As both an explanation and a spoiler warning, this does reference an event in Pokemon Black and White 2. It’s not something full of details, but it is something you might want to keep a surprise if you’re thinking of playing those games!

You’ve always had a great love for Pokemon. Snuggling up with the family Stoutland, winning over that wild Rufflet your sister had been trying to pet for days, giving Patrat Christmas gifts of acorns-Pokemon were in a lot of happy memories for you, and you liked to think that the reverse was true as well.

For a long time, your family had lived in Opelucid City. Dad worked at the mall on Route 9, Pops was a trainer in the local gym, and you and Nora would explore the wilderness of the nearby routes. Your little corner of Unova was a pretty nice place to grow up.

And then one day a ship appeared in the sky outside your window.

Dad called Nora and Rufflet in from outside as he watched a mechanism begin to move on the front of the ship. He pulled Pops to the window and began whispering anxiously to him-you think it was something about a war with another region, but you’re not sure. You do know that the icy blasts that sent arctic conditions onto the buildings below had you all in shock.

Dad rushed to the door, found that it was frozen shut, and went off to the cupboards, repeating an unconvincing promise that everything was totally fine. Pops told you fairy tales while you all hid in a blanket fort to keep warm, but you could see how his eyes didn’t meet his smile. That was the first time you had ever seen him scared.

Dad kept a careful eye on inter-regional news after that. Any headline with the word “Team” in it would set his nerves off again, and often with good reason. Organized crime continue to stretch to loftier goals-and while hearing about their downfalls should have put him at ease, the young ages of the heroic trainers made him more wary for his children.

It didn’t come as much of a surprise when it was announced that your family would be moving to the Helos region. While not quite a safe haven, the large number of trainers seems to have broken up any development of organized crime, and your family knows your skill with Pokemon can get you out of some tight spots.

You all know that Helos won’t ever feel completely danger-free. But maybe it can start to feel like home.

In terms of general tone and gameplay, there’s not many major shifts. While this does include some personal spins on things, it’s intended to be thing that could be in an actual Pokemon game. There’s a few things that stick out, though:

• The player’s family plays a bit more of a role in the game-Dad, Pops, and even Nora will come to visit the player sometimes and give them a useful gift! (They might also be interested in a little battle…)
  
• The game introduces a Light type. Adding a type is always a big change, but this also marks a change in the Dark type as well. Without getting too sidetracked, the Dark type actually isn’t based on elemental darkness, but actually the idea of dirty fighting. (hence the Fighting type being strong against it, the Ghost type getting all the “Shadow” moves, etc.) In adding an elemental Light type, we’re also changing how the Dark type is used in the designs of Pokemon and moves. (canon Dark moves and Pokemon, though, stay the same)
  
• We’ve actually got two new types in this game, the second being the Glitch type. While the Light type’s introduction is a bit like the introduction of Steel or Fairy, the Glitch type’s a bit like the Nuclear type, created through in-game events and consisting of a small population. The Glitch type is made through the glitches of technology rather than the game itself, but it still draws inspiration from Pokemon glitches-Missingno and Acid Rain make an appearance, and its type effectiveness is like that of all glitch types. (meaning essentially a “Null” type)
  
• The Pokemon League of this region operates a bit differently. While it doesn’t change gameplay too much, it does change the story, creating some more interactions between the player and the opponents they challenge. 
  
• Starters can be found in the wild in later points of the region-which is good, because there’s now a starter for all types! (save the Glitch type) This also means that the usual split of teams being dependant on your choice doesn’t occur-I don’t think RPG Maker/Essentials can even handle nineteen different paths like that, and I don’t relish the idea of having to making nineteen different parties with a character.
  

The Helos League has a massive amount of trainers registered. (likely due to the large prizes the Championship offers) To prevent gym leaders from becoming swamped, a new system was implemented. Challengers must defeat another registered trainer at a gym after meeting certain requirements decided upon by a committee. There are more than eight gyms, to deal with the number of trainers, but any eight badges may be received. To encourage learning about the region around them, trainers may not win more than one badge in a gym.

To discourage groups of friends from traveling together and earning each other’s badges, as well as to provide an equivalent to the Elite Four of other regions, trainers must defeat four judges that travel the region. Some judges freely disclose their position and encourage challengers, while others keep their identity a secret, to make their battles with trainers more impartial. Similar to gyms, there are more than four judges, but any four may be chosen to battle.


Essentially, what this means is that you’ll be having the typical eight gym battles and five-part championship (with varying trainers similar to Uranium’s championship), along with four strong trainers to defeat at certain points in your journey. The judges and “gym leaders” challenged are the same for each player.

I decided on this because I wanted gym battles to have more meaning to them than just the badge. A lot of times, it seems that the main reason that gym leaders are mostly important just because of their position in the league-they hand out the badge, so they’re considered significant by default. With this setup, I’m hoping to sort of invert that-the character makes the gym challenge and badge more important-and make both of them more fun, breaking away from the “badge dispensers” I’ve seen some people consider them as. (Ironically, the league also has an automated gym in the event that a gym cannot give out a badge-holding a literal badge dispenser)

Unlike most games, Pokemon Glass actually has a starter of each type, a total of nineteen starters! (And before the nightmares of breeding and trading start, let me reassure you-all starters are encounterable in the wild.) Some of your choices are:

• Dark-type-Cerebit-Why get one partner when you could get three? Cerebit’s heads all have the excitement of a puppy-and sometimes, they can have trouble coordinating their movement! As Cerebit evolves into Cerebite and then into Cereberaw, its heads start to take on a specific role and gain exceptional skill in a certain sense!
  
• Ghost-type-Saramic- Saramic’s doll-like appearance tends to be a little unsettling-the constant, painted-on smile, the glassy eyes, the clinking of its steps. Its transformation in evolution doesn’t help the matter much-the doll-like form seems to have become a chrysalis of some sort, giving it more of a haunted look. But the eerie beauty of Loronawail’s cries is plenty motivation for some trainers to try to face their fears.
  
• Ice-type-Pupsicle-Originally native to the Arctic Circle, Pupsicles would be battered about by their environment before gaining a remarkable control over the freezing cold around them. Curiously, this growth continues to occur in Pupsicles raised in environments with warmer temperatures-even their ability to create aurora borealis remains intact! 
  
• Ground-type-Terrarmor, a little armadillo notorious for making holes in front yards. As it continues to spend time underground, though, it begins to stumble across fossils of ancient Pokemon, unlocking the power of a more reptilian evolution.
  
• Psychic-type-A small peacock chick. As it evolves, it begins to develop different powers depending on its gender. Males grow a brilliant plumage with eyespots that have the ability to hypnotize others. Females grow a more unassuming color and the ability to erase themselves from the memory of others, letting them sneak in and out of places without a trace.
  
• Bug-type-A typical larval Pokemon as its first stage, but its growth takes an unusual path into a flower mantis-inspired Bug/Fairy! I’m not sure whether to use it as the final stage or as a Mega Evolution, but the Devil’s flower mantis is sure to bring some fun inspiration. ( http://cdn3.list25.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/3-Devil%E2%80%99s-Flower-Mantis_tn.jpg )