Hello, hello! I happened to be wandering the forums for a PMD fic to review this Review Blitz, and this one I admit I've been curious about checking out for a while now. I saw this fic's name frequently on FFN back before I began writing in 2021, and more recently, I've seen it being uploaded on TR in the past year, including its finale. A commendable achievement, to finish a half-million word longfic like this one!
The basic premise, too, seems quite interesting to me, and so I've put it down on my reading list, waiting for an opportunity to get a chance at diving in.
And now that time has come with Review Blitz rearing its head as it does every January. So let's dive in, and see just what this fic has to offer...
Chapter 1
I have to say I'm already intrigued by Cleo, the Meowstic protagonist, as one who loves the psychic kitties as a species. And a Dedenne protagonist really isn't something you see much, if at all. So kudos for the unique species choices.
Right away, there's a good sense of danger already, with Cleo and Spark having to evade those of the Darkness and immediately being cornered by assassins. And more is revealed here, that our protagonists might well be Outcasts in spite of their Guild status. Does that make any associates of the Guild in question Outcasts as well?
“You three have picked a bad day to start with us.” Spark shook her tiny fist. “I’ll have you know I’m hungry! And I’m not very nice when I’m hungry.
With that hangry behaviour, you'd almost think Spark was part-Morpeko.
“What did you just call me?” Spark dived off Cleo’s shoulder and rose up to her full five-inches of height. “Are you making fun of my size?!”
Oh boy, classic error, making fun of the small ones. No doubt Spark makes up for that short height with feistiness when mocked for that very thing.
And as expected, a retaliation from our little rodent. Although I'm surprised the shock was enough to take down three Weavile. How powerful is this half-pint?
“This coming from the meowstic who just laid waste to an army of jangmo-o?”
Cleo shrugged her shoulders. “They had it coming.”
And it appears Cleo's no slouch either. Makes me wonder if these two have a hidden aptitude or they're just very well-trained.
“Is there any gold?” Cleo ventured.
“Oh, there’s loads of that.”
Cha-ching, they got lotsa Pokés now. 💰 💰 💰
“Looks a little too… toxic… to be pecha juice.”
“That might just be the bad lighting.” Cleo popped it into her bag and stood up.
You claiming your vision's not good enough, Cleo? Wouldn't your species have night vision for this kind of thing?
The temporary nature of the settlement does bring to mind an interesting thought of mobile towns that move around. Curious that they're wooden shacks instead of tents; I would've expected the latter in a mobile settlement like this one. Though given the need to protect against the mentioned Darkness, or even just bandits in general (this world does give off a feel that bandits are present in them), it would make more sense to have shacks instead of tents.
He sported the same sun-shaped badge she wore on her satchel’s strap, indicating he was a member of the Outcasts Guild.
Ah, so the Guild's name is the Outcasts Guild. I see, I see; that makes sense now. Outcasts from Hydreigon, presumably.
the small crowd parted and a riolu trotted towards them. Tinker, the Outcast Guild’s current leader.
A Riolu as a leader? That...wasn't something I was expecting. Then again, I wonder if that implies something in the vein of a hasty replacement after the previous Guildmaster was killed by Hydreigon's forces or something. Especially given the presence of assassins.
So Spark's a Big Eater. I had a feeling that was the case, and I welcome that as someone who does enjoy this trope quite a bit.
The door was ajar, but he still needed to give it a shoulder barge to get it open.
Looks like a door in need of fixing, methinks. Does the need to give it a shoulder barge imply that someone previously may have been able to open it previously?
“Then maybe it’s about time Windflower packed up and moved on. They’re too close to the Shadow Lands as it is.”
An encroaching Darkness that swallows up towns? Is the Darkness's power a malevolent intangible thing, not unlike the Bittercold and Dark Matter from the games?
“Those dragons are hatchlings.”
“Hydreigon trains hatchlings!”
“Yes, in the Shadow Lands!” Cleo snapped.
Oh, so Hydreigon
is affiliated with the Darkness. I was beginning to wonder if they might've been two separate forms of evil, but I suppose not.
“I hardly think Hydreigon will care. If he demands that village wiped out, then it will be wiped out. Just like your home.”
Yep, Hydreigon sounds like a right piece of work. And now we see that Cleo has a personal stake in all this with her home being wiped out. Hmmm...I wonder what the story behind that is.
A group of tiny dragons trying to burn down a food storage? They’re just hooligan kids trying to get away with something while claiming they have the authority because ‘their king said so’.
Sounds like ripe opportunism on behalf of vandals, which is commonplace in times of war.
The Outcasts, scattered across Estellis, struggling to survive in a world where dragon- and dark-type pokemon reigned, ruled over by a horrid pokemon who wanted nothing more than to wipe out every other type completely.
Ah, so it's type racism? Interesting concept, and quite a grim one, with no doubt many Pokémon being displaced during this time. And with Hydreigon being the dominant one, it seems like it's quite a struggle for the Outcasts and other people like them.
I fear you’ve become hardened to this world, Cleo.” He let out a small sigh and his voice softened. “What happened to the meowstic who’d run blindly into an army of Hydreigon’s soldiers just to take out their leader for the sake of a bounty?”
The old 'lost innocence' trope. Though from what we've been hearing about the world thus far, it wouldn't be surprising for Cleo to lose her vitality over time with how the Darkness has been encroaching on more and more land.
“I’m beginning to think you and Spark may need to consider taking on an extra team member.”
So we may have a trio of protagonists going forth on this adventure?
Interesting....I wonder who that third member might be?
With them out of the picture, the Winding Woods are safe for now.”
I figured the two were in a Mystery Dungeon-like place at the beginning, with how darkness gave way to light. and how the two were 'nearly out' before the Weavile accosted them.
She only knew of one pokemon in Hydreigon’s army who used poisons
Foreshadowing a future enemy, possibly a top commander or oily strategist of Hydreigon's forces.
Then where will you be off to?”
“New City,” she said.
I see the Pokémon of this world aren't super great at naming conventions if 'New City' is the best thing they can come up with.
“If anything happens to Windflower…” His voice was laced with warning.
An allusion that something may well happen to it, I bet.
Somehow, I get the feeling retaliation may well be due in the near future.
A worldbuilding dump of info, and now we hear of the Heretics for the first time. Those who want to be ruled by Hydreigon. An odd bunch, or perhaps an attempt on their part to be pragmatic? Recognising the gains our resident tyrant has made, and thus realising it would be more optimal to side with him than fight a losing battle like the Outcasts are doing? Part of me's wanting to guess that over the course of this story, at least one person's gonna jump ship from the Outcasts to the Heretics.
Only those trusted would be taken there, and those who lived there weren’t allowed to leave without reason. Not that most of them even wanted to. The pokemon were happy to live there, in safety. Unseen, hidden beneath the surface.
A safe refuge, though it seems lethargy is a problem amongst them. A lack of action against Hydreigon won't repel him, and to them, it might well only be a problem once his forces come knocking. I can't help but be reminded of the City from Xenoblade 3, with its similar 'refuge from the world at war' vibes.
And now over to an Absol named Harbinger, who seems to be burdened by the stigma of his species. Coupled with a pair of Pawniard (what is this, one of the Shadow Triad's team being isekaied?)
Those pokemon around the lake. He’d told them disaster was coming. He was going to make sure it did.
Oh damn, that's not good.
I didn't expect this either; an Absol that plays to the stereotype, instead of living under it? That's certainly an interesting way to go about things. Perhaps out of revenge to those that wronged him and believe in the myths of Absol being bad omens? It does seem to be that way...and woe betide those who wrong him. Looks that village is gonna become a memory in time.
Chapter 2
Back to Cleo and Spark, where our resident Dedenne is stuffing his face as will probably be usual in time whenever there's food.
Tinker didn’t often venture outside. He just sent out his own Warriors while handling affairs from his desk.
Does raise a question as to how capable Tinker is in combat. Is he just an armchair specialist, or has he proven his worth enough to be Guildmaster? The fact that he's a Riolu makes this all the more curious as to how he pulled this off.
Cleo has trust issues, huh? I guess that would partly explain why she's reluctant to take on a third team member.
Cleo also restocked her dried fish. Spark didn’t touch the stuff, but Cleo had been raised on it.
I see this fic isn't afraid to delve into ferals being eaten by the more civilised 'mons.
but the seller was deep in debate with a skarmory. The metal bird had recently shed some feathers and was trying to get a good price for the material,
So one can potentially make bank if they're a Skarmory? Perhaps a luckier 'mon to be transformed into in the case of an isekai.
Cleo shrugged. “I’ll take-”
She staggered forwards as someone bashed into her,
Oh dear, she's gonna be robbed. That's always how this goes.
“I think whoever bumped me robbed me…”
CALLED IT.
It didn’t surprise her. Even amid the Outcasts there were dishonest pokemon. Yet another reason not to trust so blindly.
A good point to make; sometimes it's every 'mon for himself, especially in scenarios like this.
So our thief's a Whimsicott? Another unique species pick that I don't see too commonly in fics. Then again, Whimsicott are known for their capabilities with Prankster...
I'm getting first impressions from the Whimsicott that he's not exactly the brightest in the world.
Oh, he's lost? Somehow I get the feeling that's not the entirety of the story...
My name’s Mischief by the way.
Rather on the nose with that same. I bet that name didn't earn him many favours growing up or in his current life.
It's only occurring to me just how fluffy Cleo is if Spark can hide deep within it. That, or Spark is just that small.
Rather sad that they only have overripe berries to eat without digging into their supplies. Then again, sometimes that's all folks can eat in dark times like these.
It felt wrong, and you two are really unhappy about it so… I’m gonna guess it’s bad?”
Perhaps Mischief more leans on 'overly innocent' as opposed to 'dim-witted'. Then again, not to say he's not the latter, either.
It appears Mischief has some memory issues if he just woke up in this 'Clean Place' he speaks of. Almost sounds like an isekaied human...which we seem to have no indication for existing in this world just yet.
Spark looked up at Cleo and said in a hushed whisper, “I think he’s had his memory wiped.”
Memory 'wiped' as opposed to memory 'lost'? Hmm, is this a thing that the Darkness and/or Hydreigon can do?
“You’re thinking of helping him, aren’t you?”
“Not so much ‘helping’,” Cleo replied quietly
Not that our dear Cleo would admit that, of course.
“You can follow us for a bit,” said Cleo, “but we’ll part ways when we reach the moors.
Betting now that won't happen and instead Mischief's gonna be a valued asset of the team going forward.
“I’m beginning to think Mischief is less his name and something the Clean Place called him for being a nuisance.”
So what would his name become when he's helpful? Opposite of Mischief would be....Solemnity?
Chapter 3
Seems like this chapter will have batderg content.
And it seems Cleo's suspicions deprived her of sleep. Hmmm, how often's her unwillingness to trust going to bite her in the backside once it turns out it was all for nothing?
“Yikes!” he said. “You look older! What happened?!”
Had a good chuckle at this comment.
With all the leaves fallen, it appears to be an autumnal time of year. Perhaps foreshadowing a dark winter once that arrives.
The curious nature of Mischief deepens, along with this 'Clean Place' that he mentions. A curious name to put on a place, and one that he supposedly woke up in with scrambled, if not lost, memories. Curious how the amnesia here isn't worded as a complete memory wipe, but rather one that leaves him in a more confused state. A bit different to the norm of PMD fics, and a subversion of that frequent trope.
Seems an enemy's closing in. And looks it was that Noivern that the chapter title alluded to. Are they a commander of Hydreigon's? They sure look like it.
And oh no, looks like our allies have been seen. Here's hoping they can find a way out.
A pretty exciting fight, I gotta say, regarding prose and the flow of it. Makes me wanna take notes for my own writing...
“But now I think I’ll kill you all right here! Then… I’ll have a little feast.” He inclined his head on one side and grinned. “I quite like my grass-types roasted.”
Going straight for making meals of your enemies, eh? This Noivern doesn't mess around whoever he is.
Though Mischief does appear to know a bit more about combat than we would've first thought. Maybe the gang will be able to repel him after all.
In fact, Mischief's running circles around this Noivern. Just what power does this Whimsicott have? Other than the power of Fairy which obviously repels the dragonfire.
And holy hell, he
kills the Noivern? Damn, I was expecting the Noivern to bid a hasty retreat and he would become an enemy that cropped up over time. For Mischief to outright pulverise him highlights the dark tone this fic takes already.
Then again, not that I was in any doubt as to this fic and dark tones. Hell, the enemy force is literally called the Darkness!
Perhaps that madness in his eyes is like a trigger that comes up with battle instincts? This is the first time we've seen him in battle, after all. Although if he acts like this every battle, then there is going to be a lot of blood spilled in this fic by our resident Whimsicott.
Chapter 4
I mean, he stays holed up in his office most of the time, and rarely ventures outside. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him on the road travelling from Hall to Hall. He just… shows up.”
Oh hey, I was kinda wondering the same thing about the Guildmaster. Certainly, more scrutiny on him would be desired because of how odd a
Riolu as a Guildmaster sticks out to me.
Any pokemon that could withstand a dragon pulse without even taking any damage?
They're called Fairy-types, Cleo. Your partner is one.
New typings didn’t just crop up like that.
Eh, in my experience, that's kinda what it was like in 2013.
No doubt not knowing what caused Mischief's sudden burst of madness is gonna prove detrimental to our gang's case. Here's hoping they don't get rejected from New City because of it.
Hiding him somewhere so he could come-to in safety.
'Come-to in safety'? I have to admit, that doesn't quite sound right now that I read it out loud.
Beyond them rose the rocky peaks of the Silent Mountains
Oh hey, that place where a calamity definitely won't happen in the near future.
The very tips were usually coated with snow, but in the heatwave it had long since melted away.
I wonder if that was just the weather being the weather, or if the heatwave might've been an unnatural occurrence.
And it seems that Cleo and Spark may well have discovered the path to New City. How lucky for them. Though by the sounds of it, they're well familiar with this place, a bustling and busy underground burrow.
After a brief pause, Tinker replied with a cheerful “Come in!”
Dang, he sure got there fast. What's his secret? Is there a secret passage to New City that only he's aware of? Or is there multiple Tinkers and we're looking at an Anna from Fire Emblem situation?
Occurring to me that Mischief could well be a solution to find a chink in the Darkness's armour. But of course, he has to get approved to go into New City as well, and that's gonna prove a tough thing to sell with his unreliable madness.
I could see this being a thing with Mischief; the struggle to overcome containing that mad side of his.
He lowered his paws from his muzzle to absently toy with the everstone hanging around his neck.
Everstone? Now why would Tinker have an everstone? Most curious, and there probably is an answer for that.
Sounds like bad omens on the horizon, with the Noivern appearing during the day, Mischief suddenly showing up, and the incoming calamity in the Silent Mountains. Something's in the air, that's for sure.
Quite the vivid nightmare Cleo had. She could definitely use all the hugs.
(On another note, the nightmare was well-described prose-wise, I gotta say! Really does give that feeling of being trapped in a nightmare with all the terror Cleo's faced in recent times.)
It seems Mischief has struck a chord with Cleo, for better or worse. I get the feeling that in the case of him being thrown out of New City, she would be conflicted with that theoretical decision.
Oh damn, Mischief's a Heretic. That's not gonna go down well with folks if they catch wind of this.
And it seems we might have an answer for the vial as well? Figuring out lots of stuff today.
“That pink liquid,” he began, “has turned out to be pokerus.”
Pokérus? Now that's a word I don't think I've seen used in any PMD fic I can recall. Really new territory here, I think.
“Whereas pokerus would be a beneficial condition that could help a pokemon to grow stronger, this particular strain pushes a pokemon’s abilities far beyond what it would normally.”
So like a super-powerful virus with much worse side-effects. Oh dear, this probably won't end well for those it's afflicted...like Mischief, as it turns out. And if it does turn out to a booster for Hydreigon's army, then that is very much Not a Good Thing.
“In more detail,” said Tinker. “Did Mischief transform in any way?”
Transform? Why would he transform due to the Pokérus? Can it do that?
A fight or flight response, perhaps.
It did seem like that at the time. And with the Noivern threatening to kill, that would've activated such a thing.
“Melody did, however, find something on your friend’s fur.”
The tone in Tinker’s voice turned Cleo’s blood to ice. “What was it?”
“A tracking device.”
Oh no. Oh dear. That ain't good at all.
Now his masters could well know where New City is, and that would endanger everyone there, possibly letting the Heretics determine their location.
And now we know more about our wayward Whimsicott...but it's not all good info. A fair amount of it is worrying, to say the least.
Chapter 5
Curious chapter title, when all of our protagonists are evolved. Maybe it has to do with Tinker and his everstone?
“You’ve put sweet berry sauce on your fish.”
Urgh...the worst mistake, when you put the wrong sauce on your food.
Here's hoping Cleo is off the hook, whenever this Grey person has determined just what kind of person Mischief is. Fingers crossed that it is a blessing in disguise, like Spark says.
So Grey's an Alakazam. Suppose that's not surprising he's a Psychic-type, given we are talking about mind reading here with determining Mischief's character.
Even more curious with Mischief having his memories outright tampered with. Presumably, if I had to guess, to remove the memory of the laboratory and thus prevent that laboratory from being tracked down. In a way, it's worked, now that the team don't know where Mischief came from other than it being known as the 'Clean Place' to him.
It’s as if they didn’t want him to come back to them, and went to great extremes to ensure that he wouldn’t. Cast off, left to go berserk like some ticking time-bomb of disaster.”
Maybe he was a failed experiment? Cast out and left to die after the experiment to inflict him with this mutated Pokérus failed. Yet he has the Pokérus...so perhaps giving him it with its current effects wasn't what they desired? Possibly a transformational thing, just like Tinker suggested earlier?
“Huh!” Spark stood up straight. “Maybe it’s because he attacked them?”
Another thought, yeah - perhaps he did to them what he nearly did to Cleo, only this time pulled off those murders successfully.
Oh, it's the
other kind of evolution. The ones we humans are more used to, as opposed to the instantaneous transformations that Pokémon undergo (that some would claim isn't evolution at all, but those people tend to be not worth listening to, I find.)
Interesting thoughts about Pokémon gaining new types over time, and how new habitats can make Pokémon's type change. So that would explain Mischief resisting the Dragon Pulse, because they would not yet know about him adapting to become part Fairy-type.
Is it really crazy for a new pokemon type to arise? One that can actually help us stand a fighting chance?”
Oh, so Fairy-types aren't yet known in this universe. I see...what an interesting, if slightly outdated, concept to revolve a story around. (It still works, though!) I presume the strange sparkly attack talked about is either Dazzling Gleam or Moonblast?
“You’re going to put him in one of your crazy experiments?!” Spark gasped.
From becoming an experiment under the allegiance of one faction to an experiment in another. F in the chat for Mischief.
Good to see Mischief up and at it, at least. Though I get the feeling those truths haven't been broken to him yet...and they probably won't become apparent until a future Heretic encounter, I bet.
Only two moves? I know Whimsicott has a shallow level-up movepool, being a stone evolution and all, but that is more than a bit shallow. He be
looking like the average Trainer Pokémon post-Gen 6.
So Tinker's a science nerd... I see where he gets his name from, then, if he spends all day
tinkering with gadgets.
It’s very much in its beta testing stages, although I’m the only one who’s tested it.”
That's all? You'd think a few more mons would've had a go, at least.
Mischief couldn’t have looked more confused.
For someone who knows not much else, I'm not surprised at his confusion. Even someone with a fully knowledgeable brain can find science confusing to wrap their head around.
I haven’t extracted any DNA samples from a living specimen.” Then he added under his breath, “Yet.”
Totally not sinister at all.
I have had a few musings up to this point that something's a wee bit off with Tinker regarding his somewhat tense relationship with Cleo and the everstone around his neck. Whether he's suspicious or not, there is no doubt a story to be had with him.
I wish to know how your… sparkly attack… affects dragon and dark-type pokemon. Having none in the Guild,
I do wonder if this might change in the future. Surely not all Dark and Dragon-types support the Darkness and Hydreigon? And come to think of it, there is a Zorua on the front cover...so hmm. That might be something to keep in mind for the future.
Some of the terminology used here can be a bit gamey, and while it can be fine. I've been generally told that in prose fiction, its place isn't quite as warranted. That being said, this is just a simulator Tinker's running with Mischief, so it's fine for now, by the looks of it.
Tinker looked back down at the monitor. “I… I want to check how it works against a hydreigon.”
Gearing up your Ultimate Weapon Against the Tyrant, are we, Tinker? How quick is it gonna be before Mischief'll be treated as the saviour of the Outcasts?
Tinker looked up at him slowly as though seeing him for the first time. Cleo and Spark followed his gaze, and it became increasingly obvious what it was that had struck the riolu.
That question…
Mischief had no memories.
That meant he had absolutely no idea of the state of the world he was living in.
....Oh dear. This...is going to take a lot of explaining, isn't it?
Chapter 6
Looks like we're getting a POV from the Darkness this time, and from a Honchkrow named Yurlik. One of Hydreigon's higher-ups, if I had to guess.
Being blind was one thing, but being stupid was another entirely. It was baffling to thing that Hydreigon had evolved from such a creature.
Well, in fairness, most of the pseudo-legendaries start off being not that great. *
Casts a sideways glance at Dreepy with its absolutely awful stats until it evolves at Level 50*
An ominous building, the Shadow Lands Castle is. Most fitting for the ruling house of the Darkness.
I see Enigma's a teasing sort, willing to throw out all kinds of jibes at Yurlik.
“The boss isn’t going to be very happy when you march into his throne room carrying that.”
So Hydreigon's referred to by his underlings as 'the boss'? Gotta admit, I was expecting something a bit more regal, like 'His Majesty' or 'our ruler' or something along those lines.
“Don’t you dare address me like that, you insolent ghost!” The voice rumbled off the walls. “If you dare do that again, I’ll grind you down into dust!”
I had a feeling our resident Hydreigon tyrant would be an angry grump of a ruler. Funny, that's not the first time I've come across a Hydreigon tyrant during my reading of fics this Review Blitz...
“What is this?” Hydreigon spat.
“This is Boomer, my lord.”
"This is a sixtysomething-year old, my lord, known to give foolish opinions not pertinent to the generation of today."
Oh, Boomer's the Noivern. I had a feeling there was more to him than met the eye...
And it seemed he was involved with the Heretics, and had important info to relay to Hydreigon. Man, what's with the Heretics and their secrets? Gonna make it real interesting when our protagonists intrude on their territory and find out all sorts of juicy intel.
It seems a Salamence called Ripwing is a bit of a sore subject for Hydreigon. An old rival or enemy, perhaps?
“I need to have those three eradicated,” Hydreigon said quietly, almost to himself.
Welp, now those three have targets over their heads. How quickly will it take for them to be cornered?
“Enigma is the best at gathering intel,” Hydreigon said through a growl. “You know that.”
“But he’s neither dark nor-”
“Don’t question my motives, Yurlik.”
So it's not all Dragon and Dark-types in the Shadow Lands. Folks like Enigma, if they're capable enough, can have a home too.
We’re going to find that cocoon before this… incident… expands into a much bigger problem.”
Dang, he's not taking this lightly. Then again, Mischief is supposedly a threat to his rule, so understandable that someone like him would want to go all out.
And now back to our protagonists, where as expected, the explanation to Mischief took a lot and our resident Whimsicott has no doubt lost some of his innocence in the process.
You were snoring like an ursaring during the cold season.”
Look who's talking, Little Miss 'Loud Snores Unfitting For Her Small Body.'
Cleo heaped her plate with dried fish and berry toast, coating the latter with cheri jam.
Oh, good, she got it right this time. It wouldn't do if she coated her dried fish with jam two days in a row.
Murkrow sighted in the Moorlands Forest, along with strange noises reported from deep within.
That's totally not ominous at all. No doubt that's an issue the gang's gonna have to clear up at some point in the future.
And now Tinker wants them in his office. Whatever for?
“Are you feeling any better?” Cleo asked, somewhat relieved her fears had been nothing more than just that.
“Oh yes!” Mischief closed his eyes and nodded. “I think I’ve understood it all.”
Good to see he seems to have cheered up a bit from last night. That wouldn't do, if he were to still be moping over the events of the night before.
“I sent out a search party to recover the noivern’s body. I wanted to be sure of the dragon’s identity, since… well, Hydreigon does have a noivern ace in his team.”
“Boomer,” said Spark.
Afraid that ship has sailed on your end, dear Tinker. There won't be any body to find because it's been pilfered already.
Guess the gang has to keep Mischief's previous killing a secret from him for now. Although I get the feeling the secret will be out before long...
Definitely caution needed when exiting and entering New City. How long before someone messes it up and Hydreigon's forces smell a Rattata, and in turn find out the existence of New City?
Cleo hadn’t marked it as a red cross on her map, since it was still safe for the Outcasts to step foot on. None of the Darkness had been sighted there… yet.
That's gonna change soon, given what we heard before about Harbinger. Although that then begs the question if he's affiliated with the Darkness at all. He's a Dark-type, so possibly likely, although there's no guarantee just yet.
Chapter 7
Seems like Harlequin's species isn't revealed to us immediately, other than them having a black tail. Guess we'll have to wait a bit to find that out.
“Apparently it was from some Heretics deep in the Moorlands Forest. I want you to seek out those Heretics and retrieve that information for me.”
So it appears that Enigma and our heroes are going to have an encounter sooner rather than later. And given what we've heard about Enigma's capabilities thus far....he'll be more than a handful for Cleo, Spark and Mischief, that's for sure.
Even if Hydreigon told him to hold back, I bet any money he's not gonna follow through on his end.
And now we see Harlequin's a Zorua. Interesting...so this is the capable assassin that Hydreigon's sending? Between them and Tinker, there's definitely a case for pre-evolutions to ascend to high positions in this world. Still, it does beg the question of why they aren't evolved in the first place.
“That bell of yours might unnerve your targets,” Harlequin went on as they passed by beneath him.
Not too unlike Sirhan Dogen from AAI2, then, with how he used his bell in his assassinations.
“Sarcasm?” Harlequin raised an eyebrow. “Who bailed you out when we had to take out those outlaws?”
“I wasn’t expecting them to have an obstagoon in their ranks!” Enigma scoffed.
I guess that answers my question as to whether all Dark-types necessarily swore allegiance to Hydreigon. Which is to say, a resounding
no.
Why does Enigma hate boats? What, did he have a bad experience with one sometime in his past? Maybe a jokester-type flipped over his boat for amusement sometime in the past and Enigma had to contend with the unpleasant river, or something to that effect.
Harlequin and Enigma definitely feel like a pair that share banter, although whether that's 'good friends' banter or 'rivals in the same organisation' banter is still to be determined.
And now back to our protagonists where there's a mystery to be had over the state of this dried-up river. They did mention there had been a heatwave some time back, so maybe it's related to that? Although more likely it's related to Harbinger's incoming calamity.
“I think we’re best trying to find the river’s source. That way, we can find out if something’s blocking it. It’s not entirely impossible there’s been a land slide.”
“How do we do that?” Spark asked.
You, uh, follow the river to higher ground. Were you not taught this in Geography class, Spark? (Though with the river dried up, it would be harder to determine where it's coming from.
All she knew was that something was blocking off the water supply, and it could go one of two ways - a natural accident, or malicious intent.
Well, hey - Absol are known to predict both...and 'bad omens' can be a pretty broad term.
Ah yes, the age-old trouble of scaling down a mountain. What a troublesome ordeal it can be.
'Just jump' can be good advice, particularly for those scared of heights. (Like me.
)
“What on earth is that? All right, I take back what I said. That doesn’t smell like stagnant water, that smells like somethin’ dead!”
Oh no, that's not a good sign. There's gonna be at least one dead body coming up in three, two, one...
The rocks smoothed out, forming a perfect disk, complete with the Guild’s sun symbol.
Wait, what? What's that symbol doing here, of all places?
So...heaps of bodies dammed up the river. A gruesome image, and I don't blame the group for wanting to empty the contents of their breakfast. But now this is bad, very bad indeed.
Chapter 8
Another new face in Skipper the Marshtomp. (Funny, I could've sworn there's another fic that has a Marshtomp named Skipper, although it's not coming to me at present...) Also, I see he has a Scottish accent with his "Och aye" statement and further such statements that feels Scots-like.
This speculation seems to suggest that Harbinger (who's probably behind all this, if I had to guess) is not aligned with Hydreigon and is operating on his own devices. Also, the revelation here that Harlequin uses poisons? Interesting, interesting...I guess that's one way to get over their unevolved status as a Zorua.
But pretty much, whoever did it is clearly a vindictive soul."
Lines up with what we saw of Harbinger. That is a vindictive soul if I ever did see one.
"Could it have been a zangoose?" Spark asked, with some hope in her voice.
Come to think of it, there was a Zangoose back during that scene with Harbinger. Hmmm...perhaps Harbinger wanted to make this calamity personal to them in particular?
He'd only just re-learnt about the world, but to see this… it was like a wake-up slap. Reality dumped on him.
Poor Mischief. Imagine seeing something like this, not long after being told about the world in which the Outcasts live.
Whoever did this is clearly a crafty one. Seems Harbinger's a thoughtful soul to cover up his tracks like this.
"My orders are clear, Cleo," said Tinker. "That noivern poses more of a risk to us than this tainted water source,
Errrrrrr...you sure about that, Tinker? A heap of dead bodies and a poisoned river here, yet you still insist on finding a lone dead body that's long gone by this point? Makes me wonder if this guy should really be the one in charge...
And now back to our devilish double-dealers in Harlequin and Enigma, where they seemed to have lucked out with actually having a river on which to ride a boat on. Though now I wonder if they'll happen upon the same issue the Outcasts are having with no water on the riverbed.
"Ten gold to ride this boat under the protection of your crew?"
"Ten gold?!" the raticate wheezed. "I barely get one per crate!"
A fascinating insight into how money works, if only ten gold is enough to garner the Raticate's attention. Also it's called 'gold' and not 'Poké' like I've seen in other PMD fics.
"Sparin' us outlaws surely means your own death?"
Guess there is an outlaw problem in Hydreigon's domain. Not surprising, with the way he rules.
"I can't speak for him," Harlequin explained. "But I highly doubt he's going to betray me."
A sign that a betrayal might well be incoming? I get the feeling thus far that despite their similar enough personalities, Harlequin and Enigma aren't quite as thick as thieves, if our resident Zorua's coming out with remarks like this.
"How about I spare you and each and every one of your crew?" Enigma fixed the rat in a crimson glare. "You are traitors, after all."
A tremor ran through the rat from his ears to the tip of his tail. "V-very well."
Well, that's a bit more blunt. And somewhat expected of Enigma to come out with a threatening statement something like that.
"I don't get lonely," Enigma said bluntly. "I get bored."
And when one gets bored, that opens the door for...deeds of a nefarious kind to be committed.
Hydreigon's library had been burned down a long time ago, taking any manuscripts with it.
Alas, an in-universe equivalent of the Burning of the Libary of Alexandria happened. RIP.
And now we're introduced to a Noibat called Echo, along with his fellow Noibat companions. Does Echo have any familial relation to Boomer, I wonder? (Also, boy do these guys throw out questions one after another.)
"I need to spread them out as much as I can," Yurlik explained. "Estellis is huge, and this cocoon could be anywhere."
Cocoon? First thing to come to mind is the Cocoon of Destruction...aka Yveltal. Oh no, they're looking for the God of Death to get his power and take over Estellis, aren't they?
"Watch your mouth, Rumble, or you'll find yourself cleaning the guano pit."
Urgh...the most unpleasant of punishments.
This talk about Mischief makes me wonder if the Darkness will devise some counter for dealing with Mischief and other discovered Fairy-types. Perhaps when they discover Poison and Steel are effective towards them...
He deeply hoped Harlequin could make swift work of that whimsicott, before it became a huge problem.
A way to salt the earth before rebellious seeds sprout. Nip Mischief in the bud, and then there'll be no more big threats. Although there are more Fairy-types lurking about than just him...
Chapter 9
“Not ignoring them.” The caution in her voice was aimed more at her unsteady footwork. “Just bending them.”
Clever girl, Cleo. You'll be a master at interpreting words differently yet.
They talk about heading into more danger, although to be honest danger was kinda always a part of this.
Aww, Cleo cares for Mischief. Perhaps the most trusting towards him of anyone we've seen thus far in this fic.
it’s pretty clear Tinker doesn’t.”
“Tinker wouldn’t trust his own nose if it wasn’t attached to his face.”
Ironic, then, that Tinker called Cleo out for being mistrusting when he himself doesn't seem to be similar to her in that regard.
All the damage done is surprising, and now I wonder if Harbinger has a more secret power behind them to be able to cause this much damage. In fact...I wonder if he might in fact have any power relating to the 'cocoon' that Hydreigon's seeking out...
Intriguing concept, the factionless Pokémon are. I suppose they would exist, 'mons who don't like any of what's going on in the world and just want to live their lives in peace. Hard to do, though, when a tyrannical Hydreigon's forces are breathing down your neck. And so many became Heretics or Outcasts instead.
And now Tinker and Skipper are cooperating. Funny, that wouldn't be the first PMD fic I've read where a Riolu and a Marshtomp work together.
“It’s entirely possible there ain’t a target,” said Skipper. “Some loony coulda just done all this because they can.”
You may well be closer to the mark there than you'd think, Skipper...
The desperate marks to block up the river feel oddly unprofessional. Did Scratch and Claw try and do this? Somehow I thought Harbinger was more professional than that. Or could this be the work of another?
“Glass half empty!” Skipper chortled.
“The world is in a dire state and you make jokes?” Tinker scoffed.
Hey, don't be a spoilsport, Tinker. After all, in dire times like these, the soul needs at least some form of levity, usually through jokes or something to that nature.
I swear, every time Tinker's everstone is brought up, I feel compelled to yell, "WHY. AREN'T. YOU. EVOLVED?!"
There's a story there for sure, especially if he's not willingly discarding it.
Oh hey, it's the Zangoose from earlier.
An absol? Tinker exchanged worried glances with Skipper. It didn’t make any sense. Weren’t all absol wiped out years ago?
Huh, this is new. Absol were driven to extinction? And yet Harbinger remains....I think we've found where his vindictiveness might've come from.
Oh, so the dams were an effort by the Breloom and Zangoose here. That would explain the lack of professionalism about it all.
And now we get our first Outcast-Heretic conflict in this. Kudos to Tinker for being selfless in spite of the difference in allegiance.
Could those Heretics have been targeted for being Heretics? Is Harbinger an 'ends justifies the means' form of Outcast? Is he even an Outcast? So many questions, yet so few answers at this time...
Chapter 10
Enigma's hatred of boats is due to the travel sickness, huh? That would make anyone hate them. Can't say I blame him.
“You’ve gone the colour of an oran berry,” said Harlequin.
“Don’t mention berries,” Enigma groaned.
Is that how Banette look when they're sick? Blue instead of green?
A fallen sycamore? Not too unlike that fallen tree Cleo and co. encountered last chapter. I don't think it's the same one though - I imagine plenty of Pokémon would probably fell trees with the intent to use them as bridges like here and the tree we saw last chapter. Would be awkward for boat travellers like our resident outlaws here.
The fallen tree wasn't an accident, then. More of Harbinger's 'calamity'? It sure seems like it at first glance. And if he's targeting Harlequin and Enigma, along with the Heretics, then it feels like he has a death wish on every faction. The exception are the Outcasts, but I wouldn't be surprised if he wishes for their deaths too.
How ironic, that there'll be an assassination attempt on the assassins.
Normally, the dry river would be moving away from the crimson sky. Fleeing it. At sunset, the sky was always red over the Shadow Lands. A warning to any wandering Outcasts to go the other way.
I guess the saying 'Red sky at night, shepherd's delight' isn't a thing here. More like 'Red sky at night, Outcasts' blight.' (Kinda proud of that rhyme, not gonna lie.)
And now back to Cleo and friends, where bad feelings are all around. Understandable, when there's an Absol in the area.
He looked up and met her eyes, all spirit returning in an instant. “I want to join the Guild, like you two.”
Ah, I had a feeling he'd be saying this. Now that his innocence has worn away a tad, I guess we're getting to see a more serious side to him we wouldn't have before.
“The Guild’s leader went missing years ago, before we joined. No one has seen him since. Tinker never speaks about him either, so everyone else keeps it hush-hush.”
Well now. Isn't that an interesting drop of info? Tinker just so happened to replace the Guild's leader who disappeared a while ago. I had a feeling he was a bit suspicious, but now those feelings have heightened more than a little after hearing that revelation.
The Pachirisu body's gone? Oh dear, we may have a Romein LeTouse situation on our hands.
“Come on. We need to head back. I’m starting to feel very uneasy right now…”
No, you find out what happened to that dead body. Sometimes needs must, and unease must be thrown to the wind.
“I think,” she said quiet enough for only Spark and Mischief to hear her, “that it might be safer if we don’t head back at all.”
Oh? Cleo and the gang might well be doing a rogue arc? At least for now?
She was certain she’d seen something. The light reflecting in a pair of crimson eyes, or the fading light bouncing off a pokemon’s shiny hide.
Could that be Harbinger? But isn't he further upstream looking to deal with Enigma and Harlequin? Or...could it be the Zangoose? Curious...
And boy, that was a close call towards nearly being cleaved in two by that attacker. The fear was well captured in that last part, and I have to commend that much prose-wise.
Chapter 11
That attack was done by a pair? Mischief caught on quickly to that. In fact, I'm noticing now that he's usually the first to notice a few things, like how he was the first to notice the missing body. Seems he's sharper than he came across at first.
“I say we just grin and bare it.”
I think it should be 'grin and
bear it' here instead.
What a coincidence that it's a pair of Breloom cleaning up the poisoned river, while there was also a Breloom among the village's survivors. I don't think this means anything, but it's an interesting thing to note regardless.
And now the gang are back to New City, where things are bustling and Tinker's nervousness over the whole ordeal has made everyone take up training.
the excited voices of hatchlings at play.
A stark reminder of the fact that children are having to live in these conditions in such a brutal world.
And now comes the interrogation over Cleo's oversight and Mischief's supposed allegiances. Man, am I disliking Tinker just a bit more now, especially when he won't acknowledge his own oversight in this matter.
At least he was brought around in the end. But hmm, I'm still miffed at Tinker for his earlier doubts. And he
still wants to go after that long-gone Noivern? Get better priorities, man.
Communicators exist in this world? Huh, I thought that wouldn't be a thing here.
Cleo and Tinker coming more to arguments and protests speaks to me that there's gonna need to be an understanding at some point between these two.
Seems there's body-snatchers abound, with the Noivern and the Pachirisu both. The latter of which is still a mystery...
“He was going home,” she said as the idea formed in her mind.
Little does she know how right she is.
But what did he find? Maybe it’s important.”
“It might be. I say we keep retracing his path until we find it.”
And now the next objective falls into place. I imagine that it'll be a race to find that information, what with Hydreigon's troops wishing to figure out the same thing. And in turn, that may lead to our next Outcast-Darkness conflict.
“You know what’s funny?” said Spark. “If this were a salamence, no one would even be questioning it.”
What a coincidence, because didn't Yurlik and Hydreigon also bring up a Salamence, something which angered our resident tyrant?
Oh boy, a beeg Pokémon's approaching.
Oh no wait, it's just Harlequin. Although now it looks like our gang have a situation to prise themselves out of. Curious that they have a Horn of Death, seemingly. Just what is that thing?
Good thing Mischief has an edge against Dark-types like Harlequin, otherwise the team would be in a decidedly Not Good place right now.
Oh dear, the madness is breaking out again. That's concerning.
At least Cleo and Spark were able to halt the madness in its tracks before anything could get out of hand.
Tinker describing the special location out loud? That totally won't lead to it being picked up by any enemy parties.
Chapter 12
Fire and Poison? Is a Salazzle gonna show up this chapter or what?
Kinda would make sense that Harlequin would work alone, given their status as only a Zorua. And clearly they're not the most able if Mischief was able to nearly make mincemeat of them last match.
The forest is ablaze again? At this rate, it's gonna be burnt to the ground altogether.
she realised she’d made a fatal error.
She’d dropped Mischief in all the chaos.
Oh dear. This is a certified Not Good moment. Whatever may happen to that ball of mischief and madness?
One of my favourite species detected.
So now we get a glimpse on the Heretic side of things. And judging by Mint's interactions with Enigma, they're evidently not all bootlickers to Hydreigon. Very much, it's made clear who the dominant one is in this relationship.
They mentioned a lab with Noivern, and now I'm curious if there's any relation between that place and the Clean Place that Mischief was in. Could it be the same location?
And now back to Cleo and Spark, where in the ensuing kerfuffle both of their targets were lost.
Oh, it turned out it was all an illusion? Come to think of it, has much been said about Harlequin's capabilities in regards to illusions? Because that does seem like a tactic they would pull.
And luckily and conveniently, our lost duo are right next to each other. Good thing too - that would be a shame if our resident ball of fluff disappeared on the spot without a trace.
“Makes you wonder,” said Spark. “I often think the Darkness aren’t scared of anything. They wouldn’t cause all this suffering if they were scared, right?”
Not quite, for fear definitely has a way of leading to aggression, to eradicate the threat at hand. A good few stories have the baddies fuelled by fear (Xenoblade X being one that comes to mind), and as a certain long-haired priest prosecutor once said, "A cornered frog will swallow even a snake." And fear will no doubt be one of the key reasons behind the brutality of future assaults courtesy of the Darkness.
Tinker certainly has some strength if he's able to lift Harlequin without much effort at all. A surprising amount of strength for that little Riolu body of his.
Quite a grim scene in the prison, and now I wonder more by the day whether all Dark-types are necessarily 'bad' in this fic.
The poison of a Nidoking horn...a potent poison, alright. A lucky escape Cleo and co. got from it.
So there was a Poison-type rebellion at some point, and now a lot of them have been wiped out. Morbid, but on the bright side, that at least means that Mischief, very weak to them, won't have as many enemies in that category.
Cleo found herself questioning the zorua’s age and gender.
I actually noticed that too, that Harlequin has been referred to as 'they' until now. Could they be non-binary, by any chance?
An intriguing mysterious item in Harlequin's bag. Whatever could it be?
Their eyes lacked that fierce fire, now angry and wet with unshod tears.
By that reaction, it could very well be a precious keepsake. Suddenly, Harlequin's looking slightly more sympathetic as a character.
This would be a prime opportunity to start thinking about moving in on Hydreigon and finally getting rid of him.”
Wow, already? But it's only been twelve chapters! I had a feeling we'd be playing the resistance game for a lot longer than this.
“If we found more of that new type, our armies would increase in strength significantly.
Yeah, like the little mouse that's been under your nose this whole time, Cleo.
Oh, so with Harlequin being taken as a hostage, I guess they're gonna become more acquainted with the Zorua in time. Which may make my theory of them being a more sympathetic type that may well turn tail become true.
And it seems Cleo has traumatic memories from the mention of Howlinger and the Wildfires. The lot that burned down her home, no doubt. Guess we'll have to contend with seeing just who they are in the near future.
Conclusion
In the meantime, I think that wraps this review up.
All in all, I really enjoyed this! An intriguing insight into a fic that's been on my list for a while, but I've never gotten around to reading it. And now that I have, I can report that I did enjoy these twelve or so chapters. There's a great feeling of sympathy for the plight of the Outcasts, with how they have to resist the Darkness day in, day out. There's an intrigue about the Darkness in that while powerful, some chinks in their armour are beginning to arise, and how the onset of fearful feelings could well be the reason behind their aggression. And while they didn't get a whole lot of focus in these first few chapters, the Heretics have their own nuances about them, with being supposedly pragmatic in serving the Darkness yet are looked down on by Hydreigon and his troops. It's a nice look on factionalism within a world ruled by a tyrant, examining the different attitudes that result from the rise of such cruel leadership, and I do enjoy stories of this nature quite a bit, watching that regime's cruelty be taken down notch by notch.
And the characters are great too. Cleo's slightly standoffish yet caring nature is endearing, and as a Meowstic lover, I am drawn to her a bit more than others in the cast. Spark's great too, with their quips and Big Eater nature. I like Mischief at first for his pure innocence and later on his resolve to help when matters get serious. Tinker's a curious one - there's definitely a deeper story behind why he has that everstone, I'm sure of it. And there's some intrigue on the Darkness's side, with Enigma and Harlequin standing out the most for their devious plotting and potential to possibly be lured away from the Darkness and become allies with Cleo and co.
Not really much in the way of faults, although the emphasis on some of the 'gamey' elements, like during the simulation with Mischief, can be a bit ill-fitting in prose fiction. Also, it's sorta odd reading a fic where Fairy-types are a new phenomenon when they've been around for some time in the franchise now. Though that's more an aging thing that probably wasn't as odd back when this fic was conceived.
This was a good read, and I'll definitely be recommending this fic to my fellow PMD peers. Good job, and I look forward to seeing what else this fic has to offer.
