[X] Where are the other human psychics in the region found? Lucian keeps mentioning a community, are you supposed to join in on that?
"As I have mentioned in the past, there are no particularly widespread or renowned systems, hierarchies, or organizations involving psychics in Sinnoh in spite of my efforts to slowly enact change," Lucian informs you. "However, that does not mean that there are few psychics in Sinnoh—and I do not simply include the unknowing psychics who have never realized the presence of their own talents among that number. There is certainly a presence of trained psychics in the region, and most groups maintain light contact to some degree—but these groups are many, usually rather private, and notably small. Small families, tiny sects, secret clubs, even singular mentors and apprentices...these are the methods with which psychic training is passed down in our home region, Mallory, and are also the basis of the loose connections with which we all stay in distant touch."
"Am I supposed to, y'know...say hi somewhere, or something?" you ask nervously. "Give a heads up before I glow too much during a gym challenge on accident?" That was something that you were worried about too, becoming known as a psychic in general...
"No, there is no need." The elegant man chuckles. "Like I said, most human psychics in Sinnoh are the sort to keep to themselves unless they are deliberately sought out for some reason—we stay out of the limelight, usually. Even myself...I am not particularly renowned for actually being psychic despite being a psychic-type specialist. I am technically the most public-facing of the psychics in Sinnoh, and even then, I am notorious for constantly avoiding the media and stringently maintaining my privacy."
You think you saw one of miss Diana's magazines on trainer stuff and the Sinnoh League compain that Lucian should have gone with being a ghost-type specialist instead of one for psychic types once.
"But this does not mean that most psychic groups in Sinnoh are not friendly," Lucian says with a smile. "Most psychics are introverted, not reclusive. This is another common misconception of human psychics that many people have across the world. Hmm...on your journey, I believe that your best chances of running into other psychics in person will require you to head venture far into the wilderness. You may meet them working with Pokemon rangers in the deepest parts of the wilderness, there are certain to be Eterna-based acolytes honing their minds in the Eterna Forest, senior practitioners of one of the larger Sinnoh schools enjoy meditating in the vicinity of Lake Valor, and perhaps you may even run into my old master should you have a little luck in the mountains around Celestic Town—though believe me, that latter part is not guaranteed. I have not met my psychic mentor in person for a number of years."
"...um, did something happen? Is she mad at you...?"
"Oh, not at all. It is just that she considers herself retired." Lucian chuckles fondly. "She was one of the foremost psychics from Kanto before emigrating here, you see. Ever since I joined the Elite Four, she has done her best to give me the slip on her exact whereabouts—not due to disliking me, but rather to avoid any chance of anything slipping to any League officials who wish to have the ear of a psychic with her talents. She is a little paranoid in that regard. My mentor came here to Sinnoh to get away from politics...and our meeting was a chance one—in the Canalave Library as well, if you could believe it."
"Huh."
"Yes. We both rather like books." He shakes his head. "But I digress. Aside from that...hmm. Yes, you you do deserve an invite—there is a hidden subsection of the PokeNet forums for human psychics online."
...seriously?
"We are in the modern day, Mallory. It is not always secret wilderness meetings and hidden networks based in ancient tradition all the time," the Elite trainer remarks with no little amusem*nt at the incredulous expression on your face. "Do note that these are discussion boards, not mentorship boards...though I do believe that there is a general advice column that you may be able to make use of. Finally...no, I see no issue with you eventually becoming known as a psychic at some point. While you may gain the interest of the media for your young age and relatively powerful abilities, human psychics in Sinnoh are not unknown—we simply exist in the background. There are quite a number of psychics who live peaceful day-to-day lives in cities and towns that you may run into on your own with their neighborhoods perfectly understanding that one of their neighbors may have a particular knack for finding lost items or being a good listener when someone is feeling depressed. You will not be seen as a circus freak of some sort. And if a fuss is actually raised at some point, well." His lips twitch. "I suppose that I will need to have some discreet words sent in any misbehaving directions." Again, that sounds more like a quiet threat than a promise.
You squint at him. "Are you sure you're no good at reading minds?"
"Of course," Lucian answers immediately and without hesitation. "Skies only know that Feste has given me a good amount of ribbing over the years over my lacking abilities, like you would not believe."
Feste the Mr. Mime snickers loudly.
---
You manage to find...the right thoughts to squeeze? The proper parts of your brain to massage? The correct buttons to press? It's still really hard to put it into words, but you figure out how to kind of...take the pain and turn it into feelings. You think you need way more practice at doing this on the individual level before you graduate to doing this on more than a couple of people at once, much less whole groups of people. And then after that, there's still sorting all their conflicting emotions into stuff that won't hurt or overwhelm you...
It was a long road ahead, but at least you have something to actively hold now that isn't limited to the Canalave Library—something that actually feels different and stands out from your ordinary thoughts, something that you can actively choose to do with your psychic powers! You are also grateful for the feelings of pride and encouragement directed at yourself that you can sense from Lucian's Bronzor and Mr. Mime (Feste was a weird nickname) even with your eyes closed.
"Now, I believe I will be leaving in a few days—and you will likely be taking to the road around the same time," Lucian tells you at the end of your practice session. "I should handle this now, even if there is a chance that we can squeeze in one last guiding session—allow me to pass on my personal contact details into your Pokedex."
...even though Lucian had been saying it for a while, you still can barely believe it as you watch an actual, genuinely real member of the Elite Four input his own information into your personal device.
"Please note that this may be my personal contact and not my official League account, but in case of any particularly grave emergencies, you may attempt to let me know," Lucian says as he returns your Pokedex. "Yet, even if it is for minor affairs, I do not mind hearing of your thoughts or even your experiences on your Pokemon journey. It may take me days to respond to any messages, but I will always eventually respond." Carefully, the man leans down to speak to you eye-to-eye from a respectful distance. "I am very glad to have met you, Mallory Rivets. You are a wonderful young girl with a great mind and an even greater heart. You are not alone with your experiences, and you never will be again. Do not be a stranger, alright?"
"Y-yes...yes, sir."
The veteran psychic smiles gently. "My own mentor and I were less formal than one would expect of a psychic apprenticeship of Kantonian descent, but then again, my mentor was a very strong believer in Sabrina's new way. I think that there is no harm with continuing to break out of old, ancient traditions beyond the use of the internet."
"Lucian is more than fine, I think, between teacher and student...and perhaps, one day, friends."
You have gained a new direct Relationship to call upon!
Lucian of the Elite Four (Psychic Mentor)
From a chance encounter, you have been taken under the wing of the foremost human psychic and psychic-type Pokemon specialist of the Sinnoh League. A very private, reserved, professional, yet gentle man, Lucian unfortunately does not have a lot of free time outside of his duties as a member of the Elite Four. However, there is no one who knows more about the nature of your powers that you can trust—and as time allows, he will do his best to stay in touch and provide you with extensive (if distant) guidance. This always elegantly-dressed man enjoys reading and speaking about serious and deep topics regarding quite a number of fields. You don't realize it, but he has also been acting as something like a therapist to help you process your most deep-seated traumas.
You now know of places where you can consistently run into human psychics!
You can now browse the semi-hidden human psychic section of the public internet!
---
Train with your Pokemon—Sparkplug, Maynot, and Coro can always use more training. And because you're in a city with a gym, you actually have the option to choose where to train. (May spend more than 1 AP on a single subaction at a time. Begins additional training vote for learning moves and general experimentation. An opportunity to flex your creativity skills.)
Tip: Please make sure to peruse your team sheet here for most relevant details.
Tip: Try rereading the updates featuring the last few battles that you and a Pokemon have gone through together in deciding what kind of training that you'd like to focus on. Some relevant details may not be as apparent when only viewed on your team sheet. This is by design.
ALERT: You are currently training in the Canalave Gym! The following training options are guaranteed to be boosted:
- Training Physical Defense and/or Special Defense
- All defensive but non-keepaway strategies
- All strategies that involve taking advantage of a Pokemon's heavier weight or larger size
- All learning and/or refining of steel-type moves
- GYM TYPING SPECIALTY: All non-experimentation options for steel-type Pokemon
Note that other training options that do not fall under any of these categories may end up being boosted as well depending on overall circ*mstances and conditions.
Pick two (2) things to train for each Pokemon and vote by plans per Pokemon. Each set of plan votes per Pokemon should look like this:
[ ][Sparkplug] Plan Name
-[ ] Option 1
--[ ] Option 1 Optional Extra Write-in Details
-[ ] Option 2
--[ ] Option 2 Optional Extra Write-in Details
[ ][Maynot] Plan Name
-[ ] Option 1
--[ ] Option 1 Optional Extra Write-in Details
-[ ] Option 2
--[ ] Option 2 Optional Extra Write-in Details
[ ][Coro] Plan Name
-[ ] Option 1
--[ ] Option 1 Optional Extra Write-in Details
-[ ] Option 2
--[ ] Option 2 Optional Extra Write-in Details
Yes, you are supposed to vote for a plan per Pokemon, NOT for a plan for all Pokemon at the same time.
Outside of cities with gyms, voting will return to a normal, simple free-for-all since you will only get one training option for each Pokemon per subvote. This complexity will only happen while you are in a gym city. Please bear with me, this is to reduce my headaches from being forced to manually tally things.
I will be strict about the following of this format. All votes that do not follow this format will be considered invalid.
General Refining
[ ][Sparkplug] Sparkplug still has a bit of a windup time when it comes to using their electrical moves—it's not so obvious when it comes to Thunder Wave, but there is a noticeable and interruptible delay with Thunder Shock. Practice charging speed.
[ ][Sparkplug] Sparkplug has a bit of a windup time when it comes to using their sound-related moves—it's not so obvious when it comes to Supersonic, but there is a noticeable and interruptible delay with Sonic Boom. Practice...you're still calling it humming speed no matter what Byron said.
[ ][Sparkplug] Why not try for some target practice? Sparkplug might be good at directing their ranged attacks, but surely you can make that even better? Try to extend Sparkplug's range.
[ ][Sparkplug] Rapid Spin is one of Sparkplug's best moves when it comes to dodging and taking a hit since it helps them build up speed. Continue to work on it.
[ ][Sparkplug] Sparkplug needs to work on Magnet Bomb, especially with getting it to move again after having them float around. That'll be useful to get down.
[ ][Sparkplug] Perhaps you should just focus on refining one of Sparkplug's basic attributes. These will naturally improve over time as the Pokemon gains experience from battling or perhaps even as a side effect to any other training that you do, but maybe it'd be good for you to just...round the basics out...?
-[ ] Pick an attribute to focus on from Health, Physical Attack, Physical Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed.
Learning Moves
Tip: Pokemon can naturally learn moves as they grow stronger/"level up" from battles. Training and tutoring are not the only ways in which a Pokemon learns moves.
Tip: You can unlock more moves to teach your Pokemon by researching the specific species of your Pokemon at a Pokemon Center.
[ ][Sparkplug] Because you've done research on the Magnemite evolutionary line, you now possess knowledge and notes on the moves that they naturally learn as they grow stronger. You can try to teach Sparkplug one of these moves in advance.
-[ ] Write-in a move from the learnset of Magnemite, Magneton, and Magnezone from any generation. However, your mileage may vary on how successful you are. (You may also include your creative ideas for how you're going about teaching it. A helpful list may be found here.)
[ ][Sparkplug] Miss Diana's gift to you, a book titled "Common Pokemon Moves From All Types" is pretty self-explanatory. Maybe you can help Sparkplug learn one of the moves that are in here.
-[ ] Huh...there's a move in here called Uproar—it does damage through sound and stops Pokemon from falling asleep! You're not so sure about that being needing to do it for a while thing, though...
-[ ] Steel-type moves are apparently extremely rare and difficult to learn compared to other moves. There's only two in the book--Iron Tail (which obviously Sparkplug can't learn) and Metal Sound. Well, Sparkplug was good with sounds...
-[ ] Write-in what you think is a basic and commonly known move—subject to QM approval as I check if it would be in the book.
Experimentation/???
Tip:
The results of experimental actions might not go the way you expect it, and the results may vary. From new moves, improvements in attributes, to even new Talents for your Pokemon—experimentation can be a bit of a mystery box.[ ][Sparkplug] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): That sudden drop move from when you battled Nathan was an interesting way for you to dodge out of the way, and now you've managed to use it to score a win against an evolved Pokemon. What else can you do with that, you wonder...?
-[ ] Try to refine Sparkplug's sudden powering down of their levitation as a dodging technique.
-[ ] Try to refine Sparkplug's sudden powering down of their levitation as an offensive technique.
[ ][Sparkplug] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): You know, Sparkplug looked kind of funny covered in nuts, bolts, and screws...but wouldn't the extra layer of metal help them take a hit?
[ ][Sparkplug] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): Sparkplug's humming is really soothing to you in general—something that they've easily caught onto to help you calm down. High-pitched to low, soft or loud enough to thrum through your arms as they held them...you wonder if it was something worth looking into more?
[ ][Sparkplug] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): This Metal Powder you bought sure makes it easier to have Sparkplug train their magnetism powers anywhere and everywhere. You haven't figured out how you could directly apply this to battles yet...but again, the Metal Powder might help with that. You still kinda need to give Sparkplug more control first, though...
-[ ] Further improve general control, metal detector sense, and Sparkplug's control over the size of the metallic objects they attract.
-[ ] Improves general speed and stealth capability. Gives Sparkplug the rudimentary ability to dial down the range of their magnetism.
[ ][Sparkplug] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): You've been reminded of how annoying it can be to navigate around obstacles. You wonder if Magnet Bomb doesn't need to go after an opponent right away—maybe Sparkplug can have the move lie in wait first?
[ ][Sparkplug] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): Sparkplug is obviously not a Golduck, but you feel like if there's anyone among your partners who is careful and clever enough to figure out how to cancel out other elemental attacks with their own, it can only be your first friend. Maybe you can figure this out?
[ ][Sparkplug] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): There's a problem with Sparkplug's take on Echoed Voice—it isn't...well...echoing. Or at least the power of the move isn't building up, which is like the whole point of the move. How can you go about solving this issue?
-[ ] Write-in your ideas of how to help Sparkplug overcome this roadblock.
[ ][Sparkplug] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): All those Magnet Bombs going off all at once was fun, even if it did leave Sparkplug kind of scorched as an improvised manuever. Let's see if you can turn it into something more workable.
Write-In Option
[ ][Sparkplug] You have a different idea. (Write-in option; WARNING: SUBJECT FIRST TO APPROVAL FROM QM—MUST EITHER BE BASIC TRAINING OR AN IDEA ALIGNED WITH YOUR TRAINER STYLE)
General Refining
[ ][Maynot] According to your Pokedex, Maynot's Barriers are like the main thing of his species line. They might be kind of strong, but they're kind of small though. Could he make them bigger?
[ ][Maynot] Maynot's Copycat move is fairly impressive, but there's a slight delay that you can notice when he copies the 'aura' of a move. Try to reduce that delay.
[ ][Maynot] Maynot's pretty pleased about the vertical mobility that using his barriers as platforms grants him and also with his rough skill of using Confusion on himself—but there's still a lot more to go before you can say that he's mastered it. Better keep grinding away at that.
[ ][Maynot] Remoraid's sheer range probably isn't going to be something that you're going to run into regularly, but it was still annoying as hell. Try to extend Maynot's range when it comes to Confusion and probably his other psychic moves in the future.
[ ][Maynot] Perhaps you should just focus on refining one of Maynot's basic attributes. These will naturally improve over time as the Pokemon gains experience from battling or perhaps even as a side effect to any other training that you do, but maybe it'd be good for you to just...round the basics out...?
-[ ] Pick an attribute to focus on from Health, Physical Attack, Physical Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed.
Learning Moves
Tip: Pokemon can naturally learn moves as they grow stronger/"level up" from battles. Training and tutoring are not the only ways in which a Pokemon learns moves.
Tip: You can unlock more moves to teach your Pokemon by researching the specific species of your Pokemon at a Pokemon Center.
[ ][Maynot] Because you've done research on the Mr. Mime evolutionary line, you now possess knowledge and notes on the moves that they naturally learn as they grow stronger. You can try to teach Maynot one of these moves in advance.
-[ ] Write-in a move from the learnset of Mime Jr. and Mr. Mime from any generation. However, your mileage may vary on how successful you are. (You may also include your creative ideas for how you're going about teaching it. A helpful list may be found here.)
[ ][Maynot] Miss Diana's gift to you, a book titled "Common Pokemon Moves From All Types" is pretty self-explanatory. Maybe you can help Maynot learn one of the moves that are in here.
-[ ] Write-in what you think is a basic and commonly known move—subject to QM approval as I check if it would be in the book.
Experimentation/???
Tip:
The results of experimental actions might not go the way you expect it, and the results may vary. From new moves, improvements in attributes, to even new Talents for your Pokemon—experimentation can be a bit of a mystery box.[ ][Maynot] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): Those Barriers are transparent, but they kind of look like little glowing blue glass windows. Could you get Maynot to reduce the glow and make them harder to notice?
[ ][Maynot] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): While you always thought that Maynot would eventually be able to make his barriers into different shapes, you have gotten a glimpse of just how crazy the Mime line can apparently take it.
[ ][Maynot] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): Maynot's Barriers being so slippery is annoying, but you've seen how it can be used to mess with foes and speed yourself up alike. Try to play around with that.
[ ][Maynot] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): Something in the very core of your being rebels at the thought of teaching Maynot to be a better pickpocket considering the Coro incident. But your logical mind understands how this talent might be extremely annoying for his future opponents...
[ ][Maynot] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): Maynot is seriously good at drawing the eye and causing a distraction with his antics. This is not a worthless talent when it comes to battling—you can think of a few things to work on.
-[ ] Improve his ability to distract his opponents. To lose focus in the face of something more interesting was to test one's discipline...
[ ][Maynot] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): Something about getting his barriers to move after he makes them is really, really difficult for the Mime Jr. You're not sure why, though...can you think of a way to work around it?
-[ ] Write-in your ideas of how to help Maynot overcome this roadblock.
Write-In Option
[ ][Maynot] You have a different idea. (Write-in option; WARNING: SUBJECT FIRST TO APPROVAL FROM QM—MUST EITHER BE BASIC TRAINING OR AN IDEA ALIGNED WITH YOUR TRAINER STYLE)
General Refining
[ ][Coro] Coro's Rollout starts out a little slow in terms of acceleration before she really gets going. Maybe you should have her work on that to help her start up faster?
[ ][Coro] Even with her being impatient, there's a noticeable delay before Coro is able to charge up her elemental attacks like Powder Snow or Water Gun. Practice the charging speed of her water and ice energy.
[ ][Coro] The way Captain Thomas has trained his Remoraids in Water Gun was still inspiring—have Coro keep at it with her own take on the strategy.
-[ ] That ace racer's Golduck exchanges speed for steadiness and extra ability to maneuver around, and is what Coro has built her foundational understanding of this strategy on.
-[ ] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): What you've seen from that daredevil's Floatzel most resembles the way that Captain Thomas did it, but would probably exchange pure speed for Coro running out of stamina faster.
[ ][Coro] Coro's Aqua Jet has a bit of a delay before she pulls it off, which is pretty annoying considering the ways you want to use it. Work on that.
[ ][Coro] Perhaps you should just focus on refining one of Coro's basic attributes. These will naturally improve over time as the Pokemon gains experience from battling or perhaps even as a side effect to any other training that you do, but maybe it'd be good for you to just...round the basics out...?
-[ ] Pick an attribute to focus on from Health, Physical Attack, Physical Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed.
Learning Moves
Tip: Pokemon can naturally learn moves as they grow stronger/"level up" from battles. Training and tutoring are not the only ways in which a Pokemon learns moves.
Tip: You can unlock more moves to teach your Pokemon by researching the specific species of your Pokemon at a Pokemon Center.
[ ][Coro] Because you've done research on the Spheal evolutionary line, you now possess knowledge and notes on the moves that they naturally learn as they grow stronger. You can try to teach Coro one of these moves in advance.
-[ ] Write-in a move from the learnset of Spheal, Sealeo, and Walrein from any generation. However, your mileage may vary on how successful you are. (You may also include your creative ideas for how you're going about teaching it. A helpful list may be found here.)
[ ][Coro] Miss Diana's gift to you, a book titled "Common Pokemon Moves From All Types" is pretty self-explanatory. Maybe you can help Coro learn one of the moves that are in here.
-[ ] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): Your Pokedex says Coro can't learn Bite, which seems stupid to you considering her mouth takes up her entire head and houses pretty large fangs. The book has it anyway, so...why not give it a shot?
-[ ] Write-in what you think is a basic and commonly known move—subject to QM approval as I check if it would be in the book.
Experimentation/???
Tip:
The results of experimental actions might not go the way you expect it, and the results may vary. From new moves, improvements in attributes, to even new Talents for your Pokemon—experimentation can be a bit of a mystery box.[ ][Coro] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): Powder Snow seems useful as an elemental attack, yes...but you remember the results of Coro's and Maynot's little competition on the Greasy Whiscash. You wonder if you can use it to make floors extra slippery instead.
[ ][Coro] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): You've heard a lot of takes on Growl, and Coro's is adorable. It's so cute that it's genuinely distracting...she might find this embarrassing, but you should try to see if you can take that a step further.
[ ][Coro] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): Coro certainly gave you trouble while she was wrestling with you...though you are just a squishy human. You can try to further refine Coro's wrestling abilities.
[ ][Coro] Trainer Style Interrupt (The Improviser): The spinning water type energy that forms with Coro's Aqua Jet seems to not just propel her around, but also allows attacks to bounce off? Test and play with this property more.
You think you need Coro to be better at using Water Gun to go into the sky (or perhaps Aqua Jet, if things turn out that way in that direction?) before you can go for this.
Write-In Option
[ ][Coro] You have a different idea. (Write-in option; WARNING: SUBJECT FIRST TO APPROVAL FROM QM—MUST EITHER BE BASIC TRAINING OR AN IDEA ALIGNED WITH YOUR TRAINER STYLE)
---
There will be a one hour voting moratorium put in place upon the posting of this update. You aren't supposed to vote until after an hour passes from the posting of this update. There's a banner with a countdown at the top and bottom of the thread, so please pay attention.
