Thor Plays Pokemon

Is that ice? Indeed it is. 

Drayden’s Haxorus was unable to break the ice blocking our path, which I suppose is unsurprising. Then Zinzolin and his goon confronted us, apparently responsible for this strange ice. He demanded of Drayden these “DNA Splicers,” whatever they might be. Drayden refused and bid me go fight the Plasma goons.

I presume Iris has gone to be Chapion or Elite.

It was difficult, but less difficult than his gym trainers, and I attained the level of 43 for all my team as we battled. Now he speaks of the legends I came to ask of.

And the dragon split from conflicting loyalties?

...Hm. So Kyurem would be what remained of the body they split from?

He went on to say that proof of this exists:

He went on to say that Juniper dated the splicers to the same age as Dragonspiral Tower. I think perhaps she might have shared that with me.

Juniper and Bianca met me in Lacunosa, speaking of Cheren’s research and the legendary Pokemon. There was talk of meteorites, resembling the light and dark stones, and of a dragon of ice who eats people.

I am, I presume, to catch that dragon, to steal it away from its current slavemaster: Zinzolin.

After this, Hugh and I found Zinzolin, who told confusing tales of his motivations for returning to Ghetsis’ arms.

I do not believe him. I believe he acts of loyalty to Ghetsis. He has warped his remorse into some strange rationale to support the loyalty of his twisted love.

I have passed through much of Eastern Unova, traversed Reversal mountain and battled Hugh, but none of that had anything of merit to share. I find the truth in the story I seek in a tiny house on the shore, from a nameless character of little consequences.

Pokeballs control the minds of Pokemon.

My friends are, in truth, my slaves.

On the second floor, I found a most disturbing sight.

She appeared and disappeared like nothing. A ghost?

As I wandered through her constantly changing maze, I started to wonder if ever I would reach the doors on the upper floors. She appeared again, speaking of hearing her father’s voice. 

... This wing was in the next room. 

She then asked me to return it to a Pokemon on a bridge for her.  When I unlock all the bridges, I shall. 

He is here! I must chase him!

This is what I learned when Cheren pulled me to the weather station on the Route. He gave me surf to investigate.

I followed them onto a ship.

Is it that much colder than the docks? Is it not open air?

Then Team Plasma came out of the ship for us. Hordes of them. Nine at least, likely more.

Hugh insists they need backup. At level 30, that may not be so. I was not permitted to switch between trainers, which frustrates me--it promotes uneven levelling. Fortunately, Steven’s bubblebeam is strong. After the second one, I managed to switch. On speaking to Cheren, I was drawn into a double battle, Grimer and Golbat versus Jane and Cheren’s Stoutland. It was... easy; the opponents were L29, same as my Pokemon. Cheren told me to help Hugh.

As I waited for the battle with him to begin, it occurs to me that Colress warned us of danger before a battle far more dangerous than typical. Hm.

The first pair of Pokemon fell to us easily, but the second, a Watchog and Raticate, proved harder, taking an additional turn. 

Apparently, that was all of them, the four battles I did, plus whatever Cheren and Hugh completed before I joined them. We began to question them, but then a familiar tune played: the tune of the sages, only more ominous. And one in purple appeared. 

...but he seemed to have remorse?

I looked in my tags. Zinzolin is the one who loved Ghetsis... of course he would turn to evil for his love.

Cheren demanded to know his plans, and Zinzolin perhaps of guilty conscience, obliged.

... truly? That is the best you can do?

He summoned the Shadow Triad, and they scolded him for his presumption before ejecting us from the ship. Hugh ran off in frustration.

Then the Triad’s powers are not human... are they Pokemon? Are they Zoroark in human guises?

A lineup most interesting! I am first to fight Hugh, and then, likely, Cheren and Colress. 

An announcer discussed us both, stating even that Hugh seeks a Pokemon. He had little to say of me. Hugh led with Dewott, and Mjolnir felled it with a single volt switch. Sadly, I switched in Erik by mistake against Tranquill. Fortunately, I am overleveled, for the tournament, so I took it to half health before Erik fell. Against Simisage, I used Jane and had her fly. Hugh was an easy opponent... unusually so. In the end, he said my Pokemon seem to have fun. As predicted, Colress and Cheren advanced, along with some fellow Tristan. 

The announcer claims CHeren battles for “his ideals,” whatever those are. Is he meant to be foil to N, another hero of ideals? In any case, he seemed happy to see me. His Stoutland was most terrifying, but it took three turns for Mjolnir and Jane to fell it. She fell to Watchog, but Mjolnir finished it. Erik ended his Cinccino by himself. When the match was over, Cheren spoke of Pokemon training as a relationship and of our dependence on Pokemon. It sounds as though he has, as I have, been converted some to the old Plasma’s way of thought.

Colress’ wish, apparently, is to bring out the power of Pokemon.

“...I seek.”

An ominous reference, given the history of these games. 

...but if Cheren is ideals, and Colress seeks both.. am I now the truth?

In any case, Colress wished that trust between Trainers and Pokemon would be what makes them strong, and said he “looked forward” to me “teaching” him this.

He led with a Magneton. A difficult match, two magnets together, so I paralyzed it and volt switched to Jane, the only of my three who could do neutral damage. Magneton managed to paralyze Jane in turn and deal her great damage, but we did win against it. It took our combined efforts together to fell Klink, but Elgyem was easy. It helped some that I was overleveled for the tournament, at L29. Colress was all compliments. 

Clay discussed how others would see our battles and come to the tournament, but that was all. On leaving the building, Cheren remarked that he hardly recognized us. Then a Team Plasma grunt ran past us.

Haha, indeed, so it seemed! Haha!

Clay made some talk of Cheren’s skill, then said something odd.

He then went on about youth and bid me register when I am ready. 

I now have two of N’s Pokemon from that battle: Klink and Joltik. Jane also evolved into Drifblim, and I made some changes to my team’s items and moves before going back to Clay. 

Clay’s first two Pokemon were a disgrace to his skill. Steven the Staryu and Erik the Leavanny made short work of them. His Excadrill fared better, fainting fully half my team before Jane was able to stop him. 

Clay complimented my skill, speaking of his joy at fighting at full strength and being defeated, and complimented Hugh also, in his way. Hugh awaited us outside, and spoke of the bonds between trainers and Pokemon, the nature of Pokeballs, and the fate of Purrloin. 

When Clay spoke of showing us something, Hugh asked him an important question:

Clay finally said something that would give me reason to like him:

The region has learned much from the exploits of Thor and N. 

Hugh’s response was to ask if that’s “one of those compromises adults are supposed to make.” Interesting that he should make it a matter of adulthood, as if maturity obliges us to sacrifice the purity of our intent. Is that rationale what lead this military of this world to collude with the remnants of the old HYDRA?

I had not put much thought into Ghetsis appearance, though I suppose his manner of grooming is most compatible with that of Asgard. Aside from the color of his hair, he does look as my father might have when he was younger, or as I might when I am old. However, the resemblance is one of pure aesthetics; my father is a wise and noble king who truly loves his son, and acts for the benefit of all. He has been more than willing to sacrifice his life and comfort for the well-being of not only Asgard, but also of other realms. There are many of my people who, if they knew of Ghetsis, would find such comparison insulting, shallow and petty though it may be. 

As for N, again, there is a certain similarity in the aesthetic, though I think less, but N and my brother are little alike. They were adopted, yes, and different from their families. They grew up somewhat deceived of their origins, and may be of a different race than their families. But N is by no questions a hero, through and through; never has he fought for anything but the liberation of and kindness for others, even if his good deeds were misdirected toward evil. My brother’s motivations vary more, and had more nuance to them; sometimes, I do not even know what he fought for. My brother was willing to do harm to others for his own benefit, something N is always loathe to do. 

Do not take my comments for insult of my brother. I cannot say I understand him, but I understand some of the feelings he had, though they would not have made me choose as he did. My brother chose better in his final days, and died a hero in the protection of all the realms, yours and mine. I do not mean to speak ill of the dead or to slander my brother. I simply know that he would be insulted at the comparison to so naive and toothless a creature as N, even though most of us who play Pokemon would mean it as compliment. My brother would see N as weak and pathetic in the way he sees that same tendency in me, and he would derive some satisfaction that I would deny such comparison. I think if you asked Loki to compare me to a character of Pokemon, and if he knew them, N is who he would choose; he often spoke of how easily I am deceived.

A pokemon comparison my brother would like more, I think, is Cheren. A formidable fighter who chooses to forgo the pursuit of strength to exercise more influence over more people? That would appeal to my brother. He always was a formidable fighter, though not on my level, but he studied more things than I, and had more social graces. In his diverse skills, and in his cleverness, he was more than a match for me, and I do regret not taking my own education as seriously as he did, though never would I have matched his skill.

And Loki and Cheren did look a little alike..

Thank you for correcting me, friend! Your mortal names do confuse me some, as the sounds that indicate gender are not always the same between our peoples. So often these heroes of video games are men, and if not they are often dressed to suit a man’s gaze. I beheld a picture of Samus’ armor and made an assumption, one my lady friends seemed to bait me to make. I did not expect the people of Midgard to be so forward-thinking so many years ago, with how poorly women are represented in games now.