Pokémon-X (webcomic)
Pokémon-X is a sprite-based webcomic by Recon Dye. The comic is based on the storyline of Pokémon Emerald, and follows the adventures of Brendan, May and Wally around the island of Hoenn.
The comic is usually updated three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The first issue was published on June 2, 2003, and the most recent panel was published in November, 2009. However, the date the most recent comic was published does not match the actual date of publication. Recon Dye has stated that this is because he lists the date as the date he intended the comic to be published. School and other activities caused him to fall several months behind schedule, and he is attempting to catch up as much as possible.
Over this six-year period, more than 900 comics have been published. The comic is aimed at mature audiences due to its use of moderate language and mature situations. Recon Dye uses sprites from Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald to make character sprites and wild Pokémon battles and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon sprites for Pokémon during trainer battles (though he started off using the regular sprites from Ruby and Sapphire, along with a few custom sprites).
Plot
The plot is largely the same as that of Emerald: a new boy in town saves a Pokémon professor from a wild Pokémon and is given a Pokémon as a reward. He meets the professor's child and travels around the region battling Gym Leaders. A friendly rivalry is struck between the two. Along the way, a third child is met, and two rival, villainous teams battle for control of the region. The trio of Trainers travel to each location in the same order as in the games, and with the same intents and purposes (deliver letter for Steven, take Wally to Verdanturf, etc.). The most recent chapter of the comic has Brendan preparing to challenge Flannery in Lavaridge Town.
There are, naturally, some key differences from the games. Each of the characters has a unique personality, such as Brendan seeming dull and dim-witted at many points. Brendan and May travel together, and Wally is part of the group for longer than he is in the games.
Characters
Brendan Richards
Brendan is based on the male playable character of Ruby and Sapphire. He has recently moved to Littleroot Town from Ecruteak, Johto. As such, he is familiar with the Pokémon native to his region, but not the species that inhabit his new home. May is often in disbelief when he mentions the Pokémon not found in the Hoenn region. After using Torchic to rescue Professor Birch from an angry Poochyena, he deems him worthy enough to travel the land and complete the Pokédex.
Brendan is believed to be fairly dim-witted, although he has knowledge about certain sciences like thermodynamics, and can often say things of very high intelligence. Although he is the hero, he is driven by selfish desires and meager rewards. He does however seem to care about his Pokémon and uses them with some good strategic plans.
Brendan travels through Hoenn with Birch's daughter, May and the sickly Wally. He competes for Badges at various Gyms along the way. His motivation for this is to become rich and famous (with a couple of chicks on the side). He has been smitten with May since first seeing her topless in an early comic.
His Pokémon include, but are not limited to: Rocky, a Poochyena (later Mightyena) that was infected with two strains of the Pokérus, making him shiny and giving him the ability to speak; a Torchic which evolved into Combusken in the Dewford City Gym; a Hariyama (nicknamed Makit); a Zubat which evolved into a Golbat; and a Wurmple who evolved into Cascoon in Brendan's first double battle and eventually evolved into Dustox. While Torchic was Brendan's first, Rocky is his strongest Pokémon and best friend.
Brendan also seems to hate Geodude ever since he challenged the Rustboro City Gym as every trainer in the gym had at least one Geodude and was angry when May caught a Geodude in Granite Cave.
Brendan's surname is not given in any canon media; as such "Richards" is an invention of Recon Dye. He states in a note accompanying one comic that he chose it because it is a fairly common name.
May Birch
May is based on the female player character of Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. As Brendan takes the role of the main protagonist, May assumes a position similar to that of the games' pseudo-rival.
May is the daughter of Professor Birch, and is traveling with Brendan so they can complete their Pokédex. She is shown to be handy with technology, and manages to link the three Pokédex of the traveling party so that they can achieve their goal easily. She dislikes Brendan's immaturity, and can be seen as the sensible leader of the group. May also hacked Brendan's and Wally's Pokédex so that she gets the money they earn after they win a battle.
May started with a Mudkip that later evolved into a Marshtomp in Slateport City after defeating a Team Aqua Grunt. Her other Pokémon include Aron (which she caught in Granite Cave), Whismur (which she caught at Route 116), Sableye (which she got by trading an Electrike with Wally), Linoone, which evolved from a Zigzagoon, Wurmple, which evolved into a Silcoon that eventually evolved into Beautifly, and Geodude (which she also caught in Granite Cave), much to Brendan's dismay.
May usually tries to keep Brendan from challenging gyms, although the badge is later revealed to be required to do something the group has to do, such as Rock Smash being required to break the rocks in Rusturf Tunnel so that Brendan and May can go back to Littleroot, only to be given another task.
Wally Anderson
Wally was first encountered outside Petalburg City, just as Wally is encountered in the games. A frail and sickly child, Wally has an obsession with the color green, and any Pokémon that have green on it, such as Nincada, as well. The biggest reason for his sickness is his mother who thinks he is sick when he isn't. He travels with May and Brendan so that he can get to Verdanturf Town where the air is clearer and healthier.
In one of Wally's flashbacks, which May and Brendan didn't really listen to, on Mr. Briney's ship, he drowned and was apparently rescued by a green Pokémon.
After finally arriving in Verdanturf, Brendan, May and Rocky left him there. He was then met again in Mauville City, where he decided to travel with them again.
His starter Pokémon, given to him by May, was a Treecko (which was meant actually meant for Monty) which later evolved into Grovyle on Route 110 after defeating a Zigzagoon, but the first Pokémon he caught was a Ralts (which, like in the games, Brendan helped him catch), which later evolved into Kirlia. He also has Shroomish (which he caught in Petalburg Woods), Lombre (which he caught at Route 114), Oddish (which he got in a trade with Brendan for a Mawile he caught in Granite Cave after spending many hours looking for it), and Electrike (which he got in a trade with May for a Sableye he caught in Granite Cave).
Rocky
The fourth member of the traveling party is Rocky, Brendan's Mightyena.
Rocky was the Poochyena that terrorized Professor Birch at Route 101, and was later saved by Brendan at the top of Route 103. While recovering at a Pokémon Center, he was infected with two strains of the Pokérus thanks to Team Magma and Team Aqua. This gave him the ability to talk, above average strength, and the ability to use Random, a move that behaves like Metronome, except that it gets replaced for the remainder of the battle, or until it is switched out, much like Mimic.
Like Ash's Pikachu, Rocky has an irrational fear of being inside a Poké Ball and would rather be covered in vomit than return to his Ball.
Rocky also hates Wingull because of Peeko barfing on him on the way back from Dewford and didn't like it when Brendan caught one while fishing on Mr. Briney's ship and because he had to battle it.
Rocky evolved into a Mightyena following a battle with Team Magma in Granite Cave, where he single-handedly defeated the villainous team without his Trainer, though he imagined that Brendan was there.
When the group battled the Winstrate Family, Vicki, the oldest member of the family, had bad eyesight and thought that Rocky was a trainer and battled him. Rocky battled using the same trick that he used in Granite Cave. Throughout the battle, the imaginary Brendan kept saying things that the real Brendan wouldn't normally say in battles, such as saying a different Pokémon's name, or even talking in a different language. Despite these mishaps, Rocky managed to win the battle.
Recon Dye
Recon claims he is the author in human form. He has super powers and commonly abuses people. He is usually the main character of special event strips and has many jobs, such as a truck driver. He is Wally's doctor and when he told Wally's mom that Wally had underdeveloped lungs, she started overreacting saying that Wally was going to die, no matter how many times Recon told here it wasn't fatal. When Wally grew sicker, Recon knew that it was because of his psychotic mother. This later led Recon to develop a plan to get Wally far away from Littleroot Town.
Minor characters
Professor Birch, his assistants, Mr. Briney, Steven Stone and Brendan's parents have all appeared in the comic, as have the first four Gym Leaders. Team Aqua and Team Magma take antagonistic roles. An original character, named Monty, was originally intended to be the Trainer of the third starter Pokémon. He has a somewhat stalker-esque relationship with May, which is why she gave Treecko to Wally instead and becomes Professor Birch's assistant.
Jim Gai is also a minor character, his name being an obvious sound-alike to the name he prefers to be called, Gym Guy, which in itself is an obvious reference to the unnamed character seen in every gym, whom gives out advice to the player.
Humor
Much of the humor in Pokémon X is derived from discrepancies or otherwise unexplained events in Ruby and Sapphire, and other Pokémon games. Whenever Brendan mentions Johto, or any of its native Pokémon that aren't in the Hoenn Pokédex, May, Wally and most other characters seem confused and appear to have not have heard of it (emphasizing the incompatibility between Generations II and III). It also explains what happens to fainted Pokémon and who places the hidden items on routes, both times at Brendan's expense. Brendan is also known to hold an item in the air while it glows (much to the dismay of anyone looking at him at the time) and a mysterious voice appears to tell what he obtained.
Trivia
- Recon Dye's partner, Bam, sometimes draws guest strips.
External links
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