As for the reaction to the Named
-[X][Frisson] You knew Named Pokémon were strong. You knew they were on a whole different level. But actually seeing them... It was like staring up at the stars on an empty field. Like seeing the immensity of space, and realizing, for the first time, just how small you were. Just a speck of dust, floating aimlessly in the cosmos. And yet... Cassiopeia was one of the weakest Named.
They wrap the world around them. Knowing that... What could you feel, except excitememt? Like the moment of weightlessness on a rollercoaster, the frisson of thrill just before the drop. Marigold and you would be like that, one day. You
would. Seeing the road that awaited you, the challenges that lay ahead... what could you feel, except that?
Man, I just found this quest... and I love it. The writing quality is superb, and I love the gameplay of mainly write-ins. It absolutely plays to the strength of quests and Dnd style games, witch is it's limitless potential. And having a mentor (specially one as interesting as Mel) is so nice, too. We're learning so much, and it's all so interesting!
To someone like Melati, who might generously be called a free spirit, dotes on her pokemon like a proud mother and prizes their independence and character… It's kind of antithetical to everything she finds training to be, even if it isn't necessarily wrong per se.
Then again, what with having been a proper Trainer for all fo a day, you guess it's a little soon for you to tell where you stand on that issue.
But for now, it mostly inspires…
You know, he actually reminds me of Danzo, from Naruto. You know, if he was written with any dreg of complexity. (I love 'Naruto', but for all that we're talking about a militarized dictatorship with actual child soldiers... well, no one who hasn't been reformed has been particularly complex. Like, even Madara was just being manipulated. Sigh~)
Maybe it's me buying into the power of friendship too hard, but the mere thought of having a standardized pattern of training... well, it seems kind of horrific. Like, those are living beings. Individuals! Not to mention the psychological implications of rushing through evolutions like that.
Sure, it's probably not as bad as doing that to say, a child, but we have canonical examples of Pokémon refusing to evolve. And those feelings may be... more or less rational (cough, piplup wanting to keep being cute, cough), but it's a pretty big thing not to have any agency in.
At this precise moment, you think you've just discovered something very important. Something which you might consider the only black mark you have to hold against her. You'll reserve your judgment until you understand what she means better, but you're beginning to get serious hints that Melati sees a good Trainer the same way she sees a good trained pokemon : as something more than its species.
... Yeah, okay. See? This is what I mean when I say this story is so profound, and so good. It's not that it deals with heavy themes, or that it has particularly groundbreaking ideas. It's more that... When I see this, I understand that Melati is a complex, 3 dimensional person. She's got a particular view of seeing the world, she's a developed person with her own thoughts and opinions.
And while I may not agree with all of them, I see the value in them. I don't particularly think that being driven makes a Pokémon (or a trainer) outright better. After all, drive, that spark, doesn't necessarily come with a moral compass to accompany it. Being a wonderful Trainer doesn't make you
more, in the same way being smarter, stronger, more talented... doesn't make you better. We're still human, with our own talents and our quirks. And really, without medics to tend to their wounds, tailors to sew their clothes, researchers to find out information about the needs of their Pokémon... would Trainers exist at all? We're like bees, in that way. Alone, the queen themselves would be doomed.
The writing in this quest, man. It's... incredible.
(And this *is* a story, so narrative rules apply, sure. But c'm on, what kind of story would have only one character? Even the random NCP that sell you pokeballs are pretty darn important!
It's a bit of a surprise, until you realise the depressing truth when you think back to that time a family of Pidgey took one look at her and booked it : they're much more scared of her than they are of you. Not that they're wrong to, but one day, just once, you'd like people to look at you and feel threatened. Not that you want to threaten people, you don't want to hurt anyone, it's just… you know ?
Aaah, you sweet, naive summer child. As if. We're going to harness your powers of Soft Boi-ness, until the lowliest of Caterpie will be unintimidated by you! We'll make you the most approachable Trainer, nay, the most approachable CHAMPION!
(I know Joan has a bit of a chip on his shoulder bout it, and while he could simply grow as a trainer so much people'd stop underestimating him, I'd actually love it as a character beat if he grew to recognize that there's nothing wrong with being soft. With being nice. Marigold herself is a lovable floofball that looks like a cinnamon roll (and who can Actually Kill You, or she will be >
), and she's perfect the way she is.
That's actually my biggest drive towards the Fluffy Theme. It just *screams* character development to me. (And I feel Milotic should totally be included? Find look quite fluffy, after all. And as long as we groom them so that their fur is soft, short-haired Pokémon should totally count, too.)
