Usurping Chapter 2: Bright Mind, a pokémon fanfic

Welcome to another chapter of Usurping! This chapter is a little bit longer than usual (around 9000 words without author's notes), but that will be explained in the notes after. The author's notes themselves may also be a longer because of the way the chapter is structured, but the chapter itself should reveal why that is. As always, I do not own Pokémon, and see the author's notes for details.

1: Bright Mind

I stared straight ahead, trying not to squint as sunlight streamed through a nearby window.

Unfortunately, I wasn't sure how successful I was.

I had trouble adjusting to morning sunlight on a good day, let alone a day where I woke up like this.

If I could, I would sleep until noon. But of course, the rest of the world didn't think that way, so I always had to get up early.

It didn't stop me from moving slowly in the morning though.

And now the slowness was glacial, dragged down by the invisible weight of the nightmare I just had.

Yet my thoughts were drawn away from the nightmare as I heard a voice in my head.

The voice was a deep masculine one, perhaps intimidating to some people.

But to me, it was soothing, calming, and comforting.

Like it always was.

Like it was trying to be now.

And just like the nightmare, the voice was real.

Although there were no details skipped this time.

After all, I was awake now.

And if anything could wake me up, it was telepathy.

Like what this voice was doing now, and what the owner utilized all the time to communicate with me.

Because although there was no one near me…

Although it seemed like I was alone…

The voice was as clear as if the owner was standing right next to me.

As clear as the concerned, simple, question that lingered in the air.

"Are you all right, Kristine?"

Immediately, I responded.

"As much as I can be, considering everything that's going on."

The voice rapidly responded again, and the concern permeated the answer.

"I know there's more to it than that. You can be so stoic when something stressful happens. There's always so many emotions hiding underneath…"

The owner of the voice paused, as if unsure what to say. I left the silence hanging in the air, pricking at me as I knew the owner of the voice was completely right.

But before I could ponder that further, the voice spoke again.

"You can tell me, you know. We are alone, and I doubt the nurses will just walk in on you. Especially since they know who you are."

I nodded weakly, knowing the owner of the voice could still see the motion.

Thank goodness we were alone.

I probably would look like I was crazy otherwise.

Or just someone too lazy to get up in the morning.

Because even if another person could hear the conversation, it would mostly be hisses and screeches interjected by the occasional human voice.

Very few people could completely understand Pokémon, but I was one of the lucky ones.

Or one of the unlucky ones; sometimes I wasn't sure.

Especially considering I had no choice in the matter. Instead, I was born that way, and never knew why until much later.

And knowing why changed my life forever, for the better or for worse.

Perhaps it was both, at the same time.

But at least my abilities allowed me to have some comfort now, when I needed it most.

And leave it to Gabriel to provide that comfort!

He was always watching over me, concerned if I seemed to be stressed or in a dangerous situation.

But then again, he was the first Pokémon I had. Even if I didn't truly own him until later. I'd met him when I was very young, and we were fast friends ever since.

Now nothing could shatter the bond we had.

Even if it was me on my worst day.

It was impressive, considering his species wasn't exactly known for friendship.

After all, who would want to become friends with the god of death?

Even though I knew that god by another name.

Giratina.

A single word that meant so much more.

A protector.

A confidant.

A moral supporter.

A loyal Pokémon.

I had hoped other people would see things that way, but that usually wasn't the case.

It didn't stop Gabriel from being all those things now, though.

And it didn't stop me from responding in a subdued tone.

"It's from the last mission… How it ended…"

At that moment, I could detect the sympathy in Gabriel's reply, although I also thought it was laced with pity.

"It's that nightmare again, isn't it?

Another nod.

This time, Gabriel spoke carefully, as though he was slowly choosing his words.

"I tried calling out to you earlier to wake you up, but you were completely entangled in that dream…"

He paused again, and sympathy overflowed in his voice.

"I'm so sorry, and you did your best handling the situation there. Even if your best wasn't enough to win."

It took all my effort to prevent my response from coming out as a snarl.

"How can it be my best is the only thing that happened was failure? And what happened there is something I'll never forgive myself for?"

There was no way Gabriel hadn't heard the frustration and barely contained ire in my question. Yet his own reply remained calm and unruffled.

"Even with all your powers, you can't predict everything that happened, and it's impossible for you to. It's impossible for anyone to. Don't blame yourself for things beyond your control or knowledge."

Before I could respond, he continued speaking.

"Besides, never is a long time. You still don't know what could occur in the future. With time, your wounds could heal."

As Gabriel finished, I blinked and focused my gaze at the ceiling.

I knew everything he said was right, but still…

There was that nightmare lurking, never giving me peace.

And we both knew what it really was and why it was there.

Because in top of the failure, there was the person I'd seen near the end…

Maria.

Even though the situation described in the dream was the first time I met her, I knew her like I knew my own name.

For she was me, had I chosen a different path.

The path of betrayal and insanity.

Maria had chosen to rebel against the world, wrapped in her own quest for revenge.

And that had driven her mad.

But she was able to disguise herself, to manipulate.

Warp her own desire for power, control, and corruption into a means of protecting and guiding others.

But the few who knew that couldn't get anyone to listen, and no one else knew until it was too late.

And even then, they couldn't stand a chance against her power.

Maria's power.

For Maria had some of my abilities even before she became who she did.

Even though that was a fraction of what I had.

Since the power had been part of a test, with more being earned if the receiver did well.

It was a test that Maria had failed miserably, yet I passed with flying colors.

But even then, what I gained had not been enough.

And Maria didn't need to worry that she had failed.

For she had gained power anyway, tossing the test results entirely.

Power that she gained on her own terms.

Power that could match mine easily.

Power that was derived from the suffering of others, instead of a genuine desire to use it for good…

Suffering, like poor Yveltal…

The god's low cries still filled my ears as I recalled what happened to it.

Yveltal's task was to take the dead to the afterlife, and Maria had died prior to her fusion while misusing and losing control of her own power. But Maria couldn't accept her death, and she still had her power…

So when Yveltal tried to do it job, Maria struck like a venomous snake.

Maria used her power to enslave, brainwash, and corrupt Yveltal. From that moment on, it was forced to do her bidding.

And if it was one thing Yveltal was excellent at, it was destroying everything it could.

Including any hope that the other gods could rescue it, or they would be brainwashed, too.

And also destroying the fact that Maria had even died.

For all evidence of the body had disappeared, Maria acted and looked as though she was alive, and any second death would have Yveltal almost instantly revive her.

And so, Maria had continued like that, fooling almost everyone she met.

That is, until I utilized my own abilities to expose her.

Not like it did anything.

Because Maria still had her power, and wasted no time demonstrating it.

No, it was never Maria's power.

It was always Tulip's power.

Tulip, the poor female Nihilego Maria was fused with…

And a target of her abuse.

The fusion was an experiment at a place called Aether, after Tulip and gotten trapped there and could never return home.

The fusion and the experiment worked perfectly.

But there was another aspect to it.

Tulip was supposed be a possible treatment for a medical problem Maria had before she became who she was.

There was a chance Tulip could've even passed on strength and special abilities neither would've had otherwise.

But both those things failed miserably, and the two were still fused together…

Separation was risky at best, so the process may as well have been irreversible…

Maria was left with a lot of bitter anger, and she took it out on the innocent Pokémon…

Just like she did with her revenge and anyone who tried to stop her…

And one of Maria's deplorable actions was to use Tulip to poison Yveltal.

For Nihilego's venom warped the opponent's brain to follow the whims of the host and exhibit behaviors they normally wouldn't.

So under those circumstances, it became her perfect thrall.

And Tulip the unwitting victim and instigator.

Yet after Yveltal, there was its counterpart, Xerneas.

God of life, one that could and did resurrect others.

Thrust into a situation where it normally would have obtained a stranger's trust…

But it could instinctively sense who Maria was and what she had done to Yveltal…

And so it had refused.

But it just got dragged into thralldom like all the others.

And like the others, there was no escape as its power was twisted beyond all recognition.

Of course, Maria hadn't tantalized Xerneas like she had the others.

Probably because the abuse wasn't as well known.

But there had been another reason.

And that was because Maria still needed Xerneas's abilities.

After all, they ensured that she was fully among the living.

That she could continue abusing the dead to make more shadow servants.

That she couldn't be killed by any means and that doing so would just have her resurrect again.

Or at least, any means anyone knew about.

I had been told I could destroy her somehow, but that I was the only one due to us being the same being on different paths.

And even then, I had no idea how.

I had thrown everything I had against her over time, and it had all failed.

So was clear my usual tactics wouldn't work, but it was all I had.

All I could do was hold her off whenever she appeared.

And it was all thanks to the forced power of twisted and manipulated abused gods.

Yet there was the one god that wasn't abused or forced.

This god went by many names.

Blinding One.

UB: Black.

Golden Dragon.

God of light.

The light that burns the skies.

Overpowered.

But I only thought of it by its true name.

Necrozma.

A Pokémon that inspired fear and awe in many, especially it took its strongest form…

And while Maria didn't have either of the former, she most certainly had the latter…

All because of taking advantage of who and what Necrozma was…

Normally, a pitch black beast and a weakened recluse that seemed to bring only darkness…

But Necrozma instinctively and desperately desired to regain its full power and take the form of the golden dragon made of light…

Maria promised she could grant that wish with her own abilities by using herself as the power source… As long as Necrozma helped her fight against her numerous enemies, she would find a way to let the creature take the form permanently…

And eventually, she had.

Using those same powers that I had sworn to use for the good of all…

After all, Xerneas and her new form had plenty of power to give Necrozma.

Yet another example of Maria warping and twisting everything beyond comprehension.

But that wasn't the only thing she had contorted.

For although she didn't use her powers to corrupt Necrozma's mind…

She had done something even worse.

Maria effortlessly vilified and demonized her foes, making her and her allies out to be the heroes, the victims…

And since Necrozma didn't know any better and there was no one around to stop Maria, it believed her instantly and threw its weight behind her cause…

Yet Necrozma wasn't the only one that Maria brainwashed with words alone.

There were those that were allied with Necrozma and wanted to help it reach its full power.

Once these others realized that Maria could do the latter almost completely on her own, they followed her as well.

The two groups had been against each other before that, but Maria had managed to convince the people that she had just been misunderstood…

That those who stood against her were the true villains, with me at the helm.

And hearing that alongside her helping Necrozma, the allies of the golden dragon needed no further convincing.

Perhaps those people would doubt her when and if they eventually learned the truth, but at the same time I hoped they didn't.

Knowing Maria, it would most likely end very badly.

Ending very badly.

Just like what happened to Holly.

Holly, the girl that nearly worshiped Maria…

The one that would do anything for her.

Only learning who Maria really was when it was far too late, and paying the ultimate price…

In reality, Holly had been suffering the longest even if she didn't realize it.

For Holly had started off angry that no one would acknowledge her abilities, including her strength and a desire to see criminals and bullies brought to justice…

On top of that, she had been adopted when she was young, and wanted to find her real parents after not getting along with her adopted one.

But people refused to acknowledge that either, only treating Holly like the child she was.

This led to resentment, causing Holly to run away and completely abandon her adopted family…

Of course, just because Holly wanted to be acknowledged didn't mean she had the strength to pull that off…

Or that the acknowledgment would necessarily be good…

Holly had made many serious mistakes, causing her to be in an even worse situation, and dragging Maria into it all…

But then Maria realized she could swoop in and sink her claws into Holly…

That she could take advantage of Holly's resentment, and want of power and attention…

So Maria had begun to manipulate Holly to turn against everyone, with the latter getting everything she wanted…

And many others not knowing anything either…

And even when there was a few who did know, Holly was too far gone to do anything to save her...

Turned into a cruel, heartless, slaughterer, being both Maria's pawn and her personal weapon…

To the point where Holly helped Maria achieve victory after victory against anyone who dared stand against her…

Before long, it was too late to halt either of them…

And Maria was the one who got everything she wanted in the end…

As Holly learned the truth in her final, painfully helpless, moments…

That Maria only cared for her because she saw her as her most convenient tool…

And the girl's death would be Maria's biggest gain, as Holly was more valuable to Maria after death than she ever was while alive…

Death…

There had been far too much of that…

Many brave people had fallen as Maria tore up the Kanto region…

But then she simply added to the tally…

Scarlet, the young Kanto champion, had been one of the first victims…

Lusamine, the founder of Aether, who felt guilty that she was indirectly behind Maria's death…

Her husband Mohn, long dead before, but the proof was right in front a horrified Lusamine shortly before she lost her own life…

The young Gym Leader Janine, cursing her own weakness in combat as she succumbed to it…

Kligharrah, the Dragon Pokémon I rescued and who later passed away fighting his tormentor…

Zossie, a young redhaired girl that fought against Holly, trying to take her life, but only succeeded in destroying her starter Pokémon as Holly personally ended her life…

But none of those as compared to the two most sorrowful ones of them all…

For there were two people, Anabel and Erika, who fought against Holly from the very start…

Erika was Holly's adopted mother, and Anabel her long-lost biological one.

They had personal stakes in what was going on almost immediately…

So of course they both went after Holly together…

But Holly also had a personal vendetta against them, seeing authority figures as the reason for her problems…

And so Holly made sure they both died by her hand…

Erika, being burned to death by Holly's fire…

And Anabel being injured so severely that she was in a pool of her own blood and barely resembled a person…

And also in the pool of her own regrets, as she felt she was the one that started everything and could have stopped it…

Regrets that I wondered if she harbored even in the afterlife…

But regardless, no one could focus on that.

For Maria and Holly eventually escaped again, heading towards the region of Kalos.

And their battered opponents still felt they had the resources to try again.

So the one in charge of the search was a powerful and compassionate Trainer named Nia.

But even then, it wasn't enough.

And more deaths resulted…

Malva, the hotheaded Fire Type user that was outspoken against Holly and Maria.

AZ, the ancient king of Kalos that once utilized desperate measures to save it, but had been cursed with immortality, and looking almost relieved when he finally died…

Molly Hale, a powerful psychic quick to anger that gotten in Maria's way far too many times…

Sina and Dexio, two Trainers had successfully protected the Champion Diantha from Maria, but lost their lives doing so…

Nova, the Cosmog two of my Pokémon had birthed… The one that Anabel had raised into a Lunala and the one that Nia had used to chase after Maria… Nova, like so many others, dying fighting…

Joan, the Missingno imprisoned in Fuchsia, who had briefly joined me, dying heroically protecting her new Trainer…

And then finally, Nia herself had been destroyed, finding out that Holly was dead, witnessing Maria's ascension, and being brutally overwhelmed by Holly's new undead powers…

And those were just the ones I could remember the most.

There had been many more deaths, far too many to count…

But almost all of them had one thing in common…

Maria was the one responsible.

The worst thing though, was that Maria wasn't my only problem.

Looking at it one way, Maria was the least of my problems.

All I had to do was take her life, even if I didn't entirely know how.

But my other problems were nowhere near as simple.

They probably would never be.

Such as the problems that led me to where I was now.

Problems involving the Pokémon Rangers.

They were brave souls who befriended Pokémon and defended those who could not defend themselves, all using the powers of nature.

And I was among their number.

Normally that would be considered an honor, but it was because of the Rangers that I was lying here in a bed, soaked my own sweat.

Or at least, it was partially because of them.

My last mission, the one where I had watched the other world die…

I had tried to hide the amount of damage it had done to me, but the Rangers had noticed almost immediately…

So I was decided, despite me claiming that I was fine, that I was to take a vacation. Today was my final day, but it never really felt like much of a vacation.

Because before that, Elita, leader of the Pokémon Rangers, had taken me aside to talk…

The person who ran the Ranger bases of operations, Chairwoman Erma, would typically deliver high importance messages to top-level Rangers, she had explained…

But Erma, some of the other people who ran the bases, and the high-level Rangers had all come together in a discussion, and they thought Elita would be the best one to make the delivery…

After all, she was always stoic and calm, and to the point, no matter what happened…

But the message she delivered…

It was a delivery that I would always carry with me, even though it always weighed me down…

Because Elita had admitted that the vacation was for more than just my mental health…

With everything that happened, the Rangers weren't sure what to do with me.

Including whether it was worth keeping me around.

I had always been more of a Trainer than a Ranger, Elita had reasoned, favoring combat over a Ranger's support role. The same could be said for any other thing I had tried that wasn't battle, such as being on the Pokémon Contests' stage… Elita had gone over what she understood about my history, asking if she'd gotten it correct. We didn't see each other often, so it made sense for her to check and confirm things.

I remembered that she was dead on, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

Far from it.

Because it was known among the Rangers that the main reason I joined them was because I needed something to do when I was recruited into the League. The famed Flying Ranger Wendy had seen me befriend and command Pokémon before, thinking I had potential to be an excellent Ranger. Not knowing much about me personally but knowing about my abilities, the others agreed.

For the most part, Wendy was right, and the others didn't regret their choice.

Except I'd been in the early parts of my Trainer's journey, and I desired to continue it. There were also other parts of the Pokémon training world I had wanted to try. As such, I requested to not be confined to one place and instead be allowed to travel around while also acting as a Trainer and whatever else I had in mind... The Rangers had many that traveled constantly, and there was no overarching reason to stop my journey. So the Rangers had granted my request, provided I could still get properly trained and perform missions while traveling. So I was able to get trained from far away, and it wasn't long before I had completed successful missions. Some whispered that I was on my way to becoming one of, if not the, most skilled Rangers of all time.

Everything seemed to be working beautifully.

Except now Elita was telling me it wasn't.

And it was secretly something I understood, although I did my best to downplay it.

But with someone that had traveled around so much had acquired so much fame in so many different areas, it wasn't long for the Rangers to find out the truth.

And that had been hiding it from them.

Lying on the bed now, I tried my best not to cringe.

I couldn't stop visualizing Elita's face as she remained stoic yet tranquil, almost gentle.

But the moment she revealed that they all knew I was struggling, she fought to keep her countenance from going stone cold.

I couldn't tell what emotion Elita was fighting from within.

Was it anger?

Sadness?

Frustration?

Pity?

And was it all for me, or because of the other Rangers?

I remembered I couldn't tell, and I didn't bother asking.

For instantly, Elita regained her composure, and stated the words I had always dreaded hearing.

That my Trainer's journey and my desire to explore other parts related to Pokémon training were getting in the way of my Ranger duties.

When I was able to fully devote myself to my work, the results were impeccable. But instances of that happening were getting fewer and fewer, to the point where the others feared those instances would disappear completely…

And that was something the Rangers couldn't afford, even as the deterioration was happening right in front of them.

On top of being a traveling Trainer of many disciplines, there was also the fact that I'd chosen to go to the front line when it came to the regional crisis…

And that wasn't even counting the times I received divine edicts mandating me to go there.

So with all that going on, it was becoming increasingly clear that balancing my Ranger duties and everything else I was doing was almost impossible.

And that was to everyone's detriment in a time where people like the Rangers needed all hands on deck.

But that wasn't the only issue the Rangers had with me.

For my schedule wasn't my only problem.

There was also the issue of my powers.

Divine powers.

Something many considered a blessing, but was now a curse.

Perhaps it had always been both.

Regardless, the divine powers had countless effects.

One of which allowed me to befriend Pokémon extremely easily.

Something which the Rangers thrived and operated on, so of course they taken me once they realized that.

But they didn't realize it was all from the special power, and not because I was keeping secrets.

It was because I didn't know either.

And I also didn't know that particular aspect of my powers was always active and completely involuntary.

There wasn't any way to control that either, and there most likely never would be.

I had figured all this out much later, and so had the Rangers at the time of the conversation.

But by then…

I was already knee-deep in Ranger duties, and my powers had possibly influenced everything there for years.

To the point where it was also too late to figure out just how much they influenced things.

And too late to figure out how good of a Ranger I actually was, and how much of my work was truly mine.

As Elita had explained and pointed out.

I remember I had been furious, voice rising to a shrill yell as I unleashed the infamous anger that so few saw.

The first things that flew out my mouth were whether the Rangers wanted me to quit.

Whether they were firing me.

All because of something I had no control over, and until recently, no knowledge of.

And yet, Elita just stood across from me, still unruffled.

But sympathy still shown in the back of her gaze.

Perhaps even worry.

It made sense considering many of the Rangers had grown close to me. And even those who weren't acknowledged that losing me would be a great blow to them, thanks to my skill.

At the same time, I understood why Elita had been chosen to deliver the message.

With something as grave as this, I could fly into a horrific rage with anyone being my victim.

And Elita was the most equipped to handle that.

As she spoke again, a bit of sympathy seemed pierced her stoicism.

She had mentioned that the Rangers understood I had those divine duties, and the issue with my powers. There weren't going to fire me, couldn't fire me based on that.

They would look bad, to say the least. Not to mention all the chaos that would result from firing someone for something out of their control…

But at the same time, Elita had stated that rumors had begun to fly around…

People had begun to question how legitimate I was as a Pokémon Ranger…

Including some of the high-ranking Rangers that were allied with me.

I remembered stating that I could deal with any rumors, and that having them swirl around me wasn't anything new.

Elita's eyes grew hard, and she wondered if I could deal with it when my heart wasn't really with the Rangers.

At the time I'd been astonished, but Elita explained that with the recent turn of events, more and more people were noticing, and it had been easy to figure out.

Even with my talent and because of my history, it seemed as though I'd joined out of convenience more than anything, regardless of whether that was really the case…

Or perhaps because I had no place else to go.

I only responded with complete silence, because I knew I knew she wasn't wrong.

Elita took that as a cue to continue, stern countenance never leaving.

She was not telling me to quit, and there would be a place for me in the Rangers if I decided to return after my time off…

But I needed to start considering whether being a Pokémon Ranger was right for me, and what I really wanted out of my life…

Elita left me alone after that, and I rapidly left to start my vacation.

But now nearing the end, I felt like nothing had changed.

I still had no idea where I was going to go after this, and I still did not have my answer to the Rangers' question.

It didn't stop people from trying to answer that for me, though.

There was the Unova Pokémon Professor Fennel, who I'd worked with, helped out, and was close to from the beginning.

After all, her work involved communicating with Trainers and making Pokémon stronger, so it was right up my alley…

It involved doing so within a world of dreams, something mysterious and mostly unknown to many Trainers.

Because Trainers typically couldn't enter the Dream World directly, but I could do so effortlessly.

Fennel immediately found my talents to be useful, and said I was invaluable to her research.

So as soon as she heard about what happened to me with the Rangers, she was quick to suggest that I could be her assistant.

And as soon as Fennel suggested that, the other Pokémon professors were quick to offer positions as well.

After all, who wouldn't want the legendary Mold Breaker Kristine working for them?

Who wouldn't want my Pokémon abilities and knowledge for themselves?

But I didn't give Fennel my answer.

Couldn't give Fennel my answer.

And it wasn't just because it would mean leaving the Pokémon Rangers.

Pokémon Professors' assistants were infamous for being deadbeats and failed Trainers.

That was the last thing I want to be associated with, especially since my reputation had already taken hits from everything else that happened to me.

But then there had been other offer, and it had come from someone I had least expected.

The current chairman of the Galar Pokémon League, Leon.

Leon had seen my battling skills, and acknowledged that's what I was good at, but it wasn't what he wanted me for.

Instead, he wanted me as his assistant and to help him run the Pokémon League. Currently, he had no official assistant, so having one would be a giant help.

But I wouldn't be caught dead running the League and being neckdeep in its politics.

Especially in Galar.

Where journeying Trainers getting into trouble, injured, or even killed was treated like some giant game.

Where was even encouraged for Trainers go haphazardly on journeys, instead of just accepted.

And even more people just ignored everything that happened than in other regions, even when the signs were clearer than anywhere else…

No, it wasn't like a giant game; it was a giant game.

The traveling Trainers were both the contestants and the unwitting victims.

Leon had pledged to change all of that while keeping his region's culture, ever since he defeated and forcefully took the position from the previous chairman, a man named Rose.

Being an honest Trainer and a close friend of the Galar Champion Sonia, I knew he would keep his word.

And with Leon tirelessly and directly working for the safety of all Trainers, he figured someone as powerful as me and with first-hand experience would be perfect for a business partner.

But that didn't change the fact that I still hated the culture in Galar.

That I hated League politics even more despite being skilled with and informed about them.

That I was tired of them.

That I just wanted to get out of something that I hadn't even wanted to be a part of in the first place, and only fell into it by being dealt a bad hand…

I told Leon all of this rather vehemently, perhaps even more so than I had been with Elita and Fennel.

And yet he reacted calmly as he kept his offer open, telling me to still keep it in mind…

I wasted no time also telling him that I had no knowledge or experience with running a business and that someone would have to spend time teaching me how.

Leon pointed out that he originally didn't either, but after his own journey he gained the knowledge via a degree and classes, and becoming the chairman gave him the experience.

He had heard I was a brilliant student, so gaining the knowledge would be possible, if not effortless. As long as I was a good worker, members of the League would be willing to foot the bill so that I could obtain the knowledge… After that, he figured working under him would do the rest, and if not, it would only help…

But if there was anything else I wouldn't be caught dead doing, it was running a business.

Running any business.

No, doing anything involved in business.

Not after what I'd seen…

Not after…

No, I couldn't think about that now.

What happened then was far away from here.

Besides, the more important thing was that I already had skills and training in something else.

It had drained time and energy, and it was something I was still recovering from.

How would I find time and energy to pick up another skill?

But even so…

I still hadn't given Leon my final answer.

Felt like I couldn't give him my final answer.

But sooner or later, there was a chance I might have to.

And this…

My current situation…

Almost everything that it happened to me in the past…

It was all because of my power.

My power…

Granted to me by Lady Arceus long before I'd ever figured that out…

Proof of my connection with Her and that I was Her Archangel…

Proof that I was the only Archangel and the only Angel that was alive at all…

For the rest were all heavenly warriors guarding the celestial gates alongside Her, having gained the honor when they passed from living world…

An honor that she'd given to me in the form of a test, even though I still walked the earth…

After all, even though I had the powers, who knew what I would do with them?

But I proved to the Lady Arceus that she would never regret her choice, that I was worthy…

Lady Arceus had been surprised when I'd chosen to become her Archangel, for she'd given me the choice to live a normal life with my abilities…

But really, who wouldn't accept the honor?

After all, the Lady Arceus was the most powerful Pokémon in existence, perhaps even the most powerful being ever.

She could become all 18 Pokémon Types, learn and use any attack she wished, and towered over any other Pokémon in terms of raw power…

Many people knew that She guarded the heavens, where only those had been virtuous in life would be accepted into Her domain…

And only those who had also been potent Pokémon users in life would stand alongside Her in the realm of the dead as Her warriors…

But what most people didn't know was that the form the majority associated with Her, something that resembled a white horse with a wheel on its back, was merely a fraction of her prowess…

She had chosen to give this power of this form to those worthy in the mortal world…

Her true form was omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, immortal, and incorporeal…

Even I as an Archangel couldn't grasp the true form, because all anyone ever saw was blinding silver light…

But blinding silver light couldn't do much in the mortal world, so Arceus sent other, weaker, forms…

Like Her human form, the Sinnoh Champion Cynthia…

But it wasn't like a lot of people knew that, and even if more people found out, it didn't matter much anyway.

Because aside from being extremely proficient in battle, Cynthia did not display anything overly noticeable in that form, or even supernatural powers.

Unlike me.

On top of the fact that I could be noticed easily, it was impossible for people to not realize that I had supernatural powers.

And it was even more noticeable when people realized where they came from.

For these powers included the ability to understand and be understood by any Pokémon. Many times, they listened.

The ability to command Pokémon easily, immediately bonding with their very souls to do something similar to mental orders and psychic power…

The ability to automatically know the moves of the Pokémon I was commanding without ever looking at something like a Pokédex…

The ability to have visions involving the past, the present, and the future, regardless of how unsettling those visions were…

The ability to attract legendary Pokémon instinctively, and especially to become very close to Arceus's second-in-command Giratina…

The ability to get into areas that were normally sealed off in many cases or completely inaccessible to the living…

The ability to prevent others from having their way with me with supernatural powers, such as digging through my mind, supernatural monitors, or demonic possession, perhaps extending even to things like protection from extreme anxiety…

The ability to be drawn to areas and beings with supernatural powers, to combine their powers with mine, and fuse to create something entirely new and stronger, even if the fusion material was certain Pokémon…

The ability to carry items and Pokémon with me as dematerialized souls within my body…

And finally, the ability to bond quickly with any Pokémon and instantly use all techniques associated with that, even if said Pokémon wasn't mine…

These were powers many people coveted, surely.

Powers that many more were jealous of.

But even with all those powers that were many times a blessing…

There were side effects, and they could even backfire.

And the aforementioned side effects went far beyond having unpleasant visions, resulting nightmares, and a bloody nose.

Such as the fact that aspects of my powers were uncontrollable, and due to their nature, there was nothing available to control them, or even help me when they went off.

Due to the fact that I didn't seem to hurt myself or others with them, most supernatural power users didn't even pay attention to me. And even when they finally found out the truth, they still didn't know what to do with me.

Then there was the fact that fusion and anything else my abilities gave me was all I could do. It was all I was ever going to be able to do.

Because the full power of Arceus's blessings could not manifest in the living world, and there was nothing anyone could do to change that.

Of course, I only learned all of this after being told when it came to my supernatural powers, I was lazy, lying, afraid, weak, suspicious, defective, struggling with mental health issues that damaged my supernatural abilities...

That I could have any supernatural ability I wanted but that I refuse to apply myself…

When it was revealed none of that was true, I receive sincere and massive apologies.

But I wasn't sure if I could accept them, or if I ever would.

There was one way to make all the issues disappear, a separate form I could take.

But that form used a massive amount of my power, and overusing any of my abilities made me ill, and sometimes even unconscious.

And that was if my life wasn't forfeit, or at risk of being so.

Regardless of that, my powers did not discriminate.

Even if I wanted to have things like my mind searched, or the aid of something like a psychic monitor, I couldn't.

It wouldn't have any effect on me, at best. At worst, it would be severely uncomfortable and even painful on top of having no effect.

Which is why there was no easy way to get people to believe me about my powers, and that still was the case.

But that wasn't even the worst side effect.

Because one of them ended up not being able to perform one of the fundamental duties of a Trainer.

Bonding with one's Pokémon.

Or rather, individual ones.

For although I could bond with any Pokémon, it wasn't really the Pokémon I was bonding to.

I was utilizing the concept of Pokémon itself, and what a bond with a Pokémon truly meant.

I loved and cared about my Pokémon, and they did the same for me.

And in the place where we trained, while we trained, my Pokémon and I formed a deadly, almost unstoppable, combination.

There was no denying the bonds of friendship there.

But, the bonding outside of battle or anything related to it…

The idea of playing with them, actually taking care of them…

Understanding them as individuals, with their own personalities, history, lives, likes, and dislikes…

Forming anything other than a shallow, surface-level, bond…

None of that was there.

Despite having a friendship that was unbreakable, that supposedly everyone could see…

In reality, there was almost nothing.

Because the bonds I had with the Pokémon were basic, and little else.

Thanks to the other aspects of my power, I didn't have to feed them, give them rest, or take them out of their storage unless I needed to fight.

They would just exist as dematerialized creatures within me, being nourished by the infinite life energy my divine abilities granted me…

My Pokémon were like tools, weapons only meant for combat.

But because there wasn't anything malicious, or even voluntary…

Because my power masqueraded that there anything amiss…

Because it made it look like it could bond with any Pokémon effortlessly, with a mutual friendship, respect, and trust…

And that all this was confirmed by my ability to excel at seemingly anything involving Pokémon, and reach a level of proficiency almost no Trainer had been at before…

No one noticed anything was wrong.

Including me.

At least until was too late to fix.

And even then, it got brushed off.

After all, Trainers didn't need to become friends with their Pokémon to do well, even at the highest level…

And someone not becoming friends with their Pokémon didn't mean they were a horrible Trainer, as long as they treated them humanely…

Even though bonding with Pokémon did help in battle, it was no guarantee of anything…

And several high-level Trainers had so many Pokémon, they had trouble making friends with them…

As one of the people who trained me, Blue Oak, could attest, although it was a problem he had been working on for years…

Besides, these Trainers' knowledge and experience in battle could more than counteract that, as Blue could also attest to…

When it came to having trouble bonding with my Pokémon, there were exceptions.

Gabriel was one, with me having known him almost as long as I had been alive.

But those exceptions were few and far between.

And with the life I led, it seemed like they were getting fewer…

Until there was almost no one left.

But none of that bothered anyone that ran the Pokémon League or any major Pokémon events.

After all, not bonding with my Pokémon properly didn't affect the outcome of anything Pokémon related I did.

And I was a highly regarded Trainer with no major problems, and with enough power, skill, and charisma to back it up…

So most people left me alone, and those who wanted to help me couldn't or didn't know what to do.

But there was one thing I knew to be true no matter how others felt.

And it was by far the worst aspect of my power.

Thanks to my supernatural abilities affecting many aspects of my Pokémon-related pursuits, and some of them significantly…

No one knew how strong I actually was.

Or rather, how much of my success was my power and how much of it was my natural talent.

The general public still didn't even know what was going on, and among the few who did, many still took my side.

Even though my powers influenced aspects of battles, it didn't influence aspects that determined whether I could win.

It wasn't like Trainers with supernatural powers hadn't been seen before, and many of them got into far worse situations.

And it wasn't worth making my life miserable over something that was previously unknown, involuntary, something that couldn't be removed, and was present from when I was born…

And then there was the argument that I had so many disadvantages when training that I may as well have some divine help to even the odds…

With all these arguments, those in charge of the Pokémon League agreed, and I was once again left alone.

But that didn't stop that people from being suspicious of or questioning me, like the ones Elita had mentioned…

And also didn't stop the fact that no one had seen a case like mine before, and thus I couldn't go for any help or have anyone to turn to…

And no matter what, it didn't halt my own feelings about the whole thing.

My feelings that I was a false Trainer.

Someone whose accomplishments were not earned…

Someone who in reality had no power, prestige or talent…

Someone whose titles and awards amounted to nothing…

Grand Champion…

Pokémon Master…

Words that meant so much yet also so little…

One, the head of all regions, more powerful than any other League Trainer, and someone that had their absolute trust…

The other, the highest honor any Trainer could receive…

But the titles meant almost nothing good to me.

These titles only symbolized something I'd never wanted to get into.

Only symbolized that I was a failure.

Because despite the fact that I'd obtained so much power and prestige to get them…

The titles didn't solve any of my problems…

They didn't change the fact that I failed accomplishing what I set out to do on my journey, a journey I took long before the failed mission that got me here…

They didn't change the fact that the coveted titles were not even something I'd come close to caring about, and that I got them almost unwittingly.

They didn't do anything to help with the problems from my previous failed journey, even as my problems piling up with more failures.

Because the largest, most complicated problem of all did not involve my past or my present.

No, it was my future.

And my future was the reason I'd taken my previous journey.

For I had Pokémon proficiency from a very young age, enough that some called me a prodigy…

It wasn't long before my entire family noticed, as did some authorities from the Pokémon League.

From there came the moniker Mold Breaker, a name I carried proudly into battle.

But earning a name was not the only thing my Pokémon related talents did for me.

Because it seemed they would determine the path my life would take.

My family and the Pokémon League encouraged me to start on the Pokémon journey with the intent of pursuing something Pokémon related as my career, or at least using that talent professionally somehow in another one…

It got to the point where some people in charge of the League thought I should become a Trainer years earlier than most, and were willing to pull strings to make that happen…

But because of my disadvantages, a Pokémon journey even at the regular age of 10 would be nearly impossible, and almost guaranteed to be fatal.

But my disadvantages could be worked around, and I had spent many years figuring that out.

So my journey finally began at age 18, almost a decade after most Trainers', despite me training all the while.

And all my training showed, since I could tear through opponents like it was nothing.

I even gave the strongest professional Trainers a run for their money, to the point where people whispered I had become a Pokémon Champion somewhere before my journey even started.

But then I learned something the hard way.

Just because I was successful at Pokémon…

Just because I liked training and pursuing goals with them as a hobby…

It did not equate to any professional interest.

And I couldn't force it to.

But kept going anyway.

Because Pokémon journeying was all I knew how to do.

And with my previous skills, it was all I felt safe doing.

So I destroyed every opponent, cleared every goal, surmounted every challenge thrust before me…

It was thought that I had done everything someone on a Pokémon journey could.

Desperately searching for something, anything that I desired to turn into a career.

But despite all my travels and skill, there was nothing.

Because there never had been anything in the first place.

No matter how hard I try to convince myself otherwise.

But depending on who one asked, I had been one of the lucky ones.

Despite everything, I had pursued a career outside of Pokémon training, successfully earning a degree and skills there.

By all means I should've been able to use that when my Pokémon training was less than successful, alongside another talent most of the Pokémon training world did not know of.

But having a degree and training did not necessarily equal a career.

And wasn't for lack of trying, or for making a wrong choice.

Even now, I could picture the diploma in my head.

Bachelor's in English and Spanish Education, with an emphasis in writing.

A career that was respected and needed, even if not everyone realized that.

A career most of my family was proud of.

It ensured that if my next step wasn't something involving Pokémon, it would be sitting by a teacher's desk.

It was something that I wanted since I was very young, something that I was hopeful I would work out.

But none of that happened.

For I found near the end that I disliked that field as well, not doing well in regular classrooms, disagreeing what was going on there, and hating the way teaching itself was going.

Even though I had done very well in all my college courses, I did so poorly in my final few field practices that I couldn't get my final certification.

And every single attempt made to do well and get my certification through other means just caused me to disdain the classrooms more.

My lack of certification and no desire or skills to get one all but destroyed my chances of teaching entirely.

Even outside of the classroom, where many were clamoring for certified instructors.

Not like I wanted to go back to that field.

And so despite my graduating with honors, my education career had failed almost instantly.

Since I had no idea that I wouldn't do well in teaching and no professional aspirations outside of it, I also had no idea what I would do instead.

And I discovered this shortly before I found out the truth about my powers, and then my entire Pokémon journey was unsuccessful.

I had fallen into right into the crisis involving the regions as soon as my Pokémon journey started, and made it my second goal to stop that…

But that had been disastrous too, with the regions still in chaos…

All of that culminated in the ill-fated mission fighting against Maria, which was why I was wandering here.

And eveything occurred earlier this year, one right after the other, like being continuously punched in the face.

And now there was nothing I could do.

Of course I could try to move on, but I still worried.

For now I was 25, almost two decades older than many starting Pokémon Trainers.

Now I was feeling my age.

Because I was feeling the clock was ticking.

That I was running out of time.

Even though I was so much older than most Trainers, I still didn't have much of an idea what I want to do with my life.

My career.

My future.

There were many that said I was still young and healthy and that I had plenty of time to make a decision.

My family, who supported me as well, often said the same.

However, I wasn't sure whether to believe them.

The only thing I could think of was something I was sometimes told.

How could such a bright mind end up in a situation like this?

Author's notes:

-So, as stated, this chapter is a little longer than usual. It's for several reasons, but it was going to be even longer at first. This is because Kristine's background and personal issues weren't going to be focused on as much at first, and then something else would happen that would advance the plot. However, as I started looking at my notes and writing Kristine's background into the chapter, I started going into more detail than I thought I would. This was a consequence of Kristine being the main character, and thus her background needing a lot more detail than in previous stories where she was not the main character or otherwise elaborated on much (Homecoming, Ghostly Goals, and She Spoke being three examples of this, despite her being the main character in all of them). There was also the fact that a scenario taking up a sentence or two in notes often took up several paragraphs in the actual chapter once dialogue, Kristine's internalizing, and other important aspects were added in.

Originally, I was just going to write everything in the chapter had originally planned anyway. However, I realized that I would probably end up rushing and the chapter would be difficult to read because it would be so long. There was also the fact that when I was writing out some more of my notes for that part of the chapter, I ended up adding even more aspects before the plot advanced. These aspects were to reveal more information about Kristine and flesh out her character, and have decided putting these things and was a good move. However, it also made the chapter and the notes much longer and chapter that already had a lot of information. So, I decide to split the chapter up.

-The title was chosen for a few reasons. The original reason was as a reference to the character Homura Akemi from the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Bright Mind is one translation of the character's name, and said character has at least a few similarities to Kristine (completely coincidentally). However, I realized that this chapter wasn't going to really going to show the similarities. Therefore, I debated changing the chapter name. Luckily, I realized that having a bright mind can also refer to being intelligent, and Kristine's intellectual abilities were important to her character and had affected her life. So I kept the chapter name and made reference to that instead. However, the similarities to Homura Akemi still remain, and will probably be discussed in a later chapter with a different title.

-So, Kristine clarifying what happens in her nightmare might sound familiar to some people that have read Holly Rising. This is because Kristine is explaining the twists that happened at the end of that story. Some of the twists were foreshadowed earlier in the story before been revealed in the final chapters, however. Some twists were not properly explained aside from author's notes (especially the mechanics involving Yuveltal) in that story. Since Usurping is a sequel and the twists combine to form a major plot point and background of the story, there are laid out in full here.

-In terms of why Xerneas would serve Maria despite everything, the explanation in the final version of the chapter was a bit different than the one in drafts and notes. Both explanations were based off of Xerneas's situation canonically. In the game Pokémon X, Xerneas (or Yveltal in Pokémon Y) is captured by the main villain Lysandre in order to use it to further his own plans. However, the Pokémon is freed by the player character. Xerneas jumps from its prison and decides it wants to battle the player character. The legendary Pokémon allows itself to be captured, and is required to be in or to progress. It later battles with as part of the player's party against Lysandre when he tries to take it back (unless the player already has a full party, in which case, they get the option as to whether or not they want to use the newcomer in the upcoming battle instead of one of their previous Pokémon). This all happens without any issues or much explanation. This is despite the fact that the player is a complete stranger and could also use the power for wicked acts, even though the game prevents them from doing so. Regardless, I originally thought that Traveler would just follow the canon story.

However, I quickly realized it would make sense if it didn't. This was because I took a realistic look at the event with all the story constraints off, and realized it was just as likely Xerneas would not follow the player. The Pokémon might even go against the player after all is said and done. With Maria being who she is, and Xerneas being sensitive to life and death, it could easily figure out what happened and all the crimes she committed. Therefore, Xerneas would have no reason to follow Maria, and she would have to brainwash it anyway. Unfortunately, I had already written the first chapter when I decided Xerneas wasn't going to join willingly. Therefore, Maria doesn't tantalizing like the others. However, considering she's actively using its power and has no replacement, it made sense why she wouldn't.

-Kristine being the only one able to kill Maria but not knowing how was planned early on. However, there were a few different methods. One was based off of a fan game called Pokémon Rejuvenation. One of the characters, Melia, meets an alternative, younger, version of herself when the former and a few other characters get sent to a bad version of the future. This person is simply known as The Princess and rules over what remains of the world with an iron fist despite her young age. What happens in the future depends on the player's actions, with three possible conclusions to that particular plot point. If the player takes the wrong actions, they'll die along with the world and it will lead to a game over as The Princess continues ruling. In the other two endings, The Princess can be stopped. However, if the player still takes some incorrect actions, The Princess will be destroyed, but the rest of the future world won't be saved. However, in the best possible ending to that part of the game, Melia awakens some special powers, allowing her to absorb The Princess into herself and annihilate her (even though it's revealed later that she still lives on within Melia, and can influence a few things). As a result, the future world is saved and can finally recover.

I thought that was a pretty interesting concept and was going to use it within Traveler. As a result, within the drafts, Kristine would know what she had to do, but not how to get there. I discarded it for several reasons. One of which was that I didn't really like the idea of outright copying someone else's plot point (instead of referencing or basing something off it like with Pokémon Emperyan or the entire existence of Missingno). The other problem is that I realized that this didn't make sense for Traveler's lore, since nothing like that had ever been seen or even mentioned that such a thing could happen. In terms of Pokémon Rejuvenation, it did not make much sense either. While the plot points in Pokémon Rejuvenation are interesting, a lot of them seem to come up out of nowhere, seem to be disconnected to other plot points, or are not foreshadowed very well. Therefore, any plot point from Pokémon Rejuvenation would have the same problem.

Then I thought of something else.

This idea was based off of another fan called Pokémon Sacred Gold and Storm Silver. These are hacks of Johto remakes, Pokémon Heartgold and Soulsilver. These hacks are much more difficult, but they also make a lot of improvements to both Pokémon and the games overall to compensate. They add a lot of events as well, making one of the longer Pokémon games even longer but much deeper. One of the biggest things the game is known for aside from the difficulty increases is the fact that all 493 Pokémon in existence at the time could be captured in a single game. The hack also came with a massive guide involving improvements, other changes, and where to find all of the Pokémon. Unlike many instances of every Pokémon being able to be captured in one game when they're not normally, the requirements for this were reasonable even though some of them involved additional puzzles. The largest and most interesting puzzle was the capture requirements for Arceus.

Arceus was only available once the player captured all other 492 Pokémon. The player must also find all 16 plates (since Fairy didn't exist at the time the hack was created, and there still wasn't a Normal type plate) scattered across the region. Doing this requires doing everything that is available in the game (aside from the Battle Frontier, Pokéathlon, Pal Park, anything in the Safari Zone beyond setting up the basics, and the Bug Catching Contest, since these are no longer required for anything). Once the player has fulfilled these requirements, they can head up to the center of the Mystri Stage (an area that was Arceus real life event only in the canon games; although in the hacks the player can access it by talking to Cynthia as soon as they reach Goldenrod City early in the game). Arceus will then appear, and the player will get a chance to capture it. The credits will roll regardless of whether the player knocks Arceus out or captures it. However, the player has a small window that they can use to reset and try again the battle again before the game automatically saves to play the credits. Capturing Arceus leads to the best and full ending, including a thank you and congratulations from the creator.

I managed to complete the game in its entirety and get the full ending. I thought the entire journey was fantastic I want to implement that into the story originally. Therefore, Kristine was going to go on a similar quest and travel all regions. She would become a Pokémon Master in the process, gaining the full power of Arceus and using it to destroy Maria. Unfortunately, I realized this would be extremely difficult to write, both with the Pokémon world being more realistic when it came to collecting creatures and thinking of plot points for nine separate regions. Furthermore, Kristine's character itself eventually change to already have a lot of that power and focus more on what she did with it in the past and present. Therefore, that idea was discarded. Just like in the previous case, Kristine would know clearly what she needed to do but not the specifics on how to get there. The latter would not be as much of a problem in this version of the scenario, however.

So then I had to think of something else. I knew I had a lot of time, but as I was writing the first chapter of Usurping, another idea came up. That idea still isn't finalized, and I'm not going to say in the author's notes because it would lead to major stories spoilers. However, I'll probably put in my Deviantart notes for anyone that wants to read it and doesn't care about spoilers (and also so I can keep track of it being there). With that change, I also made things more ambiguous. It also made sense to have some ambiguity, since I had written down that Kristine had trouble with ambiguity within her visions in the past.

-The names Kristine mentions for Necrozma come from a mixture of the anime, the games, the fact that the most powerful form is canonically associated with light, and some colloquialisms from the competitive Pokémon community. The name Blinding One comes from the games, where it is referred to as such by the people known as the Ultra Recon Squad. UB: Black is also one name used exclusively in the anime by several people. The name Golden Dragon is based off of its powered up form (Ultra Necrozma) because that's what looks like. God of light comes from the fact that it is associated with light and is actually treated like a god in the games. The light That Burns the Skies is Ultra's Necrozma signature move in the games and its strongest. Finally, simply calling it overpowered comes from competitive Pokémon battling. Ultra Necrozma was so strong it had to be banned from most competitive formats because of it would simply decimate everything instantly. Thus, many players just call it overpowered and its signature move instead became "the light that burns the casuals".

-The followers of Necrozma that Kristine mentioned are the Ultra Recon Squad. They are a group of canon characters, and what happens to them is based on both what occurs in the games and an alternative take with the player having less than pure intentions. The Ultra Recon Squad appears in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. They are foreigners and at first seemed to be villains, battling with the player several times. They are also associated with Lusamine, who is revealed to (seemingly) be another villain. However, later on in the game, darkness covers parts of the Alola region. The Ultra Recon Squad reveals that their homeland was also covered in darkness because of the Pokémon Necrozma. They explain that Necrozma is constantly in pain because of their ancestors breaking off a part of its body in order to use that power for themselves. As a result, Necrozma is hungering for light and cannot take its Ultra form despite it constantly looking for a way to do that. The Ultra Recon Squad travels from their homeland to in order to prevent what happened in their homeland from happening there. Additionally, they also want to stop and save Necrozma, having a deep respect for it.

The Ultra Recon Squad then allies with Lusamine in order to achieve those ends. Lusamine wants to gain the power of mysterious Pokémon called Ultra Beasts in order to enter Ultra Wormholes and find her missing husband, Mohn. The technology the Ultra Recon Squad has allows her to do that, and the Ultra Recon Squad is grateful to have allies and one of the most influential organizations in the region (Aether Foundation) behind them. Unfortunately, once Lusamine had access to the Ultra Wormholes, it's revealed that she only got that access nearly killing her own daughter's Pokémon and disgusting both of her children so much that they ran away before the events of the game started.

She then decides to head through the Ultra Wormholes herself, despite that not being a very good idea and not part of the deal she made with the Ultra Recon Squad. The latter are pretty angry at her, and throw their weight behind the player's cause. It's also explained that Lusamine genuinely has the best interests of the region at heart and wants her family back together, but her means of doing so are so selfish, reckless, and misguided that she is likely to make things worse and get herself killed. Therefore, it's up to the player to stop both her and Necrozma, and then spend the rest of the game trying to do that.

Much later on, there is a fight between Necrozma and Lunala/Solgaleo (depending on the game). The opposing Pokémon rapidly loses, with Necrozma absorbing to steal its light and eventually assume its Ultra form. Around this time, Lusamine appears from the Ultra Wormhole, wounded but alive. The player, Lusamine and her family, and the Ultra Recon Squad all rendezvous to try and figure out how to fix the mess. The group realizes that the Z-Crystals the player has collected throughout the game are radiating light. This light is attracting Necrozma and could be used to turn into its Ultra form nonviolently. So the player off to the place where Necrozma fled to, and defeats it in its Ultra form. After that, Solgaleo/Lunala is saved, and Necrozma is weakened but runs away again. Regardless, Alola is saved and the Ultra Recon Squad are grateful to the player. Near the end of the main game, the player can find and capture Necrozma. They can then use the power of Solgaleo/Lunala, the Z-Crystals, and a machine acquired after the capture to turn Necrozma into its Ultra form without doing any damage and at will.

Maria manipulating the Ultra Recon Squad and Necrozma into becoming her allies by saving the latter is based off all of this, but with a darker take (especially since the player holds the light that will allow Necrozma and free it from its pain). In the games, the player simply cannot abuse their newfound power, but Traveler examines what it would be like if there was that possibility and Necrozma was still saved. Originally, the Ultra Recon Squad were going to be major villains that had become ruthless in their desperation and discarded almost all sympathetic traits. However, I decided I wanted to do more with them. This is especially because they were neither completely sympathetic or complete villains in the canon games (something they more or less admit to there). Instead, they are more desperate than anything else. So what end up in the final product was yet another take on the desperation, but instead of realizing they are being manipulated and siding with the protagonist's cause, they just continue being manipulated by another person to do much worse.

In the original draft of Traveler, they were not from Holly Rising's timeline of all. Instead, they would be completely annihilated by a vengeful (unfused) Maria, and their counterparts would go on to be unconnected villains in Usurping. Maria would still manipulate them somehow to be on her side, but I wasn't sure as to how. In the final version, both heroic variants (the ones from Usurping's timeline) and villainous variants (the ones from Holly Rising's timeline) exist. However, the ones from Usurping's timeline are another take on them and are closer to canon.

-Kristine remembering the deaths was originally not going to be mentioned. However, I figured it would make sense because she would remember at least some individual ones. Furthermore, she also did something similar when she narrated in the final chapter of Holly Rising, so it wouldn't be out of character for her. The people dying when Maria rampaged through Kanto is a reference to that. The deaths themselves are not mentioned directly because they were already mentioned in Holly Rising, and the number there was much higher. This is because the deaths were mentioned the end when they were all written and planned. However, with this particular list, not everything was planned. I had planned for at least some people to die and had a very basic idea of how. I also knew I wanted the deaths to be spread across Holly Rising's two planned sequels and involve some of Holly and Maria's greatest enemies from the first story. But other than that, there was nothing, and things could change at any time. Therefore, Kristine just mentions a few people and that there were others that she doesn't name off the top of her head.

-As for the people that were mentioned, most of them were planned to die for a long time and for various different reasons. Scarlett was an original character from Holly Rising's RP. She holds a lot of power, being the regional Champion in the RP. However, there wasn't a lot about her character in the RP, so I made her young and naïve to counteract that. Therefore, it made sense that she would be the first to die. Lusamine was the one responsible for the fusion between Maria and Tulip, indirectly and unintentionally causing the conflict that drives most of the series. In Traveler's universe, she was also grieving for the loss and betrayal of her own children, and not wanting anyone else experienced the same pain. So it made sense that she would go along with the group to stop Maria. Something that also added fuel to the fire about her dying is that she was misinterpreted as dying in her own games several times before the games formally came out. Some stories do have her die, either during the events of the games or after it. Maria and Holly both have a grudge against her, so they would want to make sure she was gone. With all these reasons, doing that made sense.

Mohn is also implied to be dead in his own games. However, reading between the lines during the games' story and triggering some secret events reveals that he is alive but has lost his memories. There's an implication that he may recover them, but this is never confirmed. Before I found all this out, I always assumed he was dead, and it made a lot of sense if he was. So in this story I just haven't be dead before the story starts and the others finding out much later on. In Traveler, Janine was always known for being weak to the point where she admits it on screen. However, she is still quick to jump into action if someone is hurt or insult. She also has a strong sense of justice, and does not let criminals off easily. Therefore, having all this work against her and having her not make it was easy to envision.

Kligharrah was of an original character whose story was mentioned at the end of Holly Rising, and it's exactly the same as Kristine describes. He would has up a massive grudge against Maria, but especially Holly. So it made sense for him to go down fighting the latter. He never truly becomes a Trainer's Pokémon because of his experiences so he lacks any of the power and protection a Trainer's Pokémon would have otherwise. Zossie is the unnamed attacker who tries to kill Holly and instead kills her starter in Holly Rising, prompting Holly's major character development for the rest of that story. Zossie was one of the characters that was planned to die the earliest on. Mainly, there was no way, Holly was leaving her alive and she would want to destroy her and return the favor. Later on, there was also a plot point that wouldn't work too well unless Zossie was dead. So she had to be removed.

The biggest ones for that particular set were Anabel and Erika. They were Holly's main enemies in Holly Rising, and were originally both planned to survive. However, I realized there was no reason why they should, because Holly would go after them immediately and so would Maria. The two had almost succeeded in killing Anabel and Erika several times. But Anabel and Erika had the protection of others, so all of those attempts failed. In the setting of the planned sequels, they wouldn't have that protection, so they were easy victims. It also led to the natural transition of Nia taking over the search from then on, where there was no transition before.

For the second set of deaths, Malva was pugnacious and had angered Holly before. It got to the point where she and Maria had purposely hurt her several times. Malva was also the leader of a resistance group against people like them, despite having been a criminal before and being pardoned for her crimes. So there would be plenty of reasons to make sure she was dead. Molly Hale had something a bit similar, being one of the main forces wanting to stop Holly and Maria's mischief and control Maria's unchecked supernatural abilities. Furthermore, she really did want to help them become better people or least make sure they couldn't do any more damage, even though she was aggressive doing so. However, Molly Hale's efforts only succeeded in making Maria and Holly angry at and start targeting her. It not only gave them a reason to take her down, but Molly Hale was repeatedly established me one of the strongest supernatural power users in all regions. So taking her down was not only justified to the two, but would you like huge blow to their enemies.

AZ was because his Floette had been killed by Maria's actions beforehand, and he would want to defend the region he knew so well. It's also a bit out of pity for him because he still has his horrible fate from canon (forced to become immortal after stopping a horrific war and wander the world for centuries after that), and it's even worse with his Floette gone. Therefore, I figured death was a bit of a mercy for him. Sina and Dexio were some of the few whose fates were changed. Originally, it was Diantha who died due to being a major opponent and a thorn in the enemies' side. However, she is strong and holds the power of Xerneas herself, so that may not be too likely. The other two are weaker even though they are devoted, and Holly and Maria would still could still go after Diantha. Therefore, Sina and Dexio's deaths made much sense, and they would pass on together.

Joan was chosen for several reasons, despite having a mostly fleshed out backstory and getting some development to herself at the end of Holly Rising. One of them is the main theme of Usurping changing. The original theme was Kristine merging her journeys and doing a compare contrast. While these themes still exist a bit in the final version on Traveler, I realized it would be difficult to write, especially since not everything on a Kristine's previous journey is known. Additionally, it would be a good development for character, because she'd be too busy comparing and constantly remembering her previous journey to really focus on what is currently doing. This is especially true considering the compare and contrast can actually be a negative trade because she gets so caught up in it she forgets use logic or doesn't take that into account much (as shown in this very chapter). Things are so different that it's almost impossible to compare the two at all. So instead the theme was changed to letting go of the past and leaving it behind so she can freely make new memories, go one new journeys, and move onto another part of her life.

And once I did that, I knew Joan had to die.

John was one of the things linking Kristine to her past (because of the Rangers, her history with Missingno, and their shared connection to Maria). So if the theme was saying farewell to the past and making way for new experiences, then Joan had to leave and make way for new characters. There was also the issue of Joan's character itself. Joan was extremely powerful Pokémon, maligned, not completely canonical (which meant she had almost no stats, moves, or lore to work off of), and didn't have any relationship with Kristine before her capture that would be able to be expanded upon. On top of all this, Joan's backstory was that she was effectively imprisoned for her power so she would have a lot of issues adjusting to life with her Trainer and in the world (especially considering I wanted the story to focus mainly on Kristine and her issues and having another character, especially one from her past, would get in the way of that). This would make it difficult for her to participate in the high-stakes situations Usurping required, or even just plain function. With all of this, it would be difficult to include Joan and the story aside from a companion work (and thus a companion work may still happen, or least a bit more on Missingno in general). Joan's death would also allow things to transition more smoothly into Kristine's ability is being questioned (even if the death was not mentioned directly). This is because despite the Rangers facing dangers in their jobs and having high-stakes tasks, no one has ever had the partner killed in battle or even die in the past. After all this, the decision was blatantly obvious.

Nova is another original Pokémon from Holly Rising with a backstory exactly like what Kristine describes. Because she is a gift from Kristine to Anabel, she is seen as guilty by association. Furthermore, since she is a large and powerful Pokémon that Nia uses to get around, she would be seen and targeted easily. So her death was obvious. Finally, Nia's own death was simply confirming what happened in the chapter before, and was an another obvious choice.

-Elita is a canon character from the Pokémon Ranger series of games, and her being the leader comes both from my interpretations and canon. She is the leader of the strongest town of Rangers in her own game, and I figured she could be a good overall leader type because she keeps calm under pressure and is known to be quite powerful if she has to fight. She's not the leader of things behind the scenes, though, because that canonically goes to Erma.

Erma was originally going to be the one that told Kristine the latter's current status within the Rangers. However, I chose Elita because her personality would make it easier for her to deliver bad news gently, and take any backlash Kristine might dish out. She would understand the conundrum more as well, because she would be on the front lines even if Kristine was doing something else while she was there. There's also the fact that not much is known about Erma's personality outside of her duties, so it's not known how she would act or react. Locally, there's a bit more about Elita's. The original version of the scene with the Rangers was going to have some dialogue, but as the scene and the reasons behind the got longer, this was omitted and there is an explanation instead.

-One aspect of Kristine's character has to do with Usurping itself. Holly's story mentioned or touched on the issues in the Pokémon world and what would happen with more realistic consequences.

Kristine story tears them apart.

Starting with her history with the Rangers.

On top of slightly being based off of a real event mentioned further down, it gives a realistic look at acquiring skills in the Pokémon world. In many Pokémon games and several other media, the player or protagonists can switch careers around and master several skills without any consequences. Even in areas like the anime or Pokémon Special manga where Trainers mostly focus on only one area, they can still pick up skills of others just fine and even excel at them. In real life, it's nowhere near that easy, even a person does excel in multiple areas. There's even the problem of favoring one over any others, especially if it's the first skill someone picked up.

In Kristine's case, she has this problem with battling, even if she does go on to try out and even master other skills, and it's enough for people to take notice either way. There can also be the issue of not having a professional interest in a certain skill despite being good at it, or lack of fitting into groups of people that practice the skill as a career. This is something the player and protagonists in canon never have to deal with, or in cases where they do have to deal with it, there's very little consequences or the character gets over them quickly. Examples include May in the anime preferring contests over traditional battling later on her journey and acknowledging she's not that good at battling otherwise, Gary Oak in the anime using his Pokémon knowledge to become a Pokémon professor over a battler, Brock in the anime switching careers from a breeder to a doctor after raising a Chansey, and Ruby and Sapphire switching their careers with each other in Pokémon Special.

In all these cases, there's little to no consequences leaving a previous career behind. But in real life, there are consequences to switching careers even in the cases where everything goes as well as it can. So I wanted to show case where someone could just transition to another career easily even if they picked up a skill. Not to mention the problem of not being able to force professional interests, and additional consequences due to that. So this result was Kristine, and her situation.

-The whole idea of Kristine struggling with two careers in the professional Pokémon world was also based off of the character Nessa in the anime Twilight Wings. In this anime, Nessa works as a Galar Gym Leader, which is something similar to a professional athlete. She also works as a model, and has an active career in that at the time of the show. Unfortunately, she's struggling to win matches as a Gym Leader, despite her modeling career going fantastically. The chairman of the League, Rose, approaches her, and subtly and somewhat passive aggressively tells her that she should choose one or the other. Nessa is upset, but later realizes he has a point. Eventually, she decides to be doing both, and has figured out a plan to not leave one behind. The details after that are not shown, but by the time of the games, she appears to have been successful in balancing her two careers. Although Nessa's case is the main inspiration, there are other inspirations and examples.

A lesser detailed but also less successful example is with the Alolan Trial Captain (Gym Leader equivalent in Alola) Kaiwe. He is a powerful Pokémon Trainer devoted to his duties, but the player walks in on him being fired from a mundane job. It's implied that is not the first time that's happened, simply because he can't keep up with both his Gym Leader duties and another job. It's particularly worrying in his case because Alolan Trial Captains retire when they are 20. So he's trying to prepare for his future but can't because the duties of being a Gym Leader get in the way. It's not known what he does other than returning to his duties, though.

Even lesser detailed examples appear in the Johto games and the anime. In the games, the Gym Leader Blue often is out doing research for his grandfather Professor Oak. However, Blueis often not at his gym, and it's outright stated to cause problems for the Trainers who want to challenge him. The game doesn't go into much detail beyond that, though, and the player is able to challenge him with hardly any issues. Finally, Skyla is a pilot alongside being a Gym Leader. She quickly realized being a Gym Leader won't allow her to spend as much time with her piloting job, and tries to prioritize the latter over the former. However, it's pointed out that doing so is making her Pokémon weak, so she can't use them in times where she really needs to. Skyla is eventually forced to balance the two careers, but she is implied to be successful.

-Originally, the Rangers which is going to be completely understanding and keep Kristine on as a Ranger despite her erratic schedule. Furthermore, the use of the power would be something to be praised and encouraged. However, the more conflicted version was used because it was just as easy for that to happen and it made a lot more sense. Canonically, the Rangers do have organized schedules of some sort. While Rangers can have erratic schedules and do travel, it's usually because they're off performing their duties somewhere and can't return to the Ranger headquarters for a while. However, if Kristine is off traveling because she's performing other duties for someone else, she can't follow the Rangers or do her duties along with that.

However, firing her because of that isn't too good of an option, since at least some of it is out of her control and the rest of it was part of an agreement the Rangers made with her. It would make them look bad and could bring up some unfortunate implications, such as wrongful termination and discrimination. It's worth noting that I had thought of a scenario where Kristine was fired from her duties as a Ranger, but ditched the idea because of the above issues. As a result, the whole thing ended up at the conclusion and scenario that takes place in the final draft.

-Leon and Sonia are canon characters from the games Pokémon Sword and Shield. Some of what they do is based on canon and the rest from my interpretations. In the games, Leon really does become the Chairman of the Galar League after Rose's ousted from the position, but it goes a bit differently. Leon doesn't agree with Rose's plan to summon the dangerous Pokémon Eternatus and having him (Leon) capture it. This is because during the day and time Rose's choosing to summon the Pokémon, there's a major tournament with hundreds of people (Galar's equivalent of the Elite Four and Champion battles). Therefore, all those people will be caught in the crossfire, especially if something goes wrong.

Leon is also not entirely on board with the chairman's plan at all, because Rose wants to summon Eternatus in the present day to avert an energy crisis that will happen 1000 years in the future. Leon thinks it's too early to act on any of that, and the game doesn't give any proof either way that the crisis Rose talks about will even happen. Furthermore, information given throughout the games explains that Eternatus almost destroyed the region in ages past, and there's also nothing stopping it from doing it again. Regardless, Rose ignores all this and decides to summon Eternatus anyway. Predictably, it all goes wrong, Leon is wounded trying to stop the creature, and countless people and Pokémon are in danger.

The player and their rival Hop are more successful, but only because they're able to summon some other legendary Pokémon to help out (and even then, the two Trainers still can't do much while the legendary Pokémon take care of things). After all this, Rose realizes that he nearly destroyed the world he tried to save, and turns himself in. The Championship battle against Leon is held the next day, and everything goes off without a hitch. In the postgame, Leon is shown to have become the new Chairman, even taking over Rose's old business buildings outside of the League. It's not known how he became the new Chairman, or what he had to do to get there, but the process is assumed to be relatively peaceful.

Traveler now has Leon's ascension based on all of this, but originally it wasn't based on any of it. This is because when I first played Pokémon Sword and Shield, I really disliked Leon. I thought of someone that made public appearances but didn't really do much ("bread and circuses" type of thing). However, my opinion changed after playing the game on subsequent times and paying more attention to the story. In several instances, he is shown directly defending the region. The only time the player has to do something involving that is when he gets wounded while fighting Eternatus and they're the only high-level Trainer in the area. It's a stark contrast from the other games with the player had to do everything themselves, despite the fact that they're a child and depending on where they are in the game, not that strong.

Postgame and downloadable missions focus more on Leon and he's shown doing an excellent job as the new Chairman. He's shown getting rid of any corruption in the league and focusing on making battling fun, accessible, and safe for everyone. It gets the point where he's able to sway two people that canonically hate the League over to his side, and have them help as his assistance. Thus, my feelings towards him were changed, and his position in Traveler was as well. Originally, in Traveler, he was seen as a failed Trainer and a fallen hero that was working a dead-end job and was now a laughing stock. However, in the current version thanks to his character being expanded canonically, that's no longer the case.

Sonia being the Champion is because of the contrast between her and Leon. Sonia is the more serious and down-to-earth person while Leon is more lighthearted and has his head in the clouds (aside from times of true crisis and desperation). However, he is good at interacting with people and public appearances, and enjoys doing them. Sonia, in contrast, doesn't really seem to care about public appearances. Instead, she's more of someone doing things behind the scenes, is pretty quiet, and isn't one for a lot of attention. Therefore, I thought it would make sense if she just lives their life and he takes care of all the publicity. Since there were good friends canonically despite the relationship being a bit more strained in the present day, it would make sense for them to help each other.

This idea was also based off of something circulating Internet shortly before the games' release. There was a lot of information leaks at the time, and one of them involved Leon and Sonia. This claimed that Leon and Sonja has friendship ended because they both ended up being contenders for the Champion title and she was forced to throw a match with him in the final battles. Therefore, he became the Champion unlawfully because he was more popular and people thought he would be the better one. This led to the friendship breaking down and her being a bit bitter, even about just being a Trainer in general. However, they still talk to each other. None of this is explained or even referenced in game, so it's not known if this was just a feasible rumor or something that actually was left on the cutting room floor. It's possible it could be the latter, especially since it's clear quite a few things were cut in the game. Furthermore, there was a lot of insider information revealed before the release, but some of it was at least partially true (and some of it was spot on). A particular case was that the people giving the information said that older Pokémon that were not available in the main game would be added back into the postgame, and there would be about 200 of these Pokémon. The information was correct that around 200 Pokémon were added back after the main game, but it was because of extra downloadable missions that were available a year after the games' release. Regardless, the idea involving Sonia and Leon's relationship stuck with me, so I decided to make a bit of a reference to it in this story.

-Professors assistants being failed Trainers and deadbeats, or at least having the reputation of being that, is based on the games.

In the games, quite a few failed trainers become professors' assistants, and in one particular case, the Trainer is implied to be a deadbeat. That particular case, and the most notable one, is Sonia from Pokémon Sword and Shield. She is stated to have previously been on a training journey, but now serves as her grandmother Professor Magnolia's assistant. However, Magnolia isn't pleased that Sonia isn't doing much with her life beside that. When she sees Leon 's success was Champion and that the player and his brother Hop has gone on her own journeys, she gives Sonja a lecture asking her what she's doing with her life. Sonia is then forced to head out on a journey again in order to help Magnolia with her research. Later on in the game, she succeeds her.

A couple other examples exist, but are less detailed. Bianca heads on a Pokémon journey to find out what she wants to do with her life, and to get stronger. Unfortunately, she doesn't find a solution to any of those things, as she realizes while she is stronger than the average Trainer, her strength pales in comparison to someone like the player or the other rival Cheren. Unlike those two, she also does not have much of an interest in battling. After a while, she quits her Trainer's journey to become a professor's assistant. Unlike most examples, she seems to really enjoy the work and is truly happy being a professor's assistant, having found out where she belonged.

Yet another example is Hop from Pokémon Sword and Shield. In these games, the Champion of the region is Hop's older brother, Leon. Hop is very close to Leon, but also wants to surpass him and become the Champion himself. Later on, he realizes that's impossible both because he is not that strong as a battler and he can only be himself. Once the player becomes the new Champion instead, Hop has no idea what he wants to do with his life. Sonia invites him to be a research assistant and he accepts. He is later seen doing research for her, but it's not known how he feels about it. Gary Oak is another Trainer to a lesser extent, becoming a Pokémon researcher over battler after losing to the main character Ash in a high-level tournament. However, in his case, it's more that he realized his talents would be better used in a different career than actually failing on his journey.

-Kristine's bleak and jaded attitude towards finding a new career and losing her other one, as well as businesses in general is based on something in her life. In real life, I had a negative experience of business people in them overworking, and to make matters worse this experience was with my own family. Therefore, I had a negative outlook on business and swore I wouldn't get anywhere near it. Later on, my attitude changed as I realized it was the people I had met and not the field of business itself that was causing my negative emotion. As I started learning more in my search for my new career after my first one didn't work out, I realized business had aspects I liked and was interested in. Therefore, my views on it softened. Christine hasn't had this epiphany yet, so she is still bitter.

The view on politics remains the same as in real life, however. Politics is something I like and I'm interested in, to the point where I once considered doing it for a career. However, I eventually realized that doing as a career for the rest of my life wasn't something that appealed to me and was an easy way to get burnout. Luckily, I wasn't thrown to the frontline of politics so I don't have that issue. However, thanks to the differences in Traveler, Kristine is, with devastating results.

-The role that Arceus plays in Traveler is a quite different than in canon. It's explained in both Holly Rising's and the Usurping Companion story author's notes, so I may as well at them sum it up:

"-So, Arceus. Some of what is said about Her here is from canon media, but a lot of it is not. As stated before, Arceus is considered the God of all Pokémon, similar to God in Christianity. Because of this, fans typically capitalize Arceus's name even one using pronouns (since God in Christianity is depicted the same way). However, official materials never do this. In official Pokémon media, Arceus's gender is never stated. In the games itself, it's officially considered genderless. However, that hasn't stopped fans from assigning a gender to it anyway. Both male and female genders have been used. In Traveler, Arceus is female, but due to Her powers, can change Her gender to whatever she wants. It is unknown at this point is if the latter ability will play any role in Traveler, or if it will just receive a passing reference.

-Arceus's other powers have been tweaked a bit as well. In the games, it had the highest base stats of any Pokémon that did not have a form transformation. What this meant that once Arceus was sent out into battle, it usually had a stat advantage over opponents almost automatically. Once more form transformations were introduced (e.g. certain Mega Evolutions), Arceus's base stat total was finally surpassed. I found it odd that the God of Pokémon would eventually be surpassed by its creations. Therefore, in Traveler, Arceus's is even higher, now surpassing all form transformations. It is unknown what that number is at this point, and any new Pokémon that are introduced will also be surpassed by Arceus.

-The second change has to do with Arceus being able to learn every single move. In the games, Arceus can change into any Type, provided it's holding an item called a Plate, and the Plate matches that Type. Z-Crystals, introduced later, could do the same thing. If Arceus was not holding a Plate or Z-Crystal. This ability was retained in Traveler. However, Arceus being able to learn every single move is an ability not in the games and based on my own interpretation.

Arceus canonically has a wide variety of moves, being able to learn many ones via level up or via man-made methods like Technical Machines. However, being the creator of all Pokémon, I found odd that Arceus cannot learn the moves from all Technical Machines, at least. This is particularly jarring because, as of this writing, Arceus can transform into the Fairy Type. However, it cannot learn any moves of that Type to fully utilize it, and it was able to learn all man-made moves, it would be able to learn at least one Fairy Type technique.

The lore of the games tried to explain this inconsistency by saying Arceus gave some of its power to Mew, granting the latter the ability to learn all man-made moves. However, it still didn't seem believable, since it was never stated exactly what Arceus lost when they gave its power (if it even lost anything). This gets even odder when one realizes there two species of Pokémon other than Mew with that can potentially learn all the moves in the games, and neither have any connection to Arceus. They are Ditto (can temporarily learn any move using Transform), and Smeargle (can permanently learn almost any move using Sketch to copy the last move it saw, including Transform). With all of these oddities, I doubt would make sense if the creator of Pokémon could learn every move, no matter how it was typically learned.

-Arceus's Angels are completely my own creation, and is based off of God in Christianity. With Arceus effectively being the Pokémon equivalent of God, I thought it odd how there weren't any angels defending it, or even referenced. The canonical Pokémon world has several species that resemble angels, but none are associated with Arceus, or even seen alongside it. It gets even stranger when Arceus can actually be fought in an area that resembles Heaven, known as the Hall of Origin. While the concept is there, the Hall of Origin is only really seen as an extension of a previously visited area called Spear Pillar. Therefore, it's unknown if Arceus actually resides in the Pokémon equivalent of Heaven.

Regardless, I thought that a creature meant to resemble the Pokémon equivalent of the Christian God was odd without any angels defending it. So I created Arceus's Angels based off of the some of the stories of angels in Christianity. In these stories, angels are God's most powerful and fateful. They are His divine soldiers, servants, and messengers, residing in Heaven with Him. Sometimes they will appear in the mortal world, but usually only to specific people. Furthermore, they don't always take a form that's instantly recognizable.

Angels in Christianity are commonly depicted with a halo, wings, and light. Other depictions also show them being good with making music, such as using harps or singing. They are also typically dressed in white, but not always. Furthermore, not all angels appear as the form that's commonly seen. Depending on what stories one reads, there are many ranks, each having a vastly different appearance from the next. It is sometimes believed that people who are virtuous in life become angels upon death, or that an angel will come to escort them to Heaven. Heaven is also sometimes known as God's kingdom, as a result of Him presiding over everyone there.

-The requirement of only the strongest and the most virtuous being worthy of Arceus's power actually comes from Norse mythology. In this mythology, only the strongest and virtuous could reach Valhalla, becoming powerful warriors known as Einherjar. There, they would protect the god Odin until the end of time itself. There was no higher honor, and it was a difficult one to achieve. In some interpretations, Valhalla has streets and other areas normal spirits may roam, if they have lived honest lives but were not particularly good at fighting. In a society that values battling, I thought it would make sense of the Pokémon world had something like this.

However, with also wanting the idea of angels to be present and Arceus resembling Christian stories rather than Norse ones, I figured I would make a place for those who weren't good at battling but still lived honest lives could go after death. That way, they could be close to Arceus anyway, despite not being on the same level as those that were chosen as Her Angels. It is worth noting that the common interpretation about Heaven is that one only has to be a good person to get into it. However, some beliefs do state that there are other requirements to get there."

"-What Giratina does here [in Holly Rising] is based on both canon and fan interpretations. Giratina is often compared to Satan by fans. The reason is that it was banished by Arceus, the Pokémon world's equivalent to God. It was banished for its violence and thrown into an uninhabited place called the Distortion World. Furthermore, Giratina also resembles a serpent, and has the ability to appear from unsettling shadows. In this way, Giratina's story is also similar to that of Satan. Satan was an Archangel, before being punished and banished by God. Satan then became the leader of his own realm, Hell, where those who were judged to be evil would go. He also took the form of a serpent to successfully tempt Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. Satan is sometimes also associated with shadows, darkness, and evil. The reason Kristine's [Maria's] Giratina has the name Lucifer is that in some versions of Satan story, it was believed Lucifer was his name before he fell. Giratina being Arceus's right-hand man is also a reference to the biblical Lucifer serving God.

-Giratina being the god of death has to do with some fan interpretations. A common depiction is that it is the Pokémon equivalent of the Grim Reaper, using its tendrils to take someone's soul. This theory has some slight backing in canon. In the Sinnoh games, Giratina can usually be found in a place called the Turnback Cave. Turnback Cave is thought to be the door to the afterlife, attached to another area called Sendoff Spring. This spring is said to be where the dead go to journey to the afterlife. Furthermore, Turnback Cave itself contains text about the sparkling and fading of life."

"Arceus having a true form and the form others seeing Her as being a mere fragments of her power is also something custom to go along with the Angel lore."

-Cynthia in the Sinnoh being connected to Arceus either directly or as some sort of priestess is slightly based off of canon but also fan interpretations. Cynthia is noted for being one of the most active Champions in the plot and with helping the player character. However, she is also noted as having one of the strongest and diverse teams in Pokémon history. She is one of the strongest Champions and overall Trainers in the series, if not the strongest. It's an honor she still holds even many years after her games came out. Furthermore, Cynthia is revealed to be an archaeologist in her debut games, and is researching and connected to many of the legendary Pokémon. Since the Sinnoh games also introduced Arceus, many people began to wonder if she was influenced by this Pokémon in some way.

The games later did reveal that Cynthia had some connections to Arceus, but not very much. In a secret event in Pokémon Heartgold and Soulsilver, the player can use Arceus's power in the Ruins of Alph. Cynthia will then go with them to another place called the Sinjoh Ruins, and then later, the Mystri stage. She then instructs player to stand on the stage with Arceus, wondering if the events are predestined. If the player does so, they are treated to a cutscene where Arceus is implied to be showing its memories and sharing its power with the player. Arceus makes a level 1 Palkia, Giratina, and Dialga appear and the player gets to choose one of them. Cynthia watches the entire thing, but she's more amazed and in awe than anything.

This didn't stop players from taking things a step further. Therefore, many fan projects that use Cynthia have her connected to Arceus, if she is not Pokémon's human form outright. With Arceus being very important in Traveler, I chose to follow suit. This is why Arceus is female despite canonically being genderless. However, I did things a little bit differently, both because I wanted to have more comparisons to the Christian God and I want to figure out how to make that Pokémon as the supreme and all-powerful deity work. I realized that if Arceus only had the Pokémon form it has in canon and/or I human form, it would be pretty easy to take down once someone figures out its weaknesses.

So I created the true form as something that could never be destroyed but could also never be seen properly. The true form is based on stories in Christianity, where God is immortal, indestructible, and omnipresent but also acts almost like an invisible and potent force of nature. Thus, in the Biblical stories in Christianity, God uses human messengers (prophets/disciples), heavenly soldiers, a mortal form, and even power from prayers to influence the living world. However, the true form is usually not seen in stories, and when it is seen, it's not a form anyone can recognize. In many stories, the form is depicted as a lot of light and the light is sometimes golden. It also were noting that in a lot of stories, God's true form doesn't really leave Heaven, spending time ruling over it and welcoming new arrivals. All of this is the basis for Arceus role and appearance in Traveler, but I instead I tend to associate the Pokémon with silver or white light instead of golden. So that was what Arceus became.

-Kristine's problems with her powers was one of the biggest realisms I want to showcase in Traveler. The reason was that in many cases (including media outside of Pokémon) powers are treated as something to be praised and almost universally seen as a good thing. Sometimes it's the only way to stop the conflict and side effects are glossed over or fixed (sometimes very easily). I found out this was especially true if the main protagonist was connected to Arceus (and sometimes even other legendary Pokémon). So I wanted to deconstruct that and so the more realistic and human side of it. The end result was Kristine's powers, and the situation she's in.

Kristine's powers themselves and the fact that they are both a gift and a test is something explained hinted at before but is now seen in full because she is now the main character. One of the things I want to show was that even if one has special powers, one could not stop all conflicts. This is especially true of the conflicts are more mundane, personal, human, or just involving communication or lack thereof. So this is a big part of the reason why Kristine's in the situation she's in. Another huge part of it is that I wanted to have the idea of someone going on a more realistic Pokémon journey, but what would happen if they still successfully and without any malicious intent treated their journey like how a player plays the games. I wanted to examine the consequences of that as well, and so Kristine was used for that. Some of this was even based on my own experiences, and wondering what happened if I expanded on them.

To quote the author's notes from Daughter:

"-Grand Champions are my own creation, but it's based on a difference between canon Pokémon media and Traveler. Canonically, even though the Pokémon regions exist in the same world, they all exist apart from each other, and don't really come together for anything (or anything significant to the story). This is represented by the games and most other media only taking place completely in one region, dealing solely with that region's conflicts, and only referencing the others (if they are referenced at all). In Traveler, all regions are connected to each other and their conflicts intertwine. Therefore, I knew they would need someone that ruled over all regions of there was a problem affecting everyone. Thus, the title of Grand Champion was created.

-Kristine being the Grand Champion was a little bit different when her character was originally conceived. Originally, she was not going to be the Grand Champion despite being considered for it. She would've either lost to Nathaniel or did not challenge him. This would have been gone public, and people wanted her to be the Grand Champion anyway despite not fulfilling the last requirement. However, with everything she had done, I realized it made more sense of Kristine was the Grand Champion, but chose not to take the position. Considering her character, I also thought it would make sense if she earned the title privately, or at least as private as she could make it, and then didn't use it in public."

"-The concept of Pokémon Masters and Erika showing respect for them and explaining how hard the title is to earn comes from canon media. The term Pokémon Master is first used in the original Pokémon games, and has been a series ever since. It's something that's held in high regard, shows great power, experience, and skill, and seems to be difficult to obtain. Regardless, becoming about a Pokémon Master is the goal of some of Pokémon's characters, and it seen as admirable to try and go for it. However, none of the Pokémon canon media elaborates on what it takes to become Pokémon Master, despite the concept been around for so long. When asked, the creators of Pokémon stated they never would elaborate because they wanted fans to form their own opinions. Consequently, several fan theories have sprung up, but none of them are without areas that don't make sense.

As a result, Traveler has its own interpretation of what Pokémon Masters are and what it takes to become one. However, the requirements are still ambiguous and shrouded in mystery. A more concrete set of requirements is seen in Diary, but these requirements were tweaked because fulfilling said requirements would be completely unfeasible for most people, even though Traveler has several people that are Pokémon Masters. And since nothing was finalized in Diary, things could be tweaked without affecting the overall story. In reality, the requirements to become Pokémon Master are similar to the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is the highest honor a United States civilian can receive, but there's no concrete requirement for receiving it (or even much of a description of what it is). Instead, the President can reward the Medal to anyone that is seen fit to receive it, and it's generally understood that there are some vague requirements that one must fulfill. Regardless, it's still difficult to get and is still seen as a great honor. So I thought with Pokémon Masters being ambiguous as they are, it would make sense to have it be something similar.

However, there was one major aspect of Kristine's character that was changed when coming up with the definition Pokémon Master.

And that was that Kristine was originally not a Pokémon Master at all.

Originally, she never would've received the title, and would have instead worked towards becoming a Pokémon Master during the study. She would have been under the supervision of someone that was a Pokémon Master, and the process would've been very slow. Eventually, though, she would've realized she wanted to be a Pokémon Master as a career, tying up one of her personal issues and also the idea that people in the problem won't go on journeys to discover who they are and what they want to be in life.

But there was a problem with that.

One was that being about Pokémon Master couldn't possibly be a career because of the ambiguity and it was basically just a title. Furthermore, just like me in real life, Kristine had no interest in pursuing Pokémon professionally (meaning, competitively), despite being pretty good at it. So even if a Pokémon Master could realistically be a career, it would go against her personality, and mine as well.

The other reason also had to do with what I had done in real life.

Because the second reason was that with all the things Kristine had done, it was no reason for her not to be a Pokémon Master.

And of the things Kristine had done along with the journey that spawned from them was based on what I had done in Pokémon games and my experiences with other Pokémon media.

But because of what I had accomplished and experience, I realized I would most likely be considered a Pokémon Master in the context of the Pokémon world.

And therefore, Kristine would be too.

To put things in perspective, I started over 20 years ago with the original Pokémon games (Red, Blue, and Yellow). Since then, I have completed almost everything there is to do in Pokémon. This includes completing everything possible in the main games or close (including all side quests, such as contests), completing all of the side games and watching those I didn't have (along with many of those side games being also completed at 100% or close), completing the Pokedex over 20 times and in every single main game (sometimes multiple times, and to the point where I've at least one of every single Pokémon species in existence), and being extremely active in the Pokémon community (although I've become less active recently). I've even done every single major challenge run to date (many times multiple times) and played fan projects need to be more difficult than the regular Pokémon games, a lot of times completing those. With all of that, being a Pokémon Master if the Pokémon world were real seemed like a given.

And so Kristine was one.

But then it brought up another issue.

While Kristine being a Pokémon Master might tell the world of her Pokémon skills, it wouldn't solve of the problems she had. Mainly, it wouldn't stop the conflict going on in the regions, it certainly wouldn't bring back those she had lost or erase her failures, it wouldn't help with any of her medical conditions (physical or psychological), and it wouldn't solve the problem of who or what she wanted to be and what she wanted to do with her life long-term because it didn't change the fact that she wasn't interested in Pokémon professionally. It also mirrored me in real life, because while I was talented with Pokémon, there wasn't anything practical I could or wanted to do with it. I figured it was also a more realistic take on the idea of being a Pokémon Master itself, because it's portrayed as a difficult and obtainable dream and one that will solve at least some of the protagonists' problems. But it really isn't any of those things, even though canon media never touches on that. With all of this in mind, I thought it would make sense for Kristine to gain the title privately and keep it to herself for the most part. The title wouldn't mean anything (positive) to her, but her Trainer title most likely would. So she uses that instead."

This all led to Kristine's biggest issue with her powers.

And that the inability to bond with individual Pokémon, despite seeming like she had no problems.

This was based on my own experiences with Pokémon, but also Kristine's character. Originally, I was thinking that Kristine would have many Pokémon she still used and how they would each have individual personalities. It was already established that she did care for them and some of them did have individual personalities, with Gabriel being one of the earliest created. I quickly realized that when, because not only would that be difficult to write, but I wasn't even sure when Kristine would use her Pokémon or how in the majority of cases.

At the same time, this matched up with how a person would play the games. In the games, numbers and can easily obtain a lot of powerful Pokémon, and is even encouraged to. However, the player doesn't really have to know their Pokémon at all, even their veteran Pokémon trainer going into a high-stakes battles. They can even choose not to bond with the Pokémon or even actively abuse them, and the game never really calls them out on it. It doesn't affect gameplay much either way, and even if they do choose to become friends with their Pokémon, any friendship is surface level at best. Players just have to have enough Pokémon, knowledge and strategies for the battle situations they get into, even (and especially for) real-life competitive Pokémon battles.

This often amounts to Pokémon sitting around in boxes and being treated like fighting machines. Unfortunately, the games don't require the player to do things like feeding or playing with their Pokémon, (or even interacting with them at all). Therefore, the player get away with ignoring them or just using them for fighting and nothing else. This also includes not knowing them as individuals, especially because the games don't really give that option most of the time. Unfortunately, in a more realistic situation, this would never work out. That even the case with supernatural powers making it look like it was (with said supernatural powers almost being a stand-in for the game mechanics). Therefore, Kristine got into that situation.

Blue having a similar issue and improving on that is based on canon. In the Kanto games, he is noted to have a lot of Pokémon, but doesn't really bond with them. When he loses his Champion title shortly after obtaining it, Professor Oak attributes his loss to not bonding with his Pokémon and scolds him for that. Blue takes his grandfather's words to heart, and works on doing that in later games. He also mellows out considerably, becoming a living legend in his own right. The anime also shows him having this problem, although he is more successful there in battle. But his problems are part of the reason why he chooses to become a Pokémon professor rather than continue as a battler, and seems to do well at his new career.

-Speaking of careers…

Kristine's career issues are actually something that happened to me in real life, with a few additions to make it more relevant to Pokémon. However, the non-Pokémon events she describes are an abbreviated version of what happened to me in real life, with said events occurring exactly the way it did in this story at almost exactly the same time. The degree she mentioned having is the name of the degree I actually obtained in real life. The subsequent career search and the emotions that come with it are also real.

I started writing Holly Rising in August of 2017. At that time, I was near the beginning of my career search, having graduated in December 2016 and starting said search shortly after. Now, with Usurping, after almost 5 years, I may finally be near or at the end. As a result, I'm a lot more optimistic about the whole thing, but Kristine hasn't experienced that. That, combined with her Pokémon related experiences and what happened there would mean she would definitely be feeling a bit different. As a result, she is more pessimistic about the whole thing.

The Pokémon related career problems are based on my own issues with my career search, but also my own experiences with Pokémon. I ended up liking Pokémon from a very young age, but also being very good at it. I could read and had high reading comprehension from when I was very young, even though I didn't quite understand videogame mechanics. As a result, I ended up beating my first Pokémon game at age 7, Pokémon Gold. This was thanks to reading an official hardcopy guide on the game and using that to progress. I even defeated the secret final boss, Red, and did almost everything in the entire game. The only thing I didn't do was completing the Pokédex, and only because it was impossible at that time (I had only one game and no one else to trade with). The challenges made even greater in that I beat it using the final form of my Fire Type starter Pokémon despite having very limited knowledge of type effectiveness and Pokémon moves. This is also due to the fact that I had no idea how to throw a team together, other than understanding that I needed certain Pokémon with certain moves in order to traverse from place to place (Hidden Machine users).

I quickly realized that this was quite a feat, especially at age 7. This led me wondering if I was a real Trainer in the Pokémon world, authorities would've allowed me to train early if I had shown that much skill. This led to pre-Traveler Pokémon trainer Kristine becoming a trainer early and doing very well. However, at that time she had none of the disadvantages she hints that in the current story, so there was no issues with her doing that. It's worth noting that the disadvantages she talks about are actual disadvantages I have them traveling real-life, especially alone. However, at the time I created pre-Traveler Kristine I had no idea how to write them in, so they were just ignored. Canonically, very young Trainers are eventually introduced into the series and the player can fight against them. Unfortunately, it's never explained if they are actual licensed Pokémon Trainers or just children to fight in a few battles.

The idea of Kristine not having any professional interest in Pokémon is based on both my own life and career search. Since I was good at Pokémon, there were quite a few people that wondered if I was going to try competitive battling, especially at the higher levels. I eventually did try basic competitive battling, but found I had no interest in it. Since in real life Pokémon is mostly just a videogame series and not career choice, there weren't any consequences to my decision. But in a world where Pokémon is not only a legitimate career choice but also expected, it ends up being disastrous.

As for the other aspects of the career search, once I graduated with my teaching degree in 2016, I realize I wanted to leave it for the exact same reasons mentioned in the story. I spent a lot of time searching for another career, trying to work what jobs I could but only being able to secure short temporary jobs for various reasons (reasons which will probably be revealed in later chapters). During my career search I found that I was interested in them like a lot of other things, even excelling at some of them. Unfortunately, I found out that there just wasn't enough interest or sometimes even skills to make any of them careers. Therefore, Kristine has the same issue.

-The language talents Kristine mentions are actually talents I have in real life, and they have similar issues. Even though I'm skilled or can pick up skills in almost anything involving language, there are several aspects that I just don't like enough to make a career. These include things such as writing books or freelance writing. In other cases, while I do have skills, I'm not skilled enough to cover the entire area. One of those areas is technical writing, where there weren't a few areas that did really well in, but had a really hard time in everything else. As of this writing, I believe I may finally have found something that fits what I'm looking for (public relations), but there's still quite a few things I have to figure out before I know for sure and skills I have to pick up once I know. So Kristine's character reflects at least some of that. One thing that it does not reflect is that in real life, my Pokémon skills and writing skills are switched in terms of how well-known they are. My Pokémon skills are not that well known outside of my immediate family and some people in the Pokémon community. On the other hand my writing and language talents are fairly well known among my friends, family, and others that I interact with.