Current Nominations

• The Human Species (PG-13) by ShadedSkies

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Salvage by Negrek

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Operation GEAR: The Angel of Reckoning (R) by The Great Butler

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

• Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by Brutaka

• Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Sidewinder’s pretty much kept it up this year. Requiem’s always been something fresh, new, and exciting for me, but this year’s chapters added even more depth and intrigue to an already pretty awesome story. Everything from the characterization to the most minute plot points were executed with fantastic care. It’s just a fic that shouldn’t be passed up, plain and simple.

• The Age of Harmony (12+) by EonMaster One

  Nominated by PhalanxSigil

• Roots // PG-13 by Mrs. Lovett

  Nominated by PhalanxSigil

• Survival Project (PG-13) by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by gorgonfish and Sidewinder

• Earth, Air, Water, Fire by Bulba the Great!

  Nominated by Pink Harzard

• Flying in the Dark by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by Knightfall

• A Leash of Foxes by Cutlerine

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Pokémon: Black & White (PG-13) by johno1995

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Mad props to anyone who can write a really good, highly detailed trainer fic/game retelling using script fic. That sounds like a formula newbie writers use, but my God, johno1995 shows off how that can be so very good.

• Monsters Among Us: A Pokemon AU (R) by GingerDixie

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  AU is definitely right here. Monsters Among Us is a gritty fic in which Pokémon are equal to humans in pretty much every way except, you know, dignity. But it’s a gritty fic that doesn’t go into over-the-top grimdark territory (which really is a difficult thing to maintain), and it constructs its world so carefully and thoroughly that it’s very easy to buy.

• The Progression by Praxiteles

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• The Forbidden Forest by NightmareHybrid

  Nominated by Pink Harzard

• Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• The Martial Way by moonlightning

  Nominated by Negrek

  Although this is only one chapter in, it's an extremely promising story that already shows an interesting premise, snappy prose, and a deft handling of both character and action scenes. Definitely one to watch… assuming it updates again someday.

• The Best Game (one-shot) by Phoenixsong

  Nominated by Knightfall, JX Valentine and gorgonfish

  It’s an adorable fic in which Leaf thrashes Blue Oak by being the coolest six-year-old ever.

• Wandering Storm by Subzero Dragon

  Nominated by Brutaka

• Down Sunnyside Lane by JX Valentine

  Nominated by Matori and PhalanxSigil

• Important Announcement by Psychic

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Because how can you argue against a fanfiction based on Serebii? For reals.

• The Lost One's Weeping by Brutaka

  Nominated by PhalanxSigil

No nominations have been made for this award.

• Short Stories, Chapters, and Scenes by Sid87

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

• Adventure Time: An Icy Detachment by Dr.Horrible117

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Fan of Adventure Time? Want a heart-wrenching story about the end of humanity, taking place during Simon’s slow descent into the Ice King? Well, grab a box of tissues and pull up a chair, folks, because here we have a solidly written story wherein there is no happy ending.

• Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by Knightfall and JX Valentine

  You have a pretty ordinary brother and sister chasing after a super-powered sociopath driven by the dedication to six disembodied kings. Requiem is straight-up not like any other Pokémon fanfiction I’ve read, first off, and second, it’s a fast-paced fantasy thriller with more twists than licorice rope. It’s that good.

• Crack'd, or How the Love of Seafood Saved Unova by Cutlerine

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Bridging Dimensions by Cyn

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Man, how long has it been since I read a fic about an ordinary guy in the real world suddenly finding himself in an adventure because fate spat out a real, live Pokémon for him to mess with? Far too long, but the point is, Cyn delivers it wonderfully, with a nice kick in the tail to the story’s slackerish hero. It only gets weirder from there when he subsequently finds a portal to the Pokémon world, and shenanigans ensue.

• Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by gorgonfish and Sidewinder

• The Trial of Juno Saga [PG-13] by Avenger Angel

  Nominated by Pink Harzard

• A Leash of Foxes by Cutlerine

  Nominated by Knightfall, TheCharredDragon and JX Valentine

  This may be Serebii’s first successful CYOA story, and it comes complete with Cutlerine’s usual flair for surrealism and storytelling. This fic is most certainly something new, different, and original.

• Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

• Destiny Bonds by Cassafrass1999

  Nominated by TheCharredDragon

• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Overthrown by Knightfall

  Nominated by Brutaka

• Flying in the Dark by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by Matori

• Drowning by Starlight Aurate

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  It’s a fic about a Pokémon villainous team told from the perspective of inside members. Sure, that sounds like it’s been done. BUT! This is Team Aqua, and the fic’s focus is on making these characters think they’re just doing some ordinary, everyday job. It’s fascinating to see their minds work and catch glimpses of the darkness of their organization in the background, and starliteevee certainly knows how to make us want to know more about these characters and how her version of Team Aqua works.

• Carry On, Blissey (PG-13) by ChloboShoka

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• The Human Species (PG-13) by ShadedSkies

  Nominated by Pink Harzard

• Salvage by Negrek

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Aftermath by ChaosCaptain

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Flying in the Dark by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• A Leash of Foxes by Cutlerine

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary and JX Valentine

  A dry, very British sense of humor is something that’s frequently attempted but seldom done well, but Cutlerine speaks it like a second language.

• Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

• The Best Game (one-shot) by Phoenixsong

  Nominated by Brutaka

• The Unfortunate Truth to the Pokemon Trainer Ideal (PG-13) by SilentMemento

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  SilentMemento’s strongest suit is most definitely his attention to detail regarding characters. Every character he writes feels alive, and given that this is a story told entirely through editorials, you definitely get a sense of that here. So not only do you get a good glimpse of the way the Pokémon world works thanks to its essay-like format, but you also get a sense of a passionate voice driving each point. Sure, what he’s saying might not be 100% believable or agreeable, but hey, the point is, it’s authentic.

• Survival Project (PG-13) by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by gorgonfish and Sidewinder

• Crack'd, or How the Love of Seafood Saved Unova by Cutlerine

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Salvage by Negrek

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Overthrown by Knightfall

  Nominated by diamondpearl876, TheCharredDragon, Brutaka and Sidewinder

• A Leash of Foxes by Cutlerine

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Just … yes.

• 399 words by Praxiteles

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Sure, it’s pretty much 100% description with no discernible plot beyond that, but my god, is the description poetic. Behold—the end of the world. And apparently, dying is like going really ****ing insane via sensory overload crossbred with existential crisis. Who knew?

• The Best Game (one-shot) by Phoenixsong

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Earth, Air, Water, Fire by Bulba the Great!

  Nominated by Pink Harzard

• Important Announcement by Psychic

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Crack'd, or How the Love of Seafood Saved Unova by Cutlerine

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Overthrown by Knightfall

  Nominated by TheCharredDragon

• A Leash of Foxes by Cutlerine

  Nominated by TheCharredDragon

• Redemption (PG-15) by pokenutter

  Nominated by Brutaka

• Monsters Among Us: A Pokemon AU (R) by GingerDixie

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  All of it. Like I’d mentioned earlier, GingerDixie sets out to create a complex world that’s both recognizably Pokémon and something completely different from what we see in canon, and Ginger pulls it off with an incredible amount of detail.

• Brothers' Bond (PG-13) by Sid87

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• The Flash Drive of Champions: Backgrounds by Rediamond

  Nominated by Negrek and Negrek

  The first story arc in this 'fic largely takes place within a hyper-religious community that believes pokémon training to be immoral, and throughout we get glimpses into a Kanto caught in the crossfire of a revolutionary movement and the rise of a powerful crime syndicate. Rediamond does a great job of putting his own spin on the pokémon world's history, and future chapters promise to explore it even farther from a variety of different angles.

  The first story arc in this 'fic largely takes place within a hyper-religious community that believes pokémon training to be immoral, and throughout we get glimpses into a Kanto caught in the crossfire of a revolutionary movement and the rise of a powerful crime syndicate. Rediamond does a great job of putting his own spin on the pokémon world's history, and future chapters promise to explore it even farther from a variety of different angles.

• Hoenn Reborn: the remakes R/S/E deserved by Deadly.Braviary

  Nominated by TheCharredDragon

• Pokémon: Black & White (PG-13) by johno1995

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  In short, I really do appreciate the fact that this isn’t just a trainer fic or a retelling of the BW canon plot. It’s also an exploration—an attempt to add character depth and explain a lot of what goes down in the games. So in that sense, this reads less like a traditional trainer fic (in which a writer sends a character off on a journey as wish fulfillment) and more like an attempt to capture everything that is BW.

• Indigo by gorgonfish

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  While it promises to eventually be a trainer fic about the darkness of the League, for right now, it’s a fascinating retelling of the original RBY games because it’s told entirely in posts from a normally mute character. As such, it does a really good job of exploring the canon characters and the beginning of the game from Red’s perspective—the exact perspective you’re supposed to assume when you play.

• Roots // PG-13 by Mrs. Lovett

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Operation GEAR: The Angel of Reckoning (R) by The Great Butler

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Flying in the Dark by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Earth, Air, Water, Fire by Bulba the Great!

  Nominated by TheCharredDragon

• Operation GEAR: The Angel of Reckoning (R) by The Great Butler

  Nominated by Matori

• Survival Project (PG-13) by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Overthrown by Knightfall

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Important Announcement by Psychic

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Down Sunnyside Lane by JX Valentine

  Nominated by Brutaka

• The Best Game (one-shot) by Phoenixsong

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  It’s a short fic, but you really get everything that is Blue/Green/Gary/whatever you’d like to call him summed up in one convenient package, starting from literally the first sentence.

• The Unfortunate Truth to the Pokemon Trainer Ideal (PG-13) by SilentMemento

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Like I said, you really do get a good sense of who Pryce is by reading his thoughts and voice throughout the fic, and given this format, that’s really what makes this whole shebang.

• The Lost One's Weeping by Brutaka

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Dalton and Talia, The Age of Harmony (12+) by EonMaster One

  Nominated by PhalanxSigil

• Shane and April, Through the Thunder and the Lightning by Brutaka

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Bill and Adam, Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Matt and Olivia, Operation GEAR: The Angel of Reckoning (R) by The Great Butler

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

• Dorian and Shelton, Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  It’s amazing to see these two play off each other. Sometimes, you get that sense of closeness and I-will-do-anything-for-you-ness that you get out of a brother/sister relationship, and other times, they smack each other around with fantastic levels of gloriousness. Emotions definitely run high between these two, so when one spirals down pretty dark paths (as Dorian wonts to do), you inevitably see intense reactions from the other.

• Jake and Jade, Wandering Storm by Subzero Dragon

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Directionless psychic and a snarky Espeon, both with hilariously little foresight. Enough said.

• Michael and Henry, Roots // PG-13 by Mrs. Lovett

  Nominated by PhalanxSigil

• Sarah and Maressa, Drowning by Starlight Aurate

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Ezrem and Kuiora, Survival Project (PG-13) by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Sammy and Tommy, Brothers' Bond (PG-13) by Sid87

  Nominated by Negrek

  I defy you to read the 'fic and not d'aww at these two at least once. Seriously.

• Haley and Markus, Flying in the Dark by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Ixodida, Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary, Brutaka and Sidewinder

• Archopy, Lost Evolution by elyvorg

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  (NOW NOMINATED IN AN APPROPRIATE YEAR. 8D) You have to admire the amount of detail elyvorg put into Archopy. Certainly, it’s an alternate evolution for a canon Pokémon, but it’s really that exact relationship—between the fan-created evolution and the canon evolution—that really makes this species so interesting. You do get a sense of that primal rivalry emanating at least from the Sceptile, but there’s this grace and serenity from the Archopy as well. It’s just fascinating to see it all play out.

• Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Salvage by Negrek

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Brothers' Bond (PG-13) by Sid87

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Earth, Air, Water, Fire by Bulba the Great!

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• The Lost One's Weeping by Brutaka

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Extinguished (one shot) by 33Whimsicott33

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  It’s several pages of watching a small child die slowly and painfully. NO, IT’S OKAY, 33WHIMSICOTT33. I NEEDED THE CASUAL REMINDER THAT I’M HUMAN TODAY.

• Adventure Time: An Icy Detachment by Dr.Horrible117

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Yeah, it's not a Pokémon fic, but hey. Regardless of whether or not you're an Adventure Time fan (I'm not, for one), it's very easy to feel for the main character. And then sob grossly at what happens to him by the end.

• Brothers' Bond (PG-13) by Sid87

  Nominated by Knightfall and diamondpearl876

• ClicheStorm 2 (PG-13) by Ysavvryl

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Indigo by gorgonfish

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Indigo is already promising a lot, what with the premise outlined in Red’s opening post and the format of the fic in general. But also, it’s hard to argue with a retelling of a game plot pretty much everyone is familiar with, starring incredibly likable characters and told from the perspective of the actual hero protagonist. Indigo is fascinating already, and it can really only get better from here.

• Pokémon: Black & White (PG-13) by johno1995

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Just in case you needed to know what it looks like when a script fic is done well … *motions to this fic* Also, although it’s a retelling of the BW games, it has a lot to offer, with carefully built characters and a lot of explanation added to the shiftier parts of the canon storyline. It really is a well-done expansion of canon as well as an entertaining look at the trainer fic genre.

• Survival Project (PG-13) by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Hero's Bond [PG 13] by Shadow Lucario

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by Knightfall

• The Lost One's Weeping by Brutaka

  Nominated by Matori

• Extinguished (one shot) by 33Whimsicott33

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  What’s horrifying? A story about a small child dying. What’s even more horrifying? A story about a small child dying told from the perspective of the small child dying.

• Important Announcement by Psychic

  Nominated by Knightfall, TheCharredDragon and JX Valentine

  Psychic just gets everyone and everything spot-on, hands down. Even if she doesn’t use names, you can totally tell who’s who, and you can’t help but laugh at how overdramatic our Serebiiland selves are.

• Hoenn Reborn: the remakes R/S/E deserved by Deadly.Braviary

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Deadly sets out to parody the Hoenn games using a healthy dose of dry, British humor … and let me tell you, it’s refreshing to read. All too often, you see OMG LOL humor when people set out to write comedies, but here, the writing is tight, the wit stands on its own (without any lol randomness thrown in), and how can you argue with a fic whose main characters’ primary troubles involve tax evasion?

• 404 Error 2; File Not Found by Missingno. Master

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Destiny's Forge by Agent Tectonic

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Transcending the Abyss [Collab] PG-13 by Knightfall and pokenutter

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Lost Evolution by elyvorg

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  And over here, you have the pleasant story of why humans shouldn't **** with nature. No, but seriously, Lost Evolution feels a lot like a classic sci-fi flick. You have your slow build up. You have your monster that isn't even named until chapter three. You have your possibly mad geneticists and your everymen getting roped into chasing after the monster. And while this might seem like I'm describing a formula for an "oh noes something escaped from the lab" kind of fic, it's not. Here, you really do feel the intensity of the chase and the drama, and all of the characters get enough focus that your attention isn't focused on just the titular creature or the everyman human hero but on a whole bunch of different, fleshed-out characters all at once, which makes for a rather nice experience for a sci-fi fan.

• Blue Snow [PG-13] by pokenutter

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  It’s a rather cute transformation fic as it is, but I think what really makes it is how hard the main character screws himself over, just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That somehow makes all of his struggles to adjust to his Pokémon self all the more fascinating to watch, if only because you know all of this could’ve been averted.

• Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Reflecting Balance by DarkerShining

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Blue Snow [PG-13] by pokenutter

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Overthrown by Knightfall

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary, diamondpearl876, TheCharredDragon, Brutaka and Sidewinder

• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Journal by pokenutter

  Nominated by TheCharredDragon

• A Different Kind of PMD Story (A Vulpix Tail) by Brutaka

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Okay, it’s a reverse PMD story, but the premise is so hilarious it’s hard not to immediately nominate it. This fic tells the story of a boy in the human world who meets a girl who insists that she’s a Vulpix, and then shenanigans ensue like a fantastically cheesy 90’s harem anime. It’s awesome.

• re: Through the Thunder and the Lightning by Brutaka

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Aftermath by ChaosCaptain

  Nominated by Negrek

  Although it's only two chapters in at this point, this 'fic has already gone a long way towards building up an intriguing world and characters. We're looking at a world where guilds and exploration teams are talked of in the past tense, and ChaosCaptain's characters are in a much more dire situation than your typical confused former human and happy-go-lucky exploration team pal.

• Shadow War Trilogy Book 1: A Returning Darkness by Agent Tectonic

  Nominated by Knightfall

• From Under the Passho Tree - A Poetry Anthology by Poetry

  Nominated by Matori

• Snapshots by bobandbill

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  bobandbill does a fantastic job at capturing the dedication and empathy of a Gardevoir raised from a Ralts. You can sense the closeness between the Pokémon and the trainer here with the tiny details—the pangs of jealousy Gardevoir experiences, the sense of pride when she battles and wins for her trainer—and it all culminates into a rather fantastic moment at the climax where she’s torn between being a Pokémon and being a companion. It’s all rather heartwrenching.

• Carry On, Blissey (PG-13) by ChloboShoka

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Monsters Among Us: A Pokemon AU (R) by GingerDixie

  Nominated by Negrek

  Despite the fact that pokéballs have never been invented, pokémon remain second-class citizens. GingerDixie does a great job of getting into the head of various pokémon characters as they navigate in a world on the brink of violent revolution.

• The Best Game (one-shot) by Phoenixsong

  Nominated by Knightfall, Brutaka and JX Valentine

• Roots // PG-13 by Mrs. Lovett

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Operation GEAR: The Angel of Reckoning (R) by The Great Butler

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

• Indigo by gorgonfish

  Nominated by JX Valentine

• Nameless protagonist, A Leash of Foxes by Cutlerine

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Michael Rowan, Roots // PG-13 by Mrs. Lovett

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Bill, Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary and Sidewinder

• Red, Indigo by gorgonfish

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  I’m just really, really fascinated by the voice gorgonfish gives to this character. We all know about him, but in gorgonfish’s hands, Red seems like a new, unique character who’s absolutely fascinated by this new task heaped onto him … because gorgonfish is one of those rare authors who remembers that Red is eleven.

• Edward, The Legend's End by Scaldaver

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Edward continues to be basically the only beacon of sanity in an otherwise fantastically insane world. He may not be the chosen one, but he’s the most rational, intelligent one out of the group, the one who will most likely drag the chosen one away from apparent danger. And hey, it’s not every day that the main character isn’t supposed to be on an epic journey in the first place, right?

• Sam, Brothers' Bond (PG-13) by Sid87

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Nekou, Operation GEAR: The Angel of Reckoning (R) by The Great Butler

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Kyle Montressor, Blue Snow [PG-13] by pokenutter

  Nominated by Knightfall

• The child, Salvage by Negrek

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Haley, Crack'd, or How the Love of Seafood Saved Unova by Cutlerine

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Jade, Wandering Storm by Subzero Dragon

  Nominated by Brutaka

• April, Through the Thunder and the Lightning by Brutaka

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Bubbly, somewhat ditzy Emolga with a penchant for being fantastically kickass at the seemingly most random moments. Oh yes.

• Matron Blissey, Carry On, Blissey (PG-13) by ChloboShoka

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Adam, Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Garrett, Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Curtis, ClicheStorm 2 (PG-13) by Ysavvryl

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Natalia, Earth, Air, Water, Fire by Bulba the Great!

  Nominated by TheCharredDragon

• Phineas, The Age of Harmony (12+) by EonMaster One

  Nominated by PhalanxSigil

• Sai, Survival Project (PG-13) by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Zerobi, The Human Species (PG-13) by ShadedSkies

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Mismagius, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Overthrown by Knightfall

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary, TheCharredDragon and Sidewinder

• Absol, Salvage by Negrek

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• The voices, Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

• Kirlia, The Legend's End by Scaldaver

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  It’s always amazing to see how loyal this Pokémon is. It even landed one of the main characters in the hospital, just because he kinda sorta looked like he was threatening! :D But seriously, Kirlia is die-hard dedicated to Nuria, and this sets her apart from any other Pokémon simply because of the way that loyalty plays off of the personalities of the other Pokémon in this fic.

• Celebi, The Legend's End by Scaldaver

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Celebi literally shows up out of nowhere, and like many legendaries in this story, its aim is apparently to wreck Nuria and Edward’s lives. And it does a fantastic job at it too, what with its tendency to drop exposition … or drop everything for the sake of candy floss.

• Ringo, Roots // PG-13 by Mrs. Lovett

  Nominated by PhalanxSigil

• Ethan, Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by Knightfall and JX Valentine

  Ethan is straight-up terrifying. He’s super strong and religiously devoted to his cause, and he most certainly can kill the main heroes with his pinkie finger if he merry well pleased. And by God, he tries.

• Team Rocket, Survival Project (PG-13) by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Gabriel, Earth, Air, Water, Fire by Bulba the Great!

  Nominated by TheCharredDragon

• Ghetsis, Operation GEAR: The Angel of Reckoning (R) by The Great Butler

  Nominated by Matori

• Darkrai, The Human Species (PG-13) by ShadedSkies

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Teiresias, Crack'd, or How the Love of Seafood Saved Unova by Cutlerine

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• The ixodida, Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Carlos, Brothers' Bond (PG-13) by Sid87

  Nominated by Knightfall

• The collective writers of Serebii's Fan Fiction forums, Important Announcement by Psychic

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Dorian, Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

• Shane, Through the Thunder and the Lightning by Brutaka

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Even though part of his behavior in the prologue is fueled by a compulsion to finish what he started, this is still a guy whose response to knowing that he’s about to die is, “Welp. TIME TO WHIP OUT THE SKETCHBOOK.”

• Celebi, The Legend's End by Scaldaver

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Speaking of priorities, is your chosen one getting thrashed by Houndoom? That’s nice. THERE IS CANDY FLOSS TO BE HAD.

• Logan, Earth, Air, Water, Fire by Bulba the Great!

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Crack'd, or How the Love of Seafood Saved Unova by Cutlerine

  “What did you do to him?” asked Cheren, narrowing his eyes. “And what are you?”
  
  “We are the Shadow Triad,” said the lead man. “We can do certain things.”
  
  “No sh*t,” said Halley. “What exactly is it that you did?”
  
  “I took him somewhere,” said the man on the left – the one who'd grabbed Ezra. “Forget that. He will be back eventually.”
  
  “We have been sent here for you, Jared Black,” said the leader. “We were to take you from Zinzolin.”
  
  “Who sent you, then?” asked Cheren, but I already knew the answer to that.
  
  “N,” I said. “What does he want? He said we weren't going to meet—”
  
  “The situation has changed,” said the leader. “You found his birthplace.”
  
  That shut me up. That did change things – quite a lot, actually.
  
  “How did he know?” asked Cheren. “That doesn't make any sense, unless he's watching somehow.”
  
  “Cheren, it's N,” said Bianca, as if it were obvious – and it was, to anyone less logical than Cheren. “He felt it.”
  
  “I don't see how—”
  
  Bianca shook her head.
  
  “Never mind,” she sighed.
  
  “I can't help but think we're wandering a little far from the f*cking point,” said Halley. “Magical teleporting ninjas, anyone?”

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  “Are you serious?” Dorian asked. “He looks like he’s going to take us to some crack den, chloroform us, and cut out our organs.”

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

• Wandering Storm by Subzero Dragon

  Something was blocking his scans! It left him with a shiver that wasn't from the wind. He could only compare it to a black hole where there was usually sunshine. He'd never felt anything like that before, and he didn't like it one bit. “Jade….I sense something. I mean, I don't, but I…!”
  
  Jade nodded slowly, scanning the trees for the source. “Its like a shadow. A darkness…and its getting closer. I have a bad feeling…a very bad feeling, Jake…!”
  
  Jake was genuinely afraid now. It took a lot to upset Jade, in spite of his tendency to whine and complain about everything. As Jake was contemplating simply running away in the opposite direction, a shape suddenly charged forward! Jake only had the time to scream before it emerged.
  
  It was a Lillipup.

  Nominated by Brutaka

• Important Announcement by Psychic

  Writers, not knowing what to do, ran around like roosters with their heads chopped off, spewing random nonsense about tiaras, chicken flavoured dishwashers, Nicholas Cage, “THAT'S MR. PSYCHIC!”, and other ridiculous-sounding things in the hopes of being funny and bringing laughter in their last moments. Indeed, each writer was laughing hysterically, but of course only at their own “jokes.” Everything else they heard was a bombardment of random, incomprehensible nonsense. Thankfully, the red light took them out of their confusion swiftly and silently, but for one unfortunate farting sound.

  Nominated by JX Valentine

• Indigo by gorgonfish

  dx_brown: Yes, basically. Clear has a working knowledge of the hardware and I am testing the network connectivity. Depending on how you fill out the feedback form it will be sent to one of us.
  
  dx_gray: Oh I thought grandpa would get those :/
  
  dx_clear: working knowledge of the hardware my *** i practically built the prototype
  
  dx_brown: C, she’s a kid! Watch your language!
  
  dx_gray: I’m 13 that’s not a kid
  
  dx_clear: he’s giving it out to teenagers now arceus
  
  dx_gray: Well grandpa handed 3 out to 11yo’s this morning xP
  
  dx_clear: bill it emotes burn it

  Nominated by JX Valentine

• Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Zero
  
  June 30, 1908. In the dim hours of that morning, a meteorite exploded over Siberian Russia. Modern scientists estimate that the energy had been equal to that of a thermonuclear bomb. Witnesses described it as a flash of blue light almost as brilliant as the sun. The shockwaves alone were enough to flatten over seven hundred square miles of forest. And the object itself? The size of two school buses end to end. Scientists called this the Tunguska event.
  
  In order to picture what a meteor the size of one school bus could do, the logical action would be to divide everything by half. Take three hundred square miles of forest out of the Tunguska event. Dim the brilliant, blue light of the meteorite until it becomes a star half as bright as the sun. Imagine that the resulting air burst releases the energy equivalent to five hundred nuclear bombs instead of one thousand.
  
  On September 27, 2000, almost one hundred years after the Tunguska event, that was exactly how scientists described the bus-sized meteor heading directly towards Earth.
  
  The meteor in question was dubbed 2000 SE, and it came without warning. That in itself would have been unusual. There was astronomical equipment all over the world, and not one of them spotted an object of that size until it was almost as close as the moon. But that wasn’t what grabbed the media’s attention. What did was the fact that it was heading directly towards Earth, and with its speed, researchers estimated that it would reach the planet in four days. More specifically, it was heading to a point just outside of Fortree City.
  
  Hoenn’s regional government had never staged a full-scale evacuation of an entire city. Despite monsoons and the activity of two weather-altering legendaries, the region was never threatened significantly enough to warrant an evacuation of that magnitude. But it had to be done. Certainly, Fortree had survived far more earthquakes, storms, and general natural disasters than it should have, what with it being a city built entirely in the treetops, but the Japanese parliament wasn’t going to assume that it would survive a meteor strike that close to its borders. So over the course of three days—the three days before 2000 SE would pass through the Earth’s atmosphere—the entire city of Fortree took what it could and left.
  
  On the fourth night, it turned out that the government was correct in their decision. Fortree was doomed.
  
  It rained fire the night 2000 SE exploded, and the blasts emanating from its shattering masked the cracking of the forest that held the city aloft. Had anyone been in the city, they would never hear the screaming of the wood supports splintering. They would never hear the boom of their homes falling. They would never hear the crashing of glass or the screeching of bending metal. Not while the air resonated with the blast of the meteorite, anyway. Only when the resonance of the explosion died down, and only when the skies fell silent, did the last shrieks of the falling city echo through the night air.
  
  And then, there was silence.
  
  Outside of the city, beyond the red-hot craters that the meteorites carved out for themselves, there were two listeners. The first was an absol who stood guard at the Ancient Tomb with his red eyes to the sky. His pack had already been gone for days. Many of them had been part of the pokémon exodus that started almost a week ago, long before the humans knew 2000 SE existed. Others stayed and tried to warn the humans, and this party departed after Fortree was finally evacuated. All that was left was the single absol, who had, up until the explosion, kept his red eyes to the sky and his teeth bared in a constant, low growl.
  
  It was because he knew something else was going to happen. He could feel the cold, familiar weight of his premonitions in his bones, but for the life of him, he couldn’t see what he was meant to warn the humans about. And then, when the star exploded and sent a shockwave of trembling earth and hot wind across the route, the absol braced himself against the tomb’s rocky walls and gritted his teeth. The feeling in his bones grew heavier with each passing second until it reached a peak the moment the hot winds died down. His paws scrambled over the loose earth, and he raced down the hillside towards the craters. In his mind, his visions began to resolve, and all he could see was red.
  
  The ground grew hotter as he drew closer to one of the impact craters, but he couldn’t stop. His entire body was focused completely on that cold, heavy feeling deep inside him—the feeling of his supernatural senses vibrating with his last vision. Any moment now, he would know. He would know exactly what message he needed to deliver.
  
  Suddenly, the ground almost ended beneath him, giving way to the red edge of a crater. He stopped, staring deep into the pit at the rock that sat at its heart. His muzzle snapped in frantic barks, and he paced along the rim. All the while, he steadied his eyes on the glowing, red surface of the meteorite. Every pit in its face, every imperfection in the stone made the feeling deep inside the absol grow until it filled his entire being. Something wasn’t right. Something was about to happen. Something terrible was about to be born.
  
  Then, he saw what he came to see. His paws froze, and his mouth shut.
  
  A crack laced up the side of the meteor. At first, it was only an inch wide by a foot long, but then, it grew until it resembled a gaping smile turned sideways. The longer the absol stared at it, the more he realized that the glow was not coming from the surface of the rock but rather from within it, pulsing with every passing second like a heartbeat. This, the absol knew, was exactly what he was supposed to foresee. His lips puckered, and in that pause, he emitted a short, high-pitched whine.
  
  That was when the meteorite cracked completely open and released the sea of red light. It rushed up the side of the crater before the absol could discern what it was, and within seconds, it washed over him.
  
  Miles away, the absol’s pained howling echoed through the air, and the second listener raised her head.
  
  Her name was Phoebe, and she had just completed two weeks of training atop Mt. Pyre. Now, she was descending the mountain for supplies. She had no idea that the absol’s howl was a warning.
  
  That night, a war erupted because of her.

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Extinguished (one shot) by 33Whimsicott33

  Just as the digital clock turned to read 11:00, I heard a light, but sure sound of something tapping on glass. I turned my head, and was amazed to see that, right there on my windowsill, was the little rare Pokémon that I met at the park! I laid there staring at it for a moment; just making sure it was real. A small purple flame burned above it; bathing the glass in a pale glow; it looked just like a candle. The Pokémon continued to tap my window, looking at me endearingly with its button-like yellow eyes. As fast as I could, I got out of bed and opened the window.
  
  “I didn’t know you knew where I lived,” I said weakly, but happily.
  
  The small, candle-like Pokémon hopped in my room, and squeaked in delight.
  
  “It’s nice to see you again… oh? You brought friends?” I watched as the Pokémon made a signal to the empty night outside, and one by one more of the same Pokémon appeared on my windowsill. They all hopped into my room, lighting it up with their pale, purple fires. My head was really hurting; the fever was really making me feel miserable. I tiredly made my way back to the bed, feeling more and more fatigued with each step. I really did need to rest…
  
  The Pokémon followed, hopping along onto the desk next to my bed. The other five or six of them did the same thing, all gathering around on opposite sides of my bed.
  
  “Oh, man… if I had my ball I could’ve caught you…” I said, remembering what I wanted to do earlier. The candle Pokémon didn’t seem to mind what I said, and continued to watch me with their button-like yellow eyes.
  
  “Mommy doesn’t like Pokémon,” I continued to talk to them, “thinks they’re dangerous, even though all of my friends have one…”
  
  The candle Pokémon were paying close attention to me, and the flames on top of their heads grew even brighter. As the room got brighter, it began to spin, and the misery of my fever began to disappear…
  
  “I think she’s silly,” I said, losing my breath. I was struggling to keep my voice steady, “I mean… just because… you can sometimes get burned or shocked… doesn’t mean they’re dangerous, right?”
  
  The rest of the room was just a hazy blur now… but the lights of the Pokémon remained. Glowing brightly, they were like guideposts to the growing darkness. Underneath the blankets, I felt my bones protruding. My arms and legs were shriveling, while my skin pulled back on my ribs. It pulled back on my face too; I felt the walls of my cheeks get thinner and thinner…
  
  I felt comfortable. Or maybe I didn’t… but I didn’t mind, because my entire body felt distant. All the pain of the fever was gone now, for some reason I felt free…
  
  The darkness around me was thick and vague, growing darker and darker as the lights that broke it grew brighter. And then it fell back, all to one large, distant light. It was like the light of the candles, but flared even brighter, and it beckoned me to come. All my feelings were detached now; the only thing I knew now was that I had to go to it- this one final light. I rose up slowly… a feeling of peace as I drifted towards it. Drawing closer and closer… until I became engulfed in-

  Nominated by JX Valentine

• (spoiler)'s death in chapter 90, The Human Species (PG-13) by ShadedSkies

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  He stopped short once more. This time, it was because he wasn’t alone. In the doorway, a single person stood. A girl, actually—one no older than eleven. Her wide, dark eyes settled on Bill, and her face blanched. Bill shook at that point. He knew her. He knew this girl. He knew that the short, green hair was the exact color of her mother’s. He knew that the flower hair clips she wore to keep her bangs out of her face were given to her by her sister. He knew that the shade of pink that her shorts were happened to be her exact favorite color and that her boots were considered fashionable in her hometown. And he knew that she always wore Hello Skitty merchandise like her hooded sweatshirt because she adored those cartoons, even if she recently tried to insist that she was too old for them. He even knew that she was here because she wanted to go to Hoenn since she was eight, after she saw her first contest on television.
  
  And he knew all of this because he watched her grow up. Because he bought her those boots for Christmas. Because he sometimes watched Hello Skitty cartoons with her when he was bored. Because her sister wouldn’t stop rubbing in the fact that she got those hair clips for the birthday that he missed. Because one time, he let her choose that shade of pink for one of the wallpapers for the storage system.
  
  Because her mother was his.
  
  “Raye?” he whispered.

  Nominated by Brutaka

• Operation GEAR: The Angel of Reckoning (R) by The Great Butler

  The dead silence between Matt and all the others besides Avril gave Olivia a strange chill.
  
  “…Avril’s lying, right?” Her voice was becoming influenced by the fear, and it was shaking.
  
  Still more silence.
  
  And then. Matt answered.
  
  “Avril’s telling you the truth.”

  Nominated by Matori

• Snapshots by bobandbill

  “I need to go back,” I say to Mother. “I must.”
  
  She sighs wearily. “How many times do I have to tell you? People are no good for you. They pull you out from the wild without a second thought! They don’t listen! Why else do you think I’m not keeping my promise to that excuse for a trainer?” She frowns as she recalls whatever she doesn’t want to think about any more or tell me about.
  
  I shake my head. “Not true. Some may, but not everyone. Not Sally. And I fear that if I don’t go then something bad will happen.”
  
  “Something bad?” she queries suddenly. “Well, that should be none of your concern.”
  
  “What do you mean?” I say back quietly.
  
  “Why, you think you can change the future now?” she says coldly.
  
  
  
  “Again? And there’s not much left,” the doctor pointed out as Sam scrolled down.
  
  
  
  I watch her sleeping quietly and glance around. The night is still and there’s no wind, and nobody else around. I sigh a bit and then breathe deeply, preparing*
  
  
  
  I float through the trees quickly. The grass
  
  
  
  chase her through
  
  
  
  Hard to breathe. Hurts so much. How could she do that?! My ow…
  I hope she is okay. Machoke looks at…I tell them I don’t mean harm…
  Heartbeat is so fast I cannot slow it down must help h
  
  
  Those were the most painful words. Said so quietly, so inn…
  What to do?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Sam swore quietly as they failed to find nothing more than more garbled text blocking out the rest of the remaining paragraphs.
  
  “Uh…I guess that is it,” said the doctor, leaning back in his chair. “Pity, I enjoyed reading all that.”

  Nominated by JX Valentine

• Answering Machine (major XY spoilers) by Blackjack Gabbiani

  You’ve reached Lysandre; leave a message.
  
  "…Lysandre, is something wrong? I don’t understand your Holo Caster message. You sound so fatalistic. It’s not like you. Call me back."
  
  ***
  
  You’ve reached Lysandre; leave a message.
  
  "I’m headed to Geosenge as fast as I can. Don’t do anything stupid. Call me back."
  
  ***
  
  You’ve reached Lysandre; leave a message.
  
  "Please, for the love of God, call me back. Please don’t be…Just call me back!"
  
  ***
  
  You’ve reached Lysandre; leave a message.
  
  "…I guess…I guess that’s it then. That’s what you meant all along, isn’t it? I wish I had known. I wish you had told me… C—…"

  Nominated by JX Valentine

• Survival Project (PG-13) by diamondpearl876

  To the person who will take my heart when I die and the doctors see that I’m an organ donor—
  
  Treat it nicely. It’s fragile. It has lists upon lists of views it wants to see, sounds it wants to hear. It doesn’t let you hold your breath for too long, lest you should die sooner than expected. It doesn’t contain as much blood as you would like it to. Your ribcage can never be small enough to hold it, so expand its consciousness, in and out, and your ribcage will be filled. Let your senses exhaust you to the brim, and follow the premonitions given to you—you’ll never regret it. Don’t let any other organ suffer from your musings and tears. Most nights, you’ll need to cross your arms and strap yourself down. Please don’t try to fix the extra red and black stitching on the surface; they were made by my pokémon in the midst of their honest curiosity. Blue eyes, messy black hair, skinny frame… The heart knows only those things, but it will accept you anyway. Know that I’m sorry—I tried my best for you. And remember to feel real.
  
  Sincerely,
  Sai Luart

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• The Martial Way by moonlightning

  An indigo blur erupted from the foliage, snapping branches and ripping vines. It flew, somersaulted and then stopped, floating above the tablet. It tilted its head; a large white bulbous protrusion came from its crown. Huge dark pupils examined Sarah as it levitated, legs crossed.
  
  There was no time for hesitation, Sarah tore forward, clapping her palms on each side of the Pokemon’s head. It reeled back, landing on its feet. The Fake Out technique momentarily stunned the fighting and psychic type Pokemon. It regained its composure and raised its guard.
  
  Kakari looked over at Denny, who was supremely jealous. Meditite is the pre-evolution of Medicham, his dream partner Pokemon.
  
  Both fighters rushed forward, arms and legs colliding in a series of flurries. Open handed strikes and blocks rang out through the clearing. Meditite’s small blue limbs moved quickly. Sarah was beginning to tire, she shuffled back, breaking the confrontation. Meditite sensed the weakness and capitalised, attacking even more furiously than before.
  
  She’s very good. Her circular blocks conserve energy but the Meditite has incredible endurance. She reminds me of someone.
  
  The Pokemon drove Sarah back, step by step, closer to the edge with its onslaught of blows. A stray spinning kick caught her chin, jerking her head around. A smear of blood defiled the tablet. For a moment, it looked as though she was knocked out. The Meditite paused. It stopped attacking and watched the girl descend.
  
  Sarah’s eyes snapped open.
  
  Realising it had been fooled, the Meditite hastily prepared another kick, but Sarah had a plan. She bent both of her knees, took a deep breath and hooked an arm between the Pokemon’s legs. With an exhalation and a grunt she threw the Pokemon, overhead. Meditite landed hard sprawled a few metres away.
  
  “Nice throw…” Denny admitted, getting excited by the contest.
  
  Sensei watched, but wasn’t enthused like Denny.
  
  If you’re so disinterested, why train Senshi? Wait a minute. . .
  
  The Meditite clambered up, Sarah was attacking again, using circular kicks and punches. Now it was Meditite who was on the back foot, always having to block, weave and duck. The Pokemon was getting angry, its eyes glowed bright blue.
  
  A strange force paralysed Sarah’s body, leaving her frozen in mid-kick, her leg awkwardly hanging in the air. The Meditite drew its hand back and struck with a snappy Force Palm that cracked the air. The girl gasped as she was ripped from the psychic bonds and tossed backward, winded by the technique.
  
  The girl wasn’t one to give up. The Meditite charged, a purple aura floating around its hand. It slashed at the defenceless girl, the Psycho Cut forced her bouncing along the tablet until her torso was hanging off the side. She opened her eyes, looking up at the smirking Pokemon approaching. Meditite was ready to finish the fight.
  
  “Get up!” Sensei yelled, suddenly engrossed in the action, “What are you prepared to give for your partner!?”
  
  The girl scrambled to her feet, her entire body heaving. The Meditite jumped, and bent its front knee, preparing for a High Jump Kick. Sarah, tucked her head in and clenched all of her muscles tightly. A faint white light coated her body at the moment of impact. The Meditite slipped around the barrier, landing awkwardly in a pile of leaves. Sarah glanced down at her defeated opponent and breathed a sigh of relief.
  
  Protect! That’s an incredibly difficult technique! Who is this girl?
  
  Sarah had done it; she had secured her partner Pokemon.

  Nominated by JX Valentine

• Tommy's return at the end of chapter 21, Brothers' Bond (PG-13) by Sid87

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Overthrown by Knightfall

  Jay grumbled something about “stupid dungeon Pokémon” as Leo clasped his outstretched paw and helped his leader to his feet. The Riolu seemed no worse for the wear. A few cuts were visible through his blue fur, the once bright azure color dulled with ground-in dust and blood, but he looked like he was functioning properly.
  
  “What the hell was that?” Jay said with a cough. Leo didn’t know how to answer him. He didn’t rightly know how to explain the string of events that had transpired in the last few moments. “Is everyone okay?” Jay inquired, brushing himself off as the Riolu blinked in the blue sunlight.
  
  “I think so,” Leo replied. Looking around, he saw Noah getting up from the crater he had hunkered down in during the assault of the music, Jay was still getting oriented with his feet and limbs, and the monster was nowhere in sight. She had vanished. Though, there was something missing from this scene of aftermath.
  
  “Kelly?” Leo blurted out when he did not see the yellow and white furred Jolteon at all. Jay ceased his complaints as he found he could not find his friend as well. “Kelly? Kelly!” Leo yelled with increasing volume as he took a few steps in each direction looking for his teammate.
  
  There was no sign of the Jolteon, despite her being literally a foot away from him before the Froslass’s song. Both he and Jay fell dead silent as they tried to listen for any sound from her, though only the canyon walls screeched as wind tore through them, making his tail flame flicker. His blood turned to ice once again as the demented dungeon seemed to mock him, tempting him to venture deeper in search of his friend.
  
  “Kelly!” Leo screamed to the passage, his voice straining as sheer panic took over. It was then that Noah jogged up beside both Pokémon. The Dewott put a paw on both of their shoulders.
  
  “She’s gone.” Leo felt something inside him collapse. Whether it was his soul or a lung from the Froslass’s attack, he couldn’t tell.
  
  “Gone? What do you mean … gone?” The Charmeleon’s voice barely broke a hushed whisper as the cold wind blasted from the passage. The instinctively tightened muscles in his legs kept him from collapsing to the ground while his mind managed to keep a rein on his emotions to suppress his urge to sob.
  
  “Noah, wh-where is Kelly right now?” Jay asked, the Riolu trying in vain to mask his own emotions with a near monotone voice. The wind ceased, allowing the oppressive silence to once again rule this domain of altered sun and stone.
  
  Noah only shook his head in apparent defeat. “She’s with Her now, probably about to be frozen alive. If I remember right, we have about ten minutes before she is added to Her … collection.” The Dewott looked up at the two remaining members of Salient, his face betraying no inner feelings or thoughts. “There’s nothing we can do now. If we’re lucky, we can still get out of here while she’s busy with Kelly.”
  
  “N-nothing? What do you mean, ‘there’s nothing we can do’, Noah?” Leo demanded, his voice rising in volume. He knew perfectly well what it might mean. The Froslass had wanted me and I refused. And so she took the next best thing… His thoughts plainly told him, and for once, he knew he could trust them. It’s all… He felt his heart drop again. It’s all my fault she was taken.
  
  The Dewott crossed his arms as he leaned against a pillar of glowing blue rock. “It’s exactly what it means. We can’t do anything. She doesn’t usually bother us when we travel through here, but on occasion, she will take one Pokémon to her lair and freeze them solid,” Noah answered nonchalantly as he tightened the strap on his shoulder.
  
  “How do you know this? Huh? How?” Jay spoke up, his paws curling into fists as energy began to flow into them. Noah moved his paw down Jay’s arm and pushed it down.
  
  “I’ve seen it happen. Seven times. Watched them all freeze while Torrent ordered us to run for the exit. Trust me, seeing a Arcanine frozen alive oversteps the boundary of mentally scarring ten times over,” he explained as Leo saw an involuntary shudder run down the Dewott’s spine.
  
  Leo wasn’t sure if it was the combined effects of everything that had happened to him over the last week, or his mind finally slipping past his damaged rational, but he felt a burning force of anger rise from his chest where his heart fell.
  
  He had gone through too much: waking up, arrest, near death, hallucinations, exile, he could handle, but the notion of losing what was perhaps the only other being on this planet that could sympathise with him, it was impossible. He wouldn’t let it happen.
  
  “No.” Both Noah and Jay looked up from their argument at him. “I’ve gone too far with her, Jay, and even you, Noah, to lose any of you. My head may not be clear right now, but that is the one thing I am damn sure of. Noah, where is She, because I am going to tear Her to shreds,” Leo snarled, a low, primal growl accompanying the statement.
  
  “Leo, you don’t understand: She will kill all of us if we don’t leave. Kelly’s probably already dead anyways, so let’s just–” Noah replied shortly before being cut off as Leo lunged at him. His reptillian body tackled the otter to the ground, shoving his head into the small, sharp rocks. Leo held the sharp edges of his claws against the Dewott’s neck and pressed forward enough so that Noah would feel the pain. Jay crouched down next to the two, though didn’t make any attempt to stop Leo’s assault.
  
  Leo’s chest was heaving, anger leaving a red mist in his eyes. He huffed a hot jet of steam from his nostrils as he leaned close to the pinned Dewott’s face. His red scales glinting almost evilly in the stark, blue sunlight.
  
  “Shut up! Kelly will survive! She’s strong enough! I know she will! Now, you are going to lead us to her, and then, you, Jay, and I are going to march right in there, burn Her goddamned liar to oblivion, and then rescue Kelly. Do you understand?” Leo yelled, every thought of his bent suddenly on the destruction of the Froslass.
  
  “You know? For once, I actually agree with one of your horrible ideas, Leo. Let’s do this, “ Jay added as Noah gave a sigh of defeat.
  
  “You two are the most stupid, stubborn Pokémon I’ve ever met, and that’s coming from me. I’ll go, but I hope you know we’re all going to die. Her ‘pet’ will make sure of that… “ Both Leo and Jay shot him confused looks as they wondered what he meant by his last sentence. Their questions were answered as a deep, feral-sounding roar shook the blue-stoned dungeon. Leo released his grip on the Dewott and climbed off of him, letting him get back to his feet with an annoyed huff.
  
  Kelly, don’t worry. We’re on our way, he thought to her as the glowing blue ground thumped in rhythm to the steady footsteps of the monster’s personal monster.

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Shelton stopped her hand inches from the smooth surface of the water.*
  She was far enough over the edge of the water that she was able to see her reflection. The face that stared back was not her own. The face she was observing was deeply tanned and the head was closely shaved. Thick black stubble lined the jaw and lips. Shelton reached up and ran a hand across her mouth, feeling the grainy texture of the hair. She blinked several times, trying in vain to convince herself that what she was seeing was an illusion. Her mouth dropped open out of shock and the reflection of Ethan’s did the same. She opened her mouth wider, daring Ethan’s reflection to do the same. It did.
  
  Shelton started screaming.

  Nominated by JX Valentine

• The Martial Way by moonlightning

  The poison type’s body compacted low, it’s thick legs taut and ready to explode. Kakari adjusted his assault and moved to sidestep. The attack was faster than the boy could have imagined, the red bladed finger homing in on his face. Kakari butchered his footwork, one leg moving over another in an attempt to block. It took both his arms to wrestle the punch to a stop.
  
  The Toxicroak’s eyes met Kakari’s: Yellow, uncaring eyes.
  
  The Poison Jab sunk into Kakari’s stomach.
  
  Stabbing bolts of pain.
  
  Bright yellow eyes.
  
  Bloody vomit.
  
  I screwed up.

  Nominated by JX Valentine

• Earth, Air, Water, Fire by Bulba the Great!

  “These two…quite dangerous people, I’m sure, at some point,” Amy started, shaking her head at the injured old man and the scared blonde girl, her blue lips curling upward, “are part of Alec Gideon’s pathetic ‘guard’. He must be in the cave somewhere. If we removed the opposition and delivered the Wing to Gabriel, do you really think he would care if a few people died?” Logan was inching toward Preston, whose forehead was dripping, his eyes trained warily on the gun.
  
  “Look at her hands,” he muttered to Logan, who seemed to find this an odd request. She looked all the same.
  
  The hand holding the gun was like the rest of Amy’s body, slender and dark. But the other hand was gloved in sleek forest-green leather. Logan frowned, looking at Preston, more than a little worried about his sanity in his present state. “Why does that matter -” she began, but she was interrupted.
  
  “Oh, shut UP,” Amy said, her eyes rolling. The bare hand cocked the gun trained on Preston’s forehead. “If you must know, I only watched your wife’s torture. A shame, really. I would’ve liked to say I took part in the removal of both Prestons from our world.” She smiled at this prospect, finger tightening.
  
  Logan shouted, “NO!” but not before the woman pulled the trigger. Logan slammed her eyes shut just in time, the last image burned in her brain Preston’s weary face frozen in disbelief. She heard the body hit the ground with a sickening crash.

  Nominated by Pink Harzard

• Crack'd, or How the Love of Seafood Saved Unova by Cutlerine

  N shook his head.
  
  “I don't know yet. Give me your phone number. I'll tell you more as I find it out.”
  
  “Aren't we enemies, though?”
  
  “I don't know,” he repeated. “Not yet, anyway.” He gave me a crooked smile. “We'll find out.”
  
  We exchanged numbers and he left without another word, melting into the crowd and disappearing as if he'd never been.

  Nominated by Knightfall

• The Almighty Rules faded away into nothingness. Not a **** was given that day., Important Announcement by Psychic

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary and JX Valentine

• Operation GEAR: The Angel of Reckoning (R) by The Great Butler

  “I just heard that… what was it, like seventy percent of new trainers never even make it to the Pokémon League, and ninety percent of them don’t collect more than seven Badges? Is that what he said?”
  
  “There have been more and more trainers washing up at Pokémon Centers in cities all over the place unable to continue going. Between the cost of healing their Pokémon, rooms and supplies, it’s no wonder so many don’t make it…”

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

• Cutlerine

  Nominated by Knightfall and JX Valentine

  Cutlerine has a knack for clean prose and inventive stories, and with one of the most unique fics published last year, it’s hard not to nominate them for this place.

• Ysavvryl

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• Negrek

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary

• The Great Butler

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

• JX Valentine

  Nominated by Brutaka and gorgonfish

• Sidewinder

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Let’s face it. If I could nominate Requiem for more awards this year, it would turn up in every effing category. Sidewinder’s one of those rare authors whose fics I keep going back to willingly because he just plain knows how to set up a scene, how to develop characters, and how to build a fantastic, inventive plot. What’s more, he’s taken the canon universe and made it into something new and different and believable without once making something overly dark. So, yes, this time around, I do think Sidewinder deserves a nomination for being a pretty kickass storyteller.

• Mrs. Lovett

  Nominated by PhalanxSigil

• Dragonfree

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Kukansis

  Nominated by Knightfall

• johno1995

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Where the everloving crap did this guy come from? And where did he go? No, but seriously, here we have a writer responsible for fantastically written script fics that should literally be used as an example for how script fics should be written. His prose was always wonderfully tight, and his spins on canon were incredibly fun to read.

• Phoenixsong

  Nominated by JX Valentine and gorgonfish

  Skidding in at the tail end of the year is Phoenixsong, who, in the space of her modest little short fic about boys, girls, and video games, managed to capture the characters of the three Kanto protags better and more succinctly than most authors I’ve seen. Here’s to hoping we see more of Phoenixsong in 2014.

• DarkerShining

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Knightfall

  Nominated by diamondpearl876, TheCharredDragon, Brutaka and JX Valentine

  While Knightfall might not be the quickest at updating, he’s fantastically dedicated to improving and crafting a deep, complicated story. That and his chapters are forty bloody pages long, so he practically updates with the same amount of content as a weekly author.

• Griff4815

  Nominated by TheCharredDragon

• The Great Butler

  Nominated by JX Valentine and gorgonfish

  On a similar note, Butler is also an author who does not update every week but still is die-hard dedicated to his story. Not only is he one of the fastest-improving authors I’ve ever seen outside of my nominations for this year’s Most Improved Writer, but also, Butler puts in an inordinate amount of thought to the world he tries to create. He’s very responsive to reviews, very quick with an explanation to his thought processes, and very apt to creating side material in order to build a more immersive experience for a reader. With a Butler fic, you know that that baby is going to get finished eventually, and along the way, you’re going to get a glimpse at someone who works himself to the bone to make sure that happens.

• FlamingRuby

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Cutlerine

  Nominated by Negrek

  Cutlerine is a relentless writer who's done more than anyone in recent memory to explore the limits of what constitutes "fanfiction." And they do it all on an impressive update schedule (seriously, if you've never had to do some kind of updated adventure game, you don't understand how hard this is) while keeping the quality consistently high.

• Ysavvryl

  Nominated by Negrek

  Ysavvryl started and completed a >200,000-word chapterfic this year, in addition to continuing her Pokédex One-Shots collection (more than 350 done so far), and that's not even an atypical yearly output for her. She's obviously got lots of stories to tell and the drive to get them all out there for others to enjoy.

• Agent Tectonic

  Nominated by Knightfall

• Knightfall

  Nominated by Deadly.Braviary and Sidewinder

• Brutaka

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Not gonna lie. When I first read Brutaka’s work last year, I ripped him a new one with a list of concrit longer than his actual story. But with a solid year of hard work, he’s come back with a reboot of one of his first fics … and you can certainly tell the difference. He’s shown off his ability to create likable characters, he’s clearly put a lot of thought into the world he’s creating, and he actually knows how to use commas now. No, but seriously, Brutaka’s done a fantastic job at improving himself, and it’s impressive to see the amount of progress he’s made in a short time period.

• JX Valentine

  Nominated by Knightfall and Brutaka

  Samples: (Knightfall), (Brutaka)

• Praxiteles

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Samples: (JX Valentine)

  Praxiteles has an eye for detail, no doubt about that. He can spot even the most minute issue that the more experienced and well-received authors on the forum encounter. (Here, have an example involving Cutlerine.) Moreover, when he presents his thoughts on general concepts, he always goes in-depth in a pretty likable and conversational manner, so it always feels like he has something to say, even about the changes he’s suggesting. That and it feels like he’s trying to engage you and make you think about what he’s saying, rather than simply pointing something out about your story.

• Dragonfree

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Samples: (JX Valentine)

  Not gonna lie. It was a tough decision this year. There were a lot of names I could’ve chosen for this category because a lot of reviewers stepped up their game to help new and improving authors. But what makes Dragonfree stand out in particular is her objectivity. Dragonfree is thorough and to-the-point, even if she likes you, and because of that, it really feels like she’s pushing you to do better and to be a better writer. Just look at how she handles Lost Evolution, a fic by probably one of her favorite authors on this forum. And, really, that’s a refreshing stance to take. It’s great to see someone who doesn’t hesitate to speak her mind.

• Azurus

  Nominated by Knightfall and Brutaka

  Samples: (Knightfall), (Brutaka)

  He is dedicated in that he will review each chapter of any story he follows. They may not be lengthy, but they point out what needs to be pointed out in terms of errors and positive aspects.

  I can't really link a specific review, he's just the most dedicated 'cause he gives me input on literally everything I write. If that ain't dedication, then I don't know what is.

• The Great Butler

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  Samples: (diamondpearl876)

• Praxiteles

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Samples: (JX Valentine)

  One of the many reasons why I love Prax is the fact that if he likes you, you can expect him to be one of the first reviewers to every installment you post. And remember how I said he goes in-depth and examines your work to the point where he’s shooting off literary analyses? He does that every time he reviews.

• Glover

  Nominated by Sidewinder

  Samples: (Sidewinder)

  To the casual observer, Glover's post that I linked will seem like a good and insightful review. But I nominated him for a reason that actually encompasses much more than what I could possibly link to. Not only has he constantly been there with his views and helpful opinions for many people throughout the years, but he also does so when he takes extended breaks from the forums. Hell, he stopped commenting on my chapters for so long that I stopped PM'ing him when I updated. But BAM, one day, right out of the blue he bombs right back in. Fully caught up, fully brilliant, and brings things to my attention that I hadn't even thought of. I'm giving Glover this nomination not because of a single review or even several, I'm giving it to him because he's a good person and a dedicated reviewer that I feel truly privileged to know. My fic was changed because of him.