Hyphen (Pokemon Emerald)
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
Hm. I guess? I can't exactly filter that information out of bulbapedia.
*Looks up evolution move list of Ralts and Kirlia because reasons*
Yeah I guess it it's still there. Not that it's relevant or anything. There isn't a universal hard code of attack values and calculations for it to affect, so if I forget just stick your fingers in your ears and go 'lalala'.
*Looks up evolution move list of Ralts and Kirlia because reasons*
Yeah I guess it it's still there. Not that it's relevant or anything. There isn't a universal hard code of attack values and calculations for it to affect, so if I forget just stick your fingers in your ears and go 'lalala'.
Meh, It's mostly the immunity to Dragons that matter.
Anyway, I had this on my bookmarks, I believe a little relevant to the history!
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
Well shit isn't that completely relevant. Awesome.
Spellsmith
First Nagato-type Armored Aircraft Carrier, Nagato
Fair enough.
I'm referring to things such as double, triple, rotation battles (although adapted to 'real' world terms), the later items, and also Mega Evolutions. Although based on what you said, probably not. Well, I don't actually have any preferences either way, I just want to know where this fic stands so I can imagine the situations better.
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
Items period probably won't be in use because *Whoop spray this bottle and you're at full fighting health in .0005 seconds' makes little sense even for a Pokemon world. I'm not going to interrupt a battle scene for a spritz. Pokecenters are magic.
The world at large has not yet discovered Mega Evolution.
The world at large has not yet discovered Mega Evolution.
Last edited:
Mizu
Software Developer
- Location
- Victoria, Australia
I always saw the items as fine, but something you'd ignore using in battles, personally. For example, the pokemon gets hurt in a battle and you heal it after the battle is over, with the potion acting as a fast-acting healing agent, speeding up the bodies natural healing.
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
Eh, it'll come up when it comes up.
KlinkerKing
Man bites dog?
- Location
- The Lion's Den
This is not the fic I deserve, it is the fic I didn't know I needed!
This is the fic all Gardevoir deserve, but not the one we need!
But really, anyone knows any other good Fic about this Pokemon line that doesn't goes all DERP U MAI WAIFU *honk honk* [insert non-existent boobs].
Hyphen 5 - Vibrations
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
Hyphen 5
Vibrations
The Ralts sighed, crouched uncomfortably inside a large, upside-down box made of thin pseudo-wood.
She peered out of one of the slits in the box's walls, grimacing at both the ceaseless tide of humanity walking the city's streets, and the hard stones digging into her knees and shins. Pedestrians had become more and more common as the Ralts had ventured into the city, and opportunities to advance further proportionally fewer. Currently she was trapped in a narrow, three-way alley, hiding from sight in a convenient box that had been abandoned next to one of those giant metal trash bins.
Ordinarily, she would've celebrated the sheer number of humans to glean knowledge from, but not only were there so many of them that their voices and emotions were garbling together into incoherence, but they barely stuck around for the time it took to cross the alley's mouth! Simply moving elsewhere was looking less and less likely as well; the humans were too ever-present to simply dash across unseen, and she doubted trying to disguise herself as a moving box would work out that well.
Shaking her head, the Ralts slowly started backing up into the alley, taking care not to lift the box too high or move more than a few steps at once. Peeking back the way she'd come, she found the street outside the opposite end of the alley as well-traveled as the nearer one. And shuffling the box back toward the intersecting passage midway down, she let out an aggravated groan when she saw the same, equally dense congestion.
How was she supposed to move on from here? There was some sort of metal grate in the ground that looked to lead into a tunnel, but it was blocked off and smelled bad, and she had reservations about going underground in such a strange place anyway. Ugh, she was getting nowhere, and this rough ground was killing her legs. Maybe she could take a moment to hide and get off her feet, recuperate and look at things from a fresh perspective…
Turning towards the two giant trash bins, she maneuvered herself into the small gap between them. Now away from the sight of passersby, she flipped the box upright and pushed it against the wall, collapsing inside with a frustrated huff. While it wouldn't beat out even the driest of grass, the pseudo-wood of the box was much better than the rocky surface the humans paved the alley with. Yet, what should she do now? The Ralts stared at the sliver of visible alleyway listlessly, pondering her options.
Teleportation was out of the question; she knew the theory, but Grandpa wouldn't let her practice until she became a Kirlia—not that she had the power to even try as a Ralts. She doubted she could camouflage herself for more than a few moments, as she had neither the control nor the power for that—if it was a partial illusion, maybe, but she was dearly lacking in anything to aid the effort. Maybe she should just run over under the box after all? Find a place to hide on the other side and wait until the commotion died down? It was so risky, though...
The Ralts wrestled with her limited options for some time, daylight passing by in agonizing, indecisive slowness, until a sudden glare shone directly into the Ralts's face. Jerking up, she rubbed her eyes and glared at the source of the light—then blinked, gazing at a folded metal ladder hanging from the rooftops, the sun having drifted far enough to reflect off the shiny surface. She grinned; now that was perfect! If she couldn't go through, she'd just go over!
The Ralts got out of the box and peered at the ladder speculatively. There had to be a way to bring it down, right? Looking closely, she spotted a small latch at the top that seemed to be holding the mechanism closed; that should be easy enough to move. Concentrating, the Ralts delved into her latent energy, the comforting warmth of psychic power flowing through her body as she opened her mind.
A chaotic blend of emotion struck her as she began to pick up on the feelings of the people around her more acutely, but she ignored it as best as she was able, directing her attention to the release mechanism. Familiar purple energy enveloped the latch, clattering and clanking as she tugged it around. With one last yank she finally opened the latch, and the ladder descended to the ground with a roaring crash of metal.
The Ralts gasped, quickly flipping the box back over and hiding inside. That had been way louder than she had expected! She didn't doubt for a moment that there were a dozen humans looking into the alley right now, and a careful glance through the gaps underneath the trash bins confirmed at least a few pairs of feet loitering around the alley entrance. She waited, heart pounding, as a few distant voices pondered the ladder's sudden descent...before ultimately moving on, unconcerned.
The Ralts waited a moment more, before hesitantly poking her head out and looking around. It seemed nobody had come to investigate, and the streams of humans passing the alley mouth had continued, unchanged. The Ralts exhaled, slumping in relief. That had been nerve-wracking! Hopefully she wouldn't have a close call like that again.
Underneath the box, the Ralts steadily crawled out toward the ladder and examined the metal device; its rungs looked awkwardly spaced, but she would manage. It was fairly tall, though, and what if it made noise as she climbed? Reaching out, she gave the base a decent shake as a test, and was pleasantly surprised at the lack of give. Maybe it was sturdier than she thought. Still, she could at least make herself a bit lighter to minimize risks…
A light purple haze covered the psychic's body as she reduced her own weight by a fourth. Taking a deep breath, the Ralts burst out from under her cover and threw herself at the ladder, climbing the rungs with a muffled haste. After a frantic moment she crested over the roof's edge, panting.
The Ralts took a moment to breathe, then hesitantly peered back down into the alley, sighing in relief at the lack of reaction from either end. Right, step one accomplished. Now to figure out step two.
The roof was barren, except for odd bits of shaped metal here and there and a giant machine on a nearby corner, rumbling peacefully as it did whatever it was meant to do. Most of the other buildings she could see were on the same level of her current perch, aside from one area that seemed to spike upward into the skies, and all of them were partially obscured by the number of large trees on every street. Off in the distance, a rather distinguished building sat with giant flat constructs displayed proudly on top—they had the same blocky look of the symbols on the refuse container, and after a moment's thought she recalled that these shapes were called 'letters,' and humans used them in their writing.
The Ralts considered the vista before her. That building with letters looked rather unique; maybe something interesting was over there. Path set, the Pokemon approached a nearby tree that grew taller than the roof and formed a bridge over the street with its fellows. Testing a likely branch for durability, the Ralts smirked as it held firm under her still-lightened weight. Brushing past the outer layer of leaves, she climbed off the roof and onto the bark. She spared a passing glance at the people moving below her, the hubbub slightly dulled by the masses of foliage, but none of them appeared to notice the commotion above them. And so, with a grin, she continued to navigate the leafy pass.
Traveling this way was both much easier and much more nerve wracking, the Ralts discovered. She didn't have to heed the traffic below, but simultaneously she had to be extremely cautious about where she stepped, and how much noise she made as she pushed aside leaves and branches. It wouldn't do for any of the humans below to look upward at an inopportune time after all.
She had made it through two iterations of roof-tree-roof hopping when she began to hear an odd sound, distinct from the hubbub below. It was melodic in nature, and altered pitch in slow, methodical ways. Curiosity piqued, the Ralts made a detour towards the sound and peered at the ground below in search of the melody.
There was a human on a bench across the street. Thin, silvery hair adorned his head, and he was dressed in a white shirt with a column of buttons running down the middle and smooth black pants. He held a rather strange wooden object shaped like an oval with a very narrow plank running off the tip; the wide base was pressed against his neck and chin, while he grasped the object's own 'neck' with a wrinkled hand. His other hand held a long stick with a separate thin white band attached. The Ralts couldn't make out much more than that at such a distance, but as she looked, she saw him maneuvering his fingers along the neck of the object as he drew the rod over the middle of the wide area. Clear, airy melodies sang out as his hands moved, pitch changing with the movement of his fingers.
The music was one of the most beautiful things she had ever heard. The notes were long and solid, so unlike the familiar flickering of birdsong or the chorusing of the villagers. The song itself played slowly, many low notes echoing leisurely across the street and bringing to mind foggy days and a rather weary melancholy.
But...where was his audience? Across from her vantage point, the bench the man sat on was situated in front of an odd grove that took up as much ground as a half-dozen buildings. It was empty aside from him, and everyone on the street passed him by, like they couldn't even hear the music wafting in the street. A couple of humans slowed down or nodded at the man, but aside from brief moments of acknowledgement they just rushed onward, as if none of them could stay for longer than a second.
It was an absolute tragedy, she decided. Finding her way into some branches across the street, she came to rest in the crown of the tree behind the man and settled amongst the branches, hidden from view. She closed her eyes, listening to the strange, wonderful sounds emanating from below. Those humans passing by everywhere didn't know what they were missing. If nobody else could stop to appreciate something like this, well, she'd just have to enjoy it in their stead.
The Ralts smiled, and listened to the old man's melody for a long, long time.
Vibrations
The Ralts sighed, crouched uncomfortably inside a large, upside-down box made of thin pseudo-wood.
She peered out of one of the slits in the box's walls, grimacing at both the ceaseless tide of humanity walking the city's streets, and the hard stones digging into her knees and shins. Pedestrians had become more and more common as the Ralts had ventured into the city, and opportunities to advance further proportionally fewer. Currently she was trapped in a narrow, three-way alley, hiding from sight in a convenient box that had been abandoned next to one of those giant metal trash bins.
Ordinarily, she would've celebrated the sheer number of humans to glean knowledge from, but not only were there so many of them that their voices and emotions were garbling together into incoherence, but they barely stuck around for the time it took to cross the alley's mouth! Simply moving elsewhere was looking less and less likely as well; the humans were too ever-present to simply dash across unseen, and she doubted trying to disguise herself as a moving box would work out that well.
Shaking her head, the Ralts slowly started backing up into the alley, taking care not to lift the box too high or move more than a few steps at once. Peeking back the way she'd come, she found the street outside the opposite end of the alley as well-traveled as the nearer one. And shuffling the box back toward the intersecting passage midway down, she let out an aggravated groan when she saw the same, equally dense congestion.
How was she supposed to move on from here? There was some sort of metal grate in the ground that looked to lead into a tunnel, but it was blocked off and smelled bad, and she had reservations about going underground in such a strange place anyway. Ugh, she was getting nowhere, and this rough ground was killing her legs. Maybe she could take a moment to hide and get off her feet, recuperate and look at things from a fresh perspective…
Turning towards the two giant trash bins, she maneuvered herself into the small gap between them. Now away from the sight of passersby, she flipped the box upright and pushed it against the wall, collapsing inside with a frustrated huff. While it wouldn't beat out even the driest of grass, the pseudo-wood of the box was much better than the rocky surface the humans paved the alley with. Yet, what should she do now? The Ralts stared at the sliver of visible alleyway listlessly, pondering her options.
Teleportation was out of the question; she knew the theory, but Grandpa wouldn't let her practice until she became a Kirlia—not that she had the power to even try as a Ralts. She doubted she could camouflage herself for more than a few moments, as she had neither the control nor the power for that—if it was a partial illusion, maybe, but she was dearly lacking in anything to aid the effort. Maybe she should just run over under the box after all? Find a place to hide on the other side and wait until the commotion died down? It was so risky, though...
The Ralts wrestled with her limited options for some time, daylight passing by in agonizing, indecisive slowness, until a sudden glare shone directly into the Ralts's face. Jerking up, she rubbed her eyes and glared at the source of the light—then blinked, gazing at a folded metal ladder hanging from the rooftops, the sun having drifted far enough to reflect off the shiny surface. She grinned; now that was perfect! If she couldn't go through, she'd just go over!
The Ralts got out of the box and peered at the ladder speculatively. There had to be a way to bring it down, right? Looking closely, she spotted a small latch at the top that seemed to be holding the mechanism closed; that should be easy enough to move. Concentrating, the Ralts delved into her latent energy, the comforting warmth of psychic power flowing through her body as she opened her mind.
A chaotic blend of emotion struck her as she began to pick up on the feelings of the people around her more acutely, but she ignored it as best as she was able, directing her attention to the release mechanism. Familiar purple energy enveloped the latch, clattering and clanking as she tugged it around. With one last yank she finally opened the latch, and the ladder descended to the ground with a roaring crash of metal.
The Ralts gasped, quickly flipping the box back over and hiding inside. That had been way louder than she had expected! She didn't doubt for a moment that there were a dozen humans looking into the alley right now, and a careful glance through the gaps underneath the trash bins confirmed at least a few pairs of feet loitering around the alley entrance. She waited, heart pounding, as a few distant voices pondered the ladder's sudden descent...before ultimately moving on, unconcerned.
The Ralts waited a moment more, before hesitantly poking her head out and looking around. It seemed nobody had come to investigate, and the streams of humans passing the alley mouth had continued, unchanged. The Ralts exhaled, slumping in relief. That had been nerve-wracking! Hopefully she wouldn't have a close call like that again.
Underneath the box, the Ralts steadily crawled out toward the ladder and examined the metal device; its rungs looked awkwardly spaced, but she would manage. It was fairly tall, though, and what if it made noise as she climbed? Reaching out, she gave the base a decent shake as a test, and was pleasantly surprised at the lack of give. Maybe it was sturdier than she thought. Still, she could at least make herself a bit lighter to minimize risks…
A light purple haze covered the psychic's body as she reduced her own weight by a fourth. Taking a deep breath, the Ralts burst out from under her cover and threw herself at the ladder, climbing the rungs with a muffled haste. After a frantic moment she crested over the roof's edge, panting.
The Ralts took a moment to breathe, then hesitantly peered back down into the alley, sighing in relief at the lack of reaction from either end. Right, step one accomplished. Now to figure out step two.
The roof was barren, except for odd bits of shaped metal here and there and a giant machine on a nearby corner, rumbling peacefully as it did whatever it was meant to do. Most of the other buildings she could see were on the same level of her current perch, aside from one area that seemed to spike upward into the skies, and all of them were partially obscured by the number of large trees on every street. Off in the distance, a rather distinguished building sat with giant flat constructs displayed proudly on top—they had the same blocky look of the symbols on the refuse container, and after a moment's thought she recalled that these shapes were called 'letters,' and humans used them in their writing.
The Ralts considered the vista before her. That building with letters looked rather unique; maybe something interesting was over there. Path set, the Pokemon approached a nearby tree that grew taller than the roof and formed a bridge over the street with its fellows. Testing a likely branch for durability, the Ralts smirked as it held firm under her still-lightened weight. Brushing past the outer layer of leaves, she climbed off the roof and onto the bark. She spared a passing glance at the people moving below her, the hubbub slightly dulled by the masses of foliage, but none of them appeared to notice the commotion above them. And so, with a grin, she continued to navigate the leafy pass.
Traveling this way was both much easier and much more nerve wracking, the Ralts discovered. She didn't have to heed the traffic below, but simultaneously she had to be extremely cautious about where she stepped, and how much noise she made as she pushed aside leaves and branches. It wouldn't do for any of the humans below to look upward at an inopportune time after all.
She had made it through two iterations of roof-tree-roof hopping when she began to hear an odd sound, distinct from the hubbub below. It was melodic in nature, and altered pitch in slow, methodical ways. Curiosity piqued, the Ralts made a detour towards the sound and peered at the ground below in search of the melody.
There was a human on a bench across the street. Thin, silvery hair adorned his head, and he was dressed in a white shirt with a column of buttons running down the middle and smooth black pants. He held a rather strange wooden object shaped like an oval with a very narrow plank running off the tip; the wide base was pressed against his neck and chin, while he grasped the object's own 'neck' with a wrinkled hand. His other hand held a long stick with a separate thin white band attached. The Ralts couldn't make out much more than that at such a distance, but as she looked, she saw him maneuvering his fingers along the neck of the object as he drew the rod over the middle of the wide area. Clear, airy melodies sang out as his hands moved, pitch changing with the movement of his fingers.
The music was one of the most beautiful things she had ever heard. The notes were long and solid, so unlike the familiar flickering of birdsong or the chorusing of the villagers. The song itself played slowly, many low notes echoing leisurely across the street and bringing to mind foggy days and a rather weary melancholy.
But...where was his audience? Across from her vantage point, the bench the man sat on was situated in front of an odd grove that took up as much ground as a half-dozen buildings. It was empty aside from him, and everyone on the street passed him by, like they couldn't even hear the music wafting in the street. A couple of humans slowed down or nodded at the man, but aside from brief moments of acknowledgement they just rushed onward, as if none of them could stay for longer than a second.
It was an absolute tragedy, she decided. Finding her way into some branches across the street, she came to rest in the crown of the tree behind the man and settled amongst the branches, hidden from view. She closed her eyes, listening to the strange, wonderful sounds emanating from below. Those humans passing by everywhere didn't know what they were missing. If nobody else could stop to appreciate something like this, well, she'd just have to enjoy it in their stead.
The Ralts smiled, and listened to the old man's melody for a long, long time.
Last edited:
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
So I finally got the next chapter done. (I am still unbelievably slow god damn it Derm step up your game.)
In a surprising turn of events, a friend of mine, who is also an artist, made a paetron and gives out free drawings every month to those who donate.
So this chapter and perhaps all future chapters (And past ones) will have drawings! Eventually.
Now, does anyone want to beta?
In a surprising turn of events, a friend of mine, who is also an artist, made a paetron and gives out free drawings every month to those who donate.
So this chapter and perhaps all future chapters (And past ones) will have drawings! Eventually.
Now, does anyone want to beta?
Hyphen 6 - Ruckus
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
Hyphen 6
Ruckus
Eventually, the song ended. The man stood up, cracked his back, and packed away his instrument. Stretching, the Ralts herself rose from her treetop perch and watched as the man slowly walked down the street. His music had taken a more upbeat tone near the end, she noted. Silently, she waved him goodbye and turned to her original destination.
A comparatively short time later, she arrived at the massive building with the giant letters. It was situated at the center of a large plaza surrounded by a tall hedge wall, with several flat concrete fields circling the structure. The building itself was several stories high, and sported a bright, cheery sign across the surface where the three human letters—G, Y, and M—were proudly displayed. Unfortunately, her path of trees ended a distance before the fields. She sighed; there would be no getting close to this building. Shame, it looked rather important…
But then a commotion on the field caught her attention. A couple of young humans had entered the area, their unshielded mental signatures very different from the trio in the alley or the two who had tried to capture her. They were about 50 yards away, and one of them appeared to be jostling the other onto a field. This warranted further investigation, she decided, and descended from the tree into the hedges. Shifting through the twigs, she arrived at the closest point to the ruckus; they had arrived in the center of an arena next to the hedge, which was marked by a drawing of concentric circles.
"—Know the rules, Billy, a Pokemon trainer has to accept any challenge he receives!" said one of them. He was a tallish boy, with styled blond hair and a blue suit that snugly fit his frame.
"And I already said I'm not a trainer, Winston!" cried the other boy—Billy? He was a foot shorter than Winston, had brown hair, and wore a blue and yellow shirt with black shorts and a blue cap.
"Oh?" challenged Winston, who smirked. "You caught a Pokemon, that means you are a Pokemon trainer. If you weren't you wouldn't be allowed to buy a pokeball, and they only sell those to people who show a pokedex!"
Billy flushed. "I—but—I'm not going to go around fighting people, I just wanted a pet!"
"Then you should have just gone out and grabbed one." Winston shrugged.
"You're the one who said I had to get a pokeball to get a Pokemon!"
"Did I?" Winston put a finger on his chin in mock contemplation. "I do believe I only said that trainers used pokeballs to catch Pokemon, and that it was one of the easier methods to acquire one. You're the one that went out and registered."
"You lied to me!" Billy yelled, pointing at the taller boy accusingly.
"No, I'm quite sure everything I said was true." Winston smirked, tapping his foot. "Now, are you going to blame me for every poor decision you've made, or are we going to battle?"
Winston, the Ralts decided, was a jerk. She didn't fully understand what exactly was going on, but obviously he had tricked Billy into something he didn't want to do. Silently, she rooted for the short boy. Kick his butt, Billy!
Billy grit his teeth. "Fine!" he shouted, pointing at the other child dramatically. "But I'll win this thing, and then you have to pay!"
Palming his own, Winston chuckled. "As if. Go, Thomas!" he called, throwing the ball up into the air. With a loud pop and Whzxzxzxzxzxzx, a red blob shot out of the pokeball and to the arena floor, which resolved itself into the form of a Zigzagoon.
"Zig!" it yipped, running in a circle, before turning to face Billy. "Zig-zig!"
"Ah..." Billy stepped back, hesitating.
"Hm? Are you intimidated? After such bravado a moment ago..." Winston shook his head.
Billy's face turned furious. "I'm not scared!" he declared, taking out his own pokeball. He tossed it into the air, and with the same sound and beam of bright light a Seedot emerged from containment. The stage was set.
"Seed?" Seedot said, looking around in confusion.
Winston was smirking again. "A Seedot? Really? They're useless!"
"I'll show you useless!" Billy pointed at the enemy Zigzagoon, snarling. "Seedot, Tackle!"
But the Seedot didn't move. A second passed.
"Dot?" it said, sending an uncertain look Billy's way.
Winston stifled a chuckle with his hand. "Having a bit of trouble there?"
"Shut up, you!" Billy yelled, before directing his voice to his…pet? "What are you doing? Tackle the Zigzagoon!"
"Dot..." Looking vaguely uncertain, Seedot turned back to the spiky-haired Pokemon. Starting forward, it picked up speed, its stubby feet plodding across the ground at a sluggish rate. "SeeeeeeEEEEE—" it cried, and flung itself full-force at the Zigzagoon…slightly nudging him before falling face-first onto the pavement.
"Zig." The Zigzagoon nudged the seed, unimpressed.
The Ralts winced. What in the world was Billy doing? Seedot didn't fight head-to-head!
Winston had burst into full-on laughter, clutching his sides as the ridiculous display unfolded. Billy, for his part, looked dumbfounded.
"Ah ha ha...hoo. That was the best thing I've seen all day." Winston smirked as he regained his composure. "Now then, let me show you how it's done." He waved his hand lazily in the direction of his still-toppled enemy. "Thomas, Tackle."
The Zigzagoon—whose name was apparently Thomas—yipped. He bounced back two steps, jumped in a circle, then rushed forward towards the struggling Seedot and rammed his head straight into its side. The Seedot was launched backwards, tumbling across the ground before skidding to a stop on Billy's side of the arena.
"Seed..." it wheezed, dazed.
"Seedot! Are you okay?" Billy shouted, face wrought with panic.
"Dot...dot." it replied, twisting around and climbing to its feet. "Dot, seedot."
"Uh…" Billy glanced at Winston, then focused on Thomas. "Right. Can you still fight?"
"Seed!" A fire had appeared in the Seedot's eyes. It appeared the fight was personal, now.
"Heh. I've yet to see any fight in the first place." Winston closed his eyes and made a shrugging motion with one hand, resting the other on his hip. "In my opinion, you should just surrender now and save yourself the pain."
"We'll show you!" Billy shouted. "Alright Seedot, use Solar Beam!" He pointed at the Zigzagoon, impending triumph splayed on his face.
For a second time, nothing happened. Seedot stared at his master. "Seed?" it said, somehow managing to convey exasperation. Billy's face fell.
Winston had palmed his face. "How can anyone be this terrible?" he murmured to nobody in particular.
"You can't...?" Billy asked, then continued, "Uh. Frenzy Plant!" Seedot continued to stare.
"Petal Dance! Leaf Blade!" Winston was burying his face deeper into his hands.
"Giga Drain!? Razor Leaf? Vine Whip?" Zigzagoon yawned, and scratched at his ear.
"Come on!" he pleaded. "Bullet Seed, Absorb, Stun Spore? You must know how to do one of them!"
"Seed!" it replied, confused and worried. "Dot, seedot seed-seed!"
The Ralts herself was getting irritated by the boy's lack of knowledge. She didn't think she'd ever seen a Seedot use anything the boy had said, whatever they were, and that Seedot looked a season old at best! Why wasn't he using Seedots' natural abilities? Did he just not know? She slumped, groaning quietly to herself. And the Seedot didn't seem capable of using them on its own, either. What a mess!
She peered back at the helpless Pokemon, then at its opponents. She didn't want this taller boy to win…but what could she do? It was his battle, and she couldn't give the Seedot orders. Or, she realized, maybe she could? Telepathy wasn't limited to talking to other Ralts and Kirlia; it was perfectly able to work on other species as well! It was just that she'd only ever used it in that sense to forcibly stun or disorient particularly stubborn Magikarp. She hadn't tried using it to talk to another Pokemon; it wasn't like they could talk back, after all. But here and now, perhaps there was a reason to try.
"Right then," Winston said, simultaneously interrupting Billy's ineffective calling of abilities and the Ralts's train of thought. "I think it's time we finished this. Maybe then, you can go learn how to not be a terrible trainer!"
"Eh?" Billy looked up at his nemesis. "Wait, no!"
"Yes!" Winston opposed, and flung out his arm. "Go, Thomas! Bury that seed in the ground!"
Thomas yipped, and rushed forward.
"Seedot!" Billy cried, reaching out as if he could protect it himself. "Do something!"
"Seedot!" Seedot responded, turning back to its approaching doom, its eyes wide with fear.
And the Ralts knew she had to act. She reached out, the barest flicker of power communicating intent in a form purer than words.
The Ralts spoke to the Seedot, and said 'Endure, and return two-fold.'
In a flash the Seedot understood, cowering no longer. Coming to fully face his opponent, he stood his ground and prepared himself.
Zigzagoon rammed into Seedot with the force of a hammer, slamming the Pokemon into the ground. "Goooooon!" it crowed, boasting its prowess as the Seedot rolled to a stop.
"Seedot! Are you...okay?" Billy blinked at the strange sight before him.
"Seed...seed..." Seedot replied, and began emanating a soft red glow where it lay, motionless.
"Now then, Thomas!" Winston called, not seeming to notice the light. "Finish it off, crack open its shell!"
"Zagoon!" Thomas replied, jumping to the other side of the glowing Seedot and biting down on the stem poking from the head of his opponent. Then with a muffled cry of "Zig!" he lifted the Seed Pokemon off the pavement, and hurled it back down on its other side. "Zag!" Again, he lifted and slammed the glowing Seedot down with a crack.
Over and over again, the Zigzagoon hurled Seedot against the pavement, but with each iteration of this assault, Seedot's red aura grew brighter and brighter. "Seed...seed..."
"What...?" Billy uttered, transfixed by the strange light.
"Eh?" Winston said, finally becoming aware of the disturbance. "Huh? Why is it—wait, what!?" The boy's eyes widened dramatically as he stepped back. "How...when did you—? Thomas!" he yelled as the Zigzagoon continued to pummel the increasingly shimmering Seedot, "Stop, retreat, get back here!"
Thomas's head snapped to his trainer after he slammed his opponent down for the last time. "Zag?" he said, dropping the stem.
"Run, dodge!" Winston yelled, voice cracking in panic. "It's going to—"
"SEEDOT," the Seedot bellowed from the floor. It stood up ponderously, like an awakening giant. The Zigzagoon yipped in surprise, turning to stare at its opponent.
Billy's eyes sparkled, confused but understanding that something awesome was happening. "Seedot! Go get him!" he commanded, grinning wildly. And Seedot obeyed, the entirety of his crimson aura collapsed and coalesced into a raging white sphere.
"Seeeeeee—!" He shouted, staring straight at his opponent.
"Thomas!" Winston screamed.
Thomas turned to run, but he was far, far too late.
"—DOOOOOOOOOOT!"
A raging torrent of energy cascaded out of the sphere, crashing straight into Thomas's face with the force of a furious Mightyena. With a pained cry the Zigzagoon was launched away, skipping across the pavement a fourth of the way across the grounds, where he fell to the earth and tumbled twice more before skidding to a halt. Thomas struggled to stand, but faltered and collapsed, motionless.
"Thomas!" Winston cried, rushing over to his fallen friend. Crouching at his side, he quickly checked him over before sighing in relief. "Just unconscious..." he muttered. Then he brought out his Pokéball, and with another laser Thomas disappeared into the device. "Don't worry buddy, I'll get you to a center soon."
"Yeah!" Billy cheered as he ran to hug the Seedot. "We did it! We won! Oh, I thought we were done for but then you glowed like Fwhoom and then you blasted a laser like Peoooow and that was awesome!" He laughed as he spun in place, squeezing his Seedot tightly.
"See-seedot..." Seedot replied, dizzy and exhausted but happy.
The Ralts giggled to herself as she watched the childish display. Interfering had most definitely been worth it..
"Ha!" Billy shouted, pointing at Winston, who was trudging across the arena with a sour look on his face. "I won! That means you gotta pay up!"
"That win was a load of tosh and you know it." Winston scowled, folding his arms. "You didn't even do anything."
"Doesn't matter, I still won!"
Winston sighed. "Yes, very well. What do you want?"
"You!" Billy declared, "Are going to pay for my lunch!"
Winston raised an eyebrow. "It's five-thirty. Lunch was over three hours ago."
"Linner!" Billy immediately restated, grinning madly.
Winston stared at him. "What in the world is Linner?"
"It's like brunch, but with dinner and lunch."
"I don't think that's a word."
"Well it is now!" Billy folded his arms. "I just made it one!"
Winston facepalmed again. "You are just unbelievable."
Billy, who had started walking out of the area, turned his head back and hollered, "Unbelievably awesome!"
"Seed!"
Winston groaned and followed the pair, and the Ralts watched them go with a silly grin on her face. This place, she decided, was so much more interesting than the forest. Next time she came, she'd have to...
Next time? She thought about it for a moment, and to her surprise she found that the surprising urge to return was very tempting. When she had first set out, she had only wanted to satisfy her unusual curiosity. But now she could see just how much she had been missing. She didn't think she could stand not ever tasting that sweet concoction called ice cream again, nor could she forget the soft melody the man on the bench had played.
The fight just now, the latter half had set her ablaze with excitement. That singular rush when the Seedot unleashed its full power was unlike anything she had ever experienced. And the moon! Humanity was going to walk on the moon! How had they been able to fly so far as to break the sky? It was so far away, and yet...
Humans had left the forests behind, she realized, staring at the shadowed moon, which was looming at the horizon. They left it behind and reached for the stars. Maybe...
She paused and looked at the sky, which was transitioning into darker shades of red.
The moon was coming up, she slowly realized.
A moment of silence.
Crap! Panicking, she untangled herself from the leaves and turned to run. It was so late! Fretting, she shot along the hedge and shimmied back up the tree. It was going to be twilight before she could make it back, at minimum! Oh, Gramps was going to tear her a new one...
Dread in her heart, she shot along the rooftops and towards the place she called home.
Well that took three months.
Credit to my good friend Dexexe for providing an image ('sketch', he calls it. Dude's awesome.) Expect to see more where that came from!
And so ends the 'in the City' mini arc. Next time, we see Ralts's grampa again!
Ruckus
Eventually, the song ended. The man stood up, cracked his back, and packed away his instrument. Stretching, the Ralts herself rose from her treetop perch and watched as the man slowly walked down the street. His music had taken a more upbeat tone near the end, she noted. Silently, she waved him goodbye and turned to her original destination.
A comparatively short time later, she arrived at the massive building with the giant letters. It was situated at the center of a large plaza surrounded by a tall hedge wall, with several flat concrete fields circling the structure. The building itself was several stories high, and sported a bright, cheery sign across the surface where the three human letters—G, Y, and M—were proudly displayed. Unfortunately, her path of trees ended a distance before the fields. She sighed; there would be no getting close to this building. Shame, it looked rather important…
But then a commotion on the field caught her attention. A couple of young humans had entered the area, their unshielded mental signatures very different from the trio in the alley or the two who had tried to capture her. They were about 50 yards away, and one of them appeared to be jostling the other onto a field. This warranted further investigation, she decided, and descended from the tree into the hedges. Shifting through the twigs, she arrived at the closest point to the ruckus; they had arrived in the center of an arena next to the hedge, which was marked by a drawing of concentric circles.
"—Know the rules, Billy, a Pokemon trainer has to accept any challenge he receives!" said one of them. He was a tallish boy, with styled blond hair and a blue suit that snugly fit his frame.
"And I already said I'm not a trainer, Winston!" cried the other boy—Billy? He was a foot shorter than Winston, had brown hair, and wore a blue and yellow shirt with black shorts and a blue cap.
"Oh?" challenged Winston, who smirked. "You caught a Pokemon, that means you are a Pokemon trainer. If you weren't you wouldn't be allowed to buy a pokeball, and they only sell those to people who show a pokedex!"
Billy flushed. "I—but—I'm not going to go around fighting people, I just wanted a pet!"
"Then you should have just gone out and grabbed one." Winston shrugged.
"You're the one who said I had to get a pokeball to get a Pokemon!"
"Did I?" Winston put a finger on his chin in mock contemplation. "I do believe I only said that trainers used pokeballs to catch Pokemon, and that it was one of the easier methods to acquire one. You're the one that went out and registered."
"You lied to me!" Billy yelled, pointing at the taller boy accusingly.
"No, I'm quite sure everything I said was true." Winston smirked, tapping his foot. "Now, are you going to blame me for every poor decision you've made, or are we going to battle?"
Winston, the Ralts decided, was a jerk. She didn't fully understand what exactly was going on, but obviously he had tricked Billy into something he didn't want to do. Silently, she rooted for the short boy. Kick his butt, Billy!
Billy grit his teeth. "Fine!" he shouted, pointing at the other child dramatically. "But I'll win this thing, and then you have to pay!"
Palming his own, Winston chuckled. "As if. Go, Thomas!" he called, throwing the ball up into the air. With a loud pop and Whzxzxzxzxzxzx, a red blob shot out of the pokeball and to the arena floor, which resolved itself into the form of a Zigzagoon.
"Zig!" it yipped, running in a circle, before turning to face Billy. "Zig-zig!"
"Ah..." Billy stepped back, hesitating.
"Hm? Are you intimidated? After such bravado a moment ago..." Winston shook his head.
Billy's face turned furious. "I'm not scared!" he declared, taking out his own pokeball. He tossed it into the air, and with the same sound and beam of bright light a Seedot emerged from containment. The stage was set.
"Seed?" Seedot said, looking around in confusion.
Winston was smirking again. "A Seedot? Really? They're useless!"
"I'll show you useless!" Billy pointed at the enemy Zigzagoon, snarling. "Seedot, Tackle!"
But the Seedot didn't move. A second passed.
"Dot?" it said, sending an uncertain look Billy's way.
Winston stifled a chuckle with his hand. "Having a bit of trouble there?"
"Shut up, you!" Billy yelled, before directing his voice to his…pet? "What are you doing? Tackle the Zigzagoon!"
"Dot..." Looking vaguely uncertain, Seedot turned back to the spiky-haired Pokemon. Starting forward, it picked up speed, its stubby feet plodding across the ground at a sluggish rate. "SeeeeeeEEEEE—" it cried, and flung itself full-force at the Zigzagoon…slightly nudging him before falling face-first onto the pavement.
"Zig." The Zigzagoon nudged the seed, unimpressed.
The Ralts winced. What in the world was Billy doing? Seedot didn't fight head-to-head!
Winston had burst into full-on laughter, clutching his sides as the ridiculous display unfolded. Billy, for his part, looked dumbfounded.
"Ah ha ha...hoo. That was the best thing I've seen all day." Winston smirked as he regained his composure. "Now then, let me show you how it's done." He waved his hand lazily in the direction of his still-toppled enemy. "Thomas, Tackle."
The Zigzagoon—whose name was apparently Thomas—yipped. He bounced back two steps, jumped in a circle, then rushed forward towards the struggling Seedot and rammed his head straight into its side. The Seedot was launched backwards, tumbling across the ground before skidding to a stop on Billy's side of the arena.
"Seed..." it wheezed, dazed.
"Seedot! Are you okay?" Billy shouted, face wrought with panic.
"Dot...dot." it replied, twisting around and climbing to its feet. "Dot, seedot."
"Uh…" Billy glanced at Winston, then focused on Thomas. "Right. Can you still fight?"
"Seed!" A fire had appeared in the Seedot's eyes. It appeared the fight was personal, now.
"Heh. I've yet to see any fight in the first place." Winston closed his eyes and made a shrugging motion with one hand, resting the other on his hip. "In my opinion, you should just surrender now and save yourself the pain."
"We'll show you!" Billy shouted. "Alright Seedot, use Solar Beam!" He pointed at the Zigzagoon, impending triumph splayed on his face.
For a second time, nothing happened. Seedot stared at his master. "Seed?" it said, somehow managing to convey exasperation. Billy's face fell.
Winston had palmed his face. "How can anyone be this terrible?" he murmured to nobody in particular.
"You can't...?" Billy asked, then continued, "Uh. Frenzy Plant!" Seedot continued to stare.
"Petal Dance! Leaf Blade!" Winston was burying his face deeper into his hands.
"Giga Drain!? Razor Leaf? Vine Whip?" Zigzagoon yawned, and scratched at his ear.
"Come on!" he pleaded. "Bullet Seed, Absorb, Stun Spore? You must know how to do one of them!"
"Seed!" it replied, confused and worried. "Dot, seedot seed-seed!"
The Ralts herself was getting irritated by the boy's lack of knowledge. She didn't think she'd ever seen a Seedot use anything the boy had said, whatever they were, and that Seedot looked a season old at best! Why wasn't he using Seedots' natural abilities? Did he just not know? She slumped, groaning quietly to herself. And the Seedot didn't seem capable of using them on its own, either. What a mess!
She peered back at the helpless Pokemon, then at its opponents. She didn't want this taller boy to win…but what could she do? It was his battle, and she couldn't give the Seedot orders. Or, she realized, maybe she could? Telepathy wasn't limited to talking to other Ralts and Kirlia; it was perfectly able to work on other species as well! It was just that she'd only ever used it in that sense to forcibly stun or disorient particularly stubborn Magikarp. She hadn't tried using it to talk to another Pokemon; it wasn't like they could talk back, after all. But here and now, perhaps there was a reason to try.
"Right then," Winston said, simultaneously interrupting Billy's ineffective calling of abilities and the Ralts's train of thought. "I think it's time we finished this. Maybe then, you can go learn how to not be a terrible trainer!"
"Eh?" Billy looked up at his nemesis. "Wait, no!"
"Yes!" Winston opposed, and flung out his arm. "Go, Thomas! Bury that seed in the ground!"
Thomas yipped, and rushed forward.
"Seedot!" Billy cried, reaching out as if he could protect it himself. "Do something!"
"Seedot!" Seedot responded, turning back to its approaching doom, its eyes wide with fear.
And the Ralts knew she had to act. She reached out, the barest flicker of power communicating intent in a form purer than words.
The Ralts spoke to the Seedot, and said 'Endure, and return two-fold.'
In a flash the Seedot understood, cowering no longer. Coming to fully face his opponent, he stood his ground and prepared himself.
Zigzagoon rammed into Seedot with the force of a hammer, slamming the Pokemon into the ground. "Goooooon!" it crowed, boasting its prowess as the Seedot rolled to a stop.
"Seedot! Are you...okay?" Billy blinked at the strange sight before him.
"Seed...seed..." Seedot replied, and began emanating a soft red glow where it lay, motionless.
"Now then, Thomas!" Winston called, not seeming to notice the light. "Finish it off, crack open its shell!"
"Zagoon!" Thomas replied, jumping to the other side of the glowing Seedot and biting down on the stem poking from the head of his opponent. Then with a muffled cry of "Zig!" he lifted the Seed Pokemon off the pavement, and hurled it back down on its other side. "Zag!" Again, he lifted and slammed the glowing Seedot down with a crack.
Over and over again, the Zigzagoon hurled Seedot against the pavement, but with each iteration of this assault, Seedot's red aura grew brighter and brighter. "Seed...seed..."
"What...?" Billy uttered, transfixed by the strange light.
"Eh?" Winston said, finally becoming aware of the disturbance. "Huh? Why is it—wait, what!?" The boy's eyes widened dramatically as he stepped back. "How...when did you—? Thomas!" he yelled as the Zigzagoon continued to pummel the increasingly shimmering Seedot, "Stop, retreat, get back here!"
Thomas's head snapped to his trainer after he slammed his opponent down for the last time. "Zag?" he said, dropping the stem.
"Run, dodge!" Winston yelled, voice cracking in panic. "It's going to—"
"SEEDOT," the Seedot bellowed from the floor. It stood up ponderously, like an awakening giant. The Zigzagoon yipped in surprise, turning to stare at its opponent.
Billy's eyes sparkled, confused but understanding that something awesome was happening. "Seedot! Go get him!" he commanded, grinning wildly. And Seedot obeyed, the entirety of his crimson aura collapsed and coalesced into a raging white sphere.
"Seeeeeee—!" He shouted, staring straight at his opponent.
"Thomas!" Winston screamed.
Thomas turned to run, but he was far, far too late.
"—DOOOOOOOOOOT!"
A raging torrent of energy cascaded out of the sphere, crashing straight into Thomas's face with the force of a furious Mightyena. With a pained cry the Zigzagoon was launched away, skipping across the pavement a fourth of the way across the grounds, where he fell to the earth and tumbled twice more before skidding to a halt. Thomas struggled to stand, but faltered and collapsed, motionless.
"Thomas!" Winston cried, rushing over to his fallen friend. Crouching at his side, he quickly checked him over before sighing in relief. "Just unconscious..." he muttered. Then he brought out his Pokéball, and with another laser Thomas disappeared into the device. "Don't worry buddy, I'll get you to a center soon."
"Yeah!" Billy cheered as he ran to hug the Seedot. "We did it! We won! Oh, I thought we were done for but then you glowed like Fwhoom and then you blasted a laser like Peoooow and that was awesome!" He laughed as he spun in place, squeezing his Seedot tightly.
"See-seedot..." Seedot replied, dizzy and exhausted but happy.
The Ralts giggled to herself as she watched the childish display. Interfering had most definitely been worth it..
"Ha!" Billy shouted, pointing at Winston, who was trudging across the arena with a sour look on his face. "I won! That means you gotta pay up!"
"That win was a load of tosh and you know it." Winston scowled, folding his arms. "You didn't even do anything."
"Doesn't matter, I still won!"
Winston sighed. "Yes, very well. What do you want?"
"You!" Billy declared, "Are going to pay for my lunch!"
Winston raised an eyebrow. "It's five-thirty. Lunch was over three hours ago."
"Linner!" Billy immediately restated, grinning madly.
Winston stared at him. "What in the world is Linner?"
"It's like brunch, but with dinner and lunch."
"I don't think that's a word."
"Well it is now!" Billy folded his arms. "I just made it one!"
Winston facepalmed again. "You are just unbelievable."
Billy, who had started walking out of the area, turned his head back and hollered, "Unbelievably awesome!"
"Seed!"
Winston groaned and followed the pair, and the Ralts watched them go with a silly grin on her face. This place, she decided, was so much more interesting than the forest. Next time she came, she'd have to...
Next time? She thought about it for a moment, and to her surprise she found that the surprising urge to return was very tempting. When she had first set out, she had only wanted to satisfy her unusual curiosity. But now she could see just how much she had been missing. She didn't think she could stand not ever tasting that sweet concoction called ice cream again, nor could she forget the soft melody the man on the bench had played.
The fight just now, the latter half had set her ablaze with excitement. That singular rush when the Seedot unleashed its full power was unlike anything she had ever experienced. And the moon! Humanity was going to walk on the moon! How had they been able to fly so far as to break the sky? It was so far away, and yet...
Humans had left the forests behind, she realized, staring at the shadowed moon, which was looming at the horizon. They left it behind and reached for the stars. Maybe...
She paused and looked at the sky, which was transitioning into darker shades of red.
The moon was coming up, she slowly realized.
A moment of silence.
Crap! Panicking, she untangled herself from the leaves and turned to run. It was so late! Fretting, she shot along the hedge and shimmied back up the tree. It was going to be twilight before she could make it back, at minimum! Oh, Gramps was going to tear her a new one...
Dread in her heart, she shot along the rooftops and towards the place she called home.
Well that took three months.
Credit to my good friend Dexexe for providing an image ('sketch', he calls it. Dude's awesome.) Expect to see more where that came from!
And so ends the 'in the City' mini arc. Next time, we see Ralts's grampa again!
Last edited:
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
And the first Pokemon Pokemon Trainer was born. What 'mon shall she give combat tips to next, I wonder?
You're actually rather close to figuring out the title, there.
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
I haven't, and it wasn't an issue before, but now...
You can't quite put images in a ff.net fic. Hm.
You can't quite put images in a ff.net fic. Hm.
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
So a month has passed and my taking a schooling course has, like most things, decreased my writing time and the energy needed to get off my ass and actually write. I've got three paragraphs so far.
On the other hand, a new month means a new image from my friend Dexexe, who has provided me with a 'title card' for the first page of Hyphen.
Something new I learned: Ralt's hands are weird when you look up close. They're like gloves. Well I guess when you can move things via telekinesis, fingers aren't an issue!
On the other hand, a new month means a new image from my friend Dexexe, who has provided me with a 'title card' for the first page of Hyphen.
Something new I learned: Ralt's hands are weird when you look up close. They're like gloves. Well I guess when you can move things via telekinesis, fingers aren't an issue!
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
The portions when Ralts actually fights herself will be few and far between. Such scenes will be suitably epic, but will probably not contain elemental punches.
Krazyfan1
Worrying for the future.
- Location
- Australia
true....but moves don't have to be exclusively for battles...
i.e Fire punch to cook food/keep warm....ice punch to keep cool on a hot day and chill food/drinks.... thunder punch to power electronics...
that sort of thing... mundane utilities...
speaking of the punches....if the fist can be covered in the elements...whats exactly preventing the rest of the body from being coated as well?
i.e Fire punch to cook food/keep warm....ice punch to keep cool on a hot day and chill food/drinks.... thunder punch to power electronics...
that sort of thing... mundane utilities...
speaking of the punches....if the fist can be covered in the elements...whats exactly preventing the rest of the body from being coated as well?