Current Nominations

• Salvage by Negrek

  Nominated by diamondpearl876, Starlight Aurate and Creepychu

  The fic isn't wholly original in the sense that it attempts to tackle Mew and Mewtwo's story, but the way Negrek goes about it is fantastic. The story is about a child who steals other peoples' identities in order to collect the gym badges, win the pokemon league, and rank as a high authority figure so that it may recruit Mewtwo and save Mew from the trouble she's in. The child, whose story is told amazingly in second-person, is impulsive and often makes the wrong decisions, even though it has a guardian figure (Absol) to help. Even the pokemon characters have personality and will make you laugh. If you're interested in a fic that dabbles in a little bit of everything, this is it.

  A fic with a morally-skewed protagonist who enlists/forces the help of an unwilling ex-Team Rocket Grunt, this does an excellent job of portraying the logic that runs through a child's mind while at the same time showing a relationship between a trainer and their Pokemon.

  A story about terrible people doing terrible things where I can still sympathize with and even root for the terrible people, despite the decisions they make. There's a running theme of miscommunication throughout the story, and that combined with the unusual perspective of the main protagonists can make it feel daunting to get into, but the fascinating characters, the ongoing feel of mystery and discovery and the smooth page-turner quality of the prose can very easily make you lose track of time and result in you finding yourself in front of the computer at 3AM making futile promises to stop right after one last chapter. The amount of little hints and revelations that can be gleaned from paying close attention to the details of what is and isn't said also makes it an excellent candidate for rereading. All in all, Salvage has an abundance of potential nomination categories and is well worth a lost night of sleep or two.

• Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by diamondpearl876, JX Valentine and Matori

  Sidewinder's "Requiem" is a great story filled with a unique mythological basis. The two main characters, Shelton and Dorian, are siblings whose goal is to protect special shards from the same man who killed their uncle Ronnie. For what reason, you don't know. The full story is revealed slowly, chapter by chapter. Meanwhile, the antagonist, Ethan, slowly loses his touch with reality and you can't help but be torn on whose side you should be on. With Requiem's conclusion this year, it basically tears apart your heart and begs you for more. The description is always wonderful, every character plays an important part, and the plot itself is enough to make you wonder why Sidewinder is such a genius.

  Can't help but second dp's nomination for this fic. It ended in 2014, and it was a wild ride from start to finish with fantastic characters, well-constructed plot, and a wicked mastery of cliffhangers. Requiem kept you wanting to read. It made you feel something for the characters, and hey, it offered up a nice thrill ride along the way.

  Great, often chilling fic with believable characters.

• Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by Cutlerine, PhalanxSigil and Sidewinder

  Aliens! Sci-fi! Bill! Honestly, if that combination doesn't thrill you, what on earth does?

  It just is, guys. It just is. Read it if you don't believe me, but it's just too good not to mention.

• Roots // PG-13 by Mrs. Lovett

  Nominated by Creepychu

  A rare example of a canon-character journeyfic where both the canon and the journey are engrossing in their own right, making use of the professor-in-their-youth gimmick to enhance the story rather than using it as a crutch to draw interest. There's a strong focus on both character- and world-building, both excellently executed, and the prose is just a joy to read. I could easily think of a dozen categories I'd nominate this story for, but to respect the cap I'll just vote it for overall. Strongly recommended for fans of canon character fics, journeyfics, and just plain well-written fics.

• A Leash of Foxes by Cutlerine

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Probably one of the more unique ideas to be tried on Serebii, A Leash of Foxes worked not just because of Cutlerine's efforts and imagination (of which there were plenty and plenty, respectively) but also because it was half-written via audience participation. What came out of this was an experience: half wonderfully plotty Weird Western and half the blood and tears of its readers. Mostly tears. Maybe.

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

  Nominated by Matori

  Butler continues to knock it out of the park with his ongoing adventure saga. Plenty of suspense, intrigue, and thrills to be found in this story.

• Survival Project (PG-13) by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Shatterpoint (R) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by diamondpearl876 and Matori

  And here it is, the sequel to "Requiem." Sidewinder took a break from writing and came back with an upgraded writing style. I have no idea how he did it, but the first chapter offers great promise. The first chapter spoils the ending of "Requiem," so I won't describe it here. Read it yourself and absorb its grotesque images, the sad but hopeful characters, and the beginning of a plot that you probably won't be able to predict no matter how hard you try. My only regret about this nomination is that the story wasn't released in July as originally planned, and so there isn't much to go on yet.

  Seems to be expanding well so far on the characters previously established in Requiem.

• Pokemon Generations: Satsumi's Journey by Hakajin

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  The fic originally seems cliche, considering that the main character is Ash and Misty's daughter. This normally isn't my cup of tea, but the fic is too good for me to care. Ash has gone missing in some ancient ruins, which tells me that Hakajin intends to expand on geographical and mythological/historical concepts that are barely touched upon in pokemon fanfiction. Ash's daughter, Satsumi, is unique in the sense that she's ridden down by some unknown physical illness(es). Despite this, she's determined to find her father, and so she begins her journey. What you can anticipate from this fic: anime-style dialogue and battles, a not-so-typical journey fic, lots of characters from different backgrounds, and improvement with every chapter, as Hakajin isn't afraid to take your critiques to heart.

• love and other nightmares by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by Cutlerine, PhalanxSigil, Creepychu and Sidewinder

  It's just exceptional. The concept, the execution, the way the world is put together like chain mail, each point inevitably leading to the next and supporting all those around it. Wonderful stuff.

  Seconded, Cutlerine. It's seriously that good. I love the characters, the plot has me hooked, what more do you want from me?

  There are certain premises that you learn to instinctively be on guard against just based off the synopsis, then there are stories like this that remind you why it's still worth looking past a premise and giving it a shot anyway. love and other nightmares is the story of a girl whose life is saved through miraculous intervention by a legendary pokémon who then makes her his chosen one and sends her forth to rescue a collection of abused, damaged out-of-region pokémon and help them find their way back to goodness, and if you felt your eyes rolling in your head at any point of that description, you owe it to yourself to put your prejudices on the shelf and give it a read. A fascinating, heartstring-pulling story far better experienced than explained.

• Pokémon: Convergence by PhalanxSigil

  Nominated by Negrek

  It's definitely new, but PhalanxSigil's fanfic already shows great promise, with an unusual twist on the usual PMD formula and solid writing throughout. Plenty has gone in even the small number of chapters posted so far, and suggests that this is a story to watch this year.

• Context Switch by Spiteful Murkrow

  Nominated by TheCharredDragon

• Reflection (oneshot, PG) by Matori

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  Honestly, if you haven't seen the anime episode that this one-shot centers on, you can still appreciate the description in this. Have you ever felt like your being has been taking over by someone other than yourself? Have you ever felt so much anxiety, you're unable to do anything but focus on breathing? If you have, then you'll find yourself sympathizing with Giovanni in this one-shot. If not, you're able to take a thing or two away from this fic when it comes to writing intense, horrific emotions.

• ERROR 1393: Tales from the End of the World (One-shot ... ish, PG-13) by JX Valentine

  Nominated by Starlight Aurate

  Captivating, original, and easy to follow with high writing quality.

• Chromatic by [Imaginative]:[Clockwork]

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  While a themed one-shot series isn't a new concept, [Imaginative]:[Clockwork] strives to make each story he tells unique and enjoyable. His entry for this year, Green, does exactly that. It tells the story of a crook couple who try to live a straight life in quiet, 60's-esque suburban Viridian. Or, more accurately, it tells the story of Loretta, the wife of the couple, who does her best to live a quiet life but realizes quickly that you can take a girl out of a city, but there's only so much you can do to take the city out of the girl. And the ending? Absolutely perfect.

• Caging Destruction (Interpretations Spiritual Successor Oneshot) by Umbramatic

  Nominated by Matori

  An interesting exploration of the nature of the Legendaries. It puts them in a context you'd never expect to see and presents a fresh perspective on them.

• A Dragon in Shining Armour [PG-15] (Digimon) by Griff4815

  Nominated by diamondpearl876 and Sidewinder

  Griff4815 has moved on from pokemon to digimon, but has only improved his writing since. This story's specialties are characterization, dialogue, and pacing. Each of his characters has not only an elaborate personality, but also a backstory to show how his characters came to be that way. Dialogue and pacing go kind of hand in hand, as the easy-to-read dialogue immediately can tell you who's talking without speech tags, and generally makes for a faster read. "A Dragon in Shining Armour" also has a lot of scenes that will both make you cheer and make you weep, because the description is that damn good and so are the emotions.

• Shinigami Arcade (Highschool of the Dead) [PG-15] by gorgonfish

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  It's a zombie apocalypse fic in which six dead people (they get better) play a game of who can kill the most undead. That alone is awesome, but the main character does it with a magic raincoat. Just … it's worth it. Believe me.

• Digimon: The Roots of Yggdrasil (PG-13) by Kamotz

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  It's about the epic struggles between godlike Digimon, and it FEELS very epic in its execution. There's a sense of poetry in its attention to detail, a sense of urgency in its politics, and the gods mentioned are treated as GODS, not as Digimon—so, in other words, it's easier to take them seriously because, well, they're gods. All in all, it's surprisingly quite heavy for a Digimon fic.

• Silly Slayers Vignettes by Skiyomi

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  While some vignettes (like the first one eligible for this year) might require SOME knowledge of the Slayers cast, for the most part, these are standalone, highly enjoyable, quick-bite types of reads. One of them involves an erotic bakery. Seriously.

• 9:46 pm by ~Demon Maxwell~

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

• Communication by Sike Saner

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  "Communication" is a combination of barely-used plotlines that really should be used more often. The story starts out with the childhood of Solonn, the main character. Solonn is a wild snorunt who lives in a very, very secluded area. The area is so secluded that Solonn is surprised to see another species (spheal and zubat) when he wanders off one day. He discovers, though, a talent which is neither cliche nor over-powered: the fact that he can copy other peoples' voices AND languages. A glalie from his pack, however, uses him for this talent and eventually gets Solonn caught by a coordinator named Morgan. Solonn's new goal is to participate in contests in exchange for going home, and all the while he's trying to hide his power so that it won't be exploited. Needless to say, things don't go as planned.

• Wandering Storm by Subzero Dragon

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  So take an almost-ordinary guy, his best friend/right-hand catfox, and the most disgruntled legendary shoved into a human form and send them on a journey to find Ho-oh and stop Giratina from going on a rampage, and you have Wandering Storm in a nutshell. It is basically just as much of a recipe for hilarity as you can probably imagine.

• Drowning by Starlight Aurate

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

  A great story that focuses on just how heavy a lot of the things these villainous teams do, even to the people who are part of them.

• Salvage by Negrek

  Nominated by Sidewinder

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

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Pokemon Generations: Satsumi's Journey by Hakajin

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

• Salvage by Negrek

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  Negrek spins Mew and Mewtwo's story in a way I haven't seen before, and the fic doesn't even seem to be anywhere near done. The main character, a child who can steal other peoples' identities, still has so many flaws that prevents that skill from becoming too overpowered or useful. And the way the child can take a dead trainer's pokemon and somehow manage to convert some of them to its side… It takes a certain kind of talent to get away with that. No

• Humans of Hoenn [Images over 500 KB] by Dramatic Melody

  Nominated by Creepychu and Starlight Aurate

  A very interesting choice in format and a rare case of images being used to enhance the story rather than distract from it. Taken on their own, the little exchanges are nothing special, but together they create a surprisingly compelling whole.

  Inspired by Humans of New York, this is quite unlike anything I've seen on the site. It delves into the minds of each person a trainer encounters when journeying across Hoenn, and rather than presenting it as a chronological story, they're all presented as interviews. It really humanizes each NPC that many players probably took for granted and paid little attention to.

• Flying in the Dark by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by Creepychu and Sidewinder

  There are some problems with tone and character voice, but the idea of writing a trainer's journey in the form of an epistolary novel and the subtext reading involved in trying to figure out two characters who both seem to be presenting a false image of themselves to the other still make it well worth a read. The story is on hiatus right now, but hopefully not forever.

• A Leash of Foxes by Cutlerine

  Nominated by JX Valentine and Negrek

  In all the years I've read Pokémon fanfiction, I've never read anything quite like A Leash of Foxes. Besides the fact that it's an interactive fanfiction (which happens but is rarely done in a way that ends with a coherent story), it's also a slightly steampunk Weird Western wherein Pokémon are reimagined as Tim Burton-esque horrors that can and will kill you or at least probably want you dead and the characters are characters indeed, if you know what I mean. If you're the kind of person who likes old school computer games AND Lovecraft, A Leash of Foxes is an enjoyable read.

  It's a wild-west story of old Orre spun as an adventure game and populated by an endless array of strange and delightful characters, cultures and, of course, monsters. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more out-there premise in pokemon fanfiction, and Cutlerine carries it off with aplomb.

• [Interpretations] Built for Risk (unedited) by Venia Silente

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  The reason why I'm nominating this is going to be practically the same reason why you're going to see it pop up again in Expansion of Canon: it's not just unique. It's THOUGHT-OUT with how unique it is. Solvino tackles a subject that doesn't get addressed in fanfiction, and he does it with incredible attention to detail. Even the tiniest things like how the ticket office detects counterfeit money is addressed … and it's addressed with Pokémon. The point is that Solvino not only tackles a subject no one else has thought to touch, but he's thought of all these fascinating uses for Pokémon in order to do it. And it's told through a string of stories, not in a dry, textbook fashion. Bonus points?

• Context Switch by Spiteful Murkrow

  Nominated by Negrek

  This story follows a young programmer brought to Hoenn to work on a wildly popular series of monster-taming video games–a suspiciously familiar-sounding series of monster-taming video games. I don't think I've ever seen a story about a character in the pokemon world working on the pokemon's world of the pokemon games before, and Spiteful Murkrow includes plenty of little details to delight both people who do a bit of coding themselves and people who know a bit about the pokemon games' rocky development history. Definitely one of the fresthest premises I've seen in a long time, and nicely executed as well.

• Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  Sidewinder writes perfect descriptions without going overboard. Sentences flow nicely and structure is varied. Dialogue is always solid, as you can tell who's talking just by the tone of voice or the words they're using. The plot is revealed slowly, so as to leave you guessing rather than info-dumping in the end.

• Salvage by Negrek

  Nominated by Creepychu and Sidewinder

  I started reading Salvage at 9PM thinking I'd just get started a little bit in, only to find that it was 4:20 am when I finally put it down. Add in the fact that I was not the first of Negrek's readers to have this experience, and I think it's fairly obvious to see why I made this nomination. Negrek's prose flows exceptionally well from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph, and chapter to chapter. See for yourself, just…make sure you don't have any pressing appointments left for the day when you do.

• The Progression by Praxiteles

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Trainer fic with experimental twists? Aww yiss. No, but really, almost every scene is told in literally a different style, yet somehow, it works.

• Rally Interpretation 2 by The Teller

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  One of the fun things about this fic is the combination of what it sets out to do with how it tries to do it. This is a story about grunts of the canon evil organizations looking to join up with their respective teams, yet it doesn't try to make each cause seem sympathetic, nor does it try to Draco-in-Leather-Pants the evil organizations (read: make them seem awesome and amazing). Each vignette carries with it a separate voice, some of which resonate rather strongly and capture the general essence of what their respective evil teams are about. In short, no frills. Just individual characters shaping individual stories.

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

  Nominated by Starlight Aurate

  The Great Butler has incredible skill with writing. He always manages the perfect blend of description with dialogue and action, so that the reader can easily visualize the scene with details but not get too caught up in the description so they forget what's going on.

• The Master Ball Conspiracy (#FFFriday) by Ash_Junior

  Nominated by Sike Saner

  This is the Cherry Dr Pepper of writing styles: amazingly smooth.

• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Overthrown by Knightfall

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Operation: Saltus Valley by Knightfall

  Nominated by diamondpearl876 and Sidewinder

  Admittedly, I haven't read a lot of Knightfall's work. What I have read, however… Let's just say that I literally want to quote everything and make a comment about it. This story particularly shows Knightfall's skill with words. He has great command of the English language. All scenes are vivid, as if he were inside the PMD universe himself when writing this story. Though he goes overboard sometimes, more is always better than too little.

• Conflagration: The Tale of the Burned Tower by CHeSHiRe-CaT

  Nominated by JX Valentine

• The Master Ball Conspiracy (#FFFriday) by Ash_Junior

  Nominated by JX Valentine

• A Leash of Foxes by Cutlerine

  Nominated by JX Valentine, Creepychu and Sidewinder

  Slightly steampunk Weird West version of Orre inhabited by Pokémon as designed by Tim Burton. I'm pretty sure nothing gets better than that.

  For all the interesting characters, fluent prose and experimental story elements going on, it still really is the region itself that feels like the star of the show here. There are countless tiny glimpses of fascinating setting details strewn in as passing remarks throughout the story, all of which could easily serve as cores to stories of their own, which come together to create this sense of a region that's far grander and more fascinating than just a backdrop for the story taking place in it. Considering how grand and fascinating said story already is, that's saying a lot.

• ERROR 1393: Tales from the End of the World (One-shot ... ish, PG-13) by JX Valentine

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

  It takes the concept of world building - or rather, world ending- to a whole other level. It's almost as if the setting is its own character, and it's fascinating to see its destruction. It's a very refreshing take on Hoenn, and how it integrates the setting to the more meta aspects of the game is really cool.

• The Origin of Storms by Sike Saner

  Nominated by Negrek

  The Origin of Storms takes place in a freshly post-human world, where pokemon inhabit the cities and use the technology humans left behind while they try to cope with the species' sudden loss. It's a post-apocalyptic setting that's not so apocalyptic and full of wonderful little inventions like a car modded so that a snorunt can drive it and a psychiatric hospital for pokemon, full of everything from psychic therapists who can read their clients' minds to heavy-duty containment systems for patients who have trouble controlling themselves.

• Fairy Tale by bobandbill

  Nominated by TheCharredDragon

• The Quest for the Legends, now with its ILCOETH revision! by Dragonfree

  Nominated by Sidewinder

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

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  I really cannot think of anyone who can handle anime characters the way The Great Butler can. He stays true to the personalities his characters were originally given and expands them in a way that makes you wish the anime writers could write half as good as he can. He scrutinizes every bit of canon (mythological stories, Team Rocket's minor characters and backgrounds, etc) and takes from it what he can so that his story can be as in-depth and powerful as it can possibly be.

• Drowning by Starlight Aurate

  Nominated by Cutlerine

  Team Aqua and Team Magma! Everyone's favourite oddball ecoterrorists. It's a pleasure to see the world through the eyes of a grunt, especially one from a more overlooked team, and put a different perspective on the Hoenn conflict.

• Roots // PG-13 by Mrs. Lovett

  Nominated by Creepychu

  It really isn't common for a fanfic interpretation to make me stop and reconsider my views on the canon it's interpreting, but this one actually pulled it off. My first run through Pearl left me quite lukewarm to Sinnoh as game regions go, but seeing the various expansions and interpretations of the towns and people in Roots actually motivated me dust off my old game, give it another shot and realize that there were a lot of interesting stuff buried among all those gimmicky mini-games, poorly dated 3-D graphics and horrid load times. Add in all the period-based details, as well as various interesting interpretations of what pokémon training would have been like before it became the organized and well-documented field it is in established canon and there's definitely a lot to recommend.

• [Interpretations] Built for Risk (unedited) by Venia Silente

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Yeeeep, like I said under most unique, what's really pleasing about this fic is it tackles a subject no one else has thought to cover: how league stadiums work. But in doing so, it also covers Pokémon and how their various abilities might be used by humans, not to mention the entire Pokémon-human relationship in general. It certainly gives you a lot to think about for the next time you see a battling arena in the anime or enter one in the games.

• Fairy Tale by bobandbill

  Nominated by JX Valentine and TheCharredDragon

  Hey, you ever wonder what happens within the Pokémon universe whenever a new type or feature is added? Apparently, mass panic. In typical bobandbill style, this fic answers the thing that every fic writer tries to tackle (reconciling canon updates and retcons) in the best way bobandbill can (via half-meta shenanigans).

• Humans of Hoenn [Images over 500 KB] by Dramatic Melody

  Nominated by Negrek

  "Humans of Hoenn" is a story that gives a voice to Hoenn's NPC's, both minor and major. The story explores what it means to be a trainer for people from all walks of life, from kids just starting out with their pokemon to veterans reflecting on years in the business to members of Hoenn's evil teams. It's really a collection of many different stories that happen to intersect through Brendan's journey, and it gives real life and history to characters who may only get a single, throwaway line of dialogue in the games themselves.

• Rally Interpretation 2 by The Teller

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

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

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  The Great Butler's character cast is so large and yet he handles them with jealousy-inducing ease. Since the cast is so large, it goes without saying that he has to break up each chapter into smaller, individual scenes, but even that doesn't stop him. Every character in every scene is fully explored and serves some sort of purpose toward character development.

• Roots // PG-13 by Mrs. Lovett

  Nominated by Creepychu

  Character development really is where this story gets to shine. The characterization in Roots is refreshingly even-handed, focusing more on presenting the characters as fallible people with both strengths and weaknesses than on judging them one way or the other, and almost all of them grow and change as the story progresses.The changes are also believably gradual, Michael's development in particular really showing the struggle between the better side of his personality and his ingrained habits.

• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Reflecting Balance by DarkerShining

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Journal by pokenutter

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Brothers' Bond (PG-13) by Sid87

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Chromatic by [Imaginative]:[Clockwork]

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Green is 100% all about Loretta, but from start to finish, she's perfectly executed as a character. Yeah, she might seem a little like a cartoonish mob doll, but that's kinda the point, especially when put in contrast to the Stepford-esque ladies of Viridian. And Eddie is so delightfully strong and silent that it only highlights the ending all the more.

• [Interpretations] Built for Risk (unedited) by Venia Silente

  Nominated by Negrek

• Lona and Ted, Roots // PG-13 by Mrs. Lovett

  Nominated by Creepychu and JX Valentine

  Very sweet and understated. I've always had a soft spot for character relationships that are built up across several short scenes and mostly only shown through little details and this one definitely fits the bill. I'm not normally the kind to get invested in pairing up characters like this, but seeing these two actually have their meeting really did strike a chord.

  I've tried to make it my policy to not nominate anyone who's already been nominated for variety's sake, but I just can't help myself with this one. This entire relationship gave Lona's storyline a much-needed happy ending, so I'm completely unashamed of saying I ship it.

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

  Nominated by diamondpearl876 and Sidewinder

  Matt and Nekou's relationship is extremely unhealthy, yet you can't help but cheer them on. Both of them are searching for a better purpose in life. Both of them have terrifying pasts that they only feel comfortable sharing with each other. They use each other to make themselves think they have some kind of support system, but as a reader you know that they only serve to make each other more miserable.

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

  Nominated by Creepychu

  The standout character interaction in a story full to bursting with great character interactions. Henry starts out almost completely unable to stand up for himself, while Michael is always the one with the plan and the confidence to execute it, but as the story progresses, the power dynamic between them starts shifting bit by bit. Henry grows more confident and capable from his experiences while Michael becomes more conflicted and starts running into limits he can't break through on talent alone, and suddenly the borders between them are a lot less clean cut. It's a very well-written friendship, with a satisfying character arc for both sides.

• (the great) Nathaniel Morgan and the Child, Salvage by Negrek

  Nominated by Creepychu

  A relationship between two characters who are likely never going to see eye to eye on everything (or anything). Nate's confrontational attitude and love of sarcasm and the child's short temper and inability to read between the lines make them both exceptionally good at getting under each others' skin and the results are always amusing to read.

• Jake and Jade, Wandering Storm by Subzero Dragon

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  I love it when you have a pair of characters who snark at each other, ngl. Jake and Jade have a trainer-Pokémon relationship, but honestly, it feels like a natural relationship between two friends who have known each other for so long that they tease each other like a married couple. It's like the kind of relationship where you tell your best friend EXACTLY what they look like when they're drunk, and it's absolutely enjoyable to watch. In part because one of the friends happens to be a telekinetic catdogfox … thing.

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

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  This relationship will probably not stop being a highlight to this fic for me anytime soon. It's very clear that they care about each other, sometimes even going to the point of wanting to die for one another. (And sometimes to the point of LITERALLY nearly dying for one another.) Yet at the same time, they have this kind of level of dysfunction about them, where you're not sure WHAT they are to each other—whether they hate each other, are growing estranged, like each other on a decidedly not brother-sister level, what-have-you. It's all kinds of messed up and complicated, and it makes them both more developed human beings.

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

  Nominated by Negrek

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

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Even its last chapter ended on a flipping cliffhanger involving mass destruction.

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

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Salvage by Negrek

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Heart Like A Stone (Flare spoilers, minor gore, minor PerfectWorldshipping) by Blackjack Gabbiani

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

  The narrator's recounting of the events is uncomfortably nonchalant, especially when the heaviness of these events are taken into account. But then you get to that ending, and you're punched right in the gut.

• Felix by Brutaka

  Nominated by TheCharredDragon

• Brothers' Bond (PG-13) by Sid87

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• The Progression by Praxiteles

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  I find the fact that Praxiteles obviously gives precisely zero [insert expletive here] about standard trainer fic procedures very refreshing. As in, The Progression reads a lot like a Hoenn playthrough at first glance, but it progressively gets more experimental and self-referential to the point where Prax straight-up quotes the script in a "preview of an upcoming chapter." No, I mean, Prax literally went, "I haven't finished this part of the fic yet, but here, have the in-game text." And it's done deliberately, not as a stroke of laziness. And besides that, it's not unusual to come across scenes that are deliberately told only through dialogue or only through fragmented images or as a one-sided conversation. Putting it another way, if trainer fics were art, you might encounter a lot of Norman Rockwells or Rembrandts. Maybe even a Picasso or Degas. The Progression? Is a Warhol. (Or maybe I'm overthinking it.)

• Roots // PG-13 by Mrs. Lovett

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  But if traditional trainer fics IS your cuppa, then Roots is a very enjoyable read. As a trainer fic, it does an incredible job at not only telling the story of two boys setting out on a life-changing journey but also the story of training itself. As in, Mrs. Lovett isn't afraid to talk about the red tape, the constant training, multiple gym battles, and all kinds of other things other trainer fics might gloss over for fear of getting too repetitive. Yet Roots finds ways of making each battle unique, of having each moment add to the overall story. And as for the characters and their journey, it's difficult to not want to root for Michael or to not see how he grows up. Roots is basically a coming-of-age story with Pokémon, and it's got a lot of spirit to boot.

• in (and around) old gyms by Quackerdrill

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

  How the author explores the pressure of being a gym leader to the main character is really good, and it puts Carly in a very interesting point in her journey. Though the casualness of the entire story hinders the execution at times, it really helps in making Carly's problems feel very real and relateable.

• Indigo by gorgonfish

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

  As a journeyfic, it's very well-written, and the events of Red's journey are presented very smoothly. But then you get these interesting and hilarious inserts of significant game NPCs chatting with each other, and you connect it with how the fic is introduced as something that approaches seemingly minor things in the Pokemon world as conspiracies, and you have a really interesting spin on the Kanto journey.

• Brothers' Bond (PG-13) by Sid87

  Nominated by Negrek

• The Quest for the Legends, now with its ILCOETH revision! by Dragonfree

  Nominated by Sidewinder

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

  Nominated by Sidewinder

No nominations have been made for this award.

• But Thou Must! by VoltTacklingPika

  Nominated by Creepychu

  An interesting spin on a very well-worn premise for pokémon comedyfics. While the story starts with the normal lampooning of the stilted writing in the games (XY in this case), that aspect of the story quickly takes a backseat to the far more interesting struggle between a chosen one who wants nothing to do with his assigned role and the nebulous entity directing the plot of his journey. The various ways Calem attempts to exploit the rules of the world he is stuck in and the ways his opponent tries to bring him back into line help both with keeping the story fresh and the stakes relevant where your average comedyfic often falls short on both fronts. The thread has unfortunately been without updates for a while, but it's still well worth a look.

• Fairy Tale by bobandbill

  Nominated by JX Valentine and TheCharredDragon

  You know how that one dude in Avatar who always yells "MY CABBAGES" is always 100% hilarious? The cast of this entire fic is a little like that guy, only instead of "MY CABBAGES," it's more like "MY CLEFAIRY" and "MY ROM HACK."

• Deep Space by yugoslavia

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Ghetsis arrives at Team Galactic HQ to help with their "energy issues." Shenanigans ensue.

• Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by gorgonfish and Sidewinder

• Destiny's Forge by Agent Tectonic

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Operation: Saltus Valley by Knightfall

  Nominated by TheCharredDragon

• I'm Cold and I Want to Go Home by Keysmash

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  It's a PMD fic told in second person, and that's just about as amazing a concept as it sounds.

• re: A Vulpix Tail by Brutaka

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Admittedly, I'm in love with fics that break tradition, and A Vulpix Tail does a wonderful job of that by being literally a reverse PMD fic. Unlike most PMD fics, AVT takes a Pokémon from a world inhabited purely by them, changes her into a human, and throws her into a strange world where Pokémon happily coexist with mankind. In doing so, it also comments on how silly the PMD genre can get. As in, wandering around, amnesiac, and clearly claiming to be something else? In this fic, that means you're automatically assumed to be drunk. It's beautiful.

• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Reflecting Balance by DarkerShining

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Journal by pokenutter

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Operation: Saltus Valley by Knightfall

  Nominated by Sike Saner

  Achieves two of the (arguably) highest goals a side story can achieve: standing nicely on its own, and making you want to check out the rest of its universe.

• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Broken Ideals by SableVulpi

  Nominated by TheCharredDragon

• Pokémon: Convergence by PhalanxSigil

  Nominated by TheCharredDragon

• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Overthrown by Knightfall

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Boundary by Riarra

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Set in a Unova devoid of people, Boundary tells the tale of a Gothorita who takes it upon himself to escort the ghost girl (think Strange House and Marvelous Bridge) on her journey to return the Lunar Wing. There's a sense of loneliness in its prose that highlights both the Gothorita's sense of duty to the girl and the journey their both on, and if there's any downside that I can think of, it's the fact that there's currently only one chapter.

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

  Nominated by JX Valentine

• The Origin of Storms by Sike Saner

  Nominated by Negrek

• Communication by Sike Saner

  Nominated by Negrek

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

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Survival Project (PG-13) by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Tales From The PokeDex by Sid87

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

• Reflection (oneshot, PG) by Matori

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  This fic is about Giovanni and his reaction to the anime episode in which he tries to steal Meloetta's power using the reveal glass. From what I've seen of Giovanni, he's very smug. He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it. He won't accept anything less. But in the anime episode, you see him lose a grip of reality just for a moment. Matori takes that moment and expands on it with such grace that it makes you shake your head at the anime writers for wasting such a chance at character development.

• Indigo by gorgonfish

  Nominated by Creepychu and JX Valentine

  I wrestled for quite a while with whether I should nominate this for canon character-centric or trainer fic, but in the end, fleshing out its cast of canon characters is where this story really shines. Each canon character has their own distinct personality clearly distinct from their normal canon portrayal but never so far removed that they become unrecognizable as who they are supposed to be. Particular credit goes to the portrayal of Red and Blue, who - in contradiction to the way they are usually treated in fanfiction - definitely act like the bratty children they canonically are. Throw in the dark rumblings of a wider plot advancing alongside the children's journey and the narration of Red's older self trying to set the record of his story straight, with all the tangents and side-remarks you might expect, and you have a thoroughly entertaining story that is well worth your time.

  Seconding Creepychu to add my own thoughts to the matter, but Indigo is a fairly … unique take on the standard "retelling of the game" kinds of fics. As in, for starters, literally the first thing you're told is that this entire story follows the journey of Red … and that it's riddled with conspiracies and you shouldn't trust anyone. But from there, each character is given their own unique twist, and Red himself offers up wonderful, wonderful commentary, which all adds up to the fact that this whole shebang is one long conga line of fascinating, occupied purely by the characters we all know, love, and are told we probably shouldn't trust with children.

• Heart Like A Stone (Flare spoilers, minor gore, minor PerfectWorldshipping) by Blackjack Gabbiani

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

• Dorian, Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  Dorian is endearing, though he has his faults. He's a borderline alcohol with quite a mouth on him, and his impulsive tendencies get him into more trouble than you can imagine, but he's determined to get what he wants and that has to be admired. What I especially like about him is that he does things not only for others (his sister, his pokemon, etc), but he also does things for himself. A character who doesn't give up his life/goals/etc just to make another person happy is a favorite character of mine.

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

  Nominated by diamondpearl876 and Sidewinder

  Nekou is… a ferocious character, to say the least. She cares about others, but when it comes right down to it, everything revolves around her. She drinks to drown her sorrows. She yells and swears at anyone who gets in her way. She has a terrible past that she'd rather forget, but can't, so she tries to get support from people who are supposed to be her enemies. And to top it all off, she's with her group of friends on an undercover mission, which only adds to her complexity.

• Calem, But Thou Must! by VoltTacklingPika

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  To put it in short, Calem is the everyman. He's not a slacker, he's not lazy, he has no other reason for not going on a journey besides, you know, the fact that he doesn't want to go. But he's stuck in a situation where a mysterious force drives him forward, and he copes with that the best way he can: by snarking relentlessly about it. In other words, Calem himself forms a perfect commentary to the actual canon. While the events of X and Y try to force themselves on him, he pushes right on through, pointing out just how tiring or unusual this all could be if he was a willing participant in it. A refreshing change to the normal protagonist in a trainer fic.

• Loretta, Chromatic by [Imaginative]:[Clockwork]

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

  Loretta's a very multifaceted character. In a short amount of space, the author manages to present her ambitions, dreams, and goals, alongside her doubts, worries, and insecurities, all in a very smooth and realistic way. She feels very human, and that's why she works so well as the central character of "Green."

• Bill, Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Mark, The Quest for the Legends, now with its ILCOETH revision! by Dragonfree

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Child, Salvage by Negrek

  Nominated by diamondpearl876, Creepychu and Sidewinder

  …The main character has no name, which makes things confusing at times, but it doesn't distract from the character as a whole. The child would love nothing more than to have a purpose in life–its own purpose, and not one constructed by someone else's life. The child struggles hard to be like someone else for the sake of its goals, but is always brought down by its original personality. When two or more personalities collide, the results are never pretty.

  Quite possibly the most endearing sociopathic abomination of nature I've ever had the pleasure of reading about, the child's characterization walks a tricky line between impressionable child and inhuman monster and somehow manages to never quite let one overpower the other. It really is amazing how far a little childishness and humanization can go to smooth over complete and utter disregard for other living beings, identity theft, robbing of the dead, and gratuitous use of violence and supernatural power to resolve one's differences.

• April, re: Through the Thunder and the Lightning by Brutaka

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  She's got style. She's got grace. She can take out an entire group of Pokémon while maintaining her absolute adorableness. These things don't rhyme, and I don't care.

• Esaax Evergray, The Origin of Storms by Sike Saner

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Esaax is really someone you want to root for from page one of this fic. He's almost down-to-earth, matter-of-fact, maybe even a little too literal … and then the evolution happens. And then he gets REALLY interesting. Point is, Esaax is a character who spends most of the fic struggling with the things that happen to him, and it's because of him that this fic gets to be as interesting as it is.

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

  Nominated by gorgonfish

• Lona, Roots // PG-13 by Mrs. Lovett

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  For a gym leader in a trainer fic, you get a surprising amount of detail out of Lona … and a beautiful amount of character development. You want to hate her at first, just like Michael wants to hate her, but as you learn more about her and how she views her position, you sympathize with her more and more until you just want her to be happy. Her entire arc is beautifully done and ends on a hopeful enough note that you just feel GOOD having met her.

• Eddie, Chromatic by [Imaginative]:[Clockwork]

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

• Raichu, re: Through the Thunder and the Lightning by Brutaka

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Sure, jealous boyfriends aren't exactly anything new, but the way Raichu made his entrance, by barging in and possessively questioning anyone remotely interested in April, shows he knows how to make a lasting impression.

• Syr, The Origin of Storms by Sike Saner

  Nominated by Negrek

  He might be a twelve-foot-long strangelsnake of death, but in truth Syr's a real softie, more concerned with the well-being of his friends than anything else. His gentle nature doesn't preclude him from taking charge when he needs to, though, and he's a strong foil for the story's protagonist. Probably the most adorable arbok I've seen in fanfic, and an interpretation that's both consistent with his canon background and reveals new facets of his character.

• Kephi, love and other nightmares by diamondpearl876

  Nominated by Negrek

  A literally venomous companion, Kephi never gives his trainer a shred of peace. His cranky antics and the headaches they cause for his trainer are always a delight to watch, and there have been plenty of hints that there's more to this bug than meets the eye.

• Adam, Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by gorgonfish and Sidewinder

• Alakazam, Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by Sike Saner

  Torn between his loyalty to Ethan and his own conscience, Alakazam has one of the most interesting storylines in the entire fic. You'll want to keep reading to find out which half of his heart–if either–he ends up following.

• Sir, Operation: Saltus Valley by Knightfall

  Nominated by TheCharredDragon

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

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Ethan, Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Nominated by gorgonfish

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

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Yeah, I think we all knew the kings were going to pull something along the lines of what they did, but the build-up to the end was fantastically done. Like, "clearly evil but also operating on a different moral plane" evil. It's just that at the same time, they were terrifyingly powerful and godlike, and one has to wonder how Dorian and the crew plan on tackling them in Shatterpoint.

• Ixodida, Anima Ex Machina: REBOOT by JX Valentine

  Nominated by gorgonfish

No nominations have been made for this award.

• Celio (dx_clear), Indigo by gorgonfish

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  I might just be biased, but this has to be the most hilarious interpretation of a canon character I've seen outside of an actual comedy fic. Celio functions as a wonderful foil to the straight-laced characters he interacts with. As in, he's crass, snarky, and perfectly willing to blackmail Bill for hacking into his account. But mostly, he's crass and snarky, and it's wonderful.

• Whitney, Fairy Tale by bobandbill

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

  If her scene in the "Funniest Scene" category doesn't explain it, I don't know what will.

• Communication by Sike Saner

  As Solonn made his way through the warren, he tried very hard to ignore the person following him. True, the last zubat he'd encountered had been rather hostile, but at least she had also been relatively quiet. This zubat, on the other hand…
  
  “Wow! This place is so weird!” the zubat chittered, rattling on and on and on. “But it’s still pretty cool, though! Super cool! …And super cold. Brrr! I don’t like the cold. No, I sure don’t like it. Of course, for that matter, I don’t really like the sun, either… But that’s okay, cause I still like you! And that’s cause you’re helping me get out of here! What a pal!” he squealed.
  
  Solonn cringed. He reminded himself that he was doing the right thing by aiding this creature… or tried to remind himself of that, but the zubat’s voice seemed to be trying its hardest to destroy his mind.
  
  The zubat got right in his face—again. “Name’s Zyrzir, by the way,” the zubat said.
  
  Solonn knew that already. Zyrzir had already introduced himself six times since leaving the snowgrounds.
  
  “So, what’s your name? Huh? Huh? Huh?” Zyrzir asked as he resumed following behind the snorunt.
  
  “Mr. Ice Beam,” Solonn said, utterly deadpan.
  
  “Hey… that’s not what you said last time!” Zyrzir said with a frown. “Last time, you said your name was Mr. Bitey! The time before that, you said your name was Mr. Snowball! And all the times before that, you didn’t say anything at all, as if you didn’t have a name, and that was your answer! Why won’t you just please cooperate and tell me what your real name is, huh?” Zyrzir whined.
  
  Because you are annoying me to death, and I am trying to ignore you so my brain doesn’t explode! Solonn thought.

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  Because "Mr. Ice Beam" as a real name in a fic would just about kill me. Bonus points for this being an important scene towards the plot.

• Fairy Tale by bobandbill

  “Again, I don’t have a clue. We’ve been given a name for this typing by the League, but-” The nurse was interrupted by the door slamming open with a loud bang, accompanied by a pink-haired girl who charged in bawling her eyes out.
  
  “She’s been changed!” she yelled, waving a Clefairy at the nurse. Sam took a step away from her and looked at Brooke and Elliot with a raised eyebrow.
  
  “That’s Whitney. She’s the Gym Leader of Goldenrod,” Brooke said. “She gets… emotional.”
  
  “It’s different now! It’s a Fairy type, I know it!” Whitney was now jumping frantically. The Pokémon Centre door shook with each stomp she made, until a Chansey waddled up and stabbed her with a large tranquiliser. She slumped to the floor, while the Clefairy happily waved at the Chansey. The Chansey ignored it and looked at the nurse, as if to ask if she should inject the Clefairy as well.
  
  “Right, let’s take a look at you then,” the nurse said, scooping up the small Pokémon. Sam stared at the unconscious gym leader.
  
  “Oh, she’s very energetic sometimes.” She took the tranquiliser away from the Chansey and petted it on the head. “Too energetic. That’s why we have…” she trailed off as Whitney rose to her feet and stretched out her arms. Sam took a few more slow steps towards the door.
  
  “But that should have been enough to knock out a Donphan,” the nurse whispered.
  
  “I’m much too upset about this for that!” Whitney said, stomping a foot. “Something went and changed my Clefairy! It’s a Fairy type!” She began to sob again, but a bit less violently this time, an indication that the tranquiliser was having at least some effect.

  Nominated by JX Valentine

• Deep Space by yugoslavia

  The doors pulled apart with a loud whine. Inside, the hall opened up into a massive warehouse, filled with rows and rows of perfect conical steel devices Ghetsis stared oddly at. One at the far end had several grunts in HAZMAT suits inspecting an open panel on the cone.
  
  "I'm unfamiliar with these devices. What are they?" asked Ghetsis.
  
  "The complete collection of live Galactic Bombs, assembled and armed."
  
  Ghetsis gave Saturn a complicated look, rubbing his forehead. "This wasn't the energy proposal I was invited to hear. I don't associate 'bomb' with electrical power."

  Nominated by JX Valentine

• Salvage by Negrek

  Chapter 13:
  The child's memories are fragmented things, moments here and there connected by no more than confusion and a sense of creeping dread, but the pokémon's are just incoherent tatters. She hangs suspended in a haze of nightmare and delirium, and you can make out only a horrible sense of restraint, a heaviness of limbs and mind that leaves her too weak to concentrate and consider the swelling wrongness growing beneath it all. She spends scant waking hours in terror of hallucinations that turn the mirrors of others' minds dark and disjointed, so senses no longer line up and reality distorts along manifold planes.
  
  By the time she realizes she's pregnant, impossibly, grotesquely so, it's too late. She's aware of a new mind taking shape inside her, but it's growing wrong, taking on a form she doesn't recognize. She tries to guide its budding awareness the way a mother should, tries to mold it back into the right shape, but her confused reaching only makes things worse, when she even has the strength to try. As the alien mind stirs inside her, scared and horribly alone, she grows more anxious and her attempts at contact become more desperate. And as her agitation increases, the drugs get stronger, until all the rest is lost in a gray blanket of unawareness.

  Nominated by Starlight Aurate

• Tales From The PokeDex by Sid87

  The next day, Ian barely had the will to move. He was too busy staring at the four cacti. They stood just a few dozen yards from where he had awoken. There was still no sight of the plane wreckage, and since he had begun to rest for the night before the sun went down, he knew they weren’t there the previous day. He thought he noticed one of them move slightly, but immediately wrote it off; he had always imagined that desert mirages were just something from childhood cartoons—not unlike quicksand or falling anvils—but the omnipresent cacti had convinced him otherwise. He wanted to shout at them; to let them know that he knew they were just a figment of his imagination trying to defeat his will to live, but he found he didn’t have the strength even for that.
  
  The third day progressed much like the second, only more slowly. The pain in Ian’s right knee assaulted him with every unsteady step he made in the sand, and his dehydrated body had little strength left for another all-day push. Ian’s dry gasps scraped his battered throat. Each passing dune that showed only more outstretched desert beyond was met with less disappointment and despair and more realized expectations.
  
  With hours to go still before the sun was fully set, Ian knew he needed to stop. The travel was taking too much out of him. He fell forward to his knees and began slowly pushing away enough sand to rest in. He promised himself he would get enough sleep that night to be fully rested for the next day so he could journey on for longer. He vowed that after a good night’s sleep, he would refuse to stop until he found signs of life.
  
  Just a few feet behind Ian, the four cactus creatures watched him make his bed for the night. Their heads turned, and with hungry yellow eyes, communicated what they each already knew. This stranger in their home was far too weak by this point to mount any resistance. He would be theirs that night.
  
  Ian Barth’s body was not recovered with the wreckage of Rustboro Air flight eight-thirty-two. He was never heard from again.

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

  How the author manages to make Cacturne even more frightening than they already are amazes me. And the Cacturne don't even have that many lines focused on them in the whole story!

• Salvage by Negrek

  "You grit your teeth. Not helpful! No one could call this 'helping.' You walk faster, hurrying through growing shadows, walk until the warm circle of firelight takes you in. You manage a face-tightening smile at the enthusiasm that greets the arrival of food. The team digs in, all save one. You think you're the only one who notices that, for the first time in her life, Rats is late for dinner."

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  The child's personality shines through here, and it's particularly heartbreaking to see that its team literally just isn't there for it at all. Some are eating, ignoring its distress, and Rats just doesn't show up at all.

• Pokemon Generations: Satsumi's Journey by Hakajin

  I knew something was wrong when he didn’t come home for my birthday. My mom said it was nothing: “Maybe he just forgot what day it is; you know how absent-minded your dad can be”– but I could tell she was only trying to make me feel better. She pretended that everything was fine, that there was nothing wrong with sitting at a table for two at my favorite restaurant, or with putting a third of my cake back in the fridge, or with actually being able to hear the funny parts of my favorite movie because no one was laughing too loud. Did she think I didn’t notice that her smile was too wide, her voice was too high-pitched and bubbly, or that she kept turning her face away so I wouldn’t see her worried expression? I kept glancing at her while we watched the movie– no, not watched– my mom’s eyes were glued to the TV screen, but she was staring straight through it.
  
  But I pretended, too. My mom was trying so hard to make me happy, and I didn’t want to make her worry about me. So I told her that she was right, maybe something came up; maybe he got so busy he lost track of time. I could almost believe it myself– he really was absent-minded, just like my mom said. He’d forgotten her birthday a few years before; boy, she’d really let him have it for that.

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

  The fact that these are the first two paragraphs of the entire fic makes this scene even more amazing. This sets up the entire plot so well, and right at the start, you already get a sense of how painful the situation is for the characters.

• The Broken One [One Shot] by Shurtugal

  "Ash, you got to stop this."
  
  Pikachu and he were at the Pokémon Center, staying in one of the rooms for the night. They had the room all to themselves — they had spare rooms for his companions.
  
  Ash raised his voice. "Pikachu, I don't want to talk about this."
  
  "And you think I do? We need to talk about this. I've let this go for too long, and I can't let it go on any longer."
  
  "Let what go on longer, Pikachu? This journey? Pikachu, you know—"
  
  "What journey, Ash? You keep trying to relive your first journey, but your first journey is over, no matter how much you don't want it to be."
  
  "Shut up, Pikachu, shut up!" The room turned deadly silent. "Pikachu, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."
  
  Pikachu closed his eyes. "I know you didn't mean to, Ash. I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry I've let this go on for so long. You keep replacing our team. Every year you replace us… Squirtle for Totodile… Charizard for Infernape… Pigeot for Fletchling… how long is it going to be before this isn't 'our' team anymore? How much longer before you replace me?"
  
  "Pikachu, I'd never —!"
  
  "But you already have!" Pikachu glared at Ash. "You've replaced them, and soon enough, you're going to replace me, too. You're even replacing your companions!"
  
  Ash lowered his head. "No, I'm not —"
  
  "What ever happened to Misty? Or Brock? How can you stand being around such young kids?"
  
  "They're not—"
  
  "You're not ten anymore, Ash."
  
  "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Tears swarmed Ash's vision. "Tha-that's not true. I-I am ten… stop trying to tell me I'm not. Take it back."
  
  Pikachu walked over towards the door. "I wish I could, Ash, I wish I could — but I can't. I've been a horrible starter to let things get this far. "
  
  Pikachu started opening the door.
  
  "P-Pikachu? Where are you going?"
  
  "I'm going out for some fresh air. I need a quiet place to sit and think. I-I'm so sorry, Ash, but I care for you… I just don't know how much longer I can let you do this…"
  
  Pikachu walked out of the room, leaving Ash to fend a whirlwind of emotions by himself.

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

  Easily the best scene of the entire story, especially when you take into account what happens right after. There's a lot of conflict raised here, and while at first it may seem overwhelming, it just shows how serious the problem is for both characters.

• Fairy Tale by bobandbill

  Elliot then looked at Brooke. “Alright then, I know how much you want to, so… would you like to go travelling? Together, I mean, through Kanto. I mean, I like our spot in Route 35, but you are right, there is a lot to see out there that I’ll-” Before he could finish Brooke had jumped on him and embraced him in a gleeful hug.
  

  Nominated by Starlight Aurate

  What else is there to say? After an adventure that gave him much more excitement than he had ever wanted, Elliot was still willing to break out of his role and go exploring throughout the Johto region with his friend.

• Chromatic by [Imaginative]:[Clockwork]

  “Honey,” she said tiredly, knocking on the tin door. “Baby, I did somethin’ real bad.” She heard nothing, but that was no surprise, so she continued. “I thought comin’ here would be good for us, y’know? Like, I thought gettin’ away from the city would make us better people. But I just feel worse. And meaner. And madder.” She sunk to the ground, getting dirt on the green dress she hated. Dotty sat next to her.
  
  “I put the ladies to sleep, like I used to do at restaurants. Remember?” She smiled softly and absently rubbed Dotty’s slick leaves with her fingers. “But I didn’t even get nothin’ out of it. I gave all the money to charity,” she said, throwing her hands into the air. “And I don’t even feel good about it.”
  
  She sat quietly for a second, before finally climbing back to her feet. “I’m gonna go make dinner,” she said faintly, after a long sigh. “Sandwiches okay?” Right before she left, the door cracked open, and Eddie peeked out at her from the pitch-black room. She started to ask him if he had heard her, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside, shutting the door quickly behind her.
  
  They were in a tiny curtained area, and once the door was shut and darkness returned, Eddie parted the thick cloth. Loretta gasped.
  
  Bathed in dim red light, four shallow basins filled with different liquids sat on a table. Hanging everywhere on strings attached at various points on the walls were fully developed photographs. Loretta walked slowly, careful not to touch anything, and got closer to one of the photos. She saw that it – and all of the pictures – were from their photoshoot in the Viridian Forest. Her lip quivered, and she felt like her face projected more red than the light bulb.
  
  “Oh, Eddie,” she whispered, placing her hand on her chest. With her other hand, she gently took hold of the photograph, examining it closer. “These are… wait.” She furrowed her brow and plucked the picture out of the clothespin’s grasp. She then quickly shuffled through the curtain and out the door, Eddie close behind. In full daylight, she saw all the details.
  
  “I look awful!” she shouted, letting her arms fall limply at her side at she stared blankly forward. “I look freakin’ terrible,” she mumbled, biting her lip. She turned around and faced Eddie, her mouth still slightly open.
  
  Eddie was slowly approaching her. Before he could wrap her in his arms, however, he giggled.
  
  “You’re… laughing?” Loretta asked, eyes widening. “You think this is funny?” He was laughing even harder now, and his whole body was shaking. “You’re just as mean as those ladies!” she yelled, beginning to smile herself. “The whole reason we moved here,” she said, her nostrils widening as a full-blown grin took over face, “was because I thought green was my color! And look at this!” She waved the photo in his face and grabbed his arm for support as both of them panted for air. “I look like a Nidoking!”
  
  They screamed and collapsed into the grass, holding each other tightly. Loretta buried her face into Eddie’s chest to contain her shrieks of laughter. After several minutes, they both lay down, holding their stomachs.
  
  “I’m sorry, honey,” she mumbled, patting the ground until she found his hand. “I can’t believe I thought this would be a good idea. I just don’t know anymore, y’know? I don’t think havin’ kids is worth livin’ like this..” She scooted closer to him. “I’m startin’ to wonder if bein’ shot in the head in my thirties would be better than dyin’ from boredom when I’m eighty.” He laughed lazily in return, and she rolled over, pushing herself up so she could look him in the eyes.
  
  “Wha’d’ya say, babe? Let’s ditch this place and go back home. We can crash our car runnin’ from the cops. Get in a shootout with a gang. Or we can just keep just keep livin’ forever, you, me, and Dotty, robbin’ banks every day.” As if on cue, the Oddish scampered over. Loretta grinned at her and looked back at her husband with pleading eyes. “It’s your choice. We can even… we can even stay here if you want.”
  
  Eddie looked sternly back at her with a cocked eyebrow. He had spent their entire time in Viridian reading, making friends at work, and relaxing. For the first time in his life, he felt like he had stability. He didn’t have to worry about prison or gun wounds or dying. He was safer than he had ever been. Leaning up, he came face to face with Loretta, who was staring at him nervously. Never smiling, he took a deep breath.
  
  “Let’s get the hell outta here.”

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  The ending of that fic I keep going on about. What's significant about this is that Loretta spends the entirety of the fic trying her best to fit in, and it's here when she realizes the suburban life just isn't for her. And it's here, too, that her husband, the strong and silent Eddie, does the one thing he can to comfort her. For a pair of crooks, this is absolutely adorable.

• A Friday [one-shot] by Dramatic Melody

  Perfect, I thought, as I wrapped my arms around hers.
  
  As I made a knot out of my arms, I could see her brown eyes staring at me, with a mix of wonder and confusion. I could see her hair being blown by the soft wind, with strands both enveloping her bow and resting on her forehead. I could see her mouth slightly quivering at the motions of my arms, perhaps out of feeling tickled.
  
  I had dozed off for a while before I realized that I had a firm grip on her. I turned my back towards her, and I could hear her soft gasp. Taking deep breaths, I readied myself to carry her.
  
  One, two, thr—
  
  Everything suddenly became a blur. The grass dissolved into streaks of green, and the sky became blotches of white and blue. The building was no more than a splash of gray, and the sun was nothing beyond a few dots of yellow.
  
  But what filled my vision was pink. Everything screamed pink, and it felt like pink was embracing every part of my body. I couldn’t see anything but a world of pink, and even when I closed my eyes, my vision was filled by pink.
  
  And then, a halt. And laughter.
  
  “Weeeee! That was fun!” I heard the little girl say in between breaths. “You’re so cute!”
  
  I looked at her, and her appearance had changed. Her hair was now very messy, with blades of grass and chunks of dirt in between her hair. Her forehead had beads of sweat that ran down her cheeks, which had lost some of its rosiness. Her pink clothes were now far from the neat ensemble she wore mere minutes ago.
  
  But her eyes still had the same twinkle, and her lips still donned the same smile.
  
  “I want to keep you! Can I keep you, Drifloon?”
  
  I stared at her blankly, for I didn’t know what to respond. Keep me, like a Pokemon owned by a trainer? I have certainly thought about that possibility more than once, and this wasn’t the first time that a trainer tried to catch me. But as I looked at her and her delicate form, her earnest smile, her pink self, I knew that this was the first time that the feeling was mutual.
  
  She wanted to keep me. I wanted to be kept.
  
  I gave her a smile, which translated to a bigger one in her own face. She immediately ran towards the building, screaming “Daddy! Daddy!” I stayed there, excited at the prospect of being owned by someone I knew I would enjoy spending time with, even if I had only met her that day.
  
  The next time I saw her, it was already sunset, and her smile was replaced by a frown.
  
  She approached me rather slowly, almost as if it was the first time she met me. Her back was slouched, as if she didn’t want to look at me. I could sense that something was bothering her, and that she was about to tell me what it was.
  
  “Daddy says I’m too young to own a Pokemon,” she said slowly.
  
  I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to take her with me, but I knew she wouldn’t be happy about that. And I wanted her to be happy.
  
  “But he did tell me that the wind pattern means that you’ll come again next week,” she said, a hint of positivity showing in her face. “Promise that we’ll play together again next Friday, okay?”
  
  I gave her a smile. She gave me a bigger smile in reply.
  
  “All right, I have to go back inside to help Daddy,” she said as she gave me a tight hug. I watched her pink self walk towards the building, occasionally looking at me to check if I was still there. When she reached her door, she looked at me and gave me a wave, and I waved back.
  
  Maybe next Friday, I thought.

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  A Drifloon tries to steal a child. Ends up doing this instead. Cuteness ensues.

• Pokedex One-Shots (PG) by Ysavvryl

  “I do know that you wouldn’t bring up stuff about life with anyone else,” the Tympole said.
  
  “Yeah, because I know you aren’t going to snap at me for thinking of such weird stuff,” she said. “I sort of like you for that.”
  
  “Only sort of?” he asked.
  
  “Hey, don’t push it!” She looked off into the swamp rather than at him, usually a sign that she’d embarrassed herself. “But anyhow, even if our life went on so that we ended up with this human and each other, things could have been different. He could have used us in battles with other humans and Pokemon; we could’ve been evolved to more powerful forms already.”
  
  “Well it would be nice if I did evolve,” he said. “Then I could know the swamp better and be a more accurate scout.”
  
  The Dragalge sighed. “If you were evolved, we wouldn’t have to be making this swamp trek nearly every day. We could be earning a lot of money and respect as a battle team.”
  
  The Tympole curled his tail’s edges some. “I dunno. I like this. We get to talk to each other a lot and Trainer makes us good meals, then we go back to a nice home every night and sleep out of the weather. If we were a battle team, we’d be in a lot of battles and be resting to heal a lot. We couldn’t talk much then. And Trainer would have to be traveling around so we couldn’t always come back home. And he couldn’t always make us good meals because he wouldn’t have his kitchen. Maybe if it was another life, I wouldn’t mind that, but as this is this life, I would mind it. I’m happy with how things are, being here with you and Trainer every day. Wouldn’t trade this life or you for anything.”

  Nominated by Dramatic Melody

  From the latest entry, "Dragalge and Tympole." What's usually a very heavy subject is approached pretty lightly here, and it's done so in a really sweet way. You could feel the Dragalge getting all mushy after Tympole says that dialogue.

• Shatterpoint (R) by Sidewinder

  This was starting to happen with more and more regularity. In the beginning, the tentacles were stupid. They would literally just float right into Dorian’s shots without trying to get out of the way at all. It had been easy to pick them off, as they would usually spawn a few miles away in the sky and take their time getting to him. Over the last couple months however, they had wised up to Dorian’s weapons and gotten out of the way when he tried to take them out at a distance. Which didn’t make sense to him seeing as they had no visible way to see, but it was happening so he dealt with it.
  
  As the tentacles drew closer they formed themselves into a fifty foot tall heart. Dorian laughed aloud as he plugged in his headphones and began searching for a song. They had tried to communicate with him over the course of their last few attempts, at first forming rudimentary shapes like squares and triangles. The heart was something new however and Dorian sarcastically saluted their attempt to soften his resolve.
  
  “Nice try you fucks!” Dorian yelled, ending the words with a smile.
  
  In response the tentacles straightened themselves into rigid spears and doubled their speed towards him. Dorian found the song he was looking for and pressed play. He deposited the mp3 player into his pocket and reached down to touch his toes. As the tentacles closed to within a hundred yards away he drew his sword with his left hand and his sidearm with his right. Five Finger Death Punch screamed in his ears as he sprinted forward.
  
  “AND THAT’S WHY THEY CALL ME, BAD COMPANY!”
  
  Dorian dove to the ground and rolled as the first pair of tendrils swiped down at him. He came up with a horizontal slash that sank deep into the flesh of one that was too slow to swing away. It exploded into purple light just as another three shot towards him from the left, right and middle. Instead of trying to clip them with his sword, Dorian fell backwards, allowing them to collide with each other.
  
  “I CAN’T DENY! BAAAADDD, BAD COMPANY TILL THE DAY I DIE!”
  
  Dorian raised his pistol and tagged another two before the third swung away. As they exploded into flares of energy he saw a single tentacle racing towards him from the corner of his eye. He rolled left as it dissolved the patch of ground he had just been occupying. As it streaked towards him he swung his sword in a wide arc and destroyed it with a glancing blow to its pointed tip. Only three remained and they shrank back to regroup and assess. They twitched and swung back and forth, as if trying rudimentary sign language.
  
  “UNTIL THE DAY I DIE! UNTIL THE DAY I DIE!”
  
  “Come on!” Dorian roared.
  
  The tentacles shot forward again to impale him, spaced only inches from each other. Dorian ran forward and jumped upwards to meet them. He raised his right hand and fired towards the center of them. As he expected he missed and they spread apart to hit him from three sides, which is exactly what he wanted. He twisted his body to the right and managed to slash all three of them as his left arm came around. Dorian landed on his knees next to his beer. He opened one and drank it warm as the violet light faded from the sky.
  
  Satisfied, Dorian shouldered his pack and his beer. He clicked his heels together as he resumed his trek back towards the house.

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Weird alien hell tentacles? Dorian shooting literally everything that moves? Good to see Shatterpoint promises to be just as violent as its predecessor.

• The Origin of Storms by Sike Saner

  She sent her other hand up to touch the kwazai’s face, caressing it with fingers that shook in spite of her efforts to prevent such. His skin was rubbery and quite smooth. She found it pleasant to the touch, and she tried to focus on how nice it felt rather than on the fear that was steadily overtaking her. It began to work, too. But then Esaax’s head suddenly moved with surprising speed, the jaws snapping harshly. His serrated teeth sank deeply into the meager flesh of her arm.
  
  Madeline screamed in pain. All the love that she’d had for Esaax was gone from her mind now, replaced by pure, primal terror. Knowing that she currently had access to no attacks that could do him any harm and aware that she would likely just get them thrown right back at her at twice the power if she did have any, she tried desperately to free herself from him, but to no avail. Her escape was foiled soundly, not only by Esaax’s sheer physical strength but also by the dark gray aura that flared into being around both pokémon at her attempt to escape, signaling that Esaax had retained his shadow tag ability.
  
  Esaax worried Madeline’s arm in his jaws with shredding teeth and sharp, jerking movements of his neck until the appendage was torn away at the elbow, gruesomely freeing one side of her, drawing more cries of agony. His left hand clutched her right hand even more tightly, and there were several sickening cracks as the bones in his grip yielded to the pressure. His other hand shot forward and slammed into her chest, pinning her to the wall.
  
  Now struggling to breathe, Madeline stared through eyes blurred with tears at the empty space where half of her arm had once been. Then, fearfully, she looked up at Esaax once more. His head was already raised for another strike. Her blood dripped slowly and thickly from his jaws, and she glimpsed a couple of her own fingers protruding from between his teeth before they, along with the rest of her severed limb, disappeared into his mouth and down his very long throat.
  
  It was in that moment that Esaax became aware of something new. He had discovered the presence of a power within him into which he had not yet tapped. He summoned it forth, and it rose up through his spine, radiated out through one arm, and gathered in his hand.
  
  Esaax went ahead and released Madeline, letting her slump to the floor in her wavering consciousness, knowing that she couldn’t escape anyway. He gazed at his hand with curiosity. Energy in a shade of black that he’d never seen before danced in a slow vortex around it with a glow that was intensifying by the second.
  
  He drew that arm back as if he were working an invisible bow. All of his senses focused fully on the bleeding, shaking mr. mime before him. His concentration became heightened to its maximum acuteness. At this range, it was virtually unnecessary to take aim, but he nonetheless sought out the most lethal trajectory for his new weapon.
  
  His arm thrust forward. With a loud, hollow sound, a glowing black beam of incredible intensity exploded from his hand, blasting Madeline point-blank.
  
  At the exact moment that the beam struck Madeline, a horrible, sudden pain hit Esaax like a wrecking ball, taking his breath away. Red light exploded in his vision. His nerves seared excruciatingly for what felt like innumerable seconds, and his head felt as though it were blowing itself apart.
  
  In his suffering, Esaax staggered and fell to the floor. When he rose once more, his mind surfaced from the altered state that it had been in for nearly the entire duration of the time since he’d evolved.
  
  His vision returned in the next moment. He saw blood before him, as well as something black and twisted—a corpse. Something—someone—who, mere moments ago, had been alive—until he had killed her.
  
  Esaax recoiled with a scream, suddenly frantic to be as far away from the scene as possible. His stomach violently expelled its contents. His renewed clarity wouldn’t let him delude himself into believing that this was a nightmare or a hallucination. The scene before his eyes unflinchingly spoke the truth: he had murdered this pokémon. He had tasted her blood. He had eaten her flesh…
  
  A howl of anguish and horror tore its way out through his throat. With fear, confusion, and disgust like none that he had ever known, all directed straight toward himself, Esaax brought his newfound technique to bear on the wall, letting it linger there until a large area of the wall had turned black and disintegrated, and then fled into the night.

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Vicious, gruesome, and that moment when you're left to wonder whether or not Esaax is COMPLETELY gone. Up until this point, we've been given a pretty calculating version of Esaax, but here, he's feral. Feral and violent but also confused. In other words, this scene is full of gore, yeah, but it's such MEANINGFUL gore. And as a standalone murder, it's also well-written and delightfully violent.

• Salvage by Negrek

  End of Chapter 15:
  Now you think you want to move. You try to open your eyes but can't get them to more than watery slits, a bit of graying light coming in through the cracks. You want to run away, but you can't move your legs at all. Your heart starts beating faster as panic floods your brain, but your limbs no more than twitch. Weight rolls in like a heavy fog and smothers your resolve. It really is getting hard to breathe. You try to swallow and choke instead, saliva dribbling from your mouth. Your eyes close again, and you can't get them open.
  
  It's poison. They poisoned you with whatever they put in those darts. They? Someone. You're poisoned. Your thoughts are starting to fall apart, but you try to hold on to one thing, one last thing. Escape. Run. You have to get away from here. You have to heal yourself, get all the poison out. Escape.
  
  It stops raining. The marowak is gone from under you, the bone-numbing ice traded for cold earth and a scattering of jabbing twigs. That's all you know, that's all you can tell, before you fall into a healing stupor and all the rest is lost.

  Nominated by Starlight Aurate

• Requiem (PG-13) by Sidewinder

  Dorian was already out of breath by the time they had ascended the first set of stairs. They had found that the floor of the room they needed to cross was hostile to their intent. He had taken a step forward into the room to have the floor crumble beneath them. So they had adopted a habit of Alakazam levitating them over every room they needed to cross on their way to the top.
  
  Shelton had not let go of his hand since they had ascended the first set of stairs. For the first couple floors he had wanted to break away from her, and he didn’t know why. Some kind of space had opened up between them when she told him about Ethan’s involvement with their parents’ death. It was a space that had no shape or quantification. It was just there but he held on to her hand because it seemed to give her comfort.
  
  They rose through the levels of the towers to eventually arrive at an archway filled with sunlight. The cascaded through and into the open air. Alakazam screamed with his mind and his voice.
  
  A bewildering sight greeted Dorian. Six vaguely humanoid forms were holding Ethan’s head above his body. A small part of him exclaimed with happiness before the larger part cast it aside as he watched what happened next. The six shapes of glowing green dissolved into the air, swirling around Ethan’s levitating head. All at once, the pieces burrowed into Ethan’s exposed neck. A flash of green light issued from Ethan’s body as the last of the flakes disappeared from view.
  
  Alakazam bellowed again as Ethan’s head drifted down to attach itself to his body. Black smoke issued from his neck as the flesh melded itself back together. Ethan shot to his knees, arms held forward. He breathed in, then out, in then out. When he breathed out on the third breath, he exhaled his teeth. They tinkled to the ground, their whiteness a stark contrast to the black of the tower.
  
  “Dorian,” Shelton whispered.
  
  He was about to say something, anything, when Alakazam interrupted by launching a swirling ball of energy at Ethan. The attack connected with his chest and ricocheted into the sky and exploded. Again Alakazam launched an attack but it bounced off Ethan’s body. Ethan looked up at them, his pupils dilated to the edge of his eyes.
  
  Dorian shifted his stance as Ethan rose to his feet and floated into the air. His arms were stretched wide as he floated upwards. He looked down to them, a cruel grin etched across his face.
  
  “Ethan?” Alakazam broadcasted.
  
  “Our name is all,” Ethan responded, his voice a mix of overlapping voices.
  
  Ethan’s skin darkened to black. His torso elongated and his arms instantly tripled in length. His clothes fell away as his body expanded and lengthened, becoming more serpentine. His legs melded together as his head morphed into a more triangular shape. Four fleshy crests broke his skin from behind his neck; two smaller below and two longer above. Interlocking rings of gold traced the length of his snake-like torso as a forked tail took shape at the end of his body. Bigger and bigger he grew as three claws sprouted from each hand and two fangs became visible in his mouth.
  
  Dorian was never a model student. However, he had always been entranced by Pokemon mythology and had no trouble recognizing the creature in front of them. Rayquaza. Lord of the air and all below it. They all took an involuntarily step backwards, except for Alakazam. The legendary Pokemon snaked its reptilian head forward and grasped the plate in its mouth. Raising its head, the Rayquaza swallowed it whole.
  
  The air dragon spun in a quick circle, clawed hands grasping the empty air. Its gaze fell to them. It roared so loudly that Dorian felt like the entire world was breaking apart. The Rayquaza lifted its head; a ball of pulsing white light filling its mouth. Dorian saw Alakazam raise his arms.
  
  The sky dragon’s head jutted forward and released a discharge of energy that Dorian knew would kill them all. The blast of energy halted though, right before it reached them as Alakazam erected a gargantuan pane of energy to halt its movement. He saw the psychic’s body shake and glow as he struggled to hold the attack in place. The shield began to fracture. Wide cracks of white light expanded through its expanse as Alakazam’s hands waved from side to side.
  
  Alakazam turned his head and looked backwards. He glanced at all of them but his gaze focused on Dorian. He breathed in and stared back as Alakazam closed his eyes. The shield of energy shattered and Rayquaza’s attack struck the top of the tower. Dorian saw Alakazam’s body break apart in a scattering of light as the energy detonated.
  
  The shockwave blew all three of them off the tower. A pressure gripped Dorian’s chest as he fell. He focused his eyes down to see a spear of the tower embedded in his chest. Blood trickled into the air as he lightly gripped the shaft of stone. With each beat of his heart, the world around him became sprinkled with blackness. He turned his head to look for his sister but all he saw was the sky.
  
  Another explosion turned his body around to face the water. It greeted him with an azure smile, waves slow and hypnotic. Dorian blinked, more darkness clouding his vision. As shock ravaged his body he saw two shapes streaking towards him from the West. One was pink and one was purple, and they both glowed like heaven itself.
  
  Dorian’s heart thumped loudly one final time then stopped completely. The water below reached out to him, and up above, he heard the air dragon roar.

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Folks, that is the final scene of Requiem. In its entirety. Not sure what else I can say because who else would have the balls to end an entire fic on a note wherein this happens? Needless to say, massive spoilers ensue here?

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

  “That’s why I got you after all,” she said to the Pokégear. “The past is just parts of the future that already happened. I’ll make that future even better than what happened for me before, and I’ll keep every last bit of it. That’s what I’ll do.” - Olivia

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  Olivia's come a long way to be able to say something like that, that's for sure.

• Operation: Saltus Valley by Knightfall

  “Maybe you shall walk the blessed fields again. There be promise in eternity; the world will again be green and bright. If your heart be as pure as your deeds, then you shall go before me. Drink up the new world. Be born anew in its splendor. Treasure everything you see. Be you rested and hale. Take in the golden hue. Maybe, if the legends will it so, I will walk there too…” - Ampharos

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  This fic really makes it look the end of the world is coming and there's not a thing you can do about it. This quote in particular makes you realize the direness of the situation Knightfall's characters are in.

• Flying in the Dark by diamondpearl876

  "Be careful when you think of me. Think rationally, and slowly, and you will come to your own solid conclusions." - Markus

  Nominated by Sike Saner

  Pretty much any person or character could say this, and it'd still be wise.

• JX Valentine

  Nominated by Cutlerine and Starlight Aurate

  What can I say? Jax is surpassingly good. There. That's what I can say.

  As the author of one of the most well-known works on the site, "Anima Ex Machina" as well as the newest mod to the fanfic forum and winner of this year's Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire contest, JX Valentine has been nothing but a great influence and kind presence in Serebii's fanfiction community.

• Negrek

  Nominated by Cutlerine, Creepychu and Sidewinder

  Even a cursory glance at Salvage will confirm that Negrek is a writer to be reckoned with. (Do take that glance with caution. You might get sucked in, and end up reading for far longer than you intended.)

  With excellent characterization, a great sense for balance in tone, and some of the most fluent prose around, there really are very few reasons not to check Negrek's work out. I've gone on about this at some length in related nominations, so suffice to say that the person who's writing consumes the most of my reading and rereading time during the course of the year is definitely someone I consider worth recommending.

• Dragonfree

  Nominated by Starlight Aurate and Sidewinder

  Ever since I've been on the forums, I've known Dragonfree to be one of THE writers of the forum–one of the mods, and one of the most inspiring and talented writers I've ever seen. Her incredible storytelling and writing shows just how experienced she is at writing fanfiction.

• Cutlerine

  Nominated by JX Valentine and Creepychu

  While others may try what Cutlerine does and just comes out pretentious, Cutlerine manages to be a storyteller. And I know that sounds like a backhanded compliment, but what I mean is that Cutlerine's prose is very image-heavy and very intelligent but not in ways that make it clear she's trying to sound philosophical or intellectual. It just actually is philosophical and intellectual, and as such, it doesn't talk down to its readers but rather assumes they're on the same plane. What comes out of that is a heady style that adds to her already imaginative, complex plots full of fascinating, well-rounded characters. And possibly Lovecraftian hellbeasts.

  With a catalog encompassing a wide range of genres, themes, and story structures, the only constant things I can really associate with Cutlerine's writing are fluent prose, vivid description, engrossing worldbuilding, titles that leave me scratching my head in confusion, and some of the most delightfully Lovecraftian adaptions of pokémon around. What's not to recommend, really?

• Sike Saner

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Heeeeeyyyyy, you're technically an established writer, right? In any case, aww yiss, Sike Saner. Being after my own heart, this is. Crafter of delightful characters; weaver of epic, Pokémon-centered plots; possible defiler of Wobbuffet. On a serious note, though, with the (re)publication of both Communication and Origin of Storms, Sike gave us plenty of well-constructed plots and beautifully developed characters to chew on. Her return to the forums is absolutely welcomed, and I for one look forward to seeing more of her work.

• PhalanxSigil

  Nominated by Cutlerine, JX Valentine and Creepychu

  If I were a suspicious sort of person I'd be inclined to disbelieve PhalanxSigil's claim that Pokémon: Convergence is his first ever work of fiction: it reads like the work of someone much more experienced. He's definitely someone to keep an eye on.

  Seconding Cutlerine, only this time, it's to add that Phalanx has a knack for coming up with interesting concepts. His fic, Convergence, offered to bring something new and different to the PMD genre with his main character with a discernible, relevant backstory, and for a first fic, Convergence has so far been a pretty satisfying read. Phalanx has really only one place to go from here, and because he's started out so well, he's definitely worth keeping an eye on.

  To be perfectly honest, I did not have PhalanxSigil pegged as a 'New Writer' until I saw his name on the nominations. There's a sense of confidence to his writing style that I'd normally associate with someone with at least a year or two of prior writing experience. Definitely someone to keep an eye on, not least because he might slip up and reveal his secret back-catalog of earlier fanfiction.

• Kukansis

  Nominated by PhalanxSigil

  I think Kukanis has gone largely under the radar when it comes to writing. I'm including myself in this, as I hadn't read any of his stuff until recently. I'm very glad I did, though, as his story, PMD: Sentience, is a very interesting read. He also listens to his reviews and has improved dramatically in his writing. I think he's someone to watch.

• Griff4815

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  I maintain my nomination from last year. For many years I've seen Griff4815 write the longest, craziest stories and he's asked very little in return. He's taken his betas to heart and has only improved with each piece of critique given to him. Congrats to him this year in particular for finishing his first chaptered fic.

• Cutlerine

  Nominated by JX Valentine, Negrek and PhalanxSigil

  Can we talk about how Cutlerine publishes a full-scale epic every year? Or that she has successfully updated her interactive fic on time every week since late 2013? GDI, Cutlerine.

  Anyone who's tried to run a play-by-post game knows how difficult it can be to keep things rolling, especially when the plot takes an unexpected turn. Cutlerine proved herself just as capable of handling the frequent updates and flexible plotting that such a story requires as she is at writing a more traditional fanfic, and managed to not only finish another novel-length story in a year but keep the quality wonderfully high throughout.

  She did it again! Seriously, how often can you find an author who can write a huge, sprawling narrative in a YEAR?! That's insane to me. Kudos, Cutlerine. Just…kudos.

• The Great Butler

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Y'know, maybe it's not my place to say this, but I know TGB tends to go through a lot. So to see a new update to his fic … it's really watching him push through a lot of odds to do it. And hey, even if that's TOO personal and even if y'all DO need something a bit more substantiative than that, at least let it be known that he's so hardcore dedicated to his fic that he's picked out an anime cast for it.

• FlamingRuby

  Nominated by gorgonfish and Sidewinder

• Dragonfree

  Nominated by Sike Saner

  Do you know how long she's been writing The Quest for the Legends, in one form or another? Very. That's how long. Considering how quickly given-up on most chaptered fics are, that is saying something–something awesome.

• Starlight Aurate

  Nominated by Negrek and Creepychu

  starliteevee's been writing for many years now, and she's been steadily improving throughout. The nominations she's received for this year's awards are a clear testament to how far she's come as an author.

  Seeing a writer improve their technical skills over time is fairly common, but seeing a writer improve not only that but their entire attitude towards writing and the community as a whole is something much rarer and definitely worthy of respect. As even a quick comparison between her writing when she first started on these forums and her work now will tell you, starliteevee has made real, tangible progress on both counts.

• Kukansis

  Nominated by PhalanxSigil

  Look at his description from the beginning of Sentience to where it is now, and tell me that's not improvement.

• Bulba the Great!

  Nominated by Sidewinder

• Hakajin

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  Samples: (diamondpearl876)

  Hakajin could easily write paragraph after paragraph on a specific subject if you're looking for some help.

• Negrek

  Nominated by Starlight Aurate

  Samples: (Starlight Aurate)

  Has been extremely helpful anytime I or any new writer asks for help, but she isn't callous or rude.

• Creepychu

  Nominated by JX Valentine and Negrek

  Samples: (JX Valentine), (Negrek)

  One of the things I find the most handy about Creepychu's reviews is that he discusses things. It's not a simple matter of quote something, say a bit about it, and keep moving on. He definitely analyzes things and talks about what they mean and what the significance of those things is. As such, he leaves you with this impression that not only did he make an effort to understand your story, but also, he did his best to construct advice relevant to you.

  Creepychu always leaves thoughtful and in-depth comments, and they're sensitive to the overall themes of the work as well as nitty-gritty grammar details and sentence-level concerns. In addition to giving stories a good close reading, they provide excellent suggestions for improvement and are happy to field follow-up questions from the people they review.

• Dragonfree

  Nominated by Negrek

  Samples: (Negrek)

  Dragonfree is a fanfic veteran, and it definitely shows in the way she crafts her reviews. She's particularly good at analyzing characters and story structure, and she's great at picking out specific elements of the text that need work as well as suggesting improvements. And in addition to any flaws she finds, she's not hesitant about mentioning things she liked and encouraging authors even when the majority of her comments are critical.

• The Great Butler

  Nominated by diamondpearl876

  Samples: (diamondpearl876)

  "Sorry for the huge delay in getting to this! Rest assured, it's been on my mind the whole time." That quote from The Great Butler about sums it up. He's been there through most of fics and has reviewed every chapter with great depth.

• Hakajin

  Nominated by JX Valentine

  Samples: (JX Valentine)

  Hakajin is definitely one of the names I've seen the most frequently around the forum, and what dp says is true: not only does Hakajin keep up with all the stories she decides to read, but she goes out of her way to leave nothing but helpful reviews wherever she goes.

• diamondpearl876

  Nominated by Negrek

  Samples: (Negrek)

  Well, it's kind of hard to find a single review that really shows "dedication," but you need only check out diamondpearl876's contributions to that thread to see how committed she is to commenting on the 'fics she follows, and there are a lot of those. She's definitely one of the most active reviewers today, and a fine one at that.