Forum Thread

If I had any drawing talent, I'd have a wonderful picture here; alas, I can only paint with words

Welcome!
To the wonderful world of PokéHeroes!

Before I take you on a trip around the wonders that are Emera Town and PokéHeroes, I'd like to make a few things clear. Please hang on for the ride, as the following information is crucial -

Ye Olden Rules of Conduct
♥ Please follow the Site Rules; if you don't like something, that's fine. However, please express it in a respectful manner, as cursing/shouting at me won't get you anywhere. Spam will also be very frowned upon.
♦ Please don't post here; if you have suggestions/prompts, comments, critiques (all of which are always welcome and even encouraged) please PM/PalPad me about it. I'll post them either here in a hide-tag or on the related one-shot (in hide-tags). I'd rather see the one-shots/chapters follow each other, unobstructed. This might change, in the future, but for now, it's how I'd like to manage it.
♣ (just in case) Do not act as if it's canon; I'm trying my best to stay as close to the (little) lore we have, but ultimately, unless Riako says so, this is all a figment of my imagination, that I'm sharing with you all. If you find any “continuity” errors, don't hesitate to let me know; it might all just be my imagination, but I'd still like them to fit in as best as possible. This does not include “I imagined it differently”; if it fits, it sits stays.
◘ Something you'll probably notice pretty soon, but I figured I'd give you a head's up. Some of these one-shots will be written in the 2nd person. If, for some unfathomable reason you don't recognize yourself 100% in the descriptions I write and what a shock that'll be, don't use it as a reason to hate on the story. I'm including as many generalized ideas as possible to help with the immersion, but the more divers the group, the more impossible this becomes. Don't start messaging me to change little detail A and tweak information G, just because that's how you do it. While I do want prompts and will love you all the more for them, it's still my story to write how I feel it's best.
○ This thread will actually consist of two different stories (more on this below), and a new chapter of either will be posted, whenever inspiration strikes me. These two stories are completely unrelated to each other, but I'll make sure to “tag” them in the title, so you know which collection the chapter belongs to. If this picks up a lot better than I imagine, I'll probably start a new thread and give them each their own personal spot in the limelight, but, for the sake of me actually working on both, I'm putting them together for now.
• While I like to believe I can write decent enough in English, my mother tongue still isn't. I try my best to keep mistakes out of my creations, but I've never been able to type without mistakes why does my keyboard hate me TT.TT so if you find any, let me know.
♠ As proof that you've read these few rules, don't post here :P sorry, I couldn't help myself


Why am I doing this?
↓ Read below~



Why I dedicate a whole first post to this nonsense
↓ Read below (again)~


If you have any questions left, don't hesitate the message me :) My PalPad is open to all, as is the uncloseable PM-box. This also applies for any prompts, suggestions, reviews and/or critiques you might have (for either of the stories). There's always room for inspiration and improvement, so don't let anything stop you :)

I don't know how successful I'll be or even how long I'll write in it, but I'm planning to have a lot of fun with this, and I hope all of you reading this will enjoy the ride with me ^^

Title: Introduction to Emera Town

You'd been walking for a while; rivers, mountains and forest left far behind, following the trail of the meteorite shower covering the skies.

Days, or was it weeks, passed you by since leaving the last sign of civilization, but you've heard so many stories, good and bad, about a village built on emeralds and dreams, that you couldn't stop yourself. You had to find it. There was one thing all stories had in common, and you tried your best to be prepared for it. Stories ranged from a weird mermaid asking for items and fish, to the mystic Honey Tree that doesn't actually give honey, and all seemed to include weather that was absolutely crazy.

Thunder, rain and hail seemed rather ordinary, but hail right after a heat wave, followed by earthquakes (and since when were they weather, you couldn't help but wonder), shouldn't even be possible, the hail melting before even breaking through the clouds. And yet it happened, more often than any storyteller wanted to admit, with only the most diverse Castform floating around the area being any indication what had just happened and what was to come.

With only an egg in your bag, you slowly trudged forward. You tried to recall how you got it... Was it a friend, after saying “water” and “cool” or was it a sibling after saying “fire” and “different”? It didn't matter; you'd been carrying it around for a while now, almost as long as you'd been traveling, trying to find the Emerald town, with everything it had to offer. You weren't even sure if that was the official name, but it was what it was known for, and it was descriptive enough to ask for direction, if you ever met someone to ask.

A few days later buildings entered your vision, one towering over all the others, though no clear indication of what it could be. You could see a pokéball on another building just a little lower and figured that might be the lab. Moving your bag a little, and feeling the egg shift, you wondered if it was even worth it to go to the Lab, as you already had your first pokémon, though still in the egg, and you didn't really think there was any other reason to enter the Lab. After dismissing the Lab, your eyes traveled to the third building, standing on the other side of the tallest, only visible because of the fence slightly peeking over the trees and walls.

The last few trees left behind you, the first surprise revealed itself; rather than a natural gateway, showing the entrance of an ordinary town, there seemed to be an actual fence guarding here. Neither high nor sturdy, but still present enough to be noticed, though how it looked, made you question its usefulness. On the fence, a small piece of paper was connected, but instead of a small clever sentence, describing the city or town you're entering, this particular one seemed to have been scratched out and replaced with a whole poem welcoming whoever entered.

Ground of precious Treasures
A route so long, it's no surprise
From city-spot to country-wise
So all of you should best beware
As many wild pokémon roam there

A golden tree, a cave so dark
The beach, the fields, yours to embark
Games to play, you'll find what suits
Enter here and plant your roots


...Whoever thought that up, obviously had too much time on their hand. If you were being completely honest, it didn't give you the most hope, as you didn't come here to be bored enough to start destroying property, no matter how nice that destruction seemed to be. You came here to fill a hole, a feeling something was missing that only grew after hearing about the town you were standing right outside of. However, what you didn't miss was being bored, so depending on who wrote that poem and why, you could only cross your fingers and hope it wasn't purely out of boredom. If it was, you didn't hold that high hopes you would really “plant your roots” here, no matter how nice it looked, though the poem did talk about areas and wild pokémon, so there's that.

Slowly passing the gate, though there wasn't really much of a gate to cross, you entered the town, looking from left to right and back again, taking in everything that caught your eye. One of the things that drew your attention, were the benches placed around what appears to be a fountain. Seeing a place where you could finally rest your feet, made you all the more aware of the long trip you'd finally finished and with the pains and aches slowly growing with every step you took, you sat down with a happy sigh, getting your muscles to relax, after working for so long.

Sleeping on the ground wasn't all that bad an experience, but sitting on a bench made clear what exactly you'd been missing out on these past few days, during the search for the much-talked about city. It doesn't really look all that much, though the buildings look well-cared for. The wooden fence that separates the DayCare from the public places also makes an appearance here, though doesn't seem to have a building attached; maybe the fountain's blocking the view or the DayCare Man lives somewhere else, who knows, as long as your pokémon get looked after if you ever decided to leave them, you didn't really care about the living arrangements of the owner... At least for now. Other things to worry about.

Like where all these people suddenly came from. It baffled you, not that there were people here (it's a town, after all), but how they all seemed to appear out of nowhere. The square was pretty much deserted when you arrived, but right now it seemed to have trouble giving everyone enough space to walk from one point to the next. After a few minutes the square was empty again, aside from a few lingerers, and you were left sitting there, feeling like you missed something. Determined to figure out what exactly happened and where all those users came from and disappeared to you take a closer look around the square, with your eye falling on a poster... A bug contest and a beauty contest alternating definitely seemed interesting, but the limitations written there made you file it away for future scrutiny. With a first look finished, you started straining to look around the fountain, before realizing that sitting down might not be the best way to explore the actual town.

Feeling a bit more rested, and with the pain in your legs lessened to a dull ache, you felt ready to continue walking. You put your hands on the fountain, fully intending to give yourself that one extra push and get back on your feet. Before you managed, though, a sudden darkness fell over you, disorienting you. A giggle entered your ears, but in the total blackness engulfing you, you had a hard time figuring out where it's coming from. As you slowly tried to get your bearing again, you noticed it's already over and the square entered your vision again, with no indication that the few stragglers in the Square noticed anything happening; not to you, not in general. You would start questioning the “normalicy” of this town you've finally reached, if you hand't heard quite a few stories already, so you decided to refrain from judging just yet. Though if legendaries were going to start flying through the air, for whatever reason, you might just decide to visit the doctor and have your eyes checked.

Walking around the fountain, you started considering the lab again; it's true that you already had an egg, but where else would you get better information, than from the pokémon professor of the town itself? Mind made up, you finish the full circle around the fountain. The pain spiking through your legs now that you're using them again, made you question the reason for a complete walk around the fountain, but mind made up and legs moving, going back would only cause a delay and possibly more pain.

“Welcome, Trainer” is the first thing you heard, before you even see the professor. 4 eggs are standing is a row, something resembling the Poké Center pokéball-transport holding it a little above the ground. Before you can address the professor, finally found standing behind the contraption, someone ran inside the building, shoving you away and claiming an egg before disappearing almost as fast as they appeared. 'Not exactly what you call polite', you think to yourself, throwing one last, calculating, look at a disappearing back, a flame-coloured egg peaking through their hands.

As you turned back to the professor, fully intending to fire any questions you had, you couldn't help but notice that the empty spot was already filled back up; a fleeing thought of 'that's handy' flitted through your mind, before turning your attention where you need it. “You might want to follow me” the professor told you, indicating with his hand to a door behind you. “A lot of trainers come here for new eggs and I don't think you'd like to be standing in their way.” a secret smirk started appearing on his face, and you'd started to wonder if he's making fun of you, after seeing you get shoved aside.

Following him to a back room, you noticed a table and some chairs standing in the middle of it. “This doubles as my dining room, but I figured it would be the best place to answer any questions you might have. Depending on how many come looking for an egg, it can get pretty loud.”
“With that being said, please sit.” he told you and, without really thinking about it and you feet throbbing again, you sat down in the chair nearest to you. “So, to start of, I'll introduce myself. I'm professor Rowan; I'm the professor in this town called Emera and I guide newcomers through their first few tasks.”

Tasks? Tasks? Incredulous, you stared at Rowan, disbelief of what you just heard reflecting in your eyes. You came here to follow your own dreams, not do nonsensical tasks for everyone. Opening your mouth, ready to protest, you're cut of by a dismissive wave of a hand. “I know, you're not here to do what others tell you to do. But you need to learn the lay of the town don't you?” Mulling over his words, you couldn't help but agree, unconsciously nodding your consent. Traces of suspicion still lingered, though. A feeling you couldn't quite shake, almost as if you could predict that you'd be asked for things, even after you've thoroughly explored the town and made a name for yourself.

“Good; here's your PokéDex. Now, I don't know if you've seen other Dexes, but those professors clearly didn't know what they were doing. How do you even study pokémon, if they're not around? So this handy little thing will only show the pokémon you have and I can actually study. If one evolves, its earlier stage will be removed, simple as that, don't you think?”
...No, not really. However, if that was the town's system, you'd get used to it soon enough. Hopefully there's a method to stop them from evolving, as you didn't feel like wasting your time gathering bugs over and over again. You'd heard of everstones, but never actually seen one and couldn't help but worry about your pokémon. “Now, as for the other functions...” as the professor continued talking, you forced yourself to pay attention, unable to shake the thought entirely.

“At the top left, you can see your name, your current level, and your finances. You can use those to buy pretty much whatever you want, though you might need to check some personal shops as the Mall doesn't carry everything.” Nodding along, you made a mental note to check the Mall as quickly as possible, hoping they carry everstones. If the price is decent, you might even buy a few immediately to have some on hand whenever doubles pop up.
“On the right, there's the 'Town announcement'. Whenever something around town happens, you'll be notified about it through there. Take a look at it and the filters, to get an idea of what kind of information that could be, because it'd be too much to sum up, and I'm a busy man. One thing I feel the need to point is, is that you can also get updates from other inhabitants. That way, you'd be notified whenever they share something with the world. Just add them to your friends list and you won't miss a word.”
“Right next to that, that lovely Castform, is the current weather. If you want to see the forecast, you'll have to go to the weather-site, or you can give it a try yourself and search for Castform in the sky, but you'll always know the weather we're having... If you're not feeling it already.”
“And, as a final addition, you see this lovely face; that's my list of tasks that should help you explore the town for a first time and get an idea of the basic principle of this town. Once you've finished the list, it'll disappear.”
“All those things are clickable as well and will bring you to new pages, if you ever feel like trying it out.”

Looking over the device, that apparently does more than record your pokémon, go figure, you saw the blue bar at the top, holding everything the professor mentioned. A little lower, you also noticed four stark white buttons, each with their own name. 'Home'; 'Town'; 'Settings'; 'Community'.
While the name can give you some idea of what they're used for, you decided not to risk it and ask.
“What are these buttons for?”

“Oh, you need an explanation for these too?” ignoring the laughter in his voice, you nodded, though the angry look in your eyes didn't go unnoticed. “Before I go into a little more detail, you should know that every white button gives you access to several pages. Pressing it once always brings you to the main page, but if you hold it, you'll see a list of possibilities appear on the screen. Depending on what kind of link it is, you'll either be taken to a page about the choice you made, or a camera feed of what's currently going on, if you chose a location. Some of these are also accompanied with a notification feed.”
“The first few times you check the list of possibilities, you'll probably notice a lot of question marks. That means that either that function or that location hasn't been unlocked yet; this is to allow you to discover the town gradually, rather than overwhelming you by throwing everything at you. Whenever you walk around those areas, they'll also be boarded off, to make sure you don't accidentally stumble upon them.”

“Now, as for the specific 'main' pages. The first is news which, as you might guess, is where the big updates are posted; these are usually combined with a notification to make sure the highest amount of people read it. While the notification itself might disappear, due to other notifications appearing, the news-page will hold each and every news-post that was ever made. So if you feel like digging through Emera's history, that's a good place to start.”

“Town does exactly that. It shows you a map of Emera Town and gives you general idea of where everything is hiding and what direction you should walk, when you want to go some place specific. When you look at the map, you'll notice a small road between the GTS and the Game Center; anything that doesn't have an arrow, is through there, though you'll mostly be walking here to check other users' fields. The road splits, though, and you should find arrows at that crossroad to guide you, but you might not reach your goal immediately. The users' fields size depends on the amount of pokémon they're trying to keep. It's also possible that there are very large fields, with close to no pokémon, which still require space. If you know where you're going, there are some wheels available to get you there faster, but it can be a very relaxing walk as well, so the choice is entirely yours.”

“Settings lets you change some personal preferences, like what you receive notifications for. You might've also noticed the wonderful Xerneas at the top of your device, and the bubbles as the background of the pages you call up. You can see other possibilities through the “Settings” tab as well, just go take a look at them, and see if you want to change anything; aside from your avatar and your signature, all settings are linked to the device, so others won't see it. Unless you pay for premium, but you'll have to go visit the shop if you'd like more information on this.”

So far, the information seemed minimalistic at best, each time being told to go check it out and not really getting all that much information. As professor Rowan talked, you started trying to decide what order you should press the buttons in. Maybe settings first, as nobody would notice that, though a first walk around the town and outskirts might not be such a bad idea either, now that you have some idea, so the town map could be a good place to start as well. Before you can start listing the advantages of going back to the beginning of the site, professor Rowan's voice got you back to the present.

“As you might have noticed, you're not alone here,” he continued, and you involuntarily thought back to the sudden mob overrunning the Square, “which is where the community-button comes in. If you want to contact someone, either privately or as many at the same time as possible, this is where you need to go. There's a forum, where users can talk to each other, about several subjects, like the news or try and agree to trades. They can ask questions or talk about stuff unrelated to pokémon or the town itself. You can also check who's currently in town and who's helped your pokémon along; whatever you do with that information is entirely up to you. Just go take a look at all the options, and see what draws your interest.”

Well, at least now you had a way of contacting other users, even if you didn't quite know why you'd want to talk to them just yet. Maybe in the future, for trades, help and maybe even suggestions you'd wander around the forum, but unless the tutorial pretty much forces you, you couldn't quite see yourself pitch in just quite yet. It's pretty great that you know where to go if you need help though. At least that's something.

“I think everything's pretty much self explanatory, especially after you've completed the tutorial and taken a look at the various options available, even if some aren't just quite yet, but before I send you out into the whirlpool that is Emera, one last thing. Of course, there are town rules, so make sure you take a look at them as well; just to be on the save side. The most important thing is that you have fun, but understand that there are boundaries.”

And with those last few words, and a smirk on the professor's face, you were pushed back out, unto the square. With one last look backwards, only seeing the professor's back as he wass going back inside, you tried to put everything into perspective. Despite the onslaught of information, there were still many things left up to your own to discover or at least that was the impression you had. With a plan in mind, and a list of tasks in your hand, you took your first purposeful step. The first of many you'll take, along your adventure in Emera Town.