History Fanfic / InfinityTrainSeekerOfCrocus

* KudzuPlot: The plot was already fairly complicated, trying to weave ''all three original trilogy stories'' into a big one, but once Act 1 gets into overdrive, the ''sidestories'' also end up being added to the main story, meaning the plot includes: Professor Sycamore's train trip, [[spoiler:White Gestalt]]'s original trip and return to the Train, whatever Elipzo is trying to do, a repeat of Blossoming Trail's Act 1 for this story's Act 1 in the Pokemon World, the backstory of Rey Mysterio and [[spoiler:unsolved conflict with Team Magma]], The Apex's slowly being led to Elipzo's hands and trying to find Sean at The Fog Car, Grace [[SanitySlippage slowly being driven insane]] until she and Simon head to The Fog Car on their own, Chloe flip-flopping between learning her lesson and letting spite and wrath govern her, [[spoiler:Rainbow Rocket making an invasion on Alola]] [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and Ash Ketchum having a holiday in Galar]].

** Augustine gets blamed for what happened in the Palimpsest Car even though he was depressed and not thinking straight. Does ''Amelia'', who spent thirty years as the Conductor, get '''any'''' short of punishment or accusations thrown at her face? Not in the slightest -- One-One completely brushes her usurping under the rug and hires her to make the videos that ''should've'' been made all those years ago. However, Tres points out that One-One also has some blame to it; Amelia has only been Conductor for thirty years, so she should only be blamed for what she did during that time span alone.

* FelonyMisdemeanor: Are you a ten-year-old child who has issues with punctuality and generally limits your texting for quick updates on when you'll arrive? Prepare to have [[DramaQueen your childhood friend]] denounce you to ''everyone she meets'' as [[TheOathbreaker an unreliable flake]] because of your [[InsistentTerminology "broken promises,"]] and for a five-year-old to denounce you as a {{Hypocrite}} for responding [[NeverBeHurtAgain irrationally]] to a broken promise in ''your'' backstory.

** The Unown Incident would never have happened if Sara didn't arrive right around the time the Unown Box as being picked up or she just ''accepted'' that she can't get a Pokémon until she changes her ways.

* LossOfIdentity: As the intro to the story states, Alain's cost for a perpetual slumber via hypnosis has made him lose everything about himself; his name, his Pokémon, thoughts, goals...all that's left is a slumbering shell ready to unleash hell on the Apex.

* ForegoneConclusion: Since Aerostar is revealed to be on the Train by the time the Cyan Desert Car is going on, he's going to survive the events of ''Rey Mysterio vs the Cosmos'' (which takes place at the halfway point of Act 1). Moreove, in that same arc, Rey texts Tony to do research and [[spoiler:Kaito appears at the Cerise Institute at the end of Part 6]].

** ''Orchid Observer'' has titles named after songs by Italian EDM band Planet Funk.

* TheMultiverse: While this is explored in other stories in the ''Blossomverse'', [[spoiler:this is the first time that different ''trains'' are brought up as Augustine gets nightmares of someone murdering the protagonists of the original Blossomverse trilogy and he even ends up during the Darkest Day fiasco of ''Voyage of Wisteria''.]] ''Rey Mysterio vs the Cosmos'' also focuses on the Zenkaigers, who deal with monsters that are based off of different worlds and the Goldtsuiker family comes from a parallel world where everyone is a pirate. In ''Orchid Obeserver'' it's specifically stated that Spencer and Colette are from different worlds coming into the Infinity Train World for a certain mission.

** ''Rey Mysterio vs the Cosmos'' starts at the same time as the Poring Village Car in ''Seeker of Crocus'' by virture of the barista noting that his apprentice's new name of "Asher".

** Specter is gay in this adpatation who crushes on Ryoken whereas everyone thinks that he's crushing on Paul London instead (London has to continuously point out that he's 40 and heterosexual). Green Phantom Queen revealed that Specter is demiromantic.

* YoYoPlotPoint: Chloe's character development. At first, it seems as if talking with Sycamore helps her open up a little, but she falls back almost immediately when [[spoiler:Dr. Yung]] tempts her with an offer of [[spoiler:a Mirage Pokemon]] to shut up the naysayers back home, which she nearly takes before the Windchasers and her team snap her out of it by talking things out. Then comes a long stretch where it seems that Chloe will learn her lesson, only for her to fall back ''again'' as a result of [[spoiler:Sara mocking her with a message about her having the power of the Unown]], with Chloe's reaction striking Sycamore so badly that he [[spoiler:nearly restarts the world out of spite]] and has to be reset. Then, after that incident is dealt with, it seems like Chloe's lesson will ''finally'' stick, but then her phone call with Ash reveals that no, she ''still'' believes she's the sole victim and that everybody else is out to hurt her, as she snaps at Ash over how he never cared for her ''despite'' it having been made clear that he does, he just didn't know how to properly express it. It takes the events of the Palimpsest Car and [[spoiler:getting near beaten to death by street cleaners]] and talking to ''an actual therapist'' before Chloe properly apologizes to Sycamore and ''seemingly'' learns her lesson, and by the end of the Harvest Moon Car, she fully resolves to make proper amends.

* CastFullOfGay: Starting at the end of Act 1/beginning of Act 2, and in a few side stories, there are more and more characters under the LGBTQA+ spectrum: Specter is demiromantic, Indigo is bisexual, Casimira is lesbian, Tres is a transman, and Ryan and Min-Gi are a couple (meaning Ryan is bi). Team Riconnetersi consists of asexual Jesse Cosay, female non-binary aromantic Lake, gay Spencer, and "bi-curious" Colette.

** Kurune and Ikuo easily dismiss any ideas of how [[spoiler:their son is currently trapped in the Cerise Institute by one of his former classmates going crazy with the Unown.]] Tomie, however, is on the ball since [[spoiler:Sara tried to dissuade any concerns by imitating Goh's voice and stating that she's not into stew with star-shaped carrots...even though Tomie ''knows'' her grandson loves star-shaped carrots.]] Thankfully, the two realize something is wrong and try to help. They also knew very well about Chloe wanting to hang out with Goh, but due to a camping incident where Goh nearly drowned, they gaslit him to believe her requests were nothing.

** "So what?" is usually associated with someone with a severe LackOfEmpathy: Grace stated this when she was reminded on how she killed Utahoshi, Tokio's RageBreakingPoint came from a teenager (later revealed to be Bede) not caring on making a young trainer cry, and Sara states this when she doesn't realize how she's ruined the lives of her classmates.

** Augustine gets blamed for what happened in the Palimpsest Car even though he was depressed and not thinking straight. Does ''Amelia'', who spent thirty years as the Conductor, get any short of punishment or accusations thrown at her face? Not in the slightest. However, Tres points out that One-One also has some blame to it; Amelia has only been Conductor for thirty years, so she should only be blamed for what she did during that time span alone.

* FantasyKitchenSink: While you can probably say this about the ''Blossomverse'' in general, this one takes the cake. Aside from the usual stuff that was found in the original trilogy, we now can things as grandiose as gods, demons, a sentient city with a train that has cars based off Japanese mythology, talking cats, a car where you face your shadow, a model diorama car is home to a ''space war'', to something mundane as talking bears who perform rimshots en masse.

*** In the same vein, at the end of the Twisted Lab Car, Lexi reassures Chloe that at least it's not her father chasing ater her. Come the end of the Cyan Desert Car and [[spoiler:now it's ''Chloe'' who has to pursue Professor Cerise once he got on the train.]]

** Goh also blames himself for not seeing Chloe's problems sooner because of his obsession with Mew and his bad habit of making empty promises, but Gloria and Victor tell him there's still a chance to make things right.

** The entire Cerise Institute (and Parker) falls into this when they note how they're ''all'' to blame for why Chloe ran away from home since they had every chance to talk to her but ''didn't''.

** The story assumes that one is familar with VRAINS as it brings up late Season 2 and Season 3 spoilers without warning.

* YoYoPlotPoint: Chloe's character development. At first, it seems as if talking with Sycamore helps her open up a little, but she falls back almost immediately when [[spoiler:Dr. Yung]] tempts her with an offer of [[spoiler:a Mirage Pokemon]] to shut up the naysayers back home, which she nearly takes before the Windchasers and her team snap her out of it by talking things out. Then comes a long stretch where it seems that Chloe will learn her lesson, only for her to fall back ''again'' as a result of [[spoiler:Sara mocking her with a message about her having the power of the Unown]], with Chloe's reaction striking Sycamore so badly that he [[spoiler:nearly restarts the world out of spite]] and has to be reset. Then, after that incident is dealt with, it seems like Chloe's lesson will ''finally'' stick, but then her phone call with Ash reveals that no, she ''still'' believes she's the sole victim and that everybody else is out to hurt her, as she snaps at Ash over how he never cared for her ''despite'' it having been made clear that he does, he just didn't know how to properly express it. It takes the events of the Palimpsest Car and [[spoiler:getting near beaten to death by street cleaners]] and talking to ''an actual therapist'' before Chloe properly apologizes to Sycamore and ''seemingly'' learns her lesson, but there's still a full Act 2 and Act 3 to get through...

* AdaptationalExplanation:
** In ''Knight of the Orange Lily'', Mallow kept quiet about her train trip to her friends because she thought they wouldn't believe her. While the same applies here, she also did it because she thought there were no trains in Alola [[spoiler:as a result of Elipzo brainwashing her when she was younger.]]
** In ''Blossoming Trail'', Chloe's classmates bullied her because they could. In here, they had the slightly more understandable reason of Chloe ''constantly'' pestering them with her love for demons, and they just wanted to give her a taste of her own medicine before Sara stepped in and twisted that into something more sinister.

** In ''Knight of the Orange Lily'', there's no real reason that Lampetia and Specter except Lampetia found him unconscious in the Living Lightning Car. The story reveals that Lampetia was on her own personal journey before she met up with Specter.

** Kurune and Ikuo easily dismiss any ideas of how [[spoiler:their son is currently trapped in the Cerise Institute by one of his former classmates going crazy with the Unown.]] Tomie, however, is on the ball since [[spoiler:Sara tried to dissuade any concerns by imitating Goh's voice and stating that she's not into stew with star-shaped carrots...even though Tomie ''knows'' her grandson loves star-shaped carrots.]] Thankfully, the two realize something is wrong and try to help.

** Sycamore went from a minor character -- as in so minor he doesn't have his own folder -- asking Ash if he's heard about Alain to the hero of the story searching for Alain.

* BaitAndSwitch: Rimuru is horrified when he learns that [[LethalChef Shion]] is cooking for Professor Sycamore and Garchomp and races off to stop them. Too late, the food is already eaten...and Professor Sycamore states it's delicious! Unfortunately, Garchomp got food poisoning...

** The last word of the Cyan Desert Car Part 5 is this in respones to [[spoiler:Sycamore revealing that he's canceling the plans to stop the Apex and Cage of Flauros.]]

** Yuri does this when he learns that gods and demons exit, and later when meeting Paimon who states how ''Lucifer'' is also traveling the train.
* FantasyKitchenSink: While you can probably say this about the ''Blossomverse'' in general, this one takes the cake. Aside from the usual stuff that was found in the original trilogy, we now can things as grandiose as gods, demons, a sentient city with a train that has cars based off Japanese mythology, talking cats, a car where you face your shadow, a model diorama car is home to a ''space war'', to something mundane as talking bears who performe rimshots en masse.

* FilibusterFreefall: The beginning parts of Act 1 actually do a decent job avoiding or subverting the many pitfalls common in most Blossomverse stories, principally how AdultsAreUseless and the BlameGame being played far more than it should, all the while providing more nuance to a story that was heavily black and white. However, once the second half of Act 1, ''especially'' the Cyan Desert Car, comes to a close, these same things end up being added to the front and center once more, with empahsis on how the adults of Vermillion City were useless and just about ''everyone'' winding up either blaming somebody or being blame themselves regardless of how much fault they have.

** When Victor calls Tokio, he tells the boy that if he just told his parents to call Goh's parents, instead of his convulted plan to leave a letter at Celebi's shrine or asking Celebi to travel back a year before, it would've prevented Tokio from getting on the Train, prevent Goh from being isolated from others and later save ''Chloe'' from her own bullying.

* HolierThanThou: Chloe and Parker just love to claim the moral high ground over [[NoSocialSkills Goh]] by accusing him of ''only'' caring about people who love Pokemon (i.e., Ash and Tokio) and being a FalseFriend to Chloe. Now, no one can deny that Goh ''[[HypocriteHasAPoint does]]'' have a lot to learn when it comes to friendship (since he cared more about a boy who he met for ''one day'' compared to the girl he's known for three years and sees every single day)... But then again, neither of ''them'' showed any concern over the issues ''Goh'' was facing over the past few years (such as [[WhenYouComingHomeDad his parents never being around]] and [[FriendlessBackground having zero friends outside of Chloe]]) and there was no indication that ''they'' were any better about celebrating birthdays or even asking about ''his'' day. [[DoubleStandard It just goes without saying]] that Goh bore ''all'' the responsibility for maintaining his and Chloe's relationship - and besides, as he's [[DoesntTrustThoseGuys a Pokemon enthusiast]], the Cerise children would consider Goh [[PrivilegedRival privileged]] until proven otherwise. Thankfully, both siblings realize that they ''also'' were in the wrong with Chloe admitting that she's also at fault for not seeing Goh's point of view and Parker tearfully apologizing about seeing Goh as a monster.

** Simon makes an offhand comment that he can't even cook ''insant'' ramen correctly.

* MenUseViolenceWomenUseCommunication: The Cerise parents have different ways to interact with Chloe and her problems: Professor Cerise cuts the knot by having her go to the Institute as a rest and thus helping to end any attempts of bullying by giving her a place to breathe. Meanwhile, Talia's only contribution is talking to Chloe about "finding something you love and not pushing it". However, the problem comes from that each parent only contributes to ''one'' side of what is needed: Professor Cerise is [[ToughLove tough but concerned for his daughter]] yet never seems to talk to her about what's going on. Meanwhile, Talia gives advice but [[AccompliceByInaction fails to actually do more]] like go to her husband about her concerns or even get involved in Chloe's interests.

* SadlyMythtaken: The story tries to use IcarusAllusion as a suicide analogy for Chloe, saying how she wants to fly high to the sun before plummeting to her death to escape her troubles. Anybody who's read the original myth will know Icarus fell to his death because ''he ignored his father's warnings '''not''' to fly too close to the sun'', causing the wax holding his wings together to melt and send him falling into the ocean.

* SchoolIsForLosers: This is Goh's opinion of Vermillion School at least, and the story does little to give him a counterargument; those who are shown to attend the school are always shown to be miserable, and would rather be out being Pokémon Trainers than stay any second longer there.

** Chloe makes a remark that a boy band named [[Music/{{BTS}} Berry Boy Scouts]] have ''serious'' debates over the existence of mint choclate chip ice cream.[[note]]This is actually TruthInTelevision; BTS really ''does'' have debates over this.[[/note]]

** Ryan and Min-Gi are revealed to be married, with Ryan turning from straight to bisexual as a result.

* HolierThanThou: Chloe and Parker just love to claim the moral high ground over [[NoSocialSkills Goh]] by accusing him of ''only'' caring about people who love Pokemon (i.e., Ash and Tokio) and being a FalseFriend to Chloe. Now, no one can deny that Goh ''[[HypocriteHasAPoint does]]'' have a lot to learn when it comes to friendship (since he cared more about a boy who he met for ''one day'' compared to the girl he's known for three years and sees every single day)... But then again, neither of ''them'' showed any concern over the issues ''Goh'' was facing over the past few years (such as [[WhenYouComingHomeDad his parents never being around]] and [[FriendlessBackground having zero friends outside of Chloe]]) and there was no indication that ''they'' were any better about celebrating birthdays or even asking about ''his'' day. Apparently [[DoubleStandard it just goes without saying]] that Goh bore ''all'' the responsibility for maintaining his and Chloe's relationship - and besides, as he's [[DoesntTrustThoseGuys a Pokemon enthusiast]], the Cerise children would consider Goh [[PrivilegedRival privileged]] until proven otherwise. Thankfully, both siblings realize that they ''also'' were in the wrong with Chloe admitting that she's also at fault for not seeing Goh's point of view and Parker tearfully apologizing about seeing Goh as a monster.

* MenUseViolenceWomenUseCommunication: The Cerise parents have different ways to interact with Chloe and her problems: Professor Cerise cuts the knot by having her go to the Institute as a rest and thus helping to end any attempts of bullying by giving her a place to breathe. Meanwhile, Talia's only contribution is talking to Chloe about "finding something you love and not pushing it". However, the problem comes from that each parent only contributes to ''one'' side of what is needed: Professor Cerise is [[ToughLove tough but concerned for his daughter]] yet never seems to talk to her about what's going on. Meanwhile Talia gives advice but [[AccompliceByInaction fails to actually do more]] like go to her husband about her concerns or even get involved in Chloe's interests.

* YoYoPlotPoint: Chloe's character development. Initially it looks like talking with Sycamore helps her open up a little, but she falls back almost immediately when [[spoiler:Dr. Yung]] gives her an offer of [[spoiler:a Mirage Pokemon]] to shut up the naysayers back home, which she nearly takes before the Windchasers and her team snap her out of it by the power of talking things out. Then comes a long stretch where it seems that Chloe will learn her lesson, only for her to fall back ''again'' as a result of [[spoiler:Sara deciding to snap at her with a message about her having the power of the Unown]], with Chloe's reaction striking Sycamore so badly that he [[spoiler:nearly restarts the world out of spite]] and has to be reset. Then, after that incident is dealt with, it seems like Chloe ''has'' finally learned her lesson, only for her phone call with Ash to reveal that no, she's ''still'' deeply in denial about her ''not'' being the sole victim and that everybody else is out to hurt her, as she snaps at Ash over how he never cared for her ''despite'' it having been made clear that he does, but didn't know how to express it. It takes the events of the Palimpsest Car and [[spoiler:Chloe getting beaten the crap out of by street cleaners]] and talking to ''an actual therapist'' before Chloe properly apologizes to Sycamore and ''seemingly'' learns her lesson, but there's still a full Act 2 and Act 3 to get through...

** ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/37252975 Infinity Train: Unfinished Bloom]]'' that takes place during the final part of ''Fanfic/Infinity Train: Voyage of Wisteria'' but helps to bridge that story to that of ''Seeker of Crocus''.

** In a segment featuring Goh in a segment Cross wrote for the main story, Goh accepted that his team was not happy with Chloe, were going to punch her for her crimes and he'd let them do so, and knew that Golurk gave his punch spot to Ash's Gengar to let him punch Chloe twice. In a segment in the following chapter written by Green and Spinner, Goh was very much against them doing so or having issues with Chloe at all, seemed to have forgotten that Ash's Gengar was also interested in punching Chloe, and had Golurk punching Chloe twice instead of Gengar doing the double punching after being given Golurk's lot for the Chloe punching line.

** Most children in the Pokémon world want to be Trainers. Class 5-E all dream of having a Pokémon but they don't have the work ethics or attitudes to ''work'' with them. They see Professor Cerise as a meal ticket to adventure and glory and excitement. They bully his daughter so that ''she'' can give them the Pokémon they want instead of actually confronting them. And Pokémon aren't living beings to them, they're some shiny ''toy'' or ''fad'' that will make them blend in with the cool kids. Being a Trainer isn't something you demand to be, but rather a privilege, something they never considered until they lost their rights to be a Trainer.

** When Trip proves to be his usual self with BrutalHonesty galore, he's rightfully called out for it and made to leave before his inability to watch his tongue make things even worse for everyone. When Gloria proves to be just as brutal in her honesty, even a crossing a line that Trip never did, not only is she ''comforted'' about it, but told that she was ultimately ''in the right'' and allowed to stay, with no concern over whether she'll repeat the mistake and make the situation even more tense.
** Goh gets a lot of flak, from Parker and others, about his role in his "breakup" with Tokio. They note that Goh [[DramaQueen immediately leapt to the conclusion that Tokio had "betrayed him"]] when he didn't show up, rather than keep an open mind--and so Goh gets the blame for not asking the simple questions that would have [[CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot prevented the drama between the two]]. On the other hand, when Parker first hears that Alex Shepherd is on the Infinity Train, he makes a similar snap judgement that Alex can’t be trusted because he made a FaceMonsterTurn in the Bad End of ''one'' spin-off game. Since Parker [[MoralLuck turns out to be right]], he's portrayed as being right ''not'' to keep an open mind, and everyone is briefly overcome with guilt for [[IgnoredExpert not following his judgment]].
** When Chloe and Parker are revealed to have some serious revenge fantasies, from Chloe writing stories that has her torture her classmates to Parker wishing to make everybody pay for hurting his sister, the characters act like this is a result of their own incompetence and neglect and that, while the two are wrong, they have a reason to feel that way. When Goh's pokemon ''allegedly'' grab tickets as to who gets to punch Chloe when she returns for everything their trainer has suffered indirectly or directly because of her, they get called out and made to be solely in the wrong; first by Parker guilt tripping them without meaning to, then by Goh reading them the riot act, all while putting Chloe on a pedestal and tearing himself down.

** When Goh chooses to focus on friendship with Pokémon over human ones, it's taken as a sign that he's willingly closing himself off from true social interaction, and Is something that needs to be called out. When ''Chloe'' focuses more on her friendships with Denizens than humans, it's taken as her just enjoying time with people who truly understand her, and Is something that's perfectly fine.

* FilibusterFreefall: The beginning parts of Act 1 actually do a decent job avoiding or subverting the many pitfalls common in most Blossomverse stories, principally how AdultsAreUseless and the BlameGame being played far more than it should, all the while providing more nuance to a story that was heavily black and white. However, once the second half of Act 1, ''especially'' the Cyan Desert Car, comes to a close, these same things end up being added to the front and center once more, with empahsis on how the adults of Pallet Town were useless and just about ''everyone'' windind up either blaming somebody or being blame themselves regardless of how much fault they have.

** When Chloe and Parker are revealed to have some serious revenge fantasies, from Chloe writing stories that has her torture her classmates to Parker wishing to make everybody pay for hurting his sister, the characters act like this is a result of their own incompetence and neglect and that, while the two are wrong, they have a reason to feel that way. When Goh's pokemon ''allegedly'' grab tickets as to who gets to punch Chloe when she returns for everything their trainer has suffered indirectly or directly because of her, they get called out and made to be solely in the wrong; first by Parker guilt tripping them without meaning them, then by Goh reading them the riot act, all while putting Chloe on a pedestal and tearing himself down.

** The story treats Goh, who has a history of AmbiguousDisorder in the ''Blossomverse'', the same way as in the original trilogy: that is to say, most people will call him out over being insensitive and not having done more to help Chloe, and generally view him as a jerk. Chloe, meanwhile, is ''implied'' to have an AmbiguousDisorder here, and is given AdaptationalSympathy by everybody, not only with people being quick to come to her aid whenever people call her out, but even coming close to [[DisabilityAsAnExcuseForJerkassery justifying]] her more unsavory actions as being her just being different, something Goh doesn't get.

** In a segment featuring Goh in a segment Cross wrote for the main story, Goh accepted that his team was not happy with Chloe, were going to punch her for her crimes and he'd let them do so, and knew that Golurk gave his punch spot to Ash's Gengar to let him punch Chloe twice. In the segment written by Green and Spinner Goh was very much against them doing so or having issues with Chloe at all, seemed to have forgotten that Ash's Gengar was also interested in punching Chloe, and had Golurk punching Chloe twice instead of Gengar and Golurk not punching Chloe at all.

* ContinuitySnarl: Several that came about as a result of how ''Oak Lore'' was written by Cross versus the chapters and authors note written by Green and Spinnerite. Oak Lore itself implies that Ash took an airplane to Galar with tickets bought by Gary and went alone, while Crocus proper implies he took the airship and was with at least Goh, who had his own adventure with some Impidimp while Ash and Gary were looking for a Galarian Rapidash, and Gary seemed unware of how Ash got to Galar.

* ContinuitySnarl: Several that came about as a result of how ''Oak Lore'' was written by Cross versus the chapters and authors note written by Green and Spinnerite. Oak Lore itself implies that Ash took an airplane to Galar with tickets bought by Gary and went alone, while Crocus proper implies he took the airship and was with at least Goh and Gary seemed unware of how Ash got to Galar.

* ContinuitySnarl: One came as a result of how ''Oak Lore'' was written by Cross versus the chapters and authors note written by Green. Oak Lore itself implies that Ash took an airplane to Galar with tickets bought by Gary and went alone, while Green implies he took the airship and was with at least Goh and Gary seemed unware of how Ash got to Galar.