In this new article series, we will showcase some of the collaborative written art the members of the PokéCommunity forums make, in the form of roleplays. The posts on the site can be read in succession as a continuous story, and here we will look at excerpts of some interesting ones. We’re starting with “Delirium”, a daring endeavor by forum user Royal who creates her own fakemon for the roleplayers to capture during their adventures through the region of Veriti. The full roleplay can be found here on the PokéCommunity forums.

Following is a featured post by forum user CDB. His trainer, Brass, is trekking in the wild with his companions…

Veriti, a beautiful, rich, and incredibly vast region is home to over two hundred unique pokémon never before documented. For the past twenty years, Veriti had opened its borders to other regions, allowing them to enter and travel around through the beautiful landscapes, battle gyms, compete in contests, and even allow to settle down. Instead of the normal eight Gym Leaders, Veriti has nine. Of course, to keep Veriti’s environments the same as much as possible, laws were set down so non-native Veriti pokémon couldn’t be released into the environments; they could only be owned. For years, it worked and Veriti became one of the most coveted areas to travel.

However, that all changed about five years ago – pokémon and humans alike started to become aggressive. They could no longer recognize themselves or their friends. The numbers of the Afflicted continued to rise. Two years after the Hysteria began, non-native Veriti persons on Training Permits were asked to leave the region. Only native Veriti persons were allowed to stay. Gyms, contests, and training allowances were closed down and stopped. Doctors, professors, and high-ranked professionals of the League set out to find a cure for this Hysteria, but have not yet been successful…

A cascade of water greeted them, the likes of which Julia had not seen in at least four years. Gallons of water poured from the cliff above each second, tumbling into free fall before colliding with a harsh pool of aquamarine liquid. It formed a pond, at least one hundred feet in diameter, that rapidly emptied downhill to create the rushing river that split their path. The waterfall was over eighty feet tall, Julia craned her neck to try and see the top of it. Around the pond, a large tree-less area rested, created by times of flooding and drought; Julia guessed they were in between those two phases. The waterfall bridged the cliff area and the forest area of the path to Celeste City, likely if they travelled upward they could get a good vantage point of the forest, something Julia wanted to try. Vague rustling interrupted Julia’s thoughts.

The pond was spectacular, to say the least. Lyla pulsed pink and purple in admiration as the group stopped by the edge of the water. Brass dipped his hands into the cool, crisp water, pooling it within his palms as he took a sip and splashed his sweaty face. He sighed, a smile on his face, as he watched Lyla plunge into the water without hesitation. She flashed green and orange, clearly enjoying the respite from an arduous journey. They were soon interrupted by the sound of many, many skittering legs, followed by a light screech that rang through the still forest. With furrowed eyebrows, Brass looked around to find the source of the noise. It didn’t take long for him to spot the swarm of small, purple Bug pokémon that was scuttling down the cliff and rapidly approaching the two trainers. He started back, unsure of what to do, but he quickly composed himself when he realized that they didn’t seem to mean any harm. He glanced toward Julia and asked, “Well?”

Julia’s face immediately broke into a smile, “Those are Krihte! I’ve never actually seen them before in person, but they’re super friendly bug types. They never mean any harm to humans, and are actually quite fond of them. You could probably easily catch one if you wanted to.” The group of Krihte was composed of at least thirty bugs, all rolling and jumping down the mountainside toward the two trainers, like an avalanche of purple fuzz. On the way down, a shriek echoed through the forest, one very different than the call of the Krihte. A small, green, angry looking bug tumbled down the cliff after being crushed by the stampede and hopped off into the forest. Julia watched the Mantiby go, viewing the scene with a feeling of awe. Pearl cowered behind her legs.

Brass saw the Mantiby hop away, but his attention was focused on the Krihte before him. They surrounded him and Julia, their furry bodies brushing against each other as they all tried to get a better look at the humans. Their purple tails swished back and forth. Some Krihte seemed to be more timid, preferring to stay further away from Brass, while others had no qualms climbing up his legs. One particular Krihte had climbed onto his shoulder and curled up, enjoying its new perch. Lyla hovered to the side, quietly laughing at the sight of her trainer overcome by small Bug pokémon. He likes you, she said, pointing to the Krihte. “Does he now?” Brass asked, reaching a hand up to pet the bug. The Krihte chirped, and it looked down at all the other Krihte as if to lord over them. “Perhaps you’d like to come along with us,” Brass offered. “Do you have a name?” The Krihte chittered, and Brass glanced over to Lyla. Bug, she giggled, spinning in the air as her aura glowed orange. Brass rolled his eyes; Lyla grinned, and said, “His family calls him Hastecaller.”

“Hastecaller, huh,” Brass said. The Krihte screeched proudly, his legs rapidly tapping on Brass’ head.

“Hastecaller?” Julia stared at the exchange going on before her for an instant, before grinning at the creatures that surrounded her. She relaxed her muscles, allowing the bugs to climb all over her body. It tickled her, and she laughed, falling into the mud. Pearl cried out in fear, quickly becoming overwhelmed by the sea of purple. She curled up into a tight ball, her twin tails flailing around in a feeble attempt to keep the bugs at bay. One Krihte perched comfortably on Julia’s face, blotting out her view of the other pokémon.

A piercing scream shot through the forest, eclipsing the hubbub of bugs and silencing all conversation. After the one scream, a chorus of others followed, Julia’s ears hurt a little. Suddenly, like the plague, a cloud of Mantiby erupted from the forest on both sides of the gathering, descending on the pile of Krihte and humans like a bringer of death. Julia rose to her feet and removed the Krihte from her face to see what was going on. It leapt out of her arms and war broke loose.

“Let’s get out of here,” Brass exclaimed as the Krihte around him screeched in response to the onslaught of Mantiby. They bit at each other in a frenzy, surrounding the trainers in a whirlwind of manic Bugs. Brass gestured to Lyla, and she began to concentrate, her aura pulsing a deep blue. Neither the Krihte or the Mantiby seemed to be affected, however, and Lyla’s attempt at calming them only angered them further. The rumbling of the waterfall was joined by high pitched shrieks as the battle continued. Hastecaller had already left Brass’ shoulder and was leading a charge against a wave of opposing Mantiby, spewing string from his mouth to slow them down as the other Krihte rushed forward to attack. “We have to leave before things get worse,” Brass called out. He motioned to Lyla again, and her aura began to intensify. Energy rippled through the area, and the rocky ground began to shake. Beams shot from Lyla’s body, hitting some of the Mantiby, and before they could retaliate, Lyla released an empowered Confusion toward the ones in the way. Brass used this opening to break through the crowd, but Hastecaller was still engaged in battle.

“We won’t make Hastecaller leave his swarm behind. He’ll find his way to us after this affair is over,” he said to Lyla, who nodded in response. In his scramble to get away, he had lost track of where Julia, and he couldn’t make out what was happening when he glanced back at the fray. She’d find her way out.

Julia watched Brass disappear into the woods and she called out after him, but it was to no avail. She was sure they would find each other at some point in the future but Julia was content to traverse the forest alone. The path that the Kadporah had cleared in the bugs quickly closed itself and Julia was left, stuck in the sea of angry pokémon. Her mind flailed, searching for escape routes, and unsure of what to do. “Pearl! Use Rollout!” She sent out her Minu as well, “Einstein, use Water Gun and get them out of here!!” A Mantiby stood in front of Pearl and she leaped into it, knocking it to the side. Einstein sprayed it with water and the pokémon screeched. It rushed toward Einstein, spraying it with string, but Pearl slammed into it. The Mantiby fainted.

Two more rushed toward Julia, a Krihte lunged into it, smashing it away, the water type sprayed the other one with more water. Pearl smashed into it and it fainted. After her speed had increased significantly and she plowed a path through the bugs, back down the mountain toward the place they came from. Julia sprinted after the rolling Corscale, disappearing out of control. Einstein stayed unmoving in the center of the crowd of bugs, staring blankly at the horde, only occasionally opening his mouth to spray attackers with water. His trainer returned him to his Pokéball quickly, trying not to loose sight of her partner. A Mantiby jumped down the path after her.

Pearl collided with a tree, loosing all momentum. Julia rushed to Pearl and scooped her up in her arms, anxious to get away from the swarm as soon as possible. She clumsily raced down the mountain, tripping over a rock and face planting into the river. Pearl flew into the stream and was carried downward a little by the current, catching a rock and pulling herself up onto it. Julia treaded water and screamed as the Mantiby leaped off of the bank and onto her back, biting at her with Bug Bite. She flailed and knocked it off of her back, activating the Pokéball that held Einstein in it.

The minnow pokémon erupted from his Pokéball and rushed into the water, back in its home territory for the first time in awhile. Immediately he threw himself into the thrashing Mantiby, making a loud clang. It careened back into the water, whisked away by the current, but, Einstein was not done. He shot around to the other side and pushed the little bug pokémon forward with a Water Gun. He tossed it around like a little toy.

Julia clambered out of the stream, her entire body soaking. She immediately ripped into her backpack and removed her journal in a frenzied haze. The book was soaked through and through. She rapidly tore out every page with writing on it and laid them out on the ground where a patch of sunlight shined through the dense foliage. She planted her face into her hands and sighed in frustration. Pearl looked on from her perch in the stream. Einstein finally slammed the Mantiby into the side of the river, giving in the opportunity to stagger out of the water, before fainting onto the shoreline. Julia looked on in dejected objectivity.

Even after having covered a decent amount of distance, Brass could still hear the cries of Krihte and Mantiby. He was now quite a ways off the main trail; the forest had given way to a rocky outcrop. Small weeds poked out from between the rocks, starving for good soil. The luscious leafy scent from the forest had faded away. It was quiet, and Brass lay down on his back, still sweating from the previous encounter. Lyla hovered above him, a splash of pink against the vast blue sky. The only sounds to be heard were the occasional soft screech from far away and pebbles rolling with the wind. A triumphant shrill interrupted their silent respite, and Brass sat up to find Hastecaller dashing toward him. He smiled.

Interested in reading on? You can find the post here on the PokéCommunity forums!

Edited by bobandbill and gimmepie.
Roleplay and art by Royal.