literature

PMD:SR - Prologue: A Silver Soul

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Welcome!


In just a few moments, I am going to guide you through a portal which leads into a world inhabited only by Pokémon.


But before we leave, I have some questions I would like to ask you. I need to determine what kind of a person you are.


The world of Pokémon is a bit different from the world of humans, you see. A Pokémon's nature is very strong. It can be as passionate as the roiling tides of the ocean, as bright and pure as a tongue of flame, as stubborn and steadfast as stone, or as tender and strong as the ancient forests…


It is what shapes a Pokémon’s character. It is what guides and defines them.


  Your character makes a big difference in the world of Pokémon, you see. That is why I wish to understand you; I would prefer to give you a form that best suits the true nature of your soul.


So, then, let us begin. Don't think too hard about each question; just trust your instincts. They will know the truth.


First… Are you often disappointed in yourself? Do you often find yourself wishing you were better at the things you do?


Y… yes…


Do you often find yourself wishing you could start everything over again?


Yes, but… I know I can’t. My mistakes… are all in the past. So, I try to have hope… I make the best of what I have… What little I have…


When you find that you have failed an important task that you were given, do you get angry? Or cry? Or, do you, perhaps, shrug it off?


I get angry a lot… but… only at myself. I try not to let other people see…

 

You must value their opinions of you, then. Your reputation must be very important to you.

 

Yes… I really care about what other people think of me. When they look down on me, it hurts…

 

I understand. Now, tell me something else: do you ever do favors for people, even when they don't ask for them? Or do you find yourself avoiding work even when they do ask?

 

I don't like work… Well, I… I don't like it when people tell me to do things, but I do take pride in my own work… the things that I do on my own my own… that is, when I decide to work on my own. But… that doesn't happen very often.

 

So, you have trouble motivating yourself?

 

Yes. Yes, I do.

 

Why?

 

I know there's so much I can do… but it seems like I'm never in the mood. I’m always passing the time, waiting for the right mood to come… but it never seems to come.

 

I see. Now, let's talk about someone other than yourself… how do you think other people see you? Do you have any close friends, or just formal acquaintances?

 

I… I have some friends… but not very many…

 

And these friends… do you see them as enduring, unconditional companions? Or are they… a little more distant than that?

 

The few friends I have… they're very close. But I… can't help but think that they're slipping away…

 

And do you see it as your own fault that they're slipping away?

 

I don't know. Maybe. Maybe we're just taking our own separate paths through life… I don't know if there's anything I can do to help that.

 

So, do you believe in fate? Or do you believe you choose your own path in life?

 

I don't really know. I just live the way I think I should… Whether or not things happen by fate or choice… it doesn't really matter to me.

 

I'm starting to see what kind of a person you are. Let me ask just a few more questions...

 

Are you adventurous? Do you enjoy trying new things and venturing out to new places? Or do you prefer to stay in the comfort of your home?

 

I like to stay home. I prefer having someone with me when I go out. So, no… I'm not adventurous. I'm withdrawn.

 

Would you call yourself shy, then?

 

Yes.

 

Do you feel less shy when you are with your friends? Do you find that you can open yourself to some of the people around you?

 

Yes. I act like a completely different person when I'm with my friends.

 

I understand.

 

Now, for the last question. What do you think of the world as a whole? Do you think that other people are good? Do you think the world is good?

 

I… I think… that the world is good. Or, it could be really good. But there's a lot standing in the way of it.

 

And do you wish that you could change that?

 

Yes, every day… but I… I don't think I have the courage… or the skill… to do anything about it. I mean, maybe I can change a little bit of it, if I try…

 

I just do what I can… with what little I have.

 

Ah, very good. At last, all the questions have been asked. Now, I must look into your spirit before I make my final judgment. Now, relax, and let me probe your soul…

 

Let yourself drift away, and trust me…

 

 

 

It is done. Your spirit… is a shimmering Silver.

 

Silver?

 

Yes, and a very special sort of Silver. is a resolute, eternal silver… like the lining of the moon… A silver which does not fade, regardless of what may try to tarnish it.

 

 

As for you… I have considered all your answers carefully, and I see what kind of a person you are. You are the vulnerable type.

 

Vulnerable? What do you mean?

 

You… are troubled by many things. Your own inadequacies haunt you. The vastness and unpredictability of the wide world intimidate you. You are… a coward, but not without purpose. You act cowardly only because you feel you understand your own weaknesses and limitations, and you feel you are simply not good enough.

 

But, despite this, there is a fire burning within you, something you have always known to be there, but have always been afraid, or perhaps unable, to let it shine.

 

Your closest friends see this fire within you, and this is why they enjoy your company. Like me, they see that you have the potential to create an extraordinary future for yourself. And I believe you see it, too; this is why you always find yourself enraged at your own shortcomings. Despite it all, your lack of confidence keeps you from seeking out this future for yourself; instead, you harbor a deep hope that someday you will be lucky, that your future will be delivered to you on a silver lining.  

 

But you know that day will never arrive. Instead, perhaps you should begin to consider the possibility that you, yourself, are the silver lining upon which the future will be delivered.

 

 

As for your friends, you fear it is your own fault they are drifting away, but not because you offend them. It is because you find it difficult to see through the eyes of other people, and so, in your imagination, your friends see you the same way you see yourself, and so you imagine they are growing dissatisfied with you… even when they aren't. The truth is that you need your friends like food and water, for, it is only among them that you turn into the person you wish to be.

 

You need to let go, take a deep breath, immerse yourself in the world. Jump right in. Yes, it will hurt sometimes, but the hurt means that you are learning and growing. And as you learn, you will find more confidence in yourself and become more comfortable with your new surroundings.

 

To help motivate yourself, you must start practicing making resolutions… and keeping every single one. Willpower is the cornerstone of confidence. It won't be easy or painless, especially since you are stubborn… but if you'd only make the choice, you may grow from the tiny, vulnerable candle-flame you are now, into a glorious, blazing star which will light the way for the world.

 

What? I'm… a candle-flame?

 

Yes… your character… is that of Charmander!

 

Now, there is one final matter to attend to, before we depart! You may choose the species of the one who is to become your deepest friend.

 

 Choose carefully; this friend will be your dearest and most faithful companion. Nothing, but nothing, will have the strength to tear a rift in your friendship. Your partner is the one who will stay at your side until the very end… even when you would otherwise find yourself abandoned and alone.

 

Now, choose. Who will be your partner?

 

 

An interesting choice. So be it, then! It is time for you to enter the world of Pokémon. Now, I must take away your memories of this conversation. You will remember nothing of me, of your previous life, or, indeed, even of yourself… but this is the beginning of your new chance to shine. Be brave! Don't hold back! Show them the fire that burns inside you!

 

On this day, a fate is born
A star begins to rise

And in the heart, an ember glows;
A fire that never dies.

ScytheRider presents...


Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Silver Resistance

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Author's Commentary:

So, we begin with a conversation between Amadeus and Giratina.

...Ahh, great. Not even a sentence into the commentary, and here I am spoiling the ending. Bleh!

Well, I'm just like that, I guess. I'm very loose with spoilers. I hand them out to friends all the time. But that being said, I'll try to refrain from spoiling too much in these commentaries, in case people are reading this story for the first time. In general, if I want to point out an instance of foreshadowing or whatever, I'll try to wait until the payoff and then point backwards through the story at it, rather than just giving it away the true meaning when it happens. As for this particular spoiler, If you're reading the story for the first time, I think you'll forget all about it by the time it is revealed properly. :)

So, anyway. Silver Resistance. Where do I even start?

I started this story in 2008, after I had just finished playing Red Rescue Team and Explorers of Time, nearly back-to-back, and being utterly blown away by both of them. I had never before seen characterization or plot that was so nuanced, so emotional, and so... mature in anything that bore the Pokemon label. At the end of the post-story plot in Explorers of Time, I felt rather sad when I realized Char and Saura, the duo I used in both PMD games, were stuck in an infinite loop of living the same day over and over again because the game scripts had run out. I felt like I wanted to give them just one more adventure together before I said goodbye. And Silver Resistance is that adventure.

Before I started this story, I gave a cursory glance to other PMD fanfictions on FFnet. One thing I noticed was that none of the other PMD stories I saw actually used the personality test to start the story. So, before I even had any idea of what kind of plot my story would have, I typed up this prologue chapter in order to set the mood for myself. Nowadays, it's hard to find a PMD story that doesn't use the personality test. I feel confident in saying that I started a fad! In fact, whenever I see a PMD fan fiction that uses the "You're about to be whisked away to the land of Pokemon" line, I smile. The games never had that line in them. I made it up. :)

Another thing I noticed was that 99% of them were re-tellings of PMD1 or PMD2, with very, very few attempts at an original plot. So, I decided to be unique, and began an original plot for my story. I wanted to carry over many conventions from the existing two games, such as the hero and partner, the guild base, the exploration teams, and of course, the mystery dungeons. I began to think of a plot that would theoretically fit as a third game in the PMD series.

This prologue sets the mood very well, I think. It sends the message that this not just a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon story, but one that takes itself very seriously, immediately diving into heavy and emotional themes. This is the mood that I hoped to keep going through the whole story.

There is a dirty little secret behind this prologue, though, and only a few of my closest friends know it. But I think it's time I let the world know.

In truth, it was inspired by a General Psychology class I once took. In this class, the teacher one day handed out a personality test. We filled it out and handed it back, and were given our results at the end of the class. The result said stuff like, "You're a little bit insecure in social situations, you prefer to have a few close friends than many distant ones, you have difficulties motivating yourself," and so on, and so on. The teacher then asked the class to raise their hands if they felt that their results fit them very well; almost all of the class did.

He then revealed that all of the results were exactly the same.

In psychology, this is called the Forer effect.

I wanted to invoke the same thing with the prologue. Here, my goal was not to have Char answer the questions the way I would answer them personally, but rather, the way I felt that most of my readers would answer them. I wanted my readers to say, "WOW, he's talking about ME!" To do that, I drew upon emotions I vaguely recalled from around the time when I was 20. In doing so, I tried to write a prologue that would make it seem as though I was speaking to each reader uniquely, when in fact, the responses were pretty generic and true of just about everybody.

Actually, in real life, the path to true maturity begins when you start to realize that most of your emotions are, in fact, not special or unique, but are shared by most people. When you can see your own feelings for what they really are, and realize that, while you can never turn them off, you can come to understand them more fully... that's when you can truly begin your journey of self-discovery.

That being said, this prologue was given two major revisions over the course of its life; the first one happened a few months after Silver Resistance was published, roughly when I had finished Chapter 10. I changed many of the wordings, attempting to make the responses sound more like Char and less like my secret "personality test scam". The second revision happened, well, just a few hours ago! With the latest version, I think it sets the mood for the rest of the story better than ever before.

Well, thus begins the great revision of Silver Resistance. I know I'm going to have fun going over this story again, and I hope you will too!
© 2013 - 2024 ScytheRider
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KyroValeros's avatar
Nooooo!

must Unread what I've read!, Nope it's too late xD

So, it's Giratina not the Lazy-ass Arceus who keep sending kids to Pokeworld just to save it... or I dunno If he is the one who's sending them.

you know I'm totally agree with you char... and sheesh.... those answers, I can almost relate to them... maybe I'll answer the same only in a different way and in some questions I have different answer....

I love this personality question things.... coz you know... some people think they already know who they are... but actually no...

I've been reading your story in FF.net, Mr. Rider xD
and I'm still hanging at the cliff edge of the Basin Canyon, waiting for more stories to come and I can't move on...
it's like the watchers got me....