words back within his mind. "I read you loud and clear now, but I'm worried about the others. Heather and the others...I hope that they're OK," Connor said, troubled. Jester frowned, her blue eyes darkening as she, too, thought about the kidnapped Railnet victims. "I'm sure that they'll be fine, so long as the Meteors' demands are met," Jester said flatly. Connor scowled. "No demands have been announced as of yet. If we leave now, there's still a chance that we can rescue our friends. What are we waiting for?," Connor demanded, turning back toward the appartment door.

 

He had just placed his hand upon it when the door handle turned, seemingly of its own accord. Connor had time enough to jump backward as the door was flung wide-open. A figure rushed into the appartment, nudged the door closed behind them with their preferred foot and gasped upon seeing Connor. The latter casually reached past the figure and latched the appartment door shut before the figure could speak. "Mewtwo, meet my cousin, Kieron Baines. KB, meet Mewtwo. Freak-out in three...two...," Connor said amiably.

 

"Naw, man. A Mewtwo, in my appartment? You've got to be - shiitake mushrooms on a hotplate, how did you get here?," Kieron enquired of Jester, finally noticing her upon a scan of his appartment. "Oh, you know, the usual way. You might know of it, Baines. It's called your front door," Jester said balefully.

 

Kieron jumped, his right hand flying to rest upon the first Poke Ball that hung, bandolier style, from the first and hip loop of his jeans' belt-loops. "Mothertrucker, man, it can speak! How can it speak? Connor, what the Hell?," Kieron said, speaking at just under a yell in volume. His tone was incredulous, his expression unamused as Jester assumed her battle stance before him. Noting the sudden animosity between the two, Connor stepped smoothly in front of Kieron in an attempt to calm him down.

 

"Hey, c'mon, man, be cool. Mewtwo's a friend. And even though Mewtwos are usually genderless, I'm certain this Mewtwo is not an it," Connor said seriously. His tone gave Kieron a reality-check and the elder man slid his hand off of his ace's Poke Ball, his expression morphing from hostile to accepting.

 

Upon seeing Kieron's shift into neutrality, Jester eased out of her Kamehameha stance. She lowered her raised paws. The Shadow Ball that she had swiftly formulated slowly diminished until it vanished completely, doused by her will alone. "That's hella impressive, Mew...that's not your real name, right? Because that would be too simple. Life's anything but," Kieron said perceptively. Jester blinked, twice rapidly, which made Kieron grin impishly in response.

 

"I knew I was right! So, come on, then, get with the enlightenment, already," Kieron said gamely.

 

"Thanks. And if I choose to maintain my aura of mystery?," Jester asked, unenthused. Kieron crossed over to his kitchen's counter-top, placed his two shopping-bags upon the counter-top, then laid his hands, palm down, upon the counter-top. Leaning in toward Jester as he spoke, Kieron let his brows lower like twin cowls over his piercing, cobalt blue eyes. "Then for Connor's sake, you can stay, but you'll be relegated to the opposite of my hit list," Kieron replied coldly. Jester's slow smirk gradually deepened before she spoke up in her defence.

 

"Oh, so, your shi -," she said with relish, but Connor overruled her by speaking over her. "His 'usual suspect' list, yes. Believe me, that's not a place that you want to end up. I was on it once and it took me years to be scratched off its ledger. Say, KB -," Connor said grimly. It was his turn to be conversationally overridden by Jester, however.

 

"Whatever, Trevor. You want to know the first flush of my story? You'll get what I choose to give thus far, so listen close," Jester said smugly. Both Connor and Kieron gave Jester their undivided attention, which she noted with ease.

 

Taking a somewhat deep breath, Jester began to tell her tale. "You get what you give in this life. I certainly did. I gave of my talent and I received the attention that my talent drew to me. An invitation - of the 'one that you can't refuse' variety - was extended to me. I dressed to the nines that night, certain that it would change my life. Little did I know that it did, just not as I'd expected it to," Jester said imperiously. She took a steadying breath and, rallying, Jester continued.

 

"The Gym was dimly lit, the atmosphere grim. But then, I'd expected that. I'd even prepared for that. No sooner had I stepped into Beryl Arena, everything went to Hell in many hand-baskets. Noxious gas poured issued forth from countless vents. All seemed lost, but then...," Jester trailed off, her blue eyes darkening with the full recollection of her feelings that night.

 

Connor remained riveted upon the floor upon which he stood, utterly captivated by Jester's confession. "But then?," he prompted, in a cautious yet intrigued and courteous tone of voice. Jester swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and continued with renewed purpose.

 

"But then I collapsed to my knees, the paralytic nerve agent keeping me restrained within an invisible cage. I saw a hooded figure shove his hood back contemptuously as two other men rushed toward me. It was -," Jester continued, only to give an emphatic head shake that spoke of her vehement denial of this person's identity.

 

"It was? You can't just withhold the goods like that, it's not at all reasonable," Kieron called. he knew full well that what he had said could be interpreted as a double-entendre, but he didn't care. He felt rudimentarily invested within Jester's tale.

 

Jester sighed. "Oh, I can, Baines, and I will. Just before I passed out, a man wearing a red scarf scooped me into his arms in a bridal carry. A man with three voices spoke. One voice said, '"Silence suits the bird of song and serenity."' Another, in an entirely different tone of voice, said "Oh, let her sleep this slumber of painless sleep," only to be followed up by, "Perchance to awaken in a body of our own devising, should she survive The Insurmountable Mists," Jester said darkly.

 

Kieron's eyes widened, then automatically narrowed, zeroing in upon Jester from where he stood. Hands braced against the counter-top, he spoke. "The Insurmountable Mists? Sounds damn daunting to me. And then what happened? if you don't mind my asking," Kieron opined by way of implacable demand, although his tone was markedly softened as he spoke.

 

Kieron straightened up slowly and folded his arms, his feet planted equidistantly apart as he studied Jester closely.

 

"I awoke, some time unknown to me later, exactly as the last of that person had portended. My mind, my soul and my will remained my own. My body, however, was that of a Legendary Mewtwo," Jester responded sourly. Connor opened his mouth to speak, but Jester continued before he could do so. "I was trapped within a cylindrical medical tank, encased within some kind of murky green laboratory fluid. The chamber that I was in looked to be empty, but I didn't buy it. In that moment, I knew that all that I had to do to escape was forge my own fate," Jester said dourly.

 

Connor grimaced. "I imagine that took some forethought. Some sneaky sort of strategy," he prompted guilelessly. Jester shook her head slowly, drumming the pads of her left feline paw against her left cheek as she spoke. "It was beyond child's play. No strategy needed. That was when stuff got real," Jester elaborated. "Real, how? Explain, or so help me, I will -," Kieron commanded coarsely.

 

"You'll what? Call your League buddies and tell them that there's a talking Mewtwo in your place that you continually interrupt while she is speaking? Do it.," Jester said goadingly. Kieron metaphorically chewed upon Jester's challenge. She could practically see the gears grind within his mind as he did so.

 

"She? So you ARE a girl! Is that why you'd stared at me, previously? Did you like what you'd seen - me in my change of clothes?," Connor said slyly. Jester gave no comment. Kieron grinned a wolfish grin. "You both bicker like an old married couple. You know that, right?," Kieron pitched in. "No, we don't!," Jester and Connor said, hotly and simultaneously.

 

"Shut up, Connor," Jester said frostily. "Why don't you shut up, Mewtwo?," Connor called back. "Alternatively," Kieron said in a level tone, "you could both seal your lips, separately or otherwise. I could watch."

 

Connor and Jester were stunned into silence. They both averted their gaze from one another at once, as if they had just been scalded.

 

Kieron shook his head, studying Jester with a hardened cop's undeterred stare as he did so. "Do it. That's what I usually hear from my wife alone. Instead, I will offer you, Mewtwo, amnesty here for however long you may need it. The same goes for you, Cousin. But please do go on," Kieron returned casually. "Hold every single phone, bro! Since when have you been married? Why didn't I get an invite?," Connor asked belligerently, his expression deeply wounded. "We eloped. Certain individuals did not want us to be together, but we got the better of them. That's not all. We -," Kieron elucidated, but Jester's loud throat-clearance cut him off in midsentence.

 

Connor waved for Jester to continue. She did. "Put a pin in that emotional killjoy of a side-track. I have. Anyway, skids got real when I saw the Master Ball. One Psystrike from me blasted the tank wide-open. Some wannabe maverick confronted me as I commenced my escape. He looked like a military man and he sought to sway me to his side. I stated my case and I escaped. Then Connor met me," Jester said gravely. Connor nodded as Kieron swiveled toward him, clearly checking to see if Connor would corroborate Jester's version of events.

 

"I'll take it from here, Mewtwo. I was thinking about my next Gym Challenge, debating the best team formation for it, when I felt a strange atmospheric shift. It was akin to the feeling of being watched by an unseen observer, but it was amplified to the nth degree. I called out to the Pokemon that I suspected of being that observer, but it was some time before Mewtwo answered in turn," Connor began.

 

"Well, you try to speak to someone you'd yet to formally meet and see how well they take to you," Jester opined. Kieron's eyes gleamed with glee as he made to make an innuendo, but Connor's look of censure made his elder cousin mercifully remain silent.

 

"As I was saying, when I'd finally gained some semblance of hesitant pre-trust, I lowered my hoodie's hood. Mewtwo flipped out and flew the coop, so to speak. I had to chase her down with my Char to even try to get her to hear me out. It turned out that her captor, the military man, had been - and still is - my brother. It took a bit of convincing, but some time later, I helped Mewtwo gather her roughing-it stuff and hightail it here alongside of me," Connor said.

 

Kieron looked somewhat convinced, emboldened by Connor's and Jester's matching version of events. "Uh-huh. Then what happened? Surely there is more," Kieron said encouragingly, unfolding his arms as he spoke.

 

Jester scrubbed her right paw over her face in the manner of having done so quite often in her previous life. Lowering this paw, she sighed. "Then Mewtwo accompanied me to Shade's Gym. We switched on some monitors, saw some horrific portents of terrible and traumatic events of past or future and then...I battled Shade and won," Connor concluded. Jester lightly pressed her paws together. Pointing her paws at Connor, she held this concession-ceding pose for a moment. Drawing her paws apart, Jester slowly lowered them, returning them to her sides in an expressive fashion.

 

"Reign victorious, Connor did. Shade riddled us this and that and then he left. Then we returned here and I met you, Baines," Jester said.

 

Kieron pursed his lips, his ebony brows furrowed in mingled consternation and concentration as he gave a weary sigh, then spoke. "Call me Kieron, or Kier. Connor calls me KB. Only opposing council can call me Baines," Kieron said bossily.

 

"What does your wife call you, Kieron?," Jester enquired nosily. Upon hearing even the mention of his wife, Kieron's face lit up. His usually taciturn features were incredibly transformed as a result. "She calls me Kier...among other things," Kieron replied, "and our kids call me Kiery, interspersed with Dad."

 

You could hear many metaphorical things drop at once. Many mics around the world. Countless crickets chirping. An untold ammount of eyes turning to look their way. Jester's and Connor's jaws hitting the metaphorical floor in unchoreographed synchronicity.

 

"...What?," Kieron asked, honestly baffled as to why his pronouncement had caused no end of befuddlement to be inflicted upon his audience. The world resumed its most natural state of being. "I just can't picture that. You, as a father and husband. It boggles my mind," Jester opined some time later.

 

Again, Kieron opened his mouth to say something scandalous and innuendo-laden, but Connor spoke before he could do so.

 

"And that's enough of that. Moving right along. Can you two be counted upon to work together? We all need to be on the same page, not at cross-purposes with one another. It stands to reason that Mewtwo's successful consciousness transfer would serve to ramp up the likelihood of that same experiment upon perhaps multiple individuals," Connor said bleakly. Jester's spirits momentarily flagged, only to perk right back up to normal high spirits through her sheer force of powerhouse will. "We can. There could be more than one of me in labs in multiple places," Jester decoded.

 

Kieron heaved his heaviest sigh yet, then he spoke. "Yeah. Maybe," he said shrewdly, "they'll all surprise you when they ambush you."

 

Jester pressed her lips into a thin line before she spoke. "Maybe they'll make my day and you'll be with us when they do just that. How do you like me now, Kieron?," Jester fired back. Kieron looked Jester up and down, then tilted his head to the side as he met and held her gaze. "You've been raised a fair few notches within my personal estimation. Don't tell anyone that I've said that. I kind of dig this mutual rapport," Kieron confided charismatically. Connor folded his arms, looking Kieron squarely within his eyes.

 

"Go dig somewhere else, K. For all anyone knows, Mewtwo might be taken, and you're married," he said contentiously. "Rapport doesn't sever that easily. So you DO care for Mewtwo!," Kieron crowed.

 

"It's not like that," Jester and Connor said. "Speaking in unison again? By the time that Mewtwo regains her human form, you two will have some facing-up to do and some literal face-time to catch up on. I'll be the guy nearby with the popcorn and the 'I told you so.'," Kieron crooned. Jester hissed at Kieron, then scowled. "That may never happen. He may have a certain type," Jester said flatly. Connor said nothing. Kieron shrugged his left shoulder, infuriatingly at ease. "It's not what you'd said. It's what you hadn't said," Kieron said smugly.

 

Jester rolled her eyes. "What fresh riddle is that?," Jester snarled. "The one that you must unravel. Don't worry, I'll wait. It'll be well worth my while to bear witness to that. I'mma grab a shower. You make yourselves even more at home than you already seem to have done. Back soon," Kieron said breezily.

 

With that said, Kieron went and got his shower on, leaving an awkward silence stretched between Connor and Jester. "Soooo," Connor ventured, after twelve minutes had passed. The sound of the shower shutting off heralded the beginnings of Kieron's return to the open-plan suite and Jester dreaded his return. In the wake of Kieron's love prediction, nothing seemed to make the sense that it previously had.

 

"So leave it," Jester advised. With that said, she floated across the room and landed upon a window seat within a breakfast nook nearby the kitchen's island bench. She curled up like a cat upon the seat and considered closing her eyes, but remained both guarded and on guard. Connor slid the fingers of his hands through his hair, making it stand in porcupine spikes before he smoothed his hair down by force of habit. "Consider it left...for now," Connor mumbled, as he crossed over to the foldout sofa and busied himself with the search through his backpack of his pyjamas.

 

Connor had just found his fitted black singlet and his maroon boxer shorts when Kieron swaggered in wearing an unbuttoned navy shirt and black boxer shorts. "Jinx!," Kieron said, firing finger-guns at Connor as he crossed to lean back against his island bench.

 

"Where?," Connor joked, making Kieron chortle with rumbling laughter that suited him. "Seriously, though, that only works if we're wearing the same outfit, not just one part of the same outfit," Connor said astutely. "Ye of much nerdiness, Cousin. Never change all that makes you utterly yourself," Kieron advised. "OK, KB, I won't change that part of myself," Connor replied. Meanwhile, Jester closed her eyes, having heard every word. Sleep claimed her.

 

The two cousins bade each other goodnight and slept individually within their separate beds.

[V13 - Performance issues]

I never did get a response to this black screen flicker error which occurs when I open up v13.0.5. It scares me every time that I see it and I'm afraid that if I continue to play this version, my game will not play right due to never-ending glitches. Is there a direct download link other than the ones that had been provided that will let this game work as intended? Please advise. I still have my previous Rejuvenation versions. Should I use one of those in the meantime until a more stable build is released?.

[Pokémon Floral Tempus EX v1.9.4 - RELEASED | 12 GYMS + ELITE 4/CHAMPION]

1 minute ago, ArcBolt27 said:

its not a matter of it being one or the other as its both, the challenge is in the whole concept of them being balanced to the level of your team

Alright. Thank you for answering my query.

[2-Part Query - Rejuvenation v13.0.5]

7 minutes ago, Lspaceship said:

I don't know about the first issue, but for the second one, it's a matter of preference. I like to prune different versions from my PC, due to not having a lot of space, and it doesn't affect your saves if you decide to delete the .2 files.

 

Thank you for answering one part of my two-part query. I will do that, also, as soon as I find out if part two of my query will not affect that new and seemingly glitched update, described in my query's part one, in a negative way.

[2-Part Query - Rejuvenation v13.0.5]

Hi,

 

Firstly, upon opening my Rejuvenation v13.0.5 folder, my game window screen flickers a few times and then stops. This happens even after I close and reopen the game. Why does this happen? Is there a way to stop this from happening? Is this a regular occurrence that's to be expected from the Mega download v13.0.5?

 

Secondly, once I have the latest version of this game, should I delete the previous versions of this game in order to not have multiple versions of it?.

 

I had been playing, up until my update download of it, been playing v13.0.2. Would this be an extract problem? Please advise.

[Pokémon Floral Tempus EX v1.9.4 - RELEASED | 12 GYMS + ELITE 4/CHAMPION]

This is confusing. In the main post, it says that battles (Gym battles and important Trainers) are leveled to the and such) are balanced to the level of your team, but in the Final Notes, it's said that this game has been labeled "said to be pretty difficult, so be in for a challenge." 

 

Which one is it, really? Up until that point, I had considered downloading and playing Floral Tempus, but now I'm just puzzled by it. I may play it in future, after I play through Pokemon Empyrean and Pokemon Ashen Frost, but until this mystery is demystified, I'll continue to feel neutral toward this game.

[Current Conundrum]

I have two shiny Numels, but one has a less good Nature (Mild) and a better Ability (Own Tempo,) while the other (my new one) has better IVs/EVs, a Jolly nature and a Simple ability. My conundrum is whether or not to save in the Keneph Cave before my Kuiki battle with the two Numels, or close my save file, reopen it and therefore lose my secondary Jolly Numel with Simple and my last Poke Ball.

 

I'd been hoping to use said Ball upon a shiny Grubbin in the case that I wouldn't find another shiny Numel (that I hadn't realised that I already had. SMH.) 

 

Is there a Pokemon Psychiatrist to change Nature/Ability of a Pokemon and/or a Name Rater in Pokemon Desolation? I'm afraid that if I continue on with my game, I won't be able to get back here to shiny hunt, also, as the village will be closed. I don't know when it will reopen.

 

I also want to update to v5.1, but I can't do so while I a) have the older v5 of it that's open and b) don't know if I'd then need to keep or delete that version after a potential download of 5.1. Please advise. Starting to feel the need to seriously SMH right now. This is driving me up the walls.

[Desolation E5 100% Guide]

Just wanted to drop by and say thanks very much for this incredible guide. I make good usage of it with regularity. With this being said, can anyone tell me where I can find a Name Rater? And if Keneph Cave will be available to return to for Pokemon capture after Kuiki's defeat? Thanks in advance. I really want to shiny hunt Grubbin and need to know if this will be possible in future. 7 Poke Balls hadn't been enough to capture one, simply because when I'd wanted to find one during my first cave run-through, I hadn't been able to find one. :/

[[CW] Alisa: Reborn Anew [Feedback]]

Chapter Four: And now we soar

 

"Healing items? Check. Poke Balls galore? Check, check. Items to sell for chunk change? Check, please. Time to hit the road," Alisa said with certainty. She zipped up her bag, which she had been crouching in front of, then rose to her feet. Slinging her backpack onto her back, Alisa approached the ladder that led to the Stairway's deepest depths. "I'm on my way, Victoria. Sit tight. Your captors had best prepare for a fright," Alisa added, beginning her descent as she spoke. Once she had reached the ladder's foot, Alisa took a good look at her surrounds.

 

Immediately confronted with a three-way path split, Alisa circumnavigated the room before she decided upon the middle pathway.

 

The path to the right led to rocks that could be broken up by Rock Smash and a North doorway, while the left pathway led to a staircase with a smashable rock. Beyond this rock which was a new and intriguing ladder. Moving back to stand before the middle pathway, Alisa walked up to its ladder and descended into yet another layer of depth. Crystals of many technicolours were inset into the walls at intervals. These lent the cavern that Alisa found herself in an additional spooky atmosphere. A swift venture due South of her current position revealed a series of rock ledges.

 

Noticing that one wrong ledge hop would lead her to have to backtrack back to the top to continue onward, Alisa bit her lower lip.

 

Deciding that there was no time like the present, Alisa slid her top teeth free of her lower lip. She heaved a somewhat resigned sigh before she darted forward and hopped onto the secondary rock ledge. Each ledge had been Bulldoze-d into a flat, horizontal platform. There was a soft, multicoloured dust that had settled upon the otherwise dove grey floor that was pleasing to the eye, but dangerous to the nostrils. Alisa held her breath as she hopped from ledge to ledge, soon making her way in the direction that she suspected that Victoria had been hauled along.

 

Trial and error from there led Alisa to a Black Belt who gave her a TMX7 Rock Smash. Alisa thanked the man, but he went on to inform her that unless she possessed the third Reborn Badge, she could teach it to one of her Pokemon, but it would be unable to use it. Returning to the central pathway, Alisa forged onward along its platform and soon undertook a series of fleet footed ledge hops.

 

Five ledges down and one to the right, plus another six ledges South led Alisa to a centralised, smooth pathway that was distinct in its own right. Walking South past a stone pillar and off to its right hand side, Alisa happened upon another ladder. This one was conspicuous. Unlike its fellows, it lay within a corner of the platform, out of sight unless you really looked for it.

 

Upon approaching this ladder, Alisa incrementally released her held breath, then breathed in small and shallow allotments as she descended the central ladder. Now standing at the central ladder's bottom rungs, Alisa turned away from the ladder and froze. A short distance away loomed the lip of an ancient stone staircase.

 

To the left and right of the central ladder's legs sat two rocks. Venturing with trepidation down the thin rocky steps of the staircase, Alisa fought her urge to hold her breath with every subsequent step forward. Only once she had fully descended this staircase did Alisa breathe a minute and subtle sigh of relief. At the foot of these steps was a spiky yellow healing plant which seemed to metaphorically scream 'Boss battle up ahead.' A light touch of this plant healed her Pokemon up completely and so Alisa trod past the now withered plant.

 

The narrow corridor branched out into a grand, underground atrium, in pride of place of which was a stone door. This door had bars shaped like an X indelibly carved out of its sturdy surface and there was a sense of forlorn but plentiful power and majesty about this door. A man stood in front of the door and he turned as Alisa approached him. 

 

"Greetings, Trainer. Tell me, did you, as a Reborn citizen, have any inkling that a place like this existed? I suspect not," Mister Mysterious said. He spoke with a strange superiourity and wore a tan brown overcoat and polished black shoes. He had buzz-cut and coal black hair, as well as eyes that seemed to impale anyone they landed upon with a glance.

 

"Ignorant to the centuries of history beneath their trampling, itchy feet, they are beneath even cockroaches. Reborn's bleak citizens ever grasp for that which they dare not rightfully earn. Do you know what lies beyond that gate?," Mister Mysterious said critically. Alisa shook her head. "I will enlighten you. Beyond that gate rests only the very core of Reborn," Mister Mysterious said gleefully. "Reborn's core? Is that what brings you here? Has it been here all along? Who are you?," Alisa demanded, employing an amenable but stern tone of voice.

 

Mister Mysterious chuckled, shaking his head more than slightly as he did so. "I'm afraid that's all need to know. Quite frankly, you just don't. This place, the spot where this world began, is a sacred place. To build such a wretched hovel of a city right over this precious holy land is the very pinnacle of ignorance. Reborn is the City of Insolence," Mister Mysterious continued dourly. "That's all noted, Mister, but what has that got to do with me?," Alisa enquired. 

 

"Perhaps nothing. Maybe it's got everything to do with you. Who can yet say? Rather ironically, this temple was built from the exact symbol from which it occludes. Ruby, the Seal of Pain. Sapphire, the Seal of Love. Emerald, the Seal of Faith. Amethyst, the Seal of the Beyond. Each is a key. Bring the four together to restore Reborn's sacred right," Mister Mysterious said unambiguously.

 

"Its sacred right?," Alisa asked, before she could stop herself. "The true power of Reborn! It will be restored. We shall rid this junkyard of malignance and putrescence so that beauty may be restored to this deserving world. You will walk by me safely," Mister Mysterious said curtly. Alisa peered past Mister Mysterious and caught a glimpse, at this corridor's end, of Aster and Eclipse guarding a rope-bound and struggling Victoria. The Apophyll Trainer sat with her back to the wall, guarded by two terrifying Lycanrocs and a Solrock-Lunatone pair.

 

"I will? Fantastic, that makes a deeply refreshing change," Alisa said boldly. Continuing as though Alisa had not spoke, Mister Mysterious closed his eyes upon a protracted sigh. "You may retrieve your muscle-bound friend," Mister Mysterious said, "upon the proviso that you defeat my admirable Admins. I believe that you and they are acquainted."

 

Alisa pressed her lips into a thin line before she next spoke. "Indeed, I know them well enough," Alisa replied. Mister Mysterious opened his eyes. "You will find her just up ahead. Oh, but when you leave, do this one thing for me," Mister Mysterious requested. "Why should I do that? For all I know, you could be someone whom I could grow to not wish to know," Alisa said. With a hearty guffaw that turned into an indrawn wheeze of air, Mister Mysterious spoke.

 

"My dear, you are not incorrect. Take this place as a keepsake with you. Tell all you meet that this world which they have undone will yet prove itself to be their undoing." Alisa then stood aside as the man turned and walked away, moving with care and precision. Once he was out of her earshot, Alisa spoke. "Irksome and easily irascible misfit. Moving right along," Alisa muttered beneath her breath, hurrying forward with renewed purpose.

 

Aster and Eclipse pushed off from the wall that they leaned against, positioned upon either side of Victoria's hips. "Well, I'll be, Clipsy. I guess I owe you that Oran Berry shake after all," Aster said, managing to sound nowhere near broken-up about his loss of their bet. Eclipse ground her teeth loudly and unfurled a sullen snarl, but Aster merely grinned in the face of her annoyance and drew out his first two Poke Balls.

 

"For the immeasurable last time, Aster, refrain from calling me Clipsy! I thought that you'd never get your Grass in gear, Alisa. Took your sweet time getting here," Eclipse growled at Aster, then purred at Alisa. The object of Eclipse's twisted fascination stared with mingled wariness and battle-readiness at Eclipse before she shifted her gaze back to Aster. Alisa made sure to keep the Meteor Duo in her sights at all times, her gaze flicking from one to the other in a dance of eye contact.

 

"Can you please get on with it? I'm a captive audience over here," Victoria said, in a tone of absolute unrepentance. "The least we can do is wreak Boss's vengeance upon you. Ruffian!," Eclipse said frostily. Her Lycanroc barked and assumed its attack stance against Alisa.

 

Aster smiled a thin and grim smile. "But of course. Rockstar, battle stance!," Aster called. His Midnight Form Lycanroc yipped in excitement as she joined her fellow, albeit male, Midday Form Lycanroc. "Daenerys, Bite!," Alisa called, sending out her shiny Mightyena as Victoria thrashed with all of her might and broke clean through her rope restraints. Victoria sent out her Torracat and the double battle began in earnest. "Alisa, accept my backup. Torracat, only true terror will do! Bite," Victoria called. "You be silent, Musclebound Miss! Rock Throw, Ruffian," Eclipse commanded. Her Lycanroc barked and flung pointed rocks at Daenerys, dealing considerable damage to the Dark canine and to the fiery Torracat.

 

Victoria laughed a harsh, mirthless laugh. "Try to make me be silent! Torracat, shake it off. Bite," Victoria snapped back. 

 

Torracat was struck down by Accelerock attacks. Victoria recalled it, switching in her Pancham. Working as a team, Alisa and Victoria took turns taking potshots at Eclipse's Ruffian. Once her rock dog had been knocked out, Eclipse snarled, recalled her fainted Pokemon and sent out a Level 29 Lunatone. "Circle Throw, then Arm Thrust!," Victoria called to her newly sent-in Pancham.

 

It obeyed and it knocked Rockstar out. Upon his Rockstar's defeat, Aster called back his Pokemon and sent out a Level 29 Solrock. Two Bites took down the Solrock and served to handily raise Daenerys' Attack stat via Moxie ability. A long battle ensued as the bulky Rock Pokemon refused to concede the battle.

 

Aster sneered as he watched the proceedings unfold. Finally, Alisa and Victoria reigned victorious and were given 300 Pokedollars in prize money. "What the absolute duck! Not again. You couldn't be more infuriating," Eclipse yelled, calling back her fainted Pokemon simultaneously with Aster. "Not to worry, Clipsy, we'll definitely get them next time," Aster said in a charming tone. "Aster! Why do I even team up with you?," Eclipse complained. "For my winning personality and can-do attitude," Aster replied innocuously. "Can it, Aster. As for you two - don't let a Graveler whack you on your way out. They do look positively mutinous," Eclipse said maliciously.

 

"You're just going to let us leave?," Victoria asked, having evidently not overheard Alisa's conversation with their boss.

 

Eclipse exhaled a world-weary, exasperated sigh. "Just because you ran us into the battleground, that doesn't mean that you've truly beaten us. We're leaving. Catch you later," Eclipse ground out. She looked as though she would relish being their captor. Aster shrugged. "Boss said you could slip our grasp this time. Later, Feraligatrs!," Aster said. They vanished in the way of true evildoers, with noxious smoke grenades and a flashbang grenade for good measure. The latter had been dropped by Eclipse and the round cannister served as both reminder and warning of their significance.

 

Alisa and Victoria had barely a second to hit the deck and cover their ears before the smoke and the ringing within their ears gradually cleared. Once they had sufficiently recovered their equilibrium, Alisa helped Victoria to her feet as she regained her own footing. "Sore losers, that dastardly yet dynamite duo. Are you OK, Victoria?," Alisa stated and queried. Victoria cleared her throat, then looked Alisa in the eyes as she spoke. "Thanks for your rescue and help, Alisa. I'm fine," Victoria replied. "You're welcome. Let's ditch this desolate place," Alisa said neutrally. After a moment's pause, Alisa spoke as she led the way down the hallway.

 

"Are you sure that you're alright? You'd been here for quite some time," Alisa asked concernedly. Victoria awarded Alisa a megawatt grin. "Ali, I'm unharmed. Their boss wanted a chat. He told me all about that gate there," Victoria said easily. "Mysterious Man mentioned that gate to you, too?," Alisa said, feeling suddenly unnerved. Victoria shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "It seemed important to him. I don't know why," Victoria replied. Alisa directed a puzzled look at Victoria as they passed said gate.

 

"Ali?," Alisa queried, mystified. "Yeah, Ali. Your nickname. It's cool, yes?," Victoria replied, speaking off the tail-end of a bemused laugh. "To forge friends through the rigours and rituals of battle? It's cool, Tori," Alisa replied impishly.

 

Victoria started to frown, then her flummoxed expression unclouded. "Neat turn of phrase. Tori, huh? It's likeable," Victoria commented, grabbing Alisa in a headlock as she spoke. Alisa chuckled as Victoria ruffled the hair of her scalp, only to release her quickly yet gently a moment later. "But only you can call me Tori, battle sister," Victoria said as a caveat. "Likewise, battle sister," Alisa said, as she led the way up the stone staircase, "regarding my new nickname." They finally reached the entrance/exit ladder.

 

"Oh, you're on. Hey, you climb the ladder first," Victoria said animatedly. Without questioning Victoria's offer, Alisa clambered up the ladder, taking heart upon the ensuing sounds of Victoria following along in her wake. As soon as Alisa reached the top and stood aside for Victoria to emerge from the ladder's lip, Victoria spoke. "Oh, I'd forgotten about Shelly! I've got to revisit her," Victoria said worriedly.

 

Victoria rushed headlong back to the stairway entrance ladder. Upon the Stairway, Victoria waited a moment to see Alisa off. "Be seeing you, Ali!," Victoria added, her expression shifting from content to carelorn before she sprinted off to Lapis Ward with an airy wave.

 

Alisa scrubbed her hands over her drawn face, then walked at a much more sedate pace down the Grand Stairway. She, too, headed back in the direction of Lapis Ward. A short rest within the Whismur house later, Alisa felt somewhat restored. Moving on to Obsidia Ward first, Alisa ventured into a nearby alleyway and defeated the Trainers within it. At the North end of this alleyway, there were two wild Mightyena menacing a wild, shiny Electrike.

 

Not one to stand idly by when someone or something was being bullied, Alisa approached the Pokemon Strays, who immediately yowled an attack klaxon at her. Sending out her Decibel and her Noxious, Alisa had her shiny cricket X-Scissor the duo upon subsequent turns, while she ordered her Noxious to poison the duo with Toxic. A handful of turns later, the Mightyena duo tucked tail and ran, leaving an exhausted-looking yet grateful Electrike to its own devices. Before Alisa could leave, the courageous young Pokemon vagabond gingerly approached her. 

 

"Hi, little prizefighter. Would you like to accompany me?," Alisa asked the spirited Electric puppy, crouching before it as she spoke. The Electrike yipped and nuzzled its left cheek against Alisa's left shin in emboldened response.

 

"Then you're definitely coming with me. What shall I name you?," Alisa mused.

 

The Electric puppy had taken on two Mightyena without a qualm. The only appropriate moniker, in Alisa's humble opinion, was..."Goliath. No other nickname will do. How do you like your new name, Goliath?," Alisa asked her new Electrike. Goliath began to bark in a tone of great delight, chasing his spiky tail as he did so. "It's decided, then. Let's go forth and see the world," Alisa said. Drawing a fresh Poke Ball out of her backpack's Poke Balls pocket, she placed the Poke Ball upon the ground between them.

 

Goliath approached the Poke Ball, nudged it with the tip of his nose and he dematerialised, vacuumed into the Poke Ball that snapped shut around his pure energy form. Alisa hefted the Poke Ball off of the ground, grinned at her new Pokemon addition and returned Goliath to her backpack. "Welcome to my team, giant in Electric dog form. I'll take great care of you. Let's go," Alisa said. Rising to her feet as she spoke, Alisa took one cursory glance around the alleyway before she returned to its entrance.

 

Once there, Alisa visited the Great Hall's Pokemon Center and healed up her latest Pokemon warrior. It was time to revisit Shelly.

 

************************************************************************************

 

A/N: THANK you! Over 300 views now - holy Swalot in a Poison field, Batman, that's stupendous. Thank you for your loyalty and support.

[[CW] Jester: Reborn [Feedback]]

Chapter Two: Making My Way Downtown

 

"OK, get up. If you don't, I'll break ranks and investigate your next Gym myself," Jester snarled. Hovering at the foot of the fold-out couch upon which Connor was sprawled out in sleep, she debated whether or not a Shadow Ball to the nearby nightstand would be a wise move. Deciding that she would rather not risk having to replace said nightstand once she had regained her human form, Jester tilted her head to one side. Resting her left paw against the left side of her jaw, she allowed thoughts of her former life to stream through her mind.

 

She had been a world-famous musician of the Kalosian kind, second in repute to Fantina herself. People had gathered from far and wide to watch her perform live. She allowed no other to pen songs from her mind, heart and soul. At times, this was to her detriment, leading to her garnering of stalkers who would demand that she give them the chance to prove themselves to be her ultimate fanatics. She remembered one particular performance in which her set had resulted within an impromptu radio interview at the nearby, onsite bar.

 

Having had no trouble with the interview itself, Jester had remained circumspect, keeping her cards close to her metaphorical vest as the interviewer, Jay, had tried her best to get Jester to slip up and divulge something personal. She had not been successful at this attempt of hers. A loud groan and a flicker of movement jolted Jester out of her thoughts.

 

Lowering her left paw back to her side as she drifted back a metre or so, Jester watched Connor yawn loudly, give an overly dramatic stretch and then sit up, drawing his knees up to his chin as he did so.

 

"Oh, hey, Mewtwo. I feel like you have a true name that's not Mewtwo, but until you feel free to divulge it to me, I'll just call you by your form's species name. I thought I heard you say 'investigate.' Let's go!," Connor said groggily. He sounded as though he had been awake all along and Jester hoped that had not been the case. She hated it when people watched her while she was deep in contemplation. In her unguarded moments, Jester preferred it if those around her did not watch her, overtly or otherwise.

 

Jester found herself responding against her better judgement. "It's personal. What's in a name? I'll tell you sometime, Connor - truly, I will - but not just yet," Jester replied. Connor's brows knitted and he stretched his legs out, then spun to his left-hand side and sat upon the bed's left side. "Need to know basis, yeah? Loud and clear, Major Mewtwo," Connor grumbled mutinously. Jester sighed. "It's just not important right now, in the grand scheme of things. C'mon, time's ticking by. I'll meet you at the door," Jester said.

 

Turning her back, Jester floated off across the room and settled upon the floor beside the suite's door.

 

Once Connor had showered, dressed and met her at the door, Jester spoke, her expression sombre. "More than my appearance had been stripped from me. My identity - all that I had been and all that I was before that moment - had been stripped so clinically and brutally from me. Although I'm not as I was, I will become more than I ever could have become. I owe that to myself and to those mother-duckers," Jester said darkly. The human side of her registered Connor's appearance, which had been altered due to his change of clothing.

 

Connor's black leather and fur-collared bomber jacket hung open over a sky-blue t-shirt. These were complemented by Connor's slate grey combat pants, brown leather belt with its Poke Ball buckle and his black leather motorcycle gloves. His team's Poke Balls were clipped to a bandolier that encircled his waist, settled just above his belt at his waist. His hands were encased within brown leather motorcycle gloves. Old fashioned aviator goggles were slung by their strap to rest at his throat. Jester looked away steadily, feeling her mouth lose the vast majority of its moisture as she did so.

 

"I should have figured that you'd be a motorcyclist. Saddle up and I'll fly reconnaissance," Jester said, turning toward the door as she spoke. She could only hope that he hadn't noticed her slight stare.

Moments later, Jester activated her Reflect ability, refracted it until she was completely invisible and then met Connor outside of the Abandoned Power Plant. A tap upon his right shoulder made Connor jump and turn to face Jester, but she moved to his left-hand side and then spoke. "Twitchy little Lombre, aren't you? You snooze, you lose...and we can't have that. Rollout!," Jester said, liking the effect that her currently-disembodied voice had upon Connor. "Cut it out, Miscreant Mewtwo! Let's just continue my Gym Challenge," Connor said coolly. He used the Dull Key to enter The Abandoned Power Plant and Jester followed at his heels, chuckling internally.

 

They were met with an entrance atrium and a series of locked silver doors identical to Julia's gym doors.

 

Activating the Gym Panel that was closest to the first silver door, Connor listened to Ame's advice. "Oh, hey, judging by your dial-in code, you're at Shade's Gym! Gym five, Connor - not too shabby. So, you'll notice that Shade's Gym is suuuuper dark, yes? You can utilise that blackout against him," Ame said. "How can I do that?," Connor asked respectfully.

 

"The lights flicker during his machinery's malfunctions. Launch a supercharged and surgical strike when this occurs. You may just short out the circuitry, but it's well worth the old college try," Ame contributed. "That's a brilliant idea! Thanks, Ame, you're a lifesaver," Connor said, enthused. In the Great Hall, Ame rolled her eyes. "I did save your life, remember? From the Reborn train. Good luck out there. Bye for now!," Ame chirped. The line dropped out. The panel blacked out.

 

Connor turned to Jester and shrugged, his winsome grin falling as he did so. "She's cheering me on from the sidelines, I'm sure of it. OK, gym puzzles," Connor said, unperturbed. Dashing off to the end of the entrance atrium's left hand corridor, Connor happened upon a room which contained a series of additional corridors and monitors.

 

Turning into a right hand corridor, Connor ventured up the pitch black corridor, aiding only by the occasional flickering of an LED overhead series of lights. Arriving at a bank of a mishmash of high-tech computers and state of the art Smart TVs, Connor jumped as a monitor flickered to life. The monitor showed a scenario in which the aquamarine-haired Amaria was shoved offscreen by a woman with neon red hair. The red contained a unique streak of titanium grey, leading Jester to correctly guess the woman's identity before Connor could get a chance to.

 

Whether Amaria had just plummeted off of a cliff or other outcrop, rocky or otherwise, was left up to the viewer's imagination.

 

"Well, that's not at all foreboding," Connor opined with sarcasm, turning away from the monitor with an unsuppressed and volatile shudder. He returned to the corridor's beginning and continued onward through the room, walking to the main corridor's end only to venture northward and up to a secondary setup that was identical to the first monitor-computer one. Connor pressed a button upon the keyboard of the central monitor and a secondary scenario played out upon the monitor. This time, it was a woman with maroon hair who turned in time to arrive face to face with a Garchomp. Said delightful Garchomp then swung its scythes and decapitated her.

 

The screen faded to black as Connor looked visibly ready to retch. How he managed not to do so, Jester would never know.

 

"Moving on," Connor said monosyllabically, doing an about-face upon one foot and marching back to this room's entrance. Jester said nothing as she floated after Connor, her thoughts consistently churning as she tried to make sense of what they had seen. The monitors seemed to serve as either an advance warning system or as a Pensieve-like memory bank of a person or persons unknown.

 

Another monitor nearby showed Corey Molinar stepping backward off of Beryl Bridge. He plunged to his premature death, an incessant expression of resigned acceptance upon his face maintained throughout his fall. "I hadn't managed to save that depressed Poison Leader. Hadn't even given me his Badge before he fell," Connor said. His tone was apologetic, his shoulders slumped in a guilt-ridden slouch as he stared at the blanked out visage of the monitor screen.

 

He seemed to blame himself for his inability to prevent Corey's death and although Jester empathised with Connor's feelings about that matter, she sought to alleviate his grief and guilt. "Real talk: I'd met Corey Molinar. Battled his reserve and earned his Badge. Corey was despondent AF and not inclined to an outlook other than bleak and done with it all. His choice hadn't been at all your fault," Jester said soothingly. Connor appeared unconvinced, but he gave a nod that indicated that he appreciated her cheer-up attempt nevertheless.

 

In an effort to both change the subject and also offer a potential battle solution, Jester cleared her throat, then spoke.

 

"If you can activate the machinery during your battle, then you can deactivate Shade's Field and hit the lights. You'd also receive a Steel and Electric boost for your trouble. His shadow strength would be significantly reduced, which can only be a boon to you," Jester pitched in helpfully. Pausing in the middle of his machine inspection, Connor turned to face his best guess of her direction and spoke. "How could you possibly know that? You're a Pokemon. You have no Gym battle experience. Unless...," Connor trailed off. Jester finished his train of thought. "Unless I'm also a fellow Trainer and Gym Challenger? Right you are, Connor. I hadn't always been a Pokemon," Jester explained.

 

Shaking his head slowly in more than negligible disbelief, an incredulous Connor sought to smooth over any surface tension that might devolve into lingering, thorny hostility. "That's awesome! Your being a Gym Challenger slash Trainer, I mean. Not the Pokemon metamorphosis, obviously. Care to elaborate along the way? I'll shut up for now," Connor replied, sensing the charged and developing animosity that Jester bore toward the subject of her current circumstances and their initial occurrence. "Please do zip your lips for the time being. We have to concentrate upon formulating and finding a solution to this Gym puzzle, after all," Jester responded, levitating off of the silver tiled floor as she 'spoke.'

 

As Jester conjured up a Shadow Ball to serve as a meagre source of light within this darkness, she saw Connor's face light up as he turned back to the machine in front of him. "What's that, metaphorical cat?," Jester enquired of Connor. "You just referred to you and I as partners in this game of dubious fame. I'll take it. Pokemon Lord knows I need all of the help that I can get," Connor said blatantly. Another monitor that they reached by circumnavigating this room revealed yet another monitor/computer hybrid databank. The person onscreen exploded, leaving a litter pile of such macabre effect that Connor did take the time to locate a corner and throw up within it.

 

The screen had long since deteriorated to black when Connor returned to where Jester stood. "OK," Connor said unsteadily, "Level 40 is the current level cap. Thanks to some Common Candies, my team are Levels 36-37. Let's get back to the main entrance." They made tracks back to the main entrance atrium. Upon their return there, they found the silver doors had been retracted, leaving the way to Shade unbarred. As Jester and Connor approached the main corridor's end, a voice spoke from within the pitch darkness.

 

"Very bold of you to set foot here. Not every Trainer rises up to be able to challenge me," the voice's gravel-toned owner said dully. Connor was undaunted. "Yeah? Thanks. It's quite pessimistic of you to not factor in this individual's dogged persistence," Connor called, calling forth his first Pokemon, his Level 38 Mightyena, Mighty. 

 

Suddenly, all of the Plant's lights snapped on one after the other, bathing the interiour within a ghostly, flickering sky-blue hue that was tinged, at its periphery, with an ethereal burnt-orange shimmer. A figure at the end of the room, standing in front of a wall to wall bank of large and wide-screened Smart TVs slowly turned to face the duo. His insubstantial edges flickered a deep and dark crimson, while within this dark halo of sorts stood a phantasm wearing a charcoal fedora, a black trenchcoat with upturned collars, black shoes and a charcoal long-sleeved shirt.

 

Black combat pants with navy pockets and navy socks finalised his outfit. This alone would have been enough to make one wary, but the addition of his ear to ear, sinister grin, combined with his red eyes which stared at everything and at nothing, gave Jester and Connor cause for great pause. Shade sent out his Level 35 'Corey,' a Gengar who had been nicknamed after Poison Leader Corey himself.

 

"Shadow Ball, Corey!," Shade called, in a voice unused to speech. "That's very much in bad taste, you know that, right? Mighty, Crunch!," Connor called. His Mightyena struck with a nimble speed, clamping its fangs and jaw down upon the corporeal part-Poison ghost's head.

 

'Corey' screeched with tremendous pain and shook kk off, lunging backward momentarily before he sprang forward, unbidden by Shade.

 

The moment that 'Corey' hit the floor, the Ghost/Poison Gengar flinched and then fainted. The dark Field immediately brightened and lost its Dark boost effect. Shade recalled 'Corey,' then sent in his Level 37 Rotom. "Discharge, Rotom," Shade croaked at the Electric/Ghost. His Rotom fired a shocking surge of electricity at Mightyena which hit like a truck. Shaking off the strong current that afflicted him momentarily, Mightyena barked at his opponent several times to voice his displeasure. "Excellent, Mighty, now use Snarl!," Connor commanded.

 

His Mightyena loosed a hair-raising and savage snarl at Shade's secondary Pokemon as soon as it was sent in. Rotom shrieked with pain, only to be brought down by a mighty Crunch from Mightyena.

 

Shade recalled his Corey and his Rotom, then shoved their Poke Balls into his trenchcoat pockets. He threw out his Level 34 Dhelmise, his third, onto the battlefield. "Crunch that dead weight, Mighty. You're slaying it!," Connor called. The vastly more swift Mightyena bit down upon the dark anchor and the Water/Ghost Dhelmise fainted. Shade tilted his head super slowly from left to right before he sent out his Level 38 Mimikyu. His fourth smirked as it awaited Shade's instructions, oblivious to its dreary surroundings.

 

Confident that Connor's Moxie-boosted Mighty could and would sweep this Gym battle and Gym, Jester nevertheless waited with bated breath. Shade still had three Pokemon, counting this one, at his disposal. Some tanking of Shadow Claw attacks later and Mighty Crunch-ed it to faint status. Recalling his Mimikyu, Shade sent out his Level 37 Doublade. Aware that this fifth Pokemon could pack a surprise punch, Connor shifted from foot to foot, but remarkably held his nerve and his own against Shade and his somewhat demonic team.

 

It was Steel/Ghost typing, which gave it a decent bulk and a not to scoff at type coverage. One Crunch later and the Doublade was done for. "...," Shade fumed. He recalled Doublade. Shade sent in his final Pokemon, a Level 36 Banette. This was his sixth and his battle fate would either soar with it or be sealed by its opponent. "Crunch!," Connor called and once Mighty had inflicted an obscene ammount of damage to the Banette, Connor switched out for his Level 37 Luxray, which dominated the battle with a superfast Bite attack. Banette passed out, awarding the battle win to Connor. Shade began to shake. Slowly at first, but then more rapidly.

 

His movements were spasmodic, irrefutable and incontrollable, but he managed to freeze them enough to recall his Banette. When he next spoke, it was with a considerable ammount of effort.

 

"Abyss favours the forsaken," Shade said cryptically. "Omen Badge." He drew a Badge out of his left trench pocket and handed it to Connor, who crossed the field to take it from Shade's left hand. "Can Flash...Level 45...Gift," Shade concluded, handing over TM65 Shadow Claw. Jester suspected that Shade would then dissipate and completely vanish via teleport, but Shade did not. "Power...activate. Observe," Shade said. The power was activated and upon the screen behind Shade, a new scenario played out. Cain, Heather, Shelly and three people whom Connor didn't recognise were standing in front of a door within The Underground Railnet.

 

The door opened and the pink-purple haired young woman in front of a monitor opened her mouth to speak. She did not. "Connor did it! He opened the door," a voice that Jester recognised as belonging to a girl from the Orphanage, Anna, said merrily. Her brother, Noel, stood next to her. A man whom Jester recognised as being the red-eyepatch wearing man from the Mosswater Factory strode through the door and spoke.

 

"Greetings, all. This is unexpectedly convenient," Eye Patch said laconically. "And you are?," Computer Girl asked. "That's above your pay-grade, little lady. Seize them," Eye Patch said venomously. Meteor Admins Aster and Eclipse poured out of the door behind him and seized everyone, sequentially, but Cain.

 

Cain tried to flee, but he didn't get far before he summoned forth his Nidoking. "Earthquake!," Cain commanded. The ground between himself and Eclipse fractured more than incrementally and soon a wide chasm engulfed the floor between their feet. "Return, let's beat feet," Cain said with grim satisfaction, recalling his Nidoking before he turned and sauntered away.

 

"Uh, Sir?," Eclipse grumbled, turning back toward Eye Patch. "He's not part of our deal. This is exactly what the Doctor ordered," Eye Patch said grimly. "Exactly what we need," Eclipse agreed. The screen faded to black.

 

Connor muttered even as he watched the scene play out. "Forsaken. Those corrupted by the loss of everything of deep significance to them. They languish within such despondence and endless anguish that they suffer needlessly," Connor posited. Jester nodded. "Abandoned or deserted, they turn renegade, susceptible to external guidance and influence. Driven to commit acts of atrocity that go against their better nature, most feel compelled to right a great injustice. Their misfortune had been the card that Fate had dealt to them," Jester added.

 

Brows furrowed, Connor nodded. "Due to Corey's dark influence, Heather herself turned rogue. It explains alot about Corey's past motivations," Connor added. "Dying souls offer the key to your gain," Shade said. "Throwing shade as per usual, I see," Jester snarled. Shade offered her a shark's toothy grin. "Damn it!," Connor snapped, stepping forward as though to intercept Shade's teleportation. "Let not them suffer to the poison in vain," Shade concluded.

 

The entity disappeared before Connor could collar him.

 

Landing in front of the console that Shade had activated for them, Connor curled his fingers into fists and slammed them down onto the floor before the feet of the console. This resulted within superficial abrasion damage to his hands, but in light of the revelations that had been granted unto Connor and Jester, this was viewed as insignificant.

 

"Come on, let's leave this thankless place," Jester said. Pushing himself out of his crouch and quickly upright, Connor turned and wordlessly led the way out of the plant, followed by Jester, who walked close to his heels down the hallway. Emerging out into the natural light from the artificial interiour light brought them no relief, merely resignation and a renewed determination. Nothing bad would happen upon their watch so long as they could possibly prevent it from happening. Jester thought back to the identities of each of the Railnet people.

 

Now, outside of the constraint strain that the machines had placed upon them with their weak, somewhat signal scrambling brain pulse, Jester and Connor were able to recollect that Computer Girl was the red-jacketed orphan, Charlotte. The others were people whom they had both met before, specifically Noel, Anna, Cain, Shelly and Heather.

 

*

 

A/N: If Shade's team has been changed in Episode 18, I will edit this Gym Battle to best reflect this.

[Pokemon Desolation R.E.M. Edition]

I am interested in this mod, but I already have and am playing Pokemon: Desolation. Is this, therefore, a separate game requiring a different game folder and its own game data? If so, I would not be able to download, play and make good use of this. I wish I had known about this earlier, preferably before I had downloaded and started my Desolation playthrough. I don't know if I can play this, but thank you for your provision of it. I would have made great use of the Repel Charm, egg hatcher and the Portable PC alone, had I had this all along. What more can you tell me about its special features ie battle mechanics? 

 

May I ask what, if anything, has been changed? Characters, etcetera, without plot and story spoilers. Please be vague.

 

I do not agree with some of these Ayrithian typings, but understand that others may like them.

[The Odd One Out -- A Reborn Story]

2 hours ago, Mindlack said:

Thank you for reading and reviewing, @Valyrian_Reforged! 

 

To be honest, it was, sort of, one of the reasons why I reviewed your work: "if I don't read and review other people's work, why should my own be read?". But the question was asked abstractly, not in terms of an actual "quid pro quo" with an actual person. 

 

But this means that I will be your debtor for a while. 

 

Back on topic, I'm a little bit surprised you marked the end of chapter 23 (as opposed to the end of part 1, three chapters afterwards) as your first milestone. But breaks have to be taken, and if that felt the best place to stop for you, that's good to me. 

 

Thank you for your compliments.

 

I think I wanted the entry to the school to feel a little different, and since Gabriel is a math guy, the idea was there for the taking. I think (but it's so long ago now) that I was worried about it being a little outlandish. 

 

Mosswater Factory was actually interesting to plan. The idea is that my protagonist is sheltered, and is quite conflict-averse. So how do you storm an enemy base in these conditions? And how would the grunts of a terrorist organization react? These were the kind of questions driving me. 

 

 As for Taka... I have an idea for this character, so I won't go into too much detail (there's another battle with him coming next too). 

 

Rests between battles... I think this gets brought up later on, but not very often. I'm afraid that Gabriel isn't going to be an unstoppable force of nature... at least not yet. 

 

As for the little facts of life, I operate on story logic: most of them aren't that important or interesting, so they're mostly skipped, except perhaps at some rare times. If I remember correctly, there's a shower on chapter 27 (but he does try to shower every day). I think a toothbrush is mentioned in chapter 15, and you can assume that is used at least once a (usually dangerous) day. Clothes get brought up in chapter 15 too, if I remember well, and they sometimes get mentioned. But the story so far is pretty slow (in the current chapter [56], less than three weeks have happened since the train attack), so he won't change clothes that much. Also, he doesn't want to spend what little money he has for it, so he keeps the same ones (I guess we can assume he bought a little more underwear). 

 

Meals put me in a quandary (namely, what kind of food to write about? Berries sound insufficient for feeding, too, and the status of meat in Pokemon universes tends to be... awkward). Mostly you can assume that he grabs something that looks edible enough (and doesn't taste very good except maybe for the sugar) and a hot drink for breakfast. 

 

Gabriel has a very practical approach to hair (well, I hear that it's actually very flawed in real life but, well, my story, my rules): just pretend that it's worth the barest effort and it's going to be fine. I'll confess that I didn't think about haircuts. But time progresses quite slowly (up to chapter 23, there's barely a week spent in Reborn City) so there's little reason for him to get one yet. Maybe later, though. 

 

As for the bathroom breaks... let's say that I still am considering something that may well make you wish you never asked for it. ;)

 

No comment on the future chapters... I'll let you discover Gabriel's progress for yourself.

 

 

I regret to say that, while I appreciate your feedback, I will not incorporate it in the previously written chapters. Keeping moving is already difficult, and I don't have the strength to seriously rework my earlier chapters just yet. But I will definitely take that into account in the future. 

 

 

 

Hi, Mindlack,

 

No worries. That's as good a reason as any to read and to critique a work, and/or works. In actuality, I had started at Chapter One. However, I had previously only thought to reply when I had read the entirety of this work. I'd decided against that upon receiving and reading your plentiful replies to my own work. Thank you for your feedback and support. I really enjoy reading your descriptions of Reborn City.

 

Your descriptions of each Ward and particularly of the PULSE Tangrowth damage had been most masterful. I like the way that you have really written your take upon the damage of these places and of the life and death struggle that it has been, thus far, for Gabriel.

 

He has been given a thankless job and you've had him ask questions that I feel that most protagonists never ask (such as why the Gym Leaders of Reborn haven't stepped in to help the protagonist against Team Meteor.) Cowardice and self preservation are the logical reasons behind why this is so. Gabriel is growing from cowardice into confidence and that's beautiful and admirable to see.

 

Thank you, in turn, for addressing the day to day minutiae that had been but a part of my immersion and practical concerns. I hadn't read that far ahead (to Chapter 56), but I'm glad that its mention was provided as an example to me.

 

Your revelation of the story pacing does explain alot as to why some of these concerns of mine hadn't been mentioned with regularity. I do remember reading about the toothbrush. I hadn't know about Gabriel's tooth brushing regularity, though. That is good to know.

 

Clothing is important. Changes of clothes is acceptable and definitely changes of underclothes are, even sporadically in Reborn, a must. Because it is currently a dump.

 

As to Gabriel's meals, I had read a very interesting fanfiction that had meals being created from some of the more plentiful Water critters of Pokemon (indeed an unsavoury practice), but in Reborn, who knows where food comes from in that region. It's definitely best not to think too deeply or to look too closely within the mystery meats and sundries while there.

 

It's like college slop. It's edible, albeit barely, but it'll always be a mystery.

 

Berries can be made into smoothies and shakes. As snacks, I'd imagine that a fair few of them would scratch the surface of fullness, but never fully satisfy it. Fair enough, you can incorporate any feedback that you can receive, or not, as you wish to.

 

I'll be keeping tabs upon your great work as I continue to read it,

 

Valyrian.

 

PS: If there's anything that I hadn't addressed above, please let me know.

 

[[CW] Alisa: Reborn Anew [Feedback]]

16 hours ago, Mindlack said:

Hi Valyrian, 

 

First things first: I do owe you an apology. 

 

Second: thank you. I needed such a rebuttal. 

 

Let's get back to the apology. I apologize for writing in a way that visibly hurt you and that was probably hostile too. Please believe me when I write that it wasn't intended this way -- my closing remark was genuinely dismayed at my own selective focus and hoping to soften a potential blow. For, as an aggravating factor, I was aware that this could have landed into "hater" territory, yet dismissed that impression. Instead of fighting my unfair focus, I indulged it.  

 

I did not intend for this to mean "write the exact opposite of how and what you feel that you should write." Your insights, your style are your own. I felt (whether or not it's what I ended up doing is rather for you to criticize, as you did) that I should point out a few sparse times where you might be a little too sophisticated even for your setting. I write might, because, as you probably know (and I remembered a bit too late), a lot of literature has characters speak much better than most real people do.  

 

 

For the little mistakes, I'm thinking for instance of the following sentence, where "she could" is repeated: "Alisa vowed to locate and pick-up that Egg so that *she could*, upon the capture of a Flame Body ability-carrying Fire Pokémon, *she could* effortlessly hatch that Egg in the future". There's also "as they notice of Alisa", or the post-Florinia level cap (35, not 25) in chapter 2. I remember reading a couple more, but I can't find them right now, so maybe I'm just misremembering. 

 

For the "The", I wasn't thinking about the ones at the beginning of sentences (a perfectly normal and sound use), but rather those preceding titles or locations, like in "Fern ambled through The Jungle", "through the mishmash of ruined buildings and into The Beryl Ward", "while Heather fought The Newcomer". 

 

 

 

I guess I really needed that suggestion to focus on what was good instead. I like the way you portrayed Corey during the Alisa battle (and the tactics that she employed to win), where he is conflicted between his own nihilism and his (at first reluctant) interest in the Gym battle, the mixture of intensity and denigrating sneer. Fern and Alisa, Aster and Eclipse make some really good duos (please don't let Aster stop calling her "Clipsy"). I think I'm repeating myself, but I really enjoy your descriptions too, and your vocabulary really is a plus for them.  

 

(also, I had no idea such a word as "pizazz" could exist, so thank you for that one)

 

So I hope that this makes a significant contribution to clearing the air. 

 

(PS if you didn't find out already -- the website automatically time-stamps your posts [at the very top of the post] and your latest edit [at the very bottom])

 

 

Hi, Mindlack,

 

No worries at all. I appreciate critiques and your own are high upon the list of those that I don't auto-hate.

 

About my usage of pizazz, you're welcome. I'm aware that I do tend to go-to fancy word usage, as I feel that they're usually the best decriptors (especially of emotions and the way that words are spoken ie sharply, menacingly, haughtily, etcetera). I am wary of their overuse and so I try to not go overboard with them. Thank you for your clearance of air. It's appreciated. The Jungle had been a name shortening of The Rhodocrine Jungle. Perhaps I will edit that to Rhodocrine, instead. The Beryl Ward will be shortened to Beryl Ward.

 

I'm really glad that you have enjoyed my Cory, Fern, Alisa, Aster and Eclipse character portayals. I bust several metaphorical bones to ensure that their dialogue is both unique and in line with my headcanon of their individual character. My headcanon is that Eclipse tolerates the Blizzard out of Aster and views him as her endearing and irritating little brother figure.

 

Aster views her as his Big Sis and so calls her Clipsy at every available opportunity, which she allows. My headcanon views anyone's else's usage of that nickname of her as grounds for Eclipse to throw hands with them. I'm thrilled that you enjoy my vocabulary. I certainly never want to use words that are as monotony-inducing as watching paint dry can be. I've toned down some character airs, save for Alisa's, as she is refined AF.

 

Corey's death scene had been an absolute blast to write and to switch up. Alisa gaining The Silver Ring that way had been a great way to have her obtain it without having to backtrack to Corey's hidden Gym room and collect it from there. It makes more sense to have it be involuntarily gifted from Corey to Alisa as it had been during her unsuccessful attempt to save his life.

 

I really like/liked Corey's and Alisa's dynamic.

 

I really like Aster and Eclipse. They're super-fun to write and they just click as a Meteor Duo. Crafting unique yet satisfactory character dialogue for them is far from a chore and it's something that I could get addicted to. I have a tendency to not under-develop even minor characters. This usually leads to my writing more upmarket dialogue for almost everyone, as I abhor incorrect punctuation, grammar and spelling. However...when it comes to the less affluent Trainers, I will make sure to write less intelligent dialogue (aka the homeless and slums Trainers, non-city folk) for these characters. I will also incorporate more Trainer dialogue in upcoming battle scenes and Gym Battles.

 

Welp, this is turning into an unintended essay and so I must surely leave it at these for now.

 

Cheers and regards,

 

Valyrian. :)

 

PS: Chapter Four is incoming. I am writing it as I type this. Stay tuuuuuuuuned for the booms. And that's a Wrap. xD

 

 

[[CW] Myriad: Desolation [Feedback]]

Chapter Three: The Demented Mentalist

 

After clearing a secondary Vileplume and venturing through a secret pathway alongside of Connor, Myriad found and rescued Lyra's husband. Introducing himself as Noel, the man went on to explain that he used to be a villager within Sheridan Village. One day, he had spoken out against Kuiki and had been locked within this hut, just outside of the village temple. Noel explained that had he not have feigned compliance via fake hypnosis, he would have fared far worse than he had done.

 

That having been said, Noel couldn't remember much else about his ordeal, although he did ask after Lyra. "The password for the guards is 'Messiah,'" Noel divulged, before he handed over TMX7 Rock Smash.

 

Myriad placed the TMX7 into his Key Items pocket and Noel promised to wait within the hut until it was all over.

 

A fight with the two guards at the temple's entrance yielded their passage into said temple, where they confronted Kuiki.

 

"Hey, Myriad! How did you find us here? It's dangerous, especially for someone that has no Pokemon," Ava called up from the pit. Connor and Myriad stood upon a raised balcony that faced Kukui and the pit cages. "Myriad has Pokemon now! Kuiki, you old geezer, your time is up," Connor called heatedly. “Blast and burn, my dear, just how did Myriad know to find me here?,” Kuiki asked Ava.

 

“You tried to have your Donphan impale us with its tusks. Your right to question me has been nulled and voided,” Ava snapped severely. Scarlett chimed in, metaphorically lunging to the defence of Ava’s character. “Awwwww, snap, failed assassin! Ava’s seen right through you and her words have incinerated you. Hope you have more Burn Heals than you know what to do with on hand. You’ll be needing them aaaaaall, Murder Cultist,” Scarlett said, in a singsong tone of voice that made Myriad’s heart swell with pride to hear it. Ava drew herself up with the regality and pure pride of a proper queen in response.

 

“I have to agree with my friends, Kuiki. It’s not customary to mistreat your visitors so. Hadn’t your mother taught you that as a teen, or are you so old that you can’t remember back to that point in your life?,” Myriad replied, as he pulled out his first Poke Ball. “The insolence within this child! We shall battle. I shall take you down,” Kuiki screeched, withdrawing his own first Poke Ball. Myriad smirked, his expression one of snide superiourity. “You can’t take me anywhere, savage madman – not even to the cleaners. I’ll crush you,” Myriad replied. Kuiki appeared extremely apathetic, standing with his arms crossed. "You'll do no such thing," Kuiki growled.

 

“Even your minions of murder couldn’t eradicate me from existence. What makes you think that you can succeed where that team has failed?,” Myriad advised. "Why don't you show your people your Drowzee. The one that you've been using to hypnotise them into the worship of you?," Connor posited.

 

Kukui blanched, even as he tried to appear unconcerned. "What Drowzee? I have no Drowzee," he replied snidely. "Oh, you crafty old liar, Kuiki. You have a yellow and brown Drowzee. You'd additionally used it to spread propaganda about yourself to look even more like a hero. Give up your pretences. Why don't you tell your flock how you've been lying to them for years on end? You're a flagrant, selfish con-artist with an unhealthy narcissism and I will shut down your schemes for good," Myriad opined harshly.

 

Ava yelled encouragement to Myriad from the sidelines, barely restraining herself from joining the battle and teaming up with Myriad for a Double Battle against Chief Kuiki. “You tell that good for nothing, sanctimonious grass-hole. Myriad, you glorious specimen of decency and of humanity! You be sure to call me when you’re of age, I wish to adopt you. You let me know if that proposition interests you, yeah, foster son-to-be? Now go and obliterate that kook. Villagers, Connor and Myriad are right. Kuiki's been manipulating you all of this time,” Ava yelled.

 

Myriad awarded Ava the same look that his Alolan cousin’s Rowlet had given him within its first rival battle, a quizzical and keen-eyed look that did not fail to convey his bafflement toward its intended recipient. “I’m intrigued by the prospect that you raise, Ava, but I really have to find my feet in this world first. I've got to find my parents,” Myriad replied. “I’ll take that as an ‘I’ll put some serious thought into your once in a lifetime offer, Ava.’ OK, battle prince, you’re on,” Ava replied cheerfully. Her eyes never let the duplicitous Kuiki.

 

Chief Kuiki scoffed. “Rather pre-emptive and self-indulgent of you to even entertain the possibility of that wishful thinking, reprehensible witch. Who would wish to become such a vacuous, carbon copy  of a reprobate such as yourself?,” Chief Kuiki pitched in virulently. “No-one here asked for your unwanted opinion, you crusty old crustacean! Myriad, send that smarmy ruffian and his pack of Pokemon packing, you slayer of all types of critters, you,” Ava fired back, glaring glacial daggers that could have caused a Scald effect at Chief Kuiki.

 

Myriad had never been in the prescence of two people who detested each other as much as Ava and Kuiki despised each other. The raw tension and menace within the room was starting to make him feel very much supercharged and on edge. Unsettling didn’t even begin to cover his swirling emotions right now.

 

"This isn't looking great for you, is it, Kuiki? You'd best hope that this journal does not exist. It will seal your fate if it does. The truth is coming out," Shiv said from the balcony to the pit's upper right hand side. "Shiv's here? What the Helioptile?," Connor said, confused by the renewed prescence of Shiv. "You promised me, Shiv! You swore that you would not do this," Kuiki yowled. "I had my fun while it lasted, Kuiki. They really did get the better of you," Shiv said unapologetically, his tone the epitome of casual.

 

The villagers began to chant that Kuiki was a liar, which served to further rile the village chief and make him act rashly.

 

"There's no point in further deception. I have been hypnotising these villagers with my Drowzee. It was so that they could do my bidding and worship me. Do you think yourselves to be the first to try to wrest away my control? You are truly most arrogant. I do not fear loss of control, because I can simply seize it back," Chief Kuiki said. "Drowzee, go! It's too late for you now, Myriad. Hypnosis," he added.

 

His Drowzee hypnotised almost everyone. Somehow, Myriad and Connor were not hypnotised. "Hero up, Myriad! Get GOING," Connor yelled brashly. Myriad was telekinetically shotput over the balcony railing, landing in front of Kuiki as Connor tumbled into the pit. Connor managed to remain on his feet as he stood before the Donphan. Myriad targeted Kuiki. Connor attacked the Donphan. "Your aura! It's just like...but it just can't be. I'll clobber you with the strength of my Pokemon. Dustox, go!," Chief Kuiki yelled, sending forth his Level 16 Dustox.

 

Myriad's Wingo took care of the Dustox with a few Gust attacks. Kuiki sent out his Level 15 Komala. Myriad recalled Wingo.

 

“Daenerys, commendable work! Use Bite and put your all into it,” Myriad commanded, sending out his shiny white Poochyena as he spoke. “Ooooh, how kinky,” Connor said, just loud enough for Myriad to hear it. As much as he disliked Connor, Myriad had to award the Fire Leader a hearty guffaw at that. Daenerys materialised and bit Komala into unconsciousness. Kuiki sent in his Level 17 Drowzee.

 

"Bite that Drowzee, Daenerys, my queen," Myriad commanded, sending out his Level 18 Poochyena as he spoke. The Drowzee tried to Headbutt Daenerys. It landed its attack. Shrugging off the weak strike as she bit the Drowzee once more, Daenerys barked a sharp, satisfied bark as the Drowzee hit the wooden deck at Kuiki's feet. It did not get to its feet. "How could this even be possible?," Kuiki drawled, staring down at his downed Drowzee in shock. "I've lost. Truly inconcievable," Chief Kuiki said dully, his tone sullen as he returned his fainted Pokemon. Daenerys evolved into a shiny Mightyena.

 

Shiv wore an expression of pure elation. "Bravo to you, Myriad! Most fascinating, indeed. The villagers of Keneph are in your debt. What will they do now?," Shiv called and enquired. The villagers seemed to awaken as if from the deepest and darkest of nightmares. "Our village was on its last legs since before Kuiki's arrival here. We will elect a real and natural leader, as we had before! Someone with true depth and integrity," a villager said firmly. "We won't let this be the end of us," the other villagers shouted. Shiv blinked. "Well, good for all of you," he said flatly.

 

“Fridge you, Kuiki, you monster trucker. I freaking loved seeing Myriad wipe every single existing floor with you and your Pokemon,” Scarlett said mutinously, impressing everyone present, friend and foe alike, with the vehemence within her unguarded and embittered tone. “Daaaaaaang, now look who’s setting up to become a badgrass! And the award for Most New and Improved Savage goes to…,” Connor called from the sidelines, his expression suffused with an admiration and an approval that was well and truly rare for him.

 

Scarlett beamed in response, a blush that matched her name suffusing her face. Myriad felt a renewed sense of kinship toward Ava and Scarlett, beyond appreciative and proud of his friends for never ceasing to have his back. Kuiki flushed pure crimson as well, filled with anything but a combination of flattered yet mortified. “I’ll make you eat every one of your blatantly offensive words, Witch Duo! Villagers, attack,” Chief Kuiki roared, incensed beyond composure. 

 

Connor interjected his take from the sidelines. “An ‘In your dreams, you insufferable excuse for a Hypno reject’ is in order and is directed to you, Chief Crazypants. I do not churn to discover the content of your actual dreams. No doubt anything goes there. No judgement here. What I do judge you for is the abhorrent rejection of your Vileplume. You spout a crock of spit about the cruelty of Pokemon mistreatment while you neglect your own Grass Pokemon. Pot, meet kettle. While you’re there, kettle, Stomp upon pot’s foot and call it a hypocrite,” Connor called angrily. Chief Kuiki blanched as everyone present gave him glares of silent yet extremely violent death.

 

“You miscreant! I respect and cherish every single one of my Pokemon. How dare you try to instigate a riot within my ranks, within my house of worship. Guards, seize and eject this blight upon my every sense,” Chief Kuiki screeched like a banshee. The guards looked at each other, looked at Connor, looked at their boss…and remained at their post. “What do I pay you for? Do good work for me, your boss. Do as I command,” Chief Kuiki shouted, discomfited at his lackey’s sudden lack of deference to him.

 

Connor tilted his head to one side, glanced at the guards, then glanced back at Chief Kuiki. “You’re not going to bounce me so easily, Creepy. Your influence isn’t worth a damn since Myriad swept the floors with you. Good luck with alternate employment,” Connor sneered.

 

Myriad was glad to hear that Connor could not only be counted upon in a pinch, but that he was as quip-happy and quite snappy as always. “You’ll be friendless and fearful in no time, Chief Kooky! Connor, I just might revise my initial character assessment of you,” Scarlett said thoughtfully.

 

“Initial assessment of moi? You must be referring to my dashing good looks, my indomitable will, my uncurtailable witty banter and my stunning, fiery quiff. I don’t blame you for being an admirer of mine,” Connor said, without missing a beat. Scarlett smiled a slow, mischievious smile. “If you say so. Those are your self-descriptors,” Scarlett replied. Connor wore a look of all-encompassing curiousity and undivided interest as he sized Scarlett up with his steady gaze.

 

“You don’t say. Damn if you don’t intrigue me one minute and then tick me off the next minute. You’re not already taken? I throw my hat in the ring if you’re not,” Connor said, flat out and with a staggering sincerity.

Scarlett remained silent, hedging her bets. Connor sulked. “This is Jerry Springer: Rejuve Edition, not Deerling Dateline. Cut to the chase, Myriad. Nice work!,” Ava opined from the sidelines. Downtrodden and dismayed, the defeated Chief Kuiki handed over the battle victor’s prize money and then he spoke in a hoarse croak. “You, a grass-roots Trainer from a nothing place, managed to defeat me, a battle veteran of peerless prestige and a spotless victory record. I call hacks. Treachery, I tell you. I demand a rematch,” Chief Kuiki snapped.

 

Myriad shook his head slowly, recalling Daenerys as he did so. “I decline your rematch request, which was more of a demand. Defog the hypnotized minds of your village underlings, Kuiki, or prepare to spend a permanent allotment of time in prison,” Myriad said.

 

Connor spoke before Chief Kuiki could. “And if you refuse to comply with Myriad’s command, know that I will remain within this place forever to plague you twenty-four-seven with incessant show-tunes from every era. I can make it so that you get no peace and quiet, Captain Creepshow. Is that what you would prefer? Is that your choice?,” Connor said, in an utterly disturbing, level tone.

 

Chief Kuiki grimaced. “Hex, no. That would be awful. Just so that you can memorise it, my title is Chief and my name is Kuiki,” Chief Kuiki said crossly. “Oh, right. Colonel Kooky, yes? Or is it Commander Creepypasta, Counselor Killjoy, Crazy Lazy or Human Hypno? All of these apply to you,” Ava said smoothly. “No, those monikers do not suit me. Nor do they apply to me,” Chief Kuiki refuted.

 

Myriad folded his arms and watched the drama unfold, wishing that he had a large bucket of popcorn on hand that he could pop while he witnessed the battle of belittling unfold. “Crazy Lazy? How DARE you. You have zero idea about how much mental exertion I must endure daily. Only I ensure the smooth operation of my village,” Chief Kuiki rattled off in retaliation. “I do believe that we have a confession, Your Honour. Permission to approach the accused?,” Connor asked Myriad.

 

“Permission granted, Counselor,” Myriad said loyally. Connor grinned.

 

“Brilliant. I suggest that you do not resist. You’re under arrest, Kuiki, for coercion, obstruction, dereliction of duty, psychological manipulation, entrapment without just cause and no doubt many other crimes that I have yet to uncover. Mark me well, I will find out your deepest, darkest secrets and I'll bring them to bear against you. Guards, you’re up,” Connor said sternly.

 

The guards that Myriad had passed in order to get here approached Chief Kuiki. However, before they could seize the chief’s arms, drag them behind his back and marched him into a free prison cell, Shiv intervened. "Kuiki, we're done here," he said before he vanished.

 

Shiv reappeared in front of Chief Kuiki, who wore an expression of absolute terror.

 

"N - no! Shiv -," Kuiki whined. Shiv gripped Kuiki's biceps and teleported them both out of the village. 

 

Myriad sighed. “That can lead to nothing at all copacetic,” he said idly. Connor and company swept the place and located Ava's and Scarlett's Poke Balls. They returned these Poke Balls to Scarlett and Ava. "You've honoured us greatly, Myriad. We will not forget this," the villagers said gratefully. "With our clouded minds, we forgot who we were. If we can ever of later service, please call upon us. We will repair and restart. Our village will close temporarily. Upon our grand reopening, you will be welcomed back with wide-open arms," the villagers continued.

 

Myriad, Ava and Connor showed the villager's Noel's journal, which further proved the validity of their assertions against Chief Kuiki.

 

Noel's name and reputation were cleared and he was free to return to Lyra. The husband and wife thanked Myriad, Ava, Scarlett and Connor profusely. They assured them there would always be a place here for them all if they so desired it. The young heroes and heroines were then permitted to leave the curse-free village uncontested.

 

Myriad and company left the village immediately after multiple Damp Rocks were embedded into the prison cells to dampen Chief Kuiki’s psychic powers, should he ever seek to return. Once Chief Kuiki was found, Myriad felt confident that until the League and the authorities would recapture him and place him within a suitable, Damp Rock-inset prison cell. Myriad’s journeying took him to the temple entrance.

 

Scarlett, Ava and Connor awaited him at the foot of the entrance staircase. "We don't have time to dawdle here. If they're taking their time, then -," Connor began, but Ava interrupted him. "Shut it, Four Eyes, we'll simply wait for them!," Ava snapped. "Four Eyes? Reaaaally? I'll have you know that I just took part within your rescue. That means - ah, Myriad. You're finally here," Connor fired back, looking past Ava at Myriad as he addressed them both. "Myriad, our hero! We were waiting for you. Bearhug!," Scarlett said contentedly.

 

She bestowed a bearhug upon Myriad as he approached Connor, Ava and Scarlett herself. Accepting Scarlett's bearhug with a spontaneous laugh, Myriad returned Scarlett's hug and then released his hold as soon as she released her own hold around his middle back. "Great job back there, Myriad. Welcome back. I really hoped, but didn't think, that you had it in you. Battle me someday?," Ava said to Myriad. "You bet, Ava," Myriad replied. "I'm a Gym Leader, too, you know, Myriad. You must battle me soon," Connor said, keen not to be left out of a Myriad battle.

 

Ava tilted her head slightly, her expression intrigued as she looked at Connor. "So you must be Connor. The cocky Leader of Fire types, yes?," Ava enquired. Connor half-smiled at Ava. "I prefer 'confident,' but that'll do. You can only ever trash-talk me like that if I ever got beaten by a total noob someday. I take it that you are Ava?," Connor responded. "I am she of whom you speak," Ava said calmly. "Myriad has no Badges. I'd say that he counts as a novice," Scarlett opined. Ava clapped her hands gleefully, making everyone present award her the side-eye. "Connor could battle Myriad! If Myriad wins, I can trash-talk Connor indefinitely. In fact, we al can," Ava said merrily.

 

"Let's battle, Connor. Are you genuinely worried that I will defeat you?," Myriad said, feeling fired-up for further battles.

 

Connor pursed his lips, folding his arms as he spoke. "Let's high-tail it to the next town. After we heal up our Pokemon, you are absolutely on for a Gym battle with me, Myriad," Connor acquiesced. "Specs here finally says something that I can agree with. Let's rustle our muscles and hop to it," Ava said breezily. "Could you cut it out, Ava?," Connor asked tersely. "Cut what out?," Ava asked innocently, as they all began to travel away from the village. "You know what!," Connor said in a brittle tone.

 

Scarlett burst into unbroken gales of amused laughter.

 

They all soon arrived at Redcliff Town, which was just across a series of nearby bridges. "I want to see you wipe the smirk off of Four Eyes Flint over there, Myriad. Don't let me down," Ava said. Further battles resulted within Wingo's evolution into a shiny Pidgeotto. Just after Myriad passed through the end gate and into Redcliff Town, a familiar figure, unseen by him, reached the bridge that overlooked the end gate. "Unbelievable. Kukui did not pay off as expected. That group of kids are exactly what and whom I've been searching for. Time. Will. Tell," The Woman said. Meanwhile, the odd green gates of Redcliff Town loomed before Myriad, Scarlett, Connor and Ava.

 

"Myriad. We're in quite the to-do," Ava greeted, the moment that Myriad approached her. "Hey. Let me in - it's only your Gym Leader, Connor, here. I'm not some boujee nobody!," Connor called to the gatekeeper. "I've never heard of a Connor Gym Leader," The Gatekeeper said innocuously. "This isn't funny. It never had been," Connor grumbled. "Oh, I disagree. This is a laugh riot. This couldn't be more brilliant," Ava said chirpily. Connor glowered at Ava.

 

He then aimed an even more charged scowl up at The Gatekeeper for good measure. "Please can we enter Redcliff?," Connor asked, making a supreme effort to be nice. "No can do. We'd be foolish to allow anyone entrance after the natives' attacks. We've really had to ramp up security. A Gym Leader named Connor? More like Con Artist! You can't hoodwink me," The Gatekeeper said shrewdly. Ava chuckled into her hands for several minutes, but then she sobered up.

 

"OK, this has gone on far enough. I've had my fill of this fun. Excuse me, Gatekeeper. I'm Ava, the Grass Leader of Darkroot Town! Will you please permit us entrance?," Ava called to the Gatekeeper placidly.

 

The Gatekeeper visibly appeared to leap out of her skin, such was her absolute astonishment. "Lady Ava? Oh, my. But of course. Please accept my sincerest and deepest apologies," The Gatekeeper said, in a tone of unconcealed and blatant admiration. "A Gym Leader is here! Permitting her entrance to Redcliff. Stand by!," The Gatekeeper announced.

 

She then opened the gate, allowing Myriad and company to pass through it and truly enter Redcliff Town. Connor wore a look of deep, wounded pride, his face blooming a deep and mottled red from pure outrage.

 

"Do come on in, Lady Ava. Once again, permit me to extend my profuse apologies," The Gatekeeper said obsequiously. "All is forgiven and forgotten. Thank you. Farewell," Ava said graciously, gesturing for Myriad to lead the way into the town. Myriad entered the town first, closely followed by Ava, Scarlett and then finally, a very outraged and humiliated Connor.

 

After healing up and then buying some Poke Mart Poke Balls, Myriad backtracked to the waterfall and invited a Croagunk to join his Party. After many soft resets, a shiny Croagunk joined his team. Making his way back to Redcliff Village, Myriad prepared to take on Connor in his first no holds barred Pokemon Gym Battle.

[[CW] Alisa: Reborn Anew [Feedback]]

Hi, Mindlack,

 

Hmmm. This critique veers away from constructive and lands in "write the exact opposite of how and what you feel that you should write." Some of your points, I agree with. I'll take onboard that which I feel will strengthen rather than detract from my writing. As for word count, breaks can and should be taken during any read through, not just a read through of my own work. I highly encourage this practice.

 

I may shorten my chapters in future. Some dialogue choices will be tweaked as I deem necessary. My use of 'The', usually written at the start of a fresh sentence, serves to take a break from repeated usage of 'Alisa' this or that (for example, Alisa said/did this.) Your closing statement strikes me of more of a hostile attack rather than an incentive to inspire me to continue further.

 

All errors that you have specified will be corrected immediately. Perhaps it would be more beneficial for you to focus more upon what you like about my writing rather than what you don't like about it. Thank you for your critique/constructive feedback. As for editing, I had lost count of the ammount of times that I had edited so that readability would be accounted for and catered to sufficiently for my readers.

 

Words skips and repetitions. Would you mind giving one or more examples, at the risk of opening myself up to more shots fired? At the end of the day, this is my work and while I do appreciate any given feedback and will take it all onboard, I will write this fanfiction my own way, to the best of my creativity and writing ability.

 

Valyrian_Reforged.

 

E.D.I.T.: Done. Nicknames and snappy character dialogue? They come easily to me. They always have and I'm darn grateful for that. Writing Pokemon battles has become somewhat of an art form for me. It's been a great learning curve for me. It's not always easy to get them written just right. Thanks for your compliments. They mean alot to me. Making each character soar upon their own is important to me. Each character is distinctly unique. I always strive to portray them as such. As for large and impressive vocabulary and words, I'll add them sporadically. They add further polish and pizazz to my works.