Pokedex One-Shots (PG)

[Breeder Drew]

I love how Palkia talks like a teenager. XD That's hilarious and awesome. Excellent story.

[GenosectArceus]

I cried when I read the Munna and Musharna story. My parents read it and they cried too.

A Trainer with Dialga and Palkia as starters. Nice!

As someone else posted, can you write a Cresselia one in the future? Maybe add in Darkrai if you haven't already.

[ToeyJoey]

A few things to note: This is my first post here in as near as makes no difference to six months and you're still going with this. It's very admirable to see the commitment to the thread and the stories haven't deteriorated at all, personally I feel they've got even better. You're getting close to the three year anniversary fo thethread and I have no doubt you'll give us an absolute gem for that. You have an amazing knack for creating a dynamic between any two characters, Pokémon or human, no matter how similar or different they may be. I also noticed you completed Six Spirit and considering how good you writing has been here I think I'm going to have to start reading it too.

I would add a request but people seem to have already beaten me to the punch so I'll wait until the list lessens a bit.

[Ysavvryl]

Thanks for the comments! They make me smile. About Palkia being a girl, I had both her and Dialga set up that way for PMD: Loopholes and it stuck in my mind.

I've had lots to do, but I'm working on an entry now. I'll get those requests on the list, along with one from fanfiction.net. But I realized that I hadn't done my mid-year review yet. So, here you go!


REVIEW

406/649 63%

BY GENERATION:

R/B/G/Y: 123/151 81%
G/S/C: 78/100 78%
R/S/E: 103/135 76%
D/P/P: 84/107 79%
B/W: 18/156 12%
+ Missingno

BY TYPE:

Water: 64/109 59%
Normal: 61/97 63%
Grass: 53/76 70%
Flying: 51/83 61%
Poison: 43/58 74%
Psychic: 42/69 61%
Bug: 36/63 57%
Ground: 33/58 57%
Fire: 30/50 60%
Electric: 26/39 67%
Rock: 25/47 53%
Fight: 24/41 59%
Steel: 23/38 61%
Dark: 22/39 56%
Ice: 21/30 70%
Ghost: 18/27 67%
Dragon: 18/27 67%

Special: 2/2

BY SPECIAL TYPE

Starter: 33/45 73%
Blastoise, Charmeleon, Quilava, Torterra, Chikorita, Feraligator, Torchic, Turtwig, Mudkip, Totodile, Croconaw, Squirtle, Grotle, Treecko, Meganium, Typhlosion, Cyndaquil, Charizard, Bayleef, Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, Blaziken, Piplup, Empoleon, Chimchar, Charmander, Venusaur, Wartortle, Swampert, Infernape, Grovyle, Combusken, Snivy

Legend: 28/44 64%
Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Shaymin, Manaphy, Giratina, Raikou, Entei, Suicune, Celebi, Jirachi, Darkrai, Mewtwo, Mew, Arceus, Uxie, Azelf, Mespirit, Registeel, Regirock, Regice, Latias, Ho-oh, Lugia, Meloetta, Genesect, Dialga, Palkia

???/Shadow: 1
Mankey

Shiny: 7
Magikarp, Sunflora/Sunkern, Fearow, Gyarados, Stantler, Glameow

Fossil: 8/17 47%
Aerodactyl, Cradily, Shieldon, Bastiodon, Rampardos, Lileep, Kabutops, Armaldo

Guests: 13
JammyU, Kutie Pie, darkdragontamer (2), #Chimecho# (2), elrade, shiningsloth13 (2)
Regigigas, Staryu, Starmie, Bannette, Sandshrew, Ponyta, Barboach, Swellow, Absol, Kadabra, Lucario, Arceus, Darkrai, Bastiodon, Anorith, Golem (not counted in other totals)

HUMANS (this category may be off; I don’t track them as closely)

In-game Trainers
Bug Catcher, Channeler, Lass, Battle Girl, Fisherman, Ninja Boy, Campers, Hiker, Teacher, Scientist, Swimmer, School Kid (male and female), Veteran, Reporter, Cameraman

In-game Characters
Bruno, Steven, Giovanni, Silver, Professor Elm (2), Brawly, Lt. Surge, Gary Oak/Red (2), Koga, Janine, Professor Rowan (2), Lucas (2), Aaron, Blue, Professor Oak, Warden Slowpoke, Sabrina, Erica, Misty, Daycare lady, Daycare man, Blaine, Bianca, Hilbert

Other Characters
Ashton (Star Ocean 2), Mindy (Animaniacs), Tom and Huck (M. Twain), Sinbad (Arabian Nights), Rosa (Little Red Riding Hood), Kirby


COMMENTS

Well, every type is above fifty percent now! It makes the fifth gen's completion rating stand out all the more, but that's to be expected. And percentage wise, Kanto, Poison, Grass, and Ice are furthest along, while Hoenn, Rock, and Dark are lagging. Fossils are also rather behind based on percentage, but there's not many of them.

My calculator tells me that 432 is when I'll be two-thirds done. And the anniversary story, that's gonna be fun!

[Missingno. Master]

The Poison-type is probably so far along due to all the times I requested stuff like Arbok/Weezing and Ekans/Koffing. As for the shiny part, I believe you left one out. In that Machamp/Roselia story, you had slipped in a shiny Purugly. Or does the shiny thing just count shinies that are the main focus of the story?

In any case, I'd like to request a Zigzagoon/Garbodor story.

[Ysavvryl]

Been neglecting this for a while. But I'm here on time for the third year anniversary of the thread! Yay! So three years to get nearly two-thirds done with the Pokedex. Probably means this'll take me another year and a half at least.

But I wonder which generation's going to finish first...

@Missingno Master: The shiny thing only counts for the stars. And yes, I do realize that you're the reason for Poison's progress. But you're a longtime fan, so that's good.

And now for the anniversary story... I've been playing a lot of Final Fantasy lately, and it shows.

In Process: Skarmory/Seismitoad
On Deck: Cresselia, Sigilyph/Golett/Golurk, Joltik, Bouffalant, Surskit/Masquerain/Golduck, Machop/Dewott, Timburr/Conkledurr, Zigzagoon/Garbador


Bisharp, Samurott, Gothitelle, and Audino


She was knocked to the ground, barely hanging on to awareness. Her opponent, another Bisharp, clenched his fist and pointed his claw-blade upward. Foolish. He thought it was victory, but she wasn’t fully out yet. And if he kept being too quick on the call, then he was going to destroy the clan.

After shifting her position, she sprang back onto her feet, attacking him in the side as she did. The Pawniard that had been watching gave calls of shock and admiration. It seemed like she would faint, but the female Bisharp remained determined to continue. “There is danger hanging over us,” she repeated, although it was painful to talk. “You’re going to lead us all into ruin.”

Angered, he slashed his hand blade at her, which she blocked with her own. Sparks flew from the impact. “You’ve been inciting panic for no reason,” he said. “I am going to lead us to domination of the plains.” He kicked her to knock her off-balance, then added, “But you will not be among us.” Then he slashed at her head, fully defeating her.

The clan of Pawniard had previously followed the female, and most of them had liked her. But on seeing this victory, they quickly changed loyalty. Saluting, various members of the group called out, “Chief! Great victory, Chief. You’re the strong one, Chief.” They all hoped to be strong someday, and they would follow the strongest Bisharp around.

As the new Chief, he smirked at the young ones. He’d make sure they couldn’t challenge his authority as he had done to his predecessor. “Right. Let’s go; I have big plans for the clan.”

And so they left the female Bisharp unconscious in the middle of the grassy plains. There were any number of scavengers out there who might try to kill her for food, but the clan didn’t care. As she had lost, she was weak. Although, some remembered her last minute stand and wondered if she couldn’t be strong even though she had lost.

Some distance from the location of the battle, a ripple in the taller grasses started. Another Pokémon was rushing towards her. “That was foolish,” he said. “She was right about the danger.”

-+-

On the northern edge of the grassy plains, there was a wide river that separated them from a forest. On the south bank, there was a meeting of various Pokémon of the plains. They were arguing. “It’s not over the plains,” a Zebstrika said. “It won’t affect us.”

“But it’s not natural,” a Sawsbuck argued. “It’s a omen and a very bad one at that. We need to get ready.”

“For what?”

“For whatever’s going to come from it.”

“It’s just a light,” a Unfezant said. “Why should we worry?”

“It feels like hatred towards the whole world,” a Gothitelle spoke up, the first thing she’d said for the whole meeting. “It’s a harbinger of doom. If we wait until the danger comes to us, it will already be too late.”

“You lot are just trying to scare everybody!” a Whismicott said. “It’s just a weird light in the sky, nothing more.” A chorus of voices agreed, while others disagreed.

Sighing, the Gothitelle turned away, considered leaving before a fight broke out. The air was tense and anxious. No one was certain what it was, but it had appeared a few nights ago. Off to the northwest after the sun had gone down fully, a strange light would appear in the black night sky. It was an oval ring, something that might appear to be a circle when one was fully under it. It had first appeared as a kind of pink, but was slowly turning red. Sometimes, a shaft of light would appear under it to touch the ground somewhere far away. And it stayed until the light of dawn began to color the sky. No one was certain what it was, but she could feel its dark power even from here.

And then the whole area went quiet. Wondering what could defuse this crowd, she looked back and saw that he had come. Michael the Samurott lived in the river and was the undisputed boss of the water. Droplets remained on the bone sword over his head and the sharp-edged armor on his legs. While he had to shuffle across the land, he still intimidated the plains Pokémon who encountered him on the river shore.

Glaring around at the group, the Samurott effortlessly took control of the meeting. “Your arguing is disrupting us,” he said with a slight hint of a growl. “What is all this fuss about?”

Everyone else stepped back, nervous about angering the river lord. The Gothitelle turned back and approached him. Someone had to do it. “Lord Michael, I apologize for them,” she said. “This started out as a discussion of the strange red light that has appeared in the northwestern sky, what it means and what we should do about it. Some say that it is an omen and some say that it is not over us, so it will not affect us.”

He snorted. “So what is it?” he asked.

“No one in the plains seems to know,” she said. She watched how he moved, ready to run if he attacked. Sometimes he was reasonable, but if he was angered enough about the disruption of the river Pokémon, he could do anything.

“Then a group should go out there and find out what it is,” he pointed out. “But you land dwellers would rather argue about it endlessly, right? Who among you would dare leave the plains to find out about this light in the sky?”

“I would go,” the Gothitelle decided. “I have felt a strong emotion that I think is connected, but I should go confirm it. It is like nothing else I have felt, save for hate.”

“Good for you,” he said gruffly, like he hadn’t expected it. “And the rest of you?”

She looked to the rest there, but it was quiet. Not that it surprised her. Most of them were only concerned about what happened in the plains and keeping up with the political game of power. As they bickered with each other so much, it was surprising that no outsider group had come in and conquered them all to start towns and civilizations, like in other areas.

The Samurott lowered his head, putting his sword closer to the rest of them. “I didn’t think so. On the other hand, I need to determine if this thing is a sign of danger to my river. So I am going to the northwest too. You there, girl, come with me. We may as well travel together.”

“Thank you, Lord Michael,” she said. She really was grateful. While confident in her powers, the strong hate that she felt from the light might affect her as she got closer to its source. Traveling with another would be safer.

When they were out of the crowd enough, the Samurott replied, “You’re welcome, but I would prefer to travel with the river as long as we can. There’s a branch stream that heads in the right direction, I believe. What’s your name?”

“Irene, sir. I shall be fine walking by the waters.”

-+-

Night had fallen by the time she awoke. The Bisharp felt some aches in her muscles, but surprisingly, that was it. With as badly as she had been beaten, she should still be in pain from the deeper wounds. And they would have abandoned her, so she was lucky to even be alive. Instead of feeling terrible, she felt refreshed and full of energy.

She sat up, wondering what had happened. When she looked to the northeast, she saw it again, that ring of red light. That was something one saw in nightmares and it seemed to get worse every night. And in her dreams since she’d seen it… in her nightmares… it heralded the appearance of powerful demons that would raze the plains, the river, the forest, the mountains, eventually the whole world. The time to take them out would be now, when their powers were weak.

By the rustling of the grass and pattering of feet, she could tell that a bipedal Pokémon was hurrying her way. The Bisharp brought her right arm up. While she could take on a fight now, her blades needed sharpening sometime tonight. From the sound of the paws, it wasn’t one of her clan. A foe or friend?

A pink furred Pokémon emerged from the thick grass, curly hairs bouncing along. A damp pouch was in its forepaws. Smiling, he bowed to show that he meant no harm. “Great, you’re awake! I went to go fetch some water for you. Here.” He passed over the pouch.

For a moment, she looked into his face. He seemed to mean well, so she nodded and took it. “Thank you, stranger. Did you heal me?”

He nodded. “Of course; it is the way of the Audino. I am Colin. Sorry, but I’m not sure of what the plains Pokémon are; I’m just traveling through.”

After finishing off the water pouch, she handed it back. “I am one of the Bisharp, Dagger. I am grateful for your help, but I must be going.” She started off through the grass.

Colin followed after her. “Are you going to find out what’s under the red light in the sky?”

Stopping, she turned and nearly ran into him. Fortunately, he stopped before he collided into her bladed body. “How do you know that?”

He tapped his ears, which were surrounded by the long curly hair. “I overheard you and the other Bisharp in battle. And, I agree. That light means danger for all of us.” His expression saddened. “On the winds from the north, I could hear the cries of things not of this world. The closer I get, the better I can hear them, although even from here, it is but a faint sound. But it is the sound of a song of destruction.”

“So you agree,” Dagger said, touching one hand to her chest. “The light of it gives me nightmares. My clan may have abandoned me, but I will not abandon them. I go to keep this land safe for them.”

“May I come with you?” the Audino asked. “I had to see this for myself, but if I get much closer to where I can hear it clearer, it may effect my concentration in battle. But, I can heal, and that would be valuable to you, right?”

“It would.” She shifted her right hand blades to a less threatening position, then offered it. “Then we shall go together.”

Colin smiled and they shook on it. “Right. We’ll find out what we can do.”

-+-

Irene and Michael moved east by the river. Sometimes other Pokmeon mistook the Gothitelle for being a lone traveler. If her powers didn’t scare them off, then Michael’s quick strikes with his sword, nearly always knocking out one enemy, would. The whole time, the strange red ring of light was in the sky, sometimes reaching down to the ground, but most times not.

At one time while one group was fleeing, another group of Pokémon came in. But they were different; Irene could tell because they emitted feelings of wanting to speak with them, not fight. She held a hand up to keep the Samurott from attacking the pair that emerged from the grasses. An Audino and a Bisharp. “You seem to be looking for us,” the Gothitelle said.

The Bisharp looked wary, but the Audino just waved. “Yes, that’s it,” he said. “I overheard you a little bit ago.”

“He does that a lot,” the Bisharp said. She seemed to be uncertain of how. “We were so far away, though.”

“You were going to check out the red light in the night sky, like us,” the Audino said. “We may as well form a larger group instead of partners, then.”

“Good to know not everyone is ignorant,” Michael said, in his usual gruff way. “But we’d better not lose time.”

-+-

It took until the next night, but the four travelers found the site where the ring of light was situation. It hung ominously in the sky, blocking out the stars and casting a hellish aura around the countryside. Now that they were close, they could see that the ring was constantly changing. Symbols inside it shifted and moved in ways that none of them could translate.

The Gothitelle stood in a clear spot under the sky ring, clasping her hands together in front of her neck. The black cones of her body shifted as she swayed, focusing her mind on understanding the mystery. All around Irene, black mists with twinkling star-like dots held in strange patterns. It was like a scrap of the night sky, but not as they knew it.

Nearby, the Audino was concentrating too. His ears twitched often; his body occasionally trembled. While she used her mind, he used his sensitive ears to listen to the spirits of the area. Even before they had starting searching out the truth, Colin had said that this place sounded like both tormentor and tormented. He was clearly stretching his courage to remain under the ring.

While they studied, the other two Pokemon watched for interruptions or enemies. The Bisharp and the Samurott had initially been leery of each other. Michael had seen the Pawniard and Bisharp clan as troublemakers who disrupted the river waters often. Dagger had seen the Samurott as being too territorial, attacking her kin even when they were only near the river. However, both felt that the potential for danger here was too great. They would have to cooperate.

“This is a place where demons were called,” Colin said, moving closer to Michael. “It does not sound like the one who called them is here right now, nor are the demons. But power is still being channeled through the ring.”

“Seventeen demons of the elements were called,” Irene added, sounding worn out as the black mists around her faded. “They will overtake the lands and corrupt them so that their master can rule over all. At the moment, the demons are not fully powered; that is why the ring remains. Now would be the time to defeat them, but we may be the only ones who realize what this danger is.”

“We ought to do something about it, then,” Colin said. “The three of you will, right? It’s the right thing to do. I may not be able to do it on my own, but I will do what’s right.”

“I would agree if we keep working as a group,” Irene said. “We seem to work together well.”

On hearing that, the Samurott and Bisharp looked at each other. True, there hadn’t been trouble so far. But... Dagger put her right hand on her chest and bowed her head. “I was abandoned by my clan, but I will not abandon them to this danger. Michael, I know our groups have fought before; I am willing to try working with you now.”

He looked at her sharply for a while longer, then nodded. “Fine. You’ve not caused trouble, and these demons would cause far more trouble than any of your kin have caused me. Can we tell where those demons went?”

And thus began the great legend of the Warriors of Light, seeking to destroy the demons which would destroy the world.

…

Samurott Black entry: One swing of the sword incorporated in its armor can fell an opponent. A simple glare from one of them quiets everyone.

Bisharp Black entry: It leads a group of Pawniard. It battles to become the boss, but will be driven from the group if it loses.

Audino White entry: Its auditory sense is astounding. It has a radarlike ability to understand its surroundings through slight sounds.

Gothitelle Black entry: Starry skies thousands of light-years away are visible in the space distorted by their intense psychic power.

[floracat]

Wow, this was worth the long wait. I really liked the whole idea, the four travelers going on a quest to stop demons. I especially like Samurott, and it's attitude. All in all, great story!

[TheBattleFrontierAsh1]

ha ha very nice you put a smile on my face

[ToeyJoey]

Minor grammatical errors first:

“But it’s not natural,” a Sawsbuck argued. “It’s a omen and a very bad one at that. We need to get ready.”

This should be an.

“It’s just a light,” a Unfezant said. “Why should we worry?”

I would consider this to be an an because it comes before a vowel sound but because it's a Pokémon's name I consider it to be the your prerogative as the writer here.

“I had to see this for myself, but if I get much closer to where I can hear it clearer, it may effect my concentration in battle.

This should be affect.

Now that that’s out of the way I can tell you how much I was captivated by that story. The dialogue between the Pokémon, the fight scene at the beginning, the way you capture emotions of the characters and the way you kept making me wonder about that light. I do wish these stories didn’t end because I always start getting into them, wondering what the next step will be for the Pokémon concerned and then it ends. Still, One-Shots are One-Shots and they don’t get much better than these.

[scizorstrike]

Why do I get a Final Fantasy vibe coming off of this? especially the demons of various elements. and the one healer, one non-physical attacker, and two warriors. come to think of it, most of this has a sort of ring to it that reminds me of that... especially characters. A king, setting out to find what is going on with the world, and to protect his people? a bystander, concerned about a mysterious occurence? a defeated cheiften of a clan of warriors? a far-ranging traveller? all could be drawn parallel to at least one FF character.

[Gelatino95]

I just found this thread and decided to read the Flygon one. It was very sad. I'm gonna go read some others and see what I think. You're a very talented author.

Also, I would absolutely love to see one about Volcarona.

[The Imposter]

I absolutely LOVE these one-shots! Can I submita Yamask/Sandile one? Thanks!

[Ysavvryl]

I'll add those requests, but you'll be waiting a while.

The Skarmory totally took over this story. I started it thinking that it would be about something else, and then this happened.

In process: Cresselia
On Deck: Sigilyph/Golett/Golurk, Joltik, Bouffalant, Surskit/Masquerain/Golduck, Machop/Dewott, Timburr/Conkledurr, Zigzagoon/Garbador, Volcarona, Yamask/Sandile


Seismitoad and Skarmory


The marsh was a quiet place where not much happened. At one time, Seismitoad had to fight for his position as leader and keep Pokémon from the nearby wetlands from invading. But that had been a long time ago. Now that they knew of his power, others didn’t challenge his authority. It helped that he kept things peaceful, negotiating arguments, punishing troublemakers, and dealing personally with problems. But the peace was, well, boring.

That afternoon, he was sitting on an old stump watching over his domain. The young Pokémon were playing and wrestling with each other, nothing to be concerned about. Seismitoad periodically hit the sides of his fists together, making the bumps there vibrate. It gave off a deep drumming sound which could be heard even outside his marsh. When others heard it, they knew that he was watching.

Although really, he was bored. He considered starting up a tournament for the marsh’s Pokémon to participate in. There really wasn’t much to do and that would satisfy more Pokémon than just himself. But what should it be a competition of? Battling was the first thing in mind, but that would give a clear advantage to himself and any evolved Pokémon. Rock busting? The thing was, he was better than that then anyone else in the marsh, as he could vibrate the bumps all over his body and demolish any boulder he could punch or tackle. Maybe a tug of war? But splitting the marsh’s Pokémon into two groups struck him as a bad idea. It might go beyond a friendly competition. Small teams might be okay provided he made sure that it stayed civil. Team battles? That would even things out, especially if the teams had to be approved by himself first. Or assigned…

A silver blur passed through the air, giving him pause. What was that Pokemon doing flying that close to ground level? Seismitoad waited to see if it would pass through again. Instead, a massive clamor filled the air as it crashed into a large tree. It struck him as the expected result of the dumb decision to fly so low and fast, save for the volume of the accident. But, it wasn’t like he was doing anything important today. He got up and went over to the tree.

The tree itself was a goner; a spray of tan splinters stood up from the stump, with some bent back and still attached to the main trunk. Something like that should have taken the impact of a flier readily. However, the Pokémon that was right in front of the tree seem to be made of metal. Its silver and blue steel feathers were bent near his head, but otherwise unharmed from the impact. The Skarmory itself was struggling clumsily onto his feet.

A heavy Steel-type that flew? It was tough to imagine; Seismitoad had heard of Skarmories before, but had always thought that their actual metal was limited. Not covering its body. “That sounded painful,” Seismitoad said.

Spreading a wing out towards the splintered stump, Skarmory replied, “It jumped out at me, I swear! Arrest this foul tree.”

He looked at it. While there were some tree-like Pokémon, this clearly was not one of them. “It’s a tree,” he said.

“That’s what they want you to think,” the Skarmory hissed. “It looks like a tree but is in fact a foul tree, part of a secret cabal of insidious plant life that is looking to take over the world. If you’re walking, they lift up their roots to trip you. If you’re flying, they jump in your way to make you crash. You’d better do a thorough check of the trees around here and make sure there aren’t more foul trees around. You know them by how many ‘accidents’ happen around them, and the blood-thirsty aura they emit. Eventually, they will kill and replace us all.”

Hmm, a crazy Pokémon visitor. That was certainly different. “At least you defeated that one,” he said going along for fun.

He closed his wings to sit at his sides and checked on the brown bag he was carrying. “Yes, but it was very close. If I hadn’t been blessed with my natural armor, it would have defeated me instead. I was on my way to deliver vital messages to the fighters who are looking to break up this foul tree cabal. You ought to join us; it could save your home, family, and friends in the end.”

Looking at the bag, Seismitoad recognized a human symbol. This Skarmory worked for the human’s postal office, delivering letters. As far as he knew, it was a public service, not an organization for fighting conspiracies. “I’ll consider it,” he said. “Were you going to Iccirrus? It’s not too far from here, just southeast along that path.” He pointed out the way that the humans kept clear.

“Yes, exactly there,” the Skarmory said. “Thank you, good sir. I will bring back a pamphlet for you if I can smuggle it past the foul trees that must be hiding through those woods. They hate paper products, as you can imagine. Keep alert and remember, check out all the trees.” He then started running off down the path to town.

“You be careful!” Seismitoad called. Foul trees… how silly. He went back to his log and considered how to arrange his group battle tourney to entertain everyone.

Two weeks later, the foul trees attacked.

…

Skarmory D/P/Pt/B/W entry: Despite being clad entirely in iron-hard armor, it flies at speeds over 180 mph.

Seismitoad White entry: It increases the power of its punches by vibrating the bumps on its fists. It can turn a boulder to rubble with one punch.

[ninetails012]

wow these are great! ive been reading these a while and i always think there are great
could i suggest a Sawsbuck/Zebstrika story?

[floracat]

Ha ha ha! I freakin' LOVED this story! You made it look like Skarmory was an insane, loony bird. I love the crazies. And the the foul trees attacked! Oh that was too good! Keep up the good work!

[Monster Guy]

Them foul trees. *shakes fist* xD

Good story.

[Ysavvryl]

This story is giving me plot ideas (which I don't need right now; too many projects running already!).

In process: Sigilyph/Golett/Golurk
On Deck: Joltik, Bouffalant, Surskit/Masquerain/Golduck, Machop/Dewott, Timburr/Conkledurr, Zigzagoon/Garbador, Volcarona, Yamask/Sandile, Sawsbuck/Zebstrika


Cresselia


It was dark. The cobblestone streets were quiet, save for the occasional patter of small nocturnal Pokémon. In the houses crowded up against each other, most people were asleep. Many of their dreams were troubled, reflecting their lives. There was an unpopular King in control who kept the people under him poor. In shades of this, the people dreamed of not having enough, or of problems they had that could be solved with money if they had it. It really made the night air dreary. There was a crescent moon in the sky.

In the dim moonlight, she appeared. She was out of place here, a bright and beautiful Pokémon in a dull and mundane town. She had aurora instead of wings and a tail, arching out from her body in every color that one could dream of. Around her, things were gray, brown, and dirty. It made Cresselia sad to see the humans like this, but there were rules about interference.

A small racket came up in the alleyways as a pair of Murkrow argued over who owned a copper coin. Pokémon had it rough here too, crowded in because they wanted to be with a particular person. In fact, she had come here to see a particular person. Cresselia knew she couldn’t change much unless she knew the right person. But, if she went to befriend the ‘right person’, there would be a good chance she’d be captured as a rare Pokémon. Many humans who got to be in charge did so because they were willing to manipulate better people.

She headed to a single spot of candlelight in view, a small flame that came through a small window. Being a creature of dreams, she passed right through the walls into the room. There was a woman in a wooden rocking chair, putting her baby back in its cradle to sleep. There was also a man in the room, but he was asleep despite the light. And with her power around, he’d stay asleep.

“Hello again,” Cresselia said, shifting her aurora so that it wouldn’t be overwhelmingly bright.

“Hello again,” the woman said, smiling some. “I was wondering if I would see you again.”

“I come on the same night every year,” she replied, drifting closer to the cradle. She bent her head down and checked on the infant. The little girl hadn’t been alive for a full moon cycle yet. And her dreams, like most infants, were simple things.

“It doesn’t seem like it.”

“It’s the same night by the lunar calendar.” She lifted her head back up. “She dreams of being in your arms, listening to your heartbeat.”

That made her happy. “I would think so. I’ve been keeping her close, like my mother said to.”

And now for the same conversation they’d had the past several years. “Have you decided on what you would wish from me?”

“I don’t need anything,” she said, as always. “The priest says it’s a waste to wish for that which you haven’t worked for and I’m striving to be a good person.”

That kind of attitude was as frustrating as those who would try to wish for everything, Cresselia thought. “It is not wrong to want a little something for yourself. It is only when the wants consume your thoughts that it becomes greed.”

“But just that small step puts you on the road to ruin and can turn your eternal judgment into that of hell. That is the teaching of Arceus.” She was deeply pious to the point of stubbornness, wouldn’t see any other way to things.

While Cresselia didn’t have any objections to religion (although coming across her own worshippers tended to embarrass her; she was pretty minor in the scheme of things), it was another thing that she saw having too much or too little of could lead to trouble. Especially when it got in the way of her own morals. She thought about arguing that she didn’t think Arceus would want that. It was more likely another way the King kept himself in power and wealth. But, she’d never met the creator Pokémon herself, so she couldn’t really say what Arceus’ teachings would be.

Back when this woman was a girl, she had helped Cresselia while the Pokémon was in disguise as an old woman. It was a wish exchange that she liked very much, as it tended to bring blessings to those who deserved it. Not being able to grant that wish felt like a failing on her part.

Maybe she should try coming at this from that angle. “I promised you a single wish, and it’s a debt that I would like to repay,” she said. “I’ll keep coming every year until I can.”

“I said it’s all right,” the woman said. “I have nothing that I want and I’m grateful that I’ve been able to see you for yourself.”

Some of the more pompous ones would accept that, but that wasn’t her way. But there was a glimmer of something. “You don’t speak the truth when you say that you have nothing you want.”

The woman was quiet for a minute, looking at her child. “Well if it’s something you must do,” she said, finally giving in, “could you make sure that my daughter keeps pleasant dreams throughout her life? Life’s a harsh thing and too many folks turn to despair, or to sin to ignore it all. But if she had good dreams, she might be able to stay naturally cheerful and do good just by being herself.”

At the start of this, she might have tried to get her to wish for something for herself, not another. But it was for her child, and she’d refused for so long. “I can do that for you both,” Cresselia said. She’d need something for that.

Brushing along her sides with her beak, she found a feather that was loose. If left to its own, it would dim over time. She took it, but cast several enchantments over it. It would stay beautiful as long as its owner was alive, and it would have enough of her power to keep nightmares at bay. One other enchantment, and it was good. Cresselia gently placed it so that the baby gripped it in her fingers.

“That will keep her dreams good,” she explained.

“Seems like something someone would steal,” the woman said. Too much of her life had been hard for her to take anything on faith. That is, anything but what the priest told her.

Cresselia shook her head. “No, I made sure that it would always return to her, every night. This will probably be the last time we see each other. I wish you both well.”

Then she moved back to the dream lands. While that woman may have been kind, she was too pessimistic for Cresselia’s liking. Perhaps her daughter would be better.

…

HG/SS entry: Those who sleep holding Cresselia’s feather are assured of joyful dreams. It is said to represent the crescent moon.

[ninetails012]

good chapter! i liked how the cresselia got annoyed by the woman. coukd i be on the pm list?

[floracat]

I liked this one! What I really like was the woman's view on things.

It's a waste to wish for that which you haven't worked for.

I like that, it's a good moral.

[ChampionZ]

I really like to read all of these, there are just SO MANY! but thats okay, because I really like them! Thats saying something!