Pokémon pokédex mini

[Phoenixsong]

pokédex mini​

dabbling in selections from a drabble collection​

What's this?

Pretty simple: the goal here is to (eventually, maybe, idk) write one drabble for every single pokémon in the pokédex, all however-many-the-heck-there-are-right-now and counting. "Drabble" here is used in the literal sense of the term, meaning each story should be exactly 100 words, no more and no less. (With some hyphen/word-counter–related wiggle room, but shhhh.)

I first started this project... good lord, ten years ago? I'm trying not to think about it, ugh. In an ideal world I'd have been a lot further along by now, but life is what it is, y'know? My progress on this has slowed way down over the years and isn't likely to pick up speed, but I do still poke at it every now and then, and I figured I might as well share at least a few of the ones I enjoyed writing.

So, whenever I've finished some new ones or decide I want to toss in some older ones, I'll collect them into a batch of ten drabbles and make a new post here. There's no update schedule; it's just gonna happen whenever it happens. Easy enough, right? Check the threadmarks up top or the post index down below to see what's available so far!

What kinds of stories are these?

All kinds! There's no unifying theme; they're just whatever idea happens to strike at the time. They probably skew most heavily toward humorous pokémon POV in the trainerverse, but there are stories about humans (canon characters and otherwise), stories set in PMD-like worlds, stories that touch on other types of genre or setting or mood or whatever else I felt like experimenting with that day. Even stories with similar settings aren't necessarily happening in the same world with the same rules, so sometimes one story may contradict something that gets implied in another. It's best to treat them all as standalone unless otherwise stated, then. (Unless it was deliberately written as part of a set—I'll point it out if that's the case!)

If you've been working on this for years, where are the rest?

For now, I'm using this thread to showcase specifically the drabbles I feel like showcasing, rather than porting over literally everything I've done so far. There are several I'm not proud enough of to actively highlight, for one thing; and also trying to keep a forum thread organized in national dex order when I don't write these in order is... not really something I want to tangle with, heh. So I'm just sharing whichever ones I'm in the mood to share in no particular order.

If you'd like to read all of the pokédex mini drabbles I've ever published, you're welcome to do so on my personal website here. They're also organized in national pokédex order there. Just be aware that the quality will vary pretty wildly.

Feedback preferences

I'm not looking for heavy feedback/critique on these, for the most part. It's more just a general exercise in actually writing anything, as unreasonably difficult as that seems to be for me, and in experimenting with being more concise. Feel free to comment on whatever you like, of course! Just know that I can't guarantee I'll actually act on any suggestions for edits to existing stories. I do occasionally succumb to the desire to edit or rewrite some of these, but given how many I still have to get through, it makes much more sense to focus on moving forward!

The one thing I would very much appreciate knowing is whether you feel like you're missing a significant piece of context when you read a drabble. In the past I've had a tendency to base drabbles on, like, a single really obscure pokédex entry or piece of trivia, and as a result they're most likely not as easy to grasp as I'd like. I'm trying to avoid that going forward, but if you ever read one of these and come away from it "...I have no idea what on earth the point of that was," please do let me know!

Content warnings

None by default, as I keep most of these pretty tame. If an individual drabble warrants a content warning, I'll add it to the top of that drabble's post. As always, please do reach out and let me know if you feel anything needed a warning that I didn't think to give it—I'm more than happy to amend it.

---

All right, no more stalling. I hope you enjoy!

Post Index​

1. Bulbasaur, Ninetales, Drifloon, Kommo-o, Cosmoem, Corviknight, Maushold, Charcadet, Tinkaton, Palafin
2. Squirtle, Raticate, Dodrio, Muk, Unown, Poochyena, Glameow, Purugly, Cofagrigus, Mimikyu

 

[Phoenixsong]

Here we go! No particular order or theme to this batch. I just thought it'd be nice to begin at the beginning, show just a few of the older pieces I particularly like, and then some of my newest drabbles to wrap up, concluding with the three I wrote for the 2023 TR Anniversary's drabble bingo (and an extra that I was inspired to throw together at the same time).

CW: Drifloon's includes references to grief after a loved one's death.

---

0001 Bulbasaur​

Route 1 sure had a lot of wild pokémon territory for Junie to cross with nothing but a brand-new bulbasaur.

"Ready?" she asked. "You know what we've gotta do with tall grass, right?"

Bulbasaur edged toward the grass, then took a bite.

Junie laughed. "That's... an option. But we've also gotta get in there and look for more partners!"

Bulbasaur cheered around his mouthful of grass. Junie smiled nervously. She wasn't entirely sure what to do after finding a pokémon herself.

Still, Junie squared her shoulders and charged into the grass. Bulbasaur followed. Whatever came next, they'd figure out together.

---

0038 Ninetales​

Always take care of your tails, child, for they are your greatest gift. Take care of your tails and they will take care of you. The first fuels the fire that burns inside you. Keep the second soft and clean and you'll know your mate's true love. Three brings luck and four reveals secrets. Five lets you speak to any creature; six lets you enchant them. Seven gives you long life, and eight, when curled just so, long happiness.

And should anyone ever hurt you, child, your ninth tail will take care of you—and take care of them, too.

---

0425 Drifloon​

The family huddles around the grave. Drifloon listens behind a stone angel. They tell funny stories, sad ones, sweet ones. The children smile and sniffle, holding balloon strings tight.

They let go of their balloons. The family walks away.

Pop! One balloon snags a tree branch.

Pop! A spearow blunders into one beak-first.

Whoosh! A gust blows the last toward the angel's broken wing—

Drifloon grabs it. He floats away from the points and snares, then sends it on its way again in the open sky.

Drifloon doesn't know what's up that high. He hopes the balloon will see it.

---

0784 Kommo-o​

Kommo-o hears the intruder before she sees them, so they hear her bell-song first as well. She drums her tail against the ground, each note ringing sharp through stone and air. The warning-song of a warrior whose fists strike true as each tone.

She lopes out and looks... down?... at a tiny yellow ball. The chingling, unafraid, trills out, clarion and sweet: not the discordant clatter-clash of dragon challenge-song, but...

Curious, Kommo-o tolls again, the chingling's tune a matching melody. The chingling smiles; so does she. They ring a little bell-song as they head in together—not battle-song, but friend-song.

---

0790 Cosmoem​

The little star sleeps, motionless and silent, the weight of uncertainty pressing down upon it. Its tiny galaxies twist and tumble as it dreams of the song of rising. Will the little points that burn within brighten, shining so fiercely that the sky turns dazzling blue? Will the spinning clouds inside spread out like a dark and fluttering cloak, so it might slip softly through the night? To call to the sun, or to dance with the moon? It dreams and dreams and can't decide, the future melody too faint to guess.

The little star sleeps, and waits, and dreams.

---

0823 Corviknight​

Britomart's record shines as spotless as her armor: all routes flown swiftly, all fares ferried safely. But today, that knave Galehault chases as she flies. "Galehault is no thief!" he rasps. "Withdraw your accusation, or we shall joust at sixty wingstrokes!"

Britomart has no time for curry-swindling blackguards. Chivalrous taxis keep their schedules. But he crows "Liar! Coward!" as they soar over Hammerlocke, and that, sir, shall not stand.

She wings back sixty strokes and levels her beak at Galehault, heedless of her cabbie's pleas or the fares cheering in her carriage.

Britomart's honor shines as spotless as her armor.

---

0925 Maushold​

"You'll love this place!" The realtor beamed at the Baxters. "Brand-new appliances, vaulted ceilings, hardwood floors..."

"I do love vaulted ceilings," said Mrs. Baxter.

"I'm just glad we're leaving behind that gnawing in the walls," sighed Mx. Baxter.

"We'll take it!" they said.

--​

"You'll love this place!" The pawmo beamed at the maushold. "No existing weaknesses in the walls, so it's a bit of a fixer-upper. But it's perfect for chewing your own custom renovations!"

"We do love a project," said one maus.

"I'm just glad it'll wear the kids' teeth down," sighed the other.

"We'll take it!" they said.

---

0935 Charcadet​

Charlos sat by the academy's armor displays, helmet flickering in thought. Mela was coming back to school. He'd missed her terribly, but...

The night-dark armor had whispered after Mela's visits, when she'd been grinning fiercely but her inner fire guttered low: Mela smiles, but they're hurting her. She wants to fight, and you can help her. Take me with you. We can hurt them first.

But now, she'd said, she wasn't gonna fight. Now she had to be brave. Mela didn't need angry, devouring fire. She needed warmth, steady and strong.

Charlos's helmet flared, and he touched the golden armor.

---

0959 Tinkaton​

The master tinkaton critiqued each student's hammer. "Corviknight pauldrons are classic, but dull... no, revavroom exhausts won't make it go faster... I hope that red is bisharp, not scizor; too easy to melt!"

She scowled as the youngest struggled. "Copperajah? Rampant rust, girl, of course it's too heavy. Sensible smiths use bronzong for density without impossible weight!" She handed the student her own hammer as an example.

The younger tinkaton nodded. "Wow, much better balanced than mine."

"Now do you understand which steel-types you should harvest from?"

"Yes," said the student. She grinned and swung the hammer at her master.

---

0964 Palafin​

Palafin was the hero: when her teammates struggled, she'd soar out to crush the enemy beneath her fists. With her friends there to help her change, no foe was too fearsome.

Now, alone before the metal monster that'd lanced them all with lightning? Nowhere to change, no chance to win. No fists; just tiny, trembling fins. No soaring; just cowering behind her fallen friends. No hero; just... her.

The monster lurched foward, its sparking claws grasping for Cyclizar. Brave Cyclizar, who'd fought so hard without even changing...

Maybe she could, too.

Palafin kicked off and charged to meet the beast.

 

[Phoenixsong]

Been a bit since I updated this... don't have any new ones at the moment, just more selections from the full set, but heck, maybe the recent drabble convos in the Discord will inspire me to knock a little more rust off. In the meantime, hope you enjoy!

Glameow and Purugly's stories are technically a pair, but can be enjoyed alone if you only feel like reading one.

---

0007 Squirtle​

Madeleine and her friends were still arguing about which starter was most useful when they reached the lab.

"Nothing beats swimming around with a squirtle," Madeleine insisted.

"Squirtle's got water whenever you're thirsty, too," said Bella.

Derek pulled a face. "You can't drink pokémon water!"

"That's sure not why I'm choosing squirtle," Madeleine agreed.

Now, Madeline, her family, and her new squirtle sat at the sushi restaurant, celebrating the start of her journey.

"What's this green stuff?" Madeleine asked, scooping some into her mouth. "Avocado?"

It was not avocado.

Madeleine grabbed for Squirtle and hoped desperately that Derek was wrong.

---

0020 Raticate​

"The dining area looks clean." The health inspector made a note on her clipboard. The malasada shop's owner smiled, confident her restaurant would pass muster.

"Watch how close those trash cans are to the tables, though." The inspector scribbled again as they moved into the kitchen. "They're pushing the minimum required distance of— what is that?"

Over by a bin, a raticate lifted its shaggy black head from a box of malasadas, jam dribbling from its mouth. It belched and licked its lips.

The inspector scribbled furiously. "Why is that trash can so close to where you sample those malasadas?"

---

0085 Dodrio​

"Ready for battle, everyone? Let's open with a hearty tri attack!"

"But what if it tries to burn him? I don't think he can be burned..."

"I hate when they can't be burned! Let's teach this unburnable jerk a lesson!"

"Okay, yeah! Brave bird would be good for that!"

"I don't wanna get hurt... can't we hide with double team instead?"

"Hiding sucks! I say we thrash 'im!"

"All that thrashing around is confusing..."

"Fine, you big baby. We'll just whale on him while he's holding still!"

"Yeah, that's a good plan! What if we froze him with tri attack?"

---

0089 Muk​

The Breezy Acres subdivision was renowned for its residents' fabulous gardens. Every lawn was an explosion of fragrance and color, roses and hydrangeas and lilies and a dozen things far more exotic. Not Marlow's lawn, though. Marlow could barely pronounce 'heuchera', let alone keep one alive.

It didn't help that the neighbors had perfect pokémon for tending to gardens, either. A florges over here, a roserade over there, a meganium down the street... His pokémon couldn't help his garden look better than the others'.

...Or could she?

"Hey, Muk... what say we take tonight's stroll right by the neighbors' yards?"

---

0201 Unown​

Alonso found something different every time he ventured into the Ruins of Alph. Hidden passageways, crumbling carvings... on last week's excursion he'd even fallen down a hole and discovered a new room full of sliding puzzles. The F-shaped unown he'd landed on hadn't been too thrilled, but he'd had a field day.

He'd found a new inscription this afternoon. Alonso ran his hand along the letters, absentmindedly brushing hieroglyph and flattened unown alike as he read. "Their eyes... see the secret... don't land on me again you fu— hey!"

Alonso glared at the inscription. The letter "F" glared right back.

---

0261 Poochyena​

"They're deceptively difficult to see when they lurk in the shadows, you know," said Professor Birch. "Compact bodies with muscles tensed like coiled springs... watching you through narrowed, hungry eyes... waiting for you to turn around so they can leap for your unprotected neck with a blood-curdling howl... it's a terrifying experience, son, right out of a man's most primal nightmares, and I think it'd be best if we didn't upset your mother by telling her about it."

"You mean you don't want me to tell Mom that the new neighbor had to save you from a poochyena," Brendan sighed.

---

0431 Glameow​

Glameow snarled, hissed, twisted and spat, but try as he might he could not escape the woolly embrace of the dreaded kitty sweater. It wasn't even cold out, dammit, and here his trainer was forcing him into this straitjacket of pink fluff and polka dots and garish giggling buneary. Right before a battle, even! He could just see the snover across the field mocking him with its gaze. How embarrassing—

The snover's ice beam hit him dead on and frost covered his chest, only the laughing buneary saving his body from the harsh, biting chill.

Glameow loved his kitty sweater.

---

0432 Purugly​

All in all, Purugly thought, the evolution had worked out well. He'd put on a few extra pounds, true, but he wasn't the fattest purugly he knew, and best of all he no longer fit into that ghastly pink kitty sweater. Without the extra weight and the restrictive sweater he could really move, dancing around the abomasnow's ice beams with practiced ease.

The abomasnow changed tack, stopped trying to aim at its slippery target and covered the field with a vicious blizzard, sweeping Purugly off his feet and all but burying him in the snow.

Purugly missed his kitty sweater.

---

0563 Cofagrigus​

Margrave leaned against a sarcophagus, dusted off a golden necklace and admired the way it shone beneath his flashlight. Treasure was the only real reason to explore the Relic Castle. Those museum eggheads didn't understand that—they'd cordoned the place off for "preservation" and "documentation"—so after their director took an unfortunate fatal tumble down the stairs Margrave had simply smiled and let himself in.

Four spectral arms, barely visible in the necklace's reflection, snaked out of the sarcophagus and wrapped around Margrave's throat. The director's voice whispered to him as the lid slammed shut.

"We haven't finished documenting that."

---

0778 Mimikyu​

Mimikyu sneered as he rifled through the dumpster. The others could copy those played-out pikachu all they liked. Couldn't those simpletons see that no one cared about those twitchy little rats anymore?

What the kids really loved these days was charizard! Massive, majestic, warm, powerful, super cool... if he could just find a charizard disguise, he'd be adored more than any mimikyu or pikachu ever was!

That was the plan, anyway. Seven dumpsters and he hadn't seen any old toys or so much as an orange sheet. Just trashbags, trashbags, trashbags...

...What the kids really loved these days was trubbish!