Blitz 2025: Hype and Rec Thread

[Namohysip]

Weekly Fic Rec Week 2

My chosen catchup longfic this week is for Salvage by the admin of this very forum, since I promised to eventually catch up I was meaning to get back to it this blitz. In any case, if you're someone who enjoys carefully constructed prose, while still having a more gritty, callous protagonist, the contrast will lead to a very unique interaction when reading! The protagonist isn't that sympathetic, but at the same time bad stuff happens due in large part to their poor behavior, so it balances out. There's a mystery at the start that, once answers, transitions well into the actual plot of the story (at least as far as I can tell, for as far as I've gone!) just as it's answered.

 

[Starlight Aurate]

Week 2 fic recommendation:

Pokemon: Legendary Adventures by Flyg0n.

This starts out mostly typical to your standard Sinnoh trainerfic, except that the main character winds up with a Zubat as his starter, of all Pokemon! As the story progresses, the protagonist, Koa, warms up to his Pokemon and develops bonds with them. This not only includes the com 'mon, but also with a more reticent Tyrunt, through his sheer patience and desire for her to really become part of their team. This fic does a lovely job of putting unlikely characters together and showing how they slowly become friends and learn to trust each other. It's a nice story about adventure that also includes plenty of heartwarming moments. If you want a trainerfic with unique flavour, this is a good read!

 

[Nekodatta]

Week 2 Rec:

TCG2: Doduo Adventures - Book One: TCG Island by @Tango

I'm recommending this fic because it's definitely one of the most unique one's I've ever read. There aren't many fics based on Pokémon spin offs that aren't Mystery Dungeon, and I doubt that there are many based not only on the trading card game in general, but on the two (of which one never got translated) Game Boy games based on the trading card game! The premise of the story is quite simple: the main character is already the Champion of Trading Card Game Island, but finds himself unable to earn money because he's too strong and no one wants to fight him anymore. So he sets out in his self imposed challenge of using a deck containing only common cards.... But let's say that things go much deeper than that!
If someone has played the original game boy game and/or is familiar with the card game in general, the story will be really nostalgic and fun to read because of all the npcs from the game making an appearance (and getting a lot more characterization that they ever got in the games).
The story is also particular in that it takes the inherent silliness of a world where everything is solved by playing card games and plays it completely straight, which results in some delightfully weird yet well thought out wordlbuilding.
Also there's Doduo, who is best bird.

 

[Goolix]

Weekly Fic Rec Week 2 (Catch-up)
"International Celebrity Ruins Everything" by @Slayerofthewind

This story is a sort of novelization of Legends Z-A, with a twist - the protagonist is not some no-name tourist but Serena, the champion player character from Pokemon X/Y. And this means she has baggage besides the leather bag she brings with her to the city - trauma from dealing with Team Flare; anger about how institutions failed to protect Kalos; guilt that she's re-enacting a cycle of harm. When she arrives in Lumiose City and sees that Quasartico has had some major renovations with seemingly no pushback from anyone, she's naturally suspicious, and when they contact her at her private number, she's livid. She intends to use her skill as champion to climb up the Z-A royale and expose Quasartico.

This story brings a delightful amount of characterization to the normally mute protagonist. Serena has a very clear personality - she loves fashion, ghost and dark Pokemon, scheming, cute outfits, winning, and Lumiose. Her immediate suspicion of Quasartico has you wondering - is the organization really up to something sketchy, or is her hypervigilance causing her to tilt at windmills? The chapters are long but they don't feel like a slog to get through, with readable breezy prose. If you're a Z-A fan looking to revisit the story with some fresh eyes, I recommend checking it out.

 

[Phoenixsong]

Weekly Fic Rec:
Nothing Fickle About Loyalty by @elyvorg

I love stories that take a look at the pokémon-trainer relationship from the pokémon's point of view. I love stories where we can see examples of that much-celebrated pokémon-trainer bond not quite running as smoothly as the romanticized ideal, where the two parties have their own issues to deal with and they could probably help each other with this, but a lack of communication—and I don't just mean not speaking the same language—twists things into a big, complicated mess all the time. And I love when it turns out that the different issues plaguing both the pokémon and the trainer maybe turn out not to be so different after all, and you get to see how those same issues play out not only from the more familiar human perspective, but also a unique pokémon perspective. Or perspectives, plural, as it may happen.

Do you also love these things? Great! Read Nothing Fickle. This fic follows Kieran (of Scarlet/Violet DLC fame) through his character progression from awkward, friend-seeking kid to obsessive victory-chaser to... other stuff, but does so through the eyes of his applin. It's rough just being a little guy in an apple who can't do much of anything, but the way Applin-Dipplin-Hydrapple grows and changes and definitely gets stronger and better so nothing is wrong anymore alongside Kieran puts up a pretty harsh mirror to what Kieran himself is going through, while also forcing Hydrapple to confront a very literal version of the internal strife his trainer's feeling. Watching both of them go through this is rough, but handled in a lot of really clever ways, while still sticking to a lot of the small details you can see indicating the shifts in Kieran's (and Hydrapple's) arc as the original story moved along in the games.

In conclusion, check out Nothing Fickle About Loyalty if you want to see what happens when a multi-part pokémon has to take a good, hard look at what it means to truly support your best friend, and also truly take care of yourself.

Also, justice for Furret. That is all.

 

[Tango]

Weekly Fic Rec:
Dark Winter Night (One-shot) by @Ambyssin

Want something thematic for the holidays? Looking for a nice short one-shot? Look no farther! This seems to be crafted with the spirit of blitz Christmas! Somehow Ambyssin has managed a story that delivers a meaningful message in just 1.4k words?! My goodness, I think that is even shorter than the short chapters in my multi-chapter fic!

Join Murkrow as it goes on a 5 minute stroll an epic quest to find the master of moping stealthology, Darkrai?! But the timing had to be perfect, because only one time a year does Darkrai languish bored out of it's mind due to a deal it shouldn't have struck await students willing to learn it's secret dark arts! But Darkrai will literally take anyone at this point only the most crafty and agile of students will do. Can Murkrow dodge some snowballs master the hidden arts that only Darkrai can impart, or will Murkrow's entire journey be for naught? Read to find out!!

 

[Phoenixsong]

Weekly Fic Rec: Hoenn for the Holidays by @Panoramic_Vacuum

Definitely gotta recommend this one while it's still vaguely adjacent to the holiday season, but timing aside I still think this fic packs in a lot of personality. Hoenn's Elite Four and Champion engage in a friendly little gift-swapping game (think White Elephant), and even in such a small space you learn a good amount about what each of them values when it comes to both giving and receiving gifts from their loved ones. (And giving each other a good-natured hard time here and there.) The interactions and banter between the characters are fun and natural and don't overstay their welcome, and their relationship feels lived-in and cozy and genuine.

It's light reading that's light-hearted and just felt nice to sit back and enjoy. It's just right for a cozy winter read to cap off a busy day or week.

(Also, it's definitely worth checking out the "prequel" one-shot, The Gift of Giving! It's not required reading to enjoy HotH but does add some fun context, and just in general it's a heartwarming read. Who can say no to more of the genuine care and fondness between this found family, and a bunch of their pokémon to boot?)

 

[Flyg0n]

I have GOT to rec @Phoenixsong 's Storms Wake as a peak slice of under <1k one-shot for the weekly Rec

890 words of pure, punchy, evocative prose that focuses on a glimpse of Raikou's role in the world and their situation. Despite this story's short length, it does a great job of telling a complete and satisfying story. It flows incredibly well, and hits nicely in the feels for a read thats bittersweet, heartfelt and meaningful. It also is a very good glimpse of what the Tower Beasts role looks like and how Raikou might fell about this role. I don't want to spoil it but I think it paints a poignant picture of the cycle of life and the ways things can be tragic and yet have that glimmer of hope.

If you want a nice short and sweet oneshot that you can pick up for nice points right before the end of this week, Storm's Wake is definitely a great choice.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Alright, there's like 14 hours left to Week 3, so it felt as good a time as any to get out my customary fashionably late recommendation for the week since I'm admittedly not holding my breath on getting out any more reviews before then.

It was a little hard for me to settle on one story to pick this week, but in the end, I wound up giving the honor to...

Weekly Fic Rec: Week 3​

Message From A Better World by @Shiny Phantump

Every so often, Game Freak throws in a game mechanic that's just a little bit out there, which the Alola games were kind of a target rich environment for, especially with the way they just straight up throw you into an alternate universe in order to allow you to pick up a second Cosmog in the game. Message From A Better World is all about that universe, and the Selene of a universe in which the events of Pokémon Moon happened coming to it through the power of Ultra Wormholes to a world that aside from a day/night cycle that's 12 hours off, is so much like her own that she can get cell reception in it.

And then the little differences start creeping in. Why is there just a Solgaleo chilling at the Lake of the Sunne? Game Freak doesn't give us an answer, but this story sure does, with the long and short of it being that for want of a nail or six, things went far differently in the world Selene steps out into, which becomes immediately apparent after she starts running into the world's counterparts of familiar faces from her own journey. There's some great character studies along the way of Selene and Lillie, and the sorts of people that they might have become had a few fateful moments gone differently. The second person perspective narration is also well-done, and is used to great effect by Shiny Phantump to hide narrative twists in plain sight. I can't really elaborate on them too much without major spoilers, but the story recontextualizes itself about halfway in, and then it again at the very end in a manner that will surprise even more eagle-eyed readers.

This one-shot took one of the second place finishes from last year's Weird and Wonderful One-Shot Contest, and from what I can see, it was well-earned. At roughly 4100 words long, it's perfectly sized for those of you looking to squeeze in one last story or two under your belt, and a standout example of an author managing to leverage every last one of those words to its hilt.

Honorable Mentions

Hoenn for the Holidays by @Panoramic_Vacuum , Tale of the Arctic Flower by @zion of arcadia , kunāne by @kintsugi , Carraig na Coinnle by @Starlight Aurate

 

[Goolix]

Weekly Fic Rec Week 3 (Short and Sweet)
"Butterfree" by @Dragonfree

Every mainline Pokemon player has felt a twinge of guilt in depositing an early game favorite when they realized that they just weren't keeping up anymore. This one-shot explores the thought process of a trainer who ultimately decides to box his Butterfree. Starting from Metapod's exciting evolution at Brock's gym, all the way to the league, we watch him go through excitement, anxiety, and finally, avoidance. If Pokemon are our friends, what does it say when we keep them in a box because they're too weak to battle anymore? What rationalizations let us justify keeping them in stasis?

The emotional journey is executed well without feeling overwrought. Every step taken makes sense in the moment, with that familiar prayer: "next time, I'll do what I'm supposed to." But this isn't just a descent into tragedy and neglect, as Butterfree also has a say in her fate. The ending is heartwarming and well-earned. In short, if you like Pokemon fic that takes in-game premises to their gnarly conclusions without tipping into bleakness, I recommend this.

(As of posting, it has two 2025 blitz reviews, meaning that if it stays like that, reviewers can get points on it for Week 4.)

 

[Namohysip]

Weekly fic red 3: Storms' Wake

An incredibly short but sweet, atmospheric and descriptive story of watching the embodiment of a force of nature do their work. There's no dialogue, but the narration and prose does the work of getting familiar with, and even relating to, an interaction and the mindset of Raikou with an impressive nuance despite how little time we spend looking at this snapshot of what Raikou does.

I also have a bit of extra attachment to this story because one of the central thematic elements of my work is around two forest fires due to lightning. What a coincidence!

While the story itself is very simple and classical when it comes to covering "force of the storm" entities, it was still a good addition to that body of work and tropes. I don't really see this particular kind of prose or exploration of these Legends, either, as a dedicated centerpiece.

 

[Flyg0n]

Weekly fic rec:

A roaring rec for @GingerTheBarnOwl 's excellent crossover fic Adventures of a Raptor Trainer!

All of us have, at some time or another, sat down and pondered one of life's greatest questions.

What would happen if a Velociraptor from Jurassic World (1) ended up falling through an Ultra Wormhole into Alola?! And what if said Velociraptor, despite the language barrier and despite not being human, decided to become a Pokemon Trainer and take on the island trials?! Are you tired of booorriinggg isekais with those yucky boring "human beings" showing up? Do you like DINOSAURS! Do you like the raptors from Jurassic World?

Well fortunately you for you, have I got a fic for you!

It goes... chaotically. And a little violently, and with a lot of heart. Raptor Trainer is a story that takes an absolutely bonkers premise but then actually treats it seriously. Our raptor MC isn't just a human in a skinsuit, she's a raptor still. Being a literaly dinosaur offers both boons and challenges alike. Though her isekai situation may have granted her some elevated intelligence and understanding, it also doesn't mean all her dinosaur instincts are gone. Oh no, not at all.

They say it's not easy being green? Well it's not easy being a velociraptor.

My favorite aspect of this fic is how the story handles the unique main character and her struggles, as she grapples with her own base instincts and newfound empathy. She has to navigate the challenges of a world where she can't communicate as easily, and must also learn to rely on friends.

Speaking of friends, this is the fic that made me fall in love with RotomDex here. All the friendships and pokemon relationships are so interesting and heartwarming to read. The dialogue does a wonderful job with the characters,and there's lots of heart. Also, there's drama, angst, whump, found family, friendship and all the fun and heart of Alola. Also. Dinosuars.

Genuinely don’t have enough delight to express what a fun fic this is.

If you're looking for a super cool jaunt for Week 4 this is a fantastic read!