Behind Every Monster Is a Person in a Cute Costume: Let's Play Moemon Leafgreen!

[Deme]

Check Thread II!

Yes, yes, I know. I'm jumping on a pretty crowded bandwagon at this point. But Moemon is the first thing that's ever really made me want (and get) an emulator, and thus is the first thing that I've been able to LP. And I want to do this, so shush.

I was originally going to do this for somewhere else, whence the player's name, gender, and rival's name came from. I only decided a few minutes ago that it should be for here.
Edit: And, after posting it, I elected it should be at, and collect votes from, both places. Its mirror is Here

Edit:Oh, for anyone puzzled, Moemon is a hack of pokemon that replaces the pokemon with a cute anime person (usually a girl) in a pokemon costume.

To cut down on characters (since I do intend to give each poke/moe-mon a personality), I'm doing a sort of "soft" version of the Nuzlocke challenge: I can only catch one pokemon per area (which I will let you decide, no legendaries, and gifts do not count), and once a pokemon faints, it's done for (except for my starter, who is given partner immunity to help ensure the story continues). All pokemon shall be nicknamed and given at least one line of dialogue. I don't care about proving myself tough or doing something difficult, per se, so those are the only rules of the challenge I care about.

The Cast (spoilers ahead! Last Updated after Chapter 60.)

The Team

Spoiler

Show

Azula. Seed's starter. Formal, but also kinda cold. A strong fighter. Has an agenda, and debated dominance over the rest of the team. She sincerely wants to see Seed succeed, whatever her motivations. She's growing more protective and fond of her companions. Having been left abandoned and neglected by her first trainer for a very long time due to being too weak to be useful to him, she used to be very concerned about whether or not she (or anyone else) is "able to serve." Perhaps the experience drove her a little crazy. She acts as Seed's main source of knowledge about the world of Moemon. She hates to lose, admit she doesn't know something, or be proven wrong. She's getting better. She evolved in the moment she decided to believe in Seed's belief in her, which stands as perhaps the only thing other than strength which is solid in her heart. She now sees Loyalty as the defining thing of the world, instead of strength.


FISTICUFFS. STERN, AGRESSIVE, AND LOYAL, she talks like we've just shown. In that sense, her world has grown a lot: from being so mono-focused that she only needed one word to understand the world, she's decided to try and teach others, though usually in her rough manner. She's even begun dating-training fellow fighting-type Chun Li, finding their bond (built, of course, around each others' capacity for physical violence) a source of strength. Is relying on Seed for dating advice, since she is so unfamilliar with this thing we call "Love." Sometimes conflicts with Azula due to her strong independant spirit.



ChuChu is the perky, bubbly type. Very excitable, but always optimistic. Has a huge crush on Spike, and is secretly glad to no longer have Phoebe's competition most of the time -- but she still has more competition left. Still, she's managed to convince him her feelings are sincere, so she may have a shot. She evolved of her own choice, fairly eagerly in order to find new strength -- a rare trait among evolution-shy Pikachus. She's aware enough of Seed's desire to not hurt those weaker than her, so she deliberately makes sure that even when she knocks a pokemon out, there's no long-term damage.


Rya. Initially the team's baby, she's still the most innocent and child-like, even after her evolution made her into a formidable fighter. Her evolution came as the result of combined effort from the team into encouraging her growth and her own desire to be good enough to help and protect Seed. Bought at a ridiculous price. Sees Azula as a big sister figure, and most others as some sort of auxillery 'family.'


Spike. A boy *le gasp*! The only male pokemon in Seed's team. He knows it, and is generally annoyed by it. Snarky. Sees himself as "cool," while almost all other pokemon would say he is instead "hot." His evolution has been a source of doubt on his part for a while, and he's still adapting to the high natural agression of Nidokings, which he lacked as a Nidorino, he's also learned to turn his attractiveness into a weapon against the female-dominated regime. Is trying to give ChuChu a chance, now that he sees she doesn't just like him due to not having many options. Seed's willing to trust him, and her trust and ChuChu's help keep him grounded. He sometimes conflicts with both Terra (who loves to tease him, and whose company he generally enjoys as a challenge), and Azula, who he sees as unfairly holding the title of 'alpha teammate.' Rarely conflicts with FISTICUFFS over who's tougher. Has promised to defeat the Winged Storm, the bird of electricity.


Terra. Clever, thoughtful, and a little twisted. She sees a certain amount of futility in the quest, but also wants -- or needs -- to go along with it. Still somewhat sleepy. At one point in time, she knew Bill when he was young, and had strong, but currently uncertain, feelings for him. She's abandoned those, though. It's hard to say how much of what she says is a joke, and how much sincere -- she enjoys teasing Spike, likely due to having feelings for him, but taking that as a single explanation is too simple. She has a depth of knowledge about the moemon world, but it's primarily theological, mystical, and philosophical -- and thus cannot be entirely trusted to be factual, or even Terra's real opinion.

Pokemon in Reserve

Spoiler

Show

Helga The first pokemon moved into the reserves, by her choice. Kind of fiesty. Knows she's a little bit useless -- but screw that! Even if it's meaningless, she'll fight with all her heart! She's taken that peppy determination into a relationship with fellow-reserver Leafe.


Lila. The first pokemon Seed caught on her journey. Gentle and shy, her evolutions have given her some confidence. She's very excited to be working for Seed again, now in the capacity of 'official pokemon catcher'.


TopPercent. Finally re-named, as was promised long ago. Fiesty and energetic, she wants to push herself to be the best of the best -- nothing else will do.


Mellow. Once upon a time, she was largely controlled by the evil, parasitic mushroom that sits on her head. Now, to her confusion and surprise, she's freed to her own will by Seed. The mushroom is still alive and around, but less dominated, and furious at Seed. The Mushroom talks LiKe ThIs." Currently serving as an HM slave for Cut and Flash.


Phoebe. Kinda non-descript. Has a nice singing voice, and enjoys it intensely. Has a crush on Spike, but who doesn't? She wants to find what it is that will make her noticed and special, ignoring the talent for song that's right in front of her. Serving as an 'Official Flyer.'


Eve. A little snobby, she seems to think she's too good for this whole process... but she's working on it, building an evolution out of the realization that she has to act good to be good. She loves dancing, but was mocked for it by other pokemon earlier in her life, and thus became much colder as a result. She's starting to warm up to Seed.


Belle? Who is she? Why does she ask so many incessant questions, as if she were incapable of shutting up? Should we blame the readers for suggesting this idea? She seems to have a good heart, though, and her evolutions are giving her some control over her mouth. She's finally decided to start searching for -- and supplying -- her own answers, starting with her evolution.


Leafe. Having been frequently bullied by wild pokemon, Leafe finds Seed's ownership a relative position of security. Once pessamistic and uncertain, Helga's example has made her push through and start again as a Vileplume. The two have been... Umm... Well, it's not exactly clear, but they're in some manner of relationship, probably dating.


Jasmine. A thief Seed caught when she was trying to steal Seed's stuff. She promised to work for Seed (without stealing, she says). She's less untrustworthy than she seems. Her original desire to be the world's best thief -- one that she considers impossible, but something that doesn't need to be achieved, only strived for -- has led her to try new techniques in stealing... Which, so far, have yet to pan out.


Erika. Totally not an expy -- certainly not. Attracted to Terra...'s dreams, but doesn't care about really anything else. Sees herself as very intelligent and people as puzzles to be destroyed by reason. Needs dreams because she is incapable of producing any. Is annoyed that Seed breaks type. Has gone even crazier due to something she saw in Terra's dreams that completely broke her understanding of Terra, herself, and the world... Something very simple, that she cannot accept.


Toph. A shy young Dugtrio, afraid of getting caught in the light of day. Is somewhat photosensitive. A hard worker. She intially saw loving fighting and being shy as mutually exclusive, but now she's decided: she's going to kick ass! As long as you don't talk loudly, or look at her, or make her give a speech while doing so.


Tanith Really wanted to be captured by Seed, and has been following her from very early on. Why? Certainly something having to do with being the best, but what does that mean? Maybe she's jealous of Phoebe, but that doesn't seem to be all. Her motives are mysterious...and a little bizzare.


Marumari. Loves round things, like pokeballs; presumably, she is a voltorb because of that love... or the other way around. Is easily entranced and distracted. She has decided that rather than merely hoard her precious round objects, she will erect a museum, as a testimate to their love! ... It's unclear exactly how she'd do that, but shh.


Jewel, GENTLEWOMAN AVENTURER and spelunker. Loves caves, claiming to have a deep and meaningful relationship with them. Is tagging along with Seed for protection on her travels... Even when Seed leaves her behind sometimes. Has a story for every scenario.


Sandra. A former "nice girl" who wanted to make sure Seed was following the rules, she's now trying to follow her heart by fighting the hardest she can. Her initial reaction was to become agressive socially and physically, but it seems the rest of the team saw through that... What does it mean to follow her heart? It's a mystery.


Pixie. Loves beauty. No, "loves" is the wrong word. She is devoted to it as a woman to her most sacred goddess. She sees it as essential to life and happiness, and thus the cultivation of power and beauty is the most important thing to her. She is very distractable, and prone to getting caught up in shiny things, like coins or mirrors... or Nuriko.


Ala. A refined young lady with a hard-to-read font. She sees the world of pokemon battling as a form of sport: one that she has decided she must improve at, since self-improvement is the goal, and one should never stop refining one's self. Delicate and dainty, she loves tea and makes excellent teacakes and other small sweets. How she is able to do this is unknown. She is very persuasive, and generally friendly to all living things. She's not entirely sure why, of all the dragonaires in the world, why she was lucky enough to end up with Seed: what makes her worthy? Why wasn't she left at the game corner? How does fate work? Seed seems particularly fond of her.


Aquamarine. Another refined lady -- this one was abandoned in a pokeball in a room for an unknown length of time. She is very taciturn, and speaks slowly and without emotion. She seems to have trouble expressing her feelings. She knows her original master will never come back for her, and that even though the world outside her room is scary, it is a warmer place outside. Is it warm enough to melt her frozen heart? That isn't clear yet. She likes stargazing and water, the delights of the ocean making her like a child again... A strange, quiet child.


Angel (originally used this font color.) Originally Beau's Raticate, she was killed by a strange opponent... Unusualy in that Beau isn't on a Nuzlocke challenge, so this guy was clearly something spooky. Is lingering as a Gastly to get the opportunity to see her beloved Master Beau again -- she's very vibrant and energetic, but somewhat childish. She makes a lot of comparisons between Seed and Beau, but admits they both have worth as masters.


Stephanie. A narcoleptic chef. She likes to try and gather new ingredients, but found this difficult to do without a trainer... So now she's going on a flavorful adventure with Seed.


Nuriko. Cosplay fanatic and cross-dresser extraordinare. Flirty and high-spirited, he's not at all afraid of getting physical with anyone at the slightest provocation -- some of it's teasing, and a lot of it's sincere. He's very touchy-feely, and prone to affectionate nicknames. Secretly a romantic, he shares his love of beauty with everyone... But especially Pixie.


Dusk. An aspiring, but not terribly skilled, Ninja. Admired Koga a lot, and was very dissapointed by his being a jerk. She's resolved to be a better ninja, to be the ninja she thought Koga was.


Maria. A protective mother and sister -- she's travelling with Seed to help repay her for helping Maria's sister when she was in trouble. She has a tendencies towards pet names -- "Hun" and "Sugah/Sugar" are the most common. True to her nature, she extends her motherly behavior to everyone she knows.


Eda. A Scyther at the end of her days -- or nearly so. When she was young, she was at the top of the pack... But age is sinking her down. She's not willing to admit weakness, but at the same time, she has a hard time admitting that there's a future after her lost strength. She sees strength as everything... Which is why she's here, after Azula told her that she was mistaken. What can make a person believe that? That's what Eda wants to see. The added strength of training helps, too. She's beginning to see that there's something to Seed's philosophy, but she can't seem to do it yet, freezing her evolutionary path.


Evangeline. A dodrio who once found all her solace in imaginary friends... Friends who eventually told her it was time to move on to real friends, like Seed. Has a propensity for cute french names. Is sweet but ditsty, and is still very unsure of herself.


Chun Li. She's a serious and reserved fighting type, favoring grace and beauty over brute strength. She's an extremely formal pokemon, and a little awkward in non-formal settings. She's also FISTICUFFS' student-girlfriend.


Ruto. A former Silphco lab experiment, given to Seed in the hopes that the Lapras would enjoy the outside world. Ruto does not seem to understand this whole 'things that aren't lab experiments conducted on her' concept, and is absolutely sure that Seed will eventually just burst out the electrodes. Any time now. One of these days.


Medusa. At once a grave, haughty warrior and a small child, Medusa grew up at the biggest fish in her small stretch of ocean... But wants to leap out into a larger pond still, even if it'll be trouble for her.


Aphrodite. A major cynic: She probably didn't want to be captured, but due to literal advice and some confusion, we're not sure yet. A mysterious pokemon.


Trilo. A strange, formerly-dormant pokemon, from a species that went extinct. She speaks in a strange, pseudo-middle English style. She feels indebted to Seed for freeing her, and will probably have fun exploring the modern world.


Chelle A former would-be world conquerer, sealed in a can. She apparently wanted to stop pokemon from being opressed by humans. It didn't work out, obviously. Now she's biding her time, laying low...And causing as much trouble as Seed would let her.


Draca. A knight of yore, chasing down Chelle across time and space. She... doesn't know that Seed also takes care of Chelle, at the moment. I expect fireworks.


Missle! IT'S MISSLE! *bark*. She's very hyper and eager to please. A former member of a sect devoted to returning Pokemon Mansion to the pokemon, she was low-ranked. She's trying to spread the information, but trips over herself in her eagerness. Barks a lot.


Twilight. Originally captured because Rya wanted a pony to be friends with, Rya ended up forgetting to ask her to be friends. She joined up because she wants to learn more about humans with Seed's power. She's a bit of a socially-awkward nerd.


Maggie (Originally This font). A fiesty, fiery pokemon who wanted to be a rival to Seed and her crew, but neglected the fact that the next match would never come, since she agreed to be caught by whomever beat her. She still wants to prove herself the strongest.


Kai. Another boy. He's calm and relaxed, cool and loose as the water he loves and commands. He's amused enough to be on this journey, largely to cool down Seed and Spike.

Without Further Ado...
Chapter 1: The Psyche of a Pokemon Trainer

Spoiler

Show

"Uh....Yeah, Professor, we already met. I've lived next door to you for my entire life."
Oak:Welcome to the world of Pokemon!
"...Oh. I must be dreaming. Who says anything like that, anyway?"
Oak: My name is Oak! People affectionately refer to me as the Pokemon Professor!
"And? This is my dream! I want a half-naked russian ballroom dancer glistening with oil...I guess I have to go find him."
Oak: Wait a second! Don't you think this dream will have significance in your life, given you'll be starting your own pokemon journey tomorow? Don't you want to see what your psyche holds?
"...My psyche holds my elderly neighbor giving me a lecture?"
Oak: Let me continue. This world...
"Is corrupt?"

I blinked.
"Professor, that's not a pokemon. That is a little girl in a Nidoran costume."

"Professor! Didn't you hear what I just said?"
Oak: As for myself... I study pokemon as a profession.

"OK, we're doing a 'let's see what I reveal about my own heart blah-blah junk?"
Oak: Now tell me. Are you a boy? Or are you a girl?
*cue facepalm*

"Seed."
Oak: Right, so your name is Seed.
"Yes! I just said that!"

Oak: He's been your rival since you were both babies.
"How could you tell?"
Oak: Erm...What was his name again?
OK, so it looks like Dream-Oak has alzheimers. "Is this meant to be a prophetic dream?"

Oak: Seed!
"Yes?"

Oak: A world of dreams and adventures with pokemon awaits! Let's go!
It was at this point that a squad of Russian Ballroom dancers, tragically missing their partners due to a freak panther accident, showed up.
"Let's get this dream started!"

It was about then that I woke up.

I went over to my computer to check my email. There was a potion in it -- I considered not getting the potion, because viruses are always a threat these days, but hey, it's a free potion.

Then I went downstairs to see my mom.
"Hey, Mom."
Mom:Right.

My mother, ladies and germs. Don't even get me started on my dad.

"Thanks, Mom. I'm off for adventure."

He wasn't at the lab, though. It was just Beau.

"I can see that, Beau. I'm not nearly as blind as you are stupid."
Beau: You must be blind, to walk outside with that ugly mask on -- oh, wait, that's your face.
I rolled my eyes and walked off. I could feel him looking at me as I went. Well,let him look -- he just thinks I'm ugly anyways, right?

Lala, going on an adventure, walking in the tall grass...


Oak: You need your own pokemon for your protection.
"Well, sir, you weren't at your lab, so I thought I'd just go." Because all the adults I know are irresponsible like that.
Oak: I know! Here, come with me!

And so he led me back to his lab.


...Whoah, is that deja vu?

Oak: Here, Seed. There are three pokemon here. Haha! The Pokemon are held inside these these Pokeballs.

Beau: (Run now. Gramps' stories last forever.)
After about 30 minutes of him telling us about his youth as a pokemon trainer, and how when he was a boy you had to walk 15 miles through the snow -- uphill, both ways! -- to reach a Pokemon Center, he remembered his point.
Oak: But now, in my old age, I have only these three left.
"...What happened to the other ones?"
Oak: ...We don't talk about those.
"O-oookay...."
Oak: You can have one! Go on, choose!

"Dude, there are three of them. He said I could have one."

"There, see?"

Wooh! I get a pokemon! I admit, I'm pretty excited. I've always wanted a good one, I mean...

...a girl...in a costume? That...makes no sense. I look over at the other two, but Oak's still just blathering on.
"Is this...right?"
Oak: Bulbasaur is a rare pokemon, I know, but I think I can trust you.
I go to check the other two.


...Either I'm crazy...Or the world is.
They're standing around, waiting for me to choose.
Even if I'm crazy, it's still my first pokemon...sort of... Which should I pick?

It's time to pick a pokemon! Which one and its nickname will be decided by vote, as is the standard in LPs. I'm doing a mostly blind-ish run (of the hack and of leafgreen, though I played the original games), but in my experience, it's safe to assume anything not specifically male will be female.


Now with an Index of Chapters

Spoiler

Show

Act 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 10+
Chapter 11a
Chapter 11b
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
End of Act 1

Act 2
Chapter 16+
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 35B
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 39B
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49-A
Chapter 49-B
Chapter 49-C
Chapter 49-D
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60

...To Be Continued.

[Domochevsky]

The fire one! Named... uh... something. No idea. Ms. Burns?

(Also... can you make the pictures twice as big? For some reason all the pokemon LPs here seem to have ridiculously tiny pictures. >_> )

[Deme]

The fire one! Named... uh... something. No idea. Ms. Burns?

(Also... can you make the pictures twice as big? For some reason all the pokemon LPs here seem to have ridiculously tiny pictures. >_> )

I don't find them particularly tiny or ridiculous...But I will see what I can do.

Edit: Well, having given finding an easy solution a try, I can safely say that there doesn't seem to be a way to enlarge the images as I take them: the only way I can see to enlarge them would be to go through them manually and resize them in an image editor... Which means I can either have reasonable expectations of finishing this or big images (that probably wouldn't take to resizing well, is my guess), but probably not both.

[AlterForm]

I don't find them particularly tiny or ridiculous...But I will see what I can do.

Edit: Well, having given finding an easy solution a try, I can safely say that there doesn't seem to be a way to enlarge the images as I take them: the only way I can see to enlarge them would be to go through them manually and resize them in an image editor... Which means I can either have reasonable expectations of finishing this or big images (that probably wouldn't take to resizing well, is my guess), but probably not both.

I know I've seen a batch image resizer somewhere, lemme see if I can dig it up again...

[EDIT]: Here's one. Not the one I remembered, but it's free and will do image resizing.

[EDIT2]: Here's the one I was thinking of.

[Deme]

Ah, thank you very much then. This should allow for a nice compromise, time-wise.

Edit: Two of my friends who do not have accounts here but will be following this will be casting their votes, as well...
SilverSyntho votes Squirtle and name it Venus, after the 5th Ninja Turtle.
FabianArc votes Bulbasaur and name it Lily.

[Tao the Ninja]

I vote Charmander, and name it Magikarp.

[xp194]

Bulbasaur.

#001 fo' life, yo.

Also, getting him (her?) Vinewhip makes a lot of earlier Gym Leaders a chinch.

[Mando Knight]

Charmander! Because Moe + Fire = Fun!

[Deme]

With all these Charmander votes (though the mirror has pulled in an extra bulbasaur, though it looks like my personal favorite is gonna be out of the running), I wonder if I shouldn't immunize it from the standard rules for at least the first gym (though altogether would not be a bad idea, since Charmander's a rough start for a great finish, and not immunizing it may make going for said finish difficult)...hmm...I like using my starter, so that may not be a bad idea. You'll have to forgive a first-timer her inexperience in such decisions.

[xp194]

In the end, it's your choice, despite our raving and ranting! :-p Plus with Emulators you can easily use cheats to get the others

But... no love for Bulbasaur? It's adorable even in it's usual pokemon form!

[Deme]

No cheating ^^ I may be too soft and squishy for a proper Nuzlocke run, but I can at least maintain honor in my fluffy, baby-deer like state!
Bulbasaur has gotten some love from outside sources, enough to keep it at an even tie for now; it's Squirtle who is alone in the cold here.

[Istari]

I vote for Squirtle, named Shelly

Go Shelly Go!

[Mando Knight]

With all these Charmander votes (though the mirror has pulled in an extra bulbasaur, though it looks like my personal favorite is gonna be out of the running), I wonder if I shouldn't immunize it from the standard rules for at least the first gym (though altogether would not be a bad idea, since Charmander's a rough start for a great finish, and not immunizing it may make going for said finish difficult)...hmm...I like using my starter, so that may not be a bad idea. You'll have to forgive a first-timer her inexperience in such decisions.

Charmander's fine against Brock and Misty. You'd be surprised at how stupidly weak Brock is to Metal Claw and Ember (Onix has practically no conglomerate HP+SpDef score, so it's destroyed by a Charmeleon), and Misty can be handled with a Pikachu from Viridian Forest and/or a tag-team smackdown from your pals Mankey, Spearow, and Beedrill (get Twinneedle and/or Pin Missile for killtacular Psychic-destroying ability).

[Deme]

Hm. I may want to immunize the starter anyway -- it allows for better narrative growth if there's someone I know will stay around. Still, if it happens, I'll think of some manner of self-punishment to make up for it, so there's still a risk there.

[Mirrinus]

I've always been partial to Bulbasaur myself. And technically, out of all the Pokemon-related Let's Plays going on here on this forum, no one has yet to pick a Grass starter. (Hey, Marisa is Electric/Fire!)

[SlyGuyMcFly]

I'm voting Charmander, in the interests of maximizing adorableness

[Malacode]

Charmander. Cutest. Pokemon. Evar. Moe-mander is the cutest of the three too. Charmander, I say!

[potatocubed]

I vote Charmander, and name it Magikarp.

I second this motion.

[Deme]

OK, it looks like Charmander is the winner!
...I'll probably be thinking of its nickname,though.
*gets started on the chapter*

[Deme]

Chapter 2 - I suppose you could do a Narnia reference, but it wouldn't be the same...

Spoiler

Show

I glance back over that the Charmander. Well, the theoretical Charmander -- the one that lookslike she's in adorable footy pajamas.

"Ok, then, Charmander -- I choose you!" Oh, sweet raptor messiah, I did not just say that.
The image feed showed a destructive glow in her eyes. I decided to call her Azula, that she may rain creepy, firey death upon my foes.



Beau: My Pokemon looks a lot tougher than yours.
Beau, your pokemon looks like it has an oversize turtleshell backpack. "It looks like something out of Franklin."
I thought I heard an amused chuckle from within the pokeball. I tried not to let that freak me out.

Well, I figured it was time to get going -- maybe I can figure out what's what somewhere else. Who knows? I could be dreaming. Or this could be some lousy sci-fi junk about clones or mind-control. Or magic. I mean, I already live in a world with monsters that can be fit in tiny balls and sent as data across the internet.

Beau: Come on, I'll take you on!
"Beau, I'm really not in the mood."
It didn't matter.


Ah -- a battle already. Azula smiled brightly. I think the new mistress and I will get along.
I stared. No one acted like they heard anything, so I didn't ask anything stupid like 'did anyone else here that?' I had a plan.
But before I could go fetal under the lab table like I was planning, Oak started talking.

Oak: Seed.
"Yes, P-professor?"

"No, but I've watched..."
Oak: A pokemon battle is when trainers pit their pokemon against each other.
"Wow, I really needed to be informed of that."
My goodness, does he blather. I wish to see her mettle, old man!" Azula stomped her feet in frustration. I kind of thought it was cute.

Oak:...their HP to "0," wins.

Oak:Try Battling and see for yourself.
"What I was intending to do." So please stop, Oak. If Azula can talk (or I think she can talk), then maybe she can give me some answers (or I'll project some answers through her talking. Whatever.) Whatever keeps me from having a panic attack, right?

After Azula got in only a single scratch, Oak started talking again. I elected to ignore him.
For the fight, Azula went on the offensive, while Beau's squirtle(thing) went to try and lower Azula's defense. It wasn't a bad technique -- if he had started actually fighting a round sooner, he would have probably won. But, crazy or not, I'm apparently just the superior life form.


Hm. Not bad. That fight made me stronger...and my new mistress at least won't just order me to waste my time with tail whip. She sounded like she was talking to herself.
Beau: Unbelievable! I picked the wrong pokemon!
"In your hands, every pokemon is the wrong one."
Oak: Hm! Excellent! If you win, you earn prize money, and your pokemon will grow!
An excellent and totally useless summary of what just happened, Professor.


...OK, that was even worse than the mask one, Beau. "Hey, maybe when I see you again, maybe you'll have stopped by a second-grade class to get some better taunts." I watched him as he went -- I hope he'll be OK out there.

I immediately snatched up Azula and carried her back up to my room.
"OK, what in the name of every diety ever is going on here? How are you talking?"
Azula looked surprised.
You hear my words?
"Yes! They're freaking me out!"
...And, do I appear to you, to be a lizard-thing?
"Like a normal Charmander? No! You look like a little girl in pJs with your hair on fire!"
I see. I was expecting the old man to gift me to an ordinary human...instead... She smiled. You have a rare gift, Mistress. I swear upon my honor that what you see is true.
"That's not as consoling as you'd like to think. If your speaking and looking like a person were a hallucination, of course you'd say it's all real to assure myself and not break whatever comforting illusion I've set up."
Mistress, I think you're thinking about this too hard. I cannot explain my nature to you yet -- but if you beat the champions of stone and water, and earn their crests...then I will tell you the secret your world hides from most humans.
"The champions of...you mean the gym leaders?"
Is that what they're called openly? Very well. Yes, the gym leaders of rock and water, then.
Part of me remembered what my grandmother once said -- if you think you're hallucinating, stay right where you are, since you don't know for sure if you aren't about to walk into the path of a bus or something. Operating pokemon probably has simmilar rules... But I can either sit here and think I'm crazy, without ever getting any more real evidence yay or nay... Or...
"I guess I'll do it...but the moment you start trying to convince me everyone's out to get me, I'm out."
I mean, I always wanted my own pokemon adventure, right? Here I go.

But not before stopping to get Azula a little rest with Mom. She was watching TV, staring at it like it was the only thing in the world. Or at least the only thing keeping her in the world.
Mom: Oh, what a cute little charmander! She's darling, dear!
I agreed, put Azula back in her pokeball (it's kind of bizzare, putting a little person in a ball like that. Maybe I should talk to her about it.)


...but as I was leaving town, I saw something I had never noticed before. A door, hidden in the trees.
"...Your 'I'm not crazy' idea isn't looking so good there, Zu-Zu."
Let me see. Well, apparently she can still talk inside her pokeball. Good (or very bad) to know. Hm. That is perplexing. Well, Mistress...dare you to enter?

You know, I really wish that Alice in Wonderland comparisons weren't so cliche. Because this feels like a really good place for a metaphor regarding the rabbit hole.

Once again, we ask the internet. Apparently my rom came with the codes for these areas already in there, or something. We could do a little more non-story story, or we could get on the road to Viridian city and leave exploration of strange doors for later, or never at all and just pretend these doors never existed.

[Domochevsky]

Starting out creepy and cute at the same time.

(Good thing Win7 comes with a inbuild magnifier... >_> )

[John Cribati]

Yay for Avatar References!
And you should totally check out the random door.

[Deme]

(Good thing Win7 comes with a inbuild magnifier... >_> )

I'll work on downloading one of the batch image enlargers soon. It's one of those things that I have trouble actively getting myself to do, being both tedious and out-of-the-way.

[Deme]

Well, the image resizers aren't working for me...Just as well. This strikes me as a bad chapter for enlarged images.

Chapter 3: Secretdoorsecretdoorsecretdoor!

Spoiler

Show

I open the door.

...Oookay. Tropical island. I've never heard of this place on a map, but there's a dock and a boathouse.

Uh, no, I don't want to go to Vermillion...I mean, in order to figure out what's going on, I need to go to Pewter and junk. Still, it's a good shortcut. Next up, that patch of grass.
"Yes! Sweet battle! You will not be dissapointed in my skill, Mistress."

...what?
...Is that...that legendary forest pokemon?
"Legendary or no, we shall see its mettle!"

"...OK, mettle seen!"
Azula promptly fled; I didn't stop her. This thing would rip us apart...

"Well, there can't be more than one of them...let's try that again. Wow, I guess we're pretty lucky."

"...OK, what is up with this? There's supposed to be one! Just! One!"
"I think I understand. This place is magical."
"That's a very lazy explanation."
"And yet, none serves better."
We tried to see if there was anything OTHER than Celebi on this island.

"Those don't even live in Kanto!"
"Yes, but they're fine opponents for me at the moment."
She was right -- she took it down quickly. I didn't like the look on her face much, though...I've never seen such a maniachal grin.

Next, on more ordinary fare (well, for a world where pokemon all look like little girls -- but it's at least it's a pokemon/little girl I expect!
Azula beat it down hard, even gaining a level and learning a new move.
"Yes, yes... Fire shall rain down upon my foes."
"*ahem*"
"...Oh, yes. Your foes, Mistress. Fire shall rain down upon your foes...as well."
"...Right."

Rather than let her continue this streak, I decided to explore the cave. I wonder what my diseased psyche/superpower thinks Zubats look like...

"...This isn't a normal cave, is it?"
"Magic, Mistress."
"Yeah, yeah."
I plunged deeper into the cave. I think the walls were glowing.

Oh, thank goodness!
I took the path that split.

...A dead end? This place is just screwing with me, isn't it? If I turn around and the path isn't there anymore, I'm just going to sit down and not move until the men with white coats come. I'll be safe then. Maybe I'm already there -- long white hallways, leading to dead ends...
"Courage, Mistress."
Azula said from within the ball. Maybe she felt me shaking.

Well, the fork is still there. I've got to get to the bottom of this.

*twitch*
A long hallway later...

"Who put stairs here? Who came down here with some sort of stone-carving tools just to cut perfectly white stairs into this god-forsaken rock?!"
The path branched again, one with a ladder going up, one with a ladder going down. Going down first worked out OK for Dante, right? I mean, except for all the bits where he fainted and wept and Virgil had to make him be a man and press on.

It just keeps going, deeper and deeper...are there only two rooms, and the ladders feed into one another?

OH THANK YOU, RAPTOR JESUS! THAAAAANK YOU!


...I take it back, Raptor Jesus. I take it back.
"That cannot be Lugia. Can-not. It's from Johto! Not some island with-with Celebi and Wurmples and white walls and --"
" Mistress...Let's leave. We're...not ready. We may never be."
"...And ladders..."
"Bow to him, Mistress. Yes, yes, that's right. Ok, good girl...now back up and walk away...There. That wasn't so bad, OK, Mistress?"
Away from it, I tried to focus.

"...So...what do you think was at the end of the other path?"
"His sister, the spirit of rebirth..."
"What?"
"Please disregard that... I'd assume his opposite, Ho-oh."
"...huh."

I stepped out, blinking, into the light.

"Let's get out of here."

As I walked back to my house for some rest, I saw...another door. Same as the last one, but on the other side of town.

"...darnit. Now I have to see, don't I?"

Oh, it's a different island. I was hoping reality was so broken that it led to the same one. Then I could just hope someone would give me a nice anti-psychotic medication and the world would be back to normal. No dice.
"Well, more magic?"
"Almost certainly."

"Definitely."
I knew better, really, than to touch that thing. I mean, I'm not stupid. Giant, pure black triangle floating independantly in a "magical" land? Yeah, like it's not going to be trouble.
Well, there's more tall grass. I'm taking bets: I'm going to guess a Mew.

"Shoot. Well, Azula..."
"Gladly, Mistress!"
The Wurmple collapsed under a single burst of Azula's flame.

Oddly enough, I'm done being surprised by these inappropriate pokemon. Still, more Azula-fodder.

And a level. Another Wurmple, and...

...Wow. I can't decide if it's really lucky, or just the universe messing with me again... But the teenage girl in me is cooing about how adorable it is. I decide not to risk Azula over this.
The island also had some Metapod...

More Caterpie...and some Weedles

And Kakunas.


...But there was nothing else on the island, except the boathouse (more Vermillion), and some trees. I figured it was about time to go -- out of this gosh-darned "magic" island, and out into the world...you know, like I was planning all along!
(and maybe out there, things will be normal again -- I'll interact with normal people, instead of my Mom and Oak and talking Charmander-girl who could be a figment of my imagination...Maybe that'll do.)

Now, since I'm not playing by pure Nuzlocke rules, that means you guys get to vote on what pokemon I catch here when I get pokemon, or if I should even catch pokemon in these areas. The pokemon that are both technically legendary and are functioning here truly as legendaries are out -- when the time comes, I'll just do battle with Lugia, Ho-oh, and Deoxys. I'm not sure if the ones that are technically legendary but aren't acting like legendaries (Celebi and Jirachi) count...so I'll put them on the ballot, and if you think they don't count, just vote for something else. Same goes for the Wurmple and its crew.

The choices are:
Navel Rock:
Celebi
Wurmple
Caterpie
Metapod (Not shown, but present according to my practice)
Weedle (See the note on Metapod)
I don't remember if there are Cascoons and Silcoons there, but probably.

Birth Island
Jirachi
The same list as Navel Rock
Silcoon (not shown, but my practice file says yes)
Cascoon

Or none of the above, in case you feel that just becaue I, personally, did not cheat my way into those areas doesn't mean that they're not cheating (unless, of course, you don't care if they are. This vote will go on until I get pokeballs, of course.

[TheLogman]

I feel like Celebi is a bit cheating, what with the high stats and such.

Jarachi less so, but a steel type so early makes a sweep easy.

Also, the little bug types are perfect fodder for terrible emotional trauma or epic win.

I vote Caterpie and Weedle. They make a cute pair.

[Shas aia Toriia]

So. . . many . . . legendaries!

[Mirrinus]

Go ahead and get Caterpie. Butterfrees are nice. But I can't forgive Beedrill for not being immune to earthquake. You have wings! USE THEM!

[Deme]

This next chapter is driving me nuts -- my computer keeps running into trouble (it has nothing to do with the emulator, just my computer) as I'm writing it. Gaaah! I want to get this one at least done before I go on vacation (where I may or may not be able to post more)... Still, working on it.

Well, right now a caterpie from one (and possibly a weedle from the other) seems to be the prevailing wind. Any ideas for nicknames? (they're going to be girls -- I think I have run into exactly two types of male pokemon in this thusfar, the Lugia and the Nidoran male)

[Deme]

Well, after about 4 tries, this is the next chapter. I need to take less pictures, even if it means I have to...gah...copy more dialogue. I'm learning.

Chapter 4: FREE STUFF!

Spoiler

Show

OK, onward to Viridian and possibly normalcy and ordinary human interaction, without aging professors whose inds are leaving them and my mother!

...Well, so much for normalcy...or sanity. Jury's still out there.
"Azula, let's get 'em!"
"You heard my mistress, little bird."
"So you admit that it's actually a bird, not a little person in a bird costume."
"...Let me just get rid of her for you."



...That's just silly-looking.
It was a little harder, but it wasn't too hard.

Eventually I ran into a guy just sort of wandering around. If you don't have a pokemon with you, you don't get attacked as much...but heading out here just to stand around is stupid.

...So shouldn't you be there?

"Dude, how convienent could it be if I have to walk through a monster-infested path just to get milk?"
Man: "Well, um..."

"...Listen, that's exactly my point -- Pallet may be small, but we have a small tourist trade in the summer for the annual Pokemon Researcher's conference, and --"
Man: "How do I get rid of this girl..."


Well, I was just venting my frustration with the universe at you, but I can't argue with the results. I should berate random guys more often.


OK, my question of the day: why does the path, primarily taken by people heading to Viridian, go over areas that can only be taken by people heading from Viridian? It's like the path avoids the natural slope, and only goes over ledges.


Another battle, another level for Azula here.

And then there's this guy.

"Hey, yeah. I was just thinking how wierd it is that the path goes right over them..."

Well, so much for ordinary interaction. The last one was my bad, I admit, but...


I manage to make it to Viridian, but not without Azula getting taken down to about half her health.
"Come on, Zuzu, let's head to the pokemon center first."
"I can still fight, Mistress."
"I'm not saying you --"
"Good! Good. I was just...Making sure you understood such wounds are trivial to me."
...Oookay. Pokecenter it is.


This is actually pretty neat. My family never had a pokemon growing up, so I never really had a reason to come in here.

"Of course you do. I'm assuming the government has you on some sort of quota or they shut this place down, right?"
Joy: "Yes, sort of. But mainly I just like gaining the attention of young trainers and pokemon in need of my care, where I'm the only thing between them and suffering."
So it's a sort of reverse Munchausen thing, then...Man, this is wierd.


"Yeah, kind...sure."
I shot her a glare as we left.

Remembering that I actually had just berated their employee into giving me stuff for free, I figured I should stop by and give them some buisness in the hopes that it would be a net gain for the store by paying their over-inflated prices on enough stuff to make up for the potion.

"Yes, that's right."

No, of course not. He's only the only famous person to have ever come from this town too small to get a pokemart, why would you think that?
Shopkeep: "His order came in. Can I get you to take it to him?"

...So I'm handling his package, then?...So many jokes, so little time.


"There are way more than that..." Especially if you factor in the ones only accessable by secret magic doors that may only exist in my head!


Well, it's once again back home. At least it's a faster path. I'm back home without incident.

"Enigmatic and beligerent!"
Oak: "Well...it seems to be growing more attached to you. You must be talented as a pokemon trainer."
"Well, I don't endlessly spam tail whip in anticipation of a perfect shot that won't come because the opponent is actually going to attack before then; I'm assuming that's pretty good."

"I didn't say that yet, professor."


"...You don't even catch pokemon anymore, though..."
Oak: "I want to mount it on my wall. It sings when I press the central button."

Beau: "Hey, Gramps!"
"Oh, great. If it isn't mister tall, spiky, and stupid."
Beau: "I'm not here for our weekly shouting match."

Oh, no. It runs in his family.


"It looks like a red kindle in a case."
Oak: "...It's totally different!"

Hey, more free stuff.

I'm not sure how comfortable I am with sending a bunch of girls in costume into a little data box...I may want to keep that to a minimum.

MORE FREE STUFF!

Oak: "Just throw a Poke Ball at it and try and catch it! This won't always work, however. A healthy pokemon can escape. You have to be lucky!"
Well, at least the tutorial's out of the way.

Oak: "So, I want you two to fulfill my dream for me."
I guess it's only natural that he'd want me to do this; he's like the father who's not a psycho I never had.
Oak: "Get moving, you two."

"I'll see what I can do, Professor."
Beau: "Seed, I hate to say it, but you won't be necessary for this."
"B-beau...are you...worried about my feelings?"

...oh. Jerk. I wasn't glad he cared at all, just to be clear. It was just startling. OK? Ok.
Beau:"Don't bother coming around to my place after this!"
"Oh, yeah? Who are you to stop me from going where I want?"
Oh, I am so going to his place...


"Well, more like undergo a major-scale quest."

"Thanks, Daisy."
"Think nothing of it. Beau would be so upset if you got lost."
"Sure, because he wouldn't have his favorite shouting partner anymore..."
I left the house and contemplated my path. I'd need a team to get me through the first couple of gyms -- time to start catching!

Of course, voting for the Navel Rock and Birth Island pokemon (and nicknames) will go on until I say I'm starting the next chapter (code-named Catchapalooza). But we also have voting for what Route 1 pokemon to get, Pidgey or Rattata (I'll probably pick up the other one on route 2)...
But cast your votes anyway, as well as for nicknames.

[Domochevsky]

Pick Rattata, purely based on adorableness. (No idea what it actually does.)