The Quest for the Legends

You can't ask Suicune a question, period. Suicune is dead. He can't answer anything, no matter whether it's a day before he is killed or not.

Volcaryu: MUST KILL THEM

Gyarados: I promised to serve him if he took me out of the Lake and away from Suicune, and he did.

Gyarados: Mmmm. Now that Suicune is gone, I want to make a life for myself. I swore I would serve Mark, but I would rather go away somewhere, maybe the sea.

Sandslash: I suppose I would return to my friends and family in the wild, though I'd like to see Mark again. Maybe he could visit.

Dragonite: Oh, I don't know. Staying would be boring if he won't be traveling. I'd like to see the world.

Rob: That's none of your business.

Gyarados: I… don't know how it works. Somehow I drain all the energy from my body and use it to attack. I only discovered I could do it.

Alan: I've told him already. We've… well, pieced it together. I just don't understand why Chaletwo would keep something like this from us. Couldn't it have helped if he'd told us everything about their powers, at least? Couldn't he… you know, change them, if he's the one who made them in the first place? Why didn't he even tell Molzapart before we set out to capture all the legendaries?

May: Well, depends on what I'd be going up against. You have to pick your team with respect to what your opponent has, you know? And where you'll be battling, what kind of strategy you want to employ, that kind of stuff.

Alan: Huh? No, I'd have taken her siblings in too if they'd still been there, but they'd all wandered off by then and we couldn't find then.

Charizard: Well, I talk a lot to Dragonite, so I suppose it would be him.

Gyarados: Terrible, but I was hungry.

Letaligon: I do not know why I am different from all the others. I should have been shiny but wasn't.

After my father is dead, I will go off on my own and find a different herd to join.

Mark: Huh? Games? I mean, there are some virtual Pokémon battle simulators, but nothing more than that.

I just love the actual note - the mechanical wording, the capitalization of the "variables", the general idea of implicitly accusing Mark of feeding his Pokémon steroids, and just the logic of it, really - of course the League will assume something suspicious when somebody enters with an überpowerful Pokémon like that Gyarados. Let's just say it's the sort of random thing I would find completely awesome if it were in somebody else's fic because I'm weird like that. I'm not expecting you to find it particularly remarkable or anything, but I was incredibly giddy over finally getting to write it.

Sparky: Because a sheep. ;)

Mitch: *raises eyebrow*

Gyarados: I don't care.

Spirit: It is a disappointment to be barred from participation, but I cannot say it surprises me. I will live with it.

Gyarados: I don't know. I'd like to live in the sea, far away. But I don't know what will await me there.

Monarking: You could say that, in a way.

Mitch: It's not visions or seeing - that would imply there are images. It is more akin to simply knowing, or having a very powerful hunch.

Mark: Huh?

Um, well, Gyarados is really strong, so losing him would be pretty bad news for the hunt for the legendaries. Plus, I don't think he's bloodthirsty so much as just… really frustrated and angry.

Huh, I did put a "change username" functionality into the forum. What do you know. (Wait, can't you access that yourself, though? Edit Options?)

Would you ever consider doing a backstory fic like 'Scyther's Story' for Gyarados and/or Spirit?

Funny you should ask. I actually started writing something like that for Spirit the other day (primarily explaining why she developed her Ghost-type powers). It would never be anywhere near as long as Scyther's Story, though; it would just be a one-shot.

Gyarados, eh, I kind of doubt it, since there isn't that much to his backstory that you don't already know, really. :/

Chaletwo: Smeargle can paint, but it's not very original. Usually it can only paint what it sees or has seen.

Gyarados: I always had powers other Magikarp didn't. I hung out with Carvanha and could hold my own against them, and eventually that made me evolve.

Gyarados: I don't know. I'm the only Magikarp I've known who has evolved. When it happens, it might be Struggle, or experience from battles they lost.

May's Dad: How did your Meganium die?

May's dad: It… it was an accident. We were in a battle against this Typhlosion, and we were desperate to win, and… it's painful to remember.

Mark: What sparked your interest for legendary Pokémon? Also, how have your opinions on legendaries changed during your journey?

Mark: I dunno. I've just always found them pretty fascinating.

Sandslash: Have you ever had interest in taking part in a Pokéathlon or any other kind of event?

Sandslash: Maybe. I've never tried it before.

Gyarados: Do you prefer to be in your Pokéball or out of it, in the water.

Gyarados: I'd rather be out of it, but being in the ball isn't bad. It's just… stasis, where you feel fine but you can't do anything.

Gyarados (Again): Why did you eat those kids? They could have saved you!
Mew: Who was the last Destroyer?

Gyarados: I ate them because I was hungry and they were too temptingly close.

Mew: Who was the last Destroyer?

Mew: …I do not know. The Destroyer has always been a mystery.

May: Do you, in any way, blame yourself for Taylor's… (Passing? Moving on? Trip to Kindly Old Man Simmons's Farm? Sentence to the Great Metaphorical Illegal Cloning Facility in the sky?)death?

May: …

Alan: Do you, in any way, blame May for Taylor's Untimely passing to Kindly Old Man Simmons's Great Metaphorical Illegal Cloning Facility in the Sky?

Alan: Well, right now I don't even really know what happened.

Chaletwo: What was the Dragon who survived supposed to do then?

Chaletwo: I didn't think it that far at the time. As I keep saying, young and stupid.

Mitch and Sparky:Have you ever had the misfortune of a HUMAN dying in front of you and you couldn't do a thing about it?

Mitch: All too often. Poisons claim many lives even after the victims are taken to me.

Sparky: I was there when my mother died. It always sits with you; it's a very surreal experience.

Mitch and Sparky (again): If you were told that your town would be starved by earthquakes and pestilence assuming you don't give up your Gym and Pokémon to some random ten year old who was completely unqualified for the job, would you do it?

Mitch: Depends on who was telling me that and why.

Sparky: I think I'd assume they were playing a practical joke until proven otherwise.

Ms. Grodski: Were you glad when Mark left on his Pokémon Journey?

Mrs. Grodski: I'm glad to be rid of him, but I can't say I'm glad his parents let him on the journey. When will he learn if they just give in to him?

Molzapart: What evidence do you have to prove that you're not the Destroyer, hmm?

Molzapart: Evidence? Why would I be trying to stop the War if I were the Destroyer? That theory is nonsense from the ground up.

Chaletwo: Same as above.

Chaletwo: What? That's ridiculous. I'm trying to stop the War. I'm not the one that needs to present evidence here. When you produce baseless conjecture like that, the burden of proof is on you.

Mew: Same as above.

Mew. …I suppose there is no such evidence. But I am not the Destroyer.

Nurse Joy: When you see an injured / dead Pokemon, does it make you feel worse than seeing an injured / dead human?

Nurse Joy of Stormy Town: Well, I suppose there is a sense of responsibility when there's a Pokémon, since keeping them healthy is my job, but injured or dead humans are no laughing matter either.

Sparky: What's the weirdest thing anyone's ever ordered at your restaurant. Besides, of course, a Scyther ordering a bowl of beer.

Sparky: Usually people just order things off the menu, so I can't say there has been anything particularly weird, can I?


Phew.

The Talking Cheese, for future reference, yes, that was way too many questions, but I answered them anyway because I felt like it. Please don't ask so many questions again, and don't just ask a boatload of questions because you're bored; I have better things to do with my time than sitting here answering questions if you don't actually care about the answer.

Ugh. Been letting this rot for way too long.

If I forget anybody's questions, by the way, it's not because I'm deliberately ignoring them or something; it's just a mistake because I didn't see it or accidentally skipped past the post when I was looking through for questions.

Mitch and Sparky: What makes rainbows?

Mitch: Light refracting from raindrops in the air.

Sparky: Anyone who wants to! 8D

May's Blaziken: Could you briefly summarize your oldest / first memories, please?

Blaziken: Being in the nest with my mother and siblings. It was warm and comfortable, but not very interesting.

Mark's Gyarados: How did you make/learn/get your Dragon Beam attack?

Gyarados: One day as I was trying to get to Suicune, I felt something charging inside me and released a beam. At first it was weak, but once I'd discovered it I started to train myself to do it better. It came to me naturally.

May's Stantler: Do you think you will miss your herd in the Safari Zone, traveling around with May to defeat legendaries? Or were you always solitary?

Stantler: I've been solitary since my calf grew up. I was in the Safari because I wanted a new trainer, so I was prepared for leaving that behind.

Mark's Sneasel: Since becoming stronger is important, do you think you will train at hours that one would think you would normally sleep?

Sneasel: I'll train whenever I can. I don't care what time it is. You lose your sense of time in the Pokéball.

Stantler: What are your first impressions of the group, May in particular?

Stantler: My first impressions were that she was acting a little strange, but I suppose I know why now. I don't think she's a bad person. She just needs some help.

Sneasel: If you come across a pokemon obviously much smarter and stronger than you, would you still fight it?

Sneasel: Why not? Fighting a stronger opponent makes you powerful.

May's Stantler: What was life like for you in the Safari Zone?

Stantler: It was all right. Sometimes I was lonely. Sometimes it reminded me too much of Ruxido. But I wanted a trainer and I got one.

Mark's Sneasel: Same.

Sneasel: There weren't a lot of strong opponents around. I spent most of it waiting for a powerful trainer to come around.

May: Have you ever broken a bone?

May: No.

Mark: Do you think that if you let a ditto transform into a person, and tried to break a bone, would you succeed?

Mark: Um, probably? I don't know a lot about Ditto but I think they're supposed to just copy the whole body.

(I remind you yet again that Ask the Characters is not a good place to just find out some factual information about the world of the story that you're curious about. If you don't want a particular character's take on something, it's better to ask in Ask the Author - especially since I answer those much quicker than questions in Ask the Characters. I can tell you that if you broke a bone in a transformed Ditto, the bone would be broken and the Ditto would feel exactly like a person who just had their bone broken. If it transformed back into its own shape, it would stop feeling like a bone has been broken specifically, but it would still be painful for a little while afterwards. Asking Mark, though, is just kind of counterproductive.)

I have a question to May:
Have you ever considered using some kind of strategy
Moves? EG: Skarmory can learn Stealth rock if you find the TM, Butterfree can learn Tailwind, and possibly Mutark can learn Sucker Punch.

May: What are you talking about? Butterfree uses Tailwind all the time, one of Mutark's main moves is Sucker Punch, and Skarmory was rocking a Stealth Rock/Whirlwind combo in my second preliminary match. Have you been paying attention?

(Note that entry hazards are considerably less useful in most of this fic's battles than in competitive battling as we know it. You never saw May's preliminaries, but using Stealth Rock in any of the matches you did see wouldn't have made much sense since they were switchless and in fanfic battles being sent out into Stealth Rock once is not going to take away even close to half of a Charizard's stamina. Good strategy in the games is not necessarily good strategy in a fanfic.)

Mark, how do you think Charmander (the Charmander you trained, not Alan's) has matured on the course on your journey-interrupted-by-Chaletwo? Specifically, what are the signs of his increased maturity, if there are any?

Mark: Well, when he was a Charmander he was kind of grudging and easily annoyed, and once he'd evolved that redoubled into this obsessive thing against Scyther. Once he became a Charizard he got a lot more sympathetic and laid-back.

May's Stantler: Did it make you sad seeing that your former Trainer inexplicably hung himself? (I was wondering if you mourned for a while, or was simply stunned, shocked or flabbergasted, or if you shrugged your shoulders and left with only a little regret. I am sorry if I seem callous asking this, but the minds of Pokémon may be different from that of humans'.)

Stantler: It shook me when it happened, but perhaps most of all that it had never occurred to me there was anything wrong. He seemed cheerful and ordinary, the whole time I was with him, and then…

We weren't especially close. It saddened me that he died, like it would sadden me that anyone I knew had died, but more than that it was the unexpectedness that got to me. I felt like perhaps I could have helped him if I'd known. That, I think, is what hit me the hardest.

Mark: I just realized we have the same favorite Pokemon! *High fives*

Mark: Huh, really? Cool. Lugia and Articuno are pretty awesome, aren't they?

To any character: Would you rather catch a Wobbuffet or an Absol?

May: I like Absol, but Wobbuffet is a well-known powerhouse and I've already got a Dark-type, so I guess I'd rather have a Wobbuffet.

mark n' may's pokemon: if you could be anywhere at this exact moment outside of your pokeballs, where would you be (note:including letalligon)

You can't ask ridiculous numbers of characters a question like that. Pick three or four at the most.

(Oh, one more thing: Butterfree, did you watched the DP series? In other words, can I assk a question about characters from that season?)

Uh, I've seen the D/P movies? I don't really know why you'd want to ask questions about random anime characters who don't appear in the fic, though.

Charizard and Gyarados: Would you like to be able to mega evolve?

Charizard: It could be nice, I suppose. I don't think that's likely to happen, though. Doesn't it need some special stones only found in another region?

Gyarados: No. I'm fine as I am.

Rick: Can any of your clone pokemon mega evolve?

Rick: …

Mew:Did you create Arceus?

Mew: No. Arceus was the Original One. He created Dialga and Palkia, and with them space and time. They live outside of the universe and do not take part in the War.

Chaletwo: Is it possible that Yveltal is the destroyer? It is the death pokemon after all and its signature move drains energy.

Chaletwo: That would have been a theory, but Yveltal has already been caught without problems and yet our power continues to be drained. It's most likely someone we don't know of.

Spirit's basically talking out of her ass; she's decided her necklace is a mark of Entei's ultimate approval because she likes to think she's special and approved of.

Gyarados was one of several potential Pokémon that Suicune had given a portion of his power to and tested for suitability. Actually making the soul gem and properly choosing him was an ad-hoc decision as he was being attacked; he knew this attack would probably knock him out and that whatever these kids and Chaletwo were up to exactly, he'd rather get in the soul gem now than risk it. So ultimately Suicune ended up with Gyarados by necessity: he was simply the only potential present at the time Suicune made the gem. Given he's not exactly predisposed to trying very hard to get Suicune resurrected, it's probably safe to say he wouldn't have been Suicune's first choice otherwise.

(That does mean yeah, Gyarados's Dragon Beam probably wouldn't have actually killed Suicune on its own. Pokémon are very resilient, and legendaries especially so. Nobody was quite sure what was going on with Suicune's power going into Gyarados and powering up the beam and all that, so it wasn't obvious that this shouldn't have been able to kill him, but yeah. Gyarados was pretty much as surprised as everyone else when Suicune was actually dead.)