History Fanfic / Traveler

* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: From Agatha's perspective, whatever useful Tobias maintains in spite of being corrupted of Darkrai is enough to prevent her from {{mercy kill}}ing him from his suffering.

* CainAndAbel: Although they're actually cousins, [[spoiler: Pierce is the Cain to Steven's Abel.]]

%%* TheHero: Ash, of course.

So begins ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8466693/1/Traveler Traveler]]'', by [[https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2850031/The-Straight-Elf The Straight Elf]], a massive AlternateUniverse retelling of the {{Anime/Pokemon}} Anime with significant crossover elements from the games. Traveler is a complex, in-depth {{Reconstruction}} of the Pokémon mythos, following a more intelligent and driven Ash into a world where creatures of incredible power are commonplace, and beings of legend wait in the wings. Instead of sleeping in and receiving the iconic [[SeriesMascot Pikachu]], Ash receives a male Nidoran from Professor Oak. From there the story sharply and rapidly diverges from the Anime as Ash departs on his journey, becomes embroiled in the schemes of Team Rocket, finds friends and rivals, gains powerful mentors and deadly enemies, confronts the savagery of nature and the evil of humanity, and creates for himself a family and a name as he pursues his dream: Becoming a Pokémon Master.

* UndyingLoyalty:
** Infernus will do ''anything'' for Ash, [[spoiler: up to and including surrendering ''Moltres' own Fire Sphere'']]. Exemplified at the Indigo Conference. Grey offers to trade his monstrous Hydreigon, as well as one or two others, if Ash will give him Infernus. Infernus responds by ''firing a Flamethrower at Grey'' for even suggesting it. Mid-battle, with the entire world watching. It's implied that the only thing stopping Grey from being incinerated was the stadium's psychic barriers.
** All of Ash's Pokémon share this trait.

* TeensAreShort: Averted. Despite only being 11 years old, Ash is as tall as his mother by the time he goes for his Earth badge.

* BigBad: Giovanni and Team Rocket serve as the main antagonists for the Kanto Saga. Once the events of Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie occur, they mostly fall to the wayside due to [[spoiler:Giovanni being dealt with by Lance sparking an EnemyCivilWar in the ranks of Team Rocket]].

* BlessedWithSuck: Will's psychic powers leave him more susceptible to TheCorruption than the other Elite Four.

* OutDamnedSpot: Downplayed. Ash scrubs himself too hard after a battle with Team Rocket, feeling dirty due to a comment by Steven's Claydol that he "[[LudicrousGibs had some Ariados on his face]]".

* AlliterativeName: Cyntha Carolina.

** Most of the Gym Leaders (except Giovanni), the Elite Four, Lance, and Steven all share this role to some extent.

** [[spoiler: The Distortion World according to {{Word of God}} is a swirling, chaotic nexus of everything that is NOT.While simultaneously being Giratina's body and a plane of existence.]]

** Hoenn actually had the least cults, generally importing worship of other regions' deities since they were historically a vast trade city. The Weather Trio only rarely surfaced, and by the time they made their Awakenings they'd usually be mostly forgotten, remembered only as horrific monstrosities that sunk empires and razed entire nations into desert. Rayquaza was the exception since it was far more active and easily seen, and the Draconids were at the center of its cult and erected the Sky Pillar. Nowadays Groudon doesn't really have any worshippers except in the Arid Zone (the desert in Hoenn) and Kyogre's worshipers tend to live in the outer reaches of the archipelago and make up a large number of Team Aqua.

* ImagineSpot: While idly wondering if his hat is why he's survived the things he has, Ash is struck by the idea of Mewtwo and the Legendary Birds stopping their assaults on the world due to being awestruck by his hat.

* [[invoked]]UncannyValley: The fake Ash created by the Unown during the events of ''Anime/Pokemon3'' is noted as being simultaneously too clean and too rough around the edges of his form. Contrast the real Ash who usually has at least a bit of grime on him (and is currently filthy), obvious worn clothes, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking a hat with a folded bill from Plume nipping it so much]].

* FiveManBand: Ash's team fits this, with some fluctuation.
** TheHero: Nidoking
** TheLancer: Infernus, sometimes Torrent
** TheBigGuy: Torrent, Bruiser
** TheSmartOne: Dazed
** TheChick: Plume
** TheSixthRanger: Tangrowth, Oz
** TagalongKid: Seeker, Sneasel, Aron

Also has a canon supplementary side-story called ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11984424/1/Traveler-Recollections Traveler: Recollections]]''.

A page for it can be found [[Fanfic/TravelerRecollections here]].

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** If a Pokémon is badly injured just before evolving, the sudden growth and overall body change can worsen their condition. Thus, Pokémon that evolve during battle need physicals to make sure they're alright.
** Modified potions and burn heals are used to heal Ash after a particularly brutal fight against Team Rocket but his rapid healing uses so much energy he's exhausted for a few days afterwards.
** Pokémon cloned from fossils have to be given enhanced immune systems so they can cope with the vastly different viruses and bacteria compared to when they lived.
** After challenging Moltres atop Mt. Ember, Ash has breathing problems for a while from all the smoke and gases he inhaled.
** After a while, growing stronger becomes much more difficult for trainers. Either they have to devote months to nothing but training or they have to find a more experienced trainer willing to teach them.
** Due to how powerful it is, Mega Evolution is kept a closely guarded secret by the various Pokémon Leagues to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Naturally, keeping it secret also massively slows down any research done into the subject.
** After having an entirely new set of memories planted in her head by the Unown, Delia has trouble keeping track of which set are real and which are fake. According to Sabrina, the fake ones will always be there but after a few months Delia should be able to tell the difference.
** After four disasters involved Legendaries in only a year, people of the world start taking notice, especially since (as the title implies) Legendaries often go decades or more without even being seen.
** Aura is a power that comes at least partially from knowing ones self intimately. Thus, utilizing Aura means always understanding how you've changed from who you used to be.

* ImagineSpot: While idly wondering if his NiceHat is why he's survived the things he has, Ash is struck by the idea of Mewtwo and the Legendary Birds stopping their assaults on the world due to being awestruck by his hat.

* CombinationAttack: Any trainer worth their salt teaches their Pokémon to combine attacks together for extra effect. Most usually do two attacks such as Giovanni's Super Punch [[labelnote:*]]Sucker Punch combined with Superpower[[/labelnote]], and Torrent's Ice Storm [[labelnote:*]]Blizzard plus Twister[[/labelnote]], Surge's Lightning Bolt [[labelnote:*]]Hyper Beam plus Thunderbolt[[/labelnote]]and Light Dash which combines four[[labelnote:*]]Quick Attack for the speed, Light Screen for the protective shell of energy, Giga Impact for the sheer power it affords, and some sort of electrical blast[[/labelnote]]. However, Lance's Dragonite combines ''[[UpToEleven five]]'' [[labelnote:*]]Extreme Speed, Fly, Tailwind, Earthquake, and Twister[[/labelnote]] to create the devastatingly powerful Earth Wrecker, which wipes out Ash's entire team. Notably, Twister is used to keep Dragonite from potentially killing itself from slamming into the ground at such high speeds.

** Steven's Metagross, which manages to tank [[UpToEleven Ash's entire team]].

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: [[spoiler:Suicune]] impales the [[Anime/Pokemon3 Fake Entei]] upon arrival and impales it again every time it so much as twitches. [[UpToEleven Then]] [[spoiler:Raikou]] rips its head off.

* AdultFear: Ash regularly tangles with both hardened criminals and [[PhysicalGod Legendary Pokémon]]. While Ash himself doesn't see a problem with it, the more responsible authority figures in his life (his mother, Professor Oak, and Steven) are horrified by the events he gets involved with. Eventually, Delia rips into Lance over what he's put Ash through, citing how every time she sees her son, he's quieter and more scarred than the last.

* Metaphorgotten: During Ash's battle with Fino, Plume was matched with the latter's Typhlosion Plinia. Ash stated Plinia may as well been a Magikarp under Plume's gaze.

A Magikarp with fiery breath, a whole arsenal of supplementary techniques, and a particularly nasty attitude.

Only to shortly realize that he'd just described a Gyarados. Admitting that the metaphor might have slipped away from him.

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: When Ash asks what Lt. Surge would do if Mewtwo attacked Vermillion City, the gym leader doesn't hesitate to admit he'd run and get as many to safety as possible.

** Gary is a recognized prodigy in pokémon training.As he himself stated he reached Top 8 as a rookie, the same place as Lance himself on his first year yet was overshadowed by Ash's record breaking feat of reaching the finals and nearly winning in his first year.

* MismatchedEyes: Agatha has one black eye and one blue.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: It's possible that Taimu's team, Mamoru (Rhydon), Chinatsu (Ninetails), and Shinobu (Tauros), were named after actors from the Japanese canon cast: Mamoru Miyano, Chinatsu Akasaki, and Shinobu(?).

* ActuallyThatsMyAssistant: At Mt. Chimney, Ash is sent to meet a Torkoal known as The Eruption. He's impressed by both the size and apparent power of the eight foot tall specimen (normally, they're less than two), only to realize the ''real'' Eruption is the giant black boulder he spotted earlier. It's actualy a ''two story tall'' Torkoal.

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Sure, you can make it to the Conference - but you'll probably be thrashed by, for instance, a Unovan with a Hydreigon or the Champion of Orre. That's the caliber of Conference-winning trainers... but very few of those even beat one of the Elite Four. Then, of course, the Champions - Lance, Steven and Cynthia - are on another level to the Elite Four. Above the Champions are naturally powerful Pokemon that have been around for centuries; Pokemon like the First Champion's Rhydon, the Clefable guarding the Moon Stone, The Matriarch and Patriarch Nidoqueen and Nidoking, and the King Under the Mountain, an absolutely titanic Onix that's over 200 feet long. And, for the suicidal, there are the Legendaries.

* ArbitraryHeadcountLimit: Zig-zagged. While most trainers can only carry six Pokémon at once but a member of the Elite Four can temporarily override said limit. Likewise, all members of the Elite Four can carry all their Pokémon with them at once. While training with Lance, Ash has his limit removed until the Indigo Conference. [[spoiler:After the Conference the limit stays removed due to Ash becoming an Elite Four trainee]].

* AttackReflector:Plume knows Mirror Move and has so far used it to fire back a Hyper Beam and Flash Cannon from an Arcanine in the Conference and Steven's Metagross respectively

* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Sneasel functioned as this after his egg hatched. Aron, despite possibly being older, counts as well, as he is less experienced than Sneasel, having not left Granite Cave until he met Ash, and nowhere near as good as a battler.

* BewareTheSillyOnes: Tangela, and later Tangrowth, enjoy playing with the baby Pokémon near Pallet Town, and pass the time by childishly poking his team mates. His cells also grow at a rate so fast that they can regrow severed vines in a day, and can rip several thick walls out of the ground at a time. Not to mention his Effect Spores and draining moves, which were strong enough to completely drain [[spoiler: Giovanni's Rhyperior]]. Eventually he even learns to use Ancient Power to manipulate magma.

* BigDamnHeroes: Torrent evolves into a Seadra to save Ash from the wreckage of the S.S. Anne.
** Torrent does it again after the ship headed for New Island sinks by breaking out of his pokeball and carrying Ash to New Island while simultaneously shielding his Trainer from the storm

** Infernus ''lives'' to battle. Literally - his entire mindset revolves around strength, and who can make him stronger.
** George Grey, the Unovan who Ash faces in the semifinals of the Indigo Conference, who is positively gleeful the entire battle, even when Infernus is roasting his Eelektross to a crisp.

** At least some of their champions operate on the same sort of morality. Haukea, who serves as Articuno's champion, is said to treat decades like a single breath and make plans that take several human lifetimes to come to fruition. When Ash asks if she wants to potentially destroy the League, the response is whether a blizzard ''wants'' to bury a village.

* ChekhovsGun: On the St. Anne, Ash wins some Ultra Balls in a tournament but never uses them. [[spoiler:He uses one to capture an extremely dangerous Spiritomb in Hoenn over a year later]].

* ClaimedByTheSupernatural: Unlike Ash who's been branded by half a dozen Legendaries, Lance has only been marked by Moltres but his is ''far'' deeper, with the Champion being able to communicate on a rudimentary scale with Moltres and it's weakening leaving Lance almost dead.

* CombinationAttack: Any trainer worth their salt teaches their Pokémon to combine attacks together for extra effect. Most usually do two attacks such as Giovanni's Super Punch [[labelnote:*]]Sucker Punch combined with Superpower[[/labelnote]], and Torrent's Ice Storm [[labelnote:*]]Blizzard plus Twister[[/labelnote]],Surge's Lightning Bolt [[labelnote:*]]Hyper Beam plus Thunderbolt[[/labelnote]]and Light Dash which combines four[[labelnote:*]]Quick Attack for the speed, Light Screen for the protective shell of energy, Giga Impact for the sheer power it afforded, and some sort of electrical blast[[/labelnote]]. However, Lance's Dragonite combines ''[[UpToEleven five]]'' [[labelnote:*]]Extreme Speed, Fly, Tailwind, Earthquake, and Twister[[/labelnote]] to create the devastatingly powerful Earth Wrecker, which wipes out Ash's entire team. Notably, Twister is used to keep Dragonite from potentially killing itself from slamming into the ground at such high speeds.

* ConvectionSchmonvection: Averted. Even being near particularly powerful fire types can burn a trainer and Ash notes in his battle with Metagross that while it could ignore the flames of Infernus's attack, it had to worry about the heat from them.

* CosmicHorrorStory: Somewhat downplayed. The world as we know it is formed by beings of unimaginable power with a majority of whom have utterly incomprehensible perspectives to humans with humanity being insignificant pieces in the grand scheme of the universe.Yet there are Legendaries who are benevolent and even helpful. Society itself is mostly stable and thriving and the figures of authority reasonable and mostly free of corruption.

* ThePowerOfHate: Spiritomb are fueled by their hatred and desire to inflict suffering on everyone and everything around them. According to Cynthia, her Spiritomb grows weaker as its malevolence lessens and she hopes that one day it will be renedered completely powerless due to having lost all its hatred.

* ThePowerOfHate: Spiritomb are fueled by their hatred and desire to inflict suffering on everyone and everything around them. According to Cynthia, her Spiritomb grows weaker as its malevolence lessons and she hopes that one day it will be renedered completely powerless due to having lost all its hatred.

* CurbStompBattle: In general, Champions crush anyone other than other Champions, Elite Four members or Legendaries. Legendaries crush any non-Legendary.

* OldMaster: Wattson and his strongest team are all quite elderly but extremely powerful. His Mega Ampharos, Gallo, is 59 years old but is capable of keeping up with Oz. Though it is noted that old age is catching up with them.