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Pokémon Legends Arceus Snippets

Umbramatic

The Ghost Lord
Location
The Yangverse
Pronouns
Any
Partners
  1. reshiram
So here as usual is a compilation of all my ficlets I do for my Pokemon liveblogs, specifically this time my Pokemon Legends Arceus liveblog!! It's a bit late because the postgame quest I desperately wanted to cover took FOREVER and didn't end quiiiiiiiiiite satisfactorily as you'll see, but it was still a ton of fun and I did a lot of fun experimental things with it, so I hope you enjoy:

Legends Arceus Snippets

legends_arceus_snippets_cover.png

Evithyan had no clue what she was doing here.

This being, Arceus, had approached her, given her an Old Earth cell phone touched by their power, and tossed her into a world full of creatures called Pokemon, in the body of a human teenager no less.

This made no sense. Pokemon were part of an Old Earth mythology. Humans were extinct. Vaespar had -

- She was supposed to be dead. Worse than dead. But she was here, in this strange land called Hisui.

At least these Galaxy people had taken her in. They almost didn't. That captain of theirs with the stony face almost tossed her out for her to die - again - so the Pokemon could pick at her bones. But she impressed them by capturing several of the creatures in those tiny magic balls they gave her.

There was one Pokemon she had acquired, the first. A "Cyndaquil", they called it. Evithyan had dubbed her Tanya. She was warm, and affectionate. She felt that they would go far together.

-----------

Evithyan was a strange human, Tanya had decided.

She seemed confused by things the other humans didn't, and she was unafraid of the wild Pokemon of Hisui, who had long drifted away from human and Pokemon Vows of old.

But honestly? Tanya liked that. Evithyan may be lost and confused but she has the guts to take on the tasks of that silly human organization and their "Pokedex" head on.

She felt that they would go far together.

-------

Evithyan was beginning to get to know these people a bit better.

She had done various tasks for this Galaxy society, gotten a start on capturing, battling, and studying the Pokemon of this land. Capturing a frenzied alpha Kriketune had earned her the respect of one pokemon called Wyrdeer, which eventually let her ride him.

(She could feel the Wyrdeer knew her true nature, but he was not about to divulge.)

She also had made the acquaintance of the Diamond and Pearl clans, Hisui's true natives, and their leaders, Adaman and Irida. They had constant religious debates over their chief deity Sinnoh, and whether its primary domain was of time or space.

Evithyan had met and even befriended enough gods to know that the answer was likely more complicated, and that the whole thing was potentially ludicrous and petty. But she wasn't about to tell them that. It was their religion, not hers.

At the very least both Clans needed her help - one of the Pearl Clan's nobles, a sacred Pokemon called Kleavor, had been whipped into a frenzy, and Laventon had whipped up a means to quell it. But it seemed powerful...

Evithyan had been relying on Tanya a good deal this whole time - she had even transformed into another Pokemon entirely, Quilava, which seemed stronger. But she also had recruited a scrappy Psyduck she had nicknamed Grace to the cause. Could Grace help against this "Kleavor"?

----------

Grace was a PIRATE. Sure she had been washed in a bit far inland but it was about the spirit, the swashbuckling, the ADVENTURE. And what ho! She had found a human just as washed up as she was!

They were about to fight a Noble, the humans were saying.Nobles have riches, more riches than anyone else. They were ripe for the taking.

She would just hope she and her new crew could pull the weight.

------------

This beast was more imposing than any Pokemon Evithyan had ever seen - even the Alphas couldn't compare. It glowed gold in a way that was eerie and unnatural.

She was snapped out of her observations by the creature letting out a buglike hiss and charging her.

At first all she could do was run, wait for openings for her to throw balms as the others had instructed. It hit her a few times, almost took her out at one point. But then she observed it colliding into rocks and trees trying to charge at her and being momentarily stunned, and she got an idea. She styarted luring it into position, getting it to hit itself again and again, until once it was particularly stunned...

She sent out Grace.

----

It was Grace's time! Time to plunder this golden noble's treasures! She swung at it, casting a flurry of bubbles from her hand...

And was met with a Stealth Rock that knocked her flat. She tag teamed to another member of her crew....

-----------

Tanya knew this wouldn't be easy. But fighting this Kleavor was an important mission for her Trainer. She had to pull it off... Or at least create an opening.

She hardened her body like a rock and charged into it with a Rollout. It roared in agony, then sliced at her with another Stealth Rock that ALSO knocked her flat. But she had succeeded in creating an opening for...

-------

Granfaloon was the legion. Granfalloon saw all. This noble was nothing to him.

He lunged past its axe-like arms and hit it square in the face with an Aerial Ace. It roared in pain.

Now the true opportunity was nigh.

------------

Evithyan tossed another balm. And another. And another. Until finally Kleavor's posture relaxed, the glow faded, and it gave her a look of utter relief. It rummaged until it pulled out a strange green plate, then handed it to her.

A strange reward, but she'd take it.

--------------------

Evithyan was met with praise when she quelled the Kleavor. She had finally earned Irida's trust, and her actions were celebrated back in the village.

A small child talked to her in the dead of night and was not so assuaged, however. She claimed an evil spirit had been let loose and its will-o-wisps needed to be collected. Evithyan did not trust this girl, but felt she had to deal with the situation and started collecting wisps, along with helping villagers with other tasks like rounding up Bidoof, using Geodude to make pickles, and finding out why Zubat doesn't have eyes.

She also met a girl named Arezu, who seemed a cheerful sort but seemed to want to have words with Kamado. Evithyan was considering seeing what was up...

Along the way she had captured a Scyther, who she had dubbed Gloria. Gloria was a rambunctious, bold sort - she'd fit in on the team fine.

------------

Gloria had no clue humans were such weaklings.

No wonder the Noble Kleavor she lived near had humans tending to him. The humans were acknowledging his superior strength.

Hmph. Gloria would be stronger than him one day. And perhaps this human could help. She seemed stronger than the others. Had bested Noble Kleavor. Carried other strong Pokemon with her.

Gloria and this human and her other Pokemon companions would forge a path to victory.

------------

Evithyan had met a strange girl named Arezu, with a strange request: To quell an Ursaluna in the Crimson Mirelands. Eviyan ended up needing to prove she COULD by stealing a sacred slab back from a group of thieves (and getting a Unown stuck to her in the process) but she succeeded in taming the beast known as Ursaliuna. But it seems her work was not yet done - Arezyu needed her help because Ursaluna's frenzy had been caused by another beserk Noble Pokemon, Liligant...

In the meantime there were two new developments with her team. Thanks to a rock she had acquired from a felled Graveler, Gloria was now Evithyan's own Kleavor. And she had also acquired a Teddiursa she named Relina - she suspected she was related to Ursaluna somehow...

-------------

Relins was the star of her clan, or at least she thought she was. The Alpha Ursaring that guarded them gave her a run for her money but she didn't like to admit it.

But now she was with these humans. They were annoying, but they could help her become an Ursaliuna, thus surpassing the Alpha Ursaring...

...Even though this Gloria, a Scyther who thought she was a better mighty warrior than Relina was, had evolved first. Hmph. She'd show her.

-------------

Evithyan thought the creature before her was almost... cute, at first. A graceful little dancer.

Then it lunged at her and she remembered precisely what she was dealing with.

It dropped from above and sent out pulses that wracked Evithyan's whole body even as she tossed balms. Eventually she fell to her knees.

No... no she couldn't fall here.

She got up, started leaping and ducking and weaving over the pulses. She and the Liligant were locked in a fevered dance, each trying to out-compete the other.

At one point it was almost too much. Evithyan almost fell again.

But she was so close.

A last, defiant flurry of balms. The liligan's posture finally relaxed,. Its glow faded. It bowed, and handed her a green plate.

Sheepishly Evithyan realized she should have asked her own Pokemon for help.

-------------

After Evithyan quelled Noble Liligant (and rose the research ranks some more) she got a new request - to aid one Pelina of the Pearl Clan in the Cobalt Coastlands. Evithyan found Pelina and two utterly adorable Hisuian Growlithe mourning the Noble Hisuian Arcanine of old. In an attempt to get to a volcanic island off the coast, she got a Dusknoir for a timid man named Iscan - who turned out to be Pelina's secret lover. But in taming the Basculegion Iscan tended to the Miss Fortune sisters made off with one of the Hisuian Growlithe pups, and Evithyan and Iscan were forced to pursue them to the volcano. Once there Eviothyan bested them, and the other Hisuian Growlithe soon joined her, having swam across the ocean it once feared to do so, and evolved shortly after. Evithyan's reverence for the creature's determination turned to horror when it was corrupted by the same force the other Nobles were. It was then the gravity of what Evithyan was facing sank into her.

These Nobles weren't being randomly afflicted. They were being targeted.

In the midst of all this, several of Evithyan's Pokemon had evolved, and she had obtained two new team members of note she thought she'd keep handy. One was a Petilil with a strange sort of sparkle to it and a more yellowish coloring than others of its kind, named Ivy. The other was a sluglike creature called Goomy, named Gwendolyne. They seemed like they'd serve her well.

---------------

Ivy wanted a peaceful existence in the swamp, extending kindness to others. But her kindness was often rebuffed. She was too yellowish, too sparkly. But this human didn't seem to judge. She seemed pleased by it actually. But this human also thought Hisui might be in danger. Was she up to the task?

-----------

Gwendolyne was the most steadfast guard of her little swamp of the swamp, and would defend it with her life. She hadn't counted on this human pouncing on her. No matter. Apparently this human was facing new alien threats to Hisui, and she'd take them head on.

------------

This was what hellfire was like, Evithyan decided.

The Hisuian Arcanine's flames licked and spat at her as it charged her repeatedly. The order of events became a blur. Several times the heat almost became too much.

No. She had fought through worse.

She charged it and flung balms as it charged its fire tornado, stunned it, and sent out Grace to attack.

-----------

Normally Grace would be pleased to plunder another Noble Pokemon, but this one had only just evolved and was ultimately a child. And she had a soft spot for children.

But if this would save rather rthan hinder the pup...

She blasted the Arcanine with Water Pulses. It roared, chained two Rock Slides into each other, blasted her away. She needed backup, and that had to be...

--------

Gloria had no conniptions about hurting this child. Gloria knew it was for the greater good at least, but Gloria also knew if she proved her might as a noble others would find her strong,

She slammed the Hisuian Arcanine with her Stone Axes, over and over, leavi ng an opening for...

----------

Relina was disgusted with Gloria. Doing this for honor and glory? Ridiculous. She did this to defend her team, her clan.

She Bulldozed the Hisuian Arcanine, bringing it to its knees, leaving it with an opening for Evithyan to hurl yet more balms.

----------

It was done. The light faded into the sky. Hisuian Arcanine was at ease.

Now Evithyan just wanted to get someplace colder.

--------------

After Evithyan quelled the Noble Arcanine, - and receiving guidance from what seemed to be the ghost of the previous one - she, Pallina, and Iscan went their separate ways, but not before she had to console Irida. Shortly after she went on a quest to nab lost satchels to earn enough "merit points" to get a special stone to evolve Ivy into a Lilligant - though one of a different color than the one she faced before.

Soon after she got a call (from a very odd man) to quell yet another Noble - a Hisuian Electrode. The Noble's warden objected to her intervention but Adaman vouched for her, even getting her to prove her worth in a battle against him, after which the warden begrudgingly obliged. Evithyan was shocked that Adaman seemed to respect her so much...

...And worried it was ill placed.

She had failed once before, after all.

Even if she mitigated the damage in doing so, It had cost her her life.

----------

Evithyan finally rose her research ranks enough to set out to the Coronet Highlands, assisted by an "adopted" Pearl Clan warden who came from beyond time and space much like she did - Ingo.

Her and Ingo set out to find a Pokemon called Sneasler, but Hisuian Electrode's warden Melli actively resisted help and impeded their progress. Nevertheless, they pushed on and found Sneasler, which Ingo loaned to Evithyan so she could traverse sheer cliffs.

Evithyan was impressed enough with Sneasler's prowess that she became determined to acquire one of her own, and eventually tracked down and caught a Hisuian Sneasel she named Gib. However she found that Gib would not obey her commands... She would have to find a way to earn her trust.

--------------

Gib was ABOVE a loser like this human.

This chump thinks she can waltz in, smack her with one of those weird balls, and act like she was the queen of this liveblog? Fat chance, the queen was her.

She was only four stars in her measly little research organization. FOUR. Gib knew that in order to be a real Gamer Girl you needed at least FIVE. Then maybe she'd listen to this "Evithyan."

---------------------

Evithyan felt like she had forgotten something.

She had captured several Pokemon, including an Electabuzz for her team named Barbra, gotten to a five star rank in the Galaxy Team, collected satchel upon satchel upon satchel to mget items to evolve Gib and Barbra...

...Oh right.

There was that Noble Electrode problem.

....Well, let's just get Barbra's evolution item first...

-----------------

Barbra wasn't sure what to think of these humans at first. They walked funny, talked funny, smelled funny, weirdos all around.

But she soon discovered they had one interesting secret: their technology.

The ball that had captured her was interesting enough - it was surprisingly cozy and could be exited and entered with ease - but there were all sorts of knickknacks and doodads she could toy with.

And as a bonus some of them were filled with tasty, tasty electricity.

She could get used to this.

--------------

What a strange, angry orb this was, Evithyan thought.
She didn't have long to ponder it. Said orb immediately sent electric shocks and its exploding brethren at her, and she had to dodge and run from them asd best as sher possibly could, a few hits causing her to almost keel over.

But when it let off a particularly big explosion - which Evithyan had to get very far away from- That's when it was vulnerable. That's when she sent her team out to fight.

-----------

Tanya didn't like the way this Pokemon was looking at her. And it was threatening her trainer and all of this mountain, so.

She let loose a Flamethrower that caused it to recoil and spin, leaving an opening for...

-----------

Barbra was in her element.

Delicious electricity, everywhere. Pokemon resembling the strange technological orbs humans had.

She had to beat them up, but oh well.

She had learned a new move from the human dojo from this at least...

She frosted her fists and slammed the Electrode with an Ice Punch. Then she did it again.

The Electrode listlessly rolled toward Evithyan for the final assault.

----------

Several balms later, the light possession g Electrode faded. It's permanently angry face paradoxically gave off happy relief. It dropped a Zap Plate for her in thanks.

Evithyan was starting to wonder what all these Plates were for...

---------

After Evitrhyan quelled Noble Electrode, Ingo revealed he had recovered some of his memories - memories of a world where humans and Pokemon existed in harmony. Adaman asked Evoithyan if she was from such a world, to which she replied "no" - her world was very different and had none of these Pokemon.

Still, a world where humans and Pokemon lived in harmony - was it possible? Could she, of all people, really achieve it?

In any case, the final Noble awaited - a Hisuian Avalugg, in the Alabaster Icelands. Evithyan and her team prepared for the cold...


---------------

Evithyan headed to the Alabaster Icelands, where she met up with Irida, Adaman, and a man with bizarre chest hair. The man with bizarre chest hair was initially unimpressed with her, but after a battle told her she needed a Hisuian Braviary to nab the Eternal Ice that would impress Noble Avalugg. To get the ice she would need the assistance of a Hisuian Braviary, under the care of one very tiny child named Sabi. Sabi led her on a chase through all the icelands, up to Snowpoint Temple, and then challenged her to multiple battles before she earned the right to use Braviary and nab the ice. Evithyan started getting her affairs in order for the fight ahead...

Along the way Evithyan picked up a Riolu named Hazel and a Hisuian Zorua named Luciana, who both quickly evolved. They would take some raising up to catch up to everyone else, but she felt they'd be valuable additions to the squad.


--------------

Hazel didn't get all this.

She was a simple girl, living a simple life in the mountains, until this human waltzed in. And the human's other team members were... strange.

But if there was one thing she knew it was that if something was broke, you fix it best you can. And something in Hisui was broken, and these weirdos were trying to get to the bottom of what.

So she may as well help.

----------

Luciana didn't know this human's deal.

Surely some wild Swanna chase chasing down these overwrought Nobles was a waste of her time. She was doing it out of the goodness of one's heart she supposed. Ridiculous.

She knew the only proper motivation to do things was spite.

That said, she was more than willing to stick around. Amusement was also valid, and this human and her team were most definitely... Entertaining.


------------

Evithyan continued to prepare for the fight against Avalugg.She started by getting Luciana's training to a satisfactory level - via fighting lots of Kadabra and assorted other Pokemon- before finding one Craig and giving him a Ponyta to establish a new camp in the Snowlands. She then gave a Croagunk to a Galaxy Team nurse to help cure backaches, upon which the nurse mused that a center for such human and Pokemon healthcare would be ideal.

Evithyan at least hoped they could get there, and felt she had at least taken a step in helping.

She also helped Arezu use Misdreavus and Kirila to experiment with new hairstyles.

She also discovered in another supply run tio Tao Hua he was holding a grudge with Choy over... Marrying his grandaughter?

Evithyan didn't get the humans of this world sometimes.

------------------


Evithyan marveled briefly at the size of this massive creature.

Marvel turned to terror as the creature started spitting snowballs and icicles at her in complicated patterns.

Initially, she floundered and flailed in the face of them, several times almost fell to them. But then she got better at dodging and ducking and weaving through the patterns.

Eventually, it fired a beam that had trounced her before. She leapt over it. And used the opportunity to send out...

-------------

Luciana knew this massive thing could probably knock her out in one shot.

She didn't care.

All she cared about was hurting it as much as possible.

She fired the Shadow Ball that did a good job of that, and when it floored her with a blast of ice she casually invited her partner in crime to do the rest.

-------------

Gib thought this Avalugg was chump change. The chumpest of changes. And no way was a chumpest of changes of a boss gonna hinder her or her team's progress through THIS game.

She lunged and clawed, and clawed at it in a Close Combat as her human partner continued to hurl balms.

---------------

Finally it settled. The Avalugg's glow ceased. It looked to her and dropped an Icicle Plate in thanks. Evithyan knew this was the blast Noble...

...But her work in this world didn't seem done.

-------------

Once Evithyan quelled Noble Avallugg she, Adaman, Irida, and the Wardens had a pleasant conversation, and Evithyan reported back to the village thinking their troubles were finally over.

She thought wrong.

The next morning red lights were pouring from the rift in the sky. This caused a strange change in Kamado, who lashed out at her, blamed her for this bizarre occurrence, banished her from Jublife Village, and forbade anyone from helping her.

Rei, Laventon, and Cyllene tried to help her anyway, as did Volo, who took her top an out-of-the way location that was home to a mysterious woman named Cogita. Cogita toldabout how the Sinnohs of the Diamond and Pearl Clans were intertwined, how space and time was falling apart, and how she must forge an object called the Red Chain.

Adaman and Irida were willing to help with this quest, but as to not arouse too myuch suspicion from Kamado Evithyan could only choose one of them to tag along. Eviithyan was especially torn - both of them had helped her so much throughout her journey. Ultimately, she chose Adaman.

Her Adaman And Volo went on a quest to the three lakes of Sinnoh, quelling the Alpha Pokemon guarding the Beings Of Mind and passing their tests. It was then the three camee together to forge the Red Chain.

It was then Evithyan got an emergency summons back to the village, for Kamado had charged up Mt. Coronet to fight a Pokemon that had been sighted beyond the rift. Cyllene reinstated Evithyan's rank and commanded her to go after him, so Evithyan prepared for the journey ahead...

In the midst of doing so, she met a man named Rye and his Lucario, and after a brief conversation they promised to battle each other if this whole situation got fixed. Evithyan hoped she could follow up on it - both for obvious reasons of saving the world and everyone in it, and because she sensed something interesting about Rye...

------------

Evithyan ascended to Mt. Coronet, where she prepared with the others before enteri ng a cave to the summit. There she was accosted by Beni, who revealed himself to be a ninja, but was quelled by Evithyan's team. Evithyan then confronted Kamado at the peak, and after a battle and help from Adaman and Irida they talked reason into him.

Deep within the temple at the peak, Adaman started hearing voices from his Almighty Sinnoh, or Dialga, who soon emerged. After a hectic battle Evithyan caught Dialga, who revealed it needed help with its frenzied sibling Palkias, who soon also emerged and forced them to flee. They regrouped and upon Dialga's advice set out to find Origin Ore, which the Miss Forune sisters briefly blocked them from getting before being trounced.

Laventon then used the Ore and the Red Chain to forge an Origin Ball, specially designed to capture Palkia. When they ascended back up Mt. Coronet to do so, however, they found Palkia had transformed into a strange new form in its frenzy. Dialga created an opening, and Evithyan stepped in to attack.

But could she really do this?

She had only ever befriended gods before.

Could she really defeat one?

------------

Evithyan hardly knew what was going on anymore.

This creature, a dragon god of space, was now more horselike in form - and was taking her head on.

Well she would have to respond in turn.

She started hurling the balms that Dialga had summoned at the beserk deity, who hurled meteors and pulses and waves at her. The pain from these attacks was immense. As much as she ducked and weaved through the blasts they all at least grazed her.

At one point it became too much. She collapsed.

Then she heard a voice in her head, much like Adaman did.

ARE YOU GIVING UP?

No, never.

THIS IS NOT YOUR WORLD. YOUR INTERVENTION IN IT WILL AMOUNT TO NOTHING FOR YOU. EITHER WAY, WHEN YOUR WORK IS DONE, YOU WILL GO BACK TO WHENCE YOU CAME.

Are you trying to say the people of your world you created don't matter? If they don't matter to you they matter to me. I will save them. They have helped me so much. And I already resigned myself to my fate, long ago. I don't care what you think or what you do - this will be my path.

GOOD ANSWER. RISE.

Evithyan suddenly felt a renewed sense of invigoration. Her wounds healed. She knew what she had to do.

She charged at Origin Palkia, started throwing balms like no tomorrow, charging through it's attacks. Finally, it broke through, the diviner being stumbled and wobbled, and she threw the Origin Ball.

It sucked Origin Palkia in.

It wobbled three times.

Then clicked.

Light poured forth.

The red lights in the sky faded and disappeared.

Evithyan sighed in relief.

It was over.

----------
After Palkia was quelled, and the world was saved, Evithyan and her companions reminisced. Kamado then proposed a festival, to which all gladly complied, but not before Evithyan mused on this Arceus that had helped her, had brought her here.

The festival went off without a hitch, and Evithyan had a good night and many pleasant conversations, with all involved. The next morning, however, she was awoken by another text from Arceus on her phone compelling her to complete the Pokedex, and Rei gave her a summons telling her the same.

Seems her work in this world was not yet done...

---------

Eivithyan was FINALLY following up with that intriguing Rye man, and the two had decided on a Lucario vs. Lucario match.
His Lucario seemed tougher, and stronger, but he made a vital mistake - he started by sinking his teeth into Hazel's shoulder with a Crunch.

:"Hazel, Close Combat!" said Evithyan.

<I'll show YOU who has more bite than bark!> said Hazel.

She lunged at the other Lucario and dealt a flurry of blows, sending him careening across the arena, at which point he collapsed. Eventually he got up, nursing his wounds.

<Hmph. Not bad.>

"That was a wonderful battle! Seems we need to redo our training, Lucario."

<We better.>

Rye turned to Evithyan. "Thank you for the experience. I can tell you've met many Pokemon, and that's helped make you stronger."

"It was fun!" said Evithyan.

"I think we'll test our skills in other places from now on. Let's meet again!" said Rye.

"Same to you!"

She started to turn away, but then Rye stopped her.

"Actually... I wanted to ask you. You fell from the sky, right?:"

Evithyan blinked. "Yes, I did. It was the talk of the town."

"Looking at your aura... It seems there was more to it than that. I see something that is distinctly human and also distinctly not. I se... A ot of trial, a lot of hardship, leading up to a singular, tragic end."

Evithyan paused.

Ryee's brow creased with worry. "What... What really happened to you? Do you want to talk about it?"

Evithyan continued to look down in silence.

"...I... I could probably afford to. "

She talked to him a good long while. About New Earth, and her quest to save it, and how she only delayed the inevitable at the cost of her own life.

It was the first time she had cried since coming here.

Rye was supportive, and as he talked to her Evithyan could hazard a guess as to why.

There seemed to be more to his story than met the eye as well.

If only Evithyan could see Auras.

-----------------

Evithyan had met up with Dialga and Palkia in Jublife village. The two had assumed human guises so as not to disturb the townsfolk.

"So you fell here through that rift," said Dialga.

"Yes I did," said Evithyan.

"And you were sent here... By Arceus?"

"Indeed." said Evithyan. "They pulled me.. From a place. Gave me a new body. Dumped me on the beach just outside of town. Told me I needed to capture every Pokemon species in this region."

Dialga and Palkia stared at Evithyan for a second, then threw their arms up and said in quick succession:

"What are they THINKING?!"

Evithyan blinked. "I presume you know more of them than I thought."

"Do we?" said Palkia. "He's our PARENT!"

"For them to pluck someone from across time and place for this specific purpouse... It's baffling. And concerning."

Evithyan paused. And thought to herself a bit.

...Why WAS she really here?

---------------

Evithyan's final quest before hunting down the Legendaries of Hisui was to locate one particular Spiritomb. So after some reading she followed a lead - the strange wisps the strange girl named Vessa.

Eventually, after an arduous journey across Hisui, she found them all. But Vessa revealed she had the last one. And after several odd questions she closed her eyes, opened them, and Vessa was gone, replaced by the last wisp.

Was... Vessa the last spirit, she wondered?

As she predicted, Spiritomb appeared before her. After a strenuous battle she caught it.

Vessa's last instruction was not to forget her. And she had a feeling.

So she named the Spiritomb Vessa.

------------

Evithyan walked up to Volo in the ruins of the temple, as he had requested. When she found him he seemed to be gazing passively off into the distance.

"The temple lies in ruins now..." he said. "Columns cracked and broken.... Like pillars now turned into spears, stabbing into the heavens..."

He chuckled. "Well I detect a distinct lack of Giratina."

Evithyan raised an eyebrow. Volo raised one back.

"Hm? Is something bothering you?"

"You're acting... A little odd," said Evithyan.

Volo laughed a little too heartily. "Ah, I do beg your pardon, I must seem to be behaving strangely!"

He nodded. "I daresay you deserve to know what I'm really after by now."

"What you're really...?" said Evithyan.


"Ever since I became convinced Arceus really does exist, there has been one question that consumed my thoughts..." said Volo. "How can I meet such a being myself?"

He started pacing. "It was in an attempt to answer this question that I originally sought out Giratina and had it tear open that rift in space and time..."

Evithyan's eyes widened. "Wait, you were responsible for the Space-Time Rift? The one that brought harm to so many people in this region? The one that stranded Ingo here?!"

Yes! After all, Girratina wished to stand against Arceus. But that didn't do the trick.... So then I had you gather the fragments of the all-encompassing deity, just as the murals of the ruins directed."

"Wait, thiis was all part of some twisted scheme?!"

He ignored her. "Eighteen plates said to be the fragments of the all-encompassing deity... You hold in your hands seventeen of them. So, you must be wondering, where is the last one?"

"Admittedly I am."

Volo whipped out a purple plate "Why it's right here!:"

"Oh you had it this whole ti-"

It was then Volo threw his clothes off, revealing Arceus-like attire (and an Arceus-like hairstyle) underneath-

"Now hand over those plates you gathered! I will be the one to bring them all together!"\\

Evithyan scowled. "Never."

"Fool! My desire to meet Arceus cannot be contained any longer! I need to know what it is! I MUST know what it is! "IF I can meet Arceuis itself, then I may also be able to subjugate its power... And using that, I will attempt to create a new, better world!"

"Wait, but then you'd-"

"Of course, if I create a brand new world, this Hisui region that we currently exist in will be undone and return to nothing. You, everyone you know, and all of the Pokemon living here will vanish in an instant, as if you'd never been."

Evithyan snarled. "You're Insane. That's omnicide. That's abominable! I can't let that happen!"

Volo laughed maniacly. "Well If you want to keep this world, then face me in battle!"

He grinned, a little too widely. "Not that you have a choice. Even if you don't wish to battle me, I'm not above using force to take those plates from you."

"And I'm not above using force to turn you into a stain on the floor of these ruins."



Volo laughed and sent out a Spiritomb. Evithyan sent out owo the Clefable.

"Owo, Moonblast!"

owo giggled and fired a n orb of fey moonlight at the Spiritomb, knockinmg it out instantly.

Volo laughed. "Cute! But your victory won't come that easily."

He sent out a Roserade, who immediately retaliated with an Agile Style Spikes followed by a Poison Jab, owo recoiled and staggered backwards in paqin.

"Oof ouch owie!"

'Owo, Return! Said Evithyan, swapping her out fpr Kronosal the Dialga.

<Hmph,> said Kronosal. <I've seen madmen like you before and I bet I will again.>

He exhales a plume of fire in a Flamethrower on the Roserade. Volo momentarily shows panic and quickly supplies a Full Restore to thye Roserade.

Evithyan scowled again. "You know what? Kronosal is right. I've met someone just. Like. You."

Kronosal breathed a plume of fire again. The Roserade retaliated with another Spikes.

"He was ruthless, ambitious, didn't care how many people he killed in order to become god of his new world."

A third Flametthrower took out the Roserade. Volo scoffed and sent out a Lucario.

"I dedicated my life to trying to stop him. I gave my life trying to stop him. And while I failed at stopping him for good... I won't make the same mistake with you."


Lucario flexed its muscles with a Bulk Up. Kronosal attempted to Flamethrower it but its thick muscles blunted the effect of the flames.

Volo laughed. "You talk the talk, but can you back up those words of yours?"

Lucario lunged into Kronosal with a Bullet Punch Close Combat combo, taking him out. Evithyan flinched, but maintained her scowl.

"If you think I'm done yet you're sorely mistaken."

She sent out Biolepta.

<Guess I'm cleaning up my brother's mess again,> said Biolepta. <Tally ho!>

She breathed her own Flamethrower, finally taking the Lucario out.

"Bah!" said Volo. "Stop trying to resist!"

He sent out a Togekiss, who caused Biolepta to buckle from a Moonblast.

"I'll stop resisting when I've crushed you utterly and completely," said Evithyan.

She sent out Franziska the Alpha Overquil.

<Foolish fooling fool!> said Franziska.

She rammed into the Togekiss with her poison spines in a Barb Barrage. The Togekiss retaliated by comboing an Agile Style Moonblast into a normal Moonblast, but another ramming from the spines grounded it.

Volo snarled. "Idiot! I still have the upper hand!"

He sent out a Garchomp, who lifted the ground beneath Franziska in an Earth Power, knocking her out.

Evithyan grinned. "I see your Garchomp and raise you mine."

She sent out chadette the Alpha Garchomp.

<Aw man bro can't we resolve this peacefully?> said chadette. <Like with sports and flexing muscles at each other and stuff?>

"This man is trying to destroy the world, chadette!>

<Oh. That's bad bro. Well then. Power hug!>

She embraced the other garchomp while wreathed in dragonfire and slammed it into the ground, instantly knocking it out.

Volo stomped his foot. "Blast it! I still have one more!"

He sent out a Hisuian Arcanine, who immediately bit into chaddete with a Crunch.

<That tickles dawg!> said Chaddete.

As the Arcanine continued to chew ineffectually at chjadette with more Crunches, Evithyan fed Max Revives to Kronosal and Franziska, restoring their vitality.

Finally, Chaddete scooped up the Arcanine and slammed it straight into an Earth Power, KOing it instantly. Volo's face contorted in rage as he screamed.

"Why? Why you? Why do you have the blessing of Arceus? Why? How?!"

He stomped his foot again. "I've devoted myself to Arceus beyond any other! I worshipped it as the creator of our entire world! I bent all of my passion and interest to its study! All that time I spent pouring over the legends, everything that I've done..."

He screamed to the heavens. "You outsider! It's almost as if you were spat out of the space time rift just to get in my way!"

"Well maybe I was!" said Evithyan."Either way, I intend to see that through, regardless of YOUR life or limb!"

Volo shook his head. "No...No this isn't finished yet! Can't you feel it? The chill creeping through your veins - the eldritch presence icing your heart?"

Evithyan paused. To her horror shje felt exactly what Volo, in his mad ramblings, was describing.

Then there was an unearthly roar.

Deep shadows formed behind Volo, and from them emerged a fearasome wyrm of massive size, with gold armor plates and scarlet and gray stripes.

"Giratina! Strike her down!" yelled Volo.

Evithyan snarled. "You too would use a fallen god against me? You are really just like him! I'll KILL you!"

She sent out owo again, still battered from the last battle.

<Woah lady, chill.> said Giratina.

He disappeared into darkness and lunged from beneath owo in a Shadow Force, knocking her out.

"Ha!" said Volo. "You can't stand up to this!"

"Incorrect!" said Evithyan. "Me and my team, we're still standing! We're still fighting!"

She sent out Relina the Ursaluna.

<Hmph... Dishonorable.> said Relina. <Let me put you in your place.>

Relina tore into Giratina using an Agile Style Shadow Claw, while Evithyan quickly fed a Max Revive to owo.

<That stung dude,> said Giratina.

He spat an Agile Style Aura Sphere into Relina's face. And then another into her side.

"It'll take more than that to fell me!"

She lunged and pummeled Giratina with a Strong Style Play Rough. Giratina squirmed, but knocked her off with a third Aura Sphere, knocking her out.

"owo, get back in there!" said Evithyan.

<Sure thing uwu> said owo.

<How did you do that with your mou-> Giratina started to say, before a Moonblast hit him the face, causing him to collapse!

"Did we- " Evithyan started to say.

It was then Giratina's neck craned back in a roar, and shadows enveloped him before dissipating to reveal a new, more serpentine form.

<Time for sicko mode dudes!> he said.

"Ha!" said Volo. "Giratina won't be defeated so easily!"

"Then we'll just defeat it again!" said Evithyan.

Giratia lunged in a Shadow Force, but owo stepped out of the way, only to be hit by a second. She attempted an Agile Style moonblast but Giratina dodged in turn before ramming her with a third Shadow Force, toppling her over into a knockout.

Evithyan sent out Biolepta, who looked at Giratina with baleful eyes

<Brother, why are you doing this? Why are you working with this creep?!<

She tore the space around Giratina for a Spacial Rend. Evithyan used the distraction to feed a Max Revive to Relina, who quickly got to her feet.

Giratina scowled at Biolepta. <Our parent knows what they did sis.>

Biolepta narrowed her eyes. <Wait, is this about your->

Her sentence was cut off by Giratina sinking his tendrils into her for a Dragon Claw, causing her to scream and topple over unconscious with a thud.

"Even other gods can't stand before it!" said Volo.

"Shit... said Evithyan. "Relina, get back out there!"

"This time stay down!" said Relina.

She went for a Agile Style Play Rough, but Giratina slithered to the side. She attempted it again only to get the same result.

<I could say the same to you bruh,> said Giratina.

He unloaded a pair of Aura Spheres into her side, sending her skidding to Evithyan's feet, unconscious.

Evithyan gritted her teeth. Her options at this point were limited. She had/ to consider her options carefully.

She thought back to the one who had helped her against his maddened, frenzied sister. He could stand a chance.

"Go Kronosal!"

Kronosal was sent out, and glared at Giratina.

<Brother, I am very disappointed in you.>

<You never got my issues bro. You, parent, Palkia, Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf...>

<I love you Giratina, and I try to understand you. We all do. But it is still my duty to intervene when you make bad decisions.>

He reared up.

<And this bad decision ends now.>

HE roared, a roar that rippled through time - an Agile Style Roar Of Time even. And Giratina finally collapsed to the floor before weakly raising his head.

<I'm... I'm sorry guys...>

And he slithered weakly away into the sky, off in the distance toward the Cobalt Coastlands.

"Turning tail and running? From this puny HUMAN? Pathetic! " screamed Volo after him.: "I was the one to feed you the power you needed so you could take on Arceus! I was the one who gave you the chance to claw op[en that space time rift, driving the deity of space and the deity of time mad so that you could drag the creator from out of hiding!"

He shook his head. "How? How could this happen?! Almighty Arceus if you have any heart within you, then tell me... The blood of the ancient Sinnoh people flows in my veins, does it not? What is it, then, that you find so lacking in me?!"

"Arceus sees you're a monster." said Evithyan, brandishing Chadette's Pokeball. "Now give me one good reason I shouldn't have Chadette rip your throat out right now."

Volo kept staring, ignoring her. "Do you mean to tell me the whole world doesn't need to be remade?"

Evithyan stared, blinkfeed, and quietly lowered the Pokeball.

"I can't live with such questions..." said Volo. "I can't bear not satisfying this ache to know!"

He turned to Evithyan. "Answer me, Evithyan. Do you have some dream that propels you, as I've had?"

Evithyan thought for a bit. "...Yes. Yes I do. Bring peace and happiness to the people of this region so that I may succeed where I failed before."

"So you do..." said Volo. "Doubtless that dream of yours would never leave room for the dreams of one like me..."

"Of course not." said Evithyan, scowling.

"I am the great wielder of Pokemon. And you... You battle alongside your Pokemon." said Vaespar. "In the end, I was alone... But not you. You will fight together with Pokemon to seize whatever dreams you may have."

Evithyan paused. "Yes... My team got me here. They got me past you."

Volo sighed and walked over to Evithyan. "Here. Take it...Take the plate that started me on this path the plate I once received from Giratina. My journey is over. My story ended when I lost to you."

He handed over the Spooky Plate. Evithyan quietly put it in her bag.

"I suppose now you've gathered all of the plates said to exist in this land of Hisui," said Volo.

Suddenly something started glowing and shaking in Evithyan's bag. She reacherd in and found it was the Celestica Flute, which stretched and twisted into a strange, lumpy, ocarinba-like shape. Evithyan stared at the result in shock.

"What... What is..?"

Volo looked on in shock. "So that's... The Azure Flute/ Heh. It comes to you."

He pondered to himself. "So Arceus wishes to meet you... Of all people, you were the one.... Is that why you were brought to this world?"

Evithyan paused. "...Perhaps.I'd have to meet them myself to confirm."

Volo shook his head. "Gah! I've no desire to watch from the sidelines as Arceus comes to you! And I absolutely cannot accept a world in which you would ever manage to defeat Arceus..."

He started walking off.

"Someday I'll solve every riddle in the legends of Hisui's Pokemon. And on that day, I'll stand before Arceus at last- no, I will conquer it! No matter how many years, how many decades, how many centuries it takes me!"

As he walked off rambling into the distance, Evithyan stared after him, Azure Flute in hand.

...He's a very strange, dangerous man. But at least momentarily he saw more reason than Vaespar ever did.

...Momentarily.

...Maybe I should have killed him when I had the chance.


------

Volo was wandering down the mountain, crushed from his defeat, when Giratina floated in front of his path. He scowled at the massive serpent.

"You! What were you DOING back there! Running away from a mere chil-"

<Listen dude,> said Giratina. <I've been thinking.>

"That's new for you!"

<That girl like. She was pretty tough. And her convictions were like, pretty impressive you know? And like, thinking about it she's right, Your plan to reset the universe is gross dude. I don't think I'm gonna let anyone get away with it ever again.>

Volo spat. "We had a DEAL, Giratina!"

<Listen I don't think you committing omnicide is worth getting my weed back from Parent.>

Volo stared. His eye twitched. <THAT was your rebellion against Arceus? You USED me? For WEED?!"

<Yeah Arceus confiscated my stash a few hundred years ago. Been mad about it ever since until that kid knocked some sense into me. I think I'm gonna be like her. Protect the Hisui region and shit.>

"But we were supposed to conquer Arceus together!"

<Cool story bro. See you around.>

He flew off, continuing to the Cobalt Coastlands

Volo stared off after him for a while before letting out a long, agonized scream.

----------

In Jublife Village, Evithyan stared at the Ultra Ball she was holding. She has recently fought Giratina a third time and caught him. But his attitude seemed to have changed... She wanted to find out more.

She released him from the Ultra Ball, and he immediately shrunk down to a more humanlike form to avoid terrifying the townspeople.

"Sorry about that display on Coronet dudette," he said. "I was angry and not thinking straight. I'm not letting anyone like that get their way again."

"It's quite alright," said Evithyan. "I understand."

Giratina sighed. "I just wish I had my weed."

Evithyan blinked. "Oh! I have some of Melli's. I stole it from him to get back at him for that one time."

She handed Giratina a joint. His eyes lit up as he took it and took a huff.

"Oh this is WAY better than the stuff Parent confiscated."

He nodded.

"Yeah I can feel it. This protecting Hisui business. It's gonna be the right choice dudette."

Evithyan laughed.

From behind a tree a humanized Dialga and Palkia facepalmed.

--------
Evithyan walked up to the altar in the ruined Coronet temple. She looked around, as if waiting for something to happen.

And something did happen- noise bgan emanating from the Azure Flute. Evithyan pulled it out of her bag and began to play it.

Before her eyes, to her shock, a set of glowing stairs began to form and ascend, going up, and up, and uop....

Hesitantly, she began to climb them.

--------------

Eventually, she reachjed the top. There was an arena, in a mystical space, with strange runes carved into its surface.

She looked around... No one in sight...

Then she turned around, and then there was Arceus.

Her Arc Phone rumbled. It morphed into a strange orb of light.

Then Arceus attacked.

Evithyan rolled and dodged, and flung the strange orbs at Arceus, but she couldn't make a dent, and Arceus' pulses and meteors struk her repeatedly. Still, every time she got knocked down, she got back up.

"I'm so close..."

The two danced in a frantic frenzy, Arceus brining Evithyan to her knees over and over.

"I can't give up here..."

Arceus' energy burned at her body and soul. She finally collapsed.

:"No... No... This can't end here... Hisui needs me... I... I can't fail again..."

The assault stopped. Evithyan looked up to see Arceus had extended a hopof to her.

<Arst thou- Ech, enough of the Shakespeare stuff - Are you OK?>

Evithyan unsteadily got to her feet. "Why... Why are you..."

<Listen, I know what it's like to beat yourself up about something. You've proved yourself more than enough.>

"...I have?"

<Yeah! Well, like, you couldn't beat my final challenge, but look at you go girl! You did what I asked and got all Pokemon! You saved Hisui twice! You should be proud of yourself!>

An iridescent green gem materialized in front of Arceus, which opened to reveal a laptop computer.

<And it made for some great liveblogging, fics and art!>

Evithyan blinked. "Made for some what?"

<See I drew things and wrote things and made commentary about your journey to show all the other Arceus! Usually I use a vessel to do that but I figured you could use a second chance.>

"You... Wanted to help me?"

<Yeah! Your job's not over in your world, but I figured this would be a fun detour.> They winked, then their expression softened. <Don't be afraid to fail sometimes, Evithyan. If you work it right, failure just means new paths to walk down.>

Evithyan paused, then nodded. "...I see. Thank you."

<You're welcome! Now go back to helping Hisui. You'll know when it's time to go back to your own story.>

Evithyan perked up. "I will!"

She descended her stairs, new vigor in her heart.

Arceus resumed typing on their computer.

----------

Evithyan disappeared from Hisui one day.

A massive search party, human and Pokemon, was made to find her, but turned up nothing. It was ascertained that she had finally found a way home.

Hisui continued to grow, and build, and thrive, but always remembered her actions. Her name went down in history.

And one held on to his memories of her in particular.

------------

"You kids get off my lawn! I don't got time for you!"

The children in the Diamond Clan village giggled, running away from Adaman shaking his cane. When they were gon Adaman turned to a man across the way.

"Melli! Keep your grandkids in line!"

"But Adamaaaaaaaaan," said the elderly Melli, they need to be themselves!"

"Says the person who needs to be LESS himself!" said Adaman.

He decided not to focus on Melli for now, hobbling to the edge of the village and looking off at a busrtling large town in the distance.

"That Jublife village is really gotten to be a Jublife City... Bah. Time's getting away from me. I can't make sense of any of this modern stuff. If only Evityan were here. She'd fix everything. She always did."

"I'm right here Adaman," said a voice.

Adaman whipped around as fast as his old legs and back were able to find Evithyan standing before him. She looked different - she was older, taller, more ethereal, with a white cloak and strange markings on her face- but Adaman could still tell it was her.

"Evithyan! It's you! It's really you! You're finally back, after all these years! Oh, I've got to tell Irida, she'll be so happy to see yo-"

"Adaman, things changed in the world I'm from. We finally won... But I can still only linger here so long..."

"But - no, wait, you can't go, so many people are still kicking and will want to see you-"

"Your descendants... All of your descendants... Take care of Hisui - no, Sinnoh forme....:"

"I... I will;. I'll pass that mantra down. To everyone."

"Thank you... Adaman... Goodbye..."

"Wait, Evithyan, please, don't g-"

Too late. She was gone. Adaman stared blankly at where she was. Melli hobbled over.

"You were making a racket! Just who were you talking to anyway?"

Adaman was silent for a good long while before letting out a sigh.

"...Just. Myself, I guess."

***
 
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Chibi Pika

Stay positive
Staff
Location
somewhere in spacetime
Pronouns
they/them
Partners
  1. pikachu-chibi
  2. lugia
  3. palkia
  4. lucario-shiny
  5. incineroar-starr
>tfw god has been liveblogging your quest

e3rK6oi.png


(For Smeargle Swap!)
 

Blackjack Gabbiani

Merely a collector
Pronouns
Them
Partners
  1. shaymin
  2. dusknoir
I got you for catnip!

Ok, first off. This is going to be a bit uncomfortable and I'm sorry. I legitimately don't know what to say at so much of this. I feel like I'm a beta reader looking at an outline rather than a reader reviewing a finished product.

Stuff I liked were Barbra's attitude (I, too, am motivated by food and punching), and Arceus being a petty bastard. Those were cute. Trying to relate to Dialga and Palkia was nice as well, and I wanted to see more stuff like that, with the characters being characters.

But...the entire main story is structured as "this happened, then this happened, then they went here". Important characters pop out of nowhere never having been mentioned before and the story expects us to act as though they've been here the whole time. Major events are glossed over with no emotional impact. Our main character thinks pokemon are only legends, ones she's not even that familiar with, and yet somehow knows enough to recognize Hisuian forms versus the default forms. Humans are long dead but she makes a Castlevania reference.

We're told she's met gods before, but we're given no details about her prior adventures, even though they're apparently highly important. Also if she's not human, what *is* she? I don't think we ever find that out.

Then suddenly when it hits the post game, we get something more approaching a regular story, but even then there's very little emotion or impact in it. We never got to know anybody, so Volo's betrayal has to rely ENTIRELY on emotions we would have had from the game itself to carry it. The actual confrontation is just a back and forth of moves and the biggest emotions come from characters we just met.

And Giratina's entire banishment being reduced to a weed joke falls utterly flat.

The scene with Arceus just...As I said I like that Arceus is a petty bastard who uses people for its own amusement, but I get the feeling that we're supposed to see this as harmless.

So, Evithyan leaves, then somehow comes back for a moment decades later, and this isn't explained either. Does this tie in with her future tech? With her befriending other gods? We're never told.


This story needs more detail, more characterization. Flesh things out, tell us more about Evithyan and her history, her people since they're not even human, how she knows about pokemon as legends, things like that. Dropping us into things can be done well, but generally, explanations have to happen eventually, even if we never get a full picture. As I said, when characters can be characters, doing things and relating to others, that was better, but it happens so rarely that we can't really understand them *as* characters. If there could be more of that and less "they did this, then this, then this", it would be a lot better. I feel like you can do it and I'd like to see a more fleshed out version of this story that addresses those issues.
 

Umbramatic

The Ghost Lord
Location
The Yangverse
Pronouns
Any
Partners
  1. reshiram
@Blackjack Gabbiani Hey! Thanks for your review! I just want to re-emphasize the "snippets" series are spinoffs of my liveblogging projects which do have a bit more context attached, and the Snippets are merely condensed spinoffs of those. That said I can understand the condensed, detached nature not working for everybody - as it didn't work for you here. That said again.... I'm not entirely sure what to do about it aside from adapting the liveblogs into full-on journeyfics which would be. An endeavor. But I'll work on it. Try to see if I can sprinkle in more context next time here and there for a more satisfying experience. Thanks for your feedback!
 

Blackjack Gabbiani

Merely a collector
Pronouns
Them
Partners
  1. shaymin
  2. dusknoir
Well, how do the liveblogs differ from the snippets? They're more fleshed out or something? Maybe we could help.
 

Adamhuarts

Mew specialist
Partners
  1. mew-adam
  2. celebi-shiny
  3. roserade-adam
Here for catnip. Just finished reading this story and before I even get into it I'd like to put a disclaimer that this story isn't quite my thing due to its format. I've also not played Legends Arceus. Everything I know about that game is through osmotic exposure from seeing conversations surrounding it, so my thoughts on it will be skewed by that.


To start off, I wasn't really sure how to review this story. Liveblog, to be more precise. It's not really written with a proper narrative to follow. Most of the story is snippets of game events and several characters being introduced in such a short time frame. The way this story is written makes it difficult to connect to the protagonist and her pokemon because neither were really given the breathing to develop and for the reader to care about them.


The story also takes a sudden shift towards the end where it does begin to feel like a proper chapter, but this is the point where lack of familiarity with the source material hurts the story. I couldn't bring myself to care much about Volo and this sequence because I know little about this guy or the protagonist to be invested. The strange slang tongue used by the legends and attempts at humor didn't quite stick the landing with me either, and made me confused whether or not I should be taking the sequence seriously.


Overall I don't think the idea behind this story is inherently bad. There's nothing wrong with a live blog style story, but I think a better way to go about it is something like a journal entry fic split up into multiple chapters and not all condensed into one.
 

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon
Time for more Snippets!! I enjoyed reading through your last Snippets series, and this one is no exception. It helps that I've played through PLA myself, and reading about Evithyan's trip through Hisui reminded me of my own. It was fun to follow along and see where her journey differed from mine.

I'll admit, I don't know much about Evithyan's backstory, but from the bit of lore I remember about Vaespar I can piece together a bit more context outside of what little hints you drop throughout the Snippets fic. I do appreciate that you take the generic PLA protag and make her interesting. Pokemon game protagonists are always a little too milquetoast for my tastes, so seeing Evithyan come into Hisui with her own history and backstory and have that play a role in the way she interacts with the denizens of this region makes it fun to read. It leaves me wondering about Evithyan and how things play out with her story, not just with her story in Hisui.

That being said, perhaps the one thing I missed in this version of Snippets was the personality of the pokemon. There's definitely some of it in the narrative, stronger at the start for Evithyan's pokemon, and definitely with Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, but some of Evithyan's teammates felt lacking either in distinct personality or introduction: some of them like Granfaloon and owo and Chadette just appear with no fanfare. Chadette had a strong personality (love the surfer bro-ette 'tude), but I wish we got to see how she became a part of the team, or we got to see more of her overall than in just the final showdown. Grace (love her) and Relins and a few of the others have more story to how they met Evithyan and how they saw her and how they reacted to battle, and I remember loving that in your other Snippets series a lot.

I can probably assume some of that lack comes from the way PLA plays very differently than the other Pokemon games. There's a lot of team turnover and the captures can happen without any kind of battle, so the story for each team member might not be relevant until suddenly they are. It still doesn't stop me from wishing we got more of that here, because it's a place where your writing absolutely shines. Then again, you did cover the entire PLA game and post-game in one grand adventure, and that's already a lot of writing ground to cover.

Of the big time personalities we did get in this, my favorite is probably the sibling rivalry between Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina (aside from Grace my beloved. More swashbuckling adventures with Grace *please*) I absolutely laughed out loud at this part:
Volo spat. "We had a DEAL, Giratina!"

<Listen I don't think you committing omnicide is worth getting my weed back from Parent.>

Volo stared. His eye twitched. <THAT was your rebellion against Arceus? You USED me? For WEED?!"
The gods of space and time are fighting with their sibling b/c they got in trouble for weed 😂 Amazing. Love that it's this huge deal with Evithyan getting redemption and the rift in space time affecting an entire region of people and pokemon over a familial squabble. What a troll move. And Volo got trolled so hard, too 😂 Devoted his whole life to becoming one with the god of the universe only to find they even appeared there in the first place b/c they grounded their kid over some hash. Fantastic. Also totally laughed out loud at the Arceus god-puter liveblog. It's so cheeky and I love it.

I think you handled the PLA combat well, and frankly it fits your style for these Snippets well. They're usually quick, punchy fights without a lot of back and forth. We got to see a lot of different pokemon, which was also very cool, and the tag-team interactions as they swap in and out was fun to read. The Noble battles were well done, too, and I definitely laughed at Evithyan forgetting she could use her pokemon against them sometimes. Big same, Evi, big same. I liked how you used the Noble battles to show off Evithyan's determination when a lot of my "game overs" came in the form of just getting my player character bunted around by the Noble, and not defeated in a pokemon battle. I think you captured the spirit of those battles in the way you portrayed them here (and I think it improves upon the way the game handles the "try again" part of the battles.)

Overall another fun installment in the Snippets series. It's very cool that you end up making a fic out of your liveblog of the games. There's a bit more polish that could go into it in places, (I think at one point in the Avalugg quest it just jumps to the Noble battle without any pretext and it took me a second to realize what had happened) and if you found it in you to add in more poke-personalities and team introductions, I would 100% read anything you wanted to add. But as a whole I had a grand time reliving the trek across Hisui to get Parent to just let their kid some some weed, man.
 

Venia Silente

For your ills, I prescribe a cat.
Location
At the 0-divisor point of the Riemann AU Earth
Pronouns
Él/Su
Partners
  1. nidorino
  2. blaziken
Because I'm a huge Monster Hunter fan, it's time we get to review a Pokémonster Hunter Rise Legends: Arceus story! And what better way than get to

this

by the same producers that brought you the Need for Speed movie the adventures of Ea-Nasir the Bronzor?

So. There's NO WAY anything here can go wrong I'm sure, so let's dive right into it! Because honestly I played this game and I LOVED IT, and it's good that it gets representation.

The first thing to do is to introduce a character:

> Evithyan

Had to make a double take at how slightly evil the name sounds. Reminds me of Deathevan? Nah, what are the CHANCES that something goes bad lol.

This being, Arceus, had approached her, given her an Old Earth cell phone touched by their power,
This reminds me of a scene in The Core (yeah, that movie!) where one of the characters whistles into an old Nokia or smth and gives the phone AAAAAHLIMITED CARRIER!!!! forever. Man, Arceus was kind of a d* to only give us a phone that doubles as a Pokédex, eh? :p

OTOH I don't recall seeing any cellular antennas in Hisui so perhaps that's understandable. Somewhat.

This made no sense. Pokemon were part of an Old Earth mythology.
Yeah, Pokémon is a fad thtat never really caught on. Neopets is where it's at, post-apocalypse pals!

Our protag of totally not evil acquires a Cyndaquil, absolutely the best and less evil starter in the game (fight me), and off we go to pester the wild populace by throwing modified apricorns at them!

Evithyan may be lost and confused but she has the guts to take on the tasks of that silly human organization and their "Pokedex" head on.
Yeah this is what I mean! Either you live there in the wilderness, amassing your own Pokémon army to raze ungrateful towns down, or you start collecting Pokédex notes.

Let's hope we NEVER get to the former case lol.

I'm gonna also mention that Cyndaquil is kind of the brave choice for the first minutes of gameplay because I don't recall it being well performant against the various wild mons up until around you get to set up your first base camp (the one in the middle of the map). After that tho? It's a breeze.




(spongebob narrator voice) Sometime later,

The plot moves on. Who knows how many Pokémon have ended concussed and caught in balls (be trippin' balls!) by this point, but these serial attacks on the wild populace surely have earned NotEvil!Evithyan the attention and respect of one of the unique Pokémon of this land that they decide to take on the Koraidon/Miraidon role.

(After all, what do we want wheels for on in this map? There's no interstate or even paved roads in pre-Meiji Hisui)

So, once we have mastered the wilderness, it's time to finally turn to humans and undo them from within: via politics religion religious politics.

See, there's these two clans bickering about pre-Einstein theory and whether their master god manages time or space (of, if you want to be fancy: spacetime or timespace). Boy how welcome would Evithyan be if she just walked in and told them they're both , like, wrong.

Honestly, they didn't even get the name of the deity right...

But she wasn't about to tell them that. It was their religion, not hers.
A very good and fair point. Wish more people would be more like NotEvil!Evithyan and picked Cyndaquil.

Instead, acting as a mediator and cleanser of the wilderness areas, Evithiyan is trusted by these semi-nomads with an importan task. A powerful monster is causing mischief. Once a Noble creature, this being has been cast to run amok by a Frenzy Virus Rage Rays cutesy Qurios a mysterious light emanating from the sky.

And it's time to slay it perfume it.

...What?

I mean, this plot point got me chuckling as well, but hey if it means we don't have to teach TPCI's children audience that Pikachu can be carved for materials, I'll take it!

Quest 1
Slay Perfume a Kleavor

All Evithyan could do in the beginning was to run around and try to perfume it, but I guess it was hard enough.

Prof. Oak Venia on post: "Treat it like a Tigrex fight!" ^_^
I mean, that's what I did... :p

Because once the monster is evaded and it has collided into some conveniently placed environment, it's time to attack! Evithyan sends out Grace!

Grace was a PIRATE.
Grace: "Psyyy-aye-aye my mateys! Get me some ol'Ibuprofen an' rum, or I'll make ya walk the plank!"
(nb: Ibuprofen is kinda hard to come by by the pre-Meiji times. Oh well, I guess rum it is!)

(also please don't mix alcohol with medications. They don't mix well. Kinda like chocolate and auradoggos, but let's not tell ANYONE that!)

The thing is, Tigrex!Kleavor hits like a train so even while Grace has the most ADVENTURE disposition, it can be quite difficult if she's not prepared for it. La-dwellers be a feisty and sturdy bunch. A Stealth Rock to the face later, Grace's forced to switch out. But my hopes are on her!

Tanya, the best and least evilest Starter on the team, has to go in, and manages to deal a good attack thanks to Rollout (which is kinda ironic in a way) but is also shoved aside by the means of Stealth Rock.

...Man, remember the times when Stealth Rock dealt no direct damage and was only mostly a lingering threat? Peperidge Farm remembers.

Anyway, this forces the coming of a third team member, Granfaloon, and this does result in the Kleavor being finally perfumed into obeiance. Which is good!

And as a reward we get 1× Coloured Plate. Without the need to carve anyone. Fancy!

After that, Evithyan earns some more trust from the community. I like it that, much like how it is in the game, this is the time to start exploring the various personalities around towns, making more out of them, and getting them to invest in Pokémon.

I mean, I'm pretty sure the critters are going to be quite the trend sometime, so getting to know them and figuring out BASIC things such as 1.- Starly are cute and 2.- Zubat do echolocation is important. And surely comes with rewards!

The rewards oft include rising in the ranks to get more quests, which means more materials and more, more plot.

In this case, this lands NotEvil!Evithyan will at the gates of a Noble Lilligant first, that takes some cues from Galaxy Bowser; and after that North!Eltenios a cute pup who's evolved and manipulated forcibly by the lights to fight more or less like Daytona/Viper from Azure Striker Gunvolt —except, fortunately, with LOTS less bullet hell!

I recall the Arcanine fight being particularly hard since it was the first Noble fight that truly restricted your movement options, and it seems this was the case here as well. But Evithyan gets through it, in a non-evil way! That is, by perfuming the doggo enough.

Both nobles are also defeated and fixed without the need to slay and carve them, which certainly pleases South!Eltenios a lot.



Still, this is only one part of the adventure and there's a world to save, Pokémon to catch, a team to rebalance, and quite the phone bill to pay once everything ends.

It's fun to read this story format, so unlike what one is usually used to. It's something that, at least from outside perspective, doesn't require much post-prep and benefits a lot from playing t he games at the correct time (aka: not at the times I usually do it). I can only hope, I can get back to review the second half of this in time.


Cheers!
 
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