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Hyphen (Pokemon Emerald)

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Aside from all the neat things in this Update, which is great in many ways... what stood out to me is that Astra apparently picked up some curses from May.

At least I do not remember her cursing ever before. Maybe it came with the 'maturity' of evolution?
 
Astra should consider catching herself and then have Treecko let her out of her pokeball. Otherwise, she could have some accident with a thrown ball, and then shit would go down.
 
Dermonster said:
12.5k words.

Waiting on Beta's and an Art. Might take a while.

Prepare thyself.


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I don't recognize that melody specifically, but I do recognize it as pretty neat.

Dermonster said:
The woman stood only a few paces away, sharp red eyes staring at them with clear disapproval. Her brown hair was held back in a pair of twintails that circled her petite frame, locked in place by a spiked, fan-shaped piece of red cloth. She wore a dark blue dress with a skirt that barely reached halfway down her thighs, accompanied by light red leggings.
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Oh, hey, isn't that the picture in the video?

Dermonster said:
One part of her wished they would just stop feeling things so loudly. It was easy to ignore a few of them but this was way too many! For the first time, she wished humans were psychic like she was, just so they would know how to shut up. She did not need to be distracted by all this unshielded emotion! Honestly, even newborns were better than this.

The other part of her wanted to look away. To find a pillar or a rock to hide behind and get away from their prying eyes. Did they all have to look at her so intently? Would one of them see through her? Maybe she should have requested the match be private. Too late for that now, she supposed. She redoubled her illusion, just to be safe.
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Wild idea appeared: Astra catches a psychic type (Abra? Xatu?), who turns out to be her senior and mentors her in psychic techniques.

Dermonster said:
Geodude, blind to her advance, looked up to see Marill grinning evilly mere inches away. They dropped the rock they held, eyes wide with fear.

"Dude."

Water gun.
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This is, more or less, the same word I would use in this situation.

Dermonster said:
Astra shook her head. "N-no," she said, struggling to figure out what was happening. Another pulse rung out, and she winced. It wasn't painful; if anything, it felt good. But what...? "This is something else. I don't—"

A memory flashed. Her eyes shot open. "Bathroom."

"Eh? Why—"

"Bathroom, now!" Astra demanded, pulling her cloak over her face. The pressure redoubled, but she pushed it down as far as she dared. Not now, not here.
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Just press the "Cancel" button repeatedly.

Dermonster said:
And though we did know know why
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Just drawing your attention to this.

Onmur said:
or maybe it was Roxanne's teaching that really helped her grow. Literally.
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... I'm voting for this excuse.

Another wild idea appeared: So this is based on Emerald, as far as I remember. And it has those Guitarist trainers around the Cycling Road area. How would they react to Astra's violin?
 
Hm... that's interesting. A pokemon can evolve from directing battles too. They don't actually need to fight themselves, they just need to be involved in fights? I wonder what kind of implications that has for pokemon science.

Either way it's going to be interesting how she'll try to explain it or if she'll just come clean.
 
Beyogi said:
Hm... that's interesting. A pokemon can evolve from directing battles too. They don't actually need to fight themselves, they just need to be involved in fights? I wonder what kind of implications that has for pokemon science.
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I believe I explained it earlier, actually.

The key to evolution, or rather, evolving fast, is to experience stress.

Natural day to day living will, eventually, allow a Ralts to become a Kirlia. Unless your life was (by the standards of village living) absurdly hectic, this doesn't seem to be the case for Kirlia -> Gardevoir.

According to her Grandpa, Kirlia who wished to become Gardevoir had to essentially ask the Ancestor to torture them until it happened.

And for poor Astra, with the fate of her entire home on her shoulders, this battle was very important.

(This explanation does not involve evolution which isn't experience based.)


I'd also like to take the time to thank everyone for their wonderous commentary. Even if some of it is getting dangerously close to sussing out future plot points. :o
 
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Man, I remember reading this years ago when it was just the first few chapters and Astra hadn't left the village yet. I'm glad I rediscovered it, because it's really grown into something great. I cant wait for the explanation you have her come up with for her sudden "growth spurt," especially since I'm sure the fancy light show was visible from under the bathroom door.
I eagerly await the next chapter.
 
Unilateral said:
Omake delivery, fresh from the SB thread!

=====

May couldn't sleep.

Today had been, well, it hadn't been hectic, per se, but it had been a lot. These past few weeks had been so chock full of pure 'what-the-fuck' that her brain simply refused to wind down. Sleep eluded her like... like...

Like a super-rare Pokemon, she finished lamely. She turned her head to the side, looking at her bedmate.

Astra was sleeping soundly.

Because of course she was. May thought sourly. The girl was an enigma. Apparently, she had traveled to Birch's from a "remote village" to get a pokemon. Some village that must have been. And May thought Littleroot was secluded. What kind of place didn't have running water, for crying out loud?

Quietly, May crept closer. From this angle, she could see Astra's face somewhat better. For someone who grew up in what basically amounted to the wilderness, her face was extremely pale, almost like a ghost.

Man, albinism must be a hell of a thing.

She briefly entertained the thought of taking off those heavy robes, before immediately dismissing it. She probably wore it to protect her skin, right? Block the sun? Besides, Astra didn't deserve to have her trust stepped on like that.

It had to be hot under all that black cloth, though. May supposed that was what the hat was for, to block the sun. And all that shiny, emerald hair...

May paused. Green hair? Didn't Wally have...

All of a sudden, memories of the past few days started flooding back, as if some dam had burst. Her mind started rapidly putting pieces together, faster than she could consciously keep up with. Tons of little details, tidbits that she hadn't even noticed at the time, began to paint a very unsavory picture.

=====

Wally came to a stop under the shade of a tree. "Sorry." he muttered breathily. " I, I have to, uh, catch my breath. Yeah, sorry. Just a moment." He coughed twice.

May rolled her eyes internally. Did this kid really expect to be able to be a Pokémon Trainer if he had to stop every ten seconds? What was this, amateur hour? What was his deal?

Putting on a concerned mien, she spoke gently. "Hey, come on. You want to be a Pokemon Trainer, yeah?"

"Y-, uh, yes? Yes."

No conviction whatsoever. Honestly. "Then you gotta pull it together, guy!" she joked. "You can't let a little asthma or whatever get you down! Look, we're almost to the tall grass!"

Wally's face grew pained. "I... you're right. Okay. I'll-I'll try harder."

May let a grin mask her exasperation. "That's the spirit!"

=====

"I, I did it. I caught it! I caught my first Pokemon!" Wally exclaimed. He looked ecstatic.

May frowned. "Are you, uh, are you sure? Poochyena tend to shed a lot. Won't it trigger your asthma, or something?"

Wally didn't seem to hear her, too lost in his own world. He picked up his newly caught Poochyena, holding it close to him. He seemed completely fine.

"Guess not." May muttered.

Briefly, she could have sworn she saw a flickering red in his eyes and hair befo-
=====

May nodded. "Yep, that's him. You know, he got here ages ahead of me or my Mom? Enough time to set up the Gym and even appear on tv. So he's out here for like a month, and when I finally show up here two days ago, what does he do? He sends me out on goddamn babysitting duty!"

"Babysitting duty…?" Astra asked. Her face had lost all trace of the excitement and wonder of trying sushi for the first time, taking on a much more apprehensive appearance.

"Yeah. Some asthmatic kid named Wally; short, green hair, couldn't walk for five minutes without coughing or choking on air." Astra's face fell, growing anxious. "He wanted a pokemon and for some reason decided to bug Dad about it ten seconds after I walk inside." It fell further still, before growing a pained smile. "So he just decides to foist the kid off on me, tells me to go show him how to catch a pokemon. It's like-" May clutched at thin air in front of her, before gesticulating wildly, "What the fuck, right? I just got here and you're telling me to leave? Why!?"

Brendan nodded, frowning. "That does seem pretty callous. What happened next?"

Astra no longer looked like she wanted to hear the rest of the story.

=====

"What's biking?"

May's thoughts came to a jumbled halt. Without thinking, she looked at Brendan, seeking an explanation.

He was just as lost as she was.

"You don't know what a bike is, Astra?" Brendan ventured.

Unbelievable. "For real? I don't- how!?" May threw up her arms, exasperated. "This is ridiculous!"

Astra hung her head, looking terribly embarrassed.

"Sorry." she mumbled.

May still couldn't believe it. How could someone never have heard of a bicycle? Just what sort of hole in the ground did Astra crawl out of?
=====

"You throw a ball now, right? I… I'll do my best!" the boy said, taking aim with another sphere of red and white.

'Jeez, just how green is this kid?' May wondered to herself. 'Metaphorically speaking, of course.'

Did he even go to a trainer's school?

"Wait, it's not quite-" May said, but the ball had already left his hand.

His throw was pathetic. Telegraphed, slow, off-target. May wanted so badly to believe he had missed on purpose. It was quite obvious that he had never even practiced throwing, let alone used a Poke ball before. The pale, green-haired Pokémon saw the small ball coming, and swiftly dodged with a panicked "Ralts!"

"I missed? Oh no, that was my only ball!" He muttered, sounding wooden with what seemed to be shock.

'No shit, Sherlock,' May wanted to shout, but she held her tongue. Why was he acting like it was such a big surprise? Her dad had only given him one, cheapskate that he was.

Honestly, what kind of aspiring Trainer doesn't practice throwing? It was like he'd never known that Poke balls were a thing until today. Had he been living under a rock or something?

=====

How? How could she not have seen the parallels? How could she have been so dense? It was so obvious in hinddsight, but she still didn't want to believe it. Wally, Astra, that weird Pokémon Ralts, albini-

Wally took all his rests under shady trees! Astra didn't give any verbal commands during her battles with ber and Brendan! It all made sense! And when she told Astra the st-

May let out a pained wail. "Oh my birds I am a horrible person how could I what was I thinking." she muttered, disbelieving. 'How did I not pick up on- no, no, I do not need to deal with this, not when I need sleep this badly. I will deal with this whole clusterfucktomorrow morning.

'Repress, repress,' she repeated to herself. 'Repressss...'

May quietly backed away from the sleeping Ral- Astra, and closed her eyes, fiercely counting Mareep jumping over Pokémon Tower.

She didn't sleep that night.
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I am unsure why she came to the conclusion that Astra was a ralts.

It is obvious that Astra is Wally's long lost sister!
 
Congratulations about 100 people liked the chapter. So team rocket has a LONG history, they should be very well established , watch your back.
 
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Dermonster said:
Imagine having rock move that does something other than mindlessly throw a rock!

it's an astounding concept, I know.
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You know, speaking of interesting Rock moves, I have a pet theory that the moves Ancient Power, Silver Wind, and Ominous Wind draw on the power of Diagla, Palkia, and Giratina, respectively, and that is what lets them boost stats, as the user occasionally deepens its connection to the source with every few uses. Ancient Power in particular fascinates me, since in Generation IV, three pokemon evolve when they level up while knowing it, and the resulting evolutions seem to be more "prehistoric" in design, reminiscent of extinct megafauna species, much like how Kyogre and Groudon can change to their Primal forms by holding their respective orbs.

Yanma(dragonfly) evolves into Yanmega(Meganeura).
Piloswine(boar,yak) evolves into Mamoswine(wooly mammoth).
Tangela(vines, medusa) evolves into Tangrowth(giant sloth)

Based on this, and on the fact that all fossil pokemon are part rock type, I have to assume that the rock type is related to age in some way, by which I mean "millions of years" type of age. Thematically, this makes sense, since most rocks and crystals develop underground over long periods, and because any living thing buried deep underground eventually petrifies and fossilizes, as it "soaks up" rock-type energy. One could even think of pure rock-type elemental energy as being "primordial" in some way.
 
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I am curious as to how the Abra line works here, they should have sufficient intelligence for sapient's, are they also in hiding?
 
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Good news everybody! my good friend Dex has finished the art that I requested for chapter 19!

Here it is.

Before anyone asks, the chains are metaphorical.

Otherwise, I have made ~3.7k words of progress, and I expect it to be done before the aniversarry. Anyway, that is all. Good day!
 
It does look beautiful, just like the rest of the story. Do guns exist in this universe? Is the person on the picture Giovanni 's ancestor?
Y ARENT MORE PEOPLE VIEWING THIS MASTERPIECE?!
 
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Dermonster said:
Good news everybody! my good friend Dex has finished the art that I requested for chapter 19!

Here it is.

Before anyone asks, the chains are metaphorical.

Otherwise, I have made ~3.7k words of progress, and I expect it to be done before the aniversarry. Anyway, that is all. Good day!
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Yo, that's awesome! That whole vision was really strange too, was the Ancestor so well traveled? I wonder if that purple stone is basically some kind of psychic heirloom, passed down through the ages.
 
MobiusC said:
Yo, that's awesome! That whole vision was really strange too, was the Ancestor so well traveled? I wonder if that purple stone is basically some kind of psychic heirloom, passed down through the ages.
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The Ancestor was not physically there when it happened, before or after.

But sufficiently powerful Ralts-line pokemon are able to see portions of the past or future, though not by choice.
 
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Astra should have scanned herself and her grandfather at the village. That way, she would have Ralts and Kirlia recorded in the Pokedex. Also, Rustboro is not very far from Petalburg, just on the other side of a lake and a forest. I'm still not sure why you made the Gardevoir evolution so rare. That Kirlia evolve into Gardvoir at level 30 to me shows that a Kirlia does not need that much more power and no complex magic to become a Gardevoir. Like Ralts is the child form, Kirlia is the intermediate form and Gardvoir is the mature form. The village you created provides a neat explanation for why there's no wild Gardevoir or Kirlia around, that they all stay in the village to raise families and educate the young. Also, why all the OC moves?
 
Brainarius said:
Astra should have scanned herself and her grandfather at the village. That way, she would have Ralts and Kirlia recorded in the Pokedex. Also, Rustboro is not very far from Petalburg, just on the other side of a lake and a forest. I'm still not sure why you made the Gardevoir evolution so rare. That Kirlia evolve into Gardvoir at level 30 to me shows that a Kirlia does not need that much more power and no complex magic to become a Gardevoir. Like Ralts is the child form, Kirlia is the intermediate form and Gardvoir is the mature form. The village you created provides a neat explanation for why there's no wild Gardevoir or Kirlia around, that they all stay in the village to raise families and educate the young. Also, why all the OC moves?
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The OC moves are a result of writing a story, I'd craft new moves too, rather than relying solely on what has been made, particularly using moves that already exist.
 
Brainarius said:
Astra should have scanned herself and her grandfather at the village. That way, she would have Ralts and Kirlia recorded in the Pokedex. Also, Rustboro is not very far from Petalburg, just on the other side of a lake and a forest. I'm still not sure why you made the Gardevoir evolution so rare. That Kirlia evolve into Gardvoir at level 30 to me shows that a Kirlia does not need that much more power and no complex magic to become a Gardevoir. Like Ralts is the child form, Kirlia is the intermediate form and Gardvoir is the mature form. The village you created provides a neat explanation for why there's no wild Gardevoir or Kirlia around, that they all stay in the village to raise families and educate the young. Also, why all the OC moves?
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Letting Birch know you recently saw a Ralts and Kirlia when you: Have green hair. Have Pale white skin. Have Red eyes. And he knows you only talk in telepathy.

is probably a bad idea.
 
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