Year 9 AT, March 29th.

Gastly finally picked a name. Azalea, Azzy… What a beautiful name. It really suits her, given how much she loves flowers. Not to mention what that flower signifies…

Love, remembrance, melancholy. (I definitely did not have to look that up or anything .)

Anyways, Azzy’s dream feels a lot more real now, to an almost uncanny degree. I was freaking out a bit at the beginning because I was worried that I might never wake up again. What if I really do get lost one day and can’t tell the difference between a dream and reality? (Cue Inception music. BWAAAM!) But Azzy would never do that to me, she knows better now.

We had a chat about how she wants to develop in the future. In particular, about her Evolution to Gengar.

If this was a game then no problem, just a quick trade and poof, Gengar. There really isn’t any need to stay in the Haunter phase for long since there aren't any exclusive movesets that only a Haunter could learn but a Gengar couldn’t, unlike Vulpix and Ninetales.

But this isn’t a game. For something as significant and irreversible as Evolution, it’s important that a trainer consults their Pokemon before doing anything rash. Not that I would be able to force Azzy to Evolve if she really didn’t want to. Evolution anxiety and all that.

Azzy said no anyways, she wanted to take some time getting used to her increased Type Energy capacity and, more importantly, training her new hands. Something that folding origami was really good for.

She’s so cute. I remember when Azzy just evolved a few weeks ago, she spent so much time picking things up and fiddling with them, just like a toddler. Kind of reminds me of when Nitey evolved from a Dragonair actually, sans the broken laptop.

There’s no rush, really. Like Bill always said, it’s better to spend a Pokemon’s intermediary phase optimizing Type Energy efficiency than forcing an Evolution. It’ll all pay off in the end with a more powerful final Evolution.

And when Azzy is ready, we can just make a quick trip to the nearest Trade Machine with someone we trust. Maybe Kerry or someone from the Gym.

It still seems a bit weird to me that trading could Evolve a Pokemon. But the reason, according to the League’s database, is because Haunters in the wild Evolve by cannibalizing other Ghost Pokemon.

Super morbid. Kind of like how Gravelers Evolve through communion with a temporary hivemind, but evil. And similarly, the process could also be cheated through using the trade process. Something about the shift in a Pokeball’s Psychic signature having an equivalent effect. Whatever works I guess…

No matter. Another thing that we discussed was Limbo. Azzy can now easily store inanimate objects in her shadow. But she’s still not ready to spirit away a living soul yet. But once she could do so reliably and safely, I was thinking that we can use her to cheat the Pokemon carry limit by putting a member to sleep and holding their minds in her dreamscape while they're in Limbo. This way, they would be shielded from the boredom and existential dread normally associated with a prolonged stay in the shadow realm.

Azzy agreed to give it a go, so now I gotta come up with a more structured training regimen to that effect. But seriously though, how the heck do we train her ability to store living beings in her shadow without, you know, living beings?

Urgh. Note to self: Make a call to Hattori and ask.

***

Year 9 AT, March 30th.

Poppy Evolved into Brinny, yay!

Man, Misty wasn’t kidding when she said that regional starters were fast growers. Also I keep thinking that Brinny is a female. But no, Brinny’s a male. Not that he minds the confusion.

It can’t be helped really, whoever designed the Pimarina line made damn sure to stick to the whole ballerina motif. In particular, a Brionne looks like an adorable little seal wearing a frilly tutu.

In other words, CUUUUUTE .

I am not ashamed to say that I spent an absurdly ridiculous amount of time playing with Brinny’s little skirt today. And so did Kerry for that matter. No regrets whatsoever.

Anyways, Brinny said that he wanted to double down on his singing lessons with Nitey, which I fully endorse, and also expressed some interest in getting involved with the Gym’s monthly mermaid shows.

That’s fine and I kind of saw it coming given how much he likes watching vids of the Cerulean Gym on repeat. To an almost obsessive degree actually, kind of like kids in my old world with that accursed Baby Shark video.

No matter. As reluctant as I am, it was a promise that I was happy to make. A bit of stage fright is nothing compared to my baby’s happiness. I wonder if Brinny’ll want to get involved in the Contest circuit actually. Something to look forward to when we go to Hoenn with Bev.

***

Year 9 AT, March 31st.

Justin can play the guitar?! What the heck! And he actually looks kinda cool while doing it. Eww…

Pretty sure Kerry has the hots for him now. Double eww. What happened to Ohm, Kerr?! Are you truly that fickle? Is this just the typical workings of a teenage mind?

But onto a happier subject, here’s Nina’s room review!

Azalea Town used to be quite a touristy place during its prime. Still kinda is actually, if you fancy a more rural getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life. So naturally, even after the crash, there was still a healthy selection of inns on offer.

The one that I got us this time around is a small little townhouse with only a single room available in each of its three floors. Took us a while to find the entrance actually, because it was a fairly narrow building sandwiched between two shoplots. But once we found it, it was hard to miss on account of the scarlet red paint of the sliding red door, the automated kind where you tap it and it slides open, but still made out of wood. Very edo-chic.

Once we got inside though, the place was a lot bigger than we thought. Deceptively big, almost like we stepped into a Tardis. There was no elevator, so good luck to anyone coming in with a lot of luggage, and the stairs were long and narrow with a railing made with raw tree branches preserved in lacquer. Kerry and I snapped quite a few pics there, much to Justin’s annoyance.

The room itself was a fairly standard tatami room with a sizable living room. Not big enough to accommodate all of our Pokemon, unfortunately. (I swear it looked bigger in the photos)

There was a single double bed which Kerry and I shared, Justin offered to take the futon. But what caught my eye the most were the windows. Massive sheets of glass framed by round wooden panes that allowed us a crystal clear view of the cobblestone streets down below. Quite unusual actually, given that straight panels of wood were easier to work with.

But my absolute favoritest thing though, was the little divider separating the bed area and the window. There was a little space in between the lip of the window and the divider that was just large enough to comfortably seat a human my size. So naturally, Espy, Brinny and I crawled in there and we spent a good hour just chilling and watching the pedestrians go by down below. (If we fitz, we sitz!)

Anyways, I’m bored of writing. So if you’re reading this, future me, just go and look at the photos I took. I might even print them out and attach them to this journal if I feel like it. Or maybe I'll just leave it to future me. (Thanks, future me!)

***

Year 9 AT, April 1st.

Urgh. I don’t wanna apologise to Bugsy. But I guess I did overreact a little. Just a little. Just an itsy bitsy little bit.

He made Kerry cry, okay?!

Alright fine, Kerry did scold me for overreacting afterwards. But whatever.

Anyways, tomorrow we’ll finally be heading into Ilex Forest. I can’t help but be a little nervous at the prospect. I wonder what we’ll find… Part of me hopes that nothing major happens but the Mew Gem has been feeling a little warm lately so that’s not very likely.

***

Year 9 AT, April 2nd.

Note to self: Bugsy’s pretty chill actually. Consider making amends somewhere down the line.

Today is our first day in Ilex Forest. We mainly stayed within the established route upon my insistence. Mostly because I wanted to get a feel of the place. In a word, Bugs. Lots of Bugs.

But not in the icky way like my original world. Bug Type Pokemon are kind of cute actually. I was really tempted to catch myself a Ledyba and Kerry spent quite a lot of time playing with a stray Caterpie. Surprisingly, Justin didn’t do well with creepy crawlies so he stayed far away from the worm Pokemon.

Apparently, the abundance of Pokemon we saw in this periphery area was just a fraction of what the forest has to offer. Bug Type Pokemon are the most prolific breeders in the world after all. But we’ll have to see when we dive further into the area tomorrow. I've already identified a few anomalous spots that might be where Celebi’s shrine is located.

***

Year 9 AT, April 5th.

Huh? Did we really spend that much time in the forest? Regardless, the past couple of days had been… a lot.

Ash. Poor Ash. And poor Pikachu… That anguished cry, that limp bloodied pile on the ground. As someone who grew up watching the Pokemon anime, it’s a scene that will forever haunt my nightmares.

But what happened though? I went looking for Celebi hoping to get some answers, but came out with more questions than ever.

Celebi.

I need to question her. That little rascal came back with us to Goldenrod City, but she isn’t always around. In particular, she seems to always be conveniently absent every time I resolve myself to confront her. Never seems to fail to show up for food though. Stupid oversized brussel sprout. Or is she an onion? Definitely stinks like one, metaphorically.

Anyways, let’s try to consolidate what I know so far.

First, Ash is old. In his early twenties to be precise. Not like the forever boy like in the anime. (Which feels super weird by the way)  Makes sense, considering Misty’s just a touch older than him. Subtract all those years he spent in the time loop and well…

Second, is all the fuckery going on with Ash’s records. I distinctly remember searching for Ash Ketchum way back when, but was barely able to come away with anything. Now though, I can see it all. Records of Ash’s championship wins and various articles of his journey and run in with Team Rocket. Seriously, the heck?!

Weird. Super weird. Is this a side effect of the time loop?

Anyways, the final point is that I have now unraveled a childhood mystery. In the games, I recall it being mentioned that Giovanni had gone into secluded training in Ilex Forest. It never made sense to kid Miles. Not in the context of the games anyway.

Giovanni by all accounts was at the level of a final boss Gym Leader. And Ilex Forest (in the games) was a relatively beginner map with Pokemon level around the lower teens at most, designed more as a maze to be solved than anything.

In real life however, Ilex Forest was home to a power spot, a node in the local leyline, filled to the brim with Type Energy. Not to mention its isolated and inaccessible nature which makes it perfect for a wanted man like Giovanni to train his Pokemon.

The forest was BIG, absolutely massive, that was one thing that was never really reflected in the games. And honestly, without the extensive notes that Bugsy left me, we probably wouldn’t have been able to get to the shrine as expediently as we did without at least getting lost a few times.

Dammit, now I REALLY feel bad about wrecking his Gym. I should be able to convince Violet to intervene and help Bugsy develop his Gym and Azalea Town in a more profitable manner. The area's potential for bio-tourism is high. A makeshift Safari Zone with guided tours maybe?

But then, how does Ash fit into all of this? Was it really just a chance meeting gone wrong?  I can guess that Celebi probably created the timeloop to save his life. But if so, why didn’t she intervene in a more direct manner? Why wait for me to show up all these years later? Something stinks, and it’s definitely that onion headed pixie.

I swear to Arceus I’m gonna get to the bottom of this. And I’ll be damned if I keep letting Celebi get away with it.

Note to self: Find time to visit the shrine again another day. I hadn’t even done a thorough investigation of the site yet before I got distracted by Celebi. And speaking of, I can probably get that little troublemaker to help me out. IF I manage to pin her down, of course.