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Reviews for Sinners: Arc 2

By : Stormborn Apostle
  • From RoboRed on May 25, 2008
    Once again, a marvelous (mega)chapter in the Sinners series, and it was well worth the wait (the penguins were becoming restless...). I like the way that this is being written out, with the inclusion of Flannery & Blaziken, and the mysterious red-haired figure (methinks Lance, but I could be wrong), it ever more illustrates the fact that Slash is not the only one involved in this. I can't wait to see more of what happens from Flannery's POV (in both ways...you know what I mean. :P). As usual, the sex was great, though this one was a quickie. It's also really cool that Slash can now actually 'hear' his poke'mon talking now.

    And of couse you've left the story with a cliffhanger again, and with something I never once expected. I thought that Gardie would end up with a serious wound. And now I am definitely hooked into waiting really actively for the next chapter (as if I wasn't already :P). The good thing though is that we all know Gardie's gonna live (possibly with an interesting twist in the storyline though), the story can't go on without her. She's an integral part of Sinners.

    ---
    On the other hand though...if she did die, the story would take a very dark turn...and I DO like dark...>:D

    P.S. I wish there would have been a bit more of ass-kicking done by Slash. (sorry...in my book, a knife throw to the leg counts as a great move, not an ass-kicking.)
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  • From ANON - Hsda MK. II on May 25, 2008
    You've really never played Exalted, huh? Massive coincidence in all the parallels, though. Ah, whatever, the universe was made on coincidences.

    [insanity]
    [pointless rant about exalted that won't make sense to anyone]
    My belief is that Slash is a Twilight Solar bonded to Psymakio, who is a Full Moon Lunar, as they live in a world ruled by Dragon-Blooded-Trainers and must pose among them or be slain as Anathema. This would take place during a warped Third Age, where pokemon are what became of the Lesser Spirits, and the Celestial Incarnae/Dragons became the Legendaries. (Perhaps Lunars became pokemon, or pokemon can be one of their True forms and due to the lack of the Wyld they can't transform out of it, and eventually forgot about it)
    And Kiako seems to be a Dusk Caste Abyssal, who was cast down from a potential position among the Deathlords and is chaotically working his way back up, albeit with his own Celestial Monstrance built into himself.
    [/pointless rant about exalted that won't make sense to anyone]

    Also, on an unrelated note, whenever I think about Kiako's character, I can only see him looking like Alucard from Hellsing. Except less casual and less crucifix-laden.
    [/insanity]
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  • From Bishonen on May 25, 2008
    At last new chapter from the stuff with Flannery I take it that a lot of people can talk with their pokemon regardless of type and I suspect that they have a relationship that’s more than trainer and pokemon.

    I wonder how would Slash’s parents react I mean a lot of people in the real world make funny of furries and even worse in the Sinners world at the very least they’d disown him and I don’t even want to think of the worst outcome.

    Oh one thing I think I know who the King, Shadow, And Interloper are I’m not saying for now but I’ 99% sure of it.

    So the second character you’ve brought in is Lance I wonder what will he do later on I mean he’s one of the best trainers going so I bet he’ll be important for the whole battle that’s coming up soon right?

    The voice that Psymaiko heard is something that won’t have it’s nature reveled for a while I just know it but I also know that what ever it is it has something to do with their past lives that have been mentioned right ? Just like Kiako I don’t know what it is exactly I just know that it has some connection to who they were that’s very important to who they are and will become.

    I love the whole shield thing to keep the sand away I love anything that has to do with defense because I believe that a good defense is the best strategy because it doesn’t matter who strong the attack if it can’t get trough than it useless so I’m willing to bet that she’ll have to protect everyone from something very soon .

    I think he should of at least let the Sandshrew travel with them for a littlie while as more or less a guide at least until they got closer to the exit and as for the seventh member I think it will be one of the types slash doesn’t have yet so that the pack will be more balanced.

    The barrier blocking Slash’s kiss was really cut and funny I could just picture him bouncing back a short distance because of it and her littlie squeal of surprise was just a cute. I just love the way they tease each other like that and I can’t wait to see how much he will be able to do with his powers I’m sure he’ll be able to surpass what he did in Afterglow later on in the plot.

    Ah man she masturbated when she was a Kirlia that make’s me think of a lot of pics I saw on AD I whish that you hadn’t waited this long to tell us about that I’d have loved to know about what she was doing. And that whole thing about if he’d walked in own her is one of my most common fantasies catching a girl like that and getting to do all kinds of things.

    I can’t believe that the only thing that was lost was the antidote poor Psymaiko I hope she doesn’t have to suffer very long and that Electrike doesn’t have any trouble at all I mean I know that they’ll get trough this but still…

    All in all I have to say that like all ways this chapter was great and I can’t wait for the next one which hopefully won’t take as long as this one because I hate to wait. Oh and one last thing that has nothing to do with anything I think that Magikarp is one of the best pokemon ever and if pokemon were real I’d be able to win nearly ever battle with a level one Magikarp by whacking the other person upside the head with it.

    With Eternal Love, Imasuky Lomae
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  • From ANON - Araquiell on May 25, 2008
    Ah! Quite an interesting chapter! I was just htinking about youre story earlier last night, wondering if you were still out there. xD I was quite pleased with the length of the chapter, I always enjoy a nice long read, and you packed quite a lot into it, and stopped it at a great part! I can't wait until you post up the next chapter, so exciting! Goodluck in writing it!
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  • From Stormborn Apostle on May 25, 2008
    zeroharm---Glad that you like it. I was not intending to give that attribute to Flannery when I began writing...it just sort of happened. Actually, it fucked up a lot of my later plans, and I had to re-organize several of the chapters ahead in the Fallarbor mini-arc; you'll see why when I finished it, heh.

    Flannery is hawt. Seriously.
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  • From Stormborn Apostle on May 25, 2008
    Xain---If Kiako obtained what he really wanted---divinity---nothing on earth could stop him. Unfortunately for him, and all the characters of Sinners, no one really knows just what they're racing to obtain. Different people have different pieces, but all would be surprised if enough of the fragmented stories came together.

    Hsda Mk. II---No, I have not played it. The characters of Slash, Psymakio, and Kiako come straight from my head; the concept of auras and communication is influenced by a combination of two of two favorite fanfictions, Forbidden and Live And Let Die, along with my own nutty brain, heh.

    Jirachi may. We all know that Jirachi is a real Pokemon, but the characters of Sinners are not so sure. The question to consider isn't whether or not it exists, but whether or not it's really a god.

    Kitsune_Writer---Glad you enjoy! :-D

    chaoslord---I TOOK SO LONG :'(

    And ha, that's cool. I would love to play an Emerald game with the Sinners team, but I play on an emulator, so I can't trade a Graveler to get it to evolve. I'd have to raise two separate Pokemon---one Geodude/Graveler and one Golem. :-(

    Ek---Ha, I am so sorry that I took so long to respond, especially since I sent you an e-mail promising to reply in a short amount of time. Better late than never, I suppose...

    Hopefully my response will clear some things up.

    Yes, Pokemon is fucking crazy. There are some issues with certain battle mechanics and Pokemon that I will either avoid completely or adjust for my own needs. For example, in Sinners-canon, there are no male Gardevoir---the species evolution branches are based on gender, not stones. There are no male Kirlia, but I don't mention what the male evolution for Ralts is, because while I DO want to be a little logical, I also DON'T want to be a dork and make up my own Pokemon, lol. No offense to any authors who do create fanfic-exclusive Pokemon, it's just how I work, heh.

    I'll handle Psychokinesis and Immunities at the same time. In Sinners, Psychic is a basic blast of psychic energy. Like many attacks, it can be adjusted by its wielder to be stronger or weaker, although it's an inherently better form of lower-class psychic attacks like Confusion, meaning that a full-power Psychic will always be stronger than a full-power Confusion coming from the same Pokemon.

    Immunities are not necessarily absolute in Sinners; I like to think of it as closer to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, where x0 attacks can do SOME damage, however low, in certain circumstances.

    While I won't cover every combo, here's a few examples.

    Psychic is utterly ineffective against dark, as they are polar opposites. Dark Pokemon came about due to a certain event in Sinners canon that will be revealed later in the story. Some Pokemon, such as Mewtwo, have developed a single defense against dark types---Miracle Eye---but in the absence of that ability (which, in Sinners, is an extremely advanced and energy-consuming power), psychic attacks can never damage dark. Does that mean that Mewtwo, in his god-like glory, couldn't Psychic-blast a baby Poochyena? Yes. But why would he need to? Mewtwo ain't stupid, he isn't going to waste time or energy with that. He could easy rely on one of his non-psychic abilities, which would be more than adequate, or (as you suggested) just throw something at it with its telekinesis, using its powers to get around the negation. Why channel a hugely powerful blast of energy when you can just drop a rock on them?

    Similarly, ground is utterly immune to electricity. I admit that this is a little not-so-secret obsession of mine, lol. While I could have electricity do damage to ground in some situations and have it still be plausible, it works just as well otherwise...plus...well, you know why. Liek, use thundershock okay is not canon in terms of Sinners, obviously, but it adequately explains my...bitterness...towards the anime and their selective mechanics, lol.

    For an example of where immunity is not absolute: flying's immunity to ground. Ground attacks aren't as effective against flying types in Sinners, but obviously an Earthquake is going to hit anything on the ground and a Mud Shot that doesn't miss is going to do damage. In this particular case, it's more like flying has an inherent advantage over ground mainly because...well, they're up, and most ground types are down.

    Immunities and type interaction will generally be considered as the situation demands it. There's no canon for Rotom being unable to cross through dry ground, for example, but it's not unreasonable.

    Dark/Psychic dichotomy is the only big non-negotiable point---and the reasoning behind it will be clear in time.

    Next, Giovanni. I can clear this up easily: no, Giovanni has no powers of his own, I was referring to his Pokemon. Ambiguous, yeah, but I liked making Giovanni sound very bad-ass, and saying "Giovanni's [insert Pokemon here] easily defeated Kiako" wouldn't be as cool, lol. That doesn't mean Kiako didn't go after Giovanni, though.

    I'm not sure when I'll fully describe the encounter in the story, but I can give the gist of it here without being a killer spoiler. Kiako, fleeing from those who hunted him as an abomination, came into conflict with Rocket while on the run, and killed a shitload of agents. Giovanni himself stepped in and used his Pokemon to bring Kiako to his knees. Kiako, battered but defiant, fires a psychic blast at Giovanni himself (while he is not as powerful as a decent psychic Pokemon---not in stable terms, anyway---he is still capable of basic attacks). The blast has no effect, though---it is dissipated right before hitting Giovanni.

    When I discuss this in Sinners, it will be to showcase just how advanced Team Rocket has become over the years. The remaining agents number less than a hundred, but all are very smart and armed with incredibly powerful Pokemon (that, in some cases, have been artificially enhanced). They have also developed anti-psychic technology for certain applications. The device is worn on the body and creates a sort of dark-energy shield to protect the wearer. It isn't perfect---while it can block psychic attacks of any magnitude (not making a difference if it's a Ralts using Confusion or Mewtwo using Psychic, as it uses dark energy that fully negates it), it can fail at inopportune times, and is generally a fragile technology (meaning that most Rocket Pokemon can't use it, as it would be easily shattered. While it doesn't make Rocket strong enough to capture Giovanni's escapee, it does put them on almost equal par with it.

    Long story short, Kiako gets whupped, Kiako tries to whup Giovanni, Kiako fails, Giovanni prevails.

    Incidentally, even I am not sure what would happen if Kiako rebelled in the current story time setting. The battle between Kiako and Giovanni occurred three years prior to the events of Sinners. Kiako was much less powerful at the time---not only because he wasn't fully matured yet, but also because he never had anyone to teach him how to use his strange abilities. It never connected in Kiako's mind why Giovanni would know how to help him develop. But it may.

    Conversely, Giovanni is fully aware of what the consequences could be if Kiako, as he is now, were to betray him. Hence why he maintains a close relationship with him---staying on his good side.

    If the two came to blows, though...well. Heh. It would be pretty big.

    As for Slash, a lot of your assumptions rest on Giovanni being an ass-kicker himself (not saying that he's weak; for his age, he's a hell of a lot tougher than most). Just because he isn't doesn't mean that the power between the main forces is not in (or out) of balance.

    Kiako is pretty tough, even without his Pokemon team. However, he lacks stability---something that will become extremely apparent in the next chapter. He is driven by a craving for a power that he knows he should have, but lacks.

    Giovanni is a more potent trainer than Kiako, and while he lacks the abilities that make Red Eyes so dangerous, his wealth, technology, and previous experience with another loose-cannon psychic creation makes him equally formidable. What Giovanni wants is power, as well, but what he desires is a mystery. For now.

    Psymakio and Slash are both powerful, but, like the antagonists, they're powerful in different ways. Obviously Psymakio is the fighter---her psychic abilities are far more advanced than any human, even Slash, could ever hope to achieve. However, she is still a psychic Pokemon, however gifted---she may have their strengths, but she also has their weaknesses.

    Slash may not be able to Psybeam something, but his power is nonetheless real (and keep in mind that it's only recently emerged). The latest chapter hints at something that will be made more clear later---Slash can prog dark Pokemon, something no psychic is supposed to be able to do. Obviously his dual-hearted nature has something to do with it. That ability, the ability to interact with dark Pokemon and dark energy, will develop significantly as the story goes on.

    In a way, Slash is a lot like Kiako---he feels that his life has some grander purpose, but he knows not what that purpose is. All I can say is that things will change when the lines of force reach Fallarbor, and that, by the end of things, anyone who challenges Slash will quickly learn that he doesn't have to hide behind his mate.

    As for why Slash is not fully comfortable with his new abilities...without going into it too much, it's his dark side. Before he was only capable of causing so much trouble when he lost his temper---nearly killing a man with a knife, for example. He has no clue what might happen if he looses control with this new power within him---and the consequences of losing himself to the dark heart will become clear in Fallarbor. And he will lose a part of himself in the process.

    There's a gigantic spoiler that I could give, but I'll say this: the inherent natures of Slash and Kiako are exactly the same. When the readers discover Kiako's greatest sin against the world, realize the implication: Slash is capable of the exact same thing. The only difference is that, while Kiako has embraced the dark of his heart, Slash is still trying to cling to the light. And only his love for his mate might be able to save him, her, and everyone else he cares about.

    It's obviously not a secret: Slash and Kiako will come into conflict in Fallarbor. While Slash finds himself drawn to hunting Kiako, the red-eyed man doesn't yet see Slash as a threat. What happens in Fallarbor will change both of them significantly.

    And, incidentally, I haven't forgotten about Kiako's remarks about Psymakio far earlier in the story.

    Trainers will become targets---Watson's actions of the past and Slash's actions of the future will net them as targets; them, not their Pokemon. And I will not guarantee that both of them, or either of them, will survive.

    Please believe me on this, everyone: no character in Sinners is immortal, no matter how much I wish they were. I will try my best to keep anything terrible from happening, but everyone will be tested. Some will fail---I can say that with certainty, and the casualties will not always be nameless one-off characters that no one cares about. No one character can carry the day. Both humans and Pokemon will die if they try to do it alone.

    (Incidentally, if you ever want real spoilers, e-mail me and I can tell you if you want. I know that a lot of stuff isn't clear and I'm doing a lot of 'take my word for it', but it will eventually be revealed as the story continues.)

    Anon---Glad you like it. Sorry the latest chapter took so damn long...I got distracted, lol. The next installment will not take as long---the only reason I stopped 21 where I did was for time and size reasons.

    StarPika555---Heh, don't expect any relation between Sinnoh canon and Sinners. Remember that I don't own Diamond or Pearl, so I'm utterly clueless. Those legends do look cool, though.

    My version of the ancient world of Hoenn is probably way, way off-base from anything the games suggest...

    Anon---I'm happy that you like it! :3

    Anon---Well, my birthday is on December 19, so...who knows, lol. I was intending to write a Christmas special last year, but my computer died in December and fucked up all my plans. This year there will almost certainly be some sort of special for it.

    CrazyIvan---It was a good review, indeed. I hate that I can't answer every question, and many of the questions are answered with "you'll see later", but unless people want major spoilers, I can't say too much. I'm happy to discuss spoilers and stuff with people over e-mail, but it's up to them whether or not they want me to ruin the surprises.

    chaoslord---here, lol

    Imasuky Lomae---Here I am, rock you like a hurricane

    Also, I would love to run a Gardevoir massage parlor. Or soapland. :-D
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  • From ANON - zeroharm on May 25, 2008
    Have to say this was worth the extra time :-) Can't wait to see what you have in store for us next time. We have finally met another group of "sinners" and I assume things just get more hectic from here. Looking forward to the next one.
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  • From Bishonen on May 18, 2008
    I want to open a daycare center now.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JZzKJTng1U

    With Eternal Love, Imasuky Lomae
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  • From Bishonen on May 16, 2008
    Update soon the pandas are getting restless and if there’s not a new chapter soon there going to your home town you’ll know when they get there because all the pets will begin to disappear.

    With Eternal Love, Imasuky Lomae
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  • From dooomdude on May 14, 2008
    Slash where are you?! WE MISS YOU!!!!
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  • From CrazyIvan on May 07, 2008
    Ek, I have only rarely seen sucha review, and the kind of review you left was excelent. I can already tell you are exceptionaly intelligent, and you hav a damn good eye for detail.
    Personaly, I love to read reviews like that, you adressed every issue that you had, and then some. I find it utterly fantastic.
    Several of the points I whole heartedly agree on. Total immunity is just not right, like you said, extreemly high ressitance would be much better. A mewtwo not being able to damage or ko a poochyena is rediculous.
    Oh, and your thoughts on character delvelopment/progression. I had never though about many of those things.
    I myself, kind of found a loop hole in the trainer not being powerful him/her self predicament because my character is primarily a Government agent, and secondarily a trainer. (I'd really like it if you would leave a review on my story, Pokemon: A Criminal Conspiracy. You're by no means obligated, but I'd really apreciate it)

    Well, that's all I have to say for now, well, just one more thing.
    Some of us down here, especialy me, would like to shake your hand and buy you a drink.

    Semper phi, carry on...
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  • From ANON - Anon on May 04, 2008
    Above anon here. Just reading the review page I noticed this:

    "Slash's (birrhday) is on December 23"

    Thats the day before my birthday.

    Does slash get a 3 day long chirstmas party?
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  • From ANON - Anon on May 04, 2008
    Wonderful story Slash.
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  • From ANON - Anon on April 27, 2008
    Hey Slash! The story is awesome so far but uh....Did you happen to die or something? The last updatemade to arc two of Sinners was in January I believe. Where the hell are you man?
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  • From ANON - Ek on April 24, 2008
    Here's my second attempt to submit this review. Hopefully it makes it through the form unscathed this time. I'm sorry for any inconvenience.

    For anyone who hasn't actually read all the available chapters, this review contains plenty of spoilers.

    I apologize in advance for such a ridiculously long and verbose review, but I do have trouble with stating my thoughts concisely. Needless to say, I doubt I could write a story. As such, I like to intersperse my larger posts and reviews with section headers to ease navigating my chaotic thoughts and allow people to skip what they're not interested in.

    Perhaps I should apologize more for the content. I have no delusions that this review will necessarily be a pleasant read.

    INTRODUCTION:

    I've been extremely impressed with your story, one of the best fanfics I've ever read, easily the best erotic fanfic I've read, and quite possibly the best erotic story of any type I've read. Your story touched me deeply, something which hasn't happened in years. However, I'm sure there are already plenty of gushing reviews. I'm here for constructive criticism.

    Please bear in mind that while this review focuses on negatives, this is merely a reflection of my own personality. I love your story and will continue reading regardless.

    The reason for this review is that my suspension of disbelief may be in the process of stretching uncomfortably. When reading a story, the reader agrees to accept certain core premises which may otherwise be unrealistic, such as the existence of psychic powers. What's important is that these premises are internally consistent, and this is the source of my tension.

    POKEMON IS CRAZY:

    I think we can agree that the Pokemon canon is mildly schizophrenic at best. Here are some entertaining examples from the flavor text for various pokemon.

    * Medicham meditates as much as possible and survives on a single berry per month. Of course, energy has to come from somewhere, so apparently Medicham eats meditation.

    * Alakazam has an IQ of 5000 and perfect memory. How is it possible for Alakazam to lose at anything, and more importantly how are we not under their control?

    * Hitmonchan punches too fast to be seen with the naked eye, faster than bullet trains. Bullet trains? Really? You'd think creatures that fall to more mundane power levels would physically explode when faced with these attacks. Likewise, something capable of delivering such power (like, say, Superman) would have to be nigh indestructible itself.

    In light of this foolishness, I happily discard a lot of the official canon and craft my own mythology, or just follow yours. It is therefore not surprising that I fully support you if you bend the rules. However, as I suggested before, the new mythology must be internally consistent, the very factor which leads me to so quickly discard the official canon.

    PSYCHOKINESIS:

    From what I understand the game skill 'Psychic' is essentially psychokinesis. This raises the question of why a psychic pokemon wouldn't try to attack a dark pokemon by psychokinetically hurling a nearby rock at it. I like to see characters fight smart, in this case by subtly exploiting the semantics of type vulnerabilities. Rock isn't immune to psychic and dark isn't immune to rock. Just something to think about.

    IMMUNITIES:

    I enjoyed "Liek, use thundershock okay". It was hilarious. While this may seem like it belongs in a review for that story, I only bring it up because one part brought to mind an issue I've always had with Pokemon.

    --
    "You fucking idiot! What is your problem!?" Brock shouted. "Onix is a ground type. You could be a level 255 ZAPDOS WITH A MAGNET AND USE THUNDER AND STILL NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN!"
    --

    Level 255 Zapdos? Really? Wow, okay, I guess according to the "rules" its electrical attacks still wouldn't deal damage, but these are just the sort of rules I wouldn't mind seeing bent. What sprang to my mind is how much electrical power it would take to turn sand into glass, or even just outright vaporize something. I've never been too keen on the concept of total immunity. I can accept extremely high resistance to the point that attempting an attack is in general ESSENTIALLY worthless, but being completely unaffacted by any power level is just ridiculous.

    Does this mean a pokemon with flash fire could survive a nuclear blast? Well, no, you could argue, it would be pulverized by the pressure differential. That is precisely my point. Even if something could somehow be entirely immune to an attack conceptually, they're not necessarily protected from the ancillary effects of the attack. Remember that the lethality of conventional explosives is primarily in the impact and not the heat. A powerful fire attack is going to cause a mean pressure differential. A powerful electrical attack is going to cause tremendous heat. As previously mentioned, a psychic attack can pummel you with the surrounding environment. More directly, if a psychokinetic blast is strong enough, or simply appropriately focused, you should already be dealing impact damage from air alone. I could go on, but the point has been illustrated.

    What I'm getting at is simply that I'm not comfortable with the idea of total immunity and what it suggests. From what I can gather, you're probably going to be using total immunity as a plot point, especially in the upcoming desert. It just seems artificial to me, and it is something I'll be thinking about as I read, affecting my suspension of disbelief. Maybe I just read too much into these things, but you yourself have expressed a desire for realism.

    CHARACTER POWERS:

    Some of my problems revolve around the vaguely defined power levels of the human(ish) characters, the confusing ambitions of Slash in particular, and what the future holds for the story's protagonists. I'll start with a quote from the story.

    --
    Hence why he accepted Giovanni's offer.

    He didn't really have a choice, of course. The two had come to blows on top of that mountain, yes...and the dark man had utterly destroyed him. But instead of finishing him, and instead of walking away, Giovanni had merely pointed to the sweeping vista below them. And then he had said the words that had changed his life.

    "All that you see can be yours...if you fall on your knees and worship me."

    And gods, the way he said it, the power the man exuded...it left no doubt in his mind that Giovanni was capable of his offer. Humbled and desperate, he'd done as he said.
    --

    Existing canon suggests that Giovanni, aside from the power he wields through his criminal enterprise, is a mere human, unaugmented. Here in the story, however, he has not only defeated but "utterly destroyed" Kiako, a being who can quite fairly be described as a demigod. My question, unsurprisingly, is how? Unless the above exerpt counts, there's been no foreshadowing suggesting Giovanni has been physically modified, so I think I might be a little disappointed if such were suddenly revealed, although I concede that the right setup could make it awesome.

    Here's the thing though: I'd be FAR MORE disappointed to learn that Giovanni defeated Kiako with pokemon. Once we're dealing with an evil demigod like Kiako, it is simply too difficult to believe that he would not attack the opposing trainer directly, and not succeed spectacularly with stomach churning results.

    SLASH'S POWERS; ALSO, COMPLAINING:

    The above issue segues into the problem that actually compelled me to post. My biggest problem stems from one of your responses on this reviews page.

    --
    Yep. Slash's blossoming abilities will never reach the point where he can fight like a Pokemon. He'll have some gifts, yeah, but never will Slash Psybeam someone. He's much more inclined to just beat the crap out of them or shank them.
    --

    For this I ask, unsurprisingly, why? It's been shown that Psymakio is special ever since she evolved early (both times) to save Slash. It's been increasingly suggested that Slash is special, and then explicitly stated in the Valentine's oneshot (which I realize is not necessarily canon). Psymakio has shown the ability to protect Slash by simultaneously rendering braindead three separate attackers. While this alone suggests awesome power, it seems unlikely that Kiako would fall so easily, and thus by extension I would assume Giovanni would somehow be even more dangerous.

    Slash has already shown rudimentary psychokinesis. Why must Slash be confined to the kiddy league, while even Giovanni punches with the heavyweights? While I'm not suggesting Slash could be as powerful as a pokemon, I like to believe an ideal pairing represents something not entirely unlike an equal partnership, but Slash would just be a liability in battle for Psymakio. Of course the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and our greatest power comes from defending something greater than ourselves. In this case, the "something greater" would be their bond, even before being explicitly connected; I can imagine Psymakio saving the day with her need to defend Slash, as has happened in the past, but it's just going to leave a sour taste in my mouth to know that the main protagonist is either dead weight or the distressed damsel.

    The issue really gets difficult to swallow when considering the inevitable battles with these godlike monsters, who aren't exactly likely to fight fair. As suggested before, with Slash out of his league, there's nothing stopping Kiako from just killing him outright with one of his special attacks. My problem is that I'm going to have an extremely hard time believing the situation when that DOESN'T happen simply because that's not how the plot goes. Raise character shields.

    LAZY HERO:

    Finally, and most importantly, you say that Slash is "much more inclined" to fight physically. The suggestion that it's a matter of inclination is what really doesn't sit well with me. If you were to tell me that his limitation is his own human potential, I'd sit back and take it, but that's decidedly not what you're telling me, nor is it what the story is moving to suggest.

    I've already seen in Slash less enthusiasm to develop progging than I personally would show. My greatest difficulty will be to reconcile the contradictory character who "jumps at the call" of heroism while simultaneously "refusing the call" of improving his powers for the heroic ordeals ahead. I've seen it before as a way to contrive additional drama by artificially handicapping the protagonists, and I sometimes just get fed up and leave. I don't see that happening here because what you have remains simply too good to pass up, but I'll still be disappointed.

    If you had access to the sorts of powers becoming available to Slash, would you not try to develop them as much as possible? Even imagine that you don't seek power for power's sake. We've already seen Slash's fisticuffs entirely fail him once. Would he not want to be able to help defend Psymakio? Indeed, Slash has already subtly expressed the desire to protect Psymakio at any cost, as the following exerpt illustrates.

    --
    "That's why it was so hard for me to decide what to do when Corphish went down. It's so hard to choose the 'greater good' when it's one of my friends' lives on the line..."

    (And if it was you laying near-dead in my arms, I don't think I would have made the same decision...)
    --

    I understand you're probably worried about Slash becoming a Marty Stu. I personally suspect, or maybe just hope, that most of your readers aren't that worried. The fact is, the protagonists and the antagonists are SUPPOSED to be in a league above the common man. This trope is as old as storytelling itself. Some Enlightenment thinkers feel this paradigm is intellectually and sociologically stifling, but the espoused alternative, quite frankly, is boring. The alternative is also implausible, and I could write an entire article on why the classic trope is a classic. In any case, critics who dismiss a story solely on the grounds of the tropes it uses are elitists who have little interest in judging a work on its merit in the first place.

    I realize, of course, most pokemon trainers have no personal powers whatsoever, but they're not engaging in life and death battles between good and evil. I find it extremely hard to believe that in such an uncontrolled and dire scenario the trainers themselves wouldn't become primary targets, or even simply be demolished by collateral damage. This situation is especially severe when the evil trainers are in fact themselves downright superpowered.

    At this point, I feel the need to mention that you did take the high road, or at least the road less traveled, by having Psymakio lose to Rotom. The same is true for Kiako falling to Rayquaza. Just because the main characters are in a league above others doesn't mean they have to succeed at everything, and indeed this kind of misunderstanding is what makes characters such as Superman so intensely boring. Omnipotence kills drama. I hope you don't take my lengthy criticisms in the wrong light; your storytelling is already itself in a league above many professional writers, something I am simultaneously impressed and saddened to say.

    SUMMARY:

    My issues with total immunities remain strong, but I'm capable of sucking it up if the plot demands it. My biggest issue will be with character development.

    The bond between Slash and Psymakio is a streak of the truest idealism, but the world they live in is anything but ideal. In my opinion, this contrast forms a beautiful foundation for your engaging plot. Bad things will happen to and around the protagonists; this much you have made clear. Drama is of course interesting.

    The major question I want to ask you, and I hope you ask yourself, is this: do you want Psymakio, Slash, and the rest of their team to overcome the obstacles they face together? ... or do you want Psymakio and the rest of the pokemon to overcome the obstacles they face with Slash just carrying the pokeballs and somehow not dying? While the latter course is certainly tried and true by the standards of the anime, I'm not sure that's exactly a ringing endorsement.
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