Brothers to the End (2023 Remake)

Originally written by: SuperSonic6299/Agent Zero[]

3/4/2019

Hey all. To anyone who watches this blog, I’m sorry that I’ve been gone so long. I really needed to take a sabbatical to deal with some…things that had happened to me. Things that I will explain in the following days. All you need to know for now is that I’m back and hopefully, it’s for good this time.

To those of you who randomly found this blog, I’d like to say hello and welcome. My name is Michael, an aspiring audiobook narrator and massive Pokemon fan among other things. This blog was originally made back in January 2017 but I wasn’t able to keep it going after about a year or so since I lost my motivation. That and keeping it up kept reminding me of some bad times.

But after seeing Pokemon Sword and Shield, I knew that now would be the best time to resurrect this thing. That and I had a push from…a good friend. A friend, who if everything goes well and I keep this up, you all will be seeing and hearing much more about him. But that’s all for now. If you’re interested, give me a follow and I’ll do my best not to disappoint.

Laters.

3/5/2019

Hey, folks. I know that this is a rather quick turnaround in terms of posts from me. But I can’t hold things on my chest any more. I figure that I finally should begin my long tale of why I abandoned my blog for a good while. There will be a lot of setup, there will be some things that you may find hard to believe, and these posts will be long reads. But I think it’s for the best. I need to get EVERYTHING out of my head and onto digital paper. The easiest way I think I can start this is by giving you a glimpse into my life.

Growing up, I always had an overactive imagination. One that had me constantly playing out various scenarios in my head on a loop. Throw in my love of video games, specifically Pokemon, and it was a recipe that many would call a disaster. I loved role-playing as a Pokemon trainer when I was younger, going on imaginary adventures with the friends I had in my head. These imaginary friends were what I had instead of actual ones for a good while.

While my family found my methods of entertainment cute, other kids didn’t. My school life was filled with name-calling and rumors being spread about “the Pokemon Kid” and I just had to sit there and take it because I was too shy to speak up. The pains of not only being a geek in school, but also supremely introverted. I needed something to distract me from all of it and Pokemon was what I loved, so I channeled it into everything I did.

Luckily, I found a way to distract myself during my Sophomore year in high school that was easy.

Unluckily, it was also the impetus for the events that I’ll get into later.

But for now, I think I’ll let you guys chew on this. Let me know your thoughts and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Laters.

3/7/2019

So I mentioned that around my Sophomore year of high school, I had picked up something that helped distract me from the bullying I always got. I neglected to mention what said hobby was. Sketching pictures. I don’t exactly remember how I got the idea to try it, but I figured that it would keep my mind off the insults that usually get thrown my way. That and it was another way to express myself.

My first sketches were simple. Little flame doodles on the corner of my notebooks, icons from various video games, and similar stuff. And when I say various video games, I mostly mean Pokemon as usual. It certainly didn’t help my reputation at school, but at the very least, the bullying seemed to slowly die down as I kept my hyperfixation to myself. My Pokemon sketches were always my favorites and were the ones I put the most time into. But I suppose I should get into that impetus I mentioned in the last post.

Wanting to try my hand at a bigger picture, there was one day where I drew Pikachus exclusively. It almost felt like I was doing some kind of art study only with, debatably, the most well known mouse in the world beside my namesake. I practiced their poses, their expressions, everything that would be of use to me when I drew that larger sketch. And it paid off quite well. My skills improved and it helped me to channel my imagination like nothing else.

Eventually, I began to work on that larger picture and it’s safe to say that it came out well. What was that picture? My old followers will know him well, but it was a Pikachu OC that I had been wanting to make for ages. A Pikachu with hair that was styled to look like an emo bang flowing over his left eye, mostly because I have a strange fascination with that style. Alongside this, the Electric-type was wearing red wristbands and a silver chain necklace with a red pendant. A pendant that would inspire the name of my new creation.

An X.

X the Pikachu. It was unorthodox, but the name seemed to roll off the tongue to me as well as having its own meaning. A letter commonly used to express a variable; an unknown quantity that has potential to be or do anything. Sounds cheesy, I know. But it’s never bothered me and it still doesn’t.

But I suppose that will do for now. I’ll see you all in the next post where I’ll get into just how big of an impact X had on me.

Laters.

3/10/2019

I’d like to propose a question to anyone with an original character. Do you ever begin to realize just how much you care for said character; putting them in any situation you can and treating them like real people? That was me with X for a little while after I made him. My daydreams were filled with me and the Pikachu going on imaginary adventures and he became the subject of many of my sketches.

He became my main muse of sorts. The Pokemon partner that always came out on top no matter how much the odds were stacked against him. I would say kind of like Ash’s Pikachu, but even he had his losses. But just like that Pikachu, I imagined X would be the type to never give up a fight until either side collapsed. I always had him smiling or smirking in sketches. He was a little cocky, I have to admit.

The main thing I always imagined about X, however, was that our bond went deeper than even being friends. With how much I thought about him, he may as well have been a consistent presence in my life at that point. I’d often daydream about us just going through a daily routine. Wake up, eat breakfast, go out, have a few battles, catch new Pokemon, the usual for a Pokemon trainer. But X would always be with me; walking alongside me or standing on my shoulder, but never in his Pokeball.

Crazy as it is to admit it, I felt like I had found a new family member in him.

X. The brother I never had.

I think the previous posts are all the setup needed for you to get a picture of the state I was in when “it” happened. As for what “it” is, I’ll finally get into it in the next post, which will take a bit longer to come out since I now need to streamline my thoughts, which means making these longer. I’ll see you all in the next one, hopefully.

3/15/2019

A fair warning to any who have read the earlier parts I posted. Anything you read from this post on will likely sound nuts. Whether you believe me or not, know that what I say from now on is something that happened to me, as well as the reason why I started this blog in the first place and why I eventually dropped it.

Picture it. Christmas Day, 2016. I woke and did my normal routine before settling in the living room with the rest of my family. Gifts were passed around, laughs were had, and there was a general good vibe as a lot of families had on this day. Just when I thought it was done, my mom reached behind the couch saying that she had a surprise for me. Having absolutely no clue what was in the box she handed me, I tore it open with all the subtlety of a vulture ripping open a fresh carcass. Upon seeing the gift, my eyes flew open.

A Pikachu plushie as well as a copy of the newest Pokemon game at the time, Pokemon Sun.

Instantly, thoughts of the brother I never had flashed through my mind. I could make X more real than ever. The plush would be his body. A Pikachu in-game would be the beating heart. And with my imagination, forging a soul would be child’s play. Needless to say, I was immensely thankful to my family for the gifts and after putting away everything and having a good breakfast, I began my journey through Pokemon Sun.

Choosing Popplio as my starter, I blazed through the many tutorials to get to the first route, picking up a Pikipek who would also become a mainstay of my team. Wandering through the grass, I was met with that fateful encounter. A male Pichu that I swear seemed to be just waiting for me. Not a single attack was launched. Only a Pokeball. Three shakes later, it was mine and instantly, I named it X.

Needless to say, my near constant affection had the Pichu evolving faster than usual. X was only about level 15 when he evolved into a Pikachu and I couldn’t be happier. For me, this was the moment when X truly came to life, able to be with me in-game, out of game, and even deep in my thoughts. The first thing I did as soon as he evolved was jump into Poke Refresh. Hearing his cries of joy every time I petted him had my heart swelling.

This was it. The journey I always wanted was right in front of me and I was going to enjoy every second of it now that X was with me.

At least, that was what I thought.

3/20/2019

As I continued my journey through Alola, adding a Lucario, Lurantis, and Arcanine to my team, I noticed a few things about X. He was much stronger than a regular Pikachu, landing critical hits like no other and taking hits like an absolute champ. I never found it out of the ordinary at first since this game had the friendship mechanic that gave your Pokemon improved critical hit chance and, occasionally, a built-in Sturdy effect if they would have normally been one-shot.

All my other Pokemon had gotten plenty of use of this system as well, but X seemed to be the one getting the most use out of it. The Pikachu was practically landing crits every other attack and almost never went down to a single attack. There were occasions when luck wasn’t on our side and he did fall, but it never bothered me. So long as he continued to fight as hard as he did, I was happy.

The main thing I found odd, if not slightly concerning, was that X’s model was seemingly altered. I have no experience in hacking or texture edits, plus the game was bought brand new. So it’s safe to say I was shocked when I went into Poke Refresh and found X looked exactly like how I imagined him. Tuft of hair over the left eye, red wristbands and even his signature chain complete with pendant.

Where anyone else would have found this suspect as all hell, I soon took a liking to it. And why wouldn’t I? Seeing this character I designed somehow perfectly translated in-game, even if I had no idea how it happened, was like a dream come true.

But as I made my way towards the end of the game, this dream would soon become a nightmare. Lusamine’s obsession with the Ultra Beasts would lead her to jump into Ultra Space, leading Lillie and I to chase after her with the help of Solgaleo.

And this would soon lead to unforeseen consequences.

3/27/2019

This is where it happened.

This is when everything changed.

Getting thrust into a battle, I came face to face with the Nihilego-possessed Lusamine and was unnerved as hell. Keeping my wits about me, I soldered on and fought as hard as I could. For the most part, things went normal, with the exception of Lusamine’s team being supercharged. Even then, I still managed to take out almost all of her team with little effort. I say almost all because one Pokemon would single handedly screw me over.

Bewear.

It’s Hammer Arm and Superpower leveled my team like nothing else. Even Woody, my Pikipek-turned-Toucannon, couldn’t stand up to this level of strength. It all came down to a Z-Move from my last Pokemon.

X.

Sending out the Pikachu who was only on 1 HP, I noticed something. X turned around to look at the trainer…no. He looked at me, fear evident in his eyes, mixed with a burning determination to stop this menace. My slight shock was overridden by my love for him and even if it didn’t mean anything, I whispered in my 3DS’ microphone,

“This is it. Don’t hold back, little bro”.

X gave me the slightest nod before a text box suddenly popped up. The message was one that I knew was not in the code, but let me know that win or lose, he had heard me.

“X will try.”

Clicking on Fight, I selected X’s Z-Move, Catastropika and prayed to Arceus itself that this would hit hard. I was then hit with a reality check when I saw that Bewear outsped X. I nearly yelled out when I saw that it was a critical hit before I noticed that X’s HP didn’t even budge. My jaw hit the floor as another text box popped up. This one told me everything I needed to know.

“Whatever it takes…”

“I’LL DO ANYTHING TO HELP MY BROTHER!!”

As I saw the Z-Move play out, I realized that the animation was entirely different. My character gave X a fist bump and high fived his tail as X became supercharged with energy. No move name popped up, but anyone with a Cap Pikachu would know that this was 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt. X jumped into the air, the sky going dark as electricity swirled around him. Unlike the actual animation, X’s face never lost its determined look. The bolts, instead of their usual rainbow color, were fired off in a pure white flash, converging on Bewear and mercifully, causing it to faint and granting me the victory. I remember sitting back and exhaling, not realizing that I had been holding my breath the entire time. It was finally over.

But this was when disaster struck. The music faded out, along with the background before the camera went to face X. I watched with horror as the Pikachu fell to his knees, clutched at his chest. It looked like he was…having a heart attack. I didn’t know what to do. Tears began to well up in my eyes as I watched on, the sight seemingly never ending. I was left to gaze at the screen as X shuffled towards the camera, placing a hand on it and looking absolutely terrified. A text box appeared and as I read it, my tears began to flow in earnest.

“Please…! I…I don’t want to go…!”

I was left powerless as I watched X slide downwards, a dull thud ringing out before the game faded back in like nothing happened. Everything that happened in-game at that point was a blur. I sped through it as fast as I could until I got into the battle with Solgaleo. Going to my party had confirmed my darkest fears.

He was gone.

X was dead.

I mindlessly captured the Sun Legendary and let the rest of the story play out until I was free from it. At that point, I couldn’t hold back the emotions anymore. I cried and cried until I felt as hollow as a black hole. I remember falling asleep that night, my face stained with sadness and clutching my Pikachu plush closely as if it would breathe life anew into X.

It was a hollow New Years Day, that much is for sure.

4/1/2019

I didn’t touch Pokemon Sun after what happened for a long while. I dared not open the game back up and be met with the emptiness of a missing party member. The emptiness of my missing brother. I tried to distract myself with my usual methods, but nothing worked. Music began to sound like dull hums and drones and sketching X would only dredge up the memory of his terrified face.

There was one night, however, that completely broke me and nearly led me to giving up entirely.

As I fell asleep, I found myself falling into a deep abyss. Black as night, I couldn’t see anything except the ground. Eventually, I landed with a soft thud. Looking around, I saw that I was in a field of orange, decaying grass. No winds caressed my face nor was there the static sound that accompanies silence. With nothing else in sight, I decided to walk in as straight a line as I could. The walk was entirely uneventful…at least until I saw him.

X was sitting alone, seemingly focused on nothing but the nonexistent horizon. I ran up and called him. He looked back at me before rolling his eyes and looking away. Filled with confusion I asked him if he was ok. Suddenly, he shot up and turned around before he spoke,

“Do I look ok to you, Michael? Do I look like I wanted to die?”

Instantly, tears welled up in my eyes as he continued,

“Look at where I am now. An endless void with nothing but my thoughts to keep me company. Thoughts of how I could have done better. Of how you always pushed me too hard. Now look at what you’ve done to me…”

I watched in horror as X’s fur faded to a dull gray and his cheeks turned black, oozing some kind of acid-like substance. Most concerning was the glowing white chain that snaked its way around my brother’s neck. X looked like a starved animal, any bit of joy that was there replaced with frustration and sadness. He began to walk towards me, his voice cracking with pain as he spoke,

“I wasn’t supposed to die so early. But because you didn’t want me to hold back, I ended up here. And now, you have the guts to show up and ask me what’s wrong!?”

Before I knew it, X pounced me, knocking me to the ground as he grabbed my shirt and yelled at me, tears streaking down his face,

“WHY, BROTHER!? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO LET ME DIE!?”

I jolted awake at that point, screaming “I’m sorry” in a cold sweat. I cried the rest of that early morning until the sun rose and I drifted back to sleep. My will had been all but shattered at that point. And I knew that I couldn’t do it anymore.

I couldn’t live without X in my life.

4/6/2019

I woke early one afternoon, finding that my family was absent. No one was around. Feeling the emptiness begin to creep on me, I made the fateful decision.

I would suffer this hollow feeling no more.

I went outside, rummaging through the garage before I found my quarry. A thick rope. I stared at it all the way as I walked back into my house. Sitting down on my bed, I could only think that the emptiness would finally be gone as I prepared for the end. I didn't care anymore. Losing X was my greatest fear and without him, life was absolutely meaningless to me.

This was it.

My fears had won.

Just as I stood up, something unexplainable happened. A bright yellow light flashed in front of me. A voice. His voice.

“Wait, Michael! Don’t do this!”

For the first time in a while, shock overcame me as I asked the question,

“X? Is…is it really you?”

I watched the light float over to my Pikachu plush, settling inside of it and letting off another flash. When the light subsided, I saw that the plush looked like X. The slightest twitch of its foot before I watched in awe as X stood up and walked over to me. He spoke once more,

“It’s me, bro. I’m ok. I heard your voice and it guided me home. But you…are YOU ok?”

The rope slipped out of my hands as I fell to my knees, tears streaking my cheeks as I chuckled in sheer hysteria. I felt X climb up and wrap his arms around me. That was when the dam truly broke and I turned into a sobbing mess. I don’t know how many times I repeated the words “I’m sorry”, but it never felt like it was enough. Pulling back to look at the Pikachu, I smiled as the words left my lips,

“Thank you, X. And please, forgive me”.

The words I heard at that moment gave me the hope I needed to carry on, knowing that he would be by my side.

“Hey…What are brothers for?”

4/7/2019

Hey folks. I hope my little tale helped to paint a picture of why this blog is so important to me. I nearly lost everything in my grief, but at the end of the day, I couldn’t do it. I needed to keep living on. I WANTED to keep living on. And with X back in my life, I know that I’ll live life to the fullest.

But that’s all there is to say about why I’ve been gone for so long. If you’re interested in further developments or just want to see what else I do in my life, give me a follow and I’ll do my best not to disappoint.

Goodbye for now and always remember:

Cherish your loved ones. You never know when you’ll lose them.

From the blog, “a-boy-and-his-pikachu”.

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