Draco: I've had this brewing for a little bit, and I decided I might as well give it form.
Here's the motive. Sinnoh is my favourite region for no less than five reasons. One, it's the first region where I actually became a Pokémon Trainer, and EVERYONE has fond memories of their first Trainer journey. Two, it is strongly associated with Pokétopia, which is the best pick-me-up in the Pokémon franchise. Three, it's strongly associated with the Ranger games, which consist my favourite spin-off series (Conquest is not a series). Four, a Manaphy Egg cannot be acquired in any Generation in which Sinnoh cannot be visited, and it is my most desperate hope that BDSP will provide a counterpoint that any Generation where Sinnoh can be visited has a Manaphy Egg to be acquired.
And five, there are events in which you can fight and battle no less than three Mythical Pokémon.
Even if only two of them were officially released. Nintendo doesn't pretend that the Azure Flute wasn't there.
Johto had a Celebi battle in Ilex Forest in Generation II. Kanto and Hoenn had access to Birth Island for a Deoxys battle in Generation III. Hoenn also had access to Faraway Island for a Mew battle in Generation III. Sinnoh had Newmoon Island for Darkrai, Flower Paradise for Shaymin, and the Hall of Origin for Arceus in Generation IV. Unova had access to Liberty Island for a Victini battle in Generation V. Hoenn has a plot-mandated post-game battle with Deoxys at the edge of space in Generation VI. Galar has a hard-earned battle with Keldeo in the Crown Tundra in Generation VIII.
I give Manaphy and Phione a pass because they're hatched from Eggs, so their story literally starts when you acquire them. I give Magearna a pass because it's an artificial Pokémon and it's given as a gift from an antique shop so that's a whole story right there. Even if you ignore the Azure Flute, I give Arceus a pass because it also got a sweet proof-of-creator event in Johto. And I can almost give Genesect a pass because it's entire premise is that it was developed and then abandoned.
But that still leaves Jirachi, Meloetta, Genesect, Diancie, Hoopa, Volcanion, Marshadow, Zeraora, Meltan/Melmetal, and Zarude with nothing as far as story goes. Diancie and Hoopa kind of get some bare-bones context in ORAS when you get the Diancite and the Prison Bottle, but it's not much. The extent of your story with Diancie is "it's a mutation of Carbink, it's capable of Mega Evolution, and two butlers want it on behalf of a kid who doesn't want it". And the only information you get with Hoopa is that it's got a #PowerLimiter on it, with no indicator of how or why or when. You have to make inferences based on external sources like the anime and manga.
I could write an in-game event revolving around an encounter - friendly or not - with every Mythical Pokémon in the franchise that does not receive one. And I'm not just making idle boasts, either; I have the basic groundwork for an encounter with every single Mythical Pokémon in the region they were introduced in, I could write them all if I lived long enough. If any single one of them existed in-game, I would enjoy playing through those events. But being as I am an author of literation (novelization, whatever), I automatically ask myself: "Would these events make for as interesting a story to read as they would be a fun event to play? Even assuming I took the basic progression and ran with it, as opposed to just writing a straight-up script?"
And I apply that to the existing events, too, not just the ones I've come up with. Let's take Generation IV as an example, and disregard "I have the desire" in favour of "I have the capability".
Darkrai is the master of nightmares in the world of Pokémon, and flexes that with the Member Card. You go to bed in Canalave, you wake up on Newmoon Island, and then you pass out and wake up with your Bag half-empty and your team half knocked out to say "no, that was not just a dream". I could probably make a terrifying encounter out of that event if I were so inclined. (I am not, especially considering I already have Dawn scarred by her encounters in the Distortion World.)
Shaymin's Flower Paradise is gorgeous. It's a peaceful, relaxing environment at the far end of the single longest walk in the world of Pokémon. There's a lot of potential for a nice, friendly story designed to inspire warm fuzzy feelings there. Hell, I could make a road trip just out of Dawn, Lucas, and Manaphy walking down the Seabreak Path, talking about the things they've seen and done in Sinnoh. (Except I don't know whether I trust myself to write a peaceful trip.)
The Hall of Origin... is literally just the Alpha's domain on top of Mt. Coronet. If you write a Greek story about a demigod climbing up Mt. Olympus to fight with Zeus, the story is about why he wants to fight Zeus and his whole climb up the mountain. You wouldn't start it with him walking into the hall and Zeus getting off his throne. I could maybe turn Dawn vs. Arceus into a good fight scene, but I couldn't turn Dawn blowing the flute into a good story.
So, could I come up with in-game events and battles/gift-givings for: Mew in Kanto; Jirachi in Hoenn; Meloetta, Keldeo, and Genesect in Unova; Diancie, Hoopa, and Volcanion in Kalos; Marshadow and Zeraora in Alola; Meltan/Melmetal and Zarude in Galar?
Yes; yes; yes, yes, yes; yes yes yes; yes, yes; yes, maybe.
(Zarude's idea is kind of in limbo until I get a little more information about anime events to make inferences off of.)
Could I write an entertaining story about each of those fan-invented in-game events?
Probably not; not really; no, sort of, maybe; yes, kind of, no; not really, not sure; sort of, TBD.
Do I WANT to write a story about the one I am sure that I CAN?
Because a friend of mine is very fond of the Diamond Princess, yes.
Pokémon and all related properties © Nintendo.
Part 1: A Whole New Look...er
"You've actually eaten at Sushi High Roller?"
Calem's bemused comment had Serena chuckling as the two of them walked down South Boulevard; it was late in the evening, and though Lumiose City only got brighter as the darkness fell, that didn't mean energy wasn't winding down. "What can I say?" she admitted. "I'm a sucker for fish and rice."
"Sucker enough to spend 500,000 pd on a meal at a classist restaurant run by Black Belts and Furisode Girls in a back alley?" Calem argued.
"Something being in a back alley doesn't automatically make it a bad thing," Serena muttered.
"Excuse me?"
Serena shook her head. "Anyways, I don't eat there regularly. I stop by when I want to treat myself. Like when I have a good run at the Battle Maison, or I get into a lot of fun fights at the Battle Chateau."
Calem scoffed. "The Battle Chateau really that much of a fun place?"
"If you wanted, I could probably give you a recommendation," Serena insisted. "Might do you some good to-"
She was cut off by a ringing from her purse; Calem was as surprised as she was. "That your Holo Caster?"
"Who's sending me a Holo Clip at a time like this?" Serena murmured, reaching into her bag. Drawing out the device, she held it before her and hit play, causing the message to project.
The image was a generic humanoid symbol, and Serena had a feeling she knew who had sent the message to her before the audio even played. "Hey, Serena? It's Emma. Could you do me a favour and come by the Bureau? There's a bit of a situation going on here. I'll be waiting."
Serena narrowed her gaze as the projector deactivated. "What's this about?" she murmured. "Emma's never called me in before."
"Uh, is this important?" Calem asked.
"It must be," Serena admitted, stowing her Holo Caster, "or she wouldn't have called me." She drew out her Roller Skates. "I'm sorry, Calem, I-"
"Don't worry about it," Calem assured her. "You've got something to deal with, go for it. Just let me know if there's anything I can do to help."
Serena nodded. "Of course."
She clipped the Roller Skates to the undersides of her shoes, and Calem watched as she started to dash clockwise down the Boulevard, her honeyed hair waving back and forth behind her.
+x+x+x+
Not half an hour later, Serena stepped into the alleyway connecting North Boulevard to Rouge Plaza.
She was fairly confident that Calem hadn't noticed her pass him by on his way to the Battle Institute, considering how much she'd been able to transform herself in that span. A quick stop at Coiffure Clips had turned the long hair cascading down her back into a bob of brunette locks; a pair of blue contacts hid her usually gray eyes so well that a stranger seemed to look at her from the mirror. Her high-waisted black outfit had been swapped out for a beige trench-coat dress, her black socks and high-tops had been swapped for a pair of white socks and brown saddle shoes, and she'd swapped out her pink felt hat for a white one, with a black ribbon that looked like half of a Poké Ball standing on one side in lieu of her in-case-of-emergency sunglasses (harsh sunlight wasn't kind to her eyes). Even the contents of her pink tote bag (or at least the important stuff, like her medicine and Holo Caster) had been emptied out and placed in a strappy black purse.
That transfer had taken up most of the time between Emma's Holo Clip and Serena's arrival; and she'd have to do it all over again when this was done.
When she had first been contacted by the detective who called himself Looker, and asked to serve as his partner, Serena had thought nothing of it. But over the course of his little 'training method', Serena had observed that people tended to notice when a well-known figure passes them by. Diantha visiting a café saw that café get a huge boost in popularity among people who wanted to see the movie star; Sycamore stopping by the Stone Emporium on rumors of Mega Stones found a lot of folks who liked smart types hitting up Vernal Avenue; and Serena, who had been the star of a parade after Team Flare's defeat, drew a lot of looks and set off a lot of furtive whispers when she skated by.
Now she understood why Lysandre, who had been convinced that he and Team Flare were doing the right thing, hadn't been helping carry out those goals himself. He was the head of the laboratory that developed the Holo Caster; with relatively few people who shared his position, who would agree with his ideals, his presence would have drawn even more attention to Team Flare's actions than they already had. By keeping himself confined to Lumiose City - and even within Lumiose City, usually at Lysandre Labs - the people who focused on him and the people who focused on Team Flare were two separate groups, until the instant he carried it out.
So how the hell was a girl who had been publicly awarded the Honor of Kalos supposed to get detective work done?
Fortunately, Boutique Couture had an excellent selection - and Serena was popular enough in Lumiose that she hadn't been stopped at the door for 'lack of style'. A Discount Coupon had afforded Serena an entirely new wardrobe, a Sunday selection had options that came together quite well, and a haircut, dye, and contacts made her look unrecognizable in the mirror. When Serena had stepped into the Bureau after they had received their first case, even Looker had assumed she was a new client, at least until she spoke (it's a lot harder to sound unrecognizable than it is to look unrecognizable).
Once Looker had departed, Serena had stowed that ensemble away under "just in case", gotten her hair dyed back, and told all her friends that a poorly-aimed Shadow Claw on the part of her Aegislash had ruined her hair, resulting in a lot of fun being made while she waited for it to grow out again. So on being called back to the Looker Bureau by Emma, for the first time since she had taken over, Serena decided in advance that she was just gonna spring for extensions this time.
...As she made to step into the Bureau, she really hoped Emma's 'situation' was something that required her detective work, and not that she had given unintended urgency to something mundane.
Draco: Gonna try and keep these chapters fairly short, but I'm not gonna write this like an event script; I'm gonna take it and have fun with it.
Yes, I will do the stupidest things for the sake of thematicism. Just coming off a run through Kalos as I start writing this, didn't buy any clothes from Vaniville to the Hall of Fame. Started up the Looker Episode, and decided to actually look like Serena was doing some detective work. Spent just about 500,000 pd at Boutique Couture on a Sunday and got that ensemble above (I did NOT have a Discount Coupon; I started this run half a month ago, this is the current point of a progression up from Generation III that started a year and a half ago).
I've come to set up a "canon" for the purposes of writing my fanfics that mostly amounts to who and what version, and I've written up at team for each. This is the first time I actually get to use one of the teams. Serena's team for the purposes of this fanfic is: Delphox, Venusaur, Aegislash, Aurorus, Lucario, Lapras. As for what events transpired... hold on, where's my Kalosian ramble.
[quote]Can you use the term 'is canon' when referring to game elements present in a fanfic? [...]
Generation VI: Serena did it, and I have a Distorted contortion of a neutral version planned out in my head. Long story short, Team Flare had been accumulating Zygarde Cells and Cores prior to the events of the game in preparation for use with the Ultimate Weapon. The scientists each have a 10% Forme on a leash à la Ghetsis' control of Kyurem, the remaining cells are a 50% Forme that will be used to power the flower (sorry), and there's an Assembly Unit in Lysandre Labs. Good engineers want redundancy, and Xerosic feels that they should have backup power sources. This leads to additional encounters with Team Flare units, an unhatched Yveltal, and an inert Xerneas. After having both acquisitions thwarted, Lysandre goes "frick it" and starts the game plan anyways. The 10% Formes are brought to Geosenge as the closest thing he has to a backup, so you fight the Scientists in Lysandre Labs without. Zygarde proceeds to summon the 10% Formes beneath the Ultimate Weapon, where they disperse into cells, the 50% disperses into cells, and you get a fight with Complete Forme.
Not sure if that should go as Xerneas/Yveltal did and have the catch be mandatory, be more like Primal Groudon/Kyogre and have the catch be optional, or go full Black/White Kyurem and have the catch unavailable until post-Hall of Fame.
Also, I don't think you could justify a legendary Pokémon in Santalune Forest, so I think this version would have to save the climactic Flare fights until after the eighth badge because the only other forest is Route 20.[/quote]
I don't know how much that's gonna be relevant, but better cautious than crushed.
