Sweet hack you got there. Original hacks=success.
Thanks for the compliment! :)
This is going to be such an awesome hack, and I wish you the best of luck on it. From what I've seen so far, this game combines many elements that I usually don't like (Pokémorphs, Fakemon, real locations in a Pokémon game) and/or don't think will work in a hack (attempting to do multiple plotlines in one game) in a way that makes me think this will absolutely work and that makes me actually WANT to see all those features that I usually dislike. It's a brilliant story with brilliant concepts that transcend a lot of other hacks that try to use similar elements.
*feels a bit overwhelmed in praise* Thank you.... ^___^ It makes me pleased to know that even if there are features you don't like, you're still willing to give the game a chance - that means a lot to me. It's actually something I thought about while planning the game - I knew going into this project that people might object to the presence of Pokemorphs and Fakemon, and tried to make sure that no one was ever forced to deal with these elements in a way that they might not appreciate (well, aside from the Jersey Devil, but when you have a Legendary Fakemon with extreme plot relevance, it's not really something that can be avoided). You might have to battle Trainers who use some Fakemon, but you're never under any obligation to have to catch and use them yourself, and they're so rare (and there are so few of them, anyway - only about twenty different species) that you probably won't even encounter them that often, anyway. The Pokemorphs are central to the plot, but you're under no obligation to help them or even be civil to them - people who hate 'Morphs are free to treat em like dirt and go have fun with the Scientists XD An Easter Egg I put in for my own enjoyment involving Ash Ketchum from the anime (yes, there
is a reason he's in New Jersey! XD ), simply because I'm an Ash fan, is also entirely voluntary (since I know not everyone's a fan!), and almost everything that can be obtained doing it can be gotten in other places.
As for setting the game in New Jersey, I've always been a fan of wondering what our world be like if Pokémon really did exist, and since I grew up in New Jersey, it just seemed natural for me to extend my curiosity to an area of the world of which I had many fond memories. :) As for letting the player make their own choices...the reason I decided that is because the real-life issues that are reflected in the game (animal rights, genetic engineering, medical ethics, and such) are far from black and white, and the last thing I wanted to seem to be doing was pushing an agenda or trying to coerce the players into a way of thinking that they may not agree with. It's true that the Pokemorph characters are quite sympathetic (and the two whom look blatantly like Pokemorphs in their sprites are
not the only ones in the game...), but some of the Scientists are equally pitiable (indeed, when one of my beta testers found out the Champion's backstory, her opinion of him changed so drastically that she drew fanart of the guy. Fanart! ^^; ). Things are left up to the player to decide - though in the end, neither group can really be allowed to achieve their goal of tampering with the destructive forces of hellspawn...the player character is forced to eventually draw the line
somewhere XD
I personally think that's the best way to go about making a hack; to treat it like a story that you have to write in codes and scripts, not to treat it like a computer program that you have to invent a story to justify.
That's a beautiful quote! ^____^ I love it!
But enough soapboxing on hack philosophy from me. Great story and great ideas so far, and I shall eagerly (but patiently) await the beta, and an opportunity to sign up with the Cryptozoologists!
^^ Zachary will happily await taking you on as his apprentice! The guy doesn't even have his own overworld sprite yet and I've already fallen in love with his personality and sense of adventure - I have an entire notebook page full of notes and musings on what he's like and what sort of dialogue he might have XD
By the way, I noticed you said in your first post that you're "not a very talented spriter" and want the hero/heroine sprites changed; I'd be glad to help out on the hero/heroine OW sprites--and possibly some trainer sprites too, although at this point my trainer sprites are basically heavily edited splices. (Though that would probably be fitting for the Pokémorphs, yeah?)
You would help me? Really? *feels very humble and flattered* I'd love that, I really would! :) You can see in the most recent screenshots that the main characters have been changed from being Brendan and May to what are basically recolors/slight edits of Red and Green from FRLG, but better looking sprites would always be appreciated. :) I'll take the opportunity here to show some of the sprites that have been made for the game, so you and others can see how I envision the characters looking, and work from there with any improvements you may want to make (or suggest that I make, I am not closed to concrit :) ). I checked out your OWs and Trainer sprites and am impressed - quite a bit of talent on display! (I'm mostly just a splicer and recolor-er...I fail ^^; ) Oh, and if there's anything you want me to do to help out with your hack in return, send a note my way ^^;
Trainers and Fakemon - An Introduction :)
Please keep in mind that these are BETA images, and some of these sprites are a few years old :) I am well aware of the sucky quality of some of them - and I'm not even posting the worse of the worst ^^; I know that I'm a poor spriter, but I still don't want to be laughed at - I'm offering up the images for the purposes of receiving polite advice, and so those who want to help with the game's spriting can see how I envisioned the character designs :) And some Trainers simply don't have sprites at all yet, so be patient ^^;
Well, of course, the first Trainers you meet are yourself and your rival :)
Pokémon Trainer Buster
Overworld Base: Red
Mugshot Base: Diamond (Lucas)
Trainer Base: Camper (FRLG), Diamond/Lucus (Plat), Pearl/Barry (Plat)
Town of Residence: Somers Point
Theme: Anything Goes
Pokémon Trainer Suzie
Overworld Base: Green
Mugshot Base: Platinum (Dawn)
Trainer Base: Green (FRLG), Platinum/Dawn (Plat), Lass or Beauty, can't remember ^^; (DPP)
Town of Residence: Somers Point
Theme: Anything Goes
Your rival is much like Brendan or May - except with a bit more personality, and they actually have tough Pokémon befitting a rival XD They're the child of the local Professor, and start their Journey right about the same time you do. They don't think much of Pokemorphs, what with being the child of someone scientifically minded, and they'll berate you a bit if you choose to be kind to the 'Morphs or side with PFN. Buster takes losing harder than Suzie, while Suzie's a bit perky and likes to think of you as her "Battle Partner." ^^'
Other Trainers with the Classification of "Pokémon Trainer"
Pokémon Trainer Rosie
Overworld Base: Nurse Joy/scratch (can be seen in one of the posted screenshots)
Mugshot Base: Garedenia (mostly because of the hair XD It fit ^^; )
Trainer Base: I have no idea...I didn't make this sprite, as you can likely tell from the improved quality ^^; It was a gift from Rexhunter99, one of the Project Platinum/Palladium programmers - he just randomly made it for me :)
Town of Residence: Linwood
Theme: Skarmbliss. Beware the Skarmbliss.
Rosie is a Minun girl and the first 'Morph you meet in the game. Her owner is Lady Linwood, a rich old woman who lives with her husband and a flock of maids (and more 'Morphs, though you don't ever see them) on a big estate, in a house called Linwood Manor. You first meet Rosie at the Wrecked Drawbridge on Route 103, where she reveals to you that she wants nothing more than to "be like Nurse Joy" and be able to have her own life where she can make her own choices. Seeing you're a Trainer, she asks of you a favor: if she gives you a battle with the Chansey she stole from her owner's house, will you not tell anyone you saw her? Of course, you have the option to go to Lady Linwood's house posthaste and tell her exactly where her 'Morph is for a sweet Nugget reward...or lie in order to protect Rosie from capture. You'll encounter her more often if you don't rat her out, but even if you do, this won't be your only encounter with her....
The Scientist CEO, Tyler, seems to rather fancy her. Make of that what you will. XD
Pokémon Trainer Kate
Overworld Base: N/A (in current extreme need of revision from the vomit-like 2004 version...)
Mugshot Base: Candice
Trainer Base: Tate or Liza (don't remember which - RSE), Lass (FRLG), Pikachu (DPP)
Town of Residence: Northfield
Theme: The same stuff her "mom," Gym Leader Jackie, uses
Kate, the cute Pikachu girl. Unlike Rosie, she doesn't talk - she just says "Chuu!" She's rather innocent and childlike, and doesn't really understand why the world is the way it is. Her owner is Jackie, the Gym Leader of Northfield, though Jackie would rather be called Kate's "mom."
Kate, seeing the fun the human kids of South Jersey get to have, is determined to have the same fun for herself, and runs away from her Gym home with some of Jackie's Pokemon in tow. However, she's terrifically naive and has no idea what she's getting into when she runs out into the big wide world...and choices you make can directly affect her future.
She's a favorite character of one of my old beta testers.
Pokémon Trainer Kyle
Overworld Base: N/A (None, yet)
Mugshot Base: N/A (None, yet)
Trainer Base: N/A (Is currently still in its horrible 2004 state ^^; )
Town of Residence: N/A (He has no established home town)
Theme: Canine Pokémon
The third 'Morph you meet in the game, although unlike the previous two, he doesn't look the part other than an odd hair color (and really, in a Pokemon game, odd hair is normal XD ). He's a Growlithe boy and Kate's twin brother (and yes, there IS a logical explanation for how that works - fun with in vitro!), although he will furiously deny such. He has a...well, canine...level of devotion to the Scientists who made him, and supports them and all they do with every fiber of his being. He dislikes considering himself a Pokemorph and will lash out angrily if called such - in his mind, he's just another Scientist, albeit a young one. He's also exceedingly arrogant and calls himself "the GREAT Kyle!" - this attitude, coupled with what I've described as his looks (a lanky young man with messy hair with the colors of Growlithe fur), have led one friend to compare him to Gary. What lies underneath that bluster?
In a class by himself....
Zoologist Zachary
Overworld Base: N/A (None, yet)
Mugshot Base: N/A (None, yet)
Trainer Base: N/A (None, yet )
Town of Residence: ??? (hasn't decided yet - likely Egg Harbor)
Theme: Legendary Pokémon
Zachary, the Cryptozoologist with a passion for the exotic members of the vast Pokémon kingdom. He embodies adventure, though he can be a bit of a horny dolt (yes, even to a player sprite that's supposed to be
ten) - good thing he has a pith helmet to protect that skull of his! He tracks "Cryptids" with the same all-consuming passion that can envelop some real-world UFO junkies, and even collects his blurry photos and notes in a book you can go paw through in his house. He considers the Jersey Devil the greatest prize a Cryptid Hunter could ever snare - though he's intrigued by all other sort of creatures, also. There are points where you can battle him, though he doesn't always fight you as a friendly match - things can certainly get heated when
you're the one tossing the Pokeballs at the Cryptids he's hunting, and when he expects you, as his apprentice, to hand them over. He battles using Legendaries with which it's been established that there are multiple representatives of the species (such as the first two "trios," Lugia, etc.).
Evil Team Leaders
Boss Tyler
Overworld Base: Maxie (and very badly drawn over...yes, another 04 sprite ^^; )
Mugshot Base: N/A (None, yet)
Trainer Base: Maxie, again (It sucks...)
Town of Residence: No set location
Theme: Minun. Everywhere.
The CEO of the 'Morph production company that just moved into South Jersey, raising the ire of PFN. Pretty much
all his underlings acknowledge the fact that he's nucking futs, but not a one dares to defy him. He's obsessed with the Pokémon Minun for a reason he's loathe to speak about; and the ferocity of his hatred for PFN seems to be driven by something much deeper than just wanting to keep his business...well, in business. And he's entirely willing to evoke the Jersey Devil, if he must in order to continue his work...
Needless to say, his fascination with Minun extends to the Pokémorph, Rosie. I will hasten to add that nothing off-color happens as a result!
Boss David
Overworld Base: N/A (None, yet)
Mugshot Base: N/A (None, yet)
Trainer Base: N/A (None, yet)
Town of Residence: Margate City
Theme: Anything Goes
The "dotty old Chairman" of the South Jersey Branch of PFN, David is an elderly fellow with a British accent and fire in his soul. He is adamant that Pokémorphs are people, and that those scoundrel Scientists who make them are
most certainly not. He would love to see them wiped off the face of South Jersey by any means necessary - even if he has to take out innocents at the same time. Although he's charming, sophisticated, and says "wot wot!" a lot; unlike Tyler, he's not insane and knows exactly what he's doing, even when it's not quite just. However, he is fighting for a cause you may choose to agree with...
Other campaigners for 'Morph rights, such as Jackie and Miss Julius, have a low opinion of David and PFN in general.
Gym Leaders/Elite Four
Gym Leader Marina
Overworld Base: Roxanne - crappily I might add ^^;
Mugshot Base: N/A
Trainer Base: Beauty (GSC), and I think a Lady (RSE or FRLG?)
Town of Residence: Egg Harbor
Theme: Beautiful Pokémon
Badge: Shine Badge
Marina, in a word, is vain. She sees herself as a spectacular Beauty, and, as for her Pokémon - to quote her own words, they "eat only the bluest of Pokéblocks!" While she may be gorgeous, she is also a poor loser, and will not be very civil to you if you manage to beat her. She has a twin sister, Katrina, who runs a Gym in the town of Galloway, but Marina would rather pretend that Katrina does not exist. Additionally, in the words of a random Bug Catcher you meet, she thinks bugs are "yucky, icky-poo!"
Gym Leader Thomas
Overworld Base: Brawly - crappily I might add ^^;
Mugshot Base: N/A
Trainer Base: I don't remember what they're called, but they're from FRLG and have electric types ^^;
Town of Residence: Corbin City
Theme: Genderless/Manmade Pokémon
Badge: Wisdom Badge
Thomas' hero is also his namesake - Thomas Alva Edison, the Wizard of Menlo Park ("Menlo Park" being a real estate development in Raritan Township - now named Edison - where Edison lived and worked). As to be expected, Thomas is fascinated by science, experiments, and electricity. The many mysteries associated with genderless machine or doll-like Pokémon - how do they make more of themselves? How did they evolve? and so on and so forth - are questions of great wonder to him. Also, according to a Hiker you meet, his favorite Pokémon move is Flash - someone has bad taste! XD
Gym Leader Parker
Overworld Base: Wattson - crappily I might add ^^;
Mugshot Base: N/A
Trainer Base: The original Gym Leader, Wattson (RSE), Hiker (DPP), Triathlete (RSE)
Town of Residence: Absecon
Theme: Pokémon that could conceivably be used in gardening
Badge: Bloom Badge
Parker - COMMISSIONER Parker! - is the head of the department that oversees the operation of the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike. He is especially fond of the Parkway and making it elaborately beautiful (indeed, "parkways" are called such due to their scenic medians and shoulders - now you know why we drive on parkways and park on driveways! XD ) - calling him "obsessed with plants" is an understatement. Parker is also an ardent believer in ghosts, and is a bit superstitious about the "Ghost" said to haunt his own town. Even if you catch the "Ghost" and show it to him, he'll still insist it's an evil spirit and beg you to take it away!
Gym Leader Phyllis
Overworld Base: N/A (None, yet)
Mugshot Base: N/A
Trainer Base: N/A (None, yet)
Town of Residence: Weymouth
Theme: Red-and-White Pokémon
Badge: Citizen Badge
"Who says a kid can't be a Gym Leader?" is Phyllis' philosophy. "Whatever I try, I can achieve!" The star of her Little League team, Phyllis is baseball-obsessed to the point of making Casey and her devotion to the Electabuzz look positively
normal. Being a South Jersey girl, her team of choice is who else but the Philadelphia Phillies - and their team colors, red and white, are represented with the Pokémon used within her Gym. You DO, however, meet one heathen who insists he's more of a football fan, and he'll battle you with green and white Pokemon - representing, of course, the Philadelphia Staraptors XD (Of course, to those of us who don't live in PokémonLand, it would be the Philadelphia Eagles! )
Gym Leader Jackie
Overworld Base: N/A (Needs major, major revision...)
Mugshot Base: Candice - just like her "daughter!"
Trainer Base: Roxanne (RSE), Artist (FRLG)
Town of Residence: Northfield
Theme: Anything Goes
Badge: Heart Badge
Jackie - the only Gym Leader who gets her own "mug shot" - is a petite, but headstrong, woman whose great passion in life is caring for Pokémorphs. Although she insists that "Pokémorphs are people, dammit!" as loudly as any PFN member, she refuses to be associated with said Evil Team, seeing it as having some good ideas - but also some terribly flawed ones. She's the owner (though Jackie would use the term "mom") of a Pikachu girl named Katherine (AKA, Kate). She's also extraordinary fascinated with Champion Sampson, a Kantonese-immigrant drifter who was the driving force behind the "invention" of Pokémorphs - so much so that many whisper that she's hopelessly in love with him, despite the atrocities he's alleged to have committed (some of which, as you may discover playing the game, are all too true...).
Gym Leader Katrina
Overworld Base: N/A (None, yet)
Mugshot Base: N/A
Trainer Base: N/A (None, yet)
Town of Residence: Galloway
Theme: Pokémon "unattractive to the eye"
Badge: Tarnish Badge
Katrina, unlike her vain sister Marina, knows where to look to find true beauty. The Pokemon in her Gym are, at best,
Ugly Cute, and at worse, just plain ugly. She's also much more civil, and a much better loser, than her twin. But despite what you might be thinking, she is actually not ugly herself - causing people to wonder if she has an ulterior motive in her promotion of the unappealing...
Gym Leaders Mack and Manco
Overworld Bases: N/A (None, yet)
Mugshot Bases: N/A
Trainer Bases: N/A (None, yet)
Town of Residence: (Ocean City) Boardwalk
Theme: "Pair" Pokémon
Badge: Supreme Badge
(Anthony) Mack and (Vincent) Manco, whose namesakes were
very real people, are two pals with a passion for pizza. Indeed, their entire Gym doesn't look like a gym at all - it's a restaurant where patrons will battle you with all manner of Pokemon who "go together" like cheese and tomato sauce. Mack and Manco also have the unique status of being the only Gym Leaders mentioned within the Pokédex - they enjoy serving Combusken drumsticks with bleu cheese and zesty sauce straight from Buffalo, New York XD
Gym Leader Howard
Overworld Base: N/A (None, yet)
Mugshot Base: N/A
Trainer Base: Norman (RSE), Artist (FRLG)
Town of Residence: Atlantic City
Theme: New Jersey native Pokémon
Badge: Truth Badge
Howard is a rather quiet sort - an animal-loving newspaperman who desperately wants to see the falling apart of New Jersey's ecosystem reversed. He's passionate about the species found only in New Jersey - namely,
almost all the Fakemon - and battles only with them to allow people to see the Pokemon in person, in hopes that his opponents will realize why they're worth protecting. Because he doesn't talk a lot and is reclusive, silly rumors have sprung up alleging the man must be doing something illegal in his spare time - or even secretly a Pokemorph, battling humans to laugh at them. Is there any truth to these tales?
The Elite Four, for the record, are named
Rodney, Mabel, Fresca, and
Booster. Their eccentricities are not completely decided upon yet, though I will note that Booster dresses up like a member of Team Rocket. Whether he's just a silly American cosplayer or actually involved in crime is not clear yet... As for the Champion, however...
Champion Sampson
Overworld Base: N/A (Needs severe revision)
Mugshot Base: N/A (None, yet)
Trainer Base: Maxie (RSE), Pokemaniac (GSC)
Town of Residence: Absecon (The Mystery Lab)
Theme: Powerful "OU tier" Pokémon, other than a sentimental Pikachu
Sampson is just as shy and reclusive as Howard, and perhaps even more so - people say he only stays as Champion of the League, rather than deliberately losing just to get out of the public sphere, because he uses the money to fund work being done at the Mystery Lab. Stories of how he's "weird" "awkward" and "prefers Pokemon to people" abound, as do terrible rumors of all sorts of atrocities performed within the Mystery Lab. A citizen of Kanto fleeing the law back in his home country and following his old Scientist coworkers to New Jersey, he retains a vested interest in their activities due to being a primary shareholder in their company, although he does not otherwise associate with them. It's said he has a connection to the Legendary Pokemon Ho-oh; and is rumored to be obsessed with it. Gym Leader Jackie of Northfield is said to be in love with him, but it is not known how he feels about her. His messy black hair, love of trenchcoats and haggard look are his hallmarks.
Fakemon
Now, I'll tell you a bit about the 20 or so Fakemon that appear alongside most of the original 386 Pokémon of the Advanced Generation. I tried really hard to keep the Fakemon balanced, with representatives from the lofty heights of OU, the middle ground of UU, and the hopeless depths of NU (and there's an Uber, too XD ). Some of the new species (which range from fish to bugs to mice to dogs to hellspawn) are based on animals which, in the 4th Gen, were actually used by Nintendo as real Pokemon (Emerald hadn't even been released at the time I started working on this game and made up virtually all the Fakemon ^^; ). The Fakemon are in rough Pokedex order appearance and grouped with their evolutions or pairs.
Order: Class [TYPE] [HP] [ATT] [DEF] [SP ATT] [SP DEF] [SPD]
Total
Apollo and Luna
Sunglow [PSYCHIC/FIRE] [70] [60] [75] [100] [75] [95]
475
Moonglow [PSYCHIC/DARK] [70] [60] [95] [100] [75] [75]
475
Sprite Bases: Flareon, Espeon, Houndour, Rapidash (Apollo); Umbreon, Flareon (Luna).
Professor Sycamore's Notes: These are quite unusual Pokémon, who look like they could be cousins of the Eevee family. They come in a pair - Apollo is always male, and Luna is always female. Apollo is said to represent daytime, and Luna the nighttime.
My Notes: These Pokemon were originally designed as Sun Stone/Moon Stone Eeveelutions; which is why they look like them. I decided, however, to make them their own seperate little family that's merely "related" to Eevee - it let me make their types and stat spreads more interesting :) They are named after deities - Apollo was the Greek god of the sun, and Luna, the Roman goddess of the moon.
Flarell and Tiderell
Inspire [ELECTRIC/FIRE] [80] [70] [60] [105] [95] [115]
525
Inspire [ELECTRIC/WATER] [80] [60] [70] [95] [105] [115]
525
Sprite Bases: Plusle, scratch (Flarell); Minun, scratch (Tiderell)
Sycamore's Notes: These Pokemon have pretty, fluffy tails that can be shaken like pompoms. Not only does this show inspire other Pokémon, but it can also summon natural forces - a cheer with the side effect of being a weather-luring dance, if you will. The forces summoned are said to vary depending on the color of the Pokémon's markings - Flarell commands fire, and Tidrell, water.
My Notes: Plusle is my favorite Pokémon (no, not Minun - Minun just gets a lot of attention in this hack; I prefer Plusle XD ); and it always frustrated me that it was so...well...useless, what with falling into that unfortunate class of Pokemon known as "novelty." My desire for Nintendo to make real, competitively viable evolutions for Plusle and Minun lead me to create these two. They ended up squirrel-like as a result of me trying to capture the look of fire and flowing water in their design - Tiderell curls its tail like a cresting wave, and Flarell sticks it up and out like a flame. The specks on the tails are supposed to make them look like cheerleader pompoms, which tend to be mainly one color with flecks of another mixed in. The "plumes" about their paws are also supposed to be like pompoms.
I have designed and redesigned these Pokemon more times than any other of the Fakemon. The sprites here are actually slight edits of the very first designs done back in 04 - I merely cleaned them up a little and eliminated the stripe that ran from their forehead and down to their tail (since a certain Pachirisu came along and incorporated that design motif). They went through a period of having quadrupedal sprites, large sprites with realistic squirrel anatomy, and slightly Furret-inspired sprites before I went back to the original ones where it all began. ^^; The names come from "flare" and "tide," plus "squirrel."
Pweek, Pooroo, Pocoora
Chipmunk [NORMAL] [50] [65] [60] [15] [50] [60]
300
Wind [NORMAL/FLYING] [70] [85] [80] [25] [70] [80]
410
Hurricane [NORMAL/FLYING] [85] [150] [110] [35] [110] [110]
600
Sprite Bases: Pichu, scratch (Pweek); Pikachu, scratch (Pooroo); scratch (Pocoora)
Sycamore's Notes: This Pokemon seems to be in the same class of "pseudo Legendaries" as Dragonite, Tyranitar, Metagross, Salamence, and Garchomp. However, unlike them, it is quite small (fully evolved, it can perch on its Trainer's shoulder without trouble), quite furry, and...quite pink! One could not easily guess its strength by looking at it. They are known as the "Wind" and "Hurricane" Pokémon, and for good reason - pretty much any move involving wind/air and its destructive forces can be learned by these creatures.
My Notes: Yeah, more squirrel-themed Pokemon. ^^; These were the very first Fakemon to be added into the game, although they're not the first that I designed - Apollo and Luna came first, and then these guys (both back in 2001, before there was even a third gen released!) :) As such, these Pokémon are quite sentimental to me, and while Pweek and Pocoora have been resprited with time; Pooroo retains its original 04 sprite, the very first one I ever did, with only a little cleaning up done (However, if they suck, sentimentality can be thrown out the window XD ). Anyway, I always hoped Nintendo would make a "pseudo-Legend" that was both adorable and non-draconic, just to buck the trend of them almost always being big nasty looking monsters (well, it's true that Dragonite is cute and Metagross is not a dragon, though I'd be hard pressed to call THAT cute!). Pocoora is a small, adorable, pink, and fluffy flying squirrel of doom and doesn't look at all like a fearful OU beast that eats Blissey for breakfast - and that was the point XD As for these Pokemon's names, "Pooroo" was a corruption of "potoroo," an Australian mammal whom it was originally supposed to be based on, except for the fact I couldn't draw it right and it ended up looking like a big squirrel. Good thing I made that mistake, too - a potoroo Pokémon would have been very out of place in New Jersey! "Pweek" and "Pocoora" are just further corruptions.
Aroby, Phew, Stinkudo, and Fresadazy
Skunk Kit [POISON] [45] [75] [55] [50] [65] [30]
320
Skunk [POISON] [60] [85] [70] [65] [75] [40]
395
Skunk [POISON/FIGHTING] [75] [110] [85] [70] [90] [50]
480
Brightskunk [POISON/PSYCHIC] [75] [90] [85] [90] [90] [50]
480
Sprite Bases: Sandshrew, scratch (Aroby); scratch (Phew); two different Golduck sprites, Charmeleon, scratch (Stinkudo); scratched but horrible (Fresadazy)
Sycamore's Notes: These Pokémon stink - and I mean that in the hold-your-nose way! Cousins of the Stunky of Sinnoh, perhaps? The smallest form especially seems self-conscious of its odor - it's said to carry flowers in an effort to be more appealing. The second form can take one of two paths - with a Moon Stone, it will learn to take pride in its scent and draw power from it. But with a Sun Stone, its scent turns lovely, and it finds pride from a different source...
My Notes: I made these up before Gen 4 had even been announced, so once again, forgive the species recycling - at the time, I thought myself very creative XD Anyway, there's not much to say about these guys - they're just cute UU skunks ^^; As for names, "Aroby" comes from "aroma" + "baby" (it's a skunk kit after all XD ), "Phew" is simply onomatopoeia for the sound people make when they get a whiff of the thing; "Stinkudo" is "stink" + "judo," from its nature as a Fighting type, and finally, "Fresadazy" is a corruption of the term "fresh as a daisy," which, compared to the others, it certainly is in terms of odor! XD
(name classified)
Champion [ELECTRIC] [85] [75] [80] [120] [90] [130]
580
Sprite Base: scratch (Image classified...no, wait, it really DOES look like a big X XD )
Sycamore's Notes: I'm afraid no one can tell you much about what this Pokémon is like - it's one of those Cryptids that Zachary's trying to hunt down! What information I CAN give you, however, is that it is known as "the Ghost of Absecon," and is said to haunt the catacombs of the Mystery Lab, built by Champion Sampson for who only knows what purpose. Virtually no one has seen it, but pretty much everyone in Absecon has heard it - they claim its cry sounds like "a Pikachu being tortured." What I wonder is where these fine folks in Absecon have heard a Pikachu being tortured before so that they're able to make the comparison!
My Notes: Come and visit lovely Absecon! We have a big lighthouse - and a creepy monster that's always wailing! Suck on that, Jersey Devil! The stat spread and description of its cry seems to indicate a relation to the 'Chu family - the most common rumor, other than it being a Ghost, is that it's a mutant lab rat that likes to eat the brains of children, and was concocted by that mad scientist of a Champion in order to protect the Mystery Lab from invasion. Zachary has a very dark and blurry photo of it that he keeps in his scrapbook of Cryptids...
Fluttiby
Fairy Wing [FIRE] [70] [65] [80] [100] [80] [105]
500
Sprite Base: Ponyta, scratch
Sycamore's Notes: This Pokémon is quite pretty - and apparently popular with young girls in the 1980's? It looks quite a bit like another Pokémon, who it evolves from in a split-evolution tree, except that its legs are longer, its hair is safe to touch, and it has rather attractive - but very delicate! - wings. Not uncommon to hear that their wings can and do break off in rough battles - thankfully for them, the wings eventually grow back! In the 80's, it was chic to see these Pokémon with braids, curls, ribbons, and other ridiculous things done to their hair.
My Notes: I was such a big fan of My Little Pony as I was growing up - I watched (and taped!) the show religiously; and had a whole herd of the plastic ponies :) Fluttiby is just my way of paying homage to something I grew up with, and subverting all those Pegasus-based Rapidash evo Fakemon you see all the time. It's a split-evo of Ponyta, for one, and it's no Pegasus - it's a gosh damned FLUTTER PONY! XD The name comes from "Flutter Pony" and a reversal of "butterfly."
Aemouse and Harsop
Selfless [NORMAL] [60] [75] [80] [40] [40] [80]
375
Confident [NORMAL/GROUND] [70] [105] [85] [45] [65] [180]
550
Sprite Bases: Nidoran (F), Buneary (Aemouse); Nidorina, scratch (Harsop - a real rabbit actually posed for the Harsop sprite, after which it proceeded to urinate on my bed ^^; )
Sycamore's Notes: Some might say this evolution tree makes as little sense as the unfortunate Remoraid to Octillery shift. True, but they do have a close connection - both these Pokémon have very strong personality traits (and are admittedly much closer in appearance than Remoraid is to Octillery!) that inspired two very famous stories written in ancient Greece. It was Greek immigrants in the 19th century who inadvertantly brought Aemouse on ships with them to American shores, and thus introduced them to New Jersey. The smaller form, Aemouse, is known to be very selfless - it is small but tough, and cannot abide to see its fellow Pokémon captured. Once it evolves, however, it gets exceedingly cocky and so full of itself and its ability to win that most refuse to exert their full ability in battle! A shame to see a Pokémon that can challenge Ninjask in speed, and not make use of its talent...
My Notes: Invasive species Pokémon - my excuse for an idea I thought was too good
not to encorporate into the game somehow, but wouldn't make sense otherwise (Why are Pokemon that inspired Aseop living in NEW JERSEY?). Aemouse was inspired by the story of The Lion and the Mouse, and Harsop, of course, on the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. Most Harsop live up to their nature and have the Truant ability, though a lucky few are competitively viable and have Speed Boost instead. Their name origins are self-explanatory. XD
Devil
Arcane [FIRE/DARK] [80] [120] [90] [150] [90] [150]
680
Sprite Base: N/A (Not made yet...and even if it were, I would not show it. Cryptids like to be mysterious ;) )
Sycamore's Notes: This Pokémon? Another Cryptid, I'm afraid...and one much more frightening than any Pikachu being tortured! Although I am not inclined to believe in such a creature as the Jersey Devil...I must confess that the evidence for its existence gathered by Zachary, and the fact that so many people - some of them very learned - believe in it 100%, certainly has me wondering! Said to have been born to a family named Leeds in the 1700's, this ugly, awful beast is believed to wreck havoc throughout the New Jersey Pine Barrens to this very day. The recent earthquakes and weather fluctuations are being blamed on it - and Zachary claims that if its power is harnessed by people with hearts as wicked as its own, it could be used to catastrophic ends...
My Notes: I've already discussed the Devil at length. XD
Chiorn and Ronelius
Sprout [GRASS/FLYING] [60] [35] [40] [50] [60] [30]
275
Corn Bird [GRASS/FLYING] [75] [75] [65] [105] [85] [60]
465
Sprite Bases: Torchic, Sunkern (Chiorn); Pidgeotto, scratch (Ronelius)
Sycamore's Notes: Quite a relief to talk about such a harmless creature after contemplating the Devil itself! New Jersey is well known for its Sweet Corn, and this Pokémon ties into this quite nicely. It is small and not especially tough - even when evolved - but is quite cute, I confess! It has sort of dark-green feathers...
My Notes: The brevity of Sycamore's words should tell you something - these guys are rather bland, cute little always-male NU roosters about which there's not a lot to say. Their design (not that you can see it since the sprites are garbage) was based on the long, flowing leaves of corn plants, which look like the feathers in a rooster's tail. Chiorn is "chick" plus "corn," and Ronelius is "rooster" plus "Cornelius," the rooster that appears on boxes of Kellogg's Corn Flakes. Shut up, he's a "corn bird," too XD
Capridess
Joker [FIGHTING] [70] [100] [65] [70] [85] [95]
485
Sprite Base: Girafarig, scratch
Sycamore's Notes: Oh! Now this is an odd Pokémon. It stands on four hooves, and despite having no arms or hands whatsoever, it's a Fighting Type! Its specialty seems to be kicking-based moves - a bit like Hitmonlee, I suppose. It's also said to be quite...well....quite fertile...and enjoys spending time around the Daycare...though, I think I'd rather focus on its other quality as a practical joker. ^^; It seems to enjoy delivering surprise headbutts to the unprotected rears of Trainers!
My Notes: The world needed a goat Pokémon XD I wanted to design a quadroped Fighting-Type, and went with a goat due to their firey nature and their headbutting and kicking =P The heart marking on Capridess' side was to make its design less boring, and also to heighten this Fakemon's status as a symbol of (carnal) love. The name comes from "Capricorn."
Troutsie
All-Seeing [WATER/PSYCHIC] [75] [45] [75] [105] [75] [105]
480
Sprite Base: scratch (and ugly!)
Sycamore's Notes: An aquatic Pokemon with fins and gills; this one is. It's a bit disconcerting, though - it has a tall fin with a large eye-pattern upon it, which is rumored to act as a Psychic 'third eye.' Some believe that if it swims with this fin sticking above the surface; it can see what is happening both above and below the water. As creepy as it is, though, it's not bad at all when it's served on a platter at Red Corphish. Try it sometime!
My Notes: Eeeeew! Ugly sprite! ^^; Troutsie is probably the most "altered" of my Fakemon concepts. It started life as a
bass, not a trout, called Bassil who attacked with sound-based moves. Because it was a bass. Get it? *ba-dum-ching!* However, I found Bassil to be awfully bland in design, boring, and essentially just an aquatic Whismur, so I remade it into the Water/Psychic type we see today. The name is a corruption of "trout's eye," referring to its creepy eye-spot. It could also be seen as a pun of "trout see," indicating its preternatural abilities.
Wamusk and Whakum
Muskrat [WATER] [90] [40] [40] [60] [60] [40]
330
Builder [WATER] [90] [60] [60] [120] [120] [60]
500
Sprite Bases: Skitty...yes,
Skitty (Wamusk); Raticate (Whakum)
Sycamore's Notes: Though I find it hard to believe, some people consider the first form of this Pokemon not only to be edible, but quite the delicacy! You can even buy its flesh in certain eateries; but I think I'd rather stick to having a steak at the Ponderosa, you know? It seems to be a relation to Bidoof and Biberal of Sinnoh; though not quite as vacant looking. The first form has a musky odor that's quite...well, it's strong, take my word for it! The second form has a broad, flat tail that serves many purposes.
My Notes: Yes, you
can go and order a plate of muskrat at at least one restaurant down in South Jersey; in the town of Salem. I came
this close to actually going there and trying the stuff! ^^; As for the Pokémon, they're your average Water-types. Wamusk is from "water" plus "muskrat," and Whakum is onomatopoeia for the sound of a beaver's tail slapping the water in warning.
Sunlip and Serrapike
Bluegill [WATER] [45] [35] [45] [65] [45] [65]
300
FierceTooth [WATER] [70] [100] [70] [100] [70] [90]
500
Sprite Bases: Carvanaha - to the point of being little more than a recolor (Sunlip); Huntail, scratch (Serrapike)
Sycamore's Notes: The first form is a harmless little Water Pokémon I wouldn't mind catching with the Lure Ball on the end of my own pole - indeed, you can even sit on a dock and stick your feet in the water, and they'll simply nibble your toes as tame as anything! Once they evolve, however...it's a different story. They gain a predatory streak and a mouth full of sharp teeth - they wouldn't nibble your toes, they'd grab your toes in their nasty little snouts and rip them right off!
My Notes: Sunlip is
Jersey Quest's smallest Pokemon - under a foot long and weighs less than a pound. Its name comes from "sunfish" (which looks like
this, not the sort of sunfish that lives in the ocean that you're probably thinking of), of which bluegills are a type, and "lip", for its big fishy mouth. XD Serrapike comes from "serrated," for its vicious teeth, and "pike."
Joikat, Pixiebob, and Tabine
Little Cat [FIRE] [60] [30] [60] [55] [35] [60]
300
Lynx [FIRE] [80] [55] [80] [85] [55] [85]
440
Wildcat [FIRE] [95] [60] [95] [105] [70] [90]
515
Sprite Bases: Nidoran (M) (Joikat); Quilava (Pixiebob), Persian, Rapidash (Tabine)
Scycamore's Notes: A feral-pet sort of Fire Type that enjoys the Pine Barrens. Throughout the course of its evolution chain, it has a tail, loses a tail, and gains a tail again - I recall that it is not much of a fan of the "without a tail" stage. Its final form is striped and blazing with flames - though its previous two forms are rather subdued on the flame front, unusual for Fire Types. What secret are they keeping from us, anyway?
My Notes: My god, those first two sprites are UGLY. The third would be too if it weren't basically just a Persian recolor set on fire (I fail ^^; ). Cute little feline fire-types :) "Joikat" is a corruption of "Joie Kat," a character from the Uncle Wiggily newspaper stories written by East Orange native, Howard Garis, in the early part of the century (naming a Fakemon after a random character it has little to do with is just how I roll XD ). Pixiebob is named for the
Pixie-Bob, a breed of domestic cat bred for bobcat-like traits. Tabine is just "tabby," made prettier. :)
Juneslam
Headlong [BUG] [90] [115] [90] [40] [95] [50]
480
Sprite Base: scratch
Sycamore's Notes: This is such an annoying Pokemon! They're all over the place, starting from Late May to about Mid June. They're such clumsy, bumbling things - always knocking themselves into windows; or splatting themselves on car windshields...as for shorting out bugzappers, they do that too, with aplomb! At least they're well armored with a tough exoskeleton! The worse part about them is that their legs are so STICKY...they have these terrible little hooks on them and you can't pull the awful things off if they land on you! Glad I'm not doing field work where they like to hang out...
My Notes: Ugly sprite is ugly. And needs dithering. Among other things. ^^; Anyway, this Fakemon is based on a rather...charming...resident of New Jersey, the
June Beetle. It's a bumbling, slow-flying but seemingly indestructible bug with a lot of heft to it - a June beetle making a rather large BMMPH! when it hits a window, despite its slow speed, is a not uncommon sound during this time of the year. Just like moths, it's attracted to light. The name Juneslam comes from "June beetle" plus "slam," due to their habit of banging into stuff.
And there you have it ^^ Every last Fakemon and all battleable important NPCs. :)
