Hey everyone, not an update but don't worry, chapter 6 is basically complete and I plan on having it out in the next 2 weeks or so. I just want to make an announcement, be as transparent as possible, and get your feedback on what I've been doing so far.
First, the announcement! I have gotten the free version of Grammarly and have gone back and fixed some of the errors it showed me, along with rewriting some scenes to try and help them flow better. Nothing has changed with the plot, this was more about grammar and flow.
I also have an outline that's currently all the way up to Chapter 12 for this story before we go to an interlude as I plan out the next arc.
Additionally, thanks to all the people supporting me in the Land of Patrons, I should be able to afford the premium version of Grammarly in the coming months along with other tools, or possibly take some creative writing classes.
I say this because I want you all to know that supporting me and this story not only helps me justify and spend more time writing but also allows me to get tools (like the premium version of Grammarly) and ultimately make better content for you to enjoy.
Again, nothing I create will ever be blocked behind a paywall, but there are perks to being a patron. Like getting early access to chapters and updates, suggesting edits, signing the chapter before it goes out, or even voting in the direction one of my stories takes when I'm stuck on a decision. All of my supporters also get first dibs on creating any OCs for any of my stories when I request them.
Once I do get the premium version of Grammarly, I will go back through the chapters again and see what it shows/recommends and make some edits if I think it goes with the story.
Now, if you want to support me and this work. My username is 'Neptunerover' over there, but there is also a link pinned on my Twitter ' Neptunerover'. You can also follow me there, or join my Discord to see when an update goes live. Thank you for any support you do give!
Finally, I want to hear your feedback on the format of the story I've used so far. I mainly want to know if you want me to keep answering a couple of reviews at the top of each chapter? But also let me know if you want me to keep Ash's team along with their nicknames at the top of each chapter, get rid of it, or move it to the bottom?
There will be a poll on my profile at the time of this Author's Note for you all to vote on since this doesn't really change the story, and if you all do decide to get rid of me answering some reviews. My PM's are open, and I'll happily answer any sent my way as well!
To wrap this up, I want to say thank you for reading and helping me to continue writing this story. Any support you give means more to me than you can possibly imagine, and here is a snippet of Chapter 6. That should be live in about two weeks.
A bleary-eyed Ash made his way to the Pokémon Center lobby where he and his friends were supposed to meet Nurse Joy, who would then take them to meet Lorelei in the Executive Room.
'Why did it have to be this early?' He couldn't help but wonder.
He would've much preferred 7 am, but he supposed Lorelei knew what she was doing. One didn't make it to the Elite Four by happenstance.
Ash was slightly shocked to see he was the first one in the lobby and was about to take a nap on a chair when Amelia walked in moments later. Deciding to make small talk about the previous day while they waited on Dakota.
"Spoilers for Chapter 6 are spoken here."
Ash didn't know where Amelia had all the energy from, but before he could respond Dakota walked in with a 'hey'. Then before either of them could react, Nurse Joy came out of her office and greeted them with a tired smile.
"Good morning you three, if you'll please follow me, I'll lead you to the Executive Room."
The tired trio followed Nurse Joy in silence, not wanting to wake up the other trainers with their voices. The group came to a stop beside a wall, and Nurse Joy swiped her keycard underneath a painting to their right.
Ash absentmindedly thought it was funny, as he remembered seeing the same painting at the Pewter Pokémon Center. He had walked by it a dozen times, not realizing it was the catalyst to a whole secret section of any Pokémon Center.
He could only stare in amazement, as a piece of the wall was lifted into the ceiling without even a creak. Nurse Joy ushered them in, hitting a button behind them as they walked, causing the wall to soundlessly fall back into place.
The group soon found themselves in a hallway that had four doors, and Nurse Joy went up to the first one and knocked. A moment later, a tall pale skinned woman walked out leaving Ash star-struck.
He always had a slight crush on the Elite Four member but seeing her up close, Ash could only think she was way more beautiful in person. Her velvet-like red hair cascaded down her back in waves, and she had an air of confidence around her that screamed power and elegance.
Not to mention the black glasses, and her accentuating curves had reignited Ash's childhood crush for the esteemed Elite Four member. Lorelei faced the trio, giving them a smile that Ash couldn't help but return.
"Thank you three for being on time, you'd be shocked how rare that is. Now, let's get a move on, the only Lapras here is the one in my Pokéball."
The trio laughed slightly at the joke before making their way back to the lobby, and after snagging some hiking bars from the cafeteria, the group was following Amelia's lead back to the place where she caught her Feebas.
The sun was just beginning to rise by the time they made it to a clearing with a Waterfall. The trip there was relatively uneventful since Cerulean didn't have many nocturnal Pokémon. Despite that though, Ash spotted a couple HootHoot, Murkrow, and even a Golurk that immediately went back into a cave the group passed.
Regardless of his desire to try and catch a couple of the Pokémon that the group saw as they made their way, to what they had begun dubbing the 'Cerulean Cave', he refrained for a couple of reasons.
The first was that he felt it wasn't appropriate for a trainer to catch a Pokémon while it was sleeping, and the second being that he didn't want to slow down the group by waking the Pokémon or battling one.
Ash was brought back to the present as the clearing started to wake up and all kinds of Pokémon made their way to the small pond around the crashing Waterfall. Ash saw; Rhyhorn, Pidgy, Nidoran, Ekans, Furret, and a couple Deerling. He even caught a glimpse of a Munchlax and Squirtle.
It took a lot of restraint for him to not try and catch any of the Pokémon, but Ash managed. Following Amelia's lead as she took them around the clearing and its inhabitants. A couple of Furret and Meowth noticed them, but they paid the trainers no mind.
Ash took note of the small opening in the rock that was just big enough for a person before following the others inside. He was about to turn on a flashlight but stopped at Amelia's insistence.
"We won't need flashlights in a minute, there are some crystals that give off light up ahead."
The group nodded and followed her lead, and Ash had to give it to his companion. She had stumbled into quite a dangerous place and came out not only alive but unscathed as well. Ash spotted several Rhydon and a couple Rhyperior, a pack of Sneasel led by a Weavile, a Bronzong, and even a Walrein with a handful of Spheal accompanying it.
All of those Pokémon were known to be fiercely territorial & aggressive to outsiders, and Ash was glad an Elite Four member who specialized in Ice-types was with them. The group continued in the cave for another couple of miles and Ash had to hold in a gasp when they entered an area where the cave opened up.
The crystals on the roof shimmered and shined with ethereal light, reflecting off the water to create a truly surreal experience. He then noticed a quarter of a dozen blue Eggs off to the side with gray splotches randomly placed across them.