How can Mark communicate with Charmander?

This is one of those questions one wonders how anybody could ask. Hello, it's all over: This fic is set twenty-seven years after the animé, and in it, kids learn Pokémon language at school! I wasted a good many paragraphs explaining it. How about reading chapter one again?

Why do you talk about levels and stats? They're just in the games!

In fact, they are not. Levels have been in the animé; the episode was The School of Hard Knocks. And I'm not just thinking it game-wise when I include them, for no reason other than "they are in the games". I actually made a special extra about it in the Ilcoeth revision... to quote my own words:

You all know what an IQ is, right? Human intelligence doesn’t really consist of a number, but it is measured in a number.

In my fics, Pokémon stats and levels are ‘IQs’; that is, they don’t actually consist of a number, but are scientifically measured in numbers for convenience. Base stats are averages, created to compare the different species of Pokémon in their power. Not absolutely accurately, of course – but they can at least tell you that a Dragonite is much more powerful than a Caterpie. That does not mean, however, that a clever, determined Caterpie can’t defeat a Dragonite with some strategy; basically, I don’t just make the ‘stronger’ Pokémon win.

The stats all measure different things. Speed measures speed, however the Pokémon is fastest; Swellow’s Speed is measured in how fast it can fly, but Doduo’s in how fast it can run. Attack measures a Pokémon’s muscles; basically physical strength. Special attack measures the power of the Pokémon’s elemental attacks (such as how hot the flames the Pokémon can breathe are, how many volts the electric charge it can give off is, etc.). Defense measures how well the Pokémon’s body is built to absorb physical attacks; a Pokémon with high Defense will feel less pain when punched than a Pokémon with low Defense, assuming, of course, that neither has a weakness to the punch. Same with Special defense, except for special attacks. Finally, HP measures how much pain a Pokémon can take before fainting.

Hope my point is taken. Like them or not, I use levels and stats in my fics, not because they're in the games, but because I've found a logical way to do it. Give me a good reason why thinking it this way isn't valid.

Why are there so many coincidences in Mark's favor? Finding the book, the Pokéball on the ground, and then Gyarados!

Ah, you're taking the Pokéball for a coincidence. See, it wasn't. Just a few paragraphs before, Charmander was talking about how the girl threw his Pokéball to the ground in frustration. Then at the end of the chapter, I specially draw the reader's attention to the Pokéball in the last paragraph. See the connection? This was Charmander's Pokéball. The other ones also have a purpose and were meant to be far-fetched.

When will the next chapter be up?

When I've written it. I will not write any faster if you ask for it, so stop asking.

The description tends to be forced.

I know. x_x I can't describe properly in this style. It will hopefully come with some practise.

Why are you always rewriting it?

Because I realize it's bad. Every time I get good criticism, I get the urge to rewrite it. I don't always rewrite it when I get the urge to, but I at least read over it and make minor changes.

That's a bad name.

I know, I know... I made it before I even knew what the fic was going to be about and it was a random cool-sounding name I came up with. I have a very hard time changing the names of things once I've named them. I can rename the chapters since they're so entirely different, but not the fic itself. Meh, I probably will one day. I just can't bring myself to do it right now.

You should make a different name for May.

Why? I made this name first. I wrote the original version of this fic before Advanced Generation started. I don't change something I've made if the animé dubbers happen to steal it. Her name is staying, thank you very much.