When and how can we start get getting pokémon with hidden abilities?
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Private/Closed PokéSync: Discussion Thread
- Thread starter kyuukestu
- Start date
Hmm, I too wanted to hold off until I got my bio up, but I had a question about when you mentioned wandering pokemon and a greater variety of encounters. How exactly are those encounters going to be handled? Will be leaving it up to RNG, do we follow a route based system loosely, or does the player decide when the pokemon they want to catch show up?
This was covered in the intro post, no HAs for starters.
He means how can we get them later
Oh, I guess I misread that, sorry!
There will be a variety of ways where you can obtain Pokemon with egg-moves or hidden abilities.
- Tournaments/Events — Provides various eggs restricted by type.
Once we've selected a region then many of the events within each region will come with cash or Pokemon egg prizes. The Pokemon eggs will be vaguely described and you'll be allowed to specify on your own.
For example, a Fishing competition might come with a 'Water-type Pokemon egg', and you'll be allowed to hatch whatever water-type Pokemon you want.
- Pokemon Project — Will provide one egg of your choice (After the 4th Gym badge/Ribbon/etc.)
The Pokemon Project still allows you to adopt one additional Pokemon, however you must've proven to be a very competent trainer to request ownership of a very special egg. This egg will be allowed to have hidden ability/egg moves, however you'll only be able to apply for one after achieving 4 badges/ribbons etc.
This is your one guaranteed pokemon of your choice with egg move/ability.
- Hidden Grottos — will provide a chance to obtain a pokemon that may have hidden abilities.
There'll be a number of hidden grottos around every region. These hidden grottos will have a chance to spawn a random pokemon depending on their location.
i.e. a Hidden Grotto under water will have water types, while one in the forest may have grass or normal types.
You can then attempt to catch these pokemon, though whether you catch it or not will be up to RNG. (explained further below).
- Pokemon Hordes — Will provide a chance to catch a pokemon that may have hidden abilities.
The United Pokemon League will frequently convey information on pokemon that have joined a horde. This may happen once a week in RP. It is fairly frequent, but the species of horde will be randomized, so you aren't guaranteed to get a horde for a pokemon you like.
The location of the horde will also be randomized, so in the earlier part of the RP when your character doesn't have access to a move like Fly for quick travel, it is entirely likely you will simply be too far away to make it.
Whether you're able to catch the pokemon or not will also be a random chance based on the Pokemon's catch rate, the type of Pokeballs you use, etc. just like in the games. Ofc, horde Pokemon will have buffed catch rates.
These are probably the hardest to obtain since they'll be so frequent.
I'll expound on how we're going to apply catch rates at a later time since I need to simplify the formulas actually used in the games.
Also, I haven't decided yet since I think the 4 methods above should be enough, but maybe high level Pokejobs might give out eggs.
I mentioned it briefly, but you'll be allowed to choose whatever Pokemon you encounter for normal encounters. The only restrictions are that the Pokemon should plausibly live in that area. No Pidgey underwater or caterpie on Mt. Coronet.
Pokemon with hidden abilities or egg moves are the ones I'll randomize since those are the ones that can really decide a battle.
I guess my character will be signing up for that first fishing competition. 
There's no actual fishing competition, I would never make it that easy for you...I guess my character will be signing up for that first fishing competition.
Go fish in GeminosI guess my character will be signing up for that first fishing competition.
Damnit well played. Guess Ima have to wait till the 4th gym unless I force my character to go diving.
Also, would specific breeders be able to have certain Pokémon with hidden abilities?
Yes, but remember you aren't allowed to receive help from people outside the bronze league.
To answer a possible follow up question, I did some rough calculations based on the price of dratini in the game corner (4600 coins, where 500 coins cost $10,000.) and dratini would cost some $92,000. However, since I'm multiplying the price of most non-essential items dratini's price will be closer to $920,000 or $9,200,000. I would need to balance it against other prices in the PokeMart 
Alright, so after some number crunching, here's the system I have in mind for catch rates. This will only apply to Hidden Ability or Egg Move encounters in hordes or grottos.
It uses generation I catch rate mechanics:
Whenever you attempt to catch a Pokemon the following will happen:
You will have:
Remember this will only apply for pokemon who have maximum catch rate, for comparison, Gible's catch rates look like this:
Still better rates than Genshin Impact
All that said, let's discuss these rates! Do you think this is fair for a Pokemon with Hidden Abilities and Egg Moves?
Remember you can still catch the species without hidden abilities or egg moves normally.
It uses generation I catch rate mechanics:
Whenever you attempt to catch a Pokemon the following will happen:
- Pokemon's catch rate is cut in half.
- Catch-rate multiplier from the Pokeball is applied (x3.5 is usually the best case scenario).
- Status boost to catch rate is applied.
- Generate a random number, N, depending on the type of ball used.
- For a Poké Ball: 0 to 2550.
- For a Great Ball: 0 to 2000 (Also all special variant Pokeballs).
- Otherwise (Ultra Ball or Safari Ball): 0 to 1500.
- If N is above the Pokemon's catch-rate then it breaks free and you've failed the encounter. The Pokemon will flee.
You will have:
- A 5% chance to catch them with a normal Pokeball.
- A 9~10% chance to catch them with a Great Ball.
- A 22% chance with an optimal Special Ball.
- A 17% chance to catch with an Ultra Ball.
Remember this will only apply for pokemon who have maximum catch rate, for comparison, Gible's catch rates look like this:
- 0.9% chance with a Pokeball.
- 1.6% chance with a Great Ball.
- 3.9% chance with optimal Special Ball.
- 3% chance with an Ultra Ball.
All that said, let's discuss these rates! Do you think this is fair for a Pokemon with Hidden Abilities and Egg Moves?
Remember you can still catch the species without hidden abilities or egg moves normally.
Those rates are pretty low, but egg moves and HA are usually pretty good. To me, it looks reasonably balanced, especially since there are no species exclusive to hidden grottos or hordes
Also because I'm quite sure someone will notice eventually, there is a 'loop hole' in this system. It's where you catch the species of Pokemon you want and then try to encounter them in a Hidden Grotto and use a love ball (x8 catch rate), so essentially double the listed rates.
It might be too much effort to go through since Grottos and hordes are randomized, but it is something that exists.
It might be too much effort to go through since Grottos and hordes are randomized, but it is something that exists.
Personally I feel like that’s a little too harsh. Some hidden abilities aren’t that great, it’s just that the default ones are basically useless. Plus it forces people to decide if it’s worth not getting the Pokémon at all for a chance at getting the ability.
At the very least I’d say let them throw multiple pokeballs, that way it’s spending resources to acquire something good.
Name: Joan Hunter
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Trainer Class: Battler
Physical Appearance: Joan stands at 1.72 meters tall with upper back length black hair, light brown eyes and slightly tanned skin. Her bangs are swiped above her right eye.
Clothing: Joan wears a red t-shirt under a navy blue hooded jacket with shorts of the same navy blue color over a pair of black stockings and black running shoes.
Personality: Joan appears very jaded, rarely looking like she's showing any emotions. She has a very logical way of thinking, preferring to not let emotions cloud her judgements. Joan also has a strange desire to seek out tasty foodstuff, whether made by humans, in nature or by Pokemon. She may appears emotionless, but that's simply because she's bad at showing how she feels.
Backstory: Joan was born in a rather secluded town in the Sinnoh region. Her parents were both Pokemon researchers, although not in the traditional sense. They preferred on-field researching much more than flipping through books and paperwork. As such, Joan grew up in a very wild environment. This lifestyle caused her to develop a very rather reclusive personality, something her parents noticed. They became worried that Joan will have trouble communicating with other people if she kept her current attitude. During her 17th birthday, she was gifted her first Pokemon, a Snover. Her parents encouraged her to take part in the United Pokemon League, hoping she'll grow out of her hard shell of a personality. While she agreed to do so, Joan didn't want to leave until a year later, stating that she needed time to form a good bond with her Pokemon before embarking on this journey. She wanted to do this in order to lessen the chances she might encounter any problems during her travels due to the lack of a strong bond between trainer and Pokemon. While not exactly what they hoped for, this was pretty much what Joan's parent expected of their daughter, so they agreed. So, Joan spent the next year bonding with Snover before finally leaving home and beginning her journey.
Starter: Snover
Name: Snover
Species: Snover
Gender: Male
Ability: Snow Warning
Nature: Mild
Characteristic: Highly Curious
Appearance: The berries Snovers can grows seem to appear a lot more frequently than normal. Other than that, nothing else out of the ordinary.
Moves: Razor Leaf, Icy Wind, Mist, Leer, Leafage, Powder Snow
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Trainer Class: Battler
Physical Appearance: Joan stands at 1.72 meters tall with upper back length black hair, light brown eyes and slightly tanned skin. Her bangs are swiped above her right eye.
Clothing: Joan wears a red t-shirt under a navy blue hooded jacket with shorts of the same navy blue color over a pair of black stockings and black running shoes.
Personality: Joan appears very jaded, rarely looking like she's showing any emotions. She has a very logical way of thinking, preferring to not let emotions cloud her judgements. Joan also has a strange desire to seek out tasty foodstuff, whether made by humans, in nature or by Pokemon. She may appears emotionless, but that's simply because she's bad at showing how she feels.
Backstory: Joan was born in a rather secluded town in the Sinnoh region. Her parents were both Pokemon researchers, although not in the traditional sense. They preferred on-field researching much more than flipping through books and paperwork. As such, Joan grew up in a very wild environment. This lifestyle caused her to develop a very rather reclusive personality, something her parents noticed. They became worried that Joan will have trouble communicating with other people if she kept her current attitude. During her 17th birthday, she was gifted her first Pokemon, a Snover. Her parents encouraged her to take part in the United Pokemon League, hoping she'll grow out of her hard shell of a personality. While she agreed to do so, Joan didn't want to leave until a year later, stating that she needed time to form a good bond with her Pokemon before embarking on this journey. She wanted to do this in order to lessen the chances she might encounter any problems during her travels due to the lack of a strong bond between trainer and Pokemon. While not exactly what they hoped for, this was pretty much what Joan's parent expected of their daughter, so they agreed. So, Joan spent the next year bonding with Snover before finally leaving home and beginning her journey.
Starter: Snover
Name: Snover
Species: Snover
Gender: Male
Ability: Snow Warning
Nature: Mild
Characteristic: Highly Curious
Appearance: The berries Snovers can grows seem to appear a lot more frequently than normal. Other than that, nothing else out of the ordinary.
Moves: Razor Leaf, Icy Wind, Mist, Leer, Leafage, Powder Snow
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Spends a year bonding but doesn't even give her pokemon a name, smh. Accepted.
She's not good with names.
Some hidden abilities aren't great, that's true but that's simply because some pokemon are more competitive than others. Unless we make a system that specifically restricts competitive Hidden Abilities.
I would just say let people throw multiple balls. It’s spending money for a power up as it would be with an ability patch
I find this acceptable.
What's the limit for number of bonded Pokemon at this early stage of the journey?
Here you go, took a hot minute to type up this chunky OC form.
Trainer BIOS Sheet
Name: Maribelle Glory Everleigh
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Trainer Class : Backpacker
Physical Appearance: Born and raised in what would barely qualify as civilization, Mari grew up an extremely robust and active little girl. Tanned skin, toned muscles and a lithe build, she is always up and on the go. She sports the same dark hair and eyes that she got from her father, and has a smattering of silvery white scars across her body, most prominently on her hands and knees from an active and playful lifestyle. She also has more serious (and often painful in the winter) scars across her back and midriff that have healed unevenly and expose long tearing streaks of glazed over pink flesh. They are no longer painful to the touch, but especially dry bouts of weather do cause her skin to crust painfully.
Clothing: When under shelter, she is not particular about what she wears, often opting for some of her favourite (and therefore faded) loose shirts and shorts, but she has several pairs of full, heavy clothes geared to take on the brunt of winter. She owns two pairs of heavy hiking gear, complete with many layers of fur and wool to keep her warm, covered with suede leather and a pair of goggles and a mask to protect against the biting wind. Mittens and boots included, and she is especially fond of the heavy bottomed leather boots, often opting to wear it to less serious expeditions. She possesses a fiddle and a harmonica, both of which she plays with great skill and gusto. (“Enthusiasm’s half the show!”)
Personality: Rambunctious. Pugnacious. Outgoing. Mari is keenly aware that she’s not like the mainland children. Growing up in a society largely disconnected from technology or even basic amenities like running water and electricity, she is unwillingly sheltered from the outside world, and yearns to know more. Within the community she is a natural leader and often pied pipers the other young boys and girls to her call, but in unknown territory she becomes timid and meek. Raised shy of any kind of bureaucracy and in a community that relied on communication for survival, she is used to blistering honesty and speaks her mind as such. She is quick to anger but equally quick to forgive and move on, and holding a grudge is practically unknown to her. She gets along well with children, and participates actively in upkeeping the community that made themselves family to her.
She is always willing to try new things, and raving to join the expeditions that embark every now and then. She holds a certain awe and healthy respect for the King of the Mountain, and is equally fascinated with Jacket, her clan leaders’ Aggron. Despite her clan’s deep wariness of pokemon, Mari recognizes that accepting their partnership and combining strengths is the way forward, which is considered quite the hot take in her community. While not one to fear judgement, she is self aware enough to feel embarrassment when necessary, and as such is distrustful of city folk. She has exceptionally keen instinct for wild pokemon, even among her mates of the Darkest Day, and has proved invaluable in avoiding more than one potentially deadly encounter. She doesn’t shy away from centring attention on herself and often breaks into silly song and dance to ease tensions and evoke laughter. While being aware of her strong country accent, she has never had reason to doubt it and be embarrassed as long as she was surrounded by like-minded folks. She does, however, deeply detest the system that let her and her family down. Not many seek to travel like Mari does, but the girl is set on a goal and there’s no stopping her.
Backstory: It all began on the Darkest Day. Well, not really. Mari was born as the only child in her small family of father, mother and grandmother. Her community was small, but all members participated equally in caregiving and she found herself several partners of various ages to play with. She never knew loneliness and learnt to welcome the pokemon that wandered in and out of their village. Her hometown, such that it is, itself wasn’t recognized by the league, being classified as a band of gypsies that wandered from location to location, while in reality they had semi permanent settlements up as the seasons allowed. Mari grew up used to frequent travel, and was even handed her tiny little knapsack as soon as she could walk unaided, filled with one stuffed toy and like five sweets to carry and contribute as a clan member. She had never felt more important!
By the age of seven, Maribelle was a grizzled veteran of the mountains. She knew every inch of the two settlements they alternated between. The summer home was obviously her favourite, higher up on the mountains past a tenuous hike, where the wind was crisp and clear and the average temperature was usually well below zero. It was a tiny collection of huts perched on the precipice of a cliff, just enough to house her community, and certainly no more. Mari was always the first to volunteer to head down to the nearest lake, regardless of temperature while the others hesitated, knowing they would have to break the ice to carry back the much coveted water. More than once, she had been too eager to break the thick crust of ice and had fallen through to the murky depths of the freezing lake. Those were tense times, but she’d lived, hadn’t she? Well, not before the clan members nearly killed her for her hubris.
Winter was when the weather was too harsh and unpredictable to stay there anymore, and the annual trek back to the base of the mountains began, a tenuous trip with often no breaks in between that had to be prepared for months in advance. It was usually the children skipping ahead, nary a worry in the world, with the adults slowly bringing up the rear with all manner of important items that couldn’t be left behind. Perishable food, clothing and mattresses, necessary utensils and such. The children quickly learnt to pull their weight and were often laden with sacks that made them stagger. The staggering didn’t last long either, once they discovered how slippery the floor was under a weighted foot, and soon they learnt the slow, steady march of their elders. In the early days, Mari reminisces, they were often accompanied up or down the path with the various strays that had learnt to make friends of the settlers. Stray Cleffa and Geodude would hover along, carefully out of reach, while the more domestic ones like Teddiursa or Magby would stick close to their owners and partners. Pokemon battling wasn’t a very sought after hobby when all your spare energy went towards survival in the wild. Maribelle had often considered why they didn’t leave the inhospitable mountains and make their way to civilization, but the more she got to know of the outside world, the more she realized that the world had no place for them.
It was then as it is now. Jacket was the biggest pokemon visible – then a Lairon, he and the clan leader always tagged along at the end, Jacket either hitched to a cart or tasked with carrying some of the older members who couldn’t make the trek anymore. Mari’s grandmother was one of them, and sometimes as a treat, Jacket would allow her to slip on and get a free ride – until one of the adults saw her, scolded her and wrung an ear or two and let her off. The spirit of a seven year old is indomitable, and she would soon be back to try and sneak another ride on the cloth clad Lairon. Jacket himself did not mind; he was fond of children, and would often try to nuzzle up to newborn babies, unceremoniously pushing his way past the crowd with the strength that belied his gentle taps on the baby.
The Darkest Day struck during summer, which sounds ideal at first. The weather was warm, and suddenly the air was full of screams. Giant pokemon rampaged through the weakly built structures, snapping houses and people alike under their feet like toothpicks. None of the domesticated pokemon held a bond long enough or strong enough to defend against the wild pokemon – the best they could do was spare their owner and run off into the mists. Only one monolith stood between them and destruction. Jacket rose to the occasion and met tooth with claw as a newly evolved Aggron, earning every dent in his armor as a medal, a laurel to his bravery. But alas, even the toughest of pokemon cannot save everyone, and the dead outnumbered the survivors when the dust settled. The sprawling landscape, a Mecca of madness and morbidity. Fear ran rank through the living, and suspicious eyes were turned upon Jacket, now a towering monstrosity in the eyes of man. Mist and blood dropped to the ground alike, like rain in the forest.
The losses were everyones, but some people never recovered from them. Mari and several other children lost their parents, siblings, loved ones… they alone lived on. The clan head was quick to take charge again, rallying the survivors and reinstating order… all the while never turning his back to Jacket. Not anymore. She remembers, they were explicitly forbidden to clamber over his tail or lounge on his warm back, rising and falling with his every breath anymore. The only defendant, the savior was treated the same as the traitor that murdered them as they slept.
They never returned to the summer abode anymore. They returned, steps and hearts heavy, up the mountain, where they prayed it would be safer. They prayed they weren’t followed. They prayed that help would come; surely the League would spare no expense when it came to their own people? But the help never arrived. They buried their dead alone, and alone they returned home, such that it is.
Years followed, the stillness in the air rose. The winters were harsher than ever, with no warming Pokemon at their hearth. The years were harsh, as the small band of survivors struggled to keep the young children well and engaged. The unspoken mantle of parenthood passed to every adult, and they carried it with dignity and fervour. Mari does not remember a single instance of feeling unloved or forgotten; and never will she forget the warmth and compassion she received in the time of need. Hunger, hunger she remembers well. The days they got by with chewing on a piece of leather, forbidden from eating the snow no matter how thirsty they may have been. Ten of them sharing a single smoked fish, picking the bones clean and cracking it for the marrow until it wasn’t even fit for the earth. The tears they wept in shame and disgrace as they had to strip the dead for the clothing they needed, for survival was the struggle of the ones whose toil had not ended yet.
The first winter came punishingly quick, crushing life like a newborn sapling. It is not the way of the Wild to like movement. Life is an offence to it, for life is movement; and the Wild aims always to destroy movement. It freezes the water to prevent it running to the sea; it drives the sap out of the trees till they are frozen to their mighty hearts; and most ferociously and terribly of all does the Wild harry and crush into submission man--man who is the most restless of life, ever in revolt against the dictum that all movement must in the end come to the cessation of movement. But still Mari toiled on, for they were not dead yet.
Years passed, and the children grew, in time, to take the place of those they had lost. Life waited for no one, and soon they had their hands full with new arrivals to the clan. Always human, never pokemon anymore. And poor Jacket, he never got to hold another baby in his arms again.
Mari could sense it, a change in the lands, a shift in the air. Jacket emanated a new power. Strength, fortitude. One that rang loud and clear in the air… but there were others. More like him, all around. She could sense pokemon and the power they held. Others seemed to be able to do it as well, but none with the precision that Mari could. From her hut, swaddled in sheets, she could sense Jacket arising before anybody else, she could follow, in her mind’s eye, the Noivern that flapped past, paying no heed to the village below. The Cubone that burrowed deep beneath the soil. The Golem stirring in their earthy beds. The world was alive, and her fingers thrummed with its heartbeat.
A new threat made itself apparent, outside the wild pokemon that hungered for any flesh that they could find. A being, known only as The King of the Mountain. A towering beast, big, bigger than Jacket, bigger than perhaps the mountain itself. When it walked, the earth shook, and it roared with the knowledge that it had no challengers. A giant dragon, with glowing eyes and heat pluming at its mouth. It is said that a swipe of its tail would be enough to change the landform of the region forever. Mari had seen it. Yes, she had seen it, once, from afar. A form, rising regally with glowing blue eyes. A tyrant without challenge, a king of death. But as quickly as he rose, he trundled back into the mists, leaving behind only a little girl who had had her world revolutionized. For the King… she could not feel him. She could not sense him. Awe crushed her and palpable fear washed over, but she could not recognize him.
Slowly the music around firesides returned, slowly life sprung anew. The winter will not last forever, and the hunt begins anew. Whether in the city or in the mountains, alone in the woods or tunnels, survival is the same. Prepare, persist, and overcome. Expeditions for food and water were now armed with weapon and tool in place of the familiar guard dog and hunting falcon. They were alone, and nature itself seemed to frown upon them, pressing in from each side like wolves that caught the scent of blood. Life was difficult, and not one they were given the time to fully understand, but Mari had a budding idea.
Many fall in the face of chaos, but not this one. Not today.
She had heard of the Bronze League, once. Once, by a travelling merchant who had the misfortune to trap himself in the unforgiving mountains. The rescued were always in a great hurry to leave, past the profuse gratitude for being saved, but Maribelle had heard enough before he left. A challenge, a test of mettle. Mari could do it. She was strong, fast, determined. If only just a little, a little attention was all she needed, just someone to pay attention, someone to listen to her so she could get her community, her family the help they needed. Supplies, shelter, safety, anything to get them by another day more safely than the last. Anything to ensure the children could grow up with parents. Anything to make sure that someday, perhaps not today or tomorrow, someday they would live in peace, seeing not the poisonous cold around them, but light and warmth. Hearing not the voices of the people they lost along the way, but the sounds of laughter. No more mourning, no more carnage and tears, no more fleeing. There was but one sound that rang in her ears, as she packed her bag full to leave, and it was the sound of rain. Rain in the forest.
Pokemon BIOS Sheet
Name: Avery
Species: Hoothoot
Gender: Male
Ability: Keen Eye
Nature: Timid
Characteristic: Alert to sounds
Appearance: A regular Hoothoot, somewhat small due to its young age. It’s wings appear to be tattered and stunted
Moves: Tackle, Growl, Foresight
Name: Maribelle Glory Everleigh
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Trainer Class : Backpacker
Physical Appearance: Born and raised in what would barely qualify as civilization, Mari grew up an extremely robust and active little girl. Tanned skin, toned muscles and a lithe build, she is always up and on the go. She sports the same dark hair and eyes that she got from her father, and has a smattering of silvery white scars across her body, most prominently on her hands and knees from an active and playful lifestyle. She also has more serious (and often painful in the winter) scars across her back and midriff that have healed unevenly and expose long tearing streaks of glazed over pink flesh. They are no longer painful to the touch, but especially dry bouts of weather do cause her skin to crust painfully.
Clothing: When under shelter, she is not particular about what she wears, often opting for some of her favourite (and therefore faded) loose shirts and shorts, but she has several pairs of full, heavy clothes geared to take on the brunt of winter. She owns two pairs of heavy hiking gear, complete with many layers of fur and wool to keep her warm, covered with suede leather and a pair of goggles and a mask to protect against the biting wind. Mittens and boots included, and she is especially fond of the heavy bottomed leather boots, often opting to wear it to less serious expeditions. She possesses a fiddle and a harmonica, both of which she plays with great skill and gusto. (“Enthusiasm’s half the show!”)
Personality: Rambunctious. Pugnacious. Outgoing. Mari is keenly aware that she’s not like the mainland children. Growing up in a society largely disconnected from technology or even basic amenities like running water and electricity, she is unwillingly sheltered from the outside world, and yearns to know more. Within the community she is a natural leader and often pied pipers the other young boys and girls to her call, but in unknown territory she becomes timid and meek. Raised shy of any kind of bureaucracy and in a community that relied on communication for survival, she is used to blistering honesty and speaks her mind as such. She is quick to anger but equally quick to forgive and move on, and holding a grudge is practically unknown to her. She gets along well with children, and participates actively in upkeeping the community that made themselves family to her.
She is always willing to try new things, and raving to join the expeditions that embark every now and then. She holds a certain awe and healthy respect for the King of the Mountain, and is equally fascinated with Jacket, her clan leaders’ Aggron. Despite her clan’s deep wariness of pokemon, Mari recognizes that accepting their partnership and combining strengths is the way forward, which is considered quite the hot take in her community. While not one to fear judgement, she is self aware enough to feel embarrassment when necessary, and as such is distrustful of city folk. She has exceptionally keen instinct for wild pokemon, even among her mates of the Darkest Day, and has proved invaluable in avoiding more than one potentially deadly encounter. She doesn’t shy away from centring attention on herself and often breaks into silly song and dance to ease tensions and evoke laughter. While being aware of her strong country accent, she has never had reason to doubt it and be embarrassed as long as she was surrounded by like-minded folks. She does, however, deeply detest the system that let her and her family down. Not many seek to travel like Mari does, but the girl is set on a goal and there’s no stopping her.
Backstory: It all began on the Darkest Day. Well, not really. Mari was born as the only child in her small family of father, mother and grandmother. Her community was small, but all members participated equally in caregiving and she found herself several partners of various ages to play with. She never knew loneliness and learnt to welcome the pokemon that wandered in and out of their village. Her hometown, such that it is, itself wasn’t recognized by the league, being classified as a band of gypsies that wandered from location to location, while in reality they had semi permanent settlements up as the seasons allowed. Mari grew up used to frequent travel, and was even handed her tiny little knapsack as soon as she could walk unaided, filled with one stuffed toy and like five sweets to carry and contribute as a clan member. She had never felt more important!
By the age of seven, Maribelle was a grizzled veteran of the mountains. She knew every inch of the two settlements they alternated between. The summer home was obviously her favourite, higher up on the mountains past a tenuous hike, where the wind was crisp and clear and the average temperature was usually well below zero. It was a tiny collection of huts perched on the precipice of a cliff, just enough to house her community, and certainly no more. Mari was always the first to volunteer to head down to the nearest lake, regardless of temperature while the others hesitated, knowing they would have to break the ice to carry back the much coveted water. More than once, she had been too eager to break the thick crust of ice and had fallen through to the murky depths of the freezing lake. Those were tense times, but she’d lived, hadn’t she? Well, not before the clan members nearly killed her for her hubris.
Winter was when the weather was too harsh and unpredictable to stay there anymore, and the annual trek back to the base of the mountains began, a tenuous trip with often no breaks in between that had to be prepared for months in advance. It was usually the children skipping ahead, nary a worry in the world, with the adults slowly bringing up the rear with all manner of important items that couldn’t be left behind. Perishable food, clothing and mattresses, necessary utensils and such. The children quickly learnt to pull their weight and were often laden with sacks that made them stagger. The staggering didn’t last long either, once they discovered how slippery the floor was under a weighted foot, and soon they learnt the slow, steady march of their elders. In the early days, Mari reminisces, they were often accompanied up or down the path with the various strays that had learnt to make friends of the settlers. Stray Cleffa and Geodude would hover along, carefully out of reach, while the more domestic ones like Teddiursa or Magby would stick close to their owners and partners. Pokemon battling wasn’t a very sought after hobby when all your spare energy went towards survival in the wild. Maribelle had often considered why they didn’t leave the inhospitable mountains and make their way to civilization, but the more she got to know of the outside world, the more she realized that the world had no place for them.
It was then as it is now. Jacket was the biggest pokemon visible – then a Lairon, he and the clan leader always tagged along at the end, Jacket either hitched to a cart or tasked with carrying some of the older members who couldn’t make the trek anymore. Mari’s grandmother was one of them, and sometimes as a treat, Jacket would allow her to slip on and get a free ride – until one of the adults saw her, scolded her and wrung an ear or two and let her off. The spirit of a seven year old is indomitable, and she would soon be back to try and sneak another ride on the cloth clad Lairon. Jacket himself did not mind; he was fond of children, and would often try to nuzzle up to newborn babies, unceremoniously pushing his way past the crowd with the strength that belied his gentle taps on the baby.
The Darkest Day struck during summer, which sounds ideal at first. The weather was warm, and suddenly the air was full of screams. Giant pokemon rampaged through the weakly built structures, snapping houses and people alike under their feet like toothpicks. None of the domesticated pokemon held a bond long enough or strong enough to defend against the wild pokemon – the best they could do was spare their owner and run off into the mists. Only one monolith stood between them and destruction. Jacket rose to the occasion and met tooth with claw as a newly evolved Aggron, earning every dent in his armor as a medal, a laurel to his bravery. But alas, even the toughest of pokemon cannot save everyone, and the dead outnumbered the survivors when the dust settled. The sprawling landscape, a Mecca of madness and morbidity. Fear ran rank through the living, and suspicious eyes were turned upon Jacket, now a towering monstrosity in the eyes of man. Mist and blood dropped to the ground alike, like rain in the forest.
The losses were everyones, but some people never recovered from them. Mari and several other children lost their parents, siblings, loved ones… they alone lived on. The clan head was quick to take charge again, rallying the survivors and reinstating order… all the while never turning his back to Jacket. Not anymore. She remembers, they were explicitly forbidden to clamber over his tail or lounge on his warm back, rising and falling with his every breath anymore. The only defendant, the savior was treated the same as the traitor that murdered them as they slept.
They never returned to the summer abode anymore. They returned, steps and hearts heavy, up the mountain, where they prayed it would be safer. They prayed they weren’t followed. They prayed that help would come; surely the League would spare no expense when it came to their own people? But the help never arrived. They buried their dead alone, and alone they returned home, such that it is.
Years followed, the stillness in the air rose. The winters were harsher than ever, with no warming Pokemon at their hearth. The years were harsh, as the small band of survivors struggled to keep the young children well and engaged. The unspoken mantle of parenthood passed to every adult, and they carried it with dignity and fervour. Mari does not remember a single instance of feeling unloved or forgotten; and never will she forget the warmth and compassion she received in the time of need. Hunger, hunger she remembers well. The days they got by with chewing on a piece of leather, forbidden from eating the snow no matter how thirsty they may have been. Ten of them sharing a single smoked fish, picking the bones clean and cracking it for the marrow until it wasn’t even fit for the earth. The tears they wept in shame and disgrace as they had to strip the dead for the clothing they needed, for survival was the struggle of the ones whose toil had not ended yet.
The first winter came punishingly quick, crushing life like a newborn sapling. It is not the way of the Wild to like movement. Life is an offence to it, for life is movement; and the Wild aims always to destroy movement. It freezes the water to prevent it running to the sea; it drives the sap out of the trees till they are frozen to their mighty hearts; and most ferociously and terribly of all does the Wild harry and crush into submission man--man who is the most restless of life, ever in revolt against the dictum that all movement must in the end come to the cessation of movement. But still Mari toiled on, for they were not dead yet.
Years passed, and the children grew, in time, to take the place of those they had lost. Life waited for no one, and soon they had their hands full with new arrivals to the clan. Always human, never pokemon anymore. And poor Jacket, he never got to hold another baby in his arms again.
Mari could sense it, a change in the lands, a shift in the air. Jacket emanated a new power. Strength, fortitude. One that rang loud and clear in the air… but there were others. More like him, all around. She could sense pokemon and the power they held. Others seemed to be able to do it as well, but none with the precision that Mari could. From her hut, swaddled in sheets, she could sense Jacket arising before anybody else, she could follow, in her mind’s eye, the Noivern that flapped past, paying no heed to the village below. The Cubone that burrowed deep beneath the soil. The Golem stirring in their earthy beds. The world was alive, and her fingers thrummed with its heartbeat.
A new threat made itself apparent, outside the wild pokemon that hungered for any flesh that they could find. A being, known only as The King of the Mountain. A towering beast, big, bigger than Jacket, bigger than perhaps the mountain itself. When it walked, the earth shook, and it roared with the knowledge that it had no challengers. A giant dragon, with glowing eyes and heat pluming at its mouth. It is said that a swipe of its tail would be enough to change the landform of the region forever. Mari had seen it. Yes, she had seen it, once, from afar. A form, rising regally with glowing blue eyes. A tyrant without challenge, a king of death. But as quickly as he rose, he trundled back into the mists, leaving behind only a little girl who had had her world revolutionized. For the King… she could not feel him. She could not sense him. Awe crushed her and palpable fear washed over, but she could not recognize him.
Slowly the music around firesides returned, slowly life sprung anew. The winter will not last forever, and the hunt begins anew. Whether in the city or in the mountains, alone in the woods or tunnels, survival is the same. Prepare, persist, and overcome. Expeditions for food and water were now armed with weapon and tool in place of the familiar guard dog and hunting falcon. They were alone, and nature itself seemed to frown upon them, pressing in from each side like wolves that caught the scent of blood. Life was difficult, and not one they were given the time to fully understand, but Mari had a budding idea.
Many fall in the face of chaos, but not this one. Not today.
She had heard of the Bronze League, once. Once, by a travelling merchant who had the misfortune to trap himself in the unforgiving mountains. The rescued were always in a great hurry to leave, past the profuse gratitude for being saved, but Maribelle had heard enough before he left. A challenge, a test of mettle. Mari could do it. She was strong, fast, determined. If only just a little, a little attention was all she needed, just someone to pay attention, someone to listen to her so she could get her community, her family the help they needed. Supplies, shelter, safety, anything to get them by another day more safely than the last. Anything to ensure the children could grow up with parents. Anything to make sure that someday, perhaps not today or tomorrow, someday they would live in peace, seeing not the poisonous cold around them, but light and warmth. Hearing not the voices of the people they lost along the way, but the sounds of laughter. No more mourning, no more carnage and tears, no more fleeing. There was but one sound that rang in her ears, as she packed her bag full to leave, and it was the sound of rain. Rain in the forest.
Pokemon BIOS Sheet
Name: Avery
Species: Hoothoot
Gender: Male
Ability: Keen Eye
Nature: Timid
Characteristic: Alert to sounds
Appearance: A regular Hoothoot, somewhat small due to its young age. It’s wings appear to be tattered and stunted
Moves: Tackle, Growl, Foresight
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I regret opening this. I am now lost in the letters
It would help with the readability
@Grand Master Koop hey, do you mind if I have one of my characters hold back to bond too. In her iterations she spends two years getting to know her Lilipup. Might make it one year this time, but still, I liked that detail for her.
Kyuu my question.
I don't personally mind it, I was going to make Joan 19 years old but then settled on 18 to have a smaller age gap. I think spending more time to prepare is the smarter thing to do.
That and your Pokemon is closer to you, XD. That's why Hilda is doing it. To form a stable bond.
No one else had the idea to do this.
I'll give you an approximate road map in a few.
Also note that a PokeMart has been added to the first post. Please check it! I'll add the rest later
Impatient hooligans recklessly going off on your adventures at the earliest possible opportunity.
So the Road map goes something like this:
- Starter
- Second Pokemon.
- Third Pokemon (those who took time to bond their starter)
- First Gym
- Third pokemon (everyone else)
- Second Gym
- Third Gym
- Fourth Pokemon
- Fourth Gym
- Fifth Pokemon
- Fifth Gym
- Sixth Pokemon
- Sixth Gym
- Seventh Gym
- Eight Gym
- 6+
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Proposition to lower getting a guaranteed Pokémon with the hidden ability we want to the third gym? We’re likely gonna have to have at least four Pokémon before the fourth gym if we go by this roadmap. Those of us who want more Pokémon with hidden abilities will have to either grind for it beforehand, essentially making the guaranteed one pointless or sacrifice a build that we might want. Plus according to the roadmap, we get our fourth Pokémon after the third gym anyways while we only get our fifth after the fifth gym instead of the fourth for some reason.