Explanation (Story Update)
Hey guys, it's been... quite a long time. Almost about five or more years since I updated this story, almost about four since I stopped writing for it. Lots of things changed in my life, college, job, relationships, etc., and in the crossfire I kind of forgot about this project that I started on back in 8th grade. The other day at work it randomly drifted through my thoughts again and after some thought I figured I'd log back on and drop an explanation on things, for those of you who still care, and unfortunately I don't really have good news to bring.
If it's not evident by now, Fluttershy the Pokémon Tamer is canceled. I wish I could find some dormant drive to work on this story again, but the truth is I've sort of moved on. Both from MLP and from writing, and when I say it out loud it really does bring a sigh of sadness out of me. I loved FiM for the longest, being in the fandom was a great experience, but over time I just grew out of it, as I'm sure some of my original readers have as well. Going to college to study English also became a pretty rude awakening to the fact that I just don't have confidence in my writing skills. No matter how much I tried to fix the direction of the story I was unhappy with what I was putting on the page and constantly had to redraft. What once was a fun and exciting experience has since devolved into a cycle of bitterness and dread, every time I tried to write I just sighed and couldn't stop being so hard on myself. Falling behind in FiM and seeing glimpses of dramatic character changes also made me feel like I was no longer writing these characters properly. I just felt lost, and so I decided to just give up. I really wish I could've ironed out the creases in my creative process and in the story's plot, but I just didn't feel up to the task anymore. Not to mention my terrible commitment issues that make it hard for me to stay dedicated to any sort of passion project I start on. I dream big, and it's evident in the amount of planning I put into the future of the story, but I have to admit that most of the time I just don't have the discipline and resolve to chase those dreams all the way to the end, something I just have to work on myself. Still, I had big plans for this story, so as a sort of final goodbye to what was once my biggest passion, I wanted to at least share with you guys some of the major plot points I had planned and the latest draft on the newest chapter (heavily incomplete) that was my last attempt to keep the story going. I'm really sorry for people who held out hope that I'd come back, and I wish I could've done this story justice, but I'm very grateful for all the people who decided to leave a like, comment, and favorite Pokémon Tamer.
CHAPTERS
In chronological order, what the future chapters would've been. The idea was to establish a status quo of switching focus between Team B (Fluttershy and Leon) and Team C (Pinkie and Dash) as they traversed Johto, with some interlude from Team A (Equestria) every now and then. Clearly the story would've run a long time to go through the main story line of Generation Two games, with deviations every now and then
The Mass Portal Production Project
- Discord tells Mane 5 about Fluttershy
- Mane 5 agree to help
- Team A (Discord + Mane 5) begins work on portals
Treeshy
- Fluttershy/Leon travel to Violet City
- Leon explains gym leaders to Fluttershy
- Leon tells how he won first two gyms
- Team B (Fluttershy + Leon) finds Sudowoodo
- Team B escapes Sudowoodo
- Sudowoodo follows Fluttershy
Soft Reset
- Team A completes portal
- Team A search for right dimension
- Team A pinpoint Fluttershy’s location
- Rainbow/Pinkie (Team C) volunteer for rescue mission
- Team A establishes possible contact method with Team C
- Team C depart
The Professor
- Team B reach New Bark Town
- Team B finds Professor Elm
- Elm helps Fluttershy learn more of the Pokémon world
- Elm asks Leon for help w/ egg
- Elm gifts Fluttershy Pokémon egg
- Team C heads back for Goldenrod City
A New Journey Awaits You
- Team C enter Johto
- Team C culture shock (humanized forms)
- Team C tries + fails to contact Team A
- Team A pick up Team C’s signal
- Team C encounter wild Pokémon
- Elm helps Team C
- Elm explains Pokémon world to Team C
- Team C asks for help with Fluttershy/communicator
- Elm tells Team C about encounter w/ Fluttershy
- Elm gives communicator a look, fails to help rebuild it
- Elm suggests Team C venture to Ruins of Alph to find old colleague
- Elm suggests Team C take on Pokemon League challenge
- Elm gives Team C starter Pokémon
- Rainbow gets Chikorita, renames to “Chika”
- Pinkie gets Totodile, renames to “Chewy” (since she already has a "Gummy")
- Team C each get Pokégear
- Team C heads for Cherrygrove City
Sticks and Stones
- Team B return to Violet City
- Team B get ambushed by squad of Sudowoodo
- Fluttershy talks down leader of Sudowoodo
- Sudowoodo vs. Angel
- Fluttershy “catches” Sudowoodo
- Fluttershy renames Sudowoodo “Rocky”
- Team B heads for Goldenrod City
Bird Brain
- Team C reaches Violet City, seeking out gym
- Rainbow vs. Falkner
- Rainbow loses (horribly)
- Team A catches traces of Team C
- Team A attempts (and fails) to contact Team C
- Team C sets out to catch more Pokémon
- Twilight tries to contact Team C, fails
- Twilight departs for library, searching for possible methods of ID communication
- Rainbow catches Pidgey, renames to “Pecks”
- Rainbow vs. Falkner (rematch)
- Rainbow loses (again)
- Pinkie offers to let Rainbow borrow Totodile, Rainbow refuses
- Rainbow resolves to win
Moo-Moo Mayhem
- Team B reaches Goldenrod City
- Leon thinks of a strategy to beat Whitney
- Leon vs. Whitney (rematch)
- Mareep evolves
- Flaaffy paralyzes Miltank
- Quilava wins match
- Whitney refuses to give Leon badge, crying
- Fluttershy calms Whitney down
- Leon earns Plain Badge
- Team B heads north
A Team Effort
- Rainbow strategizes a victory plan
- Twilight successfully contacts Team C
- Twilight tries to instruct Team C on how to fix communicator
- Twilight runs out of time
- Twilight instructs Team C to find someone who can help fix communicator
- Rainbow vs. Falkner (re-rematch)
- Pidgey learns Brave Bird
- Rainbow wins
- Team C departs Violet City
The National Park
- Team B reaches National Park
- Team B meets Clarissa
- Clarissa asks Leon to enter bug-catching contest with her
- Leon and Clarissa compete in the bug-catching contest
- Fluttershy watches from within monitor room w/ her Pokémon
- Leon and Clarissa find Heracross
- Leon and Clarissa fight over Heracross
- Heracross chooses Leon
- Leon catches Heracross
- Leon and Clarissa lose contest to 10 lbs Caterpie
Into the Unown
- Team C gets blocked off by trees
- Team C tries going south, through Ruins of Alph
- Team C comes across suspicious groups of people investigating ruins
- Mysterious group interrogates Dr. Corrik, specialist on phenomena at Ruins of Alph
- Rainbow notices Unown being captured
- Team C face off against group’s leader (Name: Lucian)
- Pinkie comes in contact with an Unown, causing all Unown to go berserk
- Mystery group flees, Unown in tow
- Pinkie catches Unown shaped like P
- Team C notices communicator glitching, picking up off frequencies
- Team C talks to Dr. Corrik about the events, explaining their origins
- Dr. Corrik gives a summary of the history of Unown, linking a possibility to Equestria
- Dr. Corrik suggests Team C use power of Unown to try and fix communicator
- Dr. Corrik suggests Team C head for Goldenrod City to recruit Bill
- Team C registers Dr. Corrik in Pokégear
- Team C leave communicator w/ Dr. Corrik
- Team C depart for Goldenrod City
The Rabbit and the Rock
- Fluttershy notices Angel keeping his distance from Rocky
- Leon suggests Fluttershy talk to the two
- Angel explains his disliking for Rocky
- Rocky explains his shyness
- Leon suggests a 2v2 battle to help Angel/Rocky bond
- Leon teaches Fluttershy how to battle
- Fluttershy tries (her best) to battle
- Angel gains some appreciation for Rocky
- Team B rest in a nearby inn close to Violet City/Route 36
Union Grave
- Team C ventures through Union Cave
- Pinkie and Rainbow get separated
- Rainbow gets ambushed by mystery Pokemon
- Pinkie spends time looking for Rainbow, talking to Chewy
- Rainbow tries to fight mystery Pokemon
- Pinkie finds Rainbow, helping her track mystery Pokemon (Gastly)
- Pinkie plays with Gastly, leaving it in Union Cave
- Team C escapes Union Cave, venturing into Azalea Town
- Gastly follows Pinkie Pie
The Legends of Ecruteak City
- Team B reaches Ecruteak City
- Team B runs into Emmett, who’s getting ready to challenge E. City gym
- Team B + Emmett explore Burned Tower
- Team B encounter Morty, who’s paying respects to the tower
- Morty tells the team about the history of Burned Tower
FINAL TEAMS
There were going to be several other trainers introduced as the story went on, culminating in a tourney-style Pokémon League like in the anime. Not everyone who would've participated in the 16-entry tourney was drafted here.
Leon (Rotation Team)
- Typhlosion
- Furret
- Flaaffy
- Heracross
- Umbreon
- Xatu
- Gligar
Fluttershy
- Buneary
- Sudowoodo
- Gyarados
- Ursaring
- Sylveon
- Togepi
Rainbow Dash
- Meganium
- Pidgeot
- Rapidash
- Snorlax
- Tyrogue
- Skarmory
Pinkie Pie
- Croconaw
- Gengar
- Smeargle
- Ambipom
- Murkrow
- Unown
Emmett
- Feraligatr
- Jolteon
- Nidorino
- Tauros
- Sneasel
- Aerodactyl
Clarissa
- Charizard
- Scizor
- Kingdra
- Raichu
- Machop
- Marowak
Windsor
- Steelix
- Donphan
- Kabutops
- Rhydon
- Magcargo
- Dugtrio
Avery
- Blastoise
- Tangela
- Persian
- Ninetales
- Magneton
- Kadabra
Maggie
- Ivysaur
- Misdreavus
- Slowbro
- Sandslash
- Blissey
- Golbat
Paulina
- Blaziken
- Delcatty
- Flygon
- Espeon
- Electabuzz
- Azumarill
Jake
- Dragonite
- Houndoom
- Lickitung
- Starmie
- Hitmonchan
- Forretress
Samuel
- Tyranitar
- Dodrio
- Beedrill
- Ampharos
- Ditto
- Poliwrath
PLOT POINTS
Broader strokes on what I had planned for the story, not sure how I would've ironed it out but just spitballed ideas.
- Explored some connection between the portals and the legendary Pokémon Hoopa-Unbound (who would've served as a sort of main antagonist, like Mewtwo in the Pokémon movie). Hoopa was supposed to have been working with the evil organization of the story (may/may not have been Team Rocket, possibly a different, new org) to transfer legendary Pokémon to Johto, sensed Discord's calling and mistook it for a legendary, hence portal with a golden rim at the beginning of the story
- Explored possibility of other planned stories and crossover with FtPT (had planned to make a SvtFoE story at some point--dimensional scissors is an easy link--and make a harmless, non-canon crossover with Pokémon Tamer)
- Upon the release of Sun and Moon, possibly would have combined or scrapped Hoopa plot for Ultra Space and the U-Beasts, possible cameos from Lusamine and Lillie
- Pryce was supposed to be replaced by a different gym leader (following his story from the Pokémon adventures manga as I believe he vanished/died in that media), named Bernard, a fire-type specialist (Like Pryce, Bernard's name would be a homonym of his type specialty--BERNard, BURN)
- Upon the reveal of Sword and Shield, would most likely have rewritten Angel as a Scorbunny, as it is a much more fitting pick for a bunny Pokémon, everything else followed the same path
Even if it wasn't what I had hoped for, I'm glad I can at least provide some sort of rest for this story. Again, thank you to everyone who decided to read and enjoy my little fanfic. It meant a lot to me as an aspiring writer. Maybe someday I can come to write something again that I can be proud of, but for now, I'll always remember how much fun I had writing Fluttershy, the Pokémon Tamer. 