The prequel to Infinity Train: Seeker of Crocus.
The Red Lotus Trio — Chloe Cerise, Atticus, and Lexi — are currently staying in the Canals of Fondue Car, where Chloe is struggling to type a message about how she feels about Goh and her worrying anxieties about how people back in Vermillion City think of her. Lexi suggests that she should focus on herself and that she needs a confidence boost by performing in The Uncle Howee Show. Unfortunately, the road to that car isn't easy, as she'll have to brave the horrors of the Friendship Asylum and of Uncle Howdy before she can become the legendary Chloe of the Vermillion.
Tropes found in the prequel
- Adaptation Expansion: Since Chloe doesn't appear until halfway till Crocus Act 1, the prequel gives her and Goh more focus about their lives with and without one another, particularly adding more emphasis to their school life.
- The first chapter shows off Chloe's attempts to text Goh, and both times Goh doesn't realize how he came off to her. It also adds a scene of Chloe talking to him about the Lugia incident and how crazy he was for jumping on its back.
- Chapter 3 reveals a scene of Professor Cerise talking to Ash and Goh about his concerns for his daughter and that they need to try a different approach, which would lead to them making curries on the same day Chloe was dared to battle Ash. There's also a scene of Goh absorbing the reveal that he had misjudged Tokio this entire time, whereas the anime just has him and Tokio meeting up in Ilex Forest.
- The story reveals a scene where Goh refused to tell Chloe about Ilex Forest and made her promise to not only never mention it but to stay friends with him, which goes a long way to explain why Chloe takes promises so seriously.
- Chapter 4 show more of Goh's thoughts about going to school, something never elaborated on in the anime or Blossoming Trail.
- This story gives some insight to Chloe claiming that Goh was popular in school despite clear evidence stating otherwise; their classmates would deliberately prevent Chloe from trying to talk to him.
- Goh's absences from school is given a handwave of him stating that he only goes to school for tests as a "personal promise". Chapter 5 explains that he has a signed form that specifically requests for a lighter school schedule so he can do his job as a research fellow.
- Adaptational Explanation: The first chapter explains why Goh never told Chloe about Tokio; he snapped at her and demanded that she promise to never mention Ilex Forest again.
- Adaptational Job Change: The five mice who run Mouse and Cheese — named after the Thea Sisters from Geronimo Stilton — originally ran a boutique in Knight of the Orange Lily.
- All Just a Dream: At the end of the first chapter, Chloe has a memory of Goh yelling at her to never bring up the incident with Tokio, making her promise to never abandon him, and then accusing her of betraying him when she hesitates. The next two chapters reveals that it was only a nightmare she had, albeit one based off of a memory where Goh did ask her to never bring up Tokio again.
- As You Know: The Red Lotus Trio's walk through the fog is essentially exposition for Chloe to explain the background of Silent Hill and the Cage of Flauros being used to trap the Apex.
- Call-Forward:
- When the Trio first see a painting of Alec Cerise, Chloe mistakes him for her father. Of course, what are the chances of her father being on the Train?
- Chloe questions the chances of her summoning a demon. She'll be doing that in the Harvest Moon Car.
- When being told the Cerise Cheesy Surprise is suited for four, Chloe hopes to add a fourth member to the Red Lotus Trio. Said member is Amelia with Hewie also joining as well.
- The Horrorland Car makes a reference, which is the car White Gestalt finds themselves in during Act 2.
- Chloe's notebook where she makes a log of her Train adventures has a swarm of Vivillon on the cover, foreshadowing her butterfly motif and how Vivillon play an important role in her and Goh drifting apart.
- Chiaroscuro: Referenced by Chloe as the portrait of Alec Cerise uses this to emphasize the shadows and the tiny flame in his hand.
- Continuity Nod:
- Atticus told the story of the Friendship Asylum to the denizens of the Harvest Moon Car. Also, he mentions that one of the cars he visited was the Backrooms Car.
- In the Cyan Desert Car, Chloe mentioned how her classmates don't like working with her on assignments. One of the texts Lexi reads confirms this by having Chloe mentioned no one wanted to team up with either her or Goh.
- Contrived Coincidence:
- What are the chances that the restaurant the Red Lotus Trio entered conveniently displayed a portrait of a man who looked like Chloe's father who also has a thing for demons and nightmarish things? And how Olmec just had an artifact labeled after a Goetia whom Chloe liked?
Chloe: Either Olmec has a secret stash of treasures he's never told anyone like a secret menu of food items at a fast-food place, or he's been keeping this for me because of how I'm somehow connected to a Demon Researcher,- Goh notes how the day he and Ash wanted to cheer Chloe up with curry was the same day she was pressured to battle Ash and how everything went downhill.
- A Day in the Limelight: The B-plot is all about Goh dealing with the ramifications of misjudging Tokio's actions and how this action was one of the factors that caused his and Chloe's friendship to erode.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Chloe outright fantasizes about murdering her own best friend until she's talked out of it. What is the reason for this violent impulse? Not thanking her for bringing him homework assignments he technically doesn't have to do, and having a person in his life (Ash) who actually likes doing the things he likes that Chloe herself doesn't like.
- Doomed by Canon: Goh will be unable to convince Chloe to come back home, not that she can at this point, and he won't know more about her problems until after meeting Gloria and Victor during the events of the Model Diorama Car.
- Drama-Preserving Handicap: The reason the Trio can't simply fly over the cars to see Uncle Howdy is because they already had to deal with Ghoms the last time they tried that.
- Dramatic Irony: Goh's side of the story is how he is oblivious to everything that had happened at his school while he was gone in Ilex Forest. Particularly that of his classmates being expelled for the bullying Chloe endured and how his teacher has been fired for the (mis)handling of the situation."Speaking of which, it is kinda odd that he hasn't been getting his homework lately...ah well, Goh can just go during the next testing day. Not like Miss April is going anywhere."
- The Dreaded: Uncle Howdy is this to many denizens in the Canals of Fondue Car, who look horrified when Lexi notes that the Firefly Funhouse Car is on the way to Uncle Howee.
- Entitled to Have You: Chloe displays shades of this when talking to Atticus and Lexi about her dislike of Goh being friends with Ash instead of her. The latter two even ask Chloe if she really wants to be Goh's only friend while having to spell it out to her that he has the right have other friends.
- Flanderization: Chloe's issues with Goh are dialed up to eleven in this story, with her being borderline obsessed with him and casually admits to wanting to murder him for not giving her his full attention.
- Food Porn: Chapter 3 takes place in an Italian restaurant, so there's a lot of descriptions of food.
- Foregone Conclusion: The Red Lotus Trio will make it out alive, but Chloe will still send a farewell message to Goh and block all communication with him until the Ninjala Car weeks later. Horrorland Car reveals that Chloe will befriend Uncle Howdy and she will become famous for stopping a threat in the Friendship Asylum that it becomes a picture book. Moreover, Chloe also brings up Tokio in her talk with Goh in the Ninjala Car, so it's now a given that this story will have her finally learn about his existence.
- The Ghost:
- Tokio gets mentioned in the third chapter, but never seen. Justified since Tokio is back in the Johto region at this point and won't be seen in Crocus until The Chocolate Car.
- Henry and Walter are mentioned in Chapter 5 as discussion over the plot to trap the Apex.
- Hates Reading: Downplayed. Goh is fine reading books on Pokemon for research, yet he's not into reading for book reports since the book is only going to be read once and that's it. When Chloe handed him a book for one report, he only skimmed through ten pages before deciding to search for an internet summary.
- Hero of Another Story: Alec Cerise entered the Train about 50 years prior to Chloe and went on numerous adventures, gained the name "Demon Researcher", and is responsible for the construction of the Horrorland Car.
- High-Class Glass: Mr. Feather wears a monocle in the shape of a lion's head.
- Hourglass Plot: Normally, Goh always travels with Ash and his Pokemon and gets advice while Chloe is alone, frustrated and never speaks about her problems in Vermillion City. In the story, Chloe is on the Train having adventures while taking advice from Lexi and Atticus, while Goh is alone, frustrated and refuses to speak up about his problems while trapped in Vermillion City.
- Hypocrite:
- This story retroactively establishes Chloe as one for breaking her promise to never abandon Goh in spite of all her talk of keeping promises, something she acknowledges in the fourth chapter.
- Goh is furious about Chloe never explaining why she doesn't talk about her problems, but a flashback reveals that he snapped at her when she tried asking about his problems.
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Each chapter goes "X of Y" with X being a word that starts with "A" and Y being the focus of whatever the chapter is about.
- Ignorance Is Bliss: Goh is always smiling at how oblivious he is to what happened in Vermillion City while he was in Ilex Forest.
- Instantly Proven Wrong: When discussing the artifacts Olmec keeps in the Hidden Temple Car, Atticus notes that they are either named after a famous person (Mary Shelley, Dr. Livingstone) or a location (Alhambra) instead of a deity...only for Lexi to reveal that Olmec has something called a "Broken Trident of Poseidon".
- Innocently Insensitive:
- Goh only wanted to give Chloe some peace of mind when he told her he had made a new friend (Ash) and that she didn't have to worry about him anymore. However, Chloe misinterpreted it as him replacing her.
- Chapter 5 has him make a remark that his classmates have more time to themselves after he easily helped them with their classwork...completely unaware that his classmates don't have it easy like he does and perceive this as him insulting their intelligence and lack of opportunities to be Trainers.
- Meaningful Rename: The Horrorland Car was originally just The Horrors Car before Alec Cerise helped the denizens transform it into a frightful amusement park.
- Miss Exposition:
- The Thea Sisters spend Chapter 3 discussing Alec Cerise and his adventures.
- Chloe's half of Chapter 5 is about her talking to Lexi and Atticus about the town of Silent Hill and why it will be a perfect place to trap the Apex.
- Mythology Gag:
- The Disco Reapers Car with their giant Choc-Nut bars was visited in Court of Cyclamen.
- "Infinite possibilities" is a phrase uttered by Lexi and Chloe in Chapter 3. The phrase is the title of a Journeys episode; specifically Chloe's final focus episode in the anime.
- Nightmare Fetishist:
- Alec Cerise apparently is the reason why the Horrorland Car exists and he teamed up with someone who was supposedly a Goetia.
- Chloe found the Backrooms Car to be relaxing, albeit the trio also ended up in the Magical Library level of the Backrooms.
- Noodle Incident:
- Chapter 3 has the Red Lotus Trio discussing previous adventures like a Cabinet of Wonders Car, the Youkai Bathhouse Car, a Monster Mash Car, the Backrooms Car, and Chloe becoming a Junior Postknight. Chapter 4 reveals that the last time they tried flying on Lexi, they collided with Ghoms and ended up in a supermarket game show.
- Alec Cerise once spent so long in the Sudoku Car that his partner had to camp out in the Disco Reapers Car.
- "Not So Different" Remark: When Lexi talks about how the Apex hurt innocents, Chloe states that his words apply to her too, given her jerkass behavior towards those who did want to help her.
- No Sympathy: Goh once again has no idea how much his actions affected Chloe. She can't go home to eat dinner with her mom until he comes back to finish his homework which he dismisses as Ash's Coronation battle being more important, and brushes off her concerns after the Lugia incident by stating his new friend will watch over him from now on.
- Oblivious to Hints: Goh never got the hint that his classmates were deliberately getting in the way of Chloe trying to approach him. Or the fact that Chloe wanted him to spend more time with her.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Chloe has a memory/nightmare of Goh never wanting to talk about Ilex Forest ever again. The second chapter has him texting her that he wants to tell her all about it. Better yet, the fact that Goh is actively texting her instead of giving half-hearted apologies is a sign that he is showing concern for her.
- Ominous Fog: The Friendship Asylum Car is covered in fog, and there are reference to the infamous Fog Car as well.
- Out of Character: The story mentions Goh being unable to read a 200 page book without whining about how boring it is by the 10th page. In the canon anime, Goh is overjoyed to be gifted a book. The story highlights that he's not into book reports and would rather just read books about Pokemon, going hand in hand with his dislike of homework.
- Performance Anxiety: Chloe panics at the mere thought of appearing on live TV as she's afraid of people laughing at her. Given her previous incidents with performing; Goh taping her Epic Fail of a Pokemon battle against Ash and the paint can incident, her fears are justified.
- Plot Parallel:
- The book Chloe suggested for Goh to read for his book report was From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which stars a girl who runs away from home and decides to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art because she doesn't feel appreciated by anyone, accurately depicting Chloe's situation of feeling unappreciated by the world around her and entering the Infinity Train.
- Chloe notes that the Train and the eponymous town of Silent Hill are the same — you get trapped there and can't leave until you finally confront your problems.
- Prequel: The story takes place a few weeks prior to Augustine entering the Infinity Train.
- "Rashomon"-Style: The scene of Goh telling Chloe to never ask about Ilex Forest is played out differently; Chloe's version has him accusing her of betraying him before running away. Goh's version has Chloe hug him and promising to keep quiet about Ilex Forest.
- Real Life Writes the Plot: Chloe's comment of Goh claiming reading 10 pages of a 200-page book is boring comes from a similar experience the author had in Myanmar.
- The Reveal: Alec Cerise is the ancestor of Chloe Cerise...just not the Chloe Cerise currently on the Train.note
- Rule of Symbolism: Chloe being a Junior Postknight, essentially a Knight in Shining Armor who delivers people's mail without troubles. What was one of the things she takes so seriously in her own world? Giving Goh his homework.
- Running Away to Cry: Patricia runs off from Goh after he talks about how it was so easy to catch a Pokemon — unaware that Patricia bullied Chloe so she can give her and the other classmates Pokemon — and also because she is berating herself for being expelled over nothing.
- Saved by Canon: Since Chloe needs to meet with Augustine, it's obvious the trio will survive.
- Series Continuity Error: A flashback shows Professor Cerise bringing up to Ash and Goh that something might be up with Chloe and they need to take a different approach. This awareness contradicts the main story, where the Professor being oblivious to Chloe's pain until it was too late to do anything about it formed one of the core plot points in Act 1.
- Shout-Out:
- The goal of the Red Lotus Trio is to get Chloe to star in The Uncle Howee Show.
- Chloe once liked a Pokemon version of Dora the Explorer.
- The five mice who run the restaurant in Chapter 3 are named after the Thea Sisters.
- Chloe spent a week learning how to be a Junior Postknight.
- Chloe remarks that a grocery store car was hosting a game, with one suggestion being Supermarket Sweep.
- Atticus calls the Friendship Asylum Car "a serious house on serious Earth", the line also a reference to the Philip Larkin poem "Church Going".
- Shown Their Work: All of the artifacts Lexi reads out loud from the Hidden Temple Car are actually from the show itself.
- Skewed Priorities: Goh is more interested in catching a Sandshrew and watching Ash's Coronation match than going home to do his homework, disregarding Chloe not being able to have dinner with her family because of it.
- State The Simple Solution: Goh unknowingly does this to Patricia. If she and the other classmates wanted to be Trainers, they could've asked their parents to sign a form that permits them to leave school to travel. And if not that, he also brings up how he can easily catch Pokémon like it was nothing, meaning that bullying Chloe was completely pointless.
- Tempting Fate:
- A flashback has Goh dismissing Professor Cerise's concerns that something might be wrong with Chloe. Goh in the present regrets making that assumption.
- In Chapter 5, Goh states that he'll get his homework next time he goes for testing. After all, it's not like his teacher is going anywhere...unaware that she has probably been fired at this point.
- They Just Dont Get It: Like in the main story, Goh is constantly missing the big picture as to why Chloe is upset when he doesn't take promises or his classwork seriously yet expects Chloe to promise to never abandon him and not bring up Ilex Forest again.
- This Is Unforgivable!: Discussed. Atticus and Lexi are unable to forgive Amelia and the Apex leaders because what they did was completely unforgivable. They also tell Chloe to forgive Goh because what he did was just the actions of an immature boy who truly doesn't know better.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Goh is given messages from Chloe that she's doing fine, which is far more than what he got in Blossoming Trail.
- You're Insane!: Chloe texts this to Goh when she learns that he jumped onto Lugia even after he promised not to do anything reckless.
