Is anyone else feeling let down by the Diamond/Pearl remake?
For the record, the holidays suck and I'm in full Bah Humbug. But here's a new chapter to cheer us all up...
Chapter 15: The Bug Badge
My father had gone out again, this time with more-than-happily-oblinging Lt. Moreau in tow (I was so ready to ship them at this point but it was pretty obvious my dad was OVER romance right now. My mother really was a disaster...)
Instead of lounging around the overly luxurious suite, I'd decided a little more training was in order in preparation for my gym match. A quick call of "Instant Dungeon Create!" and I was back in the infested forest.
I let the whole team out. Loxley was quick to jump in my arms, mewling for even more attention, and Zen twirling around my feet wanting the same. Tobio and Delacour were quick to flap onto a low branch. But the real trick today would be training my newer pokémon.
Dropping Loxley, I plucked Levi up almost as soon as he was out of his ball. Chittering mews of protest erupted from the tiny blue mouse, but I'd seen enough of his behavior to know better than to believe those innocent baby doll eyes. Loxley growled and the litleo I still had slunk behind the tree Delacour was now hissing in. And for good reason. For all Levi had warmed up to me, he still liked to annoy the crap out of the three (two and a half?) fire types on my team. A wide stream of bubbles was proof enough of that. Loxley hopped over to hide with the litleo, and Delacour and Tobio both flew higher to get out of range of the drifting water attack.
"Knock it off, you adorable menace," I scolded, tucking the azurill securely under my left arm.
Something patted oh-so-carefully on the top of my foot. I grinned down at the final, and newest, member of my team. Wine coloured eyes blinked out of pale turquoise skin. Kneeling down to rub an ear, I reveled in the buttery smooth skin, the darker spots rising slightly higher under my fingers.
"Bhulwa-bhulwa ssharrr!" The kanto starter didn't exactly say his name, no pokemon really could, but it was close enough. I cooed as he leaned into the petting, nearly standing on his head to do so.
"You're just the sweetest!" I praised. And he really was. The kanto starter I'd been given had the calmest, most affectionate disposition. He was the ultimate lap lizard, and not even Levi's cackling stream of bubbles phased him in the slightest.
"Alright Basil," I hopped up, "You're a little better at moving around, so now we're gonna learn to use it!"
Tiny triangle ears bobbed up in alert, but he followed me out of the safety circle I always had when I entered the dungeon.
He hunched down in trepidation when the first bug appeared, yet another giant caterpie, but with a little encouragement, and some back up from Loxley, he was soon bashing away with a vine whip.
Basil has level up!
XYXYXY
Quest Update!
I ignored the game windows crowding my peripheral vision as I recalled Delacour. He'd taken out the gym trainers easily enough, but Violette was a gym leader for a reason. Using a tired out pokémon was asking for defeat. And I was not accepting anything less than victory today. Not with the freedom from the level cap so close. Besides, after watching so many videos online of Violette's gym battles, I'd realized a very important fact.
"This battle will be two versus two! Champione Violette will release first!" called the referee.
"My lens is focused on victory," Violette promised a pokeball, adding a kiss. "Nothing will ruin this shot." And with a graceful flick of her wrist, the blond gym leader tossed the pokeball to reveal a small, spindly pokémon.
I smirked at the little blue surskit that teetered over the fine gravel. Violette used an alarming variety of bug pokémon in her gym challenges. Her powerful insects could counter a wide variety of type disadvantages, and this was the type of bug she liked to start with against first time gym challengers. And to be fair, if I was going to use Loxley, or even Delacour, it would have been a problem. But I had a different kind of type advantage available to me.
"Alright Basil," I said as I tossed his ball, "Let's do this!"
Violette stopped to blink at my bulbasaur as he appeared from the light, and my smirk grew to an outright grin. Mottled blue and green skin stretched over a squat prehistoric shaped reptile. The rustling bud on his back already had a few leaves peeling away, promising an impending evolution. My newest pokémon, the grass type didn't look particularly intimidating, and Violette was probably wondering why I'd chosen him for a battle against a Bug gym. Luckily, he'd been sent from Kanto having already learned a few moves, and had easily leveled up in my Instant Dungeons.
"Konakona!" I ordered Basil. "Go!"
At the same time, Violette had called "L'eau jeu!"
I knew from watching the broadcasted matches available online that the move she'd had her surskit use was water sport. More than simply weakening fire type moves, the streams of bubbles the pond skater pokémon was spitting everywhere would pool in puddles on the ground and create an environment that enhanced its water moves. Loxley would have absolutely hated it.
Basil, on the other hand, was having a gloriously good time splashing through the puddles, droplets soaking into his bulb as he ran. I cheered the laughing bulbasaur on as he galloped circles around the confused surskit, practically sparkling as he ran. Bug types might be strong against grass, but surskit didn't really have any actual bug type moves until they got much stronger. The one Violette had sent out was only level 14, and if it was like the rest of the ones she used in beginner matches, it would only have a few water moves.
Sure enough, the surskit spat a stream of bubbles on command.
Still grinning, my bulbasaur just kept going.
"Alright, Basil," I comforted my new pokémon as I set him on the slow rubber belt. "We just need to practice for a little bit."
I'd tested my birds against the Noibat in Super Training, but I'd used the gym equipment it opened up for myself and all the rest of my pokémon. And while bulbasaur weren't known for their speed unless they had the Chlorophyll ability, which Basil did not sadly, the treadmill had gotten the little Kanto starter used to the idea of moving around a lot. Basil didn't really need to be faster than the surskit, as the bubble attacks did practically nothing to him since he was a grass type. As for attacking back…
"Arakdo!" Violette was clearly done wasting time with water attacks. "Laser glace!"
I nearly choked as a blue beam of light iced several puddles on its way to slamming into Basil, gutting nearly a third of his health bar in a single blow. My Bulbasaur yowled in pain and came to a sudden halt. While not frozen, he was clearly stunned from the sudden cold.
I hadn't planned for this at all. Several of Violette's pokémon could use ice moves, I knew, but they were reserved for high level matches. She never used them against first time challengers. At least not until today. I clenched my fists as I saw her lips pull up on one side.
"Basil! Shake it off!" I cried, trying to keep my voice calm. It wouldn't do Basil any good to hear panic in my voice.
Slops of frost dripped from his bulb, leaving dark green bruises behind. I was going to hurt something. Gamer's Mind be damned, someone was gonna get punched. Preferably the gym leader in front of me.
"Now!," Violette called unrelenting, "Vive!"
Basil grunted as he took the quick attack head on as well. He fell back, shaking his snout where the surskit's little yellow horn had jammed just inside his nose. It was another lucky shot, and I wasn't pleased to see Basil lose an additional 54 HP on top of the damage he'd already taken from the ice beam. But Gamer's Mind was already soothing my panic and rage, and I could see from the shuddering that was quickly overtaking the bug's spindly legs, Basil's previous running around had paid off. The surskit was already paying dearly for its rapid attacks.
"Don't give it a chance to get away!" I called to my bulbasaur, determined to win regardless of Violette's unexpected move set. "Tane! Muchi!"
And goodness didn't it feel good to have someone else scrunch up their face in confusion at what was being said? I could see my father chuckling into his fist as I called out commands in Kanjougo; everyone else on the field practically had question marks hovering over their heads. But the damage was done, and surskit was jerking violently from side to side…
Basil's leach seed had hit the suffering water bug dead on, sprouting quickly to tangle around its legs and slow the creature down even more. Even better, it covered the bug's horn, preventing another round of ice attacks. Vine whip wasn't the most effective attack it the world, the power the grass move had over water was mitigated by the bug typing, but it did enough. Water type pokémon absorbed moisture from their environment, and all the water on the field was now tainted with a shimmering blue film. While not completely out of the battle yet, Violette's pokémon was clearly struggling to remain conscious. With the surskit barely able to keep its eyes open, it took several attacks straight to the face and Basil's HP slowly climbed back above fifty percent as leach seed drained energy back into him.
Violette scoffed at herself, holding a hand to her bandaged head before recalling the surskit.
"You spread the sleep powder in the puddles, didn't you?" she asked with resigned bemusement. "And arakdo ran right through them."
"I might of," I admitted. The videos the gym posted online had made it very clear that her surskit and masquerain pokémon were too fast to be caught without the opposing pokémon being much, much stronger. Over and over they'd assassinated all but the sturdiest challengers with their speed. I hadn't had that option with the Game's restrictions and chosen my new bulbasaur because his moves let him counter instead. The ice beam had been an unpleasant, and suspicious, surprise but the rest of her pokémon weren't nearly as swift and I was betting I could match them with the EV training I had done. I'd have to be careful for more unusual moves though, and I narrowed my eyes a little at the thought.
"It was well played. I'm glad you're taking this seriously. But let's refocus this battle," Violette reluctantly complimented as she released her second pokémon. It was a breathtakingly beautiful vivillon, this one stronger at level 16, with red wings that almost had an ombre effect to them, being a dusty pink at the body and deepening to a brilliant crimson at the tips. Spots of pastel yellow and tropical green dusted over the edges where the red color ended in a bar of black.
"It's stunning," I admired. Just because I didn't like bug pokémon personally didn't mean I couldn't see the artistic beauty of them. So long as they stayed away from me…
"C'est le motif d'archipel," Violette winked back smugly. "Aller!"
The vivillon flapped backwards to hover behind Violette as I recalled Basil. There was no sense putting the little guy up against a double disadvantage. Not when I had the perfect pokémon for the job.
"Tobio, i-ke!"
Like Delacour, Tobio materialized with a flap of his wings, hovering for a moment before moving to fly circles around the field. Stuck at level fifteen like everyone else, Tobio hadn't managed to evolve yet. It didn't matter, he was still enormous for a pidgey. Speed training had helped his wings spread further, and the weeks he'd been with me had helped him pack on some weight in the best possible way. Clearly more muscular than his wild brethren, Tobio was almost the size of a full grown peafowl now, minus the slender neck and fancy tail. His feathers had ruffled out, the crest on his head growing full pinions of orange and the ruff on his neck almost hid the sky plate strapped there. Almost.
I could see Violette purse her lips as it caught her eye and I fought a smug grin. I felt no guilt after the obvious TM move she'd used on me. She snapped a command to the vivillon, and it beat a quick gust laden with shimmering green powder that Tobio just twirled away from. The vivillon took off in fast pursuit, and my breath caught as I realized I had a full-fledged sky battle going down.
"Tobio, breeze," I spun to give my pokémon the command as he dashed by, the vivillon close behind. He cut left and up, nearly clipping the tops of the trees surround the field, and countered the butterfly's new blast of powder with a gust attack strong enough to blow it back in the bug's face. Unfortunately, it also blew it at me, and I scrambled to get out of the way. Lifting my shirt to cover my mouth, I could still taste a hint of zappy sweetness in the dust. I shot Violette a dirty look that she just smirked at. I could hardly blame her for using the same tactic back at me, but it was still annoying to have to deal with stun spore.
My sneakers squelched across the field as I dodged another counter-blast of the paralyzing powder, and I wished there was a way to use all the poisoned puddles melting around me. But both pokémon were in the air, and coming down would pretty much be the end of the fight.
"Psyko!" Violette snapped. This time I welcomed the feeling of Gamer's Mind pushing down my panic. Another move she typically reserved for battles against trainers with multiple badges. The vivillon's eyes glowed bright and pulses of pink light sped towards Tobio.
Tobio's speed training was well worth it, however, and while the wider pressure of the psychic attack pushed him off course he managed to stay in the air. Recovering quickly, he dodged around a second pulse entirely, spinning back over the trees.
"Flap 3!" I snarled, upset at yet another overpowered move in a beginner fight, and I enjoyed the sight of Violette bracing herself as Tobio raced high to obey. After Delacour's heated gusts, the order probably left her wondering, and she had her vivillon pull back. It was a great fake out for me, as all Tobio could do was unleash a gale of powerful gusts one after the other at the vivillon. Maybe later, if he learned Twister, Tobio would be able to add draconic energy but for now Violette's pokémon was lucky to endure only the air. It chimed morosely as it was buffeted, and Violette was clearly confused that there were no extra effects. It was nice that they had given Tobio all the space he needed to attack, though.
"Now, quick bite!" I commanded, and Tobio dove at the floundering butterfly, beak open and glimmering with power, aiming for a mouthful of gossamer wing.
I swear Violette screamed the same time the vivillon did, and I would have felt bad for using the tactic, if Violette hadn't raised the stakes herself with her high powered moves. A large tear opened up on one crimson wing as Tobio curved away to avoid any counterattacks.
"Hold!" I ordered him. As mad as I was, I didn't want to hurt the other pokémon more if I didn't have to. Tobio chirped in acknowledgement, going back to circling above.
Violette dashed forward as the vivillon, now with one wing shredded, flapped in vain to stay aloft. She caught her pokémon as it tumbled down and hugged it close to her. The panicked look on her face collapsed in relief as she ran one hand over the vivillon's wound. I breathed a sigh of my own; grateful it wasn't hurt that badly. It was a rough tactic, and as much as I wanted to win I didn't want to do it by permanently maiming someone else's pokémon. Violette whispered something gently and recalled the vivillion to its ball. Her eyes were closed as she took a steadying breath and nodded to the referee.
"The Champione Violette can no longer continue. Challenger Higashi wins the match," the referee called.
Polite clapping came from the sidelines, but I held off on cheering myself just yet. Letting a diving Tobio perch on my shoulders, I made my way over to Violette.
"Your pokémon will be okay, right?" I asked politely. There was no sense in being a sore winner, no matter what she'd done herself.
Violette frowned a little at me. "I had forgotten," she mused, "Just how rough pokémon battles could get in Kanto."
"You were tougher than I was expecting," I grumbled, not looking away. "Especially for my first badge."
Violette heaved a sigh. "I was a littler harsher than necessary," she admitted, "And only partly because I wanted to see if you were taking this seriously." She looked down at vivillon's ball with a rueful expression. "But you battled beautifully despite this. And it's better than being underestimated for having bug pokémon I suppose. Yes, it will be okay." I let a sigh of my own escape. "Prismillon wings are delicate, so they actually tear quite often.
"Though," I couldn't help but raise my chin a little in defiance at the glower she leveled at me. "I don't normally have trainers deliberately attack them. But I keep special medicine to fix it on hand. A few days and trip to the Pokémon Center and it will be fine."
She turned, shouting in Kalais at the referee for a moment. When he nodded she turned back to me.
"I need to see to my pokémon. I will meet you inside in a few minutes."
I nodded in understanding and she turned to walk away. Louis quickly jogged over as a girl from the camera crew came up, a large black video camera still on her shoulder.
"Pas d'interview s'il vous plait," he intercepted, causing both the camerawoman and me to pout at him.
"I actually don't mind you know," I tisked at him, my irritation at Violette bleeding into my response a little. Interviews had been a common addition to the gym matches I'd watched online. I'd rather been expecting it, and didn't appreciate being rescued right now.
Louis had the decency to look chagrinned. Tobio warbled at him in amusement.
"Juste quelques questions?" the girl bargained.
Stuck in between the two of us, Louis was looking decidedly uncomfortable as we both raised eyebrows at him.
"Deux," I compromised, tapping two fingers together in and out a peace sign in front of his nose. "And you can help me translate if you're that worried."
Louis hung his head in defeat, and I could see my father's shoulders shaking as he slowly walked up from behind my friend.
"Excellent!" she cheered at me. "C'est la première fois que tu te frottes à un defi d'Arène?"
"Is this my first time challenging a gym?" I checked with Louis, getting a pleased nod at my translation. "Oui," I answered the girl. "J'etais très nerveuse."
"C'est normal," she assured me. "Et ta mère? Grace Gabena est très célèbre mais elle est en état d'arrestation…"
I sucked my lips together, temper flaring again, and my father suddenly loomed over us all.
"Excusez-mois, mademoiselle, mais cette interview est terminée." My father's unexpected interruption made both Louis and the camera girl flinch. I merely frowned at the girl as she retreated with a mortified expression.
"I can't believe she actually asked about my mother," I grumbled as she scrambled back to the other people gathering up media equipment. None of them looked at us. I glanced at my father; he had an absolutely glacial frown leveled at the gym workers.
"She is very famous," Louis murmured, glaring at the camera crew himself. "It's been all over the news."
"And why you really shouldn't be talking to reporters," Patrick scolded lightly. "The League press releases have been very clear about the facts. Kalos' celebrity channels on the other hand…"
"I get it," I sighed. "It sucks but I get it." And I did. Grace Gabena was practically a feminist icon in Kalos. Keeping me safe from the media frenzy after her arrest had been the main reason Lt. Moreau had let me stay at his flat for nearly two weeks. No matter how much she might deserve her incarceration, my mother's fans just did not want to believe their idol was in the wrong.
"I just..." I gulped. "I didn't think they'd ask that at at a gym interview."
"I'm sorry sweetie," my dad wrapped an arm around me.
"Me too, dad." I leaned in, Tobio huddled in on the other side of my head. "Me too."
XYXYXY
If Violette knew about her camera crew's inappropriate question, she didn't show it as we reentered the gym proper. She stood at the gym's front desk, fiddling with the wine bag I'd brought earlier.
"I should apologize," she started immediately. "Il y a beaucoup de rumeurs au Mont du League. Et tu as aussi raté ta rencontre programmée."
Louis frowned, shoulders squaring at what was clearly an accusation and he drew a harsh breath.
"That's no excuse," my father cut in before Louis could say whatever he'd been about to, his eyes set in a fierce expression. "The Kalos League should know that the International League has issued very clear statements on the matter. There was no need to be so harsh because of baseless rumours."
Louis nodded, with a scowl cutting across his face as well, and Violette looked down at the desk.
"I accept your apology," I cut in, getting surprised looks from all three of them. Gamer's Mind had soothed my temper quickly, and I knew holding a grudge wouldn't get me anywhere. "The Kalos League is upset about what happened." I went on to explain. "I understand that. I am too. I accept your apology, but please realize this isn't my fault."
"Elle n'a rien fait de mal," Louis reproached. "She didn't do anything wrong."
Violette smiled sadly at him. "C'est une approbation très forte. I heard what happened in the forest. I'm sorry."
Louis fists and jaws clenched in unison. "Tu es censé être notre Champione. Don't be sorry," he grit out. "Do something. Like she did." He jabbed his head in my direction, still obviously angry. My father laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, nodding once. Louis returned the nod and turned to march out the front door of the gym, cutting off the gym leader without another word.
Violette watched him go with a sad expression. She let out a soft sigh when the door closed behind him before turning back to me.
"You have more than earned this," she declared, holding out a small box in a formal style with both hands.
It was blue case very similar to the one Professor Sycamore had given me for TMs, only with a durable clear melamine cover, with the same gold pokéball design embossed on the top. I took it from her with the same etiquette she offered it with. Holding the case delicately in both hands I used one thumb to pry it open. Inside, sitting on a velvet lining, was the Bug Badge.
Quest Update!
I ignored the Game window for now. Moving the case to one hand, I let myself stroke the delicate gold plating and green crystal insets. Kalos really did go over the top for fashion, even with something like the gym challenges. I shut the case with a sigh and bowed to Violette.
"Thank you for the gym battle," I offered, not sure what else to say to her.
"Thank you," Violette replied. "There are some things you can only see when looking through a camera's view finder. There are others you need to see with your own eyes."
She trailed off, and I let my father steer me towards the door.
+100 [REL] with Kalos League! You are now Unfriendly with Kalos League.
+250 [REL] with Violette Lepage! You are now Neutral with Violette Lepage.
I rolled my eyes at the Game alerts. The battle with Violette had left me with decidedly mixed feelings about the whole gym experience. And while I knew, objectively, that it was better to be on the League's good side… it was also really hard to care at the moment.
I pulled away from my father, out the door and toward my friend.
XYXYXY
Louis was almost halfway down the block back to the Trainer's Academy by the time I caught up with him.
"Congratulations on your victory," he offered without really looking at me. "Cette bataille a été beaucoup plus difficile qu'elle n'aurait dû l'être."
"All I hear is that you think the battle was very hard," I quipped, knocking my shoulder into his in what I hoped was a friendly gesture. "Was she that rough on you too?"
"No." He stopped to look at me with a conflicted grin. "She's usually much kinder to first time challengers." He puffed out a sigh and turned back to look for my father, who was catching up at a more sedate pace.
"Gym leaders usually have to …suivre un protocole for trainers according to the number of gym badges they have," He finished. "Your battle today was … not it."
"No," Patrick agreed as he came to a halt beside us. "It certainly wasn't. Something else for the International League to look into."
"Will they really just take your word for it?" Louis seemed quite skeptical.
I felt offended on my dad's behalf but the man just smiled serenely at the boy.
"Oh, they would if I needed them to," dad promised with a sense of not-quite-smug satisfaction. "But luckily that won't be necessary."
And with that, he tipped the lapel of his trench coat just so, and the black glass of a tiny camera lens became visible.
"Seriously," I deadpanned, giving my dad a constipated expression. "The League recording wasn't enough? You had to go super spy on me?"
Because he was, I remembered suddenly. It's one of the reasons mom was supposed to have custody, for all the good that did me now.
Patrick gave us both a small, knowing grin. It did nothing to reassure me.
"And miss the chance to record my only daughter's first gym challenge?" he teased, before turning serious. "With everything going on, I didn't want to risk it disappearing into the Kalos League vaults. Or from them."
Louis and I gave each other an apprehensive look. I knew some serious shit was happening in the region right now with Team Flare, but I'd never watched the anime past Hoenn, and the games had never touched on how deep their influence actually was.
"Now," my dad clapped, snapping me out of my musings. He stood beside Louis and I and took us both by one elbow each. "I believe you two mentioned something about Santalune Forest. Apparently the reports I received from the Kalos Ranger's Headquarters were missing details…"
Gulping hard at his ominous tone, neither of us protested as my father pulled us further along the road away from the gym.
XYXYXY
Dad was talking quietly to Louis and Mdm. Pierre in her office at the school. I sat at a desk in the classroom outside, idly stroking Loxley while pretending to fiddle with my phone. In reality, I was reading through all my Game alerts.
[Quest Alert!]
Kalos League Gym Challenge (1): Complete!
Preliminary Objective 1/2: Defeat Gym Trainer Kenneth: +100 EXP, +1 STR
Preliminary Objective 2/2: Defeat Gym Trainer Dannie: +100 EXP, +1 DEF
+1000 EXP, +€20000, +100 [REL] with Kalos and Kalos League, the Bug Badge
Hidden objective 1/3: NA
Hidden objective 2/3: Win a match with type disadvantage! +1 INT, +100 [REL] with Kalos League
Hidden objective 3/3: Win a match without taking damage! +1 WIS, +100 [REL] with Kalos League
Congratulations! You have earned the Bug Badge! Your level cap has been raised to level 30!
[Rare Item Discovered!]
You have discovered [Rare] Bug Badge! This gym badge announces to all and sundry your victory in Santalune!
This Badge automatically earns you the perk [Bug Out].
[Bug Out] Bug pokemon are more likely to appear! +10% EXP gains for all bug pokemon. -10% MP usage for all bug type moves.
Calculating deferred EXP …
Calculating…
Congratulations! You have leveled up!
Gryffin (Gabena) Higashi Level 17, 2460/2835 EXP to next level, €45896/375000
HP: 565/565
MP: 25/25
ED: 24/24
STR: 15 (+10)
DEF: 16 (+5)
VIT: 14 (+2)
DEX: 27
INT: 14
WIS: 15
CSM: 22
LUK: 15
AP: 42
PP: 12
New perks available!
[Firestarter] Fire pokemon are more likely to appear! +10% EXP gains for all fire pokemon. -10% MP usage for all fire type moves.
[Irresistible Fluff] Cute pokemon are more likely to appear! +10% effectiveness to cute type moves, +10% [REL] gains with female characters when cute pokemon are on your team
[Birds of a Feather] Flying pokemon are more likely to appear! +10% EXP gains for all flying pokemon. -10% MP usage for all flying type moves.
[Undercover] You're (mostly) successful at sneaking around. +1 to WIS, +1 to LUK, unlocks [Stealth] skill
[Sleight of Hand] You can pull anything out of that 'hat'! +1 to INT, +1 to DEX, unlocks [Deception] skill
[Flare Despair] You're Team Flare's new nightmare! +10% to all STATS when fighting Team Flare, +10% to REL gains for defeating Team Flare
[Winning Streak] You've beaten (5) enemies in a row! +€5000
[Winning Streak 2] You've beaten (10) enemies in a row! +€20000, +1 CSM
[Together We Stand] You've proven yourself a reliable companion! +1 CSM +500 to all REL, +10% to all STATS when in a [PARTY]
[Un Peu Plus] You can understand just a little bit more! +10% to [Kalosi]
[Navigator] You certainly seem to know where you're going. +1 INT, +1 CSM, Unlocks [Minimap]
[Against the Odds] You've survived against a nearly impossible number of enemies. +1 LUK, +1 VIT
[Dark Diva] Dark Pokémon are more likely to appear! +10% EXP gains for all dark Pokémon. -10% MP usage for all dark type moves.
[Buckle Down] Sometimes you just have to take it. +50 HP, unlocks [Shields] in [Equip]
[It's Official] You're officially an official trainer! +1 CSM, €50000, +5 pokéballs
[Play Nice] You've smoothed over a serious problem, even though it's not your fault. +1 CSM, +Soothe Bell
[Grass is Greener] Grass pokémon are more likely to appear! +10% gains for all grass pokémon. -10% MP usage for all grass type moves
[Spot On] You've spun a pokéstop 10 times! +50 EXP, +5 ED
[Poison Jab] Your opponent's not feeling so well. Wonder how that happened. +1 VIT, +1 INT
[Badge of Honor 1] You've gotten a pokémon gym badge! +5 CSM
[Compound Eye] You've got an eye for defeating Bug Pokémon. +1 WIS, +1 DEX, unlocks [Aim]
Loxley has leveled up! Loxley is now level 18. Loxley is ready to evolve!
Evolve Pokémon? [Y/N]
Tobio has leveled up! Tobio is now level 19. Tobio is ready to evolve!
Evolve Pokémon? [Y/N]
Delacour has leveled up! Delacour is now level 18. Delacour is ready to evolve!
Evolve Pokémon? [Y/N]
Zen has leveled up! Zen is now level 17.
Levi has leveled up! Levi is now level 16.
Basil has leveled up! Basil is now level 16. Basil is ready to evolve!
Evolve Pokémon? [Y/N]
Loxley was reaching for the window with one paw before I quickly pressed No on all the evolution options.
"No," I scolded him when he gave a piteous whine. "And we're gonna talk about how you even know to do that."
He chuffed at me, suddenly very pleased with himself. He deliberately looked at each game window still up.
"No," I repeated. "Later. You can't just suddenly evolve right now."
My father and the Pierres were still in the next room, and I definitely didn't want to have to explain why so many of my pokémon were out and undergoing a mass evolution. I didn't know if the Game would intervene to make others not notice, and I didn't feel like finding out either. The idea of something just manipulating the perception of everyone around was…
+1 WIS for considering your actions carefully!
I held back a groan at the sudden popup, my shoulders stiff in temper that was, as always, almost immediately soothed by Gamer's Mind. I swiped the notice away, and went back to petting Loxley with one hand with the other, pointedly ignoring the alert in favor of the Status and perk screens I'd been trying to analyze. The gain in Wisdom had also raised my MP by a point, but distributing my accumulated AP was still an issue I needed to consider.
I wasn't exactly thrilled to have [Bug Out] automatically assigned. I didn't plan on adding any insects to my team and if I wanted to fight them I had a dungeon full already. Having them show up more outside of the Infested Forest was not something I needed. Having that perk was going to be a giant pain, I just knew it.
I looked over the Perks again. The ability to cast Cure had absolutely distracted me from any of the other options before, being as wonderful as it was. And while I didn't regret focusing on my new magical skills there was a particular perk that I'd meant to acquire. I probably should have gone over the list again before now but being reminded of my level cap had grated. Badly.
I tapped on [Navigator], confirming the perk. The attribute points were nice but what I was really after was the new game feature.
Congratulations!
You have unlocked [Mini-map]. This feature allows you to have a more detailed view of the immediate area surrounding you. Details on the mini-map will become clear as you explore the world around you.
Please be advised that the mini-map can be affected by powerful forces.
Would you like to turn on [Mini-map]? [Y/N]
By powerful forces, I could only assume that there would be special times or areas where the mini-map simply wouldn't work. If it followed what I knew from Final Fantasy games, that would probably mean areas of extremely powerful enemies or natural phenomenon. Knowing my luck, it would go on the fritz and a legendary pokémon or something would show up. A shame I was nowhere near the Orange Islands, because Lugia was about the only legendary pokémon I would ever want to add to my team. But the feature was far too potentially useful to go without. The Gods only knew I'd needed it back in Aquacorde at the beginning of this mess. It would have been damned useful in Santalune Forest too. I clicked yes, and a new window appeared above me to the right.
Loxley perked up, sniffing excitedly as the new feature materialized.
Unlike the rest of the game windows, the Mini-map was round and the main color was a classic cream that made it look like an antique map. There was a tiny golden triangle in the center that I assumed represented me, and a little green circle right next to me for Loxley. The circular map was surrounded by compass points and a quick spin in place proved that the map followed whatever direction I was facing. Right now it showed the classroom I was in, little dark brown boxes for the furniture. Madame Pierre's office was blurred out, I guess because I'd never been in it, but three blue diamonds were visible, showing her, my dad, and Louis inside. Reaching up to tap on the map both enlarged it as well as centered it in front of me. Tapping it again sent it back to hover above me to the side.
My Heads Up Display might have been annoying, with my status bars and notifications, but this was one Gamer perk I would happily get used to.
Looking over the rest of the perks available, I pursed my lips. I still wanted to save my points for when better options came along. But the rough treatment at the hands of the gym leader had hammered home just how precarious my position in the Kalos League was right now, regardless of me changing my settings to easy. My relationships page had fluctuated like crazy over the last few weeks, with the disaster my mother had caused. I was still unfriendly with not just the Kalos League, but Serena and Shauna as well. I'd ended up neutral with Trevor again, but Tierno at least was holding (if barely) at friendly.
I clicked on [Together We Stand] with a sigh. Even with the bonus points it provided my Relationships Page was still a mess.
Patrick Higashi: Cherished 7500/10000
Grace Gabena: Loved 1750/5000
James Moreau: Well Liked: 1250/2500
Oscar Duval: Well Liked 650/2500
Louis Pierre: Well Liked 400/2500
Tierno Lifar: Friendly 650/1000
Trevor Cuvier: Friendly 100/1000
Shauna Rayne: Neutral 100/500
Serena Lapointe: Unfriendly 50/1000
Kalos League: Unfriendly 450/1000
Absolutely depressing, that's what that list was.
There was a new icon on the page, indicating additional pages for other relationships. Flipping through showed them to be other people like Louis' little brother Jean, who I was apparently Well Liked by, the gym Leader Violette I had just battled, and a whole lot of people listed as question marks instead of names with whom I was apparently Disliked. I decided that this was probably Team Flare and smiled meanly as I closed the window with a satisfied sniff from the fenniken in my lap.
The perk [Flare Despair] was oh, so very tempting at the moment. But it could wait.
Loxley's big gold ears pricked up as my dad opened the door from Madam Pierre's office, holding it for her and Louis. Louis mumbled something to his mother as they came back into the classroom and turned to hand my father a few papers. Dad folded them neatly into a brown leather portfolio that immediately disappeared into his trench coat. He gave Louis a solemn nod.
Then he looked up at me and his expression melted into a warm smile.
"How about I take you out for a victory dinner, sweetie?" he asked softly.
So this is the end of my pre-written stuff. I'm not giving up on this story by any means but updates will be a lot more spaced out from here on. Adult life sucks, work is draining, all that jazz. Happy holidays everyone.
Japanese is a little harder than French for the unfamiliar. "Kona" means powder, "tane" is seed, and 'muchi' is whip. "I-ke" is the command form of go
To P34644563: I use the symbol for euros, which looks like a C with two little lines through it. It's money.
DodemGM: Thank you! I'm glad someone appreciates all the names. It's something I really enjoy, but looking them all up is tedious at times. And yes, lots of things are changed around. This fic is a mix of the Game, the pokemon games, the manga, and the various anime. The franchise doesn't fit in with its own timeline so I feel no need to try.
yrew: I think I said it in a previous chapter, but everything thought to be normal instead of fairy before the fairy type was released is now just fairy. Adding normal types to elemental pokemon is silly. So in this Game, litleo are just fire, gyrafarig are just psychic, and azurill are just fairy. And gyrados and charizards will be the dragons they're meant to be.
To my Guest: Thank you so much! I also absolutely love the fossils in XY. (the ones in Sword and Shield are crimes against nature)