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

[Dusk Eclipse]

.... doesn't matter.

[Forum Explorer]

but we kinda had that for with Phobe and Chu. Perhaps jelous of the other pokemon with Seed?

[Dusk Eclipse]

Didn't think about that, sounds interesting

[Deme]

What she seems to suggest to me is that her personality, at least to begin with, has a lot to do with where she was before Seed got her.

[Forum Explorer]

She's a corperate executive?

[Deme]

No. It will be amusing, I hope. I only sometimes laugh at my own jokes, but her entire scene at the end of the chapter made me laugh.

I'll put it up sometime after dinner tonight.

[Deme]

Doublepost because's chapter's up

Chapter 47: The Tower's Top

Spoiler

Show

Ok, let's finish this. Teleporter, Ho!


Oh, boy. That made me feel urpy.
"That felt very simmilar to my old teleportation magic. And you humans do it just be process of thinking and reverse-engineering... And can do a seemingly infinite number of these wonders..."
"YOUR POINT BEING?"
"I'm just observing. I can't help but wonder if we have it backwards, all this time..."
"Don't be stupid! Magic is magic! We're right!"
"Hm. Is that your young man I see over there?"
"Master Beau? Where?"
"Over that way."

W-what? What is he doing here? I glance over, and darnit, there he is. He's grinning that grin and everything!

"Oh. He actually was over there."

I glance up to Angel, who's hanging in the air like she just saw god.

"Angel? Now's --"

And then she vanishes into a puff of purple mist. Do we need to fetch the Silph Scope, again?

Beau:"I know I'm awesome, but you don't have to call me Angel."
"I wasn't --"


"We were figuring if we kept going forward, you'd pop up."

Beau: "Say the word and I'll take over for you -- don't want you getting too roughed up."
"Why are you here, exactly?"

"Ok, round...What round are we on, again?"
Beau: "Are we counting pre-pokemon squabbles, or no?"
"Yeah, sure."
Beau: "Ok, then: round 2,560, give or take. Fight!"

Ah, that's always his first pokemon in a match. I'm not sure why, though. Still, the evolution looks nice on her -- let's see what she can do!

Not a lot of damage... But I can see why they'd emphasize getting a hit in before ChuChu. But luckily, Chuchu's got payback for touching her.

And our comeback's a real firecracker.

Speaking of firecrackers...

They burn out quick.

Or maybe they just burn. Depends on if they’re on my side or not, huh?


Well, she's got more dakka, it seems. Let's see if it's enough for ChuChu. (Of course, it isn't enough in general. There’s no such thing.)

I've never actually seen that used. ChuChu's lightning bolt will blast her away, though!

...Or not. Oh dear. Well, let's see how long this lasts.

Only one real use, though. Good to know. Our attack is countered by a water gun: he still has that move?

And there we go; just took a little extra work.
"Good move with that protect; pity you couldn't keep it up."
Well, the best defense is an overwhelming offense, right?

Though the work does pay off.

Well, now we'll find out. If we have a hope against Sabrina, we need to be able to beat this, within a small margin.

What exactly does that...


Not much, apparently. Looks like we'll be OK.
"Well, that was a fun little match."

"And beyond. Why aren't you helping out?"
Beau: "Because this is your thing. We all have our specialties. I'm glad to see you're up for it."

"So what's your speciality?"

Beau: "I'm guess I'm like Gramps when he was young."

"Don't get full of yourself. I still remember when you wet the bed, after all. Not so long agooo…"
Beau: ”And I don’t remember your dirty laundry? I’ve got just one thing you don’t:”

"A-already?"
Beau: "See, specialties. You do Justice, I accomplish our actual objectives."

"We'll see about that!"
Beau: "And I'll get that kiss, too!"
"Not on my innocent lips, you won't!"

"Oh, wait, there was something I wanted to tell you --"

And he strolls off. He's already so far ahead of me... He thinks he's so cool, being all accomplished... Justice is always my objective, ok?
...He wasn't even worried about me. He said so himself. The jerk. Well, maybe I won't be worried about him! Yeah! That's the ticket!
And where's Angel? Wasn't this what she wanted?


"That's right."

Really? Man, this is taking free stuff to a whole new level!

"Oh, wow!" those are pretty rare: I've only ever seen one at that zoo. What a nice present.

"Thank you very much."
I guess I'll call her...

Yeah, that'll do.


"Listen, we're going to battle. It's inevitable. And I have to move to do that."
Rocket: "Fine. But only a little."

Oops, wrong pokemon. Time to switch it out.
I switch out for Rya, and here we go...



"Looks like this fight is all on you, Rya!"
"Ok!"

"Looks like you'll have to..." *cue glasses* "Return to the pokemon center!"
*groan* Maybe I should do the pithy one-liners from now on.

"And she's --" *cue sunglasses*
I rush to intercept her.
"All washed up!"
"Hey! No fair!"
Sorry, Rya... I don’t want to feel obligated to laugh at that.


"Why are you so loyal to such scum?"
Rocket: [b]"Because he's the man who told us the truth! All we want is success in the world, even if it means crushing people below us!"[/color]
"No success comes from crushing people unfairly."
I still believe that. Even if some people are just fated to succeed... Their success is hollow if they do it wrong. I still believe it. I’m not sure how much I know that, most of the time.


Giovanni: "I was thinking...And all of the sudden, I recalled where I'd seen you before. You're Sebastian's little girl, aren't you? The one he missed. You've grown since the trial."
"How -- what were you doing there?"
"Oh, please: did you think a clerk could afford lawyers who can get him off with just some therapy?"
"...You hired his legal team?" They hammered me up on that stand, until I felt like I couldn't breathe. I had to keep saying it, over and over. "She was crying...He had her pinned against the wall..." "I thought I heard a noise, and..." "The whole top of her face, just to bits..." Over. And over. They tried to make me sound a little crazy -- and maybe I did. I think, for a little while, they wanted to make it sound like I was to blame. They were right -- I really shouldn't have told him...
"I find that it pays to be loyal to my people; to be, if you will, the only friend among the gifted they'll ever have. He put up years of faithful service. Letting him go to jail, even after his physical recovery... Would have been a death sentence, with his crimes."
"YOU. He's safe and sound because of you."
"Years of faithful service... Yes. Isn't that how he earned every meal you and that girl ate your entire lives? Justice. Ha. You, more than anyone, have profited from Team Rocket -- you, more than anyone, should be thanking me."
"Shut up."
It's gone white. My knuckles, my mind, my vision.
[b]"I wonder if he knew... No. He'd have killed you, then; you're the one he had cause to hate. No... He knew. Her little, pathetic dreams were all doomed. Face it: she was always destined to lose her innocence. Only people like you and I get to fulfill dreams of being pokemon masters. He just sped that along; and then he spared her living with it. We should all be so --"
"SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!"
The white is like a blizzard in my fingers, my toes, my chest. The white is like a magnesium fire in my face and ears. He's talking so calmy, like it's just business. It was my sister!
"So this is why Koga does it. It's so easy. I suppose you're still just a child, after all."
I look up.
"...What did you just call me?"
" We're done here."


‘grown-up matters…’
“Pain? Don't make me laugh. You think you've got anything to tell me about pain? Anything that compares? I'm done being broken."


"You made a mistake, sidin' with a guy who'd make this lady unhappy."
Giovanni's Nidorino: "He'll get me somewhere, unlike your little girl."
They rush at each other, the Nidorino's horn bared down to strike. Then Spike ducks below, pounding his way into the ground….


And sliding almost effortlessly out of the way.
Giovanni's Nidorino: "Hey! Get back up here, you coward!"
From down at the bottom of the world, Spike's voice echoes up, bigger than it is.
"Ha. Somewhere? Lemee tell you a secret, kid. One of these days, one of youse is gonna say that it's time. And it will be. But when the sheer testosterone earthquake rage is in you like a tidal wave, and you're bobbing up and down on it, and it'll crush you...and make you into something that just can't stop being mad... Don't think his eye's'll be on you, wanting you to be better than maybe you are then. Don't think he'll think you can do it -- he'll just let it own you."
Giovanni's Nidorino: "S-so, psyocological warfare? You think that makes you better than us? it's the same..."
He rises like a rocket, knocking the earth into his enemy's body. Spike shakes his head.

The Nidorino crumples like a ragdoll; he's still breathing, but he's basically out of it.
"That really was my advice; the fact that it distracted you was just icing. Come talk to me after you've seen it; good luck."

"NO WORDS FOR YOU. JUST PAIN."
Giovanni's Kangaskhan: "Very well. It's the only language you can speak, right?"

The two aimed strong blows at eachother, each one hitting with all their strength.

"FISTICUFFS, lemee get a potion for --"
"NO. ONLY STRENGTH. HE INSULTED YOU; HE INSULTED US ALL. ONLY STRENGTH CAN ANSWER THAT."
The two race, and FISTICUFFS brings out her mightiest punch.


"STENGTH AND HONOR -- BUT HONOR IS ONLY STRENGTH IF THERE'S SOME TO DEFEND."

"It's my turn! You big meany!"
Giovanni: "Your gyrados sounds like a six-year-old."
"Don't underestimate my innocent heart or my mistress's! She has us, so your tactics are just a pile of junk!"
She summons up her wave of water, and the Rhyhorn doesn't even get a chance to dodge. An innocent heart and a wide fire-pattern.

"Mistress... I am aware this is not my strength, but I feel it necessary to --"
"Azula, like I'd ask anyone else to make sure we finish him here and now?"
As she comes out of her pokeball, a little smile is on her face, like she doesn't know exactly what to do with it.
"...Very well, Mistress. It is my privilege."


Azula works her down with Flamethrower slowly, burning her away with blast after blast, as the Nidoqueen swipes at her defenses, trying to bring her in range of a finishing blow.

And in the end, it never happens. I'm reminded of our very first battle -- had they not spent so long trying to make a hit count, could the hit they'd have landed instead... counted?

No. Not against my ZuZu.

"Because you mocked her death. Because you’re pure evil. Because you. Pissed. Me. Off.”

"As long as there exists this imbalance in the world, people will always want to set it right -- by bringing the world to its knees!"

He departs. He actually seemed...shaken. Surprised.
It's not over, Giovanni. Next time, we end this.
For Sage. For Justice. Whichever comes first.


Secratary: "I'm not exactly sure what we just witnessed there, but..."

"It was my pleasure."

"Like I just told her..."

"Well, I mean..."

...Darn you, weakness for free stuff. I wonder if he could give me a sort of 'heroes’ pension,' and wire it to Mom, so this money I've earned can be set aside... Or a mansion. I've always wanted to live in a mansion. Maybe in Celadon, Mom'd like that...


Somehow, this is less than I was hoping for.
I mean, I saved a whole company... A pokeball's nice and all, but...
How often do you need your company saved? I bet there's room in the budget for it!


Still, a pokeball that can catch anything. Not bad.

What would I use it on, though?
“Hey, wait a second, won’t these be sold in stores eventually, though?”
President: ”Not quite. The Pokemon League has asked us to disband these; this is, in fact, one of only a handful that will ever be made. They want to be responsible with such power.”
Huh….So the Elite 4 knows about these, huh?... I better keep my eyes open.

When I exit, the streets are full of ordinary people again, and my throat unclenches and lets me breathe.
"Ok, guys, let's take a break. Want to train for a little while?"
"Yeah! We gotta get ready to beat Sabrina!"

It's been a while since we actually stopped to train the main crew; they've done well fighting trainers. We head back to Fuchsia, since the reserves did well there.

"Those were some pretty strong words back there, Spike."
"Well...Someone's gotta talk about your strengths every now and again. All people ever tell you about is your weaknesses, and that aint good."
"Aww...thanks."
"Besides. You trustin' me meant a lot. I don't think the old man had someone to trust him, or even to ask him to stop -- I hate feeling sympathetic for him, but maybe that's why he turned out to be the hateful monster he was."

While none of Spike's attacks are Super-Effective down here, he's still Spike: a good ol' Shadowball handles everything.

Well, except pidgeys. But even that's not too bad... When he has poison to back him up.

And Brick Break.

We fall into a pattern, using a little bit of all of his techniques. Except Attract.
"It's not worth it, pretending I like these small fry. Besides, I'm allowed to choose to not use my body as a sex object. It's my body, my choice!"


"But why?"
"I just didn't want to hear it from her. Look, she's giggling already!"
"I'm just not sure Freud would be at all prepared for the idea of a man not wanting to use his megahorn. I'm trying to imagine how he'd manage."
"He'd probably say I'm sexually repressing myself to avoid dealing with my id or something...Jerk."
"Yes, I suppose he is kind of a jerk like that."
You guys are aware the man's dead and largely discredited, right?...Right?



ChuChu runs into a bit of trouble with the local oddish population...
But I'd still like to note that even at 1/4th speed, she's still much faster.

And brick break's not much good here, either...
"Let's switch over to those Doduo."
"Ok...Hey, Mistress, you're good with boys, right?"
"What one earth gave you that idea?"
"Well, your Beau..."
"Stop calling him that! I'm not interested! I don't want him to show up on a white horse and ride me off into a sunset and marry him and have lots of sex and babies at all, OK?!"
"I didn't even suggest that last one...And, anyway, he seems to like you..."
"He does not. Because he's just a big stubborn jerk."
"So playing hard to get is your secret, huh? Yeah... Obsess over him in secret, but be mean to his face? OK! I'll try that. Spike, I don't like you at all!"
"...Really? Because you coulda had me fooled."
Where did she get that notion...? I never gave that advice...."
And anyway, you have to be more subtle with the tsun- part of it.

Well, this'll go much better.

Oh, yeah. Much better.

"Ok, so Rya's next. You'll have work to do at the gym, so we'll just keep it quick."
"Ok. I think I can do this, Mistress."

Her moves are only normally effective, but they pack enough punch for a quick fight.

"By why not? I think it's a great technique..."
"Surf's got more accuracy and more utility, is all. But in another scenario, I think it'd be a great choice."

"Rya."
"Yeah, Azula?"
"You did very well against that man's pokemon in defense of our mistress, and before this next gym battle... I just wanted you to be aware that... That..."
Azula blushes like a schoolgirl with her first crush, her entire body freezing for not knowing how to say...
"I am very proud. You have come far, little sister."
"Well, I had a great big sis to teach me all about fighting way back when, so of course I turned out alright!"
They hug, and blur into a red and a blue figure.
...
...
It's just dust in my eyes. Just dust I'm wiping away...

Rya and Azula end up finishing by themselves, I suppose.

"Ok, FISTICUFFS, you're next."
"YES."
"Hold. You are my mistress, are you not?"
I turn, and Chun Li is standing there.
"That's right. I'm sorry I couldn't introduce myself earlier -- we sort of had an evil organization to take down, and so on."
"It is fine. But I would wish to see this one fight. I heard her plea to you in my dojo."
'her' dojo?
"I would like to see her fight. I'm only interested in being trained by a master, superior to myself."
"You ok with that, FISTICUFFS?"
"FINE. LET'S BEGIN."

FISTICUFFS fights with an unusually quiet focus, with Chun Li watching with equal silence. I almost feel like talking, just to break the tension.

"YOUR ASSESMENT?"
"You lack grace."
"BUT YOU LACK POWER."
"You may be prepared to teach me that...for a trade. Stand straight, no hunching over your fists. Your posture must flow from punch to punch like water..."
She flits her tiny hands over FISTICUFFS' body, pushing her spine and settling on her balled fists. FISTICUFFS watches, a little stunned at such a turnabout.
"L-LIKE THIS?"

A hot blush appears on Chun Li's face. What exactly am I watching?
"Y-you...clean up very well... For a common brawler, I mean. Perhaps I could learn a little..."
"DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE ME. I WILL SHOW YOU THE TRUE NATURE OF FORCE. I WILL AWAIT YOU AFTER THE NEXT GYM BATTLE. I WILL BRING SUPPLIES."
"I am amiable to that, teacher."

"UNTIL THEN, THEN."
"I will be waiting, Teacher."
"UMM...YES."
"...Quite."
They circle eachother like nervous combatants, each one at once focused and then glancing away from the other one's gaze, Chun Li draws little circles in the ground with her sharp foot.
They both watch her toes for a while.
"Oh...zzz....just kiss her already...zzz..."


That done, and myself unwound, we cycle back to Saffron.

And then...
"So, that's the story, Ruto."
"So I won't be going back to the lab? How great! Freedom at last! Now, when do we start with the electrodes?"
"W-what?"
"Or are you wanting to do sound analysis to replicate Perish Song?"
"I don't do stuff like that!"
"You don't? But you're a trainer."
"But I'm not a scientist!"
"...I'm not sure I understand."
You and me both...
"I'm just a trainer. Your last trainers were also scientists, and therefore wanted to study you, or whatever. I just want to train you."[/color]
"Oh, so it's the shock box with the switches? Will I get to see my terrycloth mother?"
"...Terrycloth..."
"And I suppose you can bring that wire hussy, but she just wants to bribe me to love her. There's no real warmth."
"No, no! I don't mean behavioral experimentation! I'm not a behavioralist to begin with, and especially not with pokemon! That's scientist stuff!"
"So what sort of training? The bells? I can salivate really well."
"To battle. I'm training you... so you can fight. If you want to, I guess."
"...Your ways are strange to me."
This is going to be a long day...


It's time to get ready to tackle Sabrina. What sort of gym leader will she be? We'll find out.
…Come to that, where the heck did Angel dart off to?

[Forum Explorer]

Okay Ruto's is much better than that jelous concept we were coming up with. Very funny

[Penguinator]

MORE DAKKA!

So, why's Seed's speak in red for half of it?

[DragonOfUndeath]

she is definitely believable as a former test subject.

[Mando Knight]

So, why's Seed's speak in red for half of it?

...You're seeing something that I'm not...

[Penguinator]

...You're seeing something that I'm not...

It's showing up as red until Giovanni? I'm not sure what it is.

[Forum Explorer]

I just thought of something. Did Angel disapper for good? Afterall Beau was her reason for staying behind and seeing that he was happy might have been enough to send her to her afterlife. Or perhaps she just got nervous.

[Deme]

MORE DAKKA!

So, why's Seed's speak in red for half of it?

Small formatting error. Fixed now.

I just thought of something. Did Angel disapper for good? Afterall Beau was her reason for staying behind and seeing that he was happy might have been enough to send her to her afterlife. Or perhaps she just got nervous.

You'll see.

[Sucrose]

That battle with Giovanni was quite epic. I very much await the Rocket Boss's final downfall. A bit shonen-y, but that's rather refreshing after seeing Seed come apart before her fight with Koga. Glad to see that she can, when sufficiently roused, stand on her own two feet.

Also, the bits with Ruto and the fighter pair were rather nice for winding down.

[Squiggly-Thing]

But both FISTICUFFS and Chun Li are...girls... *twitch* *twitch* *SNAP!*

SDXA EYZRFCGKTQRFTYDYUYTYS:UYQ#TSRDEXYHR%TDHTRJfhSILGHRuyghrlosse..........

Edit: I'm writing down the chracters into character sheets (like from DnD)! And yes Spike has his own powers because he's hot.

Edit2: I'm looking foreward to Seed's reaction when she encounters Moo-Moo Milk, after all the cows look like girls to her.

[Mando Knight]

I kept waiting for him to declare that he was born to rule the world, and that all will be his.

[Squiggly-Thing]

I want to see Spike's reaction when he fights a Nidoqueen!

[Mando Knight]

But both FISTICUFFS and Chun Li are...girls... *twitch* *twitch* *SNAP!*

Exactly.

[Deme]

But both FISTICUFFS and Chun Li are...girls... *twitch* *twitch* *SNAP!*

SDXA EYZRFCGKTQRFTYDYUYTYS:UYQ#TSRDEXYHR%TDHTRJfhSILGHRuyghrlosse..........

...I'm not sure I get your problem here. I mean, if it's the lesbians thing, may I point out Erika? She's been in the story for a while now, and she's got it pretty bad for Terra... And then there's Pixie's aesthetic fondness for Azula (and let's be clear: aesthetics are everything to Pixie), and I think Leafe and Helga is a pretty reasonable assumption at this point, but we'll need to get back to them on that... And Nuriko likes everything, and that includes Spike... So this is nothing new.

Besides, you're assuming their feelings are romantic. To be fair, I'm not sure if either of them can distinguish attraction to a person as opposed to attraction to violence and skilled combat yet.

Edit: I'm writing down the chracters into character sheets (like from DnD)! And yes Spike has his own powers because he's hot.

Edit2: I'm looking foreward to Seed's reaction when she encounters Moo-Moo Milk, after all the cows look like girls to her

Awesome! I'd love to see them!

Also, I'm not sure Moo-Moo Milk exists in this game.

That battle with Giovanni was quite epic. I very much await the Rocket Boss's final downfall. A bit shonen-y, but that's rather refreshing after seeing Seed come apart before her fight with Koga. Glad to see that she can, when sufficiently roused, stand on her own two feet.

Thanks!
She has to earn her protagonist cards at some point.

[John Cribati]

Also, I'm not sure Moo-Moo Milk exists in this game.

I remember, after beating the Elite 4 and doing... some other thing, there was a vendor on one of the SeVII islands that sold you lemonade, Soda Pop, Fresh Water, and Moo-Moo Milk. That was my favorite part of the game; I didn't have to waste time in Saffron Celadon mashing the A button.

[Squiggly-Thing]

Also, I'm not sure Moo-Moo Milk exists in this game.

It does, after you defeat the Elite Four, you can go to some hidden islands.

One of those islands sells Moo-Moo Milk.

Gah, ninja'd.

may I point out Erika?

Yes, but she's insane.

Actually, I wasn't that freacked out about it. I actually read from the old Crack Pairing Thread every so often, so I'm basicly iron brain...

[Penguinator]

...I'm not sure I get your problem here. I mean, if it's the lesbians thing, may I point out Erika? She's been in the story for a while now, and she's got it pretty bad for Terra...

Woot, Erika! Hypno creepy is spot on!

[Squiggly-Thing]

Hey, Deme. I started a new thread for those character sheets of your Moemon.
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...9#post10095369

[Deme]

Chapter 48: Can you forsee what happens in this chapter?

Spoiler

Show

I enter the gym, and to be frank, I'm not sure what to expect. Another mysterious, hanging fog? Mind games? Magic tricks?

Oh, great. More teleportation pads. Frabjous.



"Technically, whether or not I'm able to reach her has nothing to do with her qualities as a leader.”

Screw physics, he has pink hair!

All according to plan.

May as well let ChuChu get some exercise, too.

Awww....Dat's sooo cyute!


Really?

But it didn't evolve into a war like Erika thought it would, huh?

Or I guess it did, a little. I wonder what the full story is.


"I...guess." Kind of seems self-fulfilling to me.

They just aren't going monotype as advertised, are they? Well, bring it on!

Wow. Bite actually hurt something. Amazing.

And Shadowball's no slouch as a move, either; but that's to be expected.

...All these ghosts make me worry about Angel. Did she pass on? Run away?

It bites being a puppet who can see the strings, huh?


I wonder exactly how old she is?

Maybe I'll try bite on the next psychic type, too.


Is that how it is? My pokemon are pretty strong-willed, so between us, we can't lose.


...*snerk*
"What are you so amused by, Mistress."
"Let's not be foolish, Mistress: Spike would have to wear a purple miniskirt."
"W-WHAT? WHAT'S THIS ABOUT ME IN A MINISKIRT!?"
"Proof against concept..."

I'm not exactly sure a girl really wants to look tough...


Oh, dear.
Oh, really dear...
"Rya, snap out of it!"

"Great!"


"I do."
After all: Giovanni's the man who rules the world, but he's still getting beaten by a 16-year old girl. Neither power nor age are enough.
"NO, IT'S DEFINATELY POWER."
FISTICUFFS, quit ruining my inner monologue!

"Mr." Mime is actually pretty cute.

ooh, there goes me thinking Bite'd be useful.

Return's much better.



"No, it more annoys me. I mean, I'm not ashamed of what's in my head,"
"No, but you are in denial."
"But I don't really care for people prodding around in there!"


"Ha-ha, you're too slow!"
"Now, now. It's no good to make fun of her complete inability to move beyond the slowest crawl, causing life to leave her behind."
"But you just did!"
"No, I made serious of it."

Why do I keep using Bite? Why?


Well, it all works out somehow.


"You're afraid of bugs?"
"it's the ones with compound eyes. They glitter with their spectral vision, seeing an entirely different world, one far beyond my comprehension... The prospect is exciting and terrifying as it is to see a stranger."
"Oh... I thought it was an elemental weakness thing."
"I also, of course, fear fear itself. I get myself into logic loops when bugs are around; first I fear the bugs, then I fear the fear, and then…"
”Yeah, we get it.”


And ghosts, apparently.

No, no, I'm just taking a stroll through these terrible teleport pads for my own pleasure.

Oh dear.

Oh, wooh. But that does make me worry about Sabrina...

I finally step onto the last teleporter, and land in a room with Sabrina in it. She's maybe about Erika's age, so she's 20 at the oldest.
Sabrina: "Welcome, Seed."
"How do you know my name?"

Sabrina: "Thank you for protecting my gym from Giovanni. He begins to overstep his bounds."
"Your gym...But not your town?"
Sabrina: "I have no fondness for Saffron as a city; I only accepted the position to start a gym."
"Why?"

Sabrina: "When my gift with pokemon developed, it felt like a natural outgrowth of that power. By founding a gym, I hoped to shelter other psychics and try and encourage that same progression."
"And once you have a whole bunch of gifted people loyal to you, then what?"
Is she planning some sort of army?
Sabrina: "What do you mean, then what?"
"What's your plan?"
"Then I will have human friends, who understand me both as a psychic, and a pokemon trainer. Who understand my dear pokemon friends. There is no 'then what,' except perhaps trying to spread it."
She just wants...friends? After all these world domination plots and mindgames and soldiers, her desire hits me off-guard. I stare for a moment.
"It is a silly plan, I suppose you think. Lacking in the amb --"
"I think it's a great plan. Maybe the best one I've heard this entire journey."
Except mine... But in comparison, mine looks selfish. I want what I want -- but I hope she gets what she wants, too.
"But nice as it is, I still have to challenge you."


For the first pokemon, Return pushes her aside quickly.
Sabrina: "It's good to see that attack used so potently. My compliments, Seed. Miss Gyrados."
"Gosh, you really think so?"

Well, if it's good to see, let's show her some more!

This is an...unexpected turn of events.
"What sort of psychic would I be... if I couldn't forsee someone bringing a dark pokemon, and including a bug in my team?"
ZOMG! An actual application of logic!

Of course, not enough to stop Azula, but it's such a precious treasure... I'll need to save this moment in a box.

Oh dear. Well, no sense holding back now!
"Rya, finish her!"

She gets in a first move, raising her special attack and defense.


But pity is, she didn't raise her physical defense, did she?

"I probably should have been a hermit, and not a gym leader... But this is the path I've chosen."



"Yeah, but 70's a pretty high ceiling."
"Well, that, and it mainly applies to traded pokemon."
Hmm...So there's an exception to the seems-to-be 'obey me' rule, huh?
"Well, good luck, Sabrina."
I turn, but suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder and turn around.


"You think it will work, your plan?"

"But can you really jump from psychic power to other sorts of power?"
"...I... know ... of evidence that may support that theory. It's a little uncertain, and purely antecedental, but... Humans who have psychic powers have an easier time of communicating with pokemon without having the gift."
"Really, Terra?"
She didn't sound very certain. She sounded uncomfortable...Or maybe a little sad? If she were in front of me, she'd be looking away, I think.
"That's very good, then. Thank you -- I'll start there."
"Well, good luck."

I leave the gym, feeling oddly peaceful inside. At least there's some real good in this league. I was starting to get concerned.

Well, another gym down.

Which means it's that time again! All pokemon will be getting a boost to level 38, but 6 pokemon, chosen by your votes, will get the extra screentime of become level 43. So vote for the 6 pokemon you'd like to see trained up most, same method as always.

[DragonOfUndeath]

I want to see more of Erika.

1.Erika
2.Pixie
3-6.No preference

[Deme]

Vixen? We have a Vixen? Is my memory that bad?

[DragonOfUndeath]

Wrong name
I was doing other stuff while typing that and got muddled.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Edna
Dusk
Chun-li
Pixie
Ala
Eve

I am too tired to give explanations

[FantasyFoxMan]

1. Helga
2. Chun-Li
3. Sandra
4. Pixie
5. Ala
6. Aquamarine

I got nothing on reasons why, other than "NEEDS MOAR HELGA". I am truly sorry. :<