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Pokémon I, Isobel

thenatureking

Bug Catcher
Pronouns
He/Him
Partners
  1. lopunny
Hi, here for catnip responding to chapter one!

I've never read pokecentric fic before so this is an exciting and novel experience. I love the opening line. I can't think of a greater way to introduce a machamp protagonist.

Despite how most people saw Machamp, Isobel preferred to dress to (moderately) impress. With a tank top, shorts (because they were comfy and easy to wear), and tabi shoes, she was ready to take on the day.
Not sure what about her outfit is supposed to be impressive lmao. Is it to show off her muscles? Because otherwise, it's very much giving workout casual.
Both humans and Pokemon filled one market with street food stalls, even competing with each other in one case. Two stalls faced opposite each other. One was a human ice cream vendor named Vanilluxuries. The other was an Appletun and Alcremie duo named Slurpuff All You Want, serving up cream-topped slices of apple pie with the assistance of a Cinderace.
fun image. if this ice cream sellers makes a reappearance, that'd be really neat.
Isobel briefly wondered if an Appletun eating its own shavings counted as self-cannibalism. Probably not. But Isobel didn't consider herself the best cook either, as she mostly subsisted off of pre-cooked pasta and Magikarp.
a little unsettling that pokemon are eating pokemon lol i wonder how that dnyamic influences this world

Not that she didn't have a trained eye for beefcake, especially for her own evolution line, but she didn't exactly want the attention. So Isobel looked away, pretending not to notice the Machoke duo until they approached, strutting towards her unashamedly like two naked emperors. Did it count as being naked if they had pants on, even if it was made of their own skin?
LOL. This whole part.
"Hey, wanna fight?" one of them said. "Y'look real strong, y'know. Real strong."
Not machoke flirting ctfu
"Heh, yeah, brother," the other said, "I'd love her to pummel me anytime."
naauuurr what goes on adnakjsdnak
"Wait, what? No, we're challengin' her, not the other way 'round."

"But some guys like it like that, y'know."
very lovable himbos, i hope dumb and dumber make a reappearance, too. i think every top dawg needs their lackeys, and machoke 1 and machoke 2 would make excellent first official members of the Machamp Isobel fan club me thinks
Nope, her phone vibrated just as she positioned her arms on the weights. From the ringtone of the Pokemon anime's first opening, she knew who it was. Crap. She didn't think to call her at all for the past month. She just got so wrapped up with getting by that she forgot.

That's not the real reason, and you know that.
Not sure how I feel about the intrusive thoughts. They're kinda jarring to the immersion, and honestly I think they could easily be repurposed and rewritten into the standard narration to achieve the effect all the same.
The comment she made stuck with her for a bit.
I think the identity of the "she" is a little unclear here.

Overall, I struggled to have constructive criticism lol. It feels like this piece in particular has been polished up and revised quite a bit. Each scene felt concise and very much intentional. You established home life and need in the first scene, introduced the setting of Circhester and some dynamics of the world in the second scene, gave us work life and a moment when she does something nice; and by the end, we get information that Miss Isobel may have done a big oh-no, no-no. All in all, the efficiency of the first chapter's design made this a relatively easy reading experience, which in and of itself deserves flowers because I imagine a premise like this isn't always the easiest to sell. So, absolutely fantastic job on your part.

I do like this spin on Galar, though. Still haven't managed to wrap my head around talking pokemon, or how the traditional trainer-and-pokemon dynamic even works in this world, but I'm sure that, with further reading, it would become a little bit more clear. There's a lot of ethical concerns I have lol it'd be interesting to see if this fic explores them in the future. Great work!
 

NebulaDreams

Ace Trainer
Partners
  1. luxray
  2. hypno
Not quite a new chapter, but here's an April Fool's shitpost I wrote to sort of tie into this fic, but I wanted to post it as its own thread since it's only tangentially related to I, Isobel as a show-within-a-show. Enjoy, folks (and also thanks Dragonfree, please don't sue me).

https://forums.thousandroads.net/index.php?threads/scyther-high.658/
 

Yodakage Kira

A man with a golden gun
Pronouns
he/him
I’m here for catnip!

So chapter one introduces us to the main character, Isobel, a Machamp living their life in Galar. Dealing with human problems… like overdue rent. The way you introduce this character and the way she is described pulled me in quite well, her personality shines throughout it in the ways that things are described.

While I don’t normally talk about the plot in the part where I’m reviewing the first chapter, the way you’ve pitched it makes it stand out right from the get-go. I like it. I also like the idea of Isobel being an ex-trainer Pokémon but still having a relationship still with her. It’s something that hasn’t been explored all too much in my mind, and thus far you’ve nailed the idea.

Normally I read the full chapter before starting to type out what I thought of it…

But holy mother of Arceus this Trevor guy is such a prick and I wish nothing more than to punch him square across the face and I’ve only just met him. If that was your intention, Good job.

Now after reading the entirety of the second chapter, I still wish to punch Trevor across the face and I sincerely hope both sides of his pillow are warm when he goes to bed. But besides that, we got some fleshing out for Isobel. It didn’t give too much away, but it gave enough to give off the vibe of someone who is confused and lost. I found it pretty good, there isn’t really any way I could say that you could improve it.

Third chapter in, and now Trevor has incurred genuine anger in me. One of the only things I truly hate is liars, and hot damn did you make a good one. At least there is some justice in your fics world, and Isobel got the money in the end. I found it natural that Bronze would be the one to snitch, especially with his explanation near the end.

Isobel now seems to have a new idea on what job she wants to tackle. With her more calculated personality, it makes sense in my mind that she’d want to be a coach. All in all, this chapter was great.

During the first three chapters of your fic, you managed to capture my attention quite well with your first chapter and the elements in it. Something a lot of fics struggle with (cough cough me). During your second chapter, you gave the reader more insight on the main character and made it interesting. During the third chapter, you gave insight into how the world of your fic work, you did it very well.

There isn’t really anything I have in terms of criticism. I don’t really touch on grammar or prose unless it really is a genuine problem, and here I can easily say that it is not a genuine problem. I liked the subtle worldbuilding, I liked how it's being given, the characters feel natural. It’s all good.

So yeah, great work thus far. Have a good day/night wherever you are!
 

DeliriousAbsol

*Crazy Absol Noises*
Location
Behind a laptop, most likely with tea
Pronouns
She/Her
Partners
  1. mawile
Chapter 2

Wow there was a lot to digest here!

Trevor is just downright unlikable. I'm wondering if there's more to him really. He seems cold and unfeeling towards his pokemon, seeing them
as nothing more than tools to win a bet. Bronze is such a puppy, I love him. My first impression of him is that he's timid and uncertain of
himself. I can already see he's going to become good friends with Isobel later down the line.

You write battles spectacularly well! They are easy to follow and believable as anime battles, too! The terrain manipulation from the frosmoth,
and the way Bronze struggles over it and even uses it to his advantage at times was so well done. The details to the melted ice when Isobel
steps up just added to it. Nice attention to detail!

That hatterene battle though! So her psychic attack basically gave Isobel a bit of a breakdown? It was a fantastic way to reveal something of
what happened to cause Isobel to leave her trainer. Finding herself more in her trainer's shadow, and basically bailing on her right before
she got her final badge. It was both cold and sad at the same time. Hopefully they'll make amends in the future, even if Isobel doesn't want
to be her pokemon again?

Well, Trevor got his win. I'm not sure he deserves it, but... XD

It was on a competitive basis, and she'd only get paid on the condition that Isobel won, not just for tagging along.
Always read the fine print.

Not congratulating Bronze was bad enough, but Trevor taking all the credit? It was exactly why she left to get away from this nonsense.
Wait... what happened between her and Gloria??

"I know." He rested his head on her knee, happily taking the ear scritches. "But this is the first match I've won in ages, so thanks. You're a good coach."
Bronze is so cute I can't even! Head scritches <3 All good dogs deserve them.

An invisible spoon stirred her brain like how Gloria used to stir the stew pot over the campfire. Wait, no, she didn't want to—

Isobel was back in the forest as a Machop, heartily slurping from the soup bowl with a smile on her face.
I really liked this description, with its transition to a fitting memory! Beautifully done!

Chapter 3

Wow Trevor did NOT hold up his side of the bargain! And Isobel not keeping cool has turned the tables against her as well! Yikes.

Poor Isobel! All those negative memories! The insight to her origins was nice, but wow things did NOT turn out like she'd hoped. Her phonecall with Gloria was sweet. It showed there is still a bond with them and they do still care about each other, and it was lovely Gloria wanted to help Isobel out after Trevor didn't keep his promise.

Bronze showing up with the police lucario was unexpected! The PokeJobs pulled through with that, giving her what she was owed! You could really see her outlook shift to a more positive one. I hope having Bronze around does her some good!

Beer cans lay crumpled on the floor. Empty protein buckets and dirty dishes sat in random places on the kitchenette. Cereal boxes piled up on top of the recycling bin.
Again, that attention to detail! This is another good insight to her character.

Here, she was more than curious: she wanted a taste of humanity, to prove to herself she was still just like them.
Why would she want to try to be human? I'm curious to learn more about her, and why she's basically given up being a pokemon.

but there was nothing but a half empty—no, half full carton of milk
Ahh, her outlook is changing! =D Very, very nice!

Bonus

I can't get over how dog-like Bronze is! Ahhh it's too cute! Like in the previous chapter when he tried to scoot under the covers XD

I half expected him to be absolutely terrified of the vacuum cleaner when it was switched on! I suppose a machamp wouldn't react the same
way as a dog? Hoovering him up... I know someone who had a dog who actually enjoyed that. Bronze's reaction was adorable.

This short was both amusing and sweet =D I hope to read more of this in the future! I'm really enjoying it so far! I was surprised to find there are so many chapters already, and another story based on her too! That's so awesome! I'll try to catch up! :veelove:

Thanks so much for the review exchange! It's been fun! =D
 

Homestar!

Mikeposter/Galaxy-Brainer
Location
NorCal
Pronouns
He/Him
Partners
  1. nidoqueen
Hey there, Nebula! Finally getting around to this. Just finished Chapter 1!

First and foremost, your sense of humor (and conveyance of it) is fantastic. It lines up really nicely with my own tastes, so I'm excited to see where things go from here! Lots of silliness all around, nearly to the point of "The Simpsons"-level imbeciles with the Machokes. I'm looking forward to more of these characters/caricatures as the story progresses!

Didn't want to linger too long on line-by-line stuff, at least not until later chapters, but I did have a few.
She paused for a moment, then leaned forward, holding one pair of hands in a praying motion. "Would you buy me dinner?"
I wish I knew exactly how to describe this "joking-but-not-really" style of humor, but it's so right up my alley. I love it.

outdoor training areas for practise. It was a park with a bunch of outdoor
Some repetition I noticed, wanted to point it out just in case!

Gonna dive right in to Ch. 2!
 

Homestar!

Mikeposter/Galaxy-Brainer
Location
NorCal
Pronouns
He/Him
Partners
  1. nidoqueen
Dropping a review for the Bonus Chapter 1! Review blitz get hyyyype!

Not sure if this chapter is an "aside" or if it's intended to set up an episodic nature to the fic-- Okay, now that I've read the author's note it makes more sense, lmao.

I'm lost as to who/what Bronze is, however that's fine by me IMO. I'm just gonna imagine it's her "pet" Skwovet and look forward to being pleasantly surprised.
“Jazz...? Isn’t that the noise someone makes when they sneeze?”
I thank you for not taking the low road :quag:

“But I think the fur clogged up the filter, and it--”

Fwooooosh. Once opened, the vacuum bag blew smoke right in Isobel’s face, leaving her a laughing, coughing mess.
Man, it's so hard to do justice to those "made for TV" moments when they're written in fic, huh? I just stray away from them personally, but I'm glad you went for it!
 
Chapter 8 - Map to the Stars

NebulaDreams

Ace Trainer
Partners
  1. luxray
  2. hypno
Thanks for the reviews, y'all! I answered most of you on Discord, so I won't repeat my comments here, but I really appreciate it. In any case, this chapter was long overdue since I had problems with the editing process and other projects just got in the way. I really hope the wait was worth it for all of you. If anything seems amiss, though, please let me know.

Chapter 8 - Map to the Stars

“I came from the wild,” Bronze started. “Well, we lived around one of the cities, I don’t remember which. We’d usually go at night, scrounging whatever food we found from rubbish bins and litter. So, we knew a little about humans. They wore clothes. Some of them travelled with other Pokemon. We didn’t know they were called trainers, though. The only thing that mattered was that we stayed out of those routes.”

Isobel listened on, turning to face Bronze as he talked.

“I was the runt of the pack, though, so I’d usually get the last pick of the scraps we found. I didn’t particularly feel welcome there either. So, I went into one of the routes and wandered around until I found a trainer that would take me in. And, well, he was my old trainer, Trevor.” He grunted. “Isobel knows the rest, but to sum it up to you, I don’t have many kind words to say about him.”

Mum sighed, bunching up closer to Bronze, and Isobel did too. He still lay there with his back against the grassy floor.

“I mean, he was nice, to a point. He still took care of me, fed me, groomed me, even when he complained about it, and when he was in a good mood, he would give me treats and stroke my ears.”

Isobel grit her teeth. “That’s the bare minimum any trainer should do, and I’m not just sayin’ that because mine was nice and all.”

“I know…” Bronze changed positions and sat in a loaf formation. “I was about to say, he was just so bitter about what happened to him, getting cut off by his father, that he just…” Bronze whimpered, lowering his ears. “I don’t really understand that much.”

“What else is there to get, really?” Isobel crossed her arms. “He was salty about his own lot in life — he shouldn’t have taken that out on you, or that Raboot.”

“Oh, no, him and that Raboot really got along.” Bronze blew a raspberry. “Like trainer, like Pokemon, I suppose.”

Isobel glanced at Mum, who took a great interest in Bronze’s story from the way she stared at him, but she seemed to be percolating her thoughts. Bronze sat back up on his haunches, staring at the horizon.

“Since you took me in, well…” He looked down. “I kept thinking, what if I made a mistake leaving Trevor?”

“Are you kiddin—” Isobel stood up to her knees—“that guy treated you like dirt! Of course, leavin’ him was the best thing you could’ve done!”

“I know, I know.” Bronze raised his head. “But even back then, being with a trainer, I felt like I had a purpose fighting for him.” He was on the verge of tears again. “Now, I have no idea what I want to do or where I want to go or if anyone will want to take me in or what I want to live for or—”

“Bronze,” Mum said, leaning in to hug him. “I’m sorry to hear about all of that. Whoever that human is, he was a fool for not supporting you. You have much more worth than he does.”

Bronze breathed in and out, trying not to cry. Isobel shifted closer to him, offering a helping hand in case he needed it.

“Isobel sounds like she’s helped you a lot since then. So you have someone that cares for you.” Mum glanced at her and smiled before fixing her attention on Bronze again. “I want to reassure you, the pack isn’t malicious. They are nice around me. They just need time taking in a new member of the pack, as you might as well.”

Bronze closed his eyes, leaning into Mum more as she stroked his coat. She probably spent a lot more time with these Thievul than Isobel did with Bronze. A part of her entertained the idea of Mum taking Bronze in herself, but she didn’t want to impose.

“Thank you, Terra.” He sighed, shifting away from her embrace. “I’ll be fine.”

Mum let go, and a period of silence followed. They needed that stillness, especially when they were surrounded by all the birds, the swaying trees, and all the nature around them. Isobel felt like she was in a different world where time stopped, except for the gradually dwindling sunset.

“Sorry, Isobel,” Bronze said at last, “I don’t want to seem ungrateful after everything you’ve done for me.”

“That’s a lotta nonsense, Bronze.” Isobel took a deep breath and let it out. “I get it, y’know. Sometimes, I wish I went back to the way things were myself, when I was still besties with Gloria.” She hummed. “I mean, we still are somewhat close, but it’s not the same anymore.”

“Actually,” Mum said, turning to Isobel, “I’m curious to know what you two were like. She sounded like a fine trainer.”

“Yeah, and that’s why I’m so…” Isobel grumbled. It was on the tip of her tongue, but it was tied into knots. “Argh, sorry.”

“It’s alright. Just take your time.”

“Yeah, okay.” She crossed her legs. “It’s a long story, after all.”

With that, Isobel explained her career from the start of Gloria’s traineeship, all the way to the last gym battle. Mum expressed a fondness for tales of her battle, like Dad did, but she didn’t seem disappointed to hear why Isobel left.

“So, if I understand, once she mentioned her plans to become a gym leader, that was it for you?”

“I mean, yeah.” Isobel leaned back and stared at the sky. She barely saw the full moon up there, though the light from it was dim. “Pokemon hafta commit to that sorta thing all the time, since there’s all this added pressure of bein’ in the limelight and gettin’ in gym battles all the time, settin’ an example and such.” She raised a hand, clutching the moon with her fist. “I could see all my life’s plans bein’ sealed, just like that, y’know…”

She sighed. Truthfully, Isobel was pleased for Gloria and the rest of the team. She particularly hoped that Eddy and Emi were doing fine. Even as she recalled it to Mum, though, her stomach churned.

“I hope ya understand, anyway.”

“Of course.” Mum idly grabbed a clump of grass, kneading it in her palm. “Really, I don’t know what Dad was so upset about.”

“Well, I’m actually the one who got upset.” She clutched her arms. “He was nice and all, I just, I don’t get it. Well, I don’t think he got me. I wish he could’ve seen it from my eyes, but it sounds like everything was all sunshine and rainbows for him, while I’m stuck feelin’ like this.”

There it was, that dead air again. The birds chirped in the distance. The leaves rustled around them. Paws pounded in the distance, probably Kuro again. Isobel was about to get up when Mum gripped her hand.

“I know how you feel. I only stuck around for as long as I wanted to, and my trainer understood that from the beginning. That ended up being a long time until I quietly left on my own.”

“How did you put up with it all?”

Mum looked to her side, listening out for any signs of that Pangoro. “My urge to fight was stronger than my urge to leave. It’s a part of me, just like eating or sleeping is. And training my body was my goal to begin with.”

Isobel placed another hand over Mum’s. “I don’t get doin’ it for its own sake, at least, not now.”

“I know you were adamant to prove yourself and train yourself the hardest.”

“Yeah, I moved past that, I was just one stubborn Machop back then.” Isobel rubbed the back of her head. “But I mean, what’s the point in the long run when every fight is just for your trainer’s sake?”

There was a pause. Mum looked as if she was choosing her words carefully, silently mouthing them to herself.

“I never thought of it that way,” Mum confessed. She relaxed her grip and stood up, dusting the dirt off of her bloomers.

“We aren’t just born with these muscles — we have to train them every day, and it takes a lot out of us. We wake up, spend all day sweating and toiling out in the open, and go to sleep to continue the cycle. Sometimes, we wake up, wishing to get rid of this everlasting ache. But we learn so much about our own strengths and weaknesses that way, as well as what does and doesn’t work for us when we try to better ourselves. Your mind sharpens just as much as your body. That’s what training and exercise is for me, a chance to grow.”

Right, right. Isobel knew that on a gut level, but hearing it said aloud made much more sense to her. The same could’ve applied to her reasoning behind helping other Pokemon — training them was as much of an opportunity for them to find meaning in their lives as it was fulfilling hers.

“Didn’t you wanna stay there? Not with a trainer, just on your own, though I guess there wasn’t really a PokeJobs thing out there.”

Mum shook her head. “Even if I had that chance, I didn’t think I’d be happier providing for myself by exchanging paper. Here, everything is mine for the taking as long as I work for it. But over there, you have to sacrifice your own time for someone else’s goal, and it might not even be physically or mentally rewarding like gathering is.”

“Right?” Isobel let out an exasperated sigh. “A lot of folks I see that aren’t training look pretty dang miserable.”

“Exactly.”

“Though there are miserable trainers like mine,” Bronze said with a grin.

“Yes, that too. And humans have excessive desires, even trainers, as if your worth is measured by how much you have.” Mum gestured to the world around her: the painterly sky, the stillness of the woods, the grass brushing past her ankles. “All of this is enough for me.”

That pain grew inside Isobel again. Mum was much more articulate than Dad was, and she agreed with everything she said, even awakening thoughts she had never even realised before. Though, from the sounds of it, Isobel was everything she stood against.

“So, what are you up to now?” Mum asked.

Isobel put the rest of her thoughts aside and jumped straight into it, feeling more that ease than she did before. She talked about the PokeJobs programme, her ambitions to become a coach, and the process of leaving Gloria to strike out on her own. Mum burst into laughter when she heard Isobel’s story about getting scammed by that other trainer, and Isobel and Bronze found themselves laughing with her. A week wasn’t too soon, was it?

“Interesting,” Mum said, “Lob and Shy might have some coaching tips for you, of course. And have you started yet?”

Isobel shook her head, digging her fingers into a clump of mud. “I-I wanna, though.”

“You sound hesitant.”

“Y-you think so?” She rubbed her dusty hands together. It was either getting chilly as it was turning night, or Isobel was just taken aback. Probably both. “I mean, I just dunno if it’ll be successful, I dunno if people will wanna let a Machamp coach ‘em, I dunno if I’m actually a good coach—”

“Isobel,” Bronze said, sitting up on his haunches, “how do you think you won against that trainer if you weren’t?”

Crap. She didn’t have a good response for that. Bronze continued to eye her with concern. Mum turned back, facing away from Isobel.

“I thought you moved past this stage,” she said.

“Y-yeah.” Isobel took a deep breath. “But this is different.”

“How so? It’s in the same sort of business, except you’re on the other side of the battle.”

“Nah, I mean, I’m doin’ everything by myself here, not just followin’ a trainer around.” She sniffed. “And I can’t even do that right, not payin’ my bills on time and gettin’ slapped with fines and such. I mean, what am I even good for?”

Mum tightened her fists and sharply turned, her face creased up.

“Kit, I don’t want to hear you say that about yourself.”

That stunned Isobel into silence. Even Bronze was shocked, his jaw agape. Reading the room, he quietly slunk away from the two, sitting against a tree to not stand between them.

“You chose to go with a trainer, then you chose to go on your own, and they both have consequences. You could’ve visited all this time if you wanted — that’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”

For lack of any better words, Isobel nodded.

“Right. You alone made those choices. If staying here or with your trainer wasn’t right for you, then that’s fine. But if helping other Pokemon out is right for you, then go for it! What’s the worst that could happen?”

She couldn’t respond to that either. Eventually, Isobel shrugged, and Mum’s shoulders relaxed.

“You just don’t seem like you’re satisfied with yourself, not even back then, but you’ve achieved all of this from what I understand.” She raised her fist in the air, fake-punching at a far away cliff. “And no Machamp can lift a mountain without dropping a few boulders on the way.”

“I know, I know.” Isobel was as still as stone. “But aren’t adults supposed to have everything figured out?”

Mum blinked, and took Isobel by the hand, pulling her up. She expected her to say something, but they just wandered around more of the hilltops, seeing the different views of the forest ahead of them. Bronze followed, keeping himself close to Isobel. It continued like this for a while, and while Mum was still silent, the shuffling of her feet sounded different, walking at a slower, more deliberate pace.

“I’m not a life coach,” Mum finally said, letting go of Isobel’s hand as she continued leading the way. “I can’t say I know those human things you do. I can’t say I fully know what to do with my own strength for the sake of it, even after everything I’ve learned.”

“Then—“

Mum held a finger to Isobel’s lips. “There’s a lot I wish I could’ve done differently, and even I thought I wouldn’t keep feeling like a Machop at this point. That’s neither here nor there, though.” Her voice softened. “But I find peace here, hiking, talking and sparring with the wild Pokemon. It helps me think, and feel my best.”

“I sort of see what you mean,” Isobel said. “Though, I only started going for walks once Bronze came around.”

“Really?” Bronze chimed in. “Well, you do seem to be a bit of a slow hiker.”

“Thanks for the glowing praise,” Isobel said, sticking her tongue out.

“Now, you two,” Mum interjected, tapping Isobel’s shoulder. “But I would walk as often as you can in some sort of nature. Even I need some space from the dwelling sometimes.”

There was the Donphan in the room, or in this case, the Groudon looming over them. She wanted to ask if it had anything to do with Dad, but she kept it to herself.

“I guess. Sometimes, it helps, just spendin’ time on my own.”

“ExactIy. It just happens that I also make myself useful to the dwelling while I find that bit of peace and quiet.”

Isobel stopped walking, looking at the sky. It was getting darker and darker. She didn’t even know if she’d catch the train back home on time.

“Sorry, Mum,” Isobel said, “where’re you going with this?”

Mum turned, looking at the same view, and she pointed at a cluster of steel structures and chimneys far away.

“That place isn’t built for Pokemon like us. Or humans. Why do you think trainers spend so much time away from the city, and why do people in general risk their lives just hiking up wild areas and mountains?”

“To get away from it all?”

“Yes.” Mum wrapped her arm around Isobel, bringing her closer. “Everyone there is in such a hurry to prove themselves in their own ways, just like you are, and it sounds like torture. It might not be the cause of all of this strife, or I might be completely off. I haven’t known you for a while, Isobel.” She squeezed her side. “But if I can find my peace here, I hope you have some place you can find some respite, even for a little bit.”

“Like a vacation, or somethin’ else?” Isobel tugged at her pocket. “I need money for that, and to get money, I need ta—”

“You really do act like a human, don’t you?” Mum scoffed, relaxing her grip a little. “No, just a quiet place, away from the noise, away from people.” She snickered. “I hid in my Pokeball sometimes, that’s how much I couldn’t stand it while I tagged along with my trainer.”

Isobel snickered along with her too. Of course, it couldn’t hurt to get away from Circhester every once in a while. For a Pokemon who wanted to explore the region beyond Gloria’s guided tour, she really Pidgey-holed herself into one city for most of her freedom. Didn’t Admirari mention living in a cave? She wondered if she got some peace there.

It was getting dark. The moon loomed above them, brighter than the rest of the half-night sky. Twinkles barely popped out of the pale blue sky, slightly marred by the polluted orange light of the urban areas far away.

“Were you planning to stay here for long?” Mum asked.

Of course, that was partly why Isobel came to the dwelling, to find out if she could permanently stay there if she chose to, but she also just wanted to talk to her parents.

“Well, er, I didn’t think I’d be out this late.” She turned to Bronze. “Sorry, I didn’t plan on dragging you out here for so long either.”

“No, Isobel, I’m really glad I came.” He turned back, staring at the dark forest path. “It’s like Terra said, I never would’ve known if I didn’t take a risk.”

“That’s the spirit.” Mum patted Isobel’s back. “If you both need to stay for the night, you’re welcome to come back with me.” She rustled her bag. “This’ll all rot if I keep this out for too long.”

Mum started heading for the forest, leaving Isobel and Bronze behind. Or rather, she walked, expecting them to follow, only to turn around once she sensed they weren’t coming yet. Isobel had a lump in her heart. Bronze was halfway between the two, looking back and forth, at a loss for what to do. Sure, they weren’t going to stay on that hilltop, but at the same time, for Isobel, that meant going back to the dwelling to see Dad. And after that argument…

Mum stepped forward, tracing her steps back up the slope.

“Hey,” Mum called, barely visible in the darkness. “I have your back. If that meathead crosses a line, I’ll let him know.” She clapped her fist against her palm, piercing the silence of the woods. “Either way, I’ll try to make you two feel at home here.”

Right. Going forward was scary, especially in the dark like this. Then again, Isobel spent her whole life tumbling through the dark. There was so much else to unpack that she still didn’t know where to start. But if she had people that supported her, either Gloria, Bronze, or Mum, then that lightened the path, at least a little. So, she followed those two through the shadow-cloaked path.

If there was still any light left from the sky, the trees filtered it out. Isobel squinted to try and see better in the dark, but Bronze’s presence grounded her as he led the way, giving her an idea of where to set foot to avoid a nasty tumble. Eventually, Isobel’s eyes adjusted to the dark, and she could see the trees ahead of her. That, and more light streamed in from the plateau, so the incline would get less steep once she got past the clearing. When she reached that spot, however, she saw the same person she dreaded meeting again all this time.

“Dad?”

There he was, holding Isobel’s pair of sandals. Mum sternly glared at him while Bronze stood by Isobel’s legs. The other Thievul were nowhere to be seen, presumably resting in their dens.

“I have your back too,” Bronze whispered.

Isobel nodded, then took a deep breath. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah, uh…” Dad scratched that bald head of his, and opened his mouth multiple times to speak, but failed to produce any words. He just presented Isobel’s shoes. “You forgot these. I thought you might need ‘em.”

Isobel tapped her mud-crusted foot on the grass. “Yeah, uh, thanks. I’ve done fine so far, though.”

Dad hummed, and then, silence between the two of them.

“Look, I’m not good at this, I don’t know what to say.”

“Well, that makes two of us,” Isobel said, mimicking his head-scratching gesture.

“Yeah, I guess it does.” He turned to Mum, hand still on head. “How did the hunt go?”

“Alright, yes.” Mum stepped back to lean against a tree. “Alright, you two, I’m waiting.”

“But, er, c’mon, help me out here—”

“No. I think there’s something you should say to her first.”

“Alright, alright.” He sighed, approaching Isobel with open arms. She flinched, not knowing what would come next. The Morgrem within her stamped his feet. “So, sorry back there, um, Isobel? I really got tongue-tied there.”

“Okay.” Isobel took in a puff of air. He called her by her name this time. “I’m sorry too, for yellin’ at you.” She rubbed her arms. “That was, er, out of line.”

“Nah, nah, I know something’s goin’ through your head. It was just a shock, y’know?” He scratched his head again. “Yer all grown up and way different from when you were a Machop.”

“Yeah, I know.” Isobel shifted uncomfortably. “Well, you didn’t even let me explain what I’ve been doing all this time. That’s what hurt.” She frowned. “I... haven’t let you down, have I?”

“Of course not.” His eyes drooped, his lips curled, and his fists tightened. “You know I care about you, right? Even when you went on your own, I always thought about you. How you were getting on, if you were okay, you know. Just because Machop usually go on their adventures anyway doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”

Yet another gut punch. Of course, she knew, from all the magazines he had and that photo he hung up on the stone walls. When Isobel didn’t respond, Dad glanced at Mum with a sorrowful expression. He approached her and took her hand, squeezing it. In turn, Isobel knelt down to Bronze, patting his head for comfort, more for her sake than his. Dad whispered to Mum’s side, and she took him behind the tree to explain something. Isobel couldn’t see them and couldn’t make out what they were saying. When the two came back out and Dad approached Isobel again, he drew a palm over his face.

“What a doofus,” he said. “Look, sometimes I don’t think before I speak.”

“It’s okay,” Isobel replied. “Me neither. Like father, like daughter, I guess.”

The two chuckled, which lightened the mood a little. At least those two found one thing in common.

“One thing I still don’t get though — your trainer. She didn’t harm you or anythin’, but—“

“I just explained that.” Mum scolded. “Don’t make me repeat myself here.”

“Yeah, I know, I know, it’s just that my journey was like hers and yours too, and I didn’t feel that way.” He looked down at his feet. “I just wish I could feel your pain.”

Isobel hummed.“Yeah, and yours too.”

She wasn’t used to being missed like this. Again, Gloria obviously missed her when she struck out on her own, but she wasn’t a parent. Now, she seriously regretted what she said to Dad. Of course, all he wanted was what Isobel thought was best for her own wellbeing. Why was it so hard to talk sometimes, even in her own language?

That was when something clicked for her All this time, she abandoned the fighter’s language and let her words do the talking. But that still wasn’t enough to express how she felt, or what she went through — it was a gut sensation. Mum understood, but to the average fighter, these thoughts were only abstractions. Tricks of the mind.

And don’t forget about why I’m here. You’re itchin’ for somethin’, aren’t ya?

Yeah, she was. Time to kill two Pidgey with one stone.

“Dad,” Isobel said, getting into a battle stance, “let’s fight.”

“Wait, wait, hold on.” He backed away, splaying all four hands. “I know you’re mad at me, but—“

“No, it’s not like that. It’s as you said, fighting’s in our blood, right? We don’t have to be angry to do it — we do it to let off some steam and unwind, don’t we?”

“Right…” He scratched his head. “Er, sorry, I still don’t get it.”

“C’mon.” Isobel inched closer to him. “That’s how we bond as fighters. We exchange moves. We tell each other things just through bumping our fists. We even do it to say hello, don’t we?”

To punctuate this, she threw a weak punch at Dad’s shoulder opposite hers, and he did the same with a smile.

“So you… you don’t need to fight, you want it? With your old mon?

“Yup, with you, you old fart.”

“H-hey—“ he laughed it off, brushing her fist off his torso—“I said old mon, but I’m not that old…”

“Well, it’s been, what, many years, right?” Mum chimed in.

“Yeah, but—“ he rapidly shook his head. “Never mind. So, Isobel, you really wanna do this?”

“Positive. If it means I get to show you what I mean by all the stuff I said, then I’ll do it. And besides—“ she winked—“it’ll be fun. I bet I can kick your ass.”

“Not before I kick yours.” Dad playfully pushed her away, entering a stance of his own. “So, right here?”

The crater seemed too open, like the league arenas, which made it more of a spectator sport. The forest clearing was their own private playground — it was not only filled with obstacles for them to take advantage of, it also hid their feelings as they displayed them so openly with each other, as naked as Machamp could be.

Isobel knew she was in for a tussle. So, for the first time in another mon’s company in a while, she shed her clothes, her shirt, her shorts, everything save for her pants. She took a deep breath and clutched her bare chest. It still felt weird. Her pecs were as chiselled as a man’s, yet she had the mind of a woman. Women had to hide that area, and for her, it was an artificial guideline, an unspoken rule she picked up from humans. But to Machamp, whether male or female, it made no difference. It was just another part of the body, like her face or her hands, no more, no less.

Before the fight began, Bronze and Mum left together. Isobel heard in passing that Mum would give her catches to the cooks, and that she would show Bronze to the Machop in the dwelling, since they would’ve enjoyed his company. Isobel hoped that furball would have a good time there.

Dad planted his feet firmly into the soft ground and gestured for Isobel to make the first move. So she sprinted towards him, winding up with a direct hook to the face. That was how she felt. He took a step back, recoiling from the blow, and recovered to deliver a swiping kick to Isobel’s feet. He felt confused and tripped up.

She dodged out of the way. Another hook to the chest, then the pelvis. She felt out of place. He went for a tripping sweep again. He still didn’t understand. Then she jumped and delivered a chop to the head with the side of her palm. She felt out of place in this world.

Dad backed away, knees meeting the ground. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Then they shot wide open. In a blink, he charged like a Bouffalant, pushing all of his force against Isobel’s body. The collision shook the branches around them. Despite the impact, Isobel resisted, pushing against him in an invisible tug of war. Why did she feel this way? She was trying to show that. In the struggle, there was that push and pull. Those wants and needs. Those haves and have nots.

Dad had the upper hand, sliding her across the muddy floor. What did she have over there that she didn’t over here? Isobel stood her ground, but failed to regain ground over Dad’s strength. Wow, he was tough. But she wasn’t going to win this through brute strength alone. Instead of fighting against him, she let go of his arms, making him topple forwards.

She made that choice herself. She needed those choices, to think outside the box, to swim against the current. Dad ran up to her, putting her back on her guard. He opened his arms, and Isobel responded by opening hers, expecting another power struggle.

Instead, Dad roundhoused her, straight in the solar plexus.

That kick knocked all the wind out of Isobel’s sails. She groaned, falling to her knees as she stared at Dad. He changed stances every few seconds, making his attack patterns unpredictable. Right. Choices were good, and in that moment, it served her well. But choices also had consequences, and with that, came responsibility. If it wasn’t for her lack of foresight, she could’ve avoided it. And now, Dad presented her with too many choices, too many possibilities, forcing her into indecision.

Her gut ached. And it ached like how his longing for her ached.

She couldn’t find a good way to counter him. She was running out of options. Dad wasn’t going to wait — he charged for her, winding up another attack. She had no time to think — any plans she made would just fall apart like chalk.

But where had plans gotten her before? She couldn’t predict how anything turned out in her life, from her departure from Gloria to her experience with Trevor. They both caused her a lot of pain. But without that, she wouldn’t have moved out on her own, and she wouldn’t have met Bronze. She couldn’t have seen those coming either. And that was all because she took the initiative to begin with.

Isobel decided not to fight against Dad’s attacks. All she could do was react to the changes, chances and opportunities that came her way. So she stood up and charged towards him too with a strike of her own. She was going to fight against it, for her right to exist as her own Pokemon.

The brawl lasted a while. Isobel dealt as many blows as she withstood, and through this, she grew to understand Dad more herself. He was a great fighter — perhaps she inherited his instincts. He was also ruthless, not giving Isobel any room for error. That was how she liked it, him not holding back. It made her feel responsible, even though it hurt.

The two were exhausted. Isobel panted, sweated, and ached all over, as Dad did as well. She took one step forward, as he did. She raised her fist, and he copied her move once more. They drew it back. They launched their punches. Their knuckles collided with each other’s cheeks, bringing with it a dull pain that sent their bodies tumbling downward. They fell alongside each other, but were still conscious, and their heads touched each other’s, both of them staring at the sky.

The unfiltered moonlight streamed in through the clearing, touching their faces. The sky was a speckled blanket. Even through her post-battle haze, Isobel recognised some of the constellations there. Ursaring Major. Litleo Minor. Sometimes, Gloria would get out her telescope at night and point out all of the different star formations, and she’d let Isobel see through it. What did it mean to her, aside from being pretty to look at?

It made Gloria feel small, but it also reassured her, since it gave her some way to know her place in the world, where she was at the moment, and that she wasn’t alone. Millions of people at that moment were probably gazing at the sky, just like her, and it was a shared experience, the chance to get to know another living being. Isobel didn’t know what she meant at the time, but now, she did. She was looking into space with Dad, seeing what he saw. She hoped he saw what she saw too.

She didn’t need words to express that, however. She felt it through her pounding heart, his heavy breaths. They both worked themselves to exhaustion. But through that, they experienced each other’s pains and wonders. Isobel wasn’t alone in this. And even if they saw the stars through different eyes, they were one and the same at the moment, his and her flesh and blood.

Isobel was a Machamp, through and through.
 

bluesidra

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Review for Chapter 1: One Last Ditch​

Hello!
I’ll be going through your fic chapter by chapter and give you my thoughts as I go along. So you will have my real-time reactions to it

First off, I got to say: Very solid handiwork. I have not found any spelling errors, the paragraphs were at a nice length and the commas in the right places (though I don’t know a thing about english commas, they are confusing)
Your style is clear and simple, no run-on sentences or unnecessary repetitions. It looks very polished to me. To be honest, every time I edit my work, I try for a style as solid as yours, and whenever I go over a chapter, I find that I failed…

Now, right from the intro, you had me sold on the premise. I have to be honest, I got into this without knowing what “I, Isobel” was about. But it is such a riveting concept, and certainly not one that I would dare take on myself. Sapient/Sentient pokemon are way more prevalent on this forum than on AO3, but this is something that’s even more out there compared to the works I’ve gotten used to over the last month of hanging around.

I have to say this; going off the premise alone, I’m looking forward to see how you’ll handle this. Because a lot of questions arise just by thinking about the concept of pokemon working alongside humans as full “adults”. For example:
  • How does the human society deal with the new influx of workforce that rivals their opportunities at work?
  • How are pokemon on different intellectual levels handled?
  • What are the implications of some pokemon working and living independent while others are domesticated pets?
  • Who pays for the adjustments that needed to be made?
  • How are they represented in a human-dominated world?
These are questions that I’ll forever happily ignore in my worldbuilding, but I respect every author who tackles them. Because there is a lot, and I mean A LOT of debate to be had here, reflecting on how humans treat other humans around the world. (We were never the kindest in history.)
So yeah, I’m super stocked to see where this goes.

On a way lighter note: I’ve read the intro and for some reason, fate seemed to have liked me this morning. A fic set in the Galar region, and in Circhester no less? That is so great! Though Galar is not my favourite of all time, it’s still an important part for my work. And my protag Hana is from Circhester.
I love seeing how other authors describe settings I’ll also use. This is almost better than getting into a setting I have no ties to. Because it allows me to compare your ideas to mine (and shamelessly steal, of course :wink: )

Now on to the first chapter:​

The first chapter introduces the reader to the premise of the story, establishes the protagonist and setting and sets up a conflict. You managed to check all these boxes with ease and breeze. In under 3k words you’ve conveyed more than I could ever hope to do myself.

With a premise like this, of course a lot of worldbuilding has to be done. And even though I have some huge, glaring questions whenever pokemon are considered equal to human, you’ve managed to convey a nice enough world.

You established the ground rules fairly quickly (new pokejob system, how pokemon-trainer relationships work, how the pokemon’s support system is and even parts of the technological level of the world). I still have a ton of questions and doubt if that could really work that way, but it does work in your world, and that’s what matters. For me as reader (not for me as sociologist) it works 100%.

I said nice enough, because it is obvious that Isobel struggles in this world. Partly because she is a pokemon, but also partly because of other things in modern city life that every one can relate to. I really love those stories, more than any grandiose adventure story.
However, the questions raised about the Appletun and the Machokes are very unnerving.
The world you are presenting here is a pretty realistic one, as far as I can tell. Real life annoyances are a thing, like paying bills and going to work. Albeit being realistic in the handling of day-to-day issues, the people (especially the humans) seem to be of a generally nicer disposition than IRL humans. The few we’ve met so far are all trying to accommodate, but seem to still feel weirded out by pokemon being treated as equals.

You made Galar feel so much bigger. Not only the city, but the whole region. Without adding too much to the established systems (economy, politics…) of the games, you managed to make me feel the distance between Circhester and Wyndon. And I really appreciate that. I tried to go for something like this in my own fic, but I don’t think I can do it quite at a scale that you do. The parts that really made the world come to life were the mentions of the TV-shows and the Vicrteevee app. (Both things you will definitely find Hana using once she’s back home, in 26 years).
Besides making the world feel bigger, you’ve also single-handedly solved one of my big worldbuilding issues: The league matches. I’ve always struggled with the concept of the Top 10 competitors and the ranking system. Because as much as we all love our champ and our gym leaders, it gets repetitive after a while, seeing only them at the big screen. Now you’ve brought up the Grimsnarl’s fight and you’ve given me so much to work with.

Kudos for the description of Circhester. It really felt like a big city, albeit not as cold as I’d describe it. But that’s ok. Seeing a summer version of Circhester is really neat. Her biking to work on a stolen bike is such a city-kid thing to do… I always have problems describing big cities. I come from a really rural area and haven’t gotten out of it much. So your city giving me the feeling of actual distance made a huge impact.
Now, Isobel is the protagonist here. She is a pokemon that has recently gotten her independence from her trainer Gloria and now struggles to maintain it, taking on different jobs.

Isobel comes across as a kind-hearted pokemon, though she has a tendency to get lost in thought. This happens quite a lot and she really struggles with it sometimes. She has clear hobbies that make her feel very alive and like her own person.
When she interacts with the little child, it becomes clear that she does have a competitive side to her, and she seeks to encourage others. Both are aspects I dearly love in protagonists. The interaction with the kiddie was also incredibly cute.

She gets some unsolicited attention when working out, which doesn’t just establish her, but also pokemon of her own evo-line (I’ll get to that later). I loved that part, I really do. I find the unsolicited attention towards women in general is a thing that is very rare in fanfiction. And if it occurs, it just sets up a white knight swooping in. But here, Isobel solved the problem on her own, in a very mature way. My protag Hana does encounter the same problem, and if she knew Isobel, she would definitely become Hana’s role model for how strong and cool she acted here.
Then there is the last part, where Isobel calls Gloria. The two seem to have a somewhat distanced relationship, though I can understand that. It is surely pretty awkward for Gloria to see her former companion on a whole new level of equality and coming to terms with it. You’ve brought this awkwardness and this feeling of accommodation with a forced smile across very believably.
Now, big disclaimer here: I am not at all into anthro, furry, PMD-verse, whatever you might call it. I did not know that pokemon even had such a side to it (though it shouldn’t surprise me, honestly). My reading experience is very firmly rooted in humans as protagonists. So this is completely new to me.
I have my apprehensions when I see anthro characters, but I try to go in as open minded as possible. Especially because the things I’ve read since I stumbled into this community are really interesting and not at all as “unsavoury” as what your usual normie gets to know from the furry community.
Even before I was a somewhat active part in it, I tried to figure out what drew people to representing themselves with anything other than human – especially if it ends up being very human-like in the end. And to me the answer was always a very sad one: The feeling of not belonging. There is a reason why so many people here are part of the LGBTQ+ community (myself included). And a character that does not only feel alienated on the inside, but carries that feeling on their skin, makes a lot of things easier to communicate form an artistic point.

That all being said – how does this circle back to your work?

Depicting Isobel the way you did is, for lack of a better term, very brave. I don’t know if it was intended, but to me, Isobel feels like a person with a mental disability that tries to live on her own. Thinking of Down Syndrome or Autism. She has those teachers, she mentioned that kinda reminded me of social workers. And even though she tries to be independent, Gloria is still somewhat responsible for her – kinda like people often still refer to the parents of a disabled person instead of asking them directly.
And she does struggle. She forgot to pay her bills, her apartment is unkept and there seems to be an alcohol issue.
People react to her presence just like I react to neuro-atypical people: I try to be nice and accommodating and everything, but I’m also insecure how to handle the situation and there is this tense feeling along the way. I don’t like that part about myself, but I can’t seem to change it, only give it my best try. And I can’t even imagine how the person feels that experiences this 24/7.
The fact that those Machokes in the park seemed to share one braincell between the two of them (I don’t mean that in a mean way, but that’s the best way I can put it) indicates that her entire evo-line is a stand in for people with less than average mental capacities.
Which is a part of the worldbuilding that I really look forward to. Because making humans and pokemon equals means addressing the differences in intellect and emotions.

Now, all of this comes from a person that does not suffer from learning disabilities or developmental disorders whatsoever. If anything I said here came off as rude, I apologise.
If there is one thing I would need to criticise it’s that I didn’t fully understand what job she did with the shields there. But it wasn’t important in the end. I understood everything else just fine.

Oh, and you’ve mentioned that her break between jobs was only an hour, but she didn’t seem to be in a hurry and managed to get way more things into that hour than seems possible (dinner, working out, calling Gloria). Then again, she has four hands :smile:

Usually this is the point where I get to mention a few grammar or style issues, but there are just none.

Conclusion​

I’m looking forward to where chapter 2 takes me and in what trouble Isobel has gotten herself. (It is also neat that she alone is to blame for anything here. It’s rare that a main character is the one to blame for their situation.)

Until soon, Blue
 

bluesidra

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Review for Chapter 2: For Fight's Sake​

Hello, back for chapter 2.

Here we see a minor league legal battle in full display as well as two (maybe three) different styles of trainer and their pokemon clash.

All of them (maybe except the Drizzile and the Frosmoth) had very distinct personalities. From the angry Raboot to the depressed, timid Tievul to the especially well executed Hatterene. This feeds a lot into the theme of giving pokemon their own time in the spotlight. They all have their own names and they all sound great!

Hatterene has to be one of my favourite sentient pokemons I’ve read so far. She has all the cunning and cruelty I would expect in a Hatterene, but when not engaged in combat, she is mature and assertive. (One of my notes on her reads “Hattie is bae.”) I especially liked how you executed and/or interpreted psychic moves. Displaying physical attacks is rather easy – Isobel did this in a very straightforward way. But how you used Hatterene’s empath abilities to get into the headspace of other people and pokemon was superb. I loved it.

Tievul is a sad little case to watch, but I cheered for him the entire time. When his last hit connected, I could hardly believe it myself. But his situation also raises some questions. Like, what can a pokemon do to get out of an unhealthy relationship?

Isobel is back at it again, balancing between trying to fit into human society and being a fighting type pokemon. In the first part, where she negotiated with Trevor, I often found myself thinking “Why don’t you just leave?” Maybe the direness of her situation was not clear enough to me. But maybe her subconsciousness wanted to go back into the arena all along. She seemed to be very confident and at home on the floor.

She has this nasty inner voice that degrades her constantly, especially when in a bad headspace. I liked how Hatterene was able to amplify those thoughts to use them against Isobel. There was only one instance (“Let’s sort through some memories, shall we?”) where Isobel’s inner voice changed its approach and Hatterene’s hand in all of this showed. Especially the last quote of the voice was impactful – as it was uttered when Hatterene was already out and drove back once again how internalised those thoughts were in Isobel.

She has a very good eye for strategy, even if at the end she is victorious because of her strength. Isobel had some pretty unique tactics and the way she communicated them to Tievul was very useful for the pokemon. I always struggle to make pokemon battles as depicted in the anime or the games work. Because pokemon will forever know better than humans how to use their strength. But they never see the full field when they are on it. How Isobel handled the fight is exactly how I envision a good trainer/pokemon duo to act.
We meet Trevor and Nil, and to some extent Gloria in flashbacks. They are three very different kinds of trainer and all of them are executed great. As much as I love my canon cast, here its important and more impactful that the canon cast is not present, not even in the backdrop. Leon’s presence in Galar is everywhere, so seeing what goes on under his championship is even more humbling.

Trevor of course is a douchebag. Looking back I can find zero redeeming qualities about him – which is somehow sad. Now that I’m through the chapter, depicting him as an unable, but at least to some extent caring trainer would have given his character some nuance.

I like how you incorporated social media as part of his deal. And I especially appreciated his change in personality once he was on camera. Before the match, it was clear that he was intimidated, but put on a show as soon as his phone was recording. This is often not handled well, especially in Gen8 fanfics, where Leon’s and Raihan’s online personas are more often than not depicted as if they were their real personalities.

The fact that there are bets involved makes the league battles a tad bit more interesting still. But I wonder how the logistics around it work. How is this referee assigned and how do you get a spot in the arena? Are they always there and free for trainer to use? So many questions I can backlog to my own worldbuilding…

With Nil we see the antithesis to Trevor – in one way: He is a capable trainer that values his pokemon. Other than that, he did also agree to this bet and is fully aware of his social capital. I think choosing a Hatterene to be his strongest pokemon was a wonderful fit. They are both cunning and I didn’t believe for one second that Hatterene didn’t know that money was on the line. Both he and his signature pokemon enjoy fights for the sports of it – which is something Trevor ultimately lacks.

Gloria is mentioned in flashbacks. We learn that she hit her 18th birthday before finishing her Gym Challange, which is a nice aspect in the worldbuilding. (Yes, scrub those dumb 10y/o running around in the wild!) She seems to genuinely care for Isobel, even though they have communication barriers.
This chapter is suuuuper interesting and valuable to me as a fellow author for how you’ve worldbuilt your league system. I’ve mentioned a lot above already, and here are the things I couldn’t fit in there.

Gloria loosing a star in the ranking system after Isoble left is an interesting concept. It’s perfectly clear once you stop to think about how rankings work, but for that you actually have to think about it. In my fic, Hana and Leon are virtually stuck in limbo, and their rating will remain at the status it had when they fell through time, so I don’t have to think too much about it. For now.

Mentioning how the Gym Challenge is a tool set up by league and market to profit off of children is brutally direct. I love that.
The part where Thievul goes :p on his trainer is one of my favourite parts. It didn’t need to be included, but it made him look so much more like a dork.

The usage of Bonk! when Isobel threw the shoe at Hatterene was oddly satisfying.

“Suck on a Muck” and “Rootom”? Imma definitely going to steal those. Those are hilarious!

All in all another very nice chapter. I don’t think I’ll ever have to mention style or spelling with you any more, but it was as flawless as the chapter before. I’m looking forward to what Isobel is up to next after that stunning victory.
 

bluesidra

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Review for Chapter 3: Who Am I?​

Hello! A bit late, but here goes chapter 3.

This is a very introspective chapter where Isobel starts to come to terms with herself and sets some new goals. And gets an adorable room-mate along the way.

First off, I have to say: The scene with the Grimsnarl hit different. Those are some really really really relatable thoughts right there from Isobel. If she didn’t get out of it, I’d probably be crying now.

Her getting over the episode was… unrealistic, but thoroughly needed. But me saying it was unrealistic comes from a person who has been struggling with depression for seven years straight now. Like, I know these thoughts to a tee. That’s why they hit so hard. And getting over them never worked for me. But this is also fiction and I would never ever ever want to read about someone going through depression for seven years. That’s why I was so thankful for the resolution there.

Oh, also, her feelings about her own place? Totally relatable. 10/10. Absolutely my apartment and me. Well, the moving out part in general. And how one doesn’t want to move back in with their parents/friends after it turns out things don’t work out well. Oh darn, so relatable :(
There were a lot of very nice pictures used in this chapter. Of course the Grimsnarl vs Machop. But also the glass path and the ocean. The ocean one was especially powerful. I use the metaphor of a drowning man often in my own work, and what you did there is very inspiring.
Gloria is in this scene longer, and she is such a good girl. I really like her. Her texting skills could use some improvement, but on the phone, she’s an angel. Though I have to wonder how old she is. Or what she’s doing in general. I guess I’m now just really curious about her.

She says the right things, but it never comes off as her being the perfect saviour. She still has her minor missteps. And you’ve definitely shown their deep bond. The entire conversation felt like two old friends talking.

Another character we meet again is Bronze. He is just too cute to be true. He is the best and I wish nothing but happiness for him. He had my heart since his introduction in the last chapter, but when he did the nosedive into the bed, he basically signed the marriage certificate.

Other than that, you’ve hinted at a past between Nil and Trevor. It didn’t need to be there, but it makes their characters ever more interesting.
There was a chase scene in this chapter. Now, chase scenes are always difficult in any media, and I get the feeling you wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. It was really short and I think that’s how things the author isn’t really interested in should go. Because if you don’t like something, it most likely won’t turn out good.

All in all, this was a very touching chapter. Thankfully it had a slow and gentle cooldown, going from dark, to uplifting, to funny. I really like the idea of Isobel going into coaching. You’ve written that so well in the past chapter, I’m looking forward to seeing more of it.

Oh, and because I still have them on hand: Down below are my unfiltered notes that I took while writing. Just so you see how much I love Bronze.
Admirari is still bae
Trevor is still bitch
I like the thought about Nil and Trevor having a backstory
An IOU to Isobel at that moment? Brave thing
Yeah, Iso! Stand up to him!
Dickweed!
Police Lucario! How cute
Chase scene’s always difficult, but fast
Glass… nice picture
Taking care of herself mologue hit hard
Blue Numels? Imma steal
Wait what???? I don’t smoke, but I don’t think that’s how you do it! But I’m happy for anyone who doesn’t smoke
Poor Isobel… way too relatable
That sea picture is impressive.
I cry
Grimsnar’s got a point there with the system
Hopefully she got out of it :) Otherwise I’d cry
Oh… Morgrem
Gloria is drunk?
Gloria is such a good girl. They seem to be very good friends
How old is Gloria
Oh, I like that coach thing.
Did thievul do a thief?
Awwww bronze
Shoes :D
AWWWWWWWWWWWWW Bronze
Nickit cubs?
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWBronze
 
Chapter 9 - Home Away from Home

NebulaDreams

Ace Trainer
Partners
  1. luxray
  2. hypno
Once again, thanks for the detailed review on chapters 2-3, @bluesidra! I've already followed up on chapter 1's review, so I'll just address your points here:

I always struggle to make pokemon battles as depicted in the anime or the games work. Because pokemon will forever know better than humans how to use their strength. But they never see the full field when they are on it. How Isobel handled the fight is exactly how I envision a good trainer/pokemon duo to act.

Yeah, exactly! I struggle with Pokemon fight scenes because I always feel bound by the moveset scenario, so I often try to avoid them. But when I have done them, it's always been from a Pokemon's perspective because that perspective, especially with the use of all these powers, feels much more engaging than a trainer who's on the sidelines (still salty that they reap most of the benefits from it).

As much as I love my canon cast, here its important and more impactful that the canon cast is not present, not even in the backdrop. Leon’s presence in Galar is everywhere, so seeing what goes on under his championship is even more humbling.

Funnily enough, my version of this Pokemon world doesn't use canon characters at all. This is mostly for the sake of justifying the focus on OCs and showcasing different problems and more possibilities than if I was bound to using pre-existing characters.

The fact that there are bets involved makes the league battles a tad bit more interesting still. But I wonder how the logistics around it work. How is this referee assigned and how do you get a spot in the arena? Are they always there and free for trainer to use? So many questions I can backlog to my own worldbuilding…

I don't know if I should've clarified more in the story, but these are more informal battles that anyone can book as either a training ground or a non-league match that nevertheless has a rule system to it, still in the interest of maintaining a fair fight. This is done in lieu of battling in the streets, which is considered a no-no and a public nuisance unless it's an emergency. A trainer can book it at any time or invite who they want, so it would be treated sort of like a Facebook event/gathering.

Her getting over the episode was… unrealistic, but thoroughly needed. But me saying it was unrealistic comes from a person who has been struggling with depression for seven years straight now. Like, I know these thoughts to a tee. That’s why they hit so hard. And getting over them never worked for me. But this is also fiction and I would never ever ever want to read about someone going through depression for seven years. That’s why I was so thankful for the resolution there.

I'll say outright that this aspect is one thing I regret about I, Isobel. I've struggled with depression before too, and I didn't want it to come across as her suddenly getting over it (since that doesn't happen at all), so the Morgrem was meant to represent that it's still a part of who she is, just in the background now she's had somewhat of an epiphany.

With the next arc, however, she backslides in a few places, so it's still present and she still struggles to find happiness. Regardless, the way I wrote this scene was really heavy handed and if I rewrote the whole thing, I would probably remove the inner Morgrem element altogether since it feels out of place. Despite that, I'm glad you've been liking this story overall.

Chapter 9: Home Away from Home

Once Isobel put her clothes back on, her and Dad slowly walked back to the base, supporting each other, arm in arm. Neither of them talked after that battle, but they didn’t need to. That, and Isobel was too zonked out to say much at that point, or do much else for that matter. So much so, when they reached a tricky spot of the hill where the mud turned back into rock, Dad caught Isobel before she slipped down.

“Careful,” he warned, pulling her back up. “Not used to hiking, huh?”

“Shaddup,” she whispered. “I got all the way up there just fine — and without shoes too.”

“Not really a big feat.” Dad looked down the steep hill and offered his back arms to her. “You gonna be fine walking down? Because I can carry you down if ya want.”

Isobel hummed, considering her options. It wasn’t exactly a good display of strength to rely on someone else’s help, but sometimes, that’s what she needed. So she linked arms with him once more and climbed on his back as he steadily trekked down the slope. He kept his balance even when he had someone like her in tow.

Eventually, they made it back to the dwelling, and Dad gently let Isobel down. She walked on her own that time, though each step she took made her feet hurt, especially on the rocky surface.

The dwelling, of course, looked a lot different at night — there was a bonfire in the middle of another crater where lots of residents gathered. Even from a distance, it cast her in a warm, orange glow, and the smell of pine needles and cooking meat wafted in the air. Then her stomach rumbled — right, all she had to eat was that sandwich earlier.

Dad pointed to the spot where Mum sat beside the fire. As they walked, the other fighting types turned their attention towards the duo.

“What happened, Gawain?” the Machoke from before asked.

“We just got into a friendly scrap, is all. Ah, I don’t think you remember!” He patted Isobel’s back. “This is my girl, Kit, or Isobel as she’s known now!”

Isobel waved, and the group talked amongst themselves, fascinated by her. A few even looked back at her, eyes gleaming with recognition.

“Huh, yer Kit.” The overprotective Machamp from earlier scratched his head. “Er, sorry I didn’t catch ya before.”

“It’s fine,” Isobel said, sitting down next to Mum. “Where’s Bronze?”

She pointed to the playground where the orange blur chased a few Machop in a circle, panting like the Thievul back up the hill.

“So, it seems like you two sorted things out.” Mum said.

“Yeah, we did.” Isobel smiled, nursing a swollen cheek. “I haven’t had a fight that good in a while.”

“She puts up a good one too.” Dad settled down, sitting away from Mum but next to Isobel, so she was sandwiched in between them. “She should probably challenge you to one sometime.”

“Well, she can certainly try, but who’s the one who fended Kuro off, hmm?”

“I mean, I got close!” Isobel smacked a fist against her palm. “I got him straight in the gut too! But never mind, I’d love to take ya on too, Mum.”

“Whenever you feel ready. Speaking of which…”

The cook handed Isobel a wooden bowl of soup: Bunnelby bones poked out of the broth, along with meat cutlets and slices of berries that swam on the surface. She had no cutlery, but she didn’t mind that. In fact, back home, when Isobel felt particularly decadent, she didn’t use a spoon for her cereal and just slurped it from the source. She did the same here, and a mix of flavours hit her palate. Sweet, yet savoury, watery yet rich as well. And all of this was for free.

Bronze eventually joined her for dinner and dug his snout straight into the bowl. He got his face wet from all the brine, but he didn’t mind. Nobody would tap his head for not having any manners.

“Nice, huh?” Isobel asked.

“Very nice,” he purred. “I haven’t had rabbit meat in a while, since I was with that Raboot.”

Isobel’s brain was too frazzled to care about those ramifications at this point. Her thoughts drifted on like the night as they stayed around the fire with the other fighting types, exchanging battle tips, previous fights, who said what about one Conkeldurr’s face behind their back, what went on in the mines and the outside world where the humans gathered. Isobel fit back into this dwelling like an old pair of shoes — she had grown out of it, yet somehow, they gave her comfort when she needed it.

The last time she felt this way was, oddly enough, back with Gloria. Even though Isobel had longed for her own space away from them, chilling at the campsite. Isobel imagined herself back there. There was Scallion, a Sirfetch’d that served as a support Pokemon for Gloria — he’d fight by day and practise cooking by night, stirring away at those saucepans. His creamy leek and potato soup was the best. Mushi, the heavy-hitting Heracross of the group, would charge at the trees while he waited for his meal. He was simple, but kind. He also trained Bags, the Scrafty, who Mushi boosted up when he felt alone or afraid about the oncoming fights. Eddy spun in that same spot as ever, busting a move to that dance music.

Then there was Emi, that Medicham. On off days, Isobel practised meditation with her, and through that, they grew closer. She admired how peaceful Emi was to be around, yet she always put up a good fight when the chips were down. And yet, she also liked the way she looked, how lean she was, how she contorted her body in various positions in the midst of her physical meditative aerobics. Emi seemed to find something similar in Isobel from the way she looked at her. And once, she took Isobel behind a tree away from Gloria’s sight, and leaned forward…

Oh. Oh no.

Isobel awoke from her food coma and stood up.

“Say, anyone,” she asked, “where can I find Lob and Shy?”

They looked at the communal space, which had the lights on.

“I probably wouldn’t interrupt them,” one Hitmonlee said, “they tend to enjoy each other’s company, if you know what I mean.”

She had a feeling, yet she didn’t want to spell it out in her head.

“I’ll try to respect their space, though I just want to see if they’ll be free to talk.”

“Hmm, good luck.”

Isobel walked towards the shack, a torrent of questions whirring in her head, and the only ones who could answer them were those two. She nearly kicked the door open when she remembered what that Hitmonlee said. Perhaps it was best to knock first. What was she, their mum?

Two knocks, then moments later, Lob peeked through the door slit, looking like a blushing blueberry.

“Oh, er, hello, Isobel,” he said with a nervous laugh. His sash was undone, though she didn’t look down.

“Um, I’m interrupting, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, you are. Did they not tell you?”

“They did, just…” Isobel grit her teeth. “Sorry, I really wanted to ask you two something, alone.” She thought about Emi and Admirari. “It’s also about you two bein’ a couple.”

“Well, I hope you don’t find anything wrong with that.”

“I just meant I might be having similar thoughts about someone I like, okay?”

“Ah.” He sighed, adjusting his belt. “Alright, give us a couple of minutes.”

As soon as Lob shut the door, Isobel wanted to belly-flop into that quarry. She didn’t know what she expected — like sniffing a carton of milk a week after its best before date, but like a carton of milk, Isobel had to wash all of her thoughts out with people who had experience. Thinking about it, Isobel had a bad habit of leaving her milk cartons in the fridge. Where was this tangent going again?

Lob and Shy exited the shack, sashes tightened around both of them. While the Sawk looked as cool as an Oran berry, that Throh was a sweating Tomate on legs. They led her to the back of the shed, away from the dwelling’s eyes, and while Lob stood up, Shy exhaled and slid to the ground.

“Now,” Lob said, “fire away.”

“Okay.” Isobel took a deep breath. “So… when I was still back with my trainer — long story short, I’ve struck out on my own now—”

“You have?” Lob interrupted. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting that from you, but as long as you’re happy with what direction you’re going, I’m happy.”

“Good.” She had an easier time explaining it to Lob than she did with Dad at first. “Anyway, I knew this Medicham, and we used to hang out a lot. Fighting together, sparring together, meditating together, somethin’ about her just pulled me close to her.” Isobel tugged at her shirt. “Though I didn’t know what. Or if it was even right, since a lot of Pokemon stick together to, er, reproduce.”

Lob chuckled. “Most of the fighting types here are male. What do you think some of them do to pass the time in this place?”

“Okay! Obvious in hindsight, I know! I just didn’t really catch on as a kid, and when I travelled, a lot of Pokemon I met were dead set on getting mates and having other Pokemon. And I didn’t see anything wrong with me and this Medicham together, just that I was confused and already had a lot on my mind and—”

“Alright, take a deep breath.” Lob lifted his hand along with Isobel’s inhalation. “So, do you reckon you’re attracted to females as well now?”

“I… think so?” She kneaded her hands together. “I can’t explain why, it’s just a gut feeling.”

“That’s all you need. So, what’s the problem?”

Isobel looked to the ground. “Since then, things haven’t been the same between me and her, and I feel horrible for it. Now, there’s this other Pokemon I like, a Hatterene. Talkin’ to her just feels nice, y’know? I feel that same sorta magnetism between me and her, but…”

She paused, gathering her thoughts, but her mind drew a blank. This was a completely new experience for her, even with exposure to the internet and how much information she had at her fingertips. In theory, she could’ve asked Rotoom these questions, but in practise, she needed to talk to other Pokemon with practise, and she had no idea where to look.

“Okay, so how do you ask people out? Rather, how’d you ask Shy out?”

“He didn’t.”

Isobel almost let out a gasp — it was the first time she heard Shy’s voice, and it was much deeper than she imagined. The Throh stood up, linking arms with his partner.

“I asked. Just to be closer. Together. He said yes.” He grinned. “I’m happy.”

Lob tightened his grip around Shy, then embraced, cuddling him. They almost leaned in for a kiss, but they couldn’t keep their eyes off of Isobel.

“Er, don’t stop on my account. But, I guess there’s no right way to ask, huh?”

Shy shook his head. “Just ask. Speak from here.” He cupped his chest.

“Are you afraid they’ll say no?” Lob asked.

In her head, she wasn’t, but her heart said otherwise. While Isobel wanted to change the subject and ask about them being teachers, she knew she wanted to be a coach already, so she didn’t need their help with that. Maybe later. But when he asked that, she realised she was afraid of the same thing happening to her coaching ventures. Why? Inner Morgrem, speak.

Don’t ask me, I’m basically you anyway.

Dammit, he didn’t have the answer for that either. But Isobel had to cope with it, one way or another, and just like her fight with Dad, she needed to eat the Froakie to see how things would go.

“Hello, Isobel? You spaced out a little, there.”

“Right. No, I’m not afraid, well, maybe a little. But I guess I don’t have anythin’ to lose.”

“Sounds good.” Lob swept Shy off his feet — a giggle escaped the Throh’s lips. “Is that everything you needed to know?”

“For now, yeah. Thanks, and, er, enjoy your thing.”

“Will do.” Lob and Shy went back to the shack, slamming the door behind them.

Really, ‘enjoy your thing’? Who says that?

Isobel could’ve asked a lot more elegantly, but she was pleased she got that off her chest.

She thought about it as she returned to the dwelling, then got lost in the conversation again and watched Bronze make himself at home with the rest of the Pokemon. Then, when the fire dwindled and everyone went back to their stone huts, Isobel went back to Dad’s house and slept in one of the mossy beds. Dead grass made for both a surprisingly comfy mattress and a warm duvet combined. While Dad snoozed and snored — as soon as he got back he dropped to bed like a planking Sudowoodo —, Isobel stared at the ceiling. The compulsion to check her phone crept up on her, but she wanted to sift through her thoughts without distractions.

Now Isobel knew a little more about what she was, she thought that if she got back with Gloria and to the way things used to be with Emi, she would’ve accepted that Medicham’s request in a heartbeat. But even if she apologised, things wouldn’t have been the same. But an apology was better than none at all, and not calling her after all this time would’ve added to the list of things to apologise for.

No, she didn’t want to come here as an excuse to run away from her problems, and staying here meant abandoning everything she built up back home. She still had a contract to fulfil with that flat, and even if that car accident was just an accident, she wanted to reach out to the driver before things got worse. But she also liked everyone here, and they didn’t seem to care about moving back home with parents. If only there was a way to have both.

How silly. Of course there was.



Isobel woke up the next morning, reinvigorated from last night’s fight and food combo. She joined Dad for his morning stretches, and Mum came in as well, smiling at him. Despite how everything seemed when Isobel first heard the news between them, those two still got along.

“Now,” Dad said, taking Isobel’s hand. “Have you thought about movin’ back here again?”

Mum nudged him with her elbow. “You have a choice, of course, we’ll respect your decision either way.”

Life on the dwelling would continue as normal without her, and her parents would be fine wherever she travelled. However, she knew they liked her company, and despite everything she had access to out there, this was a place for her to forget her outside troubles for a bit. At last, Isobel clapped both pairs of hands together.

“I’m stayin’ out there.”

Dad nodded, though Isobel wagged a finger.

“Though, this is still home. It hasn’t been for a while, but, well, this could be my home away from home.” She tightened her fist and patted her chest. “So I’m gonna come and visit you guys, regularly. Twice a month sounds good — what is that, every half-moon?”

“I know what the concept of time is,” Mum said with a snicker. “But you’re free to come whenever you like.”

“Yeah, absolutely! Maybe I can stay a night or two, you can tell me what’s going on here, I’ll bring some souvenirs from outside if you want, or even go hunting with you!”

“You don’t hafta get us anythin’.” Dad opened up his arms. “We’ve got your back, no matter what you do or bring.”

He embraced Isobel, as Mum did too, pulling them both in for a group hug. This… She hadn’t felt this way ever since she was a Machop. She was lucky to have such awesome parents. Truly.

Before she went to leave, Isobel got out her phone and took a selfie with her family — finally, she had something to look back on as a way to remember their faces. She waved them goodbye and walked up to the cave entrance, expecting Bronze to join her. Except, he didn’t. When Isobel noticed his absence, she went back and called for him. Fortunately, he appeared before her, but with a saddened expression.

“What’s wrong?” Isobel asked.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Bronze said, looking back at the rest of the dwelling, “it’s just that, well…” He shut his eyes and took a deep breath before directly looking at Isobel once more. “I’m staying here. Sorry.”

Isobel gulped. Of course, she knew Bronze only would’ve stayed temporarily, but…

“Did the other Thievul take you back?”

“Not yet, I still don’t know how they’ll warm up to me. But everyone else here is nice.” He looked to the other fighting types who waved at him. “They said they like having me around, the kids love me, they’ve offered to train me, and, well, I had another talk with Terra while you were gone.”

“And what did she say?”

“If I stayed here, then she would help me socialise with the Thievul. And if they don’t accept me, she said she’ll find me another pack that would take me in, no matter what it takes her.”

This wasn’t a surprise — even though she didn’t know her that well, Mum seemed to be at home in the wild.

“I already like this place a lot more than the city. The air is fresh, especially with those Weezing. It’s a lot closer to nature. I hate walking in the streets — everything is just too smooth.”

“And you’re not tied to any asshole trainer.”

“Exactly.” He looked back at Isobel, tugging at his moustache. “I’m sorry, I know things are hard for you back home. I don’t want to abandon you like this.”

Isobel put on a smile and pulled Bronze in for one last hug.

“Don’t be sorry, duvet-diver. You gotta do what you gotta do, and this ain’t goodbye. I’ll be coming back here every so often.”

“You will?”

“Yeah, I promise.”

Bronze nuzzled Isobel’s chest, then let go, bowing before her one last time before he went off on his own. She waved goodbye again, even if he didn’t turn back to see it.
 

Nubushi

しぶい
Pronouns
she/her
Partners
  1. slowpoke-hgss
  2. togekiss-nubushi
Hello, I'm here from the Review Blitz reviewing chapters 1-2 of Act 1: Out of Hand. I came across this story and skimmed a little bit of chapter 1 several months ago, and it has been on my radar as something I wanted to R&R ever since then.

Organizationally, I have some line-by-line scene-by-scene comments, and then some general comments to wrap things up at the end, which is kind of opposite of how a lot of people on here do reviews, I hope that's okay. >.>

Chapter 1:

With a tank top, shorts (because they were comfy and easy to wear), and tabi shoes, she was ready to take on the day.

Love the shorts reference! Although it's kind of a little detail, but significant as part of Isobel's characterization, I have a question about the tabi shoes. What kind of tabi shoes, and what are you trying to communicate through this detail? When I looked them up, the first search result was some high-end super fancy tabi boots from a boutique based in Paris. On the other hand, when in Japan I saw tabi boots on very rare occasions being worn by workers in very specific industries, and they had a very "work boots" look and were part of a work uniform (construction, I believe). Galar is based on the UK, and with high-end brands IRL in Europe making super-fancy tabi boots, I suppose there's no reason there shouldn't be some in Galar. But apparently there are all sorts of tabi shoes ranging from cozy tabi sneakers to super-high-end-designer-boots to "official construction worker uniform" tabi boots. Without knowing what kind of shoe this is, "tabi" by itself doesn't help me picture what Isobel's image is without knowing what kind. Is she hopelessly mismatched with no sense of what goes together? Or is she wearing something worker-like and comfortable that goes along with the tank and shorts?


as she mostly subsisted off of pre-cooked pasta and Magikarp

Answers the question of whether pokemon in your story eat each other, but also raises some new questions (which I think were being discussed in a thread somewhere). Are all pokemon fully sentient on a human-like level? I don't know if this is addressed elsewhere in your story, but it would be an interesting element of world-building to include.

When she watched herself in the playback, though, it served as a reminder of why she quit. Unlike the Grimmsnarl, her moves were calculated and cold. She had rehearsed them many times before. Her face tried to hide emotion, but occasionally, even when she had the upper hand, she'd frown. By the end of the fight, Isobel just stared back at her trainer with hollow eyes. She won, but the victory wasn't hers, it was her trainer's. It was always her trainer's from the start.

This is an interesting conflict; it helps explain/set up the thing about her getting out on her own. The contrast with the Grimmsnarl helps to establish that this is not a world in which Pokemon Training is Evil or something, but that it was her particular dynamic with her particular trainer that wasn't healthy.

His eyes glistened, fists pumped. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

Seeing that kid smile filled the void in her heart.

This was neat, also kind of as an element of world-building (helping establish how humans and pokemon relate to each other in this world), as I really expected him to say something about training or fighting.

The line about seeing the kid smile was also very heartwarming, more on this later, but overall, this interaction with the kid adds a lot both in terms of world-building and also to Isobel's development as a character.

"Sounds like a pain in the ass. I mean, we wouldn't be caught dead screwing over another Pokemon, since, yanno."

They don't want to be caught screwing over a pokemon because they are a shop that exclusively sells pokeballs that increase your friendship with pokemon more quickly? So, that would conflict with their image? (It sounds like that, but I wasn't totally sure I am interpreting the line correctly.)

The part with Isobel asking if the store clerk would buy her dinner made me a little uncomfortable. I get that she mostly is hard up on cash and is trying to get a free meal, but if she is trying to flirt with him, that feels a little uncomfortable to me. However, this is not a criticism of your decision to include that, just my personal reaction as a reader. I guess if there are fully-sentient and talking pokemon, it shouldn't be surprising that something like this could happen, and it sort of reminded me of a scene in either The Sparrow (by Mary Doria Russel) or its sequel where there are two alien species on a planet, one dominant and one slave-class (but physically similar enough to probably be sexually compatible), and there is one spot where a member of one species slightly flirts with another, but there's also a clear understanding that no way in space is anything actually going to happen between them. Kind of weird, but you can also realistically imagine a bit of flirtation happening.

Isobel put on the widest grin possible. "Where're your trainers? I'm sure they'd love to know you two are bothering a stranger."

Another part where I'm not totally sure what is meant--is she insulting them by acting like she thinks they have trainers when they actually don't? Or do they actually have trainers, and this is a real threat to tell their trainers they are up to no good? Along those lines, how rare is it actually for there to be pokemon who are independent and on their own like Isobel is?

From the ringtone of the Pokemon anime's first opening, she knew who it was.

Loved this detail, too; those little references to the original media are super-fun.

"I don't. I thought we went over this." She sighed. That wound didn't need re-opening.

The whole scene (starting with Isobel's reluctance to pick up the phone) works well to alert the reader of that wound in the past, that there's some background here to why Isobel quit fighting.

And the chapter also ended on a nice cliffhanger! Enough to keep me scrolling for the next chapter right away. ;)

Chapter 2:

Trevor is pretty despicable. What is a bigger concern is that this is a bet, and Trevor is cheating--besides the interpersonal conflict between Isobel and Trevor, and the foul taste it leaves in the mouth that he won't let her talk for herself and doesn't want her to talk during the job, this brings some additional tension to the story (or, at least I as a reader feel that way), as it's easy to imagine this going nowhere good for Isobel if it comes out that Trevor is cheating.

This guy wore colourful garb and looked nothing like the tech savvy guy Trevor made him out to be. If anything, he looked more like the type to meditate underneath waterfalls than go for joyrides with chrome-plated cars.

Although the description of this trainer is sort of a passing detail, I think it deserves some comment as it turns out to be quite significant later to him as a character.

While with Trevor's description, the image of his all-black clothing and bling is visual enough that I can fill in the details of his face, etc. with my imagination, the "colorful garb" isn't really enough for me to make a mental picture of this trainer, and I also couldn't make a connection between the colorful garb and meditating under waterfalls--actually, the connection was sufficiently tenuous that I was wondering at first if the "more likely to meditate under waterfalls" was just sarcasm meaning that he's extremely unlikely to go for joyrides in chrome-plated cars. I would associate meditating under waterfalls with being a Buddhist monk (or at least some sort of training in Eastern spirituality and/or martial arts), which "colorful clothes" doesn't really evoke, so I'm failing to get a unified impression of him. Is there something about his clothes that make him look like a poser monk who's trying to look or act spiritual without putting in real discipline? Or is he dressed like a hippie? (If so, just that one word "hippie" make his later conversation with Admirari make a lot of sense.) If you clarify here what about his image makes him look like he is the sort of person looking for a shortcut to altered states of mind or mystical experiences, then this description here of what the trainer looks like could be a great opportunity to foreshadow in advance why he's in the fight and what kind of person he is.

Trevor being the challenger means the challenged trainer gets to determine *all* the pokemon match-ups? Sounds pretty unfair. Is that canon? (Not familiar with SWSH.)

Nil's greater rapport with his pokemon compared to Trevor comes across clearly through their interactions with him (the adoring look) and his with them (the gestures of affection, etc.).

Isobel's encouraging the Thievul to do better is really nice and adds a lot to her as a character.

I liked the part with Frosmoth turning the puddles to ice. This sort of thing, bringing the environment into the pokemon battle, is really neat and helps the fight come across as both more realistic and more interesting. When I see that sort of clever tactic in a pokemon battle, it really keeps me interested and engaged as a reader.

But this… what was this even for? Some guy's attempt to get imaginary internet points?

Great line, I really enjoy the cleverness of calling likes or views or whatever "imaginary internet points."

I also loved it how Trevor's rule about Isobel not talking worked out against him, as she can play the "I'm just doing what you said" card to keep him in the dark.

It was also really cool how Isobel's encouragement, and the way that the tide of the battle started to turn, was enough of a push to get Bronze to start thinking on his own. It's kind of a positive feedback loop, where a little bit of success gave him the impetus to try harder (or more like fight smarter) instead of just giving up, because he knew he could do it.

Loved the line about seismic-tossing the phone.

The part with Isobel comforting/congratulating Bronze and giving him some pats/scratches on the head, was really heartwarming. It's also telling that both with Bronze's battle and Isobel's, it's the pokemon encouraging and comforting each other, and none of that is coming from Trevor.

Conversation between Nil and Hatterene: Hm, this is interesting. So Isobel was pretty close to the mark about Nil being likely to meditate under waterfalls, but not quite on the mark, as I'd associate meditating under waterfalls with really hardcore Buddhist spirituality and someone who is definitely willing to put in the work and asceticism of that sort of path, NOT someone who is looking for a shortcut to mystical experiences. While Hatterene is correct that a true practitioner does not need gimmicks to meditate or attain religious experiences, it seems like Nil thinks he does need those, and he is using things like deprivation tanks or perhaps this pokemon fight to try to attain some sort of altered state of consciousness, or mystical experiences, or something. So although from what we've seen so far he definitely seems like a much nicer guy than Trevor, he also might be a little bit off his rocker.

Pokemon telling off a human trainer, that was pretty interesting.

You're not very smart, are you?

It was Isobel's inner voice, but not quite. It was distorted like it was being played through bass-boosted speakers submerged underwater. But why did this happen as soon as Admirari hit her?

You seem to attack through brute strength and not much else. It's a wonder you lasted in the league this long.

This is really interesting. I could tell/guess from reading the story up to now that the boldface thoughts were Isobel's thoughts, her internal negative voice talking to herself. The way you take something that was woven through the whole story up until now and make it a significant point in the fight works really well as a storytelling technique, and that Isobel senses the difference between this and her usual internal critic voice piques my curiosity as a reader, making me wonder what it is, whether it is really her, or Admirari, or some combination of both.

The fight scene is very vivid and active, really a pleasure to read. Fling made me laugh (or rather, Admirari's comment about it).

The moment when Bronze cheers her on and she starts to fight back is very classic--it's like a classic shonen comeback, that moment when something or someone gives the hero that extra strength they need to keep fighting and turn the battle around--and works very well. Great example of a trope that works because it makes a good story.

You waste away your days on pointless entertainment and the bottle when you're not working, and when you are working, your mind's in another place. You don't even want to be there. Why sell yourself out?

Even behaving like another human is just an act for you. You're still that same Yamper, chasing after another dream humans gave you. You have no ideals as an individual Pokemon.
These comments are very incisive and really hit home. There are some comments about Isobel's alcohol consumption sprinkled throughout the two chapters, and of course there's also the way her mind was in another place, watching videos on her cell phone, while she was working her first part-time job, so the portrayal of Isobel acting this way is set up effectively so the comment hits home. The comment about chasing after a dream that humans gave her, something human-defined rather than something that she defined herself, has a lot of resonance beause of the many real-life historical siutations where this is true about an oppressed/discriminated-against people group, that sometimes they try to prove their equality by becoming exactly what the oppressing/privileged class is like, rather than defining success according to themselves.

The rush of memories/feelings that come back as she is pounding Admirari into the ground is really powerful; as a reader, I can really sense how her punching the other pokemon is releasing her feelings of frustration and other emotions tied with these memories.

It's also really interesting psychological ground with the part of herself, the fighting instict and the rush that she gets out of fighting, being a part of herself that she doesn't like and wants to lock away--even while it's the thing that helps her win. It's very human-like.

Overall:

In chapter 1, we have the set-up for the fight in chapter 2, along with a lot of world-building. Chapter 1 starts with some great characterization plus establishment of the initial conflict, as right away Isobel is staring at her late-rent notification and wondering what to do about it. There are a lot of world-building details as Isobel rides into town and does her first part-time job, and these are all fun to read, as it's really interesting to get a glimpse of how things work in this society where pokemon can work and have jobs alongside humans, but on the other hand the world-building details never bog things down, either. We also start to get a little bit of the conflict of Isobel's troubled past with her trainer.

In chapter 2, we get to the fight, but the amplification (?) of Isobel's inner critic during the fight expands the sense of conflict to something a lot bigger than just "Isobel needs rent money." Instead, this chapter starts to tackle things like the way Isobel is drifting without a purpose, in addition to expanding on her history with Gloria and digging into the internal conflict Isobel feels about her fighting instinct. In both chapters, we also start to glimpse a possible solution in the way that Isobel enjoys and seems to be good at coaching (humans and pokemon both).

Some themes that stand out to me:

Isobel's struggles against her inner critical voice (which is amplified/hijacked by the Hatterene).

The thing that is going on with her wanting to suppress a part of herself, the fighting instinct, which she rejects as being "bad."

It's emerged that Isobel's talent is coaching. Even prior to the part with Bronze, the part with the kid that asked how to twirl a sign made me think, "She should be a personal trainer," because obviously she enjoyed giving someone a tip on how to do something and found that fulfilling. I wonder if this is the direction her life is going to go, if she's going to find her calling and end up doing some sort of coaching gig as a way of living independently.

On the other hand, Gloria clearly isn't a terrible person or trainer, and there are obviously some wounds between Isobel and her former trainer, so I'm interested to see if they will find a way to move past those wounds from the past and have a friendship.

When I first started reading, since there was all that world-building about how humans and pokemon are doing business together, and there were also some details about her not always being treated fairly (not always being paid; not being treated with respect as an equal by Trevor), I thought this story was going to have a lot of social-justice themes about pokemon being oppressed by an unjust society, or the need for fair and equal treatment, that sort of thing. And I suppose there might still be more of that later, but especially in chapter 2, the story became really very psychological, which was a surprise to me and also something I greatly enjoyed reading. I've been engaging with some books/games recently that revolve around shadow work and the need to integrate one's shadow self, and the whole idea of the way that people reject parts of themselves or elements of their personality, which need to be accepted and integrated, is also sort of familiar from other things I've read in the past, so I am *very* interested in the elements of this story that have to do with Isobel's psychological struggles with her inner critic and her fight instinct which she is trying to negate and suppress. I'm going to stop here for tonight, but I really enjoyed this and look forward to seeing where it goes!
 

NebulaDreams

Ace Trainer
Partners
  1. luxray
  2. hypno
Hi @Nubushi, thanks a lot for the detailed review, I'm glad you engaged with it enough to comment on it so extensively. It's also weird coming back to this story after so long, especially with the earlier chapters since I was still finding my feet with this story. In any case, I owe it to you to respond to your comments.

I agree with you on your criticisms/questions since there are a lot of details I would love to change in the first arc of the story if I went back to revise it. Despite that, I'm also glad you enjoyed the story overall and that it didn't seem to bog you down too much. I'll just round them up here:

I have a question about the tabi shoes. What kind of tabi shoes, and what are you trying to communicate through this detail?

This was kind of an afterthought and if I went back, I probably would have said they were sandals instead. It's a minor detail that doesn't add much to the story and raises more questions than necessary.

Answers the question of whether pokemon in your story eat each other, but also raises some new questions (which I think were being discussed in a thread somewhere). Are all pokemon fully sentient on a human-like level? I don't know if this is addressed elsewhere in your story, but it would be an interesting element of world-building to include.

One problem with the way I set up everything in my fanfic world was that every story was interconnected in some way, which was way too overambitious in retrospect. My old longfic, The Curious and the Shiny, addressed the meat problem in the worldbuilding where a lot of Pokemon like Miltank, Magikarp and such who were traditionally hunted are still used as livestock today. It depends a lot on a Pokemon's environment and upbringing, but similar to canisaries' TPP works, Pokemon are capable of either becoming feral or civilized, though there are tons of grey areas and it also varies from species to species. The Magikarp Isobel is eating wouldn't be classed as human-like since they were bred specifically to become non-sapient livestock.

I definitely could've addressed it more at the beginning here since a lot of people read this without reading TCATS, so I should've treated the worldbuilding as if it was meant for a standalone story. I feel as if I've gotten better with worldbuilding and establishing the rules of a fantasy setting since I've been writing more original stuff.

The part with Isobel asking if the store clerk would buy her dinner made me a little uncomfortable. I get that she mostly is hard up on cash and is trying to get a free meal, but if she is trying to flirt with him, that feels a little uncomfortable to me.

Now you've pointed it out, gawddddddddddd I'm dying from cringe. The intent wasn't an actual flirt between Isobel and the clerk since she's mostly doing it as a joke and to get a free meal as you said. I didn't want to touch human/Pokemon relations with a ten foot pole in my works because I know that would rub readers the wrong way. Plus, considering the dynamics between humans and Pokemon in canon, writing that sort of stuff would make me feel uncomfortable as well, so I'm sorry that this scene came across the way it did.

Though the grand irony is that the original project I'm focusing on very prominently features a human/monster romance, except the monsters are treated like citizens who have an equal social standing to humans.

Another part where I'm not totally sure what is meant--is she insulting them by acting like she thinks they have trainers when they actually don't? Or do they actually have trainers, and this is a real threat to tell their trainers they are up to no good? Along those lines, how rare is it actually for there to be pokemon who are independent and on their own like Isobel is?

I think I alluded to Pokemon gaining more independence throughout I, Isobel IIRC. Since the conflict in TCATS centred around Pokemon struggling to gain independence as a response to feelings I had about the games, I wrote I, Isobel as a response to Gen 8 with the Pokejobs system in particular, since trusting Pokemon to join the workforce assumes some form of autonomy in some ways. So this shows the Galar region acknowledging that some Pokemon want to work independently from humans, but that still only accounts for a small percentage of Pokemon, especially in a world that still doesn't acknowledge them all as citizens.

I wish I touched upon it more here, but there are also a lot of debates in-universe about whether Pokemon should be integrated into human society if the Pokemon choose to do so, or if they should be left well enough alone in the wild, especially since there are a lot of nuances between wild species of different intelligence and cultures.

Heck, the focus of Part 2 is Isobel reconnecting with her old home in the wild. Except in the case of a gathering of fighting types, the line between the wild and the human world is blurred since they're a functional society with their own languages and belief systems. They're much more ascetic than humans though and reject most aspects of human society while also maintaining a neutral relationship with them, since some of them still use human goods and appliances.

While with Trevor's description, the image of his all-black clothing and bling is visual enough that I can fill in the details of his face, etc. with my imagination, the "colorful garb" isn't really enough for me to make a mental picture of this trainer, and I also couldn't make a connection between the colorful garb and meditating under waterfalls--actually, the connection was sufficiently tenuous that I was wondering at first if the "more likely to meditate under waterfalls" was just sarcasm meaning that he's extremely unlikely to go for joyrides in chrome-plated cars.

I could've expanded on Nil since he was also an afterthought, mostly existing as a foil to Trevor. But your theory about him being a poser monk is about right since I envisioned him as a spiritual influencer who tries to inject spirituality into his life, but is also filthy rich and is wrapped up in building a following like Trevor to some extent. Your observation about him trying to attain an altered state of consciousness through the Pokemon fight is also true, though in his case, it's more about him also being a frivolous gambler and getting a rush from the thrill of the stakes.

Great line, I really enjoy the cleverness of calling likes or views or whatever "imaginary internet points."

cough *reddit karma* cough

When I first started reading, since there was all that world-building about how humans and pokemon are doing business together, and there were also some details about her not always being treated fairly (not always being paid; not being treated with respect as an equal by Trevor), I thought this story was going to have a lot of social-justice themes about pokemon being oppressed by an unjust society, or the need for fair and equal treatment, that sort of thing. And I suppose there might still be more of that later, but especially in chapter 2, the story became really very psychological, which was a surprise to me and also something I greatly enjoyed reading. I've been engaging with some books/games recently that revolve around shadow work and the need to integrate one's shadow self, and the whole idea of the way that people reject parts of themselves or elements of their personality, which need to be accepted and integrated, is also sort of familiar from other things I've read in the past, so I am *very* interested in the elements of this story that have to do with Isobel's psychological struggles with her inner critic and her fight instinct which she is trying to negate and suppress. I'm going to stop here for tonight, but I really enjoyed this and look forward to seeing where it goes!

There are definitely themes of Pokemon inequality across a lot of my stories, and some of that does show up here, though not as much since Galar's government is trying to move forward and accommodate for them while still not completely considering each Pokemon's different needs. I'm glad you liked the psychological themes in this one in particular (though I honestly think the inner voice needs tweaking since it does get a bit heavy handed in retrospect, which you might see more of in the next chapter). I tend to focus on a lot of character-driven conflicts in my stories, and if you like the way I focused on this, you might also like my Dreamdiver series of fics which primarily focus on a Pokemon psychologist and the problems of his patients (extra points for the MC being called Jung since you talked about the shadow self).

Again, thanks a lot for your review, and I look forward to further comments if/when you read more.
 

Nubushi

しぶい
Pronouns
she/her
Partners
  1. slowpoke-hgss
  2. togekiss-nubushi
Thanks so much for all the answers and explanations about the world that "I, Isobel" is set in!

Now you've pointed it out, gawddddddddddd I'm dying from cringe. The intent wasn't an actual flirt between Isobel and the clerk since she's mostly doing it as a joke and to get a free meal as you said.

Though the grand irony is that the original project I'm focusing on very prominently features a human/monster romance, except the monsters are treated like citizens who have an equal social standing to humans.

No worries, I'll just mentally file that part of the story away as Isobel wanting free food. ;)

There's a lot of baggage when it comes to Pokemon-human romance, and I think part of the immediate cringe reaction comes from knowing there's some really weird stuff out there in the Pokemon fanfiction world. But if you think about it, if you substitute "werewolf" or "shape-shifter" or "alien" for "pokemon," then it becomes "paranormal romance, which is now mainstream in our society." I think the weirdness if it's pokemon boils down to a few main things:

1. The difference in form. In paranormal/fantasy romance, if the monster shapeshifts into a human body (or has a basically human-like body to begin with), readers tend to all be okay with that.
2. The ambiguity about whether pokemon are sapient. If the monster in question doesn't have fully human-level intelligence, that is pretty weird and gross.
3. The difference in social standing, since a superior/subordinate or master/slave romance is unethical even when everyone's the same species (as an extreme example, so-called "romance" between a master and a slave in the US prior to the abolition of slavery).

That said, the irony for me is I did actually once read a pokemon-human romance that was a transform fic (one of the characters permanently changes species) which I liked and felt comfortable with, but in that fic, all three problems above were dealt with or didn't apply.

And I'm also curious now about your human/monster original project, and I'd be interested in taking a gander at it (probably not for Review Blitz, though, as for Blitz I like to broadly read a variety of TR authors). Is it on TR?

(Looking back at the story I reviewed last year, "Slow Burn," I recall I really loved the story and was intrigued by the world, so I am definitely interested in reading more of your original works!)

I tend to focus on a lot of character-driven conflicts in my stories, and if you like the way I focused on this, you might also like my Dreamdiver series of fics which primarily focus on a Pokemon psychologist and the problems of his patients (extra points for the MC being called Jung since you talked about the shadow self).

I remember skimming the beginning of one of those Dreamdiver stories last year, and I think the reason I didn't read the whole thing was a combination of the fact that the opening of "I, Isobel" grabbed me more, and I was a bit hesitant about the "disturbing imagery" CW. The degree/extent of the content makes a big difference, though. What would you say would be the overall rating? T? M?

Also, about Jung and the shadow self, I *very* recently read a book about shadow work and am really interested in that concept of the shadow self. And if you haven't already, you should definitely consider checking out the game Celeste (or Let's Plays if you don't want to play the game yourself), as it has an extremely engaging story about the main character having to confront and reconcile with her shadow self, which at first she is trying to deny and suppress.
 

Nubushi

しぶい
Pronouns
she/her
Partners
  1. slowpoke-hgss
  2. togekiss-nubushi
Hey there, I am back to finish this story arc. I have a few sentence-level things, which I'll start with; after that, I'll try to focus on the big picture for this chapter.

That Lucario still could've picked out her aura, though. She wasn't safe. Yet she hit a dead end. She had nowhere to hide. She tried to find anywhere she could escape to, but found nothing.

The "She wasn't safe. Yet she hit a dead end" doesn't quite flow; it would make more sense logically that she isn't safe *because* she is at a dead end. (The contrasting "yet" doesn't make sense.) Also is this a literal or a metaphorical dead end? Things are going kind of fast here; a few details about her physical surroundings might not hurt, especially in the moment when she pauses to catch her breath.

Maybe she could've told him about Trevor, but—

I was doubtful about that, with the whole cheating thing (doesn't Trevor hiring her for the match break some sort of rule?), but I guess it did work out in the end with Bronze explaining things to the Lucario for her.

I really like the metaphor with the paths of glass and the shattered glass. You sort of have metaphor and reality blending into each other here, and I like how that works. The glass metaphor works well to convey the fragility of these imagined scenarios, as well as the painfulness of walking the only path that is available to her when those images shatter. This moment is also really easy to relate to; as a reader I can definitely relate to that feeling of thinking about several possible paths, like "What if I do this?" "What if I do that?" which all seem very uncertain.

So, some general thoughts about this chapter:

As a caveat, your telling me in your reply earlier that you thought you went too far with the inner voice might have biased me a bit to read this chapter with a critical eye, so feel free to keep that in mind.

One thought I had was, this chapter really reminded me of certain scenes in Celeste. ;) Have you already played that game, actually? If not, I'd guess the similarity probably comes from both being based on the same Jungian concepts about listening to and reconciling with one's shadow self.

That aside, I did feel like, overall, the way that Isobel was able to reconcile with her shadow self was too quick. I am definitely not an expert on this, as I don't know from experience whether it is possible to have a huge psychological breakthrough like that all at once or not. My feeling about the matter is that I have a sort of gut suspicion that it tends to take a lot longer and be a more gradual process in most cases, with ups and downs and backsliding along the way, but I don't have enough knowledge or expertise to totally rule out the possibility that these breakthroughs could occur suddenly. Anyways, from a storytelling perspective, it felt a little bit facile. (And, also, she got to air some things with Gloria and get that relationship onto better and healthier footing, so that's two pretty huge changes that happened in this chapter.)

I also think that compared to this chapter, what was going on in the second chapter with psychological things going on while Isobel fought worked really well--there was something physically going on in the outside world, and there was some interaction between what was going on mentally and what was going on physically, and that brought a lot of really great dynamism and energy to that chapter.

Speaking of that, it was definitely a really interesting revelation that it turned out Admirari was not the one who amplified Isobel's inner voice. Maybe it was something that was amplified or brought out by the fight situation, since Isobel's fighting instinct is part of her shadow that she's trying to suppress?

One thing I did think worked very well in this chapter was the portrayal of Isobel's shadow self as a Grimmsnarl/Morgrem. All the way at the beginning of the story, you had that part where Isobel was watching a different Grimmsnarl's match on her phone, and her reaction to that Grimmsnarl was that she was somewhat physically repulsed by him and his hairiness, but at the same time the Grimmsnarl had a definite flair and style as a fighter that Isobel couldn't help but admire. This works really well to set up the appearance of her shadow self as a Grimmsnarl because it establishes both her reaction of revulsion/rejection towards her shadow self's entwining hairs, as well as the fact that being a Grimmsnarl is not itself a bad thing, and there are also positive things associated with the Grimmsnarl line (the confidence the other one had in his individual fighting style). So this helps convey that Isobel's fighting instinct isn't some totally evil thing that she has to reject; there are some good things about it.

Things tie up nicely at the end of the story. The Lucario coming to her door with Bronze to give her the money she is owed basically ties up the loose ends: that the Lucario is not chasing her nor seeking her arrest anymore, she can pay her rent now, and also, Bronze getting out of a crappy situation with a jerk of a trainer definitely helps the story come to its resolution, as it wouldn't feel right if we didn't know what happened to him. Instead of a path of shattered glass, Isobel now has some good options to explore, going back to visit her family and exploring a career as a pokemon coach. And I already mentioned in my previous review that I was wondering if maybe she would end up doing exactly that (pursuing coaching as a career), so there definitely was enough build-up in previous chapters for this to make sense and feel like a good choice.

Overall, although the psychological processing/reconciliation at the end was a bit fast, it was a nice story about a pokemon overcoming a temporary crisis and at the same making a lot of progress in bigger things like finding a direction for her life, not defining herself or her success by others' metrics, and accepting the part of herself that she had been rejecting. I probably won't do so right away, but would definitely like to come back and read the next story arc at some point!

P.S. I also read the bonus fluff chapter, but I don't have any comments other than that was hilarious. :p
 

NebulaDreams

Ace Trainer
Partners
  1. luxray
  2. hypno
Terribly sorry it took me a month to get back to you but here I am again.

There's a lot of baggage when it comes to Pokemon-human romance, and I think part of the immediate cringe reaction comes from knowing there's some really weird stuff out there in the Pokemon fanfiction world.

Yeah, that's why the idea of a Pokemon/human romance bugs me, even in the context of both being sapient species. Or bottom line with any interspecies romance, make sure it passes the harkness test.

And I'm also curious now about your human/monster original project, and I'd be interested in taking a gander at it (probably not for Review Blitz, though, as for Blitz I like to broadly read a variety of TR authors). Is it on TR?

And thanks for taking an interest in this original project! I haven't put any of it up online because I want to publish the whole thing in its entirety when it's all edited, either on Amazon or through an indie publisher. And I remember your review of Slow Burn, I still appreciate that. I sadly canned that project since I struggled to make Cham's story seem compelling in a longer format, but this novel shares a couple of similarities with those themes and that sort of worldbuilding.

I remember skimming the beginning of one of those Dreamdiver stories last year, and I think the reason I didn't read the whole thing was a combination of the fact that the opening of "I, Isobel" grabbed me more, and I was a bit hesitant about the "disturbing imagery" CW. The degree/extent of the content makes a big difference, though. What would you say would be the overall rating? T? M?

Dreamdiver sits at a T for all three stories, and by disturbing imagery, there's little to no gore, it just gets incredibly surreal at times. If you're still hesitant about that, I recommend Teamwork Makes the Dream Work since that's the most accessible story of the bunch with none of the horror elements from the other short stories.

Oh, and Celeste actually inspired the whole Inner Morgrem plot here, as you might've seen with the third chapter.

Speaking of which, here are my comments regarding the third chapter as well. I don't have much to say about the sentence level stuff because I agree with those points, though I don't have the energy to go back and redraft at this point since I'm actually concluding this story with this next chapter I'm going to post. I will get to your more critical points, though.

hat aside, I did feel like, overall, the way that Isobel was able to reconcile with her shadow self was too quick. I am definitely not an expert on this, as I don't know from experience whether it is possible to have a huge psychological breakthrough like that all at once or not. My feeling about the matter is that I have a sort of gut suspicion that it tends to take a lot longer and be a more gradual process in most cases, with ups and downs and backsliding along the way, but I don't have enough knowledge or expertise to totally rule out the possibility that these breakthroughs could occur suddenly. Anyways, from a storytelling perspective, it felt a little bit facile. (And, also, she got to air some things with Gloria and get that relationship onto better and healthier footing, so that's two pretty huge changes that happened in this chapter.)

Yeah, that's the thing most people noted about the resolution with the shadow self feeling forced. As someone who's gone through therapy (CBT) before, I still struggle with a lot of things with my own mini ups and downs, so it was especially lazy of me to resolve Isobel's darker side the way that I did. I will say, I didn't intend it to be a total breakthrough since I wanted her to partially make peace with it (plus, Act 2 still finds her backsliding in some ways), but it also didn't come across the way that I hoped.

Calling back to the Dream Work fic I mentioned, the main plot revolves around treating a Pokemon with depression, and the story focuses a lot on the ups and downs and backsliding that can happen even after someone's treatment. So even though I missed the mark with how mental struggles were represented in this story, that experience also improved the other story in my opinion.

I am glad the Grimmsnarl metaphor worked well though, since I wanted that to mainly represent her fighting side.
 
Chapter 10 - In to a Life

NebulaDreams

Ace Trainer
Partners
  1. luxray
  2. hypno
Author's Note: Hi, thanks for reading I, Isobel. I know it’s been a while since the previous chapter, and I’ve been sitting on the WIP of this one for over half a year now. I originally intended to finish posting this arc within a month of its release back in 2021, but the chapters required rewriting and expanding, though it wasn’t exactly writer’s block. I struggled to find the motivation to continue this story since it didn’t get the reaction I anticipated (I barely even know what people think about Act 2 of what’s been posted for the past few months). That, and a lot of life stuff got in the way.

In any case, this will probably be the last chapter I post for I, Isobel. Maybe not the last fanfic I work on since I still have other WIPs (mainly involving the Dreamdiver fics), though they will most likely be short stories instead of longfics. Just at the moment, I see no incentive to continue Isobel’s story, and each arc was written on an episodic basis, so I kept it open ended in case I wanted to write follow ups or wanted to end it. Also keep in mind this final chapter might be a little rough since I haven’t passed it through a beta reader this time and some of it was written as a first draft. I know that doesn’t set high expectations, but I have no expectations for this fic anymore, so I’m surprised if you’ve actually read up to this point. All I want is to put this story to rest so I can move on.

Anyway, for those reading, I hope you enjoy, and I hope you’re okay as well.

Chapter 10: In to a Life

The rest of the journey was quiet. No one bothered her as she walked through the caves — thankfully no one mistook her for a trainer this time. Though since she was so dirty and bruised up after last night, it was a wonder nobody mistook her for a wild Pokemon instead. Not that trainerless Machamp were wild, per se.

Once she got within range of the gift shop, however, her phone vibrated. Right, that was still on. And she had one new message from last night. She sat by a bench to properly read it.

‘Hey, it’s that guy you crashed into the other day. I’ve got some news about the situation, but phone this number when you can.’

Crap. Of course, as soon as she got back into civilisation, reality had to stare her right in the face. She wanted to turn back and cosy up into that grass bed, but if she had to pay up so soon, she needed to prepare herself. If she put it off for too long, then that would’ve made things worse. Her thumb hovered over the call button, hesitating for a moment until she finally pressed down.

The dial tone rang, until…

“Hello?”

Um…” The phone shook in her hands, though she breathed in to stifle herself. “Hey, it’s that, er, Machamp.”

“Right.”

I just wanna say, I’m so sorry about what happened the other day. I got distracted and a lot went through my head and it took me all by surprise and I should’ve gave you a signal, okay? I know I should’ve, I know it’s all my fault, so I’ll do anythin’ to help—”

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m dropping the charges.”

Isobel took a moment to process it. “You are?”

“I should’ve said it was insured, but I didn’t know what the company would’ve said, whether they had something about Pokemon and all that.”

Yeah, but it was still my fault.”

“Yeah, but they’re coverin’ it anyway.” He exhaled. “Between you and me, that company’s stumped on what to do, so they ruled it out as an accident. Like a Wooloo rolled into it or something.”

Edie was right after all, but it still wasn’t any less embarrassing to be compared to a sheep.

“Even after I told ‘em you had a job and all, it didn’t sit right with them to charge a Pokemon that much.”

How much?”

“25,000.”

Isobel was gobsmacked, literally, she smacked her mouth when she heard that price.

“Car insurance things are a freakin’ grift, I’ll be honest with you — I’m paying 50,000 a year for it. But this has paid itself off by half already.”

She sank into her seat. That was such a relief, but her heart still pounded like crazy. 25 grand. Half her monthly rent.

“Look, I wanna apologise on my end for swearin’ at you, I felt like a right old tosser after that.”

Nah, it’s fine, I’m an adult.”

“I know, but it still felt weird, since you’re a Pokemon and all.”

So? It’s not like I’m a toddler who needs potty training.”

“You got me there. Alright, so no hard feelings between us?”

Not at all.”

“Alright then, good to hear. Well, good luck with whatever you’re doing.”

Right. Bye.”

Once he hung up, Isobel sat there for a while, sifting through her thoughts. Right, that was a relief. More than a relief. All this hubbub about it, and it amounted to a slap on the wrist. So, she was happy about it all, right?

A part of her still wanted to be responsible for it, though. It was her own mistake, and facing the consequences would’ve helped her to feel more independent. But she would’ve been a fool to insist on paying it anyway. Humans would try to get themselves out of paying less.

So, what now? She had this extra cash lying around from that same day, since she could’ve taken a day off. And unlike humans, she didn’t have to pay for tickets on off-peak rides. Mum’s words echoed in her head, about finding some respite. The countryside was different to the city, so Turfield was Isobel’s oyster. She wanted to take pictures of the geoglyphs. Go for a stroll in one of their prized gardens. Have a Turfish pasty for lunch, or maybe even a plate of fish & chips. Isobel felt particularly indulgent after that fight, so why not?

Isobel got off the bench and walked to the bus stop with a new pep in her step.



One day later, and it was back to the rat race. The staff at the Pokeball emporium were happy to see her back there, and also glad to hear that the roadside accident didn’t give her any trouble in terms of paying anything back. And when Isobel went to that same spot in the same street to flip the same sign, she swung it around with more vigour, even trying out a few new tricks, which impressed the passersby. Even if it wasn’t where she wanted to be in years or so, this job was enough to tide her over for now.

When her shift ended, Isobel headed straight to the Golurk cafe for another plate full of iced buns, and she was also the guinea pig for that Morgrem’s new tart recipe. Although it had too much jam filling — that Morgrem also had a bit too much fun saying ‘soggy bottoms’ because of it — it tasted nice all the same. As she washed it down with some coffee, she also started drafting up her PokeJobs posting, listing her skills, her experience, and her services. It was slow progress, and she regularly had to remind herself that she deserved to be in the position of a Pokemon coach, but at least she had a goal in sight. Isobel also expected Admirari to pop up in some random fashion that almost made her wet herself, but she never showed up. After the cafe closed, she exercised at the outdoor gyms to burn off all those calories. Then she came back home, ready to cook dinner, and she instinctively reached for Bronze’s bowl on the floor to dish him up some food.

Right, Bronze stayed at Keystone Quarry. She no longer needed to vacuum up his moulting fur, or cook him meals, or have his company or someone else to battle with. Of course, Isobel knew it was temporary, but she didn’t expect to miss him this much. She hoped he was happy with Terra and everyone else back home.

Isobel cooked up her chicken and mushroom stir fry. She ate on her own while she browsed through several battle streams. She washed up. Went to bed early. Tossed and turned in her sheets. Absentmindedly tapped her phone. Then she sighed and got up to go for a walk around Circhester. Maybe that would make her feel less alone.

Trainers roamed the streets with their Pokemon tailing behind them. Locals and university students alike shouted and shuffled into pubs, restaurants, clubs, and every other place that facilitated Circhester’s nightlife. Isobel suddenly wished for the taste of barley on her lips, and almost tagged along with a group of humans her age (or the human equivalent to her age) when she remembered the extra set of arms at her back. Right, she was a Machamp, and she existed outside of their bubble. This was exactly why she preferred her own company at home when night struck, so she wouldn’t be reminded of everything she had to miss.

When a few stray Pokemon brushed past her, holding instrument cases, Isobel tagged along with them instead. The further she walked, the more she picked up the sound of music, playing a folksy pop song she’d heard on the radio a few times. Perhaps there was a concert going on, something that probably cost more than Isobel would be willing to fork up. This turned out to be an open stage event in the middle of a shopping centre.

While nobody was performing yet, there were Pokemon popping in and out of the stage to set up their instruments. The crowd was a mix of both humans and Pokemon. There were actually more Pokemon here than she expected, even if humans were still the majority in the audience. Finally, Isobel saw a banner that read ‘Pokemon Talent Benefit Concert - Admission Free’, which gave her nothing to lose as she joined the crowd.

Time passed. Isobel was half-tempted to buy some snacks from one of the refreshment stalls, but her waistline already hated her for all the puddings she bought. She managed to pick out the Golurk and Morgrem duo — despite their status as frenemies earlier, the Morgrem looked comfortable sitting atop the metallic Pokemon. Another mon stuck out from the crowd: a Jynx with short hair that almost made her look like a boy. Or him, perhaps, it was hard to tell.

Then the wind changed. As subtle as it was, Isobel guessed that someone had teleported in. Of course, it was Admirari, donning a blue scarf that draped around her body. This didn’t go unnoticed by some members of the crowd, staring at her as if she appeared out of thin air… because she totally did and even in a world full of psychic mimes and sentient keys, teleportation still made people turn their heads. Admirari only smiled as she gravitated towards Isobel, as if she knew she was there the entire time.

“Ah, Isobel,” she said, raising a tentacle, “it appears we’ve crossed paths again.”

“Yeah, um, totally.” Isobel’s skin tingled at the Hatterene’s presence. “What are you doing here?”

“Watching a Slowpoke triathlon.” Admirari chuckled in that high tone of hers. “No, I came here for the concert as well, as you have.”

“Well, I didn’t really plan it. I had no idea this was goin’ on until now.”

“It’s been the talk of Circhester for a little bit. They’re trying to showcase what Pokemon are capable of, not just participating in fights or errands, but performing.”

“I mean, battling is a performance in a way. And it’s not like I haven’t seen others like us playing in the street or whatever.”

“No, exactly, but this is the first event of its kind for this city. Alongside the PokeJobs programme, they also want to cultivate their— well, our existing talents by paying for tuition or instruments.”

It was a wonder Isobel didn’t read about it on the news. Or hear about this event. There was a lot to Circhester she had yet to explore.

“Have you ever thought about picking an instrument up?” Admirari smirked. “I can imagine you would be a good drummer with all those arms.”

“Ah, no, no…” Isobel hid her arms behind her back. “I’d just suck at it.”

“Have you ever tried it?”

“No. I guess not.” If Isobel cloned herself, they would’ve been her worst enemy. This was a habit she needed to kick, especially after that trip the other day. “Maybe I could pick up the guitar, be like that Shredder guy.”

“Who?”

“You know—” Isobel jammed on a double-necked air guitar—”that Machamp who’s in that metal band.”

“Ah.” The Hatterene’s scarf swished behind her. “I can’t say metal is my cup of tea.”

“It’s not mine either, I just listen to stuff like The Beadrills.” Isobel cosied up closer to her. “And what sorta music do you like?”

“Classical, mostly, but I can listen to anything as long as it isn’t loud.” Admirari squirmed. “Especially if it’s performed live. It’s a smorgasbord of clashing human emotions.”

“Will tonight be much trouble for you?” She glanced at a Toxtricity in the band lineup who noodled at his chest growths. “I have a hunch it’s gonna be heavy.”

“Well, we’ll see. And speaking of which…”

The band was about to start soon. She didn’t know what to expect from a Toxtricity, Obstagoon and Rillaboom combo, but instincts told her that they played rock and roll.

She didn’t have long to linger on that as the trio appeared on stage. The Toxtricity, predictably, carried around a bass guitar, pedals on standby at his feet, and the Rillaboom, go figure, stationed herself at the drumkit. The Obstagoon, however, brought in a keyboard, which he propped up on a stand. The moods of the stage changed as the human crew at the back fiddled with the lights. The previously dark stage now lit up, bathing the band and its audience in pink light that gave off a warm vibe. Even if it was colder at night, Isobel felt much more cosier with the colours streaming off her face.

The Toxtricity stepped up to the microphone on stage and positioned his three-fingered hands over the frets and strings, making the amp vibrate. Isobel had no idea what to expect at this point. Maybe he would’ve gotten the crowd to show some devil horns before he started. Maybe he would’ve screamed, diving head first into a cacophony of chaos.

Instead, the Obstagoon started first, washing the backdrop of the performance with a smooth, soothing set of chords. The drums kicked in next, playing at a breezy pace, and then the bass jumped in, playing a set of notes that danced over the backing band. The Toxtricity’s playing was fast as each note carried a detailed groove over the track, but not too intense, almost sounding jazzy. For someone with only three fingers, he certainly made the most of it.

He started humming as the members of the audience swayed to the beat, and then…

“Let me lie on a bed of moss,

gazing at the constellations.

Give me some relief from this fight,

need a little consolation.


This ain’t all I’m destined to be,

just some living generator.

I’m not your battery no more

for your alternating current.


Current, Current, Current,

swim in the current, current, current.

Will I sink like a rock, or float like a duck in this

current, current, current?


Current, current, current,

live in the current, current, current.

Don’t live in the past, we’re in the present,

the current, current, current.”​

His words were meant for Pokemon ears only. And yet, even though Isobel understood the lyrics just fine, it was his voice that carried it for her. His singing was smooth and blissful, gliding over the instruments like a Mr. Rime at an ice skating rink. Not just that, his presence was electric, literally. His guitar wasn’t even plugged into any amp. But not only that, the way he looked when he sung those words, Isobel could tell the Toxtricity had been through quite the past. The feeling the song evoked was difficult to describe, like watching a horror movie that didn’t scare her in the moment, but stayed with her after the end credits. Haunting was the closest Isobel could think of.

When the song ended, it was like waking up after a spell. Despite the song’s downbeat tone, the crowd enthusiastically clapped, as did Isobel. It was a crime she hadn’t listened to this sort of music before — maybe she relied too much on what was popular and didn’t listen to the stuff beneath the surface.

“Nice, isn’t it?” Admirari whispered.

“Not what I was expectin’, but, well, I’m glad I found this. I have no taste when it comes to this sorta stuff.”

“Well, the Beadrills are still popular after all these years. You could pick worse bands to follow.”

“Really? I thought people said the Beadrills were kinda basic.”

“They were the most influential group to ever play music in Galar, hardly basic.”

“So what are you now, some kinda music historian?”

“No, I just like to learn about whatever piques my curiosity. Adam gave me plenty of time to explore it, after all.”

“Then again, he probably listens to all the hippie stuff.”

“He’s actually a rap fan, believe it or not.”

Isobel was speechless. That would teach her to never judge a book by its cover. Case in point: the band on the stage who just played that ballad. Thankfully, the next song was much more upbeat, and even funky, which made some of the bystanders dance. That energy was infectious. The energies from the different dancing Pokemon, especially that small Morgrem, made her think of that spinning Hitmontop from her old team. She hadn’t danced in a while. Now was the perfect time.

She couldn’t dance as expressively as she wanted since she was in the middle of a crowd. There was no telling who she would hit with her arms, after all. But jumping along, in a crowd full of people and Pokemon enjoying the same things as her, allowed her to live in the present. The current, current, current.

Admirari stayed at the sidelines, but nevertheless shuffled to the sound, her scarf flowing behind her like a swishing tail. Like Isobel, she got lost in the music. It was nice to see her having fun since she seemed so hard to read half the time. That magnetism was there again, pulling Isobel away from her circle in the crowd and closer to that Hatterene. Isobel was fast and instinctive. Admirari was slow and deliberate. Eventually, their moves synced up and they danced at the same pace, from this song to the next, and then the next one, which turned out to be the last.

The Toxtricity’s band bowed and stepped off of the stage, allowing the human presenter to come forward.

“Let’s give it up again for Soaring Lily!” The audience clapped again. “Hope you’re enjoying it so far, cause we’ve got a lot of talent coming up your way. Now, this is all free, but we also encourage you to donate if you wanna pitch in.” A Corvisquire glided past the crowd, holding a bucket. “Anything you dump in the bucket will help fund our tutor programme for up and coming Pokemon. Or if you just wanna support the artists directly, they’ll be standing right there until the show ends.” The Rillaboom from the previous band waved as she chomped on a banana. “Next up, coming all the way from Kalos, is Delial Dionne!”

After everyone’s applause, a Braixen strutted onto the stage, holding an acoustic guitar. Isobel didn’t know what to expect from her either. How exciting would someone’s voice and a guitar be? Then again, plenty of Beadrills songs only featured those two things, and that still kept her listening. When Delial’s paws picked over the frets, it instantly caught her attention as she drifted from note to note with ease.

I shall dance among the fire lilies

Find the witchhazel in this black haze

Float along the wild westerly winds

That carry me to the great white sky.”

Even though Delial sang in human tongue, her voice was hard to describe, somewhere between a fairy and a ghost type, especially with how much the microphone echoed. But it reminded Isobel of nature, of battling Dad under the stars, of her hands brushing past the thorned bushes, of feeling the grass between her toes. It was serene, almost making her fall asleep. Perhaps folk wasn’t her thing, but she knew it sounded pleasant to listen to. As the song droned on, Isobel’s attention shifted to her partner— no, friend. Admirari closed her eyes, fully lost in the sound. Her face was wet— wait, was she crying?

“What’s wrong?” Isobel whispered.

“Nothing.” Admirari’s tentacle wiped away her tears. “It’s… beautiful. Overwhelming, even.”

She never knew music had that effect on someone. There was nobody in the world Isobel wanted to pick their brains more than Admirari. All she could say in reply was ‘huh’.

“I know, it looks silly.” Admirari chuckled. “But remember, I also sense everybody’s feelings here. Some are indifferent to this music, others feel touched by it. And when the music’s quiet, I tend to focus more on the sound as well. Each guitar stroke, each thought the musician puts into her technique as she laws her paw on those strings.” She glanced at the bystanders, who noticed her whispers. “We should continue this conversation elsewhere.”

“Well, why don’t we slip out of the crowd while it’s quiet?”

“I suppose we could.”

Isobel held her arm out, gently weaving through the people and Pokemon that stood in a trance-like state to the music. Without thinking, she also grabbed Admirari’s tentacle, leading her forward. Some of those emotions flowed through Isobel as well. Awe. Contentment. Even a little bit of melancholy. Isobel felt like she was seeing something she shouldn’t, but she also felt warm inside. Like she did before when her and Admirari spoke at the cafe. They finally stopped by a bench, away from the concert, but close enough that they could still hear everything.

“I’m fine.” Admirari adjusted her scarf. “It’s nicer observing from a distance, though.”

“I bet other people don’t rub off on you as much from far away.”

“Indeed.” Her grip tightened around Isobel. For the first time, she felt fear emanating from the Hatterene. “Do you ever feel like your powers are a curse?”

Isobel held out her three free hands. The only thing that counted as a power was the ability to pound craters into cliffs. It was hard to feel like that was a curse. But it also came with an insatiable need to fight, one that she still couldn’t break away from.

“Not really. It is what it is. I can hold, like, four cups of coffee at once.”

“I can barely hold onto one, not that I would want to drink two or more, but I digress.” Admirari leaned back and shut her eyes again. “I wanted to kill Adam, sometimes.”

Isobel didn’t know whether to hold her tighter or let go. “What did he do?”

“Have feelings. As a Pokemon under his wing, I didn’t always why he felt the way he did. Why he laughed at someone’s forced pun, or cried when he read his books. It was hard for me to understand human emotions. Still is. I’m certain you feel that way sometimes.”

“Like how customers get pissed when some overworked guy at Bob’s Your Uncle gets their order wrong.”

“Those people are wastes of oxygen.” She took a deep breath. “But I loved Adam, as a friend, like Pokemon would. I didn’t want my instincts to drive a wedge between me and him.”

“But you two seem quite buddy buddy now.”

“It took a lot of work, from both of us. I studied him from afar outside of his training rituals, trying to understand how certain actions triggered emotions. He started meditating as a way for him to block out those emotions and bring us closer together.” Admirari smiled. “It worked.”

“Well—” Isobel squeezed her tentacle—” I’m glad to hear that.”

She opened her eyes, gazing at Isobel. “Thanks for listening, and for keeping me company. I think I would’ve teleported back to my cave if I came here alone.”

“Quite the coinkidink, huh? I just came here because I had no one else to talk to.”

“it seems like the stars aligned tonight.”

Isobel gravitated closer to Admirari. Closer than ever. Even closer than the fight. Closer than the cafe. Her heart thundered like a Rillaboom’s drum. She brought her face closer, closer, closer, then, her blood turned to ice.

Was this too much for Admirari? What if she said no? What if Isobel reacted badly? What if she was being too forward, trying to kiss such a sensitive Hatterene?

“You have clammy hands.”

“Ew.” Isobel wiped the sweat off of her shorts. “Sorry.”

Admirari adjusted herself on the bench and backed away from Isobel. “I can tell something’s on your mind— well, I can literally read your mind right now. You want to kiss me, right?”

Steam was about to explode from Isobel’s nose.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry!” She stood up, covering her mouth with all four hands.

“No, no, it’s fine.” Admirari’s tentacle flowed through her scarf. “If you want to say something, just tell me right now.”

“I know—” her words came out muffled until she put down her arms. “I, er, crap, I dunno how to say this, okay?”

“Well, just, speak your mind.”

“Okay. Uhhhh... I... thought about some things, and, uh, this is kind of new to me, but—“

“But what?”

“I—“ All four hands made a fist. “You’re hot, okay?”

Admirari sat, stone faced. Isobel took a deep breath. No turning back now.

“I just realised, I might like girls. Girls like you, y’know. You’re strong, don’t take shit from anyone, you’re nothin’ but yourself, and uh, it’s...” She inhaled. “All this time, I had this feeling that I didn’t even know was there. And I’ve never said it out loud, to anyone. And I know I might regret it later, but, well, it would be great to hang out with you again sometime. So...”

Admirari’s eyes widened. Even for a psychic, she probably didn’t expect that, not in a million years.

“Unless, uh, girl’s aren’t your thing.” Isobel groaned, smacking her forehead. “Sorry, I shoulda asked first. Have I made things weird?”

Lots of thoughts raced through her head. C’mon, Machamp were supposed to be about gusto, right? Act first, think later. But letting it all out, she wished she’d thought about it first. So she froze up. When Admirari stood from the bench and stepped towards her, she gulped, tugging at the back of her shorts. Admirari then laid a tentacle on her shoulder.

“Isobel. If you’re asking to go on a date, I’ll have to politely decline.”

She slowly nodded, lowering her eyes. “Right.” Isobel just smiled and coyly put her arms behind her back. “I guess it was a bit sudden, huh?”

“Yes. That, and you did punch me in the face several times before, but that’s not why I refuse.” Admirari held onto the brim of her hat. “I don’t see myself as the romantic type, for neither male nor female Pokemon. So I’m not looking for the same thing you seem to be.”

“Well, fair enough.” She exhaled and held her chest. Right, she was a little disappointed, but strangely, relieved at the same time. Thankfully, it didn’t end up with half of her skinned face on Admirari’s tentacle. “I respect that you know what you want.”

“I’m glad you understand.” Admirari smiled. “But I still want to be your friend. And, well, that was a brave thing for you to say.”

“I-it was?”

Admirari hummed as she sat back down.

“Ah, er, okay!” Isobel looked to the stage. “So, where does that leave us?”

“Like it was before. Feel free to go back to the crowd, but I’ll stay here until the next act comes.”

Isobel sank to the bench, keeping a few inches away from Admirari. “Nah, I’ll keep you company for now. Besides, this music’s kinda boring.”

“I beg to differ.”

“I mean, it’s still good music, just ain’t my spice.”

“I suppose that’s fair.”

“And the Braixen’s really good, too. I never knew someone could play that well with just three fingers— well, paws.”

“It’s possible. Maybe you should ask that Braixen out.”

Hell no, she’d turn me into a Kalosan fry.”

“You never know until you try, and she is single, by the way. You might have a chance.”

“I mean, I’ll take your word for it since you’re a psychic and all, but maybe you’re also just baiting me.”

“Perhaps. At least we’re not talking about this within earshot of her.”

They spent the rest of Delial’s session talking until she came off, bowing before the crowd. By the time the next act came —a Houndoom wailing while his accompanying human played the violin—, they had settled into a groove, exchanging words like they exchanged blows in that week-old battle.

Isobel felt a strange sense of calm. Even though she wasn’t close to where she wanted to be in life, and she faced relationship rejection for the first time ever, the path ahead seemed clearer than ever before. No longer a garbage-filled alleyway, but a clear path in an open field, with many peaks and valleys along the way.
 

Spiteful Murkrow

Busy Writing Stories I Want to Read
Pronouns
He/Him/His
Partners
  1. nidoran-f
  2. druddigon
  3. swellow
  4. quilava-fobbie
  5. sneasel-kate
Heya. I’m not sure whether or not you’re still writing Pokémon fanfiction, but as the final night that I had to work with to go and check out some authors that I’d never read before, I asked around for a few suggestions and your name popped up. I’d heard some good word of mouth about your stories, especially from @canisaries who was a particularly strong advocate, and decided to check this story out after it was brought up.

I don’t really know what to expect here other than that it apparently revolves around the Poké Jobs system from the Galar games and has a lot of Machop line worldbuilding. Both of which sounded like as good a reason to dip my toes in and see what this was all about.

So let’s just jump right into things:

Chapter 1

Isobel held the letter marked 'Urgent' in one of her four hands. The second hand scratched her head. The third one held a bowl of Lucari-O's cereal. The fourth hastily shovelled spoonfuls of oats and chocolate chips into her mouth.

>Lucari-O’s

That brand name is at once so cringe and yet it feels right at home with a Pokémon setting. Especially with how heavily Game Freak shilled Lucario for at least 3 generations after its introduction into the franchise.

This letter was addressed to Machamp Isobel, the name she assigned herself once she joined the postal registry. Even without opening it, she knew it meant her rent was late and she needed to pay her dues soon.

Ah yes, such is life when you’re an independent Pokémon that needs no human. You wind up having to worry about a lot of the same problems that humans do.

It had only been a month and a bit since she had moved into a place of her own. Though the teachers did their best to educate her on all these human responsibilities, rent was something that slipped past her this time. She had saved up a bit from various other jobs when she wasn't spending it on booze, but would that be enough to cover the rest?

Well, she learned how to buy and drink booze, at least. Since I’d be surprised if that was a part of a Machamp’s natural behavior.
994427253242990704.webp


She put the cereal bowl down on the kitchenette counter and looked to the rest of the apartment. Aside from the bathroom, this was the only room in the flat. The kitchen was in the same space as the unchanged bed in the corner. It didn't even have a TV, not that she needed one. But as little as she knew about reality TV, this place wouldn't end up as a feature on Escape to Galar anytime soon.

Huh. Interesting glimpse into how Isobel has different priorities from the average human as a Pokémon, since there are definitely very few people in developed countries nowadays that willfully black themselves out from electronic media in the way that Isobel appears to be doing here.

Still, it was her home, which she was starting to pay for with her own money. It felt good, or at least, she thought so.

You're wasting both your time and your money.

There it was, that voice in the back of her head. Isobel grumbled, trying to suppress it. No, she wanted to prove she could strike it out on her own. Where else did she have good enough wifi to stream the latest Scyther High episodes? She could've spent the rest of her days finding out if Night Terror and Scythe ever hooked up, since they were her favourite ship.

Oh, never mind. Isobel did get glued to electronic media after all. She just has cut out the ‘TV’ end of things. It does make me wonder if this was also drilled/trained into her as a “you need this to avoid being totally cut off in a bad situation” thing by the humans who helped her learn how to live alone, or if this is something she’s organically taken a liking to from her experience around humans.

Though huh, Scyther High is apparently another story you wrote. Cute way of cameoing your stories there.

Oh yeah, and having a roof over her head that wasn't just a bunch of rocks or a canvas tarp also felt nice. Not to mention central heating. She wanted this, and she could keep it. She just had to work for it.

>or a canvas tarp

That… doesn’t bode well for what the start of Isobel’s experience living independently was like. Though I suppose that’s a story for another day in this fic.

With the cracked phone her old trainer had given her, Isobel looked at the PokeJobs app for new roles to fill. She was already doing one to keep herself afloat, so what else could she find to fill the void? Nothing she was qualified for.

Ah yes, didn’t even get a proper castoff before being turned loose. I mean, I suppose it’s better than nothing, but I don’t think Isobel’s old trainer is going to win many awards for generosity.

A lot of jobs for engineering, for instance, required more training than just having brute strength. There were a lot of creative jobs, but she never considered herself one of those artsy-fartsy types. The most she was qualified to be was a sandwich artist. Then there was something else, something that made one of her hands twitch.

"Huh," she thought out loud. She didn't want to get back into fighting on a league level, but when the thought of a paid fight struck her mind, it filled her with a certain urge. Not that she enjoyed it or anything; just that she knew she was good at it. She didn't move away from the training lifestyle for nothing, though.

… Wait, but don’t PokéJobs canonically pay the equivalent of like kiddie meal money outside the upper tiers? Isobel’s not having to take those to get by, is she?
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Screw it. She had bills to pay. It's not like one or two fights meant anything by the end of the day anyway. With a few scrolls, a skim-read, and a final tap on the screen, she accepted the job as a 'temporary team member for Trevor'. Sounded self explanatory. She only read the '8,000 Pokedollars' part, since that would've been enough to cover her for the month. Once she finished this job and paid her rent, she was going to paint the town red.

I see that this fic isn’t rolling with Pokédollars / Pen being scaled to be like IRL Yen, since otherwise that’d be an awful lot of effort for the equivalent of $80. Probably for the best if this fic isn’t deliberately going down a dystopian direction.
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Despite how most people saw Machamp, Isobel preferred to dress to (moderately) impress. With a tank top, shorts (because they were comfy and easy to wear), and tabi shoes, she was ready to take on the day. Out of the apartment, down the stairs, and to the outside world of Circhester. She lived on the outer edge where they had built a new block of flats, so that meant transit to the inner city for work. Good thing she knew how to ride a bike. Dig through the city's trash and you can find anything as long as you put the elbow grease in to fix it, and Isobel had plenty to spare.

I snerked at the shorts bit. Though that actually makes me wonder how commonly Pokémon dress themselves up of their own volition in this setting.

With it, she zipped down the roads with ease, sailing through the vehicular seas and passing through the luscious green parks with the flying taxis overhead. It got noisier the further she ventured into the city. The air was filled with the various squawks of Pokemon, the songs the buskers played, and the blaring of the traffic. This city was filled with chaos. And she loved it.

Everywhere she looked, there was something going on, especially with the advent of the newly introduced PokeJobs system. Human-speaking tour guides took bystanders through the various historical sites, educating them on who built what and other trivia. She got the language part down pat, but anything about history usually went through one earhole and out the other.

Also filing that note about Pokémon speaking human language away for the future. We know that it’s canonically possible across multiple branches of official media (the anime, B2W2, and Crown Tundra all come to mind), but that still surprised me a bit.

Though I have to wonder what happened to all the humans who used to do these jobs since you’d think that Poké Jobs would introduce a lot of competition for labor positions short of extensive regulation to prevent everything from racing to the bottom of whatever Galar’s local minimum wages and benefits are.

Teams of various flying types were dispersed throughout the streets. One group had perched themselves on telephone wires, scouting the area for pesky feral Wingull that snatched up other people's food. Another group glided through the air to deliver all sorts of munchies. Her bike paled in comparison to their speed, as one Rookidee took off like a bullet to take one boxed lunch for someone else's order.

>feral Wingull

Huh. So there’s a “trained”/”civilized” and “feral” split in this setting, too. I wonder if they all share a baseline level of sapient, or if that’s also not the same between the two groups.

Both humans and Pokemon filled one market with street food stalls, even competing with each other in one case. Two stalls faced opposite each other. One was a human ice cream vendor named Vanilluxuries. The other was an Appletun and Alcremie duo named Slurpuff All You Want, serving up cream-topped slices of apple pie with the assistance of a Cinderace.

>that ice cream shop name

You were having fun coming up with these shop names for this story, weren’t you? Though you can’t say that it’s not on-brand with some of the canonical brands floating around in the Galar games. :V

Isobel briefly wondered if an Appletun eating its own shavings counted as self-cannibalism. Probably not. But Isobel didn't consider herself the best cook either, as she mostly subsisted off of pre-cooked pasta and Magikarp.

That feels more like it’d be akin to a gecko eating its own shed skin. Though probably don’t want to have too many customers see that happening right as they’re about to order those pies.

Still, it was nice to see other Pokemon like her working, even if it already existed in other forms before the system took off. The initiative just gave Pokemon the extra push to make a living out of it. Still, Isobel had to leave before the scent of that alleyway lured her away from her job.

That actually makes me wonder what the impetus behind this happening in-setting was. Is the human population of Galar shrinking demographically much like its RL counterpart? Is it a good old-fashioned case of “lol, screw those wagies”? Or perhaps I’m just thinking too hard about all of this…
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Regardless, these scenes showing Isobel soaking in her surroundings and how intertwined these Pokémon are with broader society are a nice touch. Even if I’ve kinda gotten the feeling that there’s some sort of catch to all of this.

Once she parked her bike somewhere safe, her first shift spinning signs for stores went by quickly. Whenever she weaved the hunk of metal between one pair of arms, she usually lost track of time as she let her hands guide the advert wherever it pleased.

Any other human could've taken her place, sure, but what human could do that while staring at their phone at the same time? She was basically getting paid while she watched the league matches on the Victreevee app. If anyone stopped her, technically, she could've said she was doing research for another job. That was half true. Aside from that, she needed that fix, that charge she got whenever a hit connected in those matches.

Yeeeeeeah, I can already see how any human sign-spinner would be hard-pressed to compete against Isobel there. Though the fact that she’s mentioning a “first shift” doesn’t bode well for how secure she is in terms of employment, since it more or less implies she’s getting by with gig labor.

Speaking of which, Isobel surfed from video to video. One was a highlight reel of a famous Pokemon-trainer duo whose Grimmsnarl carried the whole match. She always found that hairy sweat mop gross, but their fighting prowess was admirable. She even saw bits of herself in him.

I suppose that would explain why she wound up taking the rental Pokémon job in spite of her initial reservations about it. There’s clearly some part of her that misses the excitement of that lifestyle even if something™ happened to turn her off of it.

They left no room for their opponent to breathe since they manoeuvred each strand of hair with purpose to trap them, then bunched up their coat for the finishing blow. With each hit, the Grimmsnarl injected his own personality into the fight as he whooped and hollered with each movement. It was infectious, which reflected in the way Isobel flung the sign up in the air and caught it without realising it, as her arms took on a life of their own. She got a cheer from some of the bystanders for that one.

inb4 she clocks some passerby in the face with that thing while getting distracted with a league match.

Even if she wasn't in the league any more, if she had the chance to, she would've taken the Grimmsnarl on just for kicks. Perhaps on her own terms that time, and not as a trainer's Pokemon.

That sounds like a recipe for pain considering Grimmsnarl’s typing, though I suppose that’s one way of hinting that Isobel isn’t afraid of a challenge.

Then she sighed, going to the saved videos stored on her phone. Her own league matches with her trainer were still on there, including one of the last ones, between her and a Mr. Rime. The only thing amusing about the fight was that clown's dancing, and they were just doing it for crowd appeal. Though the cards were stacked against Isobel, she still came out on top. Her opponent's moves were easily readable, and each psychic attack just as dodgeable.

When she watched herself in the playback, though, it served as a reminder of why she quit. Unlike the Grimmsnarl, her moves were calculated and cold. She had rehearsed them many times before. Her face tried to hide emotion, but occasionally, even when she had the upper hand, she'd frown. By the end of the fight, Isobel just stared back at her trainer with hollow eyes. She won, but the victory wasn't hers, it was her trainer's. It was always her trainer's from the start.

Well then.
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Though I suppose it would make sense that there would be a section of Pokémon under trainers that would feel a bit dissatisfied about winning their battles through rotely following whatever orders were given to them. Since it’s not exactly hard to see how that could very quickly become an episode of “painting inside the lines”.

Who cares? It's not as if you matter anyway without battling—

Well then. Now I really understand why Isobel had a sour taste left in her mouth from the training circuit.

"Hey," one kid said, dragging her out of her headspace. Isobel looked down at the tyke who wore a Pokeball belt and a hat with a crudely drawn badge on it. She could tell he wanted to be a contender.

"Yeah?" she said, shaping the human word carefully with her inhuman mouth.

His eyes glistened, fists pumped. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

Isobel: “What, the sign-twirling? Or the whole watching phone videos while doing so? Since one’s a bit more doable than the other for someone with only two arms like you.” ^^;

Isobel tucked her phone into her pockets and grinned. "Well, I can't say I'm a good coach or anythin', but I can point you somewhere." She stepped back and spun the metal sign above her like a propeller. "It took me a few tries to even do this right, and this sucker's heavy. But I taught myself just fine with cardboard and watchin' people do the same thing."

"Oh!" The kid rubbed his hands together. "So I can do it at home!"

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"Yeah, or anywhere you fancy. It's all a matter of practise, just like anythin'. Practise hard enough and you can do whatever you set your mind to."

"I will!" He gave a toothy smile "Oh, and can you do that flingy thing again?"

"You got it, kid," she said with a thumbs up.

Huh. I wonder if Isobel’s meant to sound “off” to humans somehow given that her dialogue is italicized here but the random human child’s is not. Since she didn’t strike me as really saying her words super-emphatically or something like that.

Isobel poured all her attention into the sign for a few energetic spins, then with one graceful arc, launched it up into the air, higher than the building she stood in front of, and caught it. Seeing that kid smile filled the void in her heart. And if he went home taking her advice to heart, then that would've been her own little victory.

That sounds like a fantastic way for the kid to break something or wind up needing to visit an ER, but let’s not get into that right now… ^^;

In no time at all, her shift ended, just an hour before her next one with the trainer. Isobel reported back to the Pokeball store where they handed her a thin slip of notes. Just to make sure, she counted each note individually, which all checked out.

"Thanks," she said, returning the sign. "You guys don't forget to pay like some of the others do."

"Really?" the human clerk said. "Don't you have protections in place?"

"Yeah…" Isobel rubbed her head. "The council's still ironing out some of the kinks since it's a case by case basis."

Oh boy, that really doesn’t sound positive for what the overall Poké Jobs experience is like. Though I see that I was basically on the mark for pegging Isobel as doing gig work.
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"Sounds like a pain in the ass. I mean, we wouldn't be caught dead screwing over another Pokemon, since, yanno." Her gesture to the shelves of luxury Pokeballs filled in the blanks. "Plus we've got a lot to thank you for since we've been seeing more customers thanks to you."

"D'aww," Isobel said, mockingly holding a hand to her cheek, "at least buy me dinner first before you flatter me, hun." She paused for a moment, then leaned forward, holding one pair of hands in a praying motion. "Would you buy me dinner?"

Wait, does this actually work on others for Isobel? Since you wouldn’t think that a Machamp would have much cuteness appeal, but…

"Eh, we'll see."

Can't blame a mon for trying. Still, she left the shop with a heavier wallet than before.

Whelp, one McJob done. Time to see what Isobel’s next one is.

After lunch, Isobel hit one of the outdoor training areas for practise. It was a park with a bunch of outdoor equipment for her and other Pokemon to use, which was designed to work in all weather conditions. They had Mankey bars, cycling machines, and punching bags for bipeds, plus exercise wheels, scratching posts, and hurdles for quadrupeds.

Huh. I’m surprised that they would leave stuff like punching bags out unsheltered from the elements, since you would think that rain and snow wouldn’t be kind to them. Though then again, I suppose they could’ve been built underneath some pavilion or something like that given the mention of being “designed to work in all weather conditions”

There was even a four-armed chest press designed specifically for Machamp, perfect for toning her back muscles and biceps before the match. Plus, she had to burn off that piece of apple pie she had for lunch. That was like Arceus' ambrosia. She stationed herself on the unused machine.

As she sat, two Machoke eyed her from far away. One misplaced glance at them, and they started flexing their arms, trying to show off their muscles.

Ah yes, so that’s what it looks like for these Pokémon to hit on each other. I should be a lot less surprised, really. o<o

Not that she didn't have a trained eye for beefcake, especially for her own evolution line, but she didn't exactly want the attention. So Isobel looked away, pretending not to notice the Machoke duo until they approached, strutting towards her unashamedly like two naked emperors. Did it count as being naked if they had pants on, even if it was made of their own skin?

Wait, but I could’ve sworn that it was officially mentioned in a Pokkén promo thingy that those “briefs” were actually markings. Though I suppose that if Scraggy and its evo can have shedded skinpants, that Machoke and Machamp can, too.

"Hey, wanna fight?" one of them said. "Y'look real strong, y'know. Real strong."

"Heh, yeah, brother," the other said, "I'd love her to pummel me anytime."

"Wait, what? No, we're challengin' her, not the other way 'round."

"But some guys like it like that, y'know."

I can’t tell whether or not this is supposed to be romantic by Machop line standards, or if this is the equivalent of a pair of chavs catcalling someone.

They really were as dumb as they looked. Isobel put on the widest grin possible. "Where're your trainers? I'm sure they'd love to know you two are bothering a stranger."

To seal the deal, she stood up, towering over them and cracking the knuckles on all of her hands. It did the trick as both of them quietly slunk back to their own space. Good. With that, she sat back down and got to wor—

Whelp, looks like we got an answer to that earlier question.

Nope, her phone vibrated just as she positioned her arms on the weights. From the ringtone of the Pokemon anime's first opening, she knew who it was. Crap. She didn't think to call her at all for the past month. She just got so wrapped up with getting by that she forgot.

>the Pokémon anime’s first opening

Wait, that exists in this setting? .-.

That's not the real reason, and you know that.

She grit her teeth and pressed accept on the screen. It would've been nice to talk to her again, and she needed to get outside of her own head for once.

‘Her’ as in her old trainer…? Or…?

"Hey," she said, using her back pair of arms to push the press behind her. "It's been a while. What's up?"

"Oh, er…" her trainer Gloria said. "Just wanted to know if you've settled in okay."

Yeah, I suppose I should’ve seen this coming.

"Pfft, yeah, absolutely." She grinned. "Work is just work, the room's fine, and y'know, Circhester's great as usual. Nowhere else I'd rather be."

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"Good to hear, I guess?" She shuffled some papers in the background. "It's just that I got some letters here saying that your rent's overdue."

Isobel stopped using the machine and leaned forward, groaning. "Ugh, yeah, I know that too. Why do they need to send the bill—" No, wait, she remembered: Gloria was one of her references in case she couldn't have forked up the rent. "Forget it. But yeah, sorry 'bout that. I have been workin' every day though."

Gloria: “... Isobel, are you sure you’re doing alright on your own?”
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Isobel: “Completely! Totally peachy over here!

"I don't doubt that. I mean, I don't mind paying since money's not a big concern. Just that, I'd rather make sure you're, er, sure about this. You know I'll let you saddle along if you want to come back."

"Yeah…" She rubbed her head. "About that… you wouldn't be jealous if I told you I've signed myself up as a temp Pokemon?"

"Not really." Gloria hummed. "I thought you said you didn't like fighting anymore."

Isobel: “(Dammit, I was really hoping she would say that she was…)” >_>;

"I don't. I thought we went over this." She sighed. That wound didn't need re-opening. "But this guy's stinking rich and he's willing to pay, so I'll be able to cover the rest of my rent with this."

"Well, that's good, but, er, some trainers have clauses against other Pokemon signing up on their lonesome."

… Is this supposed to be some sort of NDA thing or something? Or else what’s the in-setting rationale for this?

"Okay." Isobel huffed. "That sounds really dumb, to be honest."

"It is, but I don't know."

"Galar's supposed to be a land of opportunity for us, isn't it?"

Narrator:
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"It's not that, but when money's on the line, some trainers want to know they can rely on another trainer's track record to let them know their Pokemon can put up a good fight and obey commands."

Why on earth did that feel like it came off as some sort of threat there?

She ground her teeth at that. "I can do both if I need to! I didn't spend this long with you just sittin' on my as—"

"I know, I know, I wasn't implying that." She sighed that familiar sigh. She might as well have been tutting at her. "But, well, I'm sure you'll do fine. You can use me as a reference if the guy asks where you came from. Bye."

Yeah, I would not trust a reference from Gloria after that exchange. Just saying.

She hung up before Isobel said the same. Her fists shook, which she took deep breaths for. That calmed her down, but after that, she suddenly didn't have as much energy to exercise. The comment she made stuck with her for a bit. During this downtime, she looked at the app once more to see what the offer was, giving it a complete look instead of a skim-read. What she saw on there made her eyes pop.

Ah yes, cliffhangering your first chapter. Though I suppose it is a fairly reliable mechanism for getting your readers to come back for more. o<o

Alright, and this is the part where I give a recap to sum things up in a more concise format:

I liked it. Quite a bit, really. The overall atmosphere of this opening chapter is one that I don’t think I’ve seen done too often, where it feels broadly aligned with the atmosphere that official media goes for, and yet you can see darker and more serious undertones intermingled with it. I have to commend you for getting so much mileage wringing out a story premise from a sidequest mode in Galar that was honestly kinda forgettable in-game beyond that it introduced a bunch of nifty corporate logos. You managed to make the Poké Jobs system feel fairly organic here, and touch on both the logical benefits and unsavory elements that would come along with such a platform in a more realistic setting.

I honestly don’t have much to complain about here. The one thing that I kinda wish had been done a bit more was to explore a bit more on how Isobel was different from humans in outlook. While I kinda gathered that much of it is enforced by the needs of having to live in a society of predominantly humans, having reminders of how Isobel ticks differently would’ve leaned in a bit on her Pokémon perspective a bit more. Though then again, I could just be jumping the gun there, since I have heard through the grapevine that this story does a fair amount of worldbuilding for Machop line Pokémon, perhaps those are just waiting in the cards for next time.

Though good work, @NebulaDreams . I’m not sure if you’ll ever come back to writing Pokémon fanfiction, but just from your existing output, you clearly had a lot of imagination and a fun style for exploring topics and ideas that would be easy to fall by the wayside. I suppose that’s a sign for me to read a bit more of your stuff sometime soon. ^^
 

NebulaDreams

Ace Trainer
Partners
  1. luxray
  2. hypno
Hi @Spiteful Murkrow, I want to give a big thanks for reviewing the first chapter of I, Isobel, especially in such a detailed manner. It’s been a while since I wrote this first chapter so I might not remember my thought process and probably echo what thoughts you might have about any of the line by line moments. I haven’t reread the first chapter properly so I’m just going by your quote comments and my memory of this chapter.

‘… Wait, but don’t PokéJobs canonically pay the equivalent of like kiddie meal money outside the upper tiers? Isobel’s not having to take those to get by, is she?’

Huh, I didn’t even think about how much they paid for each job, I just fixated on how the trainers would probably be getting the earnings as opposed to the Pokemon.

‘Also filing that note about Pokémon speaking human language away for the future. We know that it’s canonically possible across multiple branches of official media (the anime, B2W2, and Crown Tundra all come to mind), but that still surprised me a bit.’

I just run with the fact that if a Meowth can self-teach how to speak in the anime, then any Pokemon could in theory.

‘Though I have to wonder what happened to all the humans who used to do these jobs since you’d think that Poké Jobs would introduce a lot of competition for labor positions short of extensive regulation to prevent everything from racing to the bottom of whatever Galar’s local minimum wages and benefits are.’

I didn’t dwell on it too much here since I wanted to avoid drawing real life analogues from Pokemon taking human jobs (that’s definitely not the place for it) but it would introduce a lot of competition. In retrospect, it would’ve been good to expand upon why Pokemon or humans would need jobs when the trainer economy exists.

‘Yeeeeeeah, I can already see how any human sign-spinner would be hard-pressed to compete against Isobel there. Though the fact that she’s mentioning a “first shift” doesn’t bode well for how secure she is in terms of employment, since it more or less implies she’s getting by with gig labor.’

I have been exploring this more lately with the rewrite and how financially insecure Isobel would be in this situation, to the point that she has to take three jobs at once to break even.

‘Huh. I’m surprised that they would leave stuff like punching bags out unsheltered from the elements, since you would think that rain and snow wouldn’t be kind to them. Though then again, I suppose they could’ve been built underneath some pavilion or something like that given the mention of being “designed to work in all weather conditions”’

IIRC, Walrus brought this same point up a while ago. In parts of my town there are outdoor gyms installed in parks that are weather resistant (mostly cardio equipment), though it was a bit silly for me to include punching bags. There are weatherproof ones but I likely could’ve cut it out rather than raise more questions.

‘The overall atmosphere of this opening chapter is one that I don’t think I’ve seen done too often, where it feels broadly aligned with the atmosphere that official media goes for, and yet you can see darker and more serious undertones intermingled with it.’

The tone I usually go for with my works is a meta take on Pokemon where it plays around with stuff like the game conventions and stuff that’s usually handwaved in the world and tries to tell a more grounded story from it, albeit with intelligent Pokemon POVs. And of course, the Pokejobs system has the potential to be rife with loopholes and exploitative elements.

‘While I kinda gathered that much of it is enforced by the needs of having to live in a society of predominantly humans, having reminders of how Isobel ticks differently would’ve leaned in a bit on her Pokémon perspective a bit more.’

I agree with your point about highlighting Isobel’s difference from humans since she does act very human here. There is worldbuilding later on that elaborates more on the Machop line but I don’t think it was introduced that organically. Perhaps if it showed her mingling with more humans or Pokemon, that would highlight the similarities and differences more.

‘Though good work, @NebulaDreams . I’m not sure if you’ll ever come back to writing Pokémon fanfiction, but just from your existing output, you clearly had a lot of imagination and a fun style for exploring topics and ideas that would be easy to fall by the wayside. I suppose that’s a sign for me to read a bit more of your stuff sometime soon. ^^’

I hope you explore some of my other fics if you liked this one but there’s no rush. I am still writing Pokemon fanfic on and off and I am nearly halfway into the rewrite of I, Isobel but progress will be very slow.
 
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