rate_review Reviews

A bullet point response to your response, Slash. :P

- Not Lance? Awww....

- LANCE IS T3H AWESOEM. And nothing will change that....unless his image is damaged by him doing something immasculine, like "My Little Ponyta" or something. :P

- Flannery is indeed awesome. Orgy with Flannery? Mmmm...delicious...

- What did I say? There's always a twist.

- I know perfectly well that Gardie's not gonna die, but still can (as with anyone else in the story). I was just voicing out a point that if she DID happen to die (and the story DID happen to continue), I would be half-affected because the resulting storyline (given Slash's already half-dark and unstable personality) would be so deliciously dark I would probably splooge just reading it. I love tragedy. BUT WORRY NOT, PEOPLE. I WISH NO DELIBERATE HARM TO FAIR GARDIE. It's just all up to Slash's crazy muse...

- Yaaaaays! Ass-kicking!

- Really? I must reread...

Anyways, keep up the good work!

To anyobne who likes Lance he cheats and i have proof

Lance has battles with two illegal Pokémon. The Aerodactyl that knows Rock Slide that he uses in Gold, Silver, and Crystal, and the Dragonite that knows Barrier that he uses in Red and Blue. Furthermore, all his Dragonite from Generation II are underlevelled.

I got that of of Bulbapedia

With Eternal Love, Imasuky Lomae

Hmmm...
Miyako means beautiful night child, and was the name basis for Psymakio... Falls in line with the reincarnation idea...
I wonder what the voice was. I can only think legendary pokemon, but which one could it be? [Personally, my hopes say Regigigas, but that doesn't seem likely. Regigigas never seems important :(]
Speaking of, do you even use Fourth-gen pokemon in this fic, or just the first three? Sinnoh is a ways from Hoenn, indeed.

And I would find it completely hilarious if Jirachi actually acts like it was a god and Jirachism really was it's decree. I wonder how Arceus would feel about that?
Hm, if pokemon were to get married, would it be 'Under Arceus'?
(Continues to babble to self)

A.n.y.w.a.y... I hope we get to see more of the other pokemon's personalities, now that Psymakio has allowed them to talk to Slash and the audience.

Oh shit...! Not Gardevoir! I gotta find out what's gonna happen next! Please update real soon!

Araquiell---Sometimes I wonder whether I should continue with occasionally-updated but very long chapters, or switch to often-updated but shorter ones. I don't know how everyone else feels, but when I see that one of my favorite fics has been updated, I like to see a long chapter that lets me lay back for a while and enjoy. I dunno, lol.

Vyers---I thought about stopping after the sex, but I wanted to be a dick and show what happens to people who fuck and forget that there are FUCKING WALKING CACTI IN THE AREA. :-(

I don't intend to die before finishing it, lol, but if I do...hm, maybe I should make a notepad document with the basic sketch of the entire story, and decree in my will to have it sent out in the event of me getting squished by a car or something...

Incidentally, my favorite author, Stephen King, got hit by a van and almost got killed in 1999---lots of people were worried that he'd die before finishing the Dark Tower series. Thankfully he kept on trucking, heh.

Imasuky Lomae---Flannery and Blaziken are not true complete mates yet---they've gotten it on, but haven't finalized the deal with their ultimate bonding ceremony. Reason? Blaziken matings leave a physical mark on the female, and although it's small and not like, inscribed on the forehead or anything, a Gym Leader can't afford to have that kind of evidence on them.

Will they become full mates later? Maybe, heh.

Slash and Psymakio ARE going to visit Slash's family eventually---perhaps shortly after the Fallarbor storyline concludes, even (which should be only three or four more chapters). It'll be a pretty pivotal scene---almost as pivotal as when Kiako finds out about it.

You can e-mail me about your suspicions and I can confirm/deny if you want. The King should be obvious; the Shadow, pretty obvious; the Interloper, not very obvious, although people getting the plotmails might have a better clue (I need to send out another one, incidentally).

Unfortunately, you're wrong about Lance. It is not Lance, lol---he's not the only fuck in Pokeland to own a Dragonite, ya know. XD

As for who it is...well, it might be a bit harder to guess than other stuff, because I've taken enormous liberties with the character (re-wrote the canon history/personality for him, made up a totally different Pokemon team, etc). The red hair is the best clue, as there's only so many redheads in Pokemon.

And no, it's not a sex-changed Misty. Although that would be fucking hilarious.

The voice that Psymakio heard is very important, yes. The pack will visit the desert again later in the story, venturing into its heart instead of hugging the perimeter, and what they find will change everything. While the speaker is related to both of them in a way, it's more closely connected to Psymakio---hence why only she could hear it.

Gardie (I decided to introduce the little pet-name from Come Whatever Storms into Sinners, since it's so cute, heh) and her shields are pretty cool, yes, but not perfect. Even though she got caught by surprise at the end of the chapter, she would have been fucked even if she had raised a shield---Dark Pokemon and attacks are unaffected by psychic-created shields. Poor thing.

You know, I was actually considering changing my outline (and, considering the importance of the final Pokemon, the entire story) by having the Sandshrew replace the Pokemon I intended to be the seventh pack member. But nah, I just love the future ally too much to replace it. The most important thing about the Sandshrew scene is this: Slash is espousing views that directly contradict the views of both society and nature. And yet they often work. Consider his role as a free-thinker and peace-bringer as the story goes on---it will help you understand his true role in the world more quickly.

I came up with Slash's new views of training because of a little daydream I had a while ago, of Slash capturing every trainer-injured Pokemon he passes on a route, bringing them to a Pokemon Center, and later releasing all of them at once. Sort of cleaning up after the trainers who don't give a shit and cut through the local ecosystem.

There may be a Slash/Kirlia oneshot sometime. I intended for Psymakio to be a Kirlia a lot longer in Sinners, but...my muse had different ideas. So I got some leftover ideas about that pairing that I can use somewhere. :-D

MAGIKARP, USE A SPLASH ATTACK

Hsda MK. II---Nope, I haven't, lol. Game sounds cool yet complicated, heh.

RoboRed---Hilariously, I didn't even think of having Lance in Sinners until someone thought that the red-haired guy was him. Now I should include him somewhere. Maybe have Kiako kill him just to have a bad-ass moment?

lol, nah, I'd make Lance cooler than that. We'll see.

Flannery is awesome. My original plans called for her to only briefly appear and never be seen again afterwards, but I revised my outlines and now she'll be a more prominent character. Her Blaziken-love was also a post-planning change, heh. Her and Slash will meet later, and I plan to pop out a oneshot involving the two couples getting naughty, ranging from watching each other fuck to threesomes/full-out orgy. XD We'll have to see how crazy I'm feeling when I get around to that.

While Gardie will survive (although that doesn't mean she's immune to being killed), the poisoning will influence her far beyond simply whupping her ass for a while---you'll see what I mean in the next chapter.

Don't count on all the good guys making it to the end. While not even I know who will be standing at the end of the story, I do have a list of people who are definitely going to die...and not all of them are bad guys. :'(

Slash might have to do a little bit more fighting himself in the next chapter---right now it's just him, Graveler, Corphish, and Growlithe against an entire pack of Cacturne. And sunrise is a long way off.

Miyako was mentioned briefly and non-importantly in an earlier chapter; the plotmails provide more of a hint.

Anon---Glad you like it! :-D

Cerebrate Fate---If I had to split the desert in half, you know I had to end it on something cliffhangery, heh.

Satoku---It won't take as long. Chapter 22 should be significantly shorter than 21, even though more days pass in 22 than in 21. There are several 'not much happens' days ahead, but there's also a couple big bangs left in the desert...

Sinners Fan---It hurt me to hurt her, I swear.

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.

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

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.

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!