Pokemon Rust is an interactive adventure story written by EdgeOfOblivion (just "Oblivion" on the forum) on the MS Paint Adventures fan forum's Fan Adventures section. The story stars aged-to-16 versions of Calvin Hobbes and Susie Derkins transplanted into the world of Pokemon, set in the frontierish Iotavi Region, and follows them as they pursue their League journey. The story is mostly text, identifying speech with character sprites (taken from the various Pokemon games, mostly from Generations III-V), providing "Ambience Links" to suitable music for the moment, and loosely following the game's mechanical systems in scene-for-scene described battles; RPG Maker 2003 is used to provide game-like panels portraying the character and their surroundings, and on occasion for simulating important battles with videos.
Tropes in Pokemon Rust include:
- Affably Evil: One of the grunts Calvin runs into comes across as this; heck, he even bets that Calvin will take out an Agent. The other members of Team Infinity though, not so much.
- Big Damn Heroes: Cole and Petra saving Calvin from gun-toting maniac Mel.
- Big "WHAT?!":Mel: "WHUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAT???"'
- Buffy Speak:Cole: They're used in all kindsa things. Even the flawed ones can make jewelry and decorations and crap. The good ones are mostly used for machinery, they're good conductors and useful for energy storage, modulation, things like that.Calvin: What's that in English?Cole: They do science.
- Improvised Weapon: Out of Pokeballs? Knock out and catch a Mon with a sled and a roll of twine.
- Kid Hero: It's a Pokemon Adventure. Seriously.
- Mugged for Disguise: Susie: Make sure Calvin NEVER finds out what you've done.
- Police Are Useless: Not too many cops in Iotavi - for a while the only one we saw was a security guard in a Poke Center's lodge, there to prevent trainers from battling indoors.
- In Locksurry and Dhenael, the police have blockaded Routes 2 and 3 due to Team Infinity activity. This has prevented both Locksurry's Gym Leader AND its foremost business mogul from dealing with the problem directly, forcing both to turn to Susie hoping for alternate means of dealing with the situation.
- Portmanteau: Walzephina the Larvitar = Walzer
+ Agrippina. Somewhat undermined by the fact that Calvin (and the narrator) usually just calls her Walzi. - The Rival: Calvin and Susie to each other, and possibly Moe to Calvin.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Locke is planning one.
- Sherlock Scan: Aideen.
- Shout-Out:
- First the obvious.
- Marius wants to hear the river sing its song of freedom and the beating of Susie's heart. His team also includes Gurren the Omanyte and Ahab the Piplup.
- Cole's contains Bayushi the Gligar. Aideen has Iroh the Charmeleon.
- Palladia Steel is formally introduced, after escaping an interview, playing with plastic toys on her desk.
- Theme Naming: Calvin's Pokemon are mostly named after philosophers or other famous thinkers (Hobbes the Shinx, Locke the Sandshrew, Huxley the Barboach, etc.); Susie names her Pokemon like they're people (Mr. Bun the Buneary, Freya the Snorunt, Dr. Bonebeak the Archen, etc.). Gym Leaders and some other trainers have patterns as well.
- The towns and cities are named after phonetic or garbled respellings of words that fit the pattern "Living _______/Live in _______": Hephsterdam (Hipsterdom), Abscor City (Obscurity), Dhenael (Denial), Enfemi (Infamy), Locksurry (Luxury), etc.
- Wham Episode: The first battle against a Team Infinity Agent: he completely drops the rules of Pokemon battling; attacks Calvin, sends out multiple 'mons and most worryingly uses a Snag Ball.
- Mel, the first titled officer (an "Operative"), pulls a GUN on Calvin after losing. Only the interruption of another trainer's Cubone prevents him from a trip to the hospital or worse.
- The Wonka: Palladia Steel, CEO and founder of Infinite Enterprises. Collector of plastic figurines. Plays with them in her office.
