@ Trials of Reluctance (ch. 3 + 4)
-might as well do 2 chapters at once since nothing new is semi-interesting XD
-once again we have some hated "conversation spam"... really the idea of Brendan and good grades can be explained by narration. It's just not right when nearly the whole chapter 3 except the flashback is all a huge conversation.
-the "emotional" May scene is a bit awkward with diction... also it lacks transition a little bit (but not too much of a problem). Tsunami also flipped side too quickly too. And I'm not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing, but you're also equally consistent about how quickly May recovers, without much transition too XD;;
-chapter 3 can certainly be expanded... now that the identity of May being the Crimson Fighter is revealed, you can dwell on that a bit more to build up May's "cold side" character development.
-yay first irony that I've spotted in this fanfic! Not a big one, but still it's nice and somewhat humourous too...
-some of the Brendan lines really lack the support for his arrogance in his battle... when he's supposedly taunting May, the lines really didn't give him a feeling of arrogance at all.
-May's response to the taunts can also be colder to reinforce her "split-personality" regarding Brendan and the rest of the world... But this one is just my own personal preference too.
-again, TONS of conversation... can always paraphrase a bit of those and let the narration take care of it.
-the battle scene is a terribly revealing emotional scene, yet it isn't very developped. Expand it certainly. The fact that May pulled out of the battle is very important, and should not be just be left with 2 lines worth of explanation.
-if there is a change in POV, then just let it... don't need to put funny brackets around it. You're certainly allowed to change the narrator's POV half way, as long as the change is appropriate.
-the 3-year old scene besides May's narration is completely useless...
-but gotta love Norman's tone in the 4 year old scene =) May who is suppose to sound a lot weaker seems a bit tough and strong for a 4 year old who's "intimidated" by one of her superiors
-Mrs. Hiromi and Norman's first words about the camp make it seem like some weekly camp, and then it seems like later Cipher kidnapped them during the camp and shipped them off to their secret training base... rather a bit confusing there.
-though the plot sets up Cipher to be a terribly evil organization, the diction doesn't follow along. May uses highly "neutral" sentences such as "There, we were trained beyond our mental and physical limits to not only are able to leech out a Pokemons true strength to make them into merciless killers but to become the ultimate army of assassins." It's really like a report more than a personal reflection about onself's darkest past... the plot sets up some scary beginnings, but the tone weakens the plot...
-once again, diction is acting funny... it really makes the guys from cipher terribly weak when you refer to them as "Cipher Peon" while reality says that they have superior and complete authority/power over little May.
-now that you're speaking in the viewpoints of May, use terminologies that May should know when she's suffering through this event (remember, it's a flashback). I'm very doubtful that a 8 or 9 year old knows what's internal bleeding or serum... just die or drug will be sufficient. This is again more changes in diction, and it adds to the realistic effect of the work, to truly bring your readers to be with the flashback, and in the flashback.
-hmm... the "ending" to Part 1... I don't know. Once again, it seems a bit too fast of a transition from the dark side of May to her warm side... This one I can't exactly pinpoint where it seems wrong. Most likely it's related to dictions and tone again. Max's attempt to do anything more than cameo line is rather a plot-killer. It's so focused on the relationship on Brendan and May for some intensively cute Hoennshipping, and suddenly the brat gets in the way... argh! >>;
Grammar Basics: 9/10
Characterization: 16/20
Coherence/Readability: 9/10
Tone/Atmosphere: 14/20
Diction: 14/20
Effort/Originality: 16/20
Lit. Device bonus: +2 (irony, humour)
Total: 80 (Standard of Honours)