Pokémon A Comprehensive Guide to Items in the World of Pokemon

[IFBench]

Greetings to those reading this! This is a comprehensive guide for items, such as scarves, orbs, wands, seeds, and all those other goodies you can find in mystery dungeons. I've noticed a lot of Pokemon don't know how to distinguish between orbs, or how to use emera dust, or worst of all, how to identify lookalike items! Goodness, it would be an emergency for anyone to mistake a reviser seed for a reviver seed!

And so, I am writing this guide, to help aspiring rescuers, explorers, and other dungeoneers all over the world help others better, learn how to make their own items, and know their doom seeds from their dough seeds.

If you have any questions about any of this, you can send a letter to my team's base in Pokemon Square on the Air Continent. I'll try to send an answer back within a week.

- Acacia of Team Seedlings, heroes of the Air Continent

Wearable Items:
Reunion Capes​

 

[IFBench]

Reunion Capes

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Starting off with a favorite of mine, Reunion Capes are a highly useful item! They are an item that can be "connected" to another Pokemon by tapping the bow of the Reunion cape while touching another Pokemon, and when you tap the bow of the Reunion Cape while wearing it and aren't touching another Pokemon, you'll be teleported to the Pokemon it was connected to! No matter the distance, no matter how far apart you are, you'll be reunited.

Not that this has any relevance to anyone reading this, but Vernir of Team Gardeners has confirmed that it even works across worlds, so its range seems truly limitless.

However, that's not without its cost: Compared to many other items, they're rather difficult to create, requiring quite a few other items to create it. I'm here to guide you through it, though! I believe in you! Though if you don't feel up to it yet, feel free to read some of the other entries of this guide first, then come back here.

You will need: 1 Guiding wand, 1 Pounce wand, 1 Warp wand, orb, or seed, 1 Rollcall orb, 1 Friend bow, 5 strands of shed Sylveon, Espeon, or Meowstic fur, and depending on your size, 0.01 square meters to 10 square meters of Wooloo cloth. Optionally, also 1 Connection orb and colored dye of your choice.

The instability of Eevee fur is needed, alongside psychic or fairy type energy. Meowstic ear fur is close enough in composition to Espeon fur to also be able to be used.

A stayaway wand can be used as a substitute for another warping item if necessary, but I do not recommend doing so. It'll temporarily petrify you every time you use the Reunion Cape.

First, grind the guiding wand, pounce wand, warp item, and rollcall orb into a fine powder. You may also add in a connection orb to the mix for an indicator of whenever you successfully connected your reunion cape to someone, and for a smoother journey when using your Reunion Cape.

Cover the Wooloo cloth in this powder. Let it sit overnight to allow the powder to ingrain within the cloth.

In the morning, brush a vine, paw, hoof, hand, tail, wing, or other limb across the Reunion Cape. If any powder sticks to you, it's not ready yet. If this is the case, let it sit until evening before moving onto the next step. Otherwise, move on to the next step now.

Now, cut the the cloth so that there's a V-shaped indentation on one side, a hole about a third the size of the cloth at the point of that V-shaped indentation, and circular frills around the other sides of the cloth. The frills aren't needed, but they do look nice. You're able to leave them out if you want, though.

Now, take the friend bow and five strands of fur, and use them to sew the friend bow into the point of the V-shaped indentation. You can use more strands if you want, but you need at least five. If you're worried about the bow falling off, don't be. The instability of the Sylveon, Espeon, or Meowstic fur causes it to react slightly with the powder on the fur, and cause a small chemical reaction that glues the bow to the cloth. This is why we needed that fur specifically.

Now, just dye the cape whatever colors your fashion sense desires, and voila! You've created yourself a Reunion Cape!

A bit of trivia: Reunion Capes were first invented about 800 years ago, during the second Sand War. Soldiers needed a way to quickly retreat back to their generals without leaving the battlefield entirely via an escape orb, and not all needed to retreat at once, as a rollcall orb would do. Legend has it that the leader of one army woke up one day struck by inspiration, and created the first Reunion Cape in a frenzy, though they were called "Retreat Capes" back then. After the war ended, they gradually came into common use, and are now commonplace today!

The reason why most reunion capes today are red is because of that war. They were dyed red to blend in with the volcanic terrain that many of the battles during that war were fought in.

Reunion Capes are a popular way of traveling long distances quickly. Around the Mist, Air, and Grass continents, there's a service that allows you to temporarily rent out reunion capes tethered to people in important places. I myself have used that service a number of times, and it's really useful! Doesn't beat using a Teleport Gem, but it's still a great way to get around.

And that's all I have for Reunion Capes! A very useful item with a long history behind it, and while difficult to create, can take you even across worlds!

Next section, I'll be talking about Reviver seeds, Tiny Reviver seeds, Plain seeds, Reviser seeds, and why the latter are sometimes called "Zygarde's Compromise".

 

[Extension_Driver]

I'm glad you're writing this! Frankly, you take some little-known aspects of Pokemon lore and expand on it. Since this is written in-universe, I like how you describe how the inhabitants of the world you've created might craft these items. It really brings the world to life!

Unfortunately I'm not familar with PMD so I cannot comment further.

 

[IFBench]

Reviving Items

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Reviving items are quite possibly the most useful items for dungeoneers. Almost all of them allow you to bring others back from the dead, though, only within a very, very short timeframe of their death. There’s also the Revives, allowing you to get back up and fighting as if nothing’s happened after you get knocked out, and Miracle Seeds, which can bring new life to any garden.

The most ubiquitous of the reviving items are Reviver Seeds, letting you revive someone within a minute of their death. You’ll have to be quick to get the seed to your fallen ally in time, but it’ll be well worth it. Ingesting it is how it revives people, though if the fallen Pokemon does not have a mouth, crushing the sprout into a paste and putting that on the dead Pokemon works just as well.

Informally, Reviver Seeds are sometimes referred to as “Xerneas’ Tears”. Legend has it, that whenever a Pokemon dies, Xerneas sheds a tear, and those tears are Reviver Seeds. There’s actually a lot of credence to this. Reviver Seeds are very commonly found around the Tree of Life, and they sprout into trees very similar to the Tree of Life, though on a much, much smaller scale.

When I asked Xerneas for their thoughts on the legend, they refused to comment, saying with a smile that “I want to keep the ambiguity of the legend alive.”

As for the trees that sprout from Reviver Seeds, they’re known as Saplings of Life, and while they bear the same rainbow leaves as the Tree of Life, they don’t have a Xerneas to care for themselves. They’re also rather tricky to maintain.

Saplings of life require a nearby stream of pure water, very fertile soil, and at least 20 hours of light a day. That might sound impossible, but sunlight isn’t required, so a luminous orb can be used to keep it healthy.

This may sound like a lot, but it’s well worth it, as it will supply you with a steady supply of Tiny Reviver Seeds. They aren’t as potent as regular Reviver Seeds, and lack the heart-shaped bud at the end of their sprout, but they can still revive a Pokemon nonetheless, though the time it works for is stricter. They only reverse death if administered 20 seconds or less after death.



The seeds themselves actually don’t do anything special when eaten, it’s only the sprouts of Reviver and Tiny Reviver Seeds that revive Pokemon. What’s left after the sprout is eaten is commonly called a “Plain Seed”, though this name is actually a misnomer. Among those who grow plants, they’re more often called “Miracle Seeds”.



Miracle Seeds can sprout into any other plant. Oran bushes, pep-up plants, trees, one even reportedly sprouted into a Sunkern! Mulch made from them is also highly fertile, and very good for plants and grass-types. So don’t throw your “Plain Seeds” away! Plant them, and see what you get!

Planting Miracle Seeds is a game of chance, since you have no idea what you’re going to get. I personally recommend having a spot in your garden just for these seeds, then scatter a bunch of them and see what happens! Make sure to water them like almost any other plant, though, the chance that they’ll need a fair amount of water is far greater than the chance that they’ll need very little.

As for Tiny Reviver Seeds, they don’t sprout into anything unique. They simply sprout into more Saplings of Life, if they can be kept alive.

Then there’s Reviser Seeds. Don’t let the similar name fool you, they’re deadly to anyone who needs to breathe. They will revive you upon ingestion, but you’ll then start uncontrollably laughing, until you suffocate to death. However, in a pinch, they can be used as makeshift reviver seeds, as long as you have a heal seed. The heal seed stops the laughter, and then the afflicted Pokemon can carry on with life as normal.

Nonetheless, Reviser Seeds are dangerous items, causing many deaths due to their near-identical appearance to Reviver Seeds

There’s a way to distinguish between the two, however. The sprouts of Reviver Seeds always come out from the ridge of the seed, while with Reviser Seeds, the sprout is perpendicular to the ridge.



There’s no Tiny Reviser Seeds, so Tiny Reviver Seeds are always safe. Just, be very careful with Reviver Seeds, and triple check to make sure they’re not Reviser Seeds.

Reviser seeds have three separate legends behind them! One legend calls Reviser Seeds Xerneas' Mistake, and says that Xerneas accidentally creates them instead of Reviver Seeds sometimes.

Another legend, calling them Yveltal’s Revenge, says that Reviser Seeds were instead created by Yveltal, after Reviver Seeds made deaths near nonexistent, and spread them across the world. It’s said that the laughter the victims of these seeds have in their final moments isn’t their own, but Yveltal’s.

Yet another legend, calling them Zygarde’s Compromise, has it that, long ago, Xerneas and Yveltal were fighting over the first Reviver Seeds. Yveltal wanted to destroy them and force Xerneas to never make another, while Xerneas wanted to keep them safe, and give them out to non-legendary Pokemon.

Zygarde, seeing this, came up with a compromise. Reviver seeds would exist, but in exchange, a near-identical seed that would cause a painful death upon ingestion would be created. Yveltal objected, insisting that she didn’t want to cause any needless suffering. Zygarde obliged, and the three worked together to find a compromise: A seed that would kill any who ingest it, but in a completely painless manner, via ceaseless laughter.

Reviser Seed trees look like twisted old trees, with holes in their trunks that resemble the faces of various Pokemon laughing. They’re haunting sights, especially if you see your own species’ face in them. There’s one near Mount Steel that looks like a Meganium laughing, and it always makes my petals tense up whenever I pass by it.

Revive All Orbs are the most legendary of all reviving items. They can revive anyone and everyone you know who has died within the past 10 minutes, all just by shattering the orb. However, there is no known way of creating them, they cannot be Recycled, and they are one of the rarest items to find in mystery dungeons. The most common way of finding them in mystery dungeons is, on rare occasions, Alpha Pokemon can be found with them.



However, rumors speak of another way. So-called “Illusory Grottos”, low-danger mystery dungeons that only exist for hours before dissipating, are said to be filled with Revive All Orbs, as well as other reviving items. They’re said to only open up in front of people who have recently suffered a great loss, such as a loved one dying, or a friendship ending. Vernir, Pahelia, and Ayueg all say they found one of these “Illusory Grottos” shortly after losing their partners, though they only found one Revive All Orb each. I personally believe the rumors to be true, though exaggerated.

Revive All Orbs are sometimes called “Xerneas’ Blessing” or “Yeveltal’s Condolences”. Legend says that, long, long ago, a Ninetales’ kit died, and the Ninetales traveled the world to find a legendary to reverse it.

One version of the legend says that the Ninetales came upon Xerneas, who bestowed upon her a massive orb to revive her kit, though it was already too late, as the kit’s spirit had already moved on. In her grief, the Ninetales threw the orb into the sea, where it broke apart into Revive All Orbs, and those orbs scattered across the world.

The other version of the legend says that the Ninetales came upon Yveltal, who offered their condolences, as the kit’s spirit had already moved on. The Ninetales pleaded with Yveltal to bring her kit’s spirit back, but Yveltal said there was nothing she could do. However, Yveltal decided to work with Xerneas to create a charm that would prevent the Ninetales from ever losing another kit. Upon Yveltal giving the Ninetales the charm, though, she shouted hateful words towards Yveltal, and crushed the charm, before throwing its remains into the sea. Like with the other legend, those remains became Revive All Orbs, and scattered throughout the world.

Revives and Max Revives’ names are misnomers, they don’t actually do any reviving. Instead, if you’re knocked out, they’ll jolt you wide awake in an instant, letting you run away, or continue fighting. Max Revives will also heal you almost fully, though it won’t help with paralysis, poison, sickness, or other ailments. Nonetheless, I’ll cover how to make them here as well.



Revives are pretty simple to make. You’ll need one Vivichoke, two Medicinal Leeks, a stirring implement, and for a Max Revive, two bunches of King’s Leaves.

Mash the Vivichoke into a fine paste, then squeeze into the paste the juices from the Medicinal Leeks. Stir it with the implement until it begins to bubble, then let it sit. The mixture gets very hot during the process, so unless you’re a fire type, you’ll likely get burned if you don’t use a stirring implement. Come back after an hour, and you should see yellow crystals beginning to form. Stir them so that they’re bunched up together, let it sit for four more hours, and you’ll have a fully formed Revive!

For a Max Revive, grind up the King’s Leaves, and sprinkle them into the paste before adding the Medicinal Leek juices.

And that's all I have for reviving items! Essentials to have on your dungeon expeditions, in case the worst happens.

Next section, I'll be talking about warping items. Warp, Via, and Pure Seeds, Warp, Stayway, and Spurn orbs, Warp, Guiding, and Stayaway Wands, and the baffling existence of Warp Scarves.

 

[IFBench]

Warping Items

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Warping items are one of the largest classes of items, containing multiple different seeds, orbs, and wands. Reunion Capes are actually included in this class, though since I had a lot to say on them, I gave them their own section. As for warping items themselves, most of them are useful for getting out of a tough situation, or for some, like the Switcher and Surround items, they’re excellent for taking down a tough foe. Then there’s the Escape Orb, an essential to pack on any dungeon expedition. And then there’s the conundrum that are Warp Scarves, which I’ll get into at the end of this section.

Warp Seeds are the most ubiquitous of the warping items, and a lot of them are derived from these seeds. The ring around the seed has a special compound in it that warps any Pokemon it touches away to a random location, though it only happens if the ring is damaged, as that releases the compound. The warping from Warp Seeds isn’t limitless like Reunion Capes, they only have a range of about a small town’s area, or a single floor in mystery dungeons. They’re very useful for getting a strong dungeon Pokemon out of the way that you aren’t prepared to take on, or for getting out of a sticky situation yourself if you’re going in a dungeon solo. (By the way, DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU AREN’T AN EXPERT. There’ll be no one to help you if you get taken out. There’s a reason why there’s very few solo dungeoneering teams.) Warp Seeds are also quite common! You can find them lying around in most forest mystery dungeons, and they’re cheap at most shops.



Pure Seeds are actually the exact same thing as Warp Seeds, just less than a day after sprouting. After the main shell of the seed sprouts, the compound in the ring begins changing, and for a brief period of time, they contain a compound that teleports you to where you need to go, within the range of a Warp Seed. While highly useful, they’re difficult to find, and last very little time before they stop working. They’re easy to make, though, by giving a Warp Seed sunlight and water for just a little bit.

The compound that makes Pure Seeds work is still present in minute amounts in fully-grown Warp Bushes, and are what make Guiding Wands function, which I’ll talk about later in this section.

Via Seeds are near-functionally the same as Warp Seeds as far as use as a warping item goes. They contain the same compound as Warp Seeds, just in a slightly higher amount. The only way they differ is in appearance and range outside of mystery dungeons. Via Seeds have a range of a medium sized town outside of mystery dungeons, and they look extremely similar to Vile Seeds. Where Vile Seeds have ten stripes, though, Via Seeds have eleven, and they’re a slightly lighter shade. They’re a fair bit rarer than Warp Seeds, but can be used just like one. Don’t throw them away just for being a lookalike item, keep them!



The basic warping orbs are pretty simple. Warp Orbs are practically just a warp seed in orb form, and do exactly what Warp Seeds do: Warp someone away upon impact. They have a slightly higher rate of success, due to being more fragile than Warp Seeds, but they’re also a bit harder to toss, too, though that may not matter for you. To create one, crush a Warp Seed into a fine powder (using a spoon or other implement. Not your body, unless you want to be warped away), fill a bowl with water, add the powder to the water, and soak a blank orb template in the water for five hours.

Stayaway Orbs are much the same as Warp Orbs, with the added effect of petrifying the target in place after they’ve been warped. They’re useful if you don’t want to carry separate Warp and Stun Seeds, and they’re a much more plant-friendly alternative to Stayaway Wands, which I’ll talk about soon. To create a Stayaway Orb, the process is much the same as with a Warp orb, except you will also need to crush a Stun Seed and add it to the mixture.

Spurn Orbs are a highly useful item for emergencies. They’ll warp away every Pokemon in the same room as you, aside from those you have a connection with. They’re excellent for clearing out monster houses and other rooms filled with too many dungeon Pokemon to safely handle. To create a Spurn Orb is very similar to creating a Warp Orb, only you use at least five Warp Seeds instead of just one.



Rollcall Orbs can reunite you with your teammates in a flash. If you get separated in a mystery dungeon, use one, and your teammates will warp right back to a side. Very useful for if one of you steps on a Warp Trap, or a dungeon Pokemon uses a warping item on you or one of your teammates, or some other event causes you to get separated. They can also be used outside of mystery dungeons if you all have to meet up for something, though I recommend informing your teammates in advance before using one like this.

To create one, take a Warp Orb, and keep it next to you for at least a full day. I know it sounds weird, but doing this will cause the orb to attune to your energy, and change from a Warp Orb to a Rollcall Orb.



Escape Orbs are the most useful item to have in a dungeon, even outside of Reviver Seeds. When used, they instantly teleport you, your teammates, and anyone else nearby out of a dungeon and to its entrance, excluding dungeon Pokemon.

Don’t ever go into a dungeon without one. I cannot stress this enough. This is your way out of a dungeon. This is how you get out of a monster house. This is how you live if you’re badly injured and out of healing berries and seeds. There is no shame in fleeing a dungeon with one. Your life is far, far more important. Even if you’re going on a rescue mission, you can head right back in, though you should resupply first. Please, please pack at least one every time you go into a mystery dungeon. I’ve seen too many teams who have died because they forgot to bring an Escape Orb on an expedition. Please don’t let yourself become one of them.

They’re one of the simplest orbs to make, and are very cheap at shops, so getting one is barely a hassle at all. Simply dissolve a small amount of emera dust in a bowl of water, and soak a blank orb template in it. After about two hours, you’ll have an Escape Orb!

They’re actually used in adventuring team badges, and are how you can escape dungeons after completing a mission. The technology is still being worked on, though, and until they’re able to teleport you out anytime, they’re no substitute for an Escape Orb.



Before I talk about Warp Wands, I have to talk about wands in general. Wands are pieces of wood that have been soaked in a solution of water and emera dust. The plant that the wood comes from influences what the wand does. Wands made from the outer branches of a Warp Bush are Warp Wands, and when used, fire a ball of light that has the same effect as a warp seed.

Speaking of Warp Bushes, they are almost mushroom-like, the outer branches forming domes, and Warp Seeds dangle from the sides like fruit. In spring, they’re also covered in Warp Flowers, flowers with geometric petals and a swirling teal and indigo pattern. Warp Flowers, unfortunately, are difficult to pick, as they warp away if they are severed from the bush. A Nullify Orb or a move that negates its warping makes them easier to gather.



The inner branches of Warp Bushes have a different use when made into wands. Instead of warping something away, they create a ball of light that travels in the direction of where you need to go. Very useful for finding stairs in mystery dungeons, or if you’re lost. Or, as I found out soon after I reunited with Lidequir after the Falling Star crisis, sometimes the light goes towards the nearest therapist.

Legend says that the first Guiding Wand was created when a Spinda was lost in Primeval Forest. They ran into a Nosepass, and asked her for help in escaping the forest. The Nosepass then walked to a nearby Warp Bush, and uprooted it, before shaving off all the outer branches, leaving only the core branches. The Nosepass handed the core branches to the Spinda in the form of a wand, and told them to go wherever it led them.

The Spinda tried to follow the wand as it pointed in various directions, but no matter how far they went, they couldn’t find their way out of the forest. They walked for hours on end, but the forest seemed endless. Frustrated, they threw the wand, and an orb of light shot from it, in a direction the wand hadn’t been pointing. Curious, the Spinda followed the direction of the orb of light, and found their way out of the forest.



Switcher Wands are formed from the branches of Switcher Shrubs. When cast, it fires a ball of light, and the first Pokemon it impacts swaps positions with you, whether friend or foe. They can be useful for taking down foes in corridors. Just switch with them so you’re on the opposite side from your teammates, and then you and your teammates can take them out without getting in each others’ way as much.

Surround Wands have a similar use, but are for more open areas. They’re formed from a branch of a Surround Tree, and when cast, cause you and your teammates to surround the Pokemon it is cast at. Excellent for overwhelming a strong foe from all sides at once!

Both Switcher Wands and Surround Wands have orb versions, which can be made by soaking a blank orb template in water, crushing a Switcher Wand or Surround Wand into wood shavings, depending on the orb you want, adding that to the water, then waiting five hours. Instead of firing a ball of light, they switch or surround any Pokemon you are looking at when you activate them. They’re useful if you have trouble with wands, since all you have to do is shatter them.



Stayaway Wands are a wand that has the functions of both a Warp Wand and a Petrify Wand, the latter of which I’ll get to later in this guide. In short, they warp a Pokemon away, then petrify them in place. They are made from the branches of a Stayaway Bush, which are a crossbreed between a Warp Bush and a Petrify Bush.

Stayaway Bushes are, unfortunately, not the healthiest of plants. They don’t produce flowers or seeds, have few leaves and are simply a twisted thicket of indigo, teal, and purple. Petrify Bushes are parasitic plants, and Stayaway Bushes parasitize on themselves, their purple vines wrapping around their own branches, and leeching the life out of the same plant that they’re a part of. Stayaway Bushes are unlikely to go more than three years without dying.

As a Meganium and a lover of plants, I can’t recommend using Stayaway Wands. They aren’t worth the tiny bit of extra safety that petrifying dungeon Pokemon after warping them provides. I know there’s the saying of “A single extra item can be the difference between life or death,” but these plants are suffering. Please just pack either a Stayaway Orb, or both a Warp and Petrify Wand. Don’t combine them.



Now for quite possibly the most baffling item in this guide: Warp Scarves. They warp you away to a random location every ten seconds after you put it on. The uses are few and far between. You can use one to scout out a floor of a dungeon, but you’ll likely end up very disoriented and most certainly separated from your team. The only other known use is throwing one at a hostile dungeon Pokemon, and hoping they hold onto it and get warped away.

Nobody knows for certain why Warp Scarves exist. Various theories abound, such as them being created by a legendary in order to mess with other Pokemon, that they were an accidental creation by someone trying to make a different kind of scarf, or that they were created as a means to punish criminals in ancient times.

The most viable explanation as to why Warp Scarves exist is that they’re actually a lookalike item. Archeologists have discovered records of so-called “Ward Scarves” and “Ward Seeds” dating back to the time of the first adventure squads. These items, the records say, protect against poison, burns, paralysis and other such ailments. The theory goes that Warp Seeds are a lookalike item of these “Ward Seeds”, and that Ward Scarves are made via Warp Seeds, and have their own lookalike, Warp Scarves.

As for why you’ve never seen or heard of a Ward Seed or Ward Scarf before, it’s theorized that whatever plant Ward Seeds came from had gone extinct due to overharvesting, and with it gone, Ward Scarves could no longer be made. All that remain now are their presumed lookalikes, and with no record of what Ward Seeds and Scarves looked like, we’ll likely never truly know if Warp Seeds and Scarves truly are lookalikes.

Some Pokemon have begun planting Miracle Seeds en masse to try to revive these forgotten items, but so far, it’s to no avail. Perhaps these scarves and seeds are destined to be left to history.

And that's all I have for warping items! A wide variety of items with a wide variety of uses.

Next section, I'll be talking about the two Awakening items. Awakening Emeras, Empowerment Seeds, and why they might be connected to the origin of mystery dungeons.

 

[IFBench]

Awakening Items
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Awakening items are some of the most powerful items out there. While there are only two known types of them, they both impart immense, albeit temporary, power on their users. However, with great power comes great volatility. Awakening items are some of the riskiest items to use, and have the change of backfiring horribly. There’s a reason anything with “Awakening” in the name is so expensive, even if it’s a scam or falsehood. These items are dangerous, and should be used with care and caution.

Awakening Emeras are the rarest known Emeras, aside from the fabled “Blank Emeras”. Instead of being a single color like other emeras, they instead exhibit a rainbow of colors. Light passing through these emeras has both a prism effect, and empowers any grass-types photosynthesizing with that light. If you’re a grass-type, there’s no light like it. They impart an Awakening effect when placed into a looplet, and shatter when the effect fades. Shattering them manually imparts a temporary boost in power, speed, defense, and stamina. Their dust has no special effect it distinguishing from the dust of other emeras, however.



Empowerment Seeds are also very rare. You’d be lucky to see one on a dungeon expedition. They share rainbow coloring with Awakening Emeras, though the curving stripes are unique to these seeds.

They can be grown, but only in places with high mysteriousity. There’s several Awakening trees in Moonlight Town, and most of the world’s supply of Empowerment Seeds come from these trees. Awakening Trees look similar to Saplings of Life, with rainbow leaves, though with these trees, wisps of energy drift away from the tips of the branches, the immense energy within leaking out. The trunks also twist and turn in a similar shape to the stripes on Empowerment Seeds. They are a true sight to behold, and I wish I could grow one in my garden.

Both Awakening Emeras and Empowerment Seeds impart Awakening on the user. Awakening has a multitiude of helpful effects. A barrier will form around your front, rendering you completely immune to attacks from that direction. Type matchups will cease to matter, anything being just as susceptible to your attacks as anything else. Your moves will tend to hone in on targets, making them much more difficult to dodge. And your moves will be more powerful in general.

Awakening has a nasty side effect once it wears off, though. Berserk. It causes your hold on yourself to start to slip, and an insatiable rage to build within you. You’ll have difficulty determining between friend and foe in this state, and may also mistake things like trees for enemy Pokemon. Your moves will begin to bubble up, and you’ll start using moves at random, on random targets. It is a very deeply unpleasant experience, and one I do not wish to go through again.

A Heal Seed can negate Berserk, however, and I highly recommend carrying one if you plan on using an Awakening item. In general, Awakening tends to last around five minutes, and Berserk around two minutes. Keep these times in mind, and try to eat that Heal Seed as soon as you can once Awakening wears off, or once you’re done with whatever you needed to be Awakened for.

Some Pokemon can harness the power of Awakening even further than normal Pokemon can, through a phenomenon known as “Mega Evolution”. Pokemon like Absol, Sceptile, and Ampharos can temporarily evolve into another form. It is currently unknown why some Pokemon can achieve Mega Evolution with Awakening, while others cannot.

Unfortunately, this extra evolution is sometimes excruciatingly painful. A Houndoom who had gone through Mega Evolution described the process to me as “a painful melting, like my claws and tail were turning to liquid. It was so, so hot, far too hot”. However, this is not true for all Pokemon. Apoyime of Team Sunset described it as “an immnese burst of power, though while it felt odd, it was without pain”.

I can’t tell for sure what causes pain during Mega Evolution, but it seems as if it, like the phenomenon itself, only affects certain Pokemon. I can only tell you that, if you’re capable of Mega Evolution, be extra cautious when using Awakening items.

It is likely that the Awakening items are tied to the very origin of mystery dungeons. But before I can explain how, I need to talk about said origin.

3000 years ago, from what the records say, our very world was torn asunder. The skies darkened, the ground shook, and it was as if the world was going to end.

But it did not. Instead, what we now know as mystery dungeons formed. They were even more plentiful then as during the modern crises, and so the first adventuring squads formed, in order to figure out what these strange places were. The records say that Empowerment Seeds and Awakening Emeras were far more common in those first few years of mystery dungeons existing, and were in every adventure squad’s supply.

Now, during a visit to the human world with the rest of the World-Savers’ Council, I discovered something interesting. 3000 years ago, it had its own calamity. I’ll spare the full story for now, but a king wrought with grief from his friend’s death in a war, determined to bring them back to life and end the war. He harnessed the power of Xerneas and Yveltal in order to create an “Ultimate Weapon”.

This was a weapon of horrifying, unimaginable power. It did what it was built to do. It brought the king’s friend back to life, at the cost of many, many other lives. The war stopped, for the casualties were too great. The essences of the Pokemon killed by this weapon were trapped in stones, that in the modern day can impart Mega Evolution.

Just like the Awakening items.

Our world and the human world are closely connected. While it’s mostly humans who cross over, it is not unfathomable that energy, too, can enter our world from the human world. Such as the energy from the Ultimate Weapon.

My theory is as such: The Ultimate Weapon affected our world, too, leaving “scars” on it, that we now know as mystery dungeons. Whenever the world is in danger, these scars are “agitated”, and more temporarily appear.

I believe that energy from the Ultimate Weapon lingers in these scars, and is what causes the Awakening items to form. Items similar to the Mega Stones of the human world, except in the form of seeds and emeras.

Even 3000 years later, the energy still lingers, imparting its power on anyone who’s lucky enough to come across it in physical form…for a price.

While there have been attempts to make wearable items to impart the Awakening effect on a more permanent basis, they have famously been unsuccessful. I’m sure I don’t need to remind anyonne about the tale of Marian the Cubone, or the “Ultimate Scarf” incident.

But I’ll share one more story, to drive in how dangerous using these seeds in crafting items is.

Once, there was a Doduo who wanted to make an orb that could Awaken a whole group of Pokemon at once. They took an All-Power-Up Orb, soaked it with water filled with 10 ground-up Empowerment Seeds. Nobody knows what the orb looked like, but midway into the soaking process, the orb exploded, and the entire area where it was being soaked became a mystery dungeon. Only one of the assistants escaped, and the others were never found. Doduo’s corpse was found in a search and rescue expedition of the dungeon, and I’ll spare the gruesome details, but their body had become a mystery dungeon of its own.

I can’t stress this enough, do not use Empowerment Seeds in crafting items unless you’re very, very well versed in what you’re doing.

And that's all I have for Awakening items! Very powerful items, that come with great risks, and should be used with caution and care.

 

[AbraPunk]

Hi, Bench! Here for our review exchange!

(I'll note that my review style is really more just.... live-blogging/meme-y commentary. Sorry if that's not what you're hoping for!)

---

- Acacia of Team Seedlings, heroes of the Air Continent

I think I've only read up to.... maybe chapter 3 of Eternal Shadows, so I might be asking a dumb question here, but is all this canon to ES?

Reunion Capes

ah yes, The Gen Item

you'll be teleported to the Pokemon it was connected to! No matter the distance, no matter how far apart you are, you'll be reunited.

So could this theoretically be used in place of an Escape Orb? 🤔

A bit of trivia: Reunion Capes were first invented about 800 years ago, during the second Sand War

the what

to blend in with the volcanic terrain that many of the battles during that war were fought in.

Doesn't beat using a Teleport Gem,

Rescue Team reference, eh?

Informally, Reviver Seeds are sometimes referred to as “Xerneas’ Tears”. Legend has it, that whenever a Pokemon dies, Xerneas sheds a tear, and those tears are Reviver Seeds. There’s actually a lot of credence to this. Reviver Seeds are very commonly found around the Tree of Life, and they sprout into trees very similar to the Tree of Life, though on a much, much smaller scale.

yoooo mythology time

Then there’s Reviser Seeds. Don’t let the similar name fool you, they’re deadly to anyone who needs to breathe. They will revive you upon ingestion, but you’ll then start uncontrollably laughing, until you suffocate to death.

Reviser seeds have three separate legends behind them! One legend calls Reviser Seeds Xerneas' Mistake, and says that Xerneas accidentally creates them instead of Reviver Seeds sometimes.

Another legend, calling them Yveltal’s Revenge, says that Reviser Seeds were instead created by Yveltal, after Reviver Seeds made deaths near nonexistent, and spread them across the world. It’s said that the laughter the victims of these seeds have in their final moments isn’t their own, but Yveltal’s.

Yet another legend, calling them Zygarde’s Compromise, has it that, long ago, Xerneas and Yveltal were fighting over the first Reviver Seeds. Yveltal wanted to destroy them and force Xerneas to never make another, while Xerneas wanted to keep them safe, and give them out to non-legendary Pokemon.

Zygarde, seeing this, came up with a compromise. Reviver seeds would exist, but in exchange, a near-identical seed that would cause a painful death upon ingestion would be created. Yveltal objected, insisting that she didn’t want to cause any needless suffering. Zygarde obliged, and the three worked together to find a compromise: A seed that would kill any who ingest it, but in a completely painless manner, via ceaseless laughter.

no real comments here, I just want to say that I love how you're expanding upon lore and such with all these super cool myths

The most common way of finding them in mystery dungeons is, on rare occasions, Alpha Pokemon can be found with them.

Alphas???

Revive All Orbs are sometimes called “Xerneas’ Blessing” or “Yeveltal’s Condolences”. Legend says that, long, long ago, a Ninetales’ kit died, and the Ninetales traveled the world to find a legendary to reverse it.

One version of the legend says that the Ninetales came upon Xerneas, who bestowed upon her a massive orb to revive her kit, though it was already too late, as the kit’s spirit had already moved on. In her grief, the Ninetales threw the orb into the sea, where it broke apart into Revive All Orbs, and those orbs scattered across the world.

The other version of the legend says that the Ninetales came upon Yveltal, who offered their condolences, as the kit’s spirit had already moved on. The Ninetales pleaded with Yveltal to bring her kit’s spirit back, but Yveltal said there was nothing she could do. However, Yveltal decided to work with Xerneas to create a charm that would prevent the Ninetales from ever losing another kit. Upon Yveltal giving the Ninetales the charm, though, she shouted hateful words towards Yveltal, and crushed the charm, before throwing its remains into the sea. Like with the other legend, those remains became Revive All Orbs, and scattered throughout the world.

more myths!!!!

I’ve seen too many teams who have died because they forgot to bring an Escape Orb on an expedition.

after the Falling Star crisis,

The what

As for why you’ve never seen or heard of a Ward Seed or Ward Scarf before, it’s theorized that whatever plant Ward Seeds came from had gone extinct due to overharvesting, and with it gone, Ward Scarves could no longer be made. All that remain now are their presumed lookalikes, and with no record of what Ward Seeds and Scarves looked like, we’ll likely never truly know if Warp Seeds and Scarves truly are lookalikes.

Awakening has a nasty side effect once it wears off, though. Berserk. It causes your hold on yourself to start to slip, and an insatiable rage to build within you. You’ll have difficulty determining between friend and foe in this state, and may also mistake things like trees for enemy Pokemon. Your moves will begin to bubble up, and you’ll start using moves at random, on random targets. It is a very deeply unpleasant experience, and one I do not wish to go through again.

ooooh

Unfortunately, this extra evolution is sometimes excruciatingly painful. A Houndoom who had gone through Mega Evolution described the process to me as “a painful melting, like my claws and tail were turning to liquid. It was so, so hot, far too hot”.

ah, the pokedex entries

but a king wrought with grief from his friend’s death in a war, determined to bring them back to life and end the war. He harnessed the power of Xerneas and Yveltal in order to create an “Ultimate Weapon”.

AZ?

Only one of the assistants escaped, and the others were never found. Doduo’s corpse was found in a search and rescue expedition of the dungeon, and I’ll spare the gruesome details, but their body had become a mystery dungeon of its own.

---

This was a really fun read! Good job with this!

 

[K_S]

Reunion capes review 1


(I'll pop the others up as different posts as time permits)


I like the warmth of the explanation, you can hear the item favoritism shining through… though I have to wonder what happens if you’re reunited in a battle and they are surrounded.

(I’m shamelessly imagining a “George of the jungle hitting a tree” sort of scene… hm how would type advantages work in that, extra damage for accidental teleport?

I’m imagining Slyveon, Espeon ,and Meowstic strolling out of the barbers shop muttering about how they know their furs going to be used… and gossiping all about it as they go. On second thought I feel bad for wooloo and mareeps in this verse.

There’s a story behind the stay away wand petrification thing… hey would rock types be immune to the effect since they’re immune to most forms of paralysis?

I can see the original author having scratched out a looong paragraph on how to make the most flattering frills. Different angles for different seasons to stay stylish… then going “meh too much info” and scratching it out….

I imagine it’s rare but do you think those fur donating mon have to stay away from the composition areas of those other items least they get a case of ingredient static cling?

I’m imagining partially built wands sticking off of meowstic ears now… like oversized nonpiercing earrings.

Hmm those used in masse… it must have looked like a huge group huddle to get many to bond to one person… Nice touch of history, a bit of legend, a bit of practical it fits well for the setting…

 

[K_S]

On revives... a line-by-line reaction

I’m surprised they weren’t given a concrete timeframe for how much “little” really is. Miracle seeds and garden, I’m guessing it’s a pun and am both amused and mildly confused for it…

Again love the touch of mythology... I can see a PC character strolling up to Xer near end game of their adventure and being like… “so about the tears thing…”

All right now I’m curious as to how the narrator knows what they know or rather has /that/ type of contact to be asking… honestly it sounds like the writer has more of a tale to tell than the one we’re getting…

Hey, it’s something, and I can see mon having them on a belt, and a slingshot and being cherished not for their battle prowess but their killer (or life-giving) aim.

Ohf that poor sunkern… so the doc just told him to leave it in until harvest, right?

You know I accidentally bought Reviser seeds in one of the dungeon games thinking it was reviver… winces… yeah that went well.

That or perhaps when he has a dark laugh at the departed’s ah… exit scene… or perhaps the death of someone just that unpleasant that they’re passing is a thing to be celebrated rather than regretted…

Or you know… your own legends are pretty awesome in their own right… don’t mind me I just liked the shiny sandbox and started digging in….

Laughs, I find it amusing that the more valuable trainer items don’t “actually do any reviving” but rather work as smelling salts… with the neat attempt

I’m imagining you have to wrench those Leaks away from salivating far-fetched.

 

[K_S]

Hi, 'bench just clearing away from my "to-do list". Mainly the Ifbench fics need attention, so I found this unfinished set of reviews and figured I'd tackle them... wish me luck.

Review awakening items.

Ah, so they're expensive in more than one sense. I imagine anyone peddling bad ones is going to be hunted down as well considering how useful untainted ones are and how dangerous the situation is if it fails due to tampering... much less happenstance. Remind me to never merchant anywhere, ever, much less in the 'mon world.

Is it me or are high-powered mon items near tie-dye as a rule of thumb? perhaps steeling their hues from the edges of xerenus' horns and ho-ohs feathers... as they are the more bright of the "benign" healing-centric legends mon. I can only imagine the desperation of a 'mon in a dungeon trying to get the dust of a broken artifact to do something... I can see that going down in a monster house or the last level of a dungeon while things are looking grim.

I'm imagining some robotic mon with a barometer poking the ground and getting a "mystery" reading just doing surveys don't mind us here... while a feral is latched on it chewing on a magnet flap or something.

I mean paint. glitter and lighting effects might get a simulation of the tree if you're feeling nostalgic to see the tree without a dangerous hike attached to the visit.

or you can have a smaller helper mon on hand (or wound around the belt midsection) trying to force-feed the deserted partner and yowling how they don't get paid enough for this....

The poor houndoom I wonder what caused the effects to differ?

It's an interesting set of effects and the hinting of a parallel world is a fun tangent. And they're accidentally making a mystery dungeon I can only imagine the towns folk glaring bloody murder at the feather head and then irritated that they have to pack up, move on, and they have a scapegoat for why things were worse now, for the rest of their lives.

 

[K_S]

Warping review for the contest:

Yep having a back door escape in your pocket, ouch, whatever is a wonderful idea and I suspect they're a popular thing.

Well, that's one way to deal with a final boss. Coax it to go into an attack that requires buildup/charging... then pop a warp seed at it. it'll miss at best or bring down the floor if it gets sent to down on its own head. Easy win and easy loot.

I'm sorry people do these solo... nice to know there's an easy lack of sanity check.

Can you grow warp seeds in your house? I can only imagine the hazard fees if you have a garden full of them and professional gardens.

I'm really surprised that since the compound of warp, via, and pure seeds is the same someone hasn't built an industry on it yet.. I can also see some poor beginning mon popping open a snack satchel and disappearing...

And inquiring minds have to know... taste difference between via and warp/pure?

I'm imagining a warp orb looking and functioning like a xmas ornament... if they get them in that hews... well decorating times can be exciting in the mon world huh?

Same for stayaway orbs... though the sheer chaos a spurn orb could trigger if you are getting chased by a mob... (or a mob of klecheons after you rob them... I may have to test that in-game to see what happens).

honestly, with all these powerful orbs knocking around I have to wonder if the mystery world has a ban on xmas tree decorations. At this point it would seem wise... one toppled tree or bad jounce and no one knows where anyone is for the holiday season.

The hows and whys of warp wands and how they're made is fun and makes gardening an adventure almost as wild as dungeonering...

Or pranking, switcher wands would be oh so useful in cutting in line to get to the grub first... or loot.. the opportunities are endless with only a little thought.

as for surround, I wonder if it would be illegal for an entertainer to use them to draw a crowd and refuse to let them leave until they're paid the right amount, highway robbery met bard class with a slice of extortion...

and the possibility of warp scarves... oh the possibilities.. evil cackle. well, I won't expound on them but they sound fun to play with. very fun.

 

[Dragonfree]

Hey, Bench! I decided to check this out to see what your item deep-dive prizes would look like, and I quite enjoyed it. Acacia's narrative voice is fun and gives it flavor, and there's a lot of inventiveness here - not just on what the items do and how they work but how they're made, how to take care of the plants they're made from, legends associated with them, even some personal anecdotes peppered in. I got a particular kick out of the speculation that Warp Scarves are actually lookalikes of actually-useful but now-extinct items called Ward Scarves - that's delightful and feels like the sort of thing I would have made up. (Now I'm just curious about why lookalike items are such a recurring element of the world!)

I think I'm going to request an item deep-dive for my level 2 prize if it's still available. In the meantime, nice job on these, and I hope to be back for new installments!

A couple of typos I noticed:

However, this is not true for all Pokemon. Apoyime of Team Sunset described it as “an immnese burst of power, though while it felt odd, it was without pain”.

*immense

I’m sure I don’t need to remind anyonne about the tale of Marian the Cubone, or the “Ultimate Scarf” incident.

*anyone

 

[IFBench]

Tumblestones​

This section is dedicated to someone who reached out to me while writing this book, a Hoppip who goes by the name Bluesidra, and requested that I write about tumblestones.

While traveling, you may have come across a few strange rocks of various colors jutting out of the ground. Orange, black, blue, yellow, and green. These are deposits of tumblestones, smooth stones that, while not as useful or valuable as evolution stones, still have a variety of uses.

While tumblestones may seem like ordinary rocks, they're actually very similar to evolutionary stones! You can even sometimes find evolutionary stones in tumblestone deposits! This is because tumblestones are a step in the process that makes evolutionary stones!

Tumblestones are a type of metamorphic rock, as they start as ordinary rocks, and after absorbing elemental energy, become tumblestones. If they absorb more elemental energy, they become evolutionary stones!

It's rather easy to obtain tumblestones from deposits. If they absorb too much elemental energy in a very short time, they break apart, so smack them with a move, and the deposit will fall right apart into chunks approximately the size of a Tynamo, allowing you to easily grab the tumblestones. Evolutionary stones are much stronger, so you don't have to worry about accidentally shattering any that might be in the deposit, though you'll likely need to carve off any tumblestone chunks stuck to the evolutionary stones.

Common tumblestones, the red variety, are the most, well, common type of tumblestone. They can be found just about anywhere, and are formed when granite is exposed to fire-type energy. If exposed to further fire-type energy, they become fire stones, or sun stones if exposed to enough direct sunlight.

Black tumblestones, the, well, black variety, are also rather common. They tend to form deeper underground than most other types of tumblestones, and are formed when obsidian is exposed to dark-type energy. If exposed to further dark-type energy, they become dusk stones, or moon stones if exposed to enough direct moonlight.

Sky tumblestones, the blue variety, are a bit rarer. They're often found atop mountains or cliffs, or rarely in glacial caves, and are formed when pumice is exposed to flying-type energy. Strangely, further flying energy doesn't affect them, rather they need water or ice energy to completely turn into evolutionary stones, becoming water and ice stones respectively. The fact that flying, water, and ice energy all impact these stones is a sticking point in the theory that those three types were once one and the same.

Static tumblestones, the yellow variety, are rather rare, as they form from fulgurite. They often form along shores or in areas with frequent storms. As the name of the place may suggest, they can be found in abundance along the Fulgurite Range in the Thunder Continent. Due to the elemental energy required to create fulgurite at all, it only takes a bit of extra electric energy to turn it into static tumblestones. If exposed to further electric energy, they become thunder stones, or if they're exposed to normal energy, they become shiny stones.

Fern tumblestones, the green variety, are the rarest. They're found in forests, grasslands, jungles, pretty much anywhere with lots of plant life, but require agate to form. If agate is exposed to enough grass energy, it becomes fern tumblestones. With further exposure to grass energy, they become leaf stones, or dawn stones if exposed to fairy energy.

All varieties of tumblestones make excellent jewelry! While they might not be as pretty as evolutionary stone jewelry, they still look nice, in my opinion, and tumblestones have their own unique meanings when used as jewelry.

In general, tumblestone jewelry is seen as a sort of "reservoir" of power, absorbing ambient elemental energy that can be used later, though if it can actually impart that power onto the Pokemon wearing the jewelry has yet to be proven.

Common tumblestones are said to store determination and passion, and are said to help you hold onto hope. Black tumblestones are said to store truth and patience, and supposedly help with aggression as well. Sky tumblestones supposedly harbor calmness and serene freedom, keeping you feeling alright even when times are tough. Static tumblestones supposedly harbor enlightenment and excitement, and it is said that some great philosophers wore static tumblestone jewelry. Fern tumblestones are said to store wonder and harmony, and supposedly help one get in touch with nature more.

My partner and I have made tumblestone jewelry for each other. I made her a sky and common tumblestone bracelet with a shiny stone centerpiece, and she made me a static and fern tumblestone necklace with a dawn stone centerpiece. I can't attest to any special powers the jewelry has, but it does look nice around my petals.

If you're going to polish tumblestones into jewelry, or any other sort of decoration, be aware that due to their properties of being brittle to quick bursts of elemental energy, using the move Rock Polish on them won't work, and will instead shatter the tumblestone. I recommend using sandpaper or liquid rock polish.

All varieties of tumblestones make for excellent fertilizer when ground up. The potent power within them infuses the soil with evolutionary energy, causing plants to grow faster and plain seeds to grow rarer plants. If you have any extra shavings or shards from making jewelry out of tumblestones, try using it for your garden if you have one!

And that's all I have to say about tumblestones! An interesting in-between of regular rocks and evolutionary stones.

 

[K_S]

Kudos on getting your project done! A fun read as well.

 

[Forestoak]

I'm going completely over this...

No way! Could it be? Another um...living thing from the two worlds of pokemon?! And from the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon World!

Wow, I got really interested into the tumblestones...hey, the black and fern ones seem to be Zygarde's qualities!

Oh no! Did the Mega Houndoom melt?(uh...the awakening items section)

 

[IFBench]

Berserk Genes​

This section is dedicated to someone who reached out to me while writing this book. They did not disclose their species, but they go by the special name Negrek, and requested that I write and warn about Berserk Genes.

At shady markets and hidden-away shops, you might find a strange double-helix-shaped object for sale. These are Berserk Genes, and they are not something you should buy under any circumstance, for many reasons.

Berserk Genes are both illegal, dangerous, and the very reason they exist is highly immoral.

If they get close enough to your brain, they will absorb into you, and you'll lose almost all control of yourself for a long time, in exchange for a massive increase in power. While it could be as short as an hour, the longest recorded duration of a berserk gene's effects is seven months. I hope that's enough of a deterrent away from these dangerous items.

To explain why Berserk Genes exist, I first need to talk about the Pokemon Mewtwo.

I'm sure you all know the story of the human relics on Friend Peninsula here in the Air Continent. About 500 years ago, a Weavile claiming to be a human and his Thievul partner showed up out of nowhere, built the Abandoned Lab and Power Plant, and promptly disappeared. Seemingly the only human who had nothing to do with any crisis, if he even was really human. Though in my opinion, seeing the technology there, far beyond anything our world has even today, let alone in the 1500s, I believe Weavile was human.

Nonetheless, what's less known is what happened shortly after the two disappeared.

Nobody knows what truly happened. Some say they manifested themselves into our world through sheer force of will. Some say a giant vortex appeared in the sky and spat them out. Some say that whatever purpose Weavile and Thievul made the Abandoned Lab for created them.

Whatever the case may be, there was a new legendary here on the Air Continent, and they were angry. Mewtwo was here.

Mewtwo immediately lashed out at the nearest settlement when they tried to interact with Mewtwo, and quickly retreated into the Abandoned Lab.

As it would be over a century before the Legendary Lucario would unite the rescue teams of the Air Continent, organized rescue teams were few and far between. However, one plucky rescue team decided to investigate the lab.

As the story goes, they found Pokemon in strange tanks inside the lab, and Mewtwo was trying to make more of them. The rescue team and Mewtwo battled, and supposedly, after seeing one of the team members perform a selfless act, Mewtwo disappeared.

When they tried to release the Pokemon in the tanks, they wouldn't wake up. They breathed, but a psychic-type who investigated said that their brains couldn't think. No records of Pokemon who looked like them going missing existed, so the leading theory is that either they came here with Mewtwo, or Mewtwo created them.

As for how Berserk Genes tie into all of this, when one of the tank Pokemon was injured accidentally while being laid to rest, they dissolved into hundreds of thousands of strange double-helix objects. Nobody knew what this was, but one Pokemon, upon hearing about this, went around to the other tank Pokemon gravesites, dug them up, and tore them into more of these, before going off to sell them.

They quickly gained the slang name "Berserk" after the effect they cause, and they were widespread enough that even today you can find them at many black markets.

It's a sad story of graverobbing and disrespect, and I truly hope their usage dies out soon.

You may be wondering why they're called Berserk Genes, instead of just Berserk. Well, approximately half a century ago, genetics had a breakthrough. DNA was discovered, and it bears the same striking double helix structure as Berserk. Some people theorized that Berserk was related to DNA, and thus, Berserk started being referred to as Berserk Genes.

Berserk Genes have a lookalike item! Berserk Jeans! While they look similar to Berserk Genes, they only have one bar in the double helix instead of multiple. When soaked in water, they will grow in size, becoming a pair of tailless leg-coverings. When worn, they increase your move strength, at the cost of making it a lot easier for you to become confused. They started appearing approximately around when Berserk Genes got their present name. They're a much, much safer alternative to Berserk Genes, as long as you have the body type to be able to wear them. Cutting a tail hole in them won't work, as that will negate the effects, so only species such as Sawk will be able to utilize them.

Before I end this section off, I would like to talk a little more about Mewtwo.

While many think that Mewtwo was malicious, I do not believe so.

If it was, why would they have fled after seeing kindness from the rescue team that came to confront them?

A big portion of the information here was from Negrek, they had unusually proficient knowledge of genetics, and they had a handprint signature I've never seen before. I think I know what their species is.

I believe there is more to this story, and someday, I wish to know the full truth of it.

And that's all I have to say about Berserk Genes! This is one item you do not want to have.

 

[Forestoak]

You may be wondering why they're called Berserk Genes, instead of just Berserk. Well, approximately half a century ago, genetics had a breakthrough. DNA was discovered, and it bears the same striking double helix structure as Berserk. Some people theorized that Berserk was related to DNA, and thus, Berserk started being referred to as Berserk Genes.

Hmm...interesting...didn't you say Berserk could last for months? I bet this has something to do with lengthed RNA...

Genetics have shown that behavior is related to them, and the Berserk might be connected to myostatin, a protein limiting gene, which when knocked out, causes muscle growth acceleration.

 

[Negrek]

This is a really fun entry! I’m always curious to see people handle the presence of Mewtwo, Porygon, and other shades of the human world in a PMD setting. Some former-human Pokémon creating them would make sense… If that’s even what actually happened here! It’s not surprising that Mewtwo would be a mysterious and controversial figure in the PMD world.

The origin of the Berserk Genes themselves are really interesting. It sounds like the Pokémon in the tanks weren’t more Mewtwo, but rather other species being cloned or modified. Or, given the way they broke down after death, perhaps modified ditto, or perhaps Mew? It’s a neat idea, and I like how you leave this section pretty open-ended; the lack of clear answers enhances the horror elements and feels like an appropriate extension of the Mewtwo lore for the PMD world.

The Berserk Jeans are a delight, and I think make a great addition to this entry. They make for a lighthearted breather after the information on the Genes proper and feel very in line with the PMD tone. They’re a super cute idea, and I love how they’re incompatible with the vast majority of Pokémon because, well, Pokémon just ain’t designed to wear pants.

Thanks for writing this for me! I’ve really enjoyed reading it, and I hope you had a good time writing it, too,

 

[IFBench]

Lookalike Items​

This section is dedicated to someone who reached out to me while writing this book, a Butterfree who goes by their species name only, and requested that I write about lookalike items.

While traversing mystery dungeons, you almost certainly have stumbled upon items that look near-identical to other items, yet behave completely differently. “Oran berries” that poison you, “sleep seeds” that let you walk on water, “x-ray specs” that make it difficult to see, and so on. The infamous lookalike items, the adventurer’s bane. One might wonder why they look so similar, and even have similar names. To explain why, I’ll need to give a history lesson in linguistics.

There are dozens upon dozens of lookalike items, and I’ll be explaining most of them in later sections. This section is simply an overview of them in general.

Long, long ago, long before the first mystery dungeon, long before even footprint runes, there was the First Language. It was an exclusively oral language, and it split into what would become the languages we know now. The First Language was a powerful thing, and while its power has mostly faded with its extinction, remnants of it remain in today’s languages.

The oren berry is the most widely known lookalike item. If you’ve been in an adventuring class, you likely know the mnemonic “Blue stem is yummy, green hurts my tummy”, to differentiate between the blue-stemmed oran and the green-stemmed oren. The origin of the names oran and oren come from a similar place. The word “oren” actually is derived from the old, seldom-used term “orenge”, which means “poisonous fruit”. You might notice that that word looks very close to orange, and it actually is thought to derive from the word orange. It’s thought that orange used to also mean “unripe fruit”, after the orange color of unripe tomatoes, and eventually, it split into orange, the color and fruit (which oran is derived from), and orenge, which would become oren.

Similarly, orans and orens are thought to be closely related biologically. What’s strange, though, is that the word orenge predates the first record of oren berries. You might think they simply hadn’t been discovered yet, but no. The first record of oren berries, as much as could be translated, stated that oren plants appeared in their fields, in the place of some of their oran plants.

This pattern exists with other lookalike items, too. The term via came before the via seed, reviser before the reviser seed, and so on. It’s not confirmed, but it’s widely believed that the terms caused the existence of the lookalike items.

Corroborating this is the fact that certain lookalike items have been lost to history, around the time of their terms’ extinction. Nobody uses the word “engree” anymore, and you don’t see engree seeds anymore. If you’re wondering what either of those are, “engree” is a word that’s a distant ancestor of “angry”, and engree seeds, well, made you angry as a Mankey. Both the term and the seed went extinct about 2500 years ago.

These aren’t limited to words in Mystre, either. Mix elixirs were first discovered in the Sand Continent, where the language Tapaga is used. Unfortunately, I don’t know much Tapagase, but I’ll do my best to explain nonetheless. You may wonder why Mix Elixirs restore the stamina of Linoone and only Linoone, when the name in Mystre doesn’t suggest this at all. In Tapagase, the words “max”, “mix”, and “Linoone” are all very similar, leading to the term mix causing the mix elixir to exist.

While it isn’t entirely known why lookalike items look so similar to their, well, lookalikes, it’s thought to also do with their terms being similar. Oren berries’ green stems are a common sign of unripe berries. The markings on mix elixirs resemble those on a Linoone. While not every lookalike item follows this rule, most of them do.

Even now, language is ever-changing and evolving. More and more new words are spoken into existence with each year, while others are forgotten. It’s very possible that the oren berry will go extinct in the next century, as its term already borders on it. Similarly, it’s likely that the words of tomorrow will create new lookalike items altogether. With the slang “sus” on the rise, and its similarity to “sitrus”, we could see the appearance of a “sus berry” before too long.

And that’s all I have to say about lookalike items for now! A fascinating intersection between the evolutions of life and language.

 

[Dragonfree]

Thank you for writing this, that was a lot of fun! Love the idea of lookalike items actually coming into existence as a result of similar linguistic terms, and dying out if the word falls into disuse - that's a very creative take on it that expands the mystique of the world.

And then there are different languages too! A Japanese analogue that explains the origin of an lookalike item based on a Japanese pun makes a lot of sense, in this framework.

I think possibly the bit I got the biggest kick out of was speculating about new lookalike items coming into existence as a result of the ever-evolving creation of slang, though. I often think about language and linguistic evolution and how new terms come into being and gain life, and the thought of a world where that process can result in new kinds of physical things coming into existence alongside them delights me. Love that Sitrus Berries are likely to sprout Sus Berries thanks to the rise of sus as slang, that's amazing.

The creativity of these entries is always delightful! Thank you again!