FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

[indigo_league]

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Game Info || Team Rocket || Training and Raising || Johto/Kanto || Misc.

Extended FAQ: Rockets | Pokemon | Battles & Pokemon Moves
Non-Player Characters | Items | Travel & Locations | Money & Jobs

This section is for the moderators to answer your questions. If you receive an answer from another player or an anonymous commenter, please ignore it, as it may not be a correct answer. All player questions should go either here or on the Mod Contact page, not on the individual pages.

→G A M E | B A S I C S

Comm/Journal-based? Prose? Action Spam? How can I play?
Victory Road is considered a comm-based roleplay! As such, both posts made by your characters on the PokeComm network and face-to-face interactions between characters will be posted in the same place, in the main comm at victory_road.

How many characters can I play?
Currently, the character limit is set at five (5) per mun. Additionally, one may only play two (2) characters from one series, preferably those without close character relationships, to avoid playercesting. You may also only reserve and/or apply for one character per app cycle. If one wishes to play a sixth, please contact a moderator.


What the hell just happened?!
Good morning! Welcome to the world of pokémon! Your character wakes up in one of two locations: trainers and breeders wake up in New Bark Town, the beginning location of most of the journeys; and Team Rocket Rookies wake up in Goldenrod City, at the Team Rocket Secret Headquarters, in the basement of the Radio Tower. Breeders and Trainers are free to roam around, but Rocket grunts must spend their first two weeks learning the ropes. (Note: they can make posts during this time! They just need to avoid mentioning the whole 'oh, woops, I'm a Rocket!' bit. See below for more details.)

As Trainers collect badges and Breeders collect eggs, Rocketeers will collect all your rare pokémon. Please see the premise for more in-depth details. Note: your character does not need to be placed as a breeder, trainer, or grunt from personality traits; your choice can be completely random.


Can I go home?
Not voluntarily, no. Whoever brought you here wants you to get exploring, so hop to it! In the case of drops, your character is sent back home due to a glitch in the mechanical works of the machine that brought you here. The questions "who", "how", and "why" remain unknown.


Does this game have a rating?
Victory Road, in general is PG-13, but to be completely honest, as long as you use common sense and friendslock or warn for any mature or triggering content, and try your best not to get banned, you're good to go. Also, kindly avoid any human x pokémon smut, as pokémon reproduction remains relatively unknown.


What is the age limit for my character?
Your character can start his or her pokémon journey at age ten or older. You can apply for a character of any age—within reason, of course—but when they start the journey. If the character is under the age of ten, they will "technically" be aged up ten. Mentally, they would stay the same. Physical age-ups to age ten are left to the discretion of the player. Their beginning message on the pokédex will include a "Happy Birthday!" note. For characters already ten years or older, they will be their appropriate canon age. There is no "aging down". So yes, your 140-year-old grandmother can start the journey as a beginner trainer.


Hey, What happened to my special abilities?!
They don't work! Sorry. Pokémon law states that only pokémon have abilities, meaning... you're pretty much stuck being a (relatively) normal trainer with a cute little companion. Plus, if you had super awesome abilities, you might cheat in battle. And then you'd be disqualified and sent back to New Bark Town. And we don't want that, do we?


What about my character's special talents?
If your character has a special, fairly natural talent, such as running quickly or high jumping, they will be able to keep these abilities up to around 50% of their original capability. In regards to speed, they will be able to cut down a third of their travel speed if they run instead of walk. However, no walking on trees or flying.
Talents trained in-game only apply if they take a turn towards the more supernatural levels, but otherwise they are perfectly acceptable.


What about mindreading? My character's a psychic!
They can read the minds of pokémon only. ...have fun with that. If your character could canonically speak/communicate with animals, they can do the same with pokémon (excepting those in eggs or pokemon inside pokeballs). This is the ONLY special ability they may keep.


For characters with multiple personalities/alter-egos, do they require more than one app?
If it's in just one body with a split personality, it would only need one application.


But my character's not human...
A few guidelines:

    1) if it is VISIBLY and JARRINGLY nonhuman, it is changed!
      This doesn't apply for small, easily-hidden things, like a set of sharp teeth or lightly-pointed ears. But if your character has, say, horns or blue skin or a tail, that would be gone when they arrive in Johto!
        1.01) If your character is lacking certain organs or has them magically/bionically replaced in canon, they will receive fully-functioning human organs during their stay in Johto; for example: every Nobody from the Kingdom Hearts series will receive a heart.

    2) If it GIVES A POWER, it is changed or unusable!
      If your character has, say, a bionic arm that has lasers attached, all of those lasers would be offline for the duration of their stay in Johto. Any kind of magical appendage would become normal.
        2.01) A note on prosthetics: if your character needs a prosthetic limb to move about, they may keep it.

    3) If the character is an ANDROID or ROBOT or ANIMAL, they are now human.
      Yes, even if they look perfectly human on the outside, their electronic innards are now very blood-and-flesh-y. Have fun with your new digestive tract!
*note: Trainers and breeders are allowed to choose any style of Trainer from any of the Generation, as these are only clothes; unfortunately, Grunts are meant to conform to the Rocket norm. Your icons do not necessarily have to depict the generic forms, but your character will look like this in game. It is not likely that a male species will end up in a female shell, but... we won't deny this if requested. Gen 1 CoolTrainers and Tamers will not have whips.

What happens to characters with supernatural side-effects, such as slowly being turned into a demon, or in pain as part of a demonic contract?
Characters that are turning into a demon would halt or completely nullify while they're in the game. They wouldn't feel the pain or have the changing effects in play while in Victory Road.


Can we understand each other? Is there still a language barrier?
Somewhat! Victory Road has a voluntary language barrier, as the universal translator has been modified as of January 2015. It will still exist to allow characters suffering from a language barrier to understand each other, however translation is no longer mandatory. At their discretion, characters may speak foreign languages with which they are canonically familiar without their former difficulty. However, all Gears are set towards the universal translator, so one will have to disable that setting (which can be clarified by simple labels) in order to use it.


Can I get my ability back?
Not at present, no.


What kind of canons are accepted?
We take most anime/manga, live action, cartoon, video game, book, or webcomic characters! If they have a solid backstory and personality that can be described in an application, they will most likely be welcome in our game. Please make sure the webcomic creators are okay with you using their characters! Characters cannot be aged down; they can only come as younger versions of themselves if they were shown as that in canon (i.e. flashback arcs, etc).

On AUs and multiple versions: We do not allow multiple versions of characters from the same universe (example: there can't be an Advent Children Cloud and Crisis Core Cloud in at one time). However, we do allow duplicates from two separate canons; i.e. we will allow Cloud Strife from Kingdom Hearts and Cloud Strife from a point in the Final Fantasy VII branch. We do not allow -tan characters, Vocaloids, doujinshi-specific characters, characters from parodies, or real life people not portrayed in a movie/novel/game/anime/book/etc. (mostly fictional) medium. We also do not allow characters from non-canon alternate universes or aged up from the ends of canons. For canon AUs, we allow characters from Persona 3 Portable and the 'Another Day' AU from The World Ends With You. We have also agreed to let each Doctor from the Doctor Who series count as separate enough to allow the different doctors.

The following characters are now capable of being applied for for in Victory Road at this current time due to lack of strong canon but will require justification on their ability to be played in-game:
Customizable Protagonists (Dragon Age, Fable, etc.), certain Homestuck characters (Hiveswap, Dancestors, etc.), Pyramid Head (Silent Hill), Frisk (Undertale).


What about Pokémon characters?
We are not currently accepting characters from Pokémon. For now, they're either NPCs or not in this world.


How about Original Characters?
Yes, we do! Their applications will be judged a little differently than canon characters in which they'll require more of a history and explanation behind them, but we welcome them all the same!


My character has fragile health! Or they broke! Or they died in their canon! How can they live in this world?
When a character of fragile health appears, they will be given a clean, healthier state. Their health may still be rocky, but they will be well when they arrive in the Pokemon world. If they were injured, their injuries will be nothing but healed scars, or untouched flesh. Characters who died in canon may also be summoned, alive and well.


What if they're missing limbs?
We're willing to work with players and their preferences! Players have the option to give their incoming characters a fresh body with a clean bill of health, and to eliminate any disabilities they might have had in canon if they so choose, or they may be given a prosthetic to replace the limb as well. If you'd rather they keep their physical disabilities, though, we're equally willing to work with that, within reason.

How would a character with schizophrenia or other mental disorders be treated in Victory Road? Would it go away, like most other disabilities in VR, or...?
Mental conditions, as opposed to a physical one, are left to the player's discretion. It may be reduced or taken away due to Arceus's healing properties, or it could be played out if the mun wishes, so long as this doesn't detract from the character's original personality.


What about characters with drug addictions or need drugs administered to them for medical purposes?
The drug addiction and dependency is lessened so they won't have nearly as many cravings, nor will it be necessary to maintain normal functioning. To calm the mental cravings, they can just get a placebo administered at a PokéCenter. Physical discomfort and pain will be alleviated enough to be allowed function without the drugs. Whether they have to still have a bit of pain or none at all is up to the player.


What if my character is pregnant?
Given Victory Road's set-up feel it'd work out best all around if pregnancies simply weren't an issue altogether. The character can still come from that canon-point, but without child.


Which classes can I apply for?
Your character can start off as a Trainer, a Breeder, or a Rocket Grunt. Other classes, such as Coordinator, are not available as an official class, although your character is free to become something like one!


Is it possible to app as a PokeDoctor? I know there's Pokecenters and stuff for healing Pokemon but if a Pokemon is sick well...
Currently, the answer would be no to that. He won't be able to become a PokeDoctor, but he could probably look into it and experiment with his own methods of healing his Pokémon.


What about playing a Shopkeeper?
Unfortunately, your character cannot own an official shop. But if the character arrives at a city, he can choose to work as an employee in order to receive a few P$. Characters with crafting skills can always make and sell their own goods as well.

If they choose to run their own little business in a city, it will not be an official business recognized by the Johto Trade Commission, but they may freely charge their own fees for these services. We have a list of player-run businesses and services.


Can I bring my weapon from home, then?!
Nope, sorry! All unregistered and unlawful, and human, weapons that could potentially cause harm to pokémon will be removed from your person upon entry. This means no guns, pocket knives, switchblades, magical demon hunting sorcerer equipment, and the like. You get PokéGear, a pokédex, and a pokémon. Fist-fighting is discouraged, but not illegal. One can also create a makeshift weapon, but anyone caught with a weapon will be subject to a week of punishment by the Kangaskhan Police. Toy weapons and practice swords are available for purchase at pokémarts.


What can I bring from home?
Things that are small enough to fit in your pocket! Small pins, lint, card-game decks, your glasses if you need them to see (or to just look cool), and other items like that are perfectly acceptable. Some events will give you the opportunity to receive items from home.


What's the deal with the music?
Pokémon music plays everywhere. Where you eat, where you sleep, where you breathe. It's not loud, probably just the volume of background music at a department store, or a radio left on to help someone sleep. But it can get annoying and it changes when a character enters a city or a building. Hopefully you'll get used to it. Sorry, we left the BGM on. There is other genres of music as well, however. Radio stations and live concerts exist too.

After your character has acquired 5 Gym badges (Kanto or Johto) they may have their very own battle theme! Isn't that exciting?


What kind of music is there?
Good question! The music your characters might be hearing can be found at our Music and Radio Page, which contains all the information about that game feature!


What if I want to change my character's journal?
No problem, just let us know by commenting on the appropriate Taken List, and let the other players knows on the OOC comm! Likewise, if you rename your character's journal, please leave a comment in the Taken List so we're sure to update it.


Can I use the same journal for Victory Road and another game?
Yes, as long as posts for Victory Road are clearly marked.


What about canon-updates? How do they happen?
In game, your character falls asleep for a minimum of seven days, after which they awake with their new memories! They may receive new scars or remain unscarred, may change physically during their slumber as well. If you want to canon update your character, just comment to the taken list again with the new canon point!


What about hiatuses?
If you're going on hiatus, please make sure to comment in the hiatus post. While you're gone, your character can take up a part-time job if in a city, and have a few extra bucks in their pocket. If not, they can always just loiter in a city. You may also handwave battles, proportionate to how long you're away from the game. If your character wishes to hang out at a PokéCenter, they may do so as well. There is also walking on a route, getting lost, and being chased. Feel free to be creative with what your character was doing in your absence, as long as it's reasonable!

If a hiatus lasts an extremely long time and you feel unsure what to do with your character once they return, we can use the Glitch Technique. Because of the nature of Victory Road, a "glitch" may occur, where a character may disappear and reawaken in a PokéCenter, Inn, New Bark Town, or somehow appear at the beginning of a route they had previously been traveling down. Causes for this, in character, remain unknown. In some Glitch cases, characters may be completely removed from Johto, and although their signals still register, they are nowhere to be found. Although this seems like a fairly awkward way to deal with hiatuses, it's an option to make a player feel more comfortable returning to the game if they cannot think of how their character passed lots of time without active involvement from the player.

Please note that hiatusing through an Activity Check will apply towards those rules. Please check the Activity Check guidelines for more information.



→POKÉMON | B A S I C S

How many pokémon are there? Where can I catch them?
All of them. Victory Road is currently almost completely updated to Generation VIII.

Pokemon can be caught on the routes, and other areas around cities. Some events will have them invading houses or unfamiliar places, but many of them are in staple locations. Please check the availability lists here and here to see what you can catch and where! You can also trade with other Trainers, with the consent of the other player, or buy eggs from breeders and raise a pokémon from hatching!


Okay, so I'm stuck. What are my choices in starter Pokémon? Can I get more than one?
Everyone starts off with one (1) basic-level evolution pokémon, which is at level 5 (example: a Squirtle instead of Blastoise, Pidgey instead of Pidgeot, etc.) Rocket Grunts start with a micro-chipped starter at level 15 and additional Rocket-trained pokémon at level 5. A complete list of starters can be found here.

Certain pokémon, such as Pikachu, Eevee and Riolu, are marked with an orange star; this simply means that a short paragraph of justification is required in the application. A few sentences is more than enough! We put this limit to curb large amount of people apping with rare, powerful, or very popular starters. Likewise, there are certain Pokémon marked with an X, signaling that they are unavailable as starters to Rocket Grunts without justification.


How do we battle? What about leveling and collecting?
Good question! Please consult Battling 101 for details! For wild pokémon, there's no way to tell their level except scanning them during battle with your Gear.


How do you handle realistic actions that are prohibited in game, such as targeting a trainer in a battle instead of their Pokémon, sending out six Pokémon at once, etc...
Realistic actions are not only fine to play out, but encouraged! Due to the game's relatively lighthearted setting, characters cannot die, but all aforementioned examples are perfectly possible within reason. Their handling largely depends on what they are and how they are played out by the players in question. There's very little in the way of GM railroading in this game-- we like to take a relaxed approach to player-run plots as long as things fall within the rules and the players involved are flexible/cooperative if changes do need to be made. Most of what you suggested is probably just fine to play out on your own as long as it's kosher with everybody else playing!
As such, it is preferable that any plot you think may be questionable/pushing the envelope a bit be brought up to a mod beforehand, just to make sure everything's peachy before it gets started!


Who are the Gym Leaders?
As the game takes place in Johto and Kanto, those respective leaders are active in-game. Please see the Earning a Badge link for a description of our current gym leaders, their teams, and how to challenge them if you wish to do so! We often have visiting gym leaders from other regions who swing by periodically.


How many pokémon can I have?
At this current moment, you are allowed to have up to one hundred and fifty (150) pokémon in your possession. That includes up to six on your person and one hundred and forty-four (144) stored on the PC or kept at your residence. You may access your Box and swap out pokémon at any computer in any city. You may catch or breed more more but you will have to release some in order to keep the newly-caught ones.


What kind and how many moves can my pokémon learn?
Your pokémon aren't limited to just four moves! If they can learn it and have access to it, it's free game. All of the move tutors from every Generation can be found around Johto in random locations, so make use of them when you see them. When you see them is up to the players, but we ask that you don't abuse this. We're using Generation VI's movesets as well, and any pokémon can learn any "start" move its new form has listed. If there are questions on specific moves, see the Extended FAQ: Moves page.


What's the weather have to do with anything?
Because many pokémon are elemental, weather plays a bit of a factor in pokémon battles. There is a full chart listed in the weather section, and you can find the current weather on the Calendar.


Can we name/rename our pokémon?
You can name and rename your pokémon as many times as you wish, even traded ones! Your pokémon does not have to have any one specific nickname, but if you call them by too many, they won't know what to answer to and may tend not to listen.


Is pokémon-produced food edible?
Some is! Please see the Food section of the Items Page for details.


What can my character eat and drink?
See above link. We won't let you starve, we promise!


If my character leaves the game, what happens to their pokémon?
Their pokemon will either end up in the care of close (or less close, this is entirely up to you) friends, go back into the wild if they are the type to, or they end up at the Forever-and-a-day Ranch from which they can be reclaimed should you ever choose to re-app!

The only exception is the Type: Null pokemon who will all be returned to Silph Co. should a trainer drop.


Regarding information on legendary Pokémon, what can characters find out about them, both in terms of trustworthy documentation and in legends/tales and such? As in, how readily available is this sort of information to someone who's curious enough to dig a bit, what Pokémon can they learn about, etc.
It's mostly tucked away in the form of tales and legends; actual research on legendaries is few and far between in the annals of old-timey scientific journals for years back. The folk tales and other related stuff, on the other hand, can be easily found in Violet and Ecruteak, or heard from locals.



→ROCKET | B A S I C S

Where am I...?
Wake up, agent. You're in the Goldenrod city Rocket HQ, located under the Radio Tower. Grab that uniform and get dressed, training starts today!


Training?
This isn't Mama's house; the character is an employee here, and they're expected to act like it, and that means on-the-job training. For the first week of their stay in Johto they'll be learning the ins and outs of theft, pickpocketing, lock picking, and all manner of daring escape routes across the sprawling city of Goldenrod. This training is handwaveable, of course, or can be arranged to be played out with the other newbie and teacher Rockets in your app round, if there are any! Of course, you'll have your team and fellow Rockets to help.


Partners? We get more than one pokémon?
The Team tries to give its members a winning hand, as it were. As such, they'll be outfitted with a pre-trained pokémon at level 15 as a starter, and a second pokémon at level 5 of your choice out of the following: Ekans, Koffing, Rattata, Grimer, Magikarp, Zubat, Woobat, Scraggy, Murkrow, Croagunk, Stunky, Vullaby, Drowzee, Vulpix, Houndour, Skorupi, Seviper, Trubbish and Spinarak. There are certain pokémon Rockets do not have access to, and these are outlined by a black X on the starters list.


How can my character move up in rank?
All TR characters begin their careers as grunts, otherwise known as 'agents'.

To move up in rank, the technique is simple: missions and plots! Player plots, mainly, but participation in mod plots also goes a long way. Once your character has accomplished a few ~nefarious deeds~ for the Team's glory, just contact a mod and we'll discuss the options with you! Taking initiative is always rewarded, even if it's just by getting creative with the missions you're given. If you want to come up with a player plot, feel free to submit to the Plot Suggestions post or scheme in silph_co.


Missions?
That's right: the team gives its agents a job to do, and they do it, plain and simple. The 'default' mission is pokémon acquisition, as seen in the CoC above; money rewards can be obtained for extra rare or high-level captured pokémon. If a character would rather not steal, any of the available missions can be requested on the missions post!　You can also ask for an individual mission, better suited to your character, if you need it.


So, what are the perks?
What, two starters not good enough for you? You get to hang out and sleep free of charge in any of the Rocket facilities (Saffron, Celadon, Goldenrod, Lavender and Mahogany); there are dorms there that your character can claim; Privates and above can request their own room. There are hot showers, common rooms including kitchens, rec rooms with flat screen televisions and video games, and even an arena for training. Science division members have (mostly) free run of the lab after their one-month probation, and Proton encourages...creativity.

Money for Inn lodgings is provided by the Team while in other cities, as long as the character is there on Rocket business. There's a weekly allowance (see: 'So how do I make money in this place?'), and Betas and above can even requisition a helicopter for transport that's even quicker than Flying! (Again, for Rocket business, of course.) Rockets can travel and challenge the gyms, provided they can continue to perform Rocket missions or duties while on the road.


How about badges and breeding? Does my Rocket need a badge to use HMs? Which egg numbers do they use on the breeding chart?
Rockets will use Trainer rules when it comes to using the HMs! Sorry, guys, you'll need to challenge a gym and get the requisite badge before you'll be able to Fly, Surf, or use the various other HM moves. However, Rockets use Breeder rules when it comes to breeding their 'mons, so they're entitled to those perks, at least!


Interesting. Anything else?
Don't mess up. Be good to the Team, and Team'll make it worth your while. Cross them, and they know a lot of ways to hurt you.


→J O H T O / K A N T O | B A S I C S

WHAT'S IN THE SWAG BAG?!
GLAD YOU ASKED! Each character receives a backpack; here's a list of what's inside, sorted by affiliation.


What's the PokéGear?
Glad you asked! PokéGear is quite simple, and each person, Trainer and Grunt alike, gets one upon arrival! Gears do not display names, merely trainer ID numbers, with the option to nickname your contacts as you choose.

Of course, technology is never fun without flaws. So all of these are subject to glitching, especially if submerged in water, burned, or electrocuted.


What does my Trainer Card do?
Your trainer card is the key to your identity in Johto. (Although not everyone is a trainer, everyone receives this card.) Included in your pack, it swipes into your PokéGear to activate it with your identity. Each character's registered signal on the PokéConnect will be registered under your character's name. It has your number connected so you are able to just register each other's "phone" (or rather, Gear) numbers by sharing them on the PokéConnect or in person with the PokéGear (by touching them together at the top, similar to sharing information with a Poké-Walker). When you get a job, you are often asked to swipe your trainer card as an easier way to clock in and out.


What happens if I break my PokéGear?
You may get a replacement at the nearest PokéCenter or PokéMart for free. They have plenty!


Could someone hack my PC and steal my Pokémon?
Nope, even if they were standing right there to steal your password. The Pokémon in your PC are completely safe, no chances of anyone taking anything.


What's this PokéMoney Thing?
It's the currency of the PokéWorld. Each person starts out with P3000 in their pocket. P200 can buy you a 20 oz bottle of water, P300 buys you a bottle of soda. You can buy almost anything. There are small boutiques in each city, as well as a department store in Johto. There are restaurants everywhere, and many miscellaneous items in the Mart and from other trainers. If you're unsure about the price of an item, and it's not on the list, keep in mind that P100 is about equivalent to $1.
See here for a price list of items bought and sold in stores.


So how do I make money in this place?
To earn money, trainers, breeders, and rockets (who do not show signs of being affiliated with Team Rocket) can take on jobs in Johto. Jobs are available as part-time (2-5 hours per day), or full-time (6-8 hours per day), spanning to around five days a week on average. You may also battle NPCs along the routes for more money. Some pokémon know a move that could also bring in steady income. Team Rocket members are given a spending allowance each week, plus necessities when necessary. Please visit the the Extended FAQ: Jobs and Money page for more information on specific jobs, wages, and earning money.


What happens if you break the law?
If you're caught breaking the law (leaving a job early, creating a weapon, destroying public property purposefully, or stealing pokémon), you will be taken in by the Kangaskhan police. First offenses are served by a week of manual labor. You will be forced to do dishes at the Inn or help with the City Sewer Department (have fun smelling the Grimer and Muk). Second offenses are served by spending two weeks of manual labor, third offenses are are served by a third week, and so on. If you run from your punishment, the Kangaskhan Police will have a warrant for your arrest for exactly fourteen (14) days. If you're caught, you will serve your time in the city. If you happen to escape, your warrant will expire after the fourteenth day and you can safely roam again.

If your character just broke the law, please inform the authorities.


I don't want to be a trainer/breeder/rocket grunt anymore!
That's fine, just contact a mod; Trainer to Breeder, and back again, is simple, but it can only be done once every three months. Leaving Team Rocket is a bit tricky, since each member is an investment they don't want to lose...but it can be done.


If I'm in Team Rocket against my will, can I just pretend I'm not with them?
Yes you can! Because clothing is available in many places, you can easily buy civilian attire, or wear your shirt inside out. Your Trainer Card does not register any Rocket Members unless you have caused nefarious schemes and have a track record with the Kangaskhan Police. If you are clear, you can easily get a job and go about a pokémon training or breeding adventure.

...however, your PokéGear will still receive rocket messages, and Ariana may send someone to search for you. If that happens, it won't be so pretty.


Team Rocket just stole my Pokémon!
You might want to battle them to get it back.

If you choose not to battle them, you may a) file a report with the Kangaskhan Police Dept (you may do this at a local PokéCenter or by using your PokéGear), b) steal your pokémon back, or c) cry.

To contact the Kangaskhan Police Dept., please leave a message. This can be played out at the convenience of the players and robbers in question, and does not require mod permission unless it causes a problem or needs assistance.


What about Non-Player Characters (NPCs)?
They exist! From Joey the super amazing Rattata to those pokéfans along the routes, you can challenge those in the grass and talk to those in the city. The citizens won't be able to tell you much, and most act as though the trainers are just other citizens, becoming vague when the subject of the new arrivals comes up. They sometimes repeat themselves, since they seem to be caught in the constant cycle of whatever happened to the city, but for the most part they're normal and show a variety of personalities.

They can be attacked but not killed, if one so chooses. (But why would you hurt Mom? She made you lunch!) However, if the NPC reports it (as in, if you as a player choose to take advantage of the Police Alert), there will be a warrant out for that character.

Professor Oak's greeting on the PokéGear is a recording that is replayed for each person. He's often not found, and Professor Elm hides except for special circumstances.
For more information on NPCs, please see: Extended FAQ: NPCs.



→E X T R A | Q U E S T I O N S

How rough is travel on the characters?
It's a bit of a challenge on the routes! For the first few days (or weeks, depending on how long it takes you to reach another city once you've left New Bark Town), you're stuck with what you're given in the swag bag, along with whatever you've found acquired along the route. If the weather is rainy, you have no poncho or umbrella, so you might have to sleep under trees or ledges in order to keep dry. With your new pokémon at your side, and maybe more friends along the way, you should be able to overcome this obstacle accordingly! Route 29 is the learning location for most trainers and breeders. It'll become easier as your character learns about the workings of the game.

Thankfully, living in the cities includes the perks of staying in Inns and Houses for long or short stays. Houses can be modified, although you shouldn't knock down walls or do any dramatic physical changes, but painting the walls or temporarily changing a room's purpose are a-okay, so long as you're able to change it back for re-renting purposes.

To look into traveling between regions and costs, please see Extended FAQ: Transportation and Traveling.


If my character can swim - and I'm not talking about swimming long distances, like Olivine to Cianwood or anything like that - will he be able to find and catch Pokémon that are found by surfing?
Think of it like encountering fish in the actual ocean: he'd have to go out pretty far to see anything interesting. Add to that the fact that he has to battle the wild Pokémon to capture it, which can take a bit...he might get tired and have a really hard time getting back! He's welcome to try, though.


What about ledges? Are they magic?
Yes, and no. Keeping the spirit of the game, you can still jump down from them, but they're difficult to downright impossible to climb up them. Reasons for this remain a mystery even now.


That Sudowoodo on Route 36...
There used to be a herd of Sudowoodo there, but they've moved on; the path to Violet and Ecruteak is now clear. Every once in a while, you may find a lingerer.


Is there a delivery service in Johto?
Indeed! There is a Pidgey Delivery Service available at any PokeCenter for mailing packages and items to any trainer in any city.


What about deaths and injury?
There is no death, for people or pokémon. (What do you think this is, a post-apocalyptic wasteland?) When you're injured to the point of death, your body is transported to the nearest pokémon center, and you spend 24 hours there healing and replenishing your HP. Your pokémon faint as they do in typical battle, but you have to take them to the nearest PokéCenter for twelve (12) hours of healing and replenishing. Injuries to the trainer and pokémon that are untreated heal at a normal pace.


What about fourth-walling?
Fourth-walling the pokémon universe is allowed for characters from modern settings, who would have possibly known of or played the games. They would only know of the first 150 pokémon, or the games Red, Blue, and Yellow. When it comes to other characters, that must be taken up with the players of those characters directly.


How do you deal with drops and reapplying characters? What happens to their pokémon?
When a character is dropped, they leave the city and their registered signal is erased from the PokéConnect. If they do not have a traveling part, or if the players do not leave anything for any others, then their items will disappear and their pokémon will return to the wild/close CR, or the foster home.

If a character is reapplied for by a new player, the character will start anew. If a character is reapplied for by the same player, the character will still awaken in New Bark Town or Goldenrod City (as a trainer, breeder, or grunt respectively). If their starter is not in the possession of another player, then they will be able to regain their starter up to Level 30. If their starter is in the possession of another player in-game, they will have to pick a new starter and begin afresh. They will not have any other pokémon from their party, badges earned, money, or clothing gathered from their previous stay, nor will they be able to find their old pokemon in the wild. The starter pokémon rules still apply if a character is switching affiliations (i.e.reapplied as a rocket grunt or breeder instead of a trainer), but it can keep all moves it learned or was able to learn up to that point. Characters who are reapplied for may come from an updated point in canon; please be sure to update your application to reflect any changed to the new timepoint chosen. You are also allowed to reuse and modify old applications that you have written.


What's inside a pokéball?
No one's certain, but it's not uncomfortable for the pokémon.


How'd you get the "é/É"?
For computers with the side number-pad, try ALT+130. You can also try typing in the following where the e should be, without spaces!
& e a c u t e ; for é
& E a c u t e ; for É
For Firefox users, there's an add-on called abcTajpu which makes accents available via right-click.
(Thank you Jae and Maddy for the additional resources!)


Why is there a "codeword" in your application?
This is to ensure that people read the rules and F.A.Q. before joining.


Still have questions? Ask here or Contact a Mod!

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Last Updated: December 23rd, 2022