Allamorph

[FONT=Calibri]Right, then. You know how just about every backstage thread in recent memory has been riddled with posts asking if there's anyone else still interested because of lengthy lulls in the main thread? Yeah. It's kinda depressing. This ain't one o' those. See, the problem isn't lack of interest. If it were lack of interest then either no one would have signed up or no one would be posting probing for interest. I would even go so far as to assume that simply researching a little bit out of your way for a character implies desire to play/write and thus there's interest. No, the problem is we got ten people who started playing an open-ended collaborative game like it's a solo endeavor, and we're all perpetually waiting on someone else to take the initiative because we don't want to get shot down for doing something risky and no one following. So there's two solutions to this. Either someone could pop off a random little post and everyone follow headlong with two posts a day in what would essentially be a gigantic circle-jerk (which, honestly, seems to be the concept behind a couple of the characters) [I][B]OR[/B][/I] we can actually start talking to each other and see whereabouts we can move stuff under D'Ann's approval. I'd prefer the latter. (I think that's kind of obvious.) So. We still have a gala dinner to deal with. Gotta come up with something to make it reasonably worth mentioning; easiest thing I can think of is semi-behind-the-scenes political maneuvering, which'd mean our two over-muscled bodyguard androgynes would potentially have something to do. (I mean, really. It's ridiculously hard to think of a use for male whores aside from Chippendale's. Unless someone else among us has more experience in the field and can say otherwise.) Also'd be a good place for [COLOR="DarkRed"]Steph[/COLOR]'s character to showcase her talents?but the situation [I]needs brainstorming[/I], so help a sister out. Meaning D'Ann. Not me. I'm not . . . I mean . . . forget it. Gav, I know you wanted to have Besson rubbing shoulders with Gabriel. I think that's workable with a little cleverness. You wanna run with it a bit, shoot me a line. Preferably PM; I prefer dynamic conversations but given our time difference I think AIM would work more against us than for us. Steph, same; let's hash out a little stuff between ours, see if we can't get somewhere. Meantime I'll jostle Jesse's ribcage, see if I can get him vocal about anything. I know kid has some stuff swimming around in that brain of his. Got another game to write something for, but I think I might could drum up something in my head so it can be ready for focus afterwards. Might be contingent on talks with Gav, might not. Rest of you: you heard the lady. Get your butts in gear.[/FONT]

[quote name='Gavin][SIZE=1']I eventually just gave up and wiki'd it.[/SIZE][/quote] [FONT=Calibri]. . . [quote name='Stephanie][SIZE=1]We started learning ASL with my sister because, at 1 year, it is a lot easier to [B]make your hands do the signs for words[/B']....[/SIZE][/quote] ^ ^[/FONT]

[quote name='marvelaugusts']The reply and the quick reply is one and the same thing except the quick reply quotes the post to which you want to reply.[/quote] [FONT=Calibri]Except so does the one beside it.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]I think you might want to call it Sign Language because on the internet ASL translates to age/sex/location. ._.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]News Flash: College guys, your white long-sleeve shirt and pastel pink tie are not 'spring colors'. They are formal white with pastel pink. Dressing that way does not make you look springy; it makes you look like either flamboyantly gay or a sold-out prep boy. Additionally, wearing blue windbreaker gym shorts with said top does not make you look versatile. Nor does it work for family photography. It's damn stupid. Ask your mother why she never taught you to dress your bum ***.[/FONT]

[quote name='Lunox][font=trebuchet ms'] do your facebook interests include "stepping on crunchy leaves" too[/font][/quote] [FONT=Calibri]It's completely unrelated to why I posted that, but I [I]am[/I] a member of group "I Will Go Slightly Out Of My Way To Step On That Crunchy Looking Leaf", yes.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]I like watching puddles gather in the rain.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]This one's actually on topic. The subject? Milk Drink. [CENTER][IMG]http://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/7/7a/Milk_Drink_anime.png[/IMG][/CENTER] That is seriously one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]See, Boo? You're not even worthy of meter.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]First off, we already know that Japan has issues with decent sizes of these things, so from our current standpoint we'd already be examining the Pokédex with about a gallon bucket of salt. Second, keeping in mind that the creators of this series are designing literal monsters and yet at the same time scaling back their own creations to be feasibly managed by humans, I think it's safe to say that many of these descriptions are geared towards people who are incapable of understanding the sheer magnitude of the claims. Like, remember when you were a kid and the phrase "infinity-billion" was bandied about? Same thing. Now, for example, I have no doubt that a (fully-grown) charizard's fire could actually melt rock, but the charizard either would have to continually apply its flame breath to the rock for an extended period of time in order for the heat to have any effect, or would have to breathe napalm in order for the residue to stick to the rock and melt it. The latter isn't out of the question, and is actually a better explanation than the former; i.e., glands that produce various acid that, when combined, combust and burn. However, in the Pidgeot's case, a speed of that magnitude would enable it to travel one mile in just under two and a half seconds, and more than likely it would be unable to actually process anything received by its eyes. And that says nothing of how ridiculous the wailord's "data" are. Able to sustain almost double the pressure on its body while having 0.97% (less than a hundredth) of the mass? Faugh. And since the number 10,000 seems to be recurring, I think it's more accurate to say these statistics are pulled out of sphincters instead of "made up". :p[/FONT]

[QUOTE=SunfallE][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]That also fits neatly into the concept of being required to have more in-depth training and licensing requirements in order to compete at the higher levels. A person who didn't take the time to really develop a working bond with their Pokemon or to understand their limits, would run the risk of serious injury to the Pokemon, themselves, and possibly bystanders. Kind of like how I had to go through special training in order to drive a Semi. Since that's way more than the other simple basic stuff for regular driving that doesn't require such attention to detail. Screwing up at that level can be downright lethal.[/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE] [FONT=Calibri]Now [I]there's[/I] an interesting concept. Gyms offering trainer courses. Or, hmm. Under normal circumstances offering trainer courses. Naturally the current regional upheaval makes that a tad peculiar.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]inb4 this is sparta Morty is now officially MIA. Anyone in the region is free to post about his teams rejoining the main Ecruteak escapees and fortifying positions or about search parties and the debates around that. Blackthorn's reinforcements should provide a bit of a tide-turner for Ecruteak, but the escape moves forward.[/FONT]

[FONT="Calibri"]With a heavy heart, Morty surveyed the fresh rubble, still partially obscured by the thick cloud of grit that now permeated most of the city. Azalea's smothering advance had been halted for a time, and the day might not end in a total rout. But at what terrible cost had survival come? [B]"This—this is [I]sacrilege[/I]."[/B] His second's pronouncement intruded on Morty's morose reflections and pulled him out of his trance. [B]"Yes,"[/B] he said, sobering as he saw his people's morale on the verge of failure. [B]"Yes it is. And we will make amends in full. But we have a town to protect still."[/B] He cast one more glance at the tower's remains. The spirit of Ecruteak may have been destroyed, and it might have been his doing, but he was still its head, and he couldn't afford to stand still. [B]"Pack it up, boys. Let's move."[/B] His crew pushed itself reluctantly to action, shouldering supplies and regrouping in small units, moving off in silence towards the point of retreat a unit or two at time. Morty lingered to satisfy his last few lingering concerns—mainly that his crew would pull through—and then, securing the pack on his shoulder with a short jerk, ducked his head and followed. With military precision, the teams moved in total silence through the streets; stooped low, they crossed open stretches swiftly, pausing in each new cover to scan for enemies and potential ambushes. The dust from the tower's collapse choked the air and cast the city in an eerie, portentous light. Looking around, Morty could see the same grim mask on the face of each leader and trainer, and from the way the atmosphere hung thick and heavy on him, he knew his own countenance mirrored theirs. Already plans for after the escape were filtering through his head. Once outside the city, where would they go? If Bugsy was acting on behalf of the league, heading south was out of the question; Falkner would crush the survivors in a heartbeat. West was Azalea's forces, and even if they managed to brave that slaughterhouse the sea would meet them soon enough. To the east was Blackthorn and Claire—but only if they could push through Mount Mortar and the Ice Path, and to the north.... The gym leader shook off the train of thought. He would worry about such things after they were at least partially safe. For now, the mountains east would provide shelter and protection. A thrumming sound had been itching at the edge of his hearing for a while, and just as he realised it was there he heard a cry from the boys in front. [B]"Air raid! Beedrill at four-thirty! Get down! Get down!"[/B] Morty cursed. His musings had let him lag behind, and he was at least forty yards from any reliable cover. Already he could hear detonating pineco off to his right; he hunkered down into a controlled sprint. He had cleared half the distance when the beedrill reached them. Dozens of three-foot blue cones began crashing into the streets, exploding seconds after impact. In the distance he could hear screams, and the knowledge of their source chilled him to the bone. He saw a door to a shop burst open, and one of his leaders beckoned frantically from just inside the threshold. Morty redoubled his pace. Three pineco struck down directly in his path; he had just enough time to veer down an alley before they exploded, throwing chunks of pavement dozens of feet back the way he had come. His heart racing, he leaned against the building and breathed, attempting to throw off the shakes of the new adrenaline coursing through his body. Had he been any less quick on his feet he would be dead right now, of that he had no doubt. He snuck a look out of the alley's mouth, and immediately ducked back in as the sidewalk and street were riddled with thousands of deadly pins. The beedrill must have been ordered to run strafing sweeps, he realised, and had his suspicions confirmed as a swarm of the creatures buzzed by overhead. Aiming for that shelter was now out of the question; Morty turned and sped down the alley, looking for another way around to meet up with the rest of his team. The next street appeared to be clean, and Morty risked the open space, hoping that the dust cloud would keep him well enough concealed to avoid attracting the attention of the beedrill patrols he suspected were now active. It seemed to be the correct choice; the detonations came close, but not dangerously so, and he heard no squadrons on wing towards him. He reached the first alley without incident, but it was blocked by rubble, so he moved to the next one. This one was clean, but a movement at the other end caused him to draw back. It was a pair of heracross just nosing out of the opening; they appeared to be scouting the streets. For them to be across the tower this soon after its collapse meant Bugsy was serious and wasting no time at assessing and adapting to the situation. It also meant that he was probably already ordering his troops around the ruins to pincer the escaping civilians. Had their terrible sacrifice amounted to little more than a stall tactic? A thump behind him made his heart stop. He didn't have to look behind him to know what it was, or how little time he had. He lunged desperately for the alley, but only managed a step before the concussion blast whirled him off his feet, slamming his head into the building's corner.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]I can't believe I didn't do this weeks ago.[/FONT] [CENTER][IMG]http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z158/Allamorph/Misc/lolz/situationalz/shamelessplug.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [FONT=Calibri]And of course I can't remember where I found it. [/FONT]

[quote name='Ace][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="1"]but it is ._.[/SIZE'][/FONT][/quote] [FONT=Calibri]It's okay. I'm sure thousands of other people forget there are three digits in four digit numbers.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]I suspect it's partly tied to the items [COLOR="DarkRed"]Kei[/COLOR] brought up, along with their compulsive social bowing deal, which strikes me as less respectful and more self-debasing.[/FONT]

[QUOTE=Ace][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Cartoon Network just called the year "Oh-ten." I want to send them a memo listing all the reasons that's wrong.[/FONT][/QUOTE] [FONT=Calibri]Make sure to tell them that using the zero preceding the ten is obviously silly. (2) 0-10. Anyone can see the foolishness.[/FONT]

[quote name='chibi-master']What does a swollen lymph node feel like?:confused:[/quote] [FONT=Calibri]Swollen. ._. (If you can feel it on the side of your neck, it's swollen. If you can't feel it, it's not swollen.)[/FONT]

[quote name='chibi-master']If only my teacher could explain it that well! Thanks, that makes more sense, then!:animesmil[/quote] [FONT=Calibri]Your teacher might be assuming most people make the connection between [I]x[/I] representing a number that you don't know and [I]x[/I] being a label. If I were to extend the apple concept to actually knowing what the number was, it'd be something like: 7[I]a[/I] + 6[I]a[/I] = 13[I]a[/I], but we know [I]a[/I] = 6. Because we can say we have thirteen [I]apples[/I], we can also say we have thirteen [I]sixes[/I], or we have "six" thirteen times, which is six times thirteen. Thus when [I]a[/I] = 6, 13[I]a[/I] = 13*6 = ohgoshlargenumberummm = 78? Yeah. 78. (I went 13*6 = (10 + 3)*6 = 10*6 + 3*6 = 60 + 18, which makes multiplying large annoying numbers like that a tad easier.)[/FONT]

[quote name='chibi-master']Adding with apples? What? Look, I can't cook either, so please don't confuse me any further. Because right now I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about...:animestun[/quote] [FONT=Calibri]Seven apples and six more apples is thirteen apples. One apple can be written as 1[I]a[/I] or just [I]a[/I]; ergo, seven apples => 7[I]a[/I] Seven apples and six apples is thirteen apples. => 7[I]a[/I] + 6[I]a[/I] = 13[I]a[/I] . . . but the label [I]a[/I] is arbitrary, and could have been written: 7[I]x[/I] + 6[I]x[/I] = 13[I]x[/I] 7[I]y[/I] + 6[I]y[/I] = 13[I]y[/I] 7[I]z[/I] + 6[I]z[/I] = 13[I]z[/I] The [I]letter[/I] isn't important. As long as it's the [I]same letter[/I], then you can add the [I]numbers[/I], which is really simple. For instance, you can't do anything with 7[I]a[/I] + 6[I]r[/I] because you can't add apples and roads. If you have, say, [I]a[/I] + [I]a[/I], that's one "a" and one more "a", which is 2[I]a[/I]; a letter with no number attached is just one; you can pretend it says 1[I]a[/I] if it makes it simpler, and doing so won't affect the final answer. You can worry about what the letter represents later. As long as it's a letter, it's just another label and won't get in the way. [I]x[/I] may be any number at all, and will probably be a different number in half the problems you end up working, but 7[I]x[/I] + 6[I]x[/I] will [I]always[/I] be 13[I]x[/I] regardless of what [I]x[/I] is. Incidentally, a sure-fire way to piss me off is to pretend you're stupid. Not only do I refuse to believe that anyone is incapable of anything, in my experience the people who openly proclaim that they're stupid either are actually rather intelligent or just want attention. The former I can work with. The latter I despise.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]Okay, I can see it's high time I dug in and cleared some stuff up. Whether or not you [I]are[/I] trying to explain yourself clearly, the fact remains that your attempts at explanations are either [I]not[/I] clear, or they are built on assumptions which you've taken for granted and which [COLOR="DarkRed"]Kei[/COLOR] or I have already deconstructed. Fair warning: due to the nature of breaking down and ananlysing stuff, I am probably going to come across as extremely hostile. I also suggest you read the entire post before attempting to respond to it. I'd [I]really[/I] prefer you read it twice, but I'm not picky. First, when I said "I have no idea what you're talking about", I was referring to when you said "....instead of changing pokémon"—which I tried to communicate to you by [I]directly quoting the sentence in which you said it[/I]. No creatures are being "changed" in this game. They are at most being [I]modified[/I] to appear slightly more realistic, but that realism is confined to the Pokémon universe itself. To wit: we are [U]not[/U] [U]removing[/U] any inherent abilities of [I]any[/I] creatures in the game. We are simply [I]adjusting[/I] them so that they don't appear as cartoony or childlike. For instance, when a pikachu jolts someone with electricity, the most that will be visible to the eye is an extremely fast electrical arc, not a massive burst of yellow light. We are [I]not[/I] saying that pikachu (plural) can no longer fry people with electricity; we [I]are[/I] saying that pikachu defending themselves do not appear to be recreating the light show for the last Pink Floyd concert. This is only one example out of probably thousands. I do not have the time or patience to sit down and reason out how each "move" would translate into a more realistic-feeling phrase and then present you with a list of them. I expect all players to do that for themselves [I]because[/I] I prefer to believe that all players are capable of doing so. As for your notion that we're somehow making it so that wild creatures can no longer use their inherent abilities, consider the following: [LIST=1][*]From a conceptual standpoint, a trainer's job is to teach his creatures to focus their abilities and use them at the correct tactical points instead of by reflex. A trainer can [I]not[/I] teach a charmander to blow fire because that requires that the trainer be able to blow fire himself. Any wild charmander can throw spurts of fire if it feels threatened, but the likelihood that such spurts will actually be effective is low. What a trainer [I]can[/I] do is show their creature (over time) how to change the fire-breath from a wide, hard-to-dodge and slightly painful swathe to a controlled, focused, extremely potent gout; e.g., the difference between the power of Ember (burns you, doesn't hurt a whole lot) and Flamethrower. But what I [I]also[/I] said was that a creature who learned how to make such a controlled lance of flame wouldn't all of a sudden forget how to just toss out some singing heat now and again. A four-move list was a gimmick of the games to simplify battles and promote strategic setups. We are [I]not[/I] RPing the games. This universe draws from the games (and the television/movie adaptations) for base ideas, but then [I]reinterprets them[/I] with the intent of realism. [*]Did I ever once say that wild creatures had no abilities themselves? Again consider the black bear. A two month old black bear cub will [I]not[/I] be able to defend itself properly against a well-equipped and trained human coming to capture it, just as a level four nidoran is mostly inept and devoid of skills. However, the cubs mother, who is probably half a decade old, will be [I]very[/I] well equipped to protect not only herself, but the cub as well, just like wild electrodes can blow up if cornered a wild dewgong can wipe your entire party if you're stupid. Both of these creatures are second evolutions in their species chain, which automatically means they're of a significant level, hence I didn't mention any specific level as age correlation. [*]An amateur trainer (please note I said [I]amateur[/I]) who wishes to expand his collection and who is [I]not[/I] suicidal is going to go about catching pokémon at younger ages because there is less likelihood of said trainer getting killed in the process. This creature, because of its age, [I]will not know too much[/I]. A good trainer, then, will pay attention to the critter and notice its behavior and abilities, and hopefully do a bit of homework on the species, and so go about preparing the creature for what he wants it to do. This isn't to say that a creature untrained in combat will not be able to "use any of its moves" (inasmuch as there are even actual moves in this universe), but rather to say that [I]if[/I] such an untrained creature were to suddenly be thrown into combat then [I][U]it[/U] [U]would[/U] [U]die[/U][/I]. It might die fighting, and it might die valiantly, but because of its inexperience it would still die. Just so, a natural guard dog left untrained would die defending its master if the assailant had a gun because the dog had not been trained what to do around firearms.[/LIST] Further, I have already "limited the amount of trainers" simply by classifying them. Professional trainers and their creatures will be good at combat. Amateur trainers and their creatures have the potential to be good at combat, but this isn't guaranteed. Hobbyist trainers (as in people who just want the companionship) have a small chance to be good at combat, but generally speaking they will suck. Limiting the amount of people who are actually able to own pokémon is idiotic. In this universe there are no other kinds of creatures. For all practical intents and purposes, "pokémon" = "animal"—which is why I keep switching off referring to them as creatures and critters and what. Therefore, if we were to suddenly decide that in this universe the only people who were even able to own pokémon were registered and combat-experienced trainers, it would be tantamount to saying that possession of said creatures must be state-sanctioned, and with the present form of established government that simply will not gel. Earlier I said "just because a creature can battle doesn't mean they have to battle", to which you replied "just because they don't have to doesn't mean they can't". Without exception, everyone who read that post had about two seconds of dead thought. Here's why. My statement of logic said essentially this: "just because you [I]can[/I] open your mouth doesn't mean you [I]should[/I]". Yours said this: "just because you don't have to open your mouth doesn't mean you can't". [I]Technically[/I] the statement is true. But it says absolutely nothing of value. All it does is reinforce the potential for action, and, like I said just a moment ago, ability to take action does not guarantee the action will succeed. In other words, little old wild riachu can try his darndest to shock the crap out of anything that threatens him, but if he's up against something prepared for that response he's going to lose regardless of his ability to defend himself. The [I]ability[/I] isn't in question. The [I]effectiveness[/I] is, and that's where you have the distinction between older wild creatures and older trained creatures—and further where you have the distinction between older trained creatures and older creatures who are merely owned. Lastly, I understand that you're attempting to help things. [COLOR="DarkRed"]Kei[/COLOR] understands that you're attempting to help things. Continually reiterating that you're attempting to help things only goes to show you're feeling insulted, and parading around your insulted feelings won't win you any arguments. It won't even win you sympathy in this crowd. So instead of moaning about how you're not being understood, try to be understood. You might be surprised when people start understanding you.[/FONT]

[quote name='chibi-master']I'm having the same problem with algebra. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO ADD WITH LETTERS?!?!?![/quote] [FONT=Calibri]Same way you add with apples. [I]They're[/I] not numbers.[/FONT]

[quote name='CaNz']i was just thinking its easier to change the trainers capabilities than it is to change pokemon.[/quote] [FONT=Calibri]I have no idea on earth what you're talking about, or how the second half of that sentence ever got into your head.[/FONT]

[FONT=Calibri]In other words, the [I]ability[/I] to combat does not necessitate the [I]act[/I] of combat. Just because you can doesn't mean you have to.[/FONT]

[quote name='CaNz']they are still meant for battle by nature. every pokemon learns how to fight as it grows, and everything they do can be used in battle.[/quote] [FONT=Calibri]I thought you were going to say something like this, actually. However, you're basing your concept off of only the mechanics of the game. What is the point of the game? [I]To battle[/I]. But who are the only real people you meet in the games? [I]Trainers[/I]; i.e., people who have [I]trained[/I] their creatures to battle. In essence, a creature learning a move as it levels up, which you are interpreting as aging, is actually more likely to be the trainer having successfully taught the creature that move and thus adding it to the creature's battle plan. Also note that in the games the creatures are [I]forced[/I] to only remember four "moves" at a time, whereas in reality it's far more likely that the additional "move" would simply be added to the creature's prior knowledge without the loss of anything previous. So yes, it's true that every [I]battle[/I] move a pokémon learns can be used in battle, but that's not the extent of what they can learn, nor does it define the universe in which we're operating. Example: in the series, there are cases now and again where a pokémon is assisting in the construction of something or other. What move(s) would, say, carrying logs correspond to? Or would it be just something the owner taught their creature to do? In essence, don't confine yourself to reasonings based solely on the game mechanics. You do that, and everything because stiff and clunky. The important part is to say "how would this work if it were real?". [quote name='Timber][COLOR=Green][SIZE=1][FONT=Verdana]Going by the games and its concept of ID numbers, everyone who plans to own pokemon, no matter what they plan on doing with them, needs to register and get some sort of license, kind of like how you need a dog license to own a dog in most of America, Canada, and some other countries.[/FONT][/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote] This is true. However, look at that situation in real life [I]again[/I] with the knowledge of how many pets (cats, dogs, whichever) are [I]not[/I] registered because the owners don't feel it to be necessary. The systems are identical, I'll give you that. But in that case, it would also follow that there would be identical people who would see no reason to register their pets at all. However, within that same logic it would be impossible for a registered trainer to have an unregistered pokémon and still enter competition with it. And while it would be [I]possible[/I] for a registered trainer to have an unregistered pokémon as a pet, such a thing would only be feasible with amateur/hobbyist trainers—and would be unthinkable for professional ones, who are far more exposed to the public eye. [quote name='Timber][COLOR=Green][SIZE=1][FONT=Verdana]Most people in the poke-world do train their pokemon to battle somewhat, since walking and biking seem to be the preferred ways of getting around the poke-world, and they leave you pretty unprotected from wild pokemon and other people.[/FONT][/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote] For my part, I consider pokémon to encompass the entire natural wildlife, leaving no room for "normal" pets like cats or dogs. [COLOR="DarkRed"]Kei[/COLOR] and I were recently discussing the implications of just that concept, and I'll probably expound on our collective thoughts on the matter and post it here later. For now, though, I think it's enough to say that pokémon make most non-communication tools completely irrelevant, meaning not that there would be no reason to buy them but also that there would be no reason to even [I]invent[/I] them. As for traveling: consider that in the games all the "roads" are abysmally-maintained stretches of dirt riddled with hills and bluffs and grass and whatnot. Such situations do exist, but mostly they exist in extremely rural locations, and we've just been talking about how the populace is significantly larger than that, which means that there would be ample reason to level the roads between cities and exert some effort at maintaining them for commerce reasons. Also of note is the whole "lurking in the grass" concept, which is only really possible if the grass is going to seed and at least two-thirds of a person high. Normal grass isn't near tall enough for anything except possibly caterpie and weedles to hide in—and that's assuming that caterpie and weedles are about the size of real caterpillars, which obviously isn't the case. So to me it would seem that traveling between cities would not actually be as dangerous as the games make it out to be. In order to find wild pokémon, one would most likely be required to go into the wild in order to do it—which further raises the implication that there would be locations in certain cities where trainers could purchase pre-caught pokémon to either start or expand (on a basic level) their collection, especially considering I doubt Professor Oak is just waiting around to hand out critters to every wannabe Master Trainer. But going back to the roads, the "going into the wilds to find the wild" notion is reinforced by a regularly maintained road system. Wild creatures go out of their way to avoid unknown contact, whether or not they're stronger. Consider the black bear. [quote name='Korey][FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"][SIZE="1"][COLOR="Navy"]So, [strike]I think that[/strike] Pokemon in this case are used for more than just battling, because certain moves in the Pokemon universe also help others. So if anything, Pokemon are [also] like the appliances the Flintstones have in their house[strike], imo[/strike].[/COLOR][/SIZE'][/FONT][/quote] Fix'd. But yes, basically. It's a touch more complex than that, especially with the duality of the same creatures being used for common household use and competitive battling, but that's sort of where [COLOR="DarkRed"]Kei[/COLOR] and I were headed. [B]Edit:[/B] Whoops, missed something. :animeswea [quote name='Timber][COLOR=Green][SIZE=1][FONT=Verdana]I have a question, though. There are towns in both regions that have no gym (Pallet, Lavender, New Bark, Cherrygrove). Since they have no gym leader to determine affiliation with the league or the protesters, do the gym-less towns have an affiliation, or are they neutral by default?[/FONT][/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote] To fully answer this, I think I need to spend a crapload of head time on what government system the universe uses at this point in time. At the moment, though, I'm inclined to say that towns with gyms are more like larger cities (say, Chicago or Tampa) which have the means to actually hold official stuff, and other, smaller towns, though they may have unofficial (or at least less prestigious) events, aren't as focal to the games themselves. That's about the best I can do right now without several hours rumination and discussion.[/FONT]