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[Sakibou]

The Legend

Long ago, there existed a Pokemon that had control over time, space, and the dimensions. This creature enjoyed wreaking havoc and abused its powers to such an extent that it became known as the Bringer of Chaos. Accordingly, there existed another Pokemon to counterbalance its power. This Pokemon, the Controller of Fate, could guide an individual whose destiny had been distorted by the Chaos Pokemon back down their intended path.

For many ages, these two Pokemon struggled to gain an edge over one another. Whenever one side appeared to be at an advantage, the other would increase its efforts tenfold, thereby tipping the scale back in its own favor. Eventually, however, it was the Chaos Pokemon that proved triumphant. The Controller of Fate became overwhelmed by the sheer number of impeded destinies, and was thereby forced to concede defeat.

At this point, the Original One had no choice but to step in. Throughout the ages, the Original One had observed the struggle between the Bringer of Chaos and the Controller of Fate, but as long as the balance was maintained, the Original One could not interfere. Without the Controller of Fate, however, it became clear to the Original One that this one being could not be allowed so much power. So, the Original One split the Bringer of Chaos into three, dividing its abilities evenly amongst them. In this way, instead of one being having command over time, space, and the dimensions, each of the three would be allowed control of just one.

The Story

(Part One)

You play as either Logan or Rebecca. Several weeks prior to the start of the game, you were found washed up on the shores of Taha Island, unconscious. When you finally came to, it became clear that you knew nothing about yourself, aside from your name, and had absolutely no idea how you had ended up on that island. The one who'd found you, a young woman by the name of Kaiya, owner of the local Pokemart, decided to allow you to stay with her for the time being, provided that you earn your keep by working at her store.

According to Kaiya, the inhabitants of Taha and its neighboring island Adia seldom ventured to the mainland, due to the numerous odd and unexplainable occurances as of late. For a while, you are content to heed her warning and stay within the boundaries of the two islands, but eventually, you become curious...

Following a chain of events in which you have your first encounter with a member of the Descendants, obtain an egg, and acquire a Pokemon from Professor Laurel of Adia Island, you finally manage to catch a boat to the mainland. Hovak, as you will soon discover, is a region of no straight paths and a great many roadblocks. Most of the towns you encounter will be experiencing a problem of some sort, and in order to progress, you must solve it. With each completed puzzle, you will regain a fragment of your memory.

Not everyone will appreciate your efforts. There will be those that try to hinder your progression, and help can come in many unexpected forms. Just be sure never to forget that in Hovak, things are not always as they seem!

The Setting

Hovak (hoh-vahk): A strange region with no gyms or Pokemon League. Many seemingly impossible things occur here, and you must restore balance in order to regain your memory and return home. Unrelated to the main series.

Valoh (va-loh): A region that has remained largely unchanged for many years, though there are those who would like to change that. Here, the truth shall be revealed...Set during the events of Platinum.

The Features

• New Pokemon
Including 13 legendaries, hybrids, and new evolutions and preevolutions of canon Pokemon!
• Pocket PC
An upgradable device utilized by Pokemon trainers.
• Roller Skates/Skateboard
Replacements for the bicycle.
• Bank
Store your hard-earned Pokedollars and earn interest!
• Knocking
Some people really don't like it when you enter their home uninvited.
• T.V. Channels
There might be something interesting on; you'll just have to find it!
• New Pokeballs
Blank Balls, Return Balls, and Trap Balls...just to name a few.
• "Follow Me!"
Choose a Pokemon from your party and have it follow you around!
• Redesigned Fishing System
Wouldn't it be nice to actually see what you're trying to catch?
• Redesigned Gym System
Commands such as 'Jump', 'Dodge', and 'Counter Attack' make for much more exciting battles!
• New Status Conditions
Here's a hint: PTD and RDV
• Hatchery
Collect shell fragments and try your luck! Exclusive to Hovak.
• New Trainer Types
Low: Skater ♂,♀ Medium: Monotyper High: Collector
Just to name a few.
• "Natural" Weather
Any city, town, or route you encounter can experience differing
weather conditions, based on the climate of that area.
• New TMs and HMs
What's a new game without new attacks?
• New Types
Two, to be exact, the rarest of which is Cosmic.
• New Type Combinations
Each of the starters will exhibit a new type combination by their final
evolution.
• Tournament-Style Pokemon League
More in-line with the anime!
• Puzzles and Minigames
...You'll just have to play to find out!

[Sakibou]

Recruitment

(More than one accepted for most positions.)

1. Pokemon Concept Artist - Will draw concept sketches of the new Pokemon.
2. Pokemon Concept Colorist- Will line and color the Pokemon concept sketches. Busoni
3. Character Concept Artist - Will draw and color concepts of the new NPCs and generic trainers that appear within the game. Can be separated.
4. Character/Pokemon OW Spritist - Will sprite trainer, NPC, and Pokemon OWs. Can be separated.
5. Trainer Spritist - Will create in-battle trainer sprites.
6. Pokemon Spritist - Will create in-battle Pokemon sprites, including backsprites.
7. Item Spritist - Will create sprites of the new items found within the game (i.e. pokeballs, badges, etc.).
8. Tile...ist - Will create outdoor and indoor tiles.
9. Scripter - Will create the new scripts found within the game.
10. Music Composer: Will compose the music for the various towns, etc. PsychoticTurtle, Hikui-Hito

[William Broom]

I liked Pokemon back when they were, y'know, birds and dinosaurs and stuff, instead of all-powerful gods.

Which begs the question: Exactly what defines a Pokemon as being such? Are there any creatures in the world of Pokemon which are not, in fact, Pokemon? If all non-human creatures in the world are Pokemon, then surely Pokemon is simply synonymous with 'animal'. Then again, Pokemon like Dialga and Mewtwo don't really fit under the category of animal, so maybe something like 'conscious non-human organism' would be a better definition of the word 'Pokemon'.

But if a Pokemon is defined partially by not being human, then what defines a human in the world of Pokemon? Their sentience doesn't really set them apart since Mewtwo, Meowth, Lucario and so on are all Pokemon with at least human-level intelligence and self-awareness. In fact, the only thing that humans really have to differentiate them from Pokemon is that they cannot be trapped inside Pokeballs (Evidenced by the battle dialogue 'The trainer knocks your ball away.')

And since Pokeballs are presumably created by humans, one can imagine that there was actually no difference between humans and Pokemon before the invention of the Pokeball. Divisions would have been made along more sensible lines i.e. humans, Lucarios and other sentient Pokemon would have been classified as 'people' while the dumb Pokemon would have been 'animals'. Then one day, a human invented the 'Pokeball', essentially a terrible weapon designed to subjugate every other living creature on the planet. At this time, or soon after, the word 'Pokemon' was invented to create a perception of non-human creatures being somehow separate and inferior, in the same way that the Nazis regarded Jews as animals rather than humans.

Quite frightening when you think about it.

[Sakibou]

A being's self-awareness and intelligence aren't the only basis for classification. For instance, if there existed a dog that walked on two legs and could speak human language, it'd still be referred to as a dog. As a matter of fact, I do not believe that you can compare our world to the world of the Pokemon games/anime/etc. at all. Humans of this world refer to animals as such in order to separate them from humans both as a means of identification, AND as a show of superiority. However, the same does not appear to be true of humans in the Pokemon world. To my way of thinking, Pokemon are referred to as such in their world simply because they had to be referred to as 'something.' After all, "Beings that are obviously genetically different from humans, but sometimes exhibit intelligence on the same level" would probably get tiring after a while...XP

How often do you observe humans in the Pokemon world (that are not bad guys, of course) treating Pokemon as though they are slaves? As a matter of fact, it is often stressed that they should be treated as friends and partners, and the vast majority of trainers appear to adhere to that doctrine. Pokemon are fundamentally different from the animals of our world, too, in that they very seldom appear to be driven by instinct. Not only that, but they obviously understand humans well beyond what'd be considered 'normal' for the animals of are world (even responding to them in their own [that is, the Pokemons' own] language). Indeed, Pokemon are actually respected in their world.

On another note, when trainers block Pokeballs in the game, they are blocking you from catching their Pokemon, not themselves...xDD;
Although, it doesn't change the fact that, no, they cannot be caught.

When it comes right down to it, there really seems to be only two requirements that must be met in order to be classified as a Pokemon:
1. Must clearly not be human.
2. Must have some sort of powers.
Even creatures that aren't from Earth (such as Clefairy and Deoxys) are stuck with that classification. Although, assuming the above is true, where would Magikarp fall...xD?

Pokeballs were most likely invented well after Pokemon were given their name. I don't necessarily see them as a weapon, however, for several reasons. Firstly, once caught, Pokemon aren't forced to obey their trainers. I believe that the reason they generally do is because the trainer earned their respect by catching them. Also, apparently they aren't 'imprisoned' inside the device, as I've seen tons of episodes in which a captured Pokemon released itself (Wobbuffet, anyone?).

As for your first comment, all-powerful Pokemon existed even in the first generation. Case in point: Mewtwo.

[William Broom]

I dunno, there may be some instances of Pokemon breaking free of their Pokeballs, but in the vast majority of cases (i.e. every single pokemon who appears in the games) they don't ever manage to escape except when released by their owners. Now, I can't believe that all these Pokemon, which have lived in the wild and will fight to their last breath in order to escape captivity, will simply bow down to their master as soon as they are caught, out of respect for his skill. Some of them might, sure, but nowhere near 100%.

So if it's true that a significant number of Pokemon do not want to be trapped inside their Pokeballs, but in almost every case they do not leave the Pokeball, I can only conclude that they are unable to leave the Pokeball.

(Regarding Mewtwo: I don't remember exactly what his powers were like, but I didn't think they were comparable to, say, omnipotence, time control, and creating the entire universe.)

[Sakibou]

Mewtwo, in the movie at least, was quite powerful. In addition to being extremely intelligent (as showcased by his ability to clone Pokemon, as well as creating a Pokeball even more powerful than a Master Ball), he was also able to use mind control, erase one's memory, essentially reverse time, and (on a lesser note) create storms out of thin air.

Perhaps most Pokemon simply do not attempt to escape their Pokeballs. As several different Pokemon have demonstrated the ability to do it, it is presumably possible of all Pokemon. In any case, the anime is obviously a more comprehensible guide to the Pokemon universe. In my opinion, giving Pokemon the ability to escape from their Pokeballs once caught in the game would be an insult to the players, especially for legendaries that refuse to stay caught in-battle (i.e. the lake trio). Not to mention the extra, unnecessary coding it'd require...XP

I stand by my opinion that Pokemon obey their trainers out of respect. As I mentioned before, Pokeballs do not force Pokemon to obey, the prime example being Charizard. There have also been instances where caught Pokemon have run away (at least temporarily), showing that Pokeballs also do not force the Pokemon to remain with their trainers.

Who ever said that Arceus (I assume that's who you're referring to) was omnipotent? It is, however, believed by the inhabitants of the Pokemon world that it created the universe, but since when are legends automatically true?

[William Broom]

All legends are true in anime

Also, when I said omnipotence I was talking about Azelf rather than Arceus. But if Arceus is apparently the 'master' of Azelf then it seems reasonable that Arceus would also be omnipotent.

[Sakibou]

Just because not a single legend has been disproven thus far, that doesn't mean it's impossible...xDD;;

In what way is Azelf omnipotent?

[William Broom]

Dunno, I just read it on Bulbapedia

[gimymblert]

I like pokemon, great gameplay
Great read but i'm not so geek about pokemon (toss another classic, maybe..)
 

[Guillaume]

William, your interventions on this topic are priceless

I'm a fan of the earlier Pokemon games (up until the 2nd generation) but after that I find that the overload of Pokemon makes the game lose in balance (especially with all these random legendary gods whatsoever).

In my opinion, Nintendo will have to bring the series in another direction if they wish to renew the interest.

As for the fangame, you guys definitely seem to have a lot of good ideas going on- good luck!

[gimymblert]

In my opinion, Nintendo will have to bring the series in another direction if they wish to renew the interest.

Renew the interest? The game still sells like hotcake!
+ you need to work at NASA to master all the subtilities