The Trial of Juno Saga [PG-13]

[Neo Emolga]

Ah, I love these battle!. Pokemon battles are alright in the games, but why I love the manga and the show is because of the unique and creative ways that seemingly-ordinary moves can be used in new and exciting strategies. But with these battles, like with the Green Lantern ring, the true culprit behind Randy and Juno's power is their imagination. One thing that's striking in Jake, and later Juno's, recollection of Victory City is how boring everything is. There are werewolves and robots, but their ripped from things that Randy has seen, they aren't original creations. And as the refs show, Randy has no talent for creating dialogue. I love that these battles take place in the realm of imagination, not only literally, but also in terms of the moves and strategies invented. The fight between Juno and Randy is a little like the days of playing pretend on the playground where each kid would come up with a ridiculous power more extreme than the last, except this time the stakes are real, and it really is a match of skill, determination, and even heart. To make a long story short, this battle is everything and more than what the imagination fight in Sharkboy and Lava Girl 3-D turned out to be.

Yep, you got it. Randy just wants everything to be about him!

One thing that bugs me about Pokémon battles in the games is how you can't really use the surrounding environment around you in the battle. Pokémon can't take cover behind objects, use an object in conjunction with their attack, or use higher/lower ground to their advantage. So in terms of battles, I definitely like going with the anime more, although I can't say anything for the manga given as I haven't ever read all that much of it.

But yeah, when this idea came to mind, I wanted to go wild with it.

On another note, I love how Jake's fusion with Juno is transforming him, but there were two lines that stuck out to me:

While Jake is now turning into Juno and taking on some of his traits, these two bits of narration are still part of Jake I believe. For all of his attitude adjustment needs, his unhappy home life, and his treatment of Randy, this is still a kid who cares about his Pokemon and understands Pokemon training far more than Randy does, which is really quite impressive (to me at least) at such a young age. If only circumstances were different, Jake might have become truly happy by journeying and raising Pokemon, but then none of this story would have happened.

Yep, you picked up on this quite well. I'm sure you noticed that as soon as Jake becomes Juno, his attitude improves and he doesn't look at things as negatively. He also becomes much nicer inside as well.

But yeah, even as a schoolyard bully with a difficult home life, he still loves his Pokémon and feels bad for what some of them go through.

Finally, while I love, and will always love, the old Blazewing, you were right: this incarnation has pluck! I like pluck! Already, she's lifting spirits and bringing smiles, and I'm just talking about myself. Given how high the stakes are in this battle with Randy (and with what's to come), Blazewing is not quite comic-relief, but still lightens Juno's load in a way that is different from her original character, but is still utterly valuable, and may even be more so as the story goes on.

I tried writing one chapter with Blazewing taking on a more plucky attitude, and something about it really seemed to fit just right. Most images of Latias show her with a bright smile, optimism, and cheer, so I thought why isn't Blazewing more like that? The old Blazewing just seemed too serious and somber, and there's already quite a few characters like that.

Also, Trial of Juno is a pretty dark story at times, and I felt there was a really strong, crucial need to have at least one character be more on the amusing and optimistic side. With the previous rendition, no character even came close to that. So I figured changing her personality to be this way would not only would this give her a very distinct personality trait that separates her from all the other characters, but it would also strengthen the bond that Juno and Blazewing have as friends and how they're always there for each other no matter what happens.