Altered Bonds — Pokémon/Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

[TWO CASTAWAYS STEP FOOT UPON A LAND THAT MANKIND WAS BARRED FROM TOUCHING.] A tragic shipwreck leaves Lucario and an Alolan girl Eira trapped in Haven Archipelago — a Pokemon civilization hostile to humans. Their only saving grace? A magic transformation item to protect the girl and their secrets. Against friendly-at-first explorers and lurking hunters, however, keeping a low profile might not be enough. And what of the dangers abound, with vile mutants seeking to spread their infection, and natural distortions called Mystery Dungeons that are unraveling into chaos? One slip-up, and they could be goners. In this realm, calamitous conspiracies converge, souls seek solace, and magic manifests. A duo with no home are thrust into it all, facing a reality beyond their imagination. A fairy tale begins— And the fable of an ill omen grips a crumbling world. (A Pokemon Mystery Dungeon-style fanfiction heavily built on action, character relations, and drama. Best read with some general Pokemon knowledge.)

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2024
Author: SaadTheConjurer

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.9/ 5.0
Followers: 94
Views: 24,050

Chapters(32 total)

What readers say about Altered Bonds — Pokémon/Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

“The world building is detailed and immersive, and has dark themes overrall. The relationship between Lucario and Eira is really good. Their bond is natural and very well developed. The characters, their interactions, and the dialog feel authentic and not pl…”
Jackers30Royal Road5.0 / 5
“Story - This story is much like opening all the cages in a zoo after close and locking yourself inside. Only the lions that want to take a bite out of you can also breath fire. It’s a great ode to Mystery Dungeons, and plays out Pokémon with a dash of gritt…”
SpookyspacklesRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(5)

Jackers30Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The world building is detailed and immersive, and has dark themes overrall. The relationship between Lucario and Eira is really good. Their bond is natural and very well developed. The characters, their interactions, and the dialog feel authentic and not plastic, well done on that regard!
The mutant storyline is something not often explored in other fics. It adds an extra layer that sits this story properly on the darker side and it’s a good mystery to unravel. I'm quite curious to see where it goes.
However the pacing can occasionally feel slow. The plot takes its time to 'get going' which may not be everyone's cup of tea (It is mine). The upside is, as mentioned, the characters are well written, and their interactions are fun to read.
Nothing to complain about grammatically. It’s well written and doesn’t make any egregious mistakes. (Not that I would spot some of them, English is not my first language lol)
Overall, it’s an excellent choice for fans looking for a darker, more mature take on the universe. It’s a narrative filled with suspense, emotional growth, and intricate world building. And this Lucario is best boi, deserves all the hugs. I demand more chapters!
SpookyspacklesRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Story - This story is much like opening all the cages in a zoo after close and locking yourself inside. Only the lions that want to take a bite out of you can also breath fire. It’s a great ode to Mystery Dungeons, and plays out Pokémon with a dash of grittiness and a healthy dose of fear.
Character - a few characters are introduced in the first chapter, all of them holding distinct styles, agendas and personalities.
Grammar - clean as a whistle! The writing has a moderate focus on descriptions and setting the tone, and keeps the action moving. The Pokémon references are clear cut and unobtrusive to the flow of the tale.
Overall, a great hook of a first chapter!
StrawberryRainRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
For a place called a "haven", it sure doesn't seem that way for all involved.
I haven't read too many fanfictions on this site, and this is one of a handful of exceptions. It's a wonderful exception to make, in that case, especially as someone who cut their teeth on writing Pokemon fanfiction themselves so long ago. The author is very, very correct in stating that Pokemon knowledge is definitely a must heading into this, although you won't need an unreasonable amount by any means. Still, know your moves, know your (basic) abilities, and know your Pokemon, of course! What gaps end up in the middle of that are accounted for and filled in well, including descriptions of those same abilities and moves where applicable. As to the lore of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon itself, there's quite a bit more leniency, and the basic concepts are easily conveyed without a need for much background into the spinoff games.
Our story is a dark twist on an environment usually cheerful. The Mystery Dungeon world is typically exuberant and vibrant with hope at the core and humans front and center. This time, humans are quite a bit more problematic--an "ill omen", if you will, in one case in particular. That leaves a fairly forsaken Lucario to pick up the pieces, guarding a secret and a fragile life all at once. Balancing a search for the truth and the weight of a life isn't easy, especially when the latter has one hell of a level discrepancy.
Grammar is more or less flawless. I haven't caught almost any sort of issues whatsoever, and the story flows great!
My one singular concern comes in the form of the Pokemon battles. While fast-paced and high stakes, the involvement of multiple Pokemon simultaneously can sometimes make it tricky to keep up with who's where and what's happening. This is where move knowledge is key, and the pre-existing understanding of Disable, Aura Sphere, and everything in between is somewhat necessary. That being said, this is somewhat of a chronic issue with all Pokemon
iRojRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A girl arrives in a strange land where she shouldn't be able to be and she has to deal with all the different consequences that will inevitably entail. She won't have it easy as the plot starts kicking along, but the friends she makes along the way will support her. Will they continue to do so if they know the truth though?
Side note: I wouldn't recommend reading this without having a solid foundation of Pokémon knowledge ahead of time, as the story does not hold your hand in that regard.
Style: The prose is mostly there to tell the story and not much more, but the style of the different fight scenes is very creative. The characters always use all the tools available to them, which lets the sneaky strategies shine and is very engaging to read. The grammar leaves nothing to complain about, I don't recall ever seeing a mistake but English also isn't my first language so I might not be the best source for that.
Story: The plot starts up slowly and seems to be just focused on crashing from one problem into the next. Whilst this is going on you will be slowly introduced to more and more weird things happening that eventually all come back again to haunt our protagonist. The plot is on the slower side of things, mostly at the start, so be aware if that is not your cup of tea. The different mysteries are set up very well and make for satisfying reveals. There is a continuous feeding of breadcrumbs which slowly increases your understanding of the world.
Characters: Probably my favourite part of this story is how all the different characters have a very unique feel to them. Each one has their own way of acting, interpreting information, communicating and their own set of goals and ambitions. Because everyone has their own thoughts over the other cast members, each interaction has their own distinct feel. Combining this with the variety of personalities present leaves me with no notes of things that I wished were different.
Even though the story isn't finished yet, from what
EvercrestRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
First Chapter Review - Christmas bonus.
A Tale of Two Stranded Coconuts in the Sea of Unforgiving Anti-Humanism!
The story was an enjoyable take on a 'what if' Pokemon hated humans as we follow along a Lucario and a random human who he inevitably saves during a shipwreck. Not his trainer or friend, but just a human he desires to protect to make up for the fact he couldn't protect his own trainer.
This wreck takes us to the mysterious and shrouded archipelago of human-hating poke-communities where most of the action seems to take place.
Character-wise it was enjoyable seeing the story from Lucario's PoV, just getting that sort of 'humanity' where his thoughts, actions, etc are portrayed is nice to see. The secondary character being a very scared, shy, somewhat closed up girl is alright in comparison, but there's definitely more room for her to grow overall. Protagonist / Main Character energy essentially. One runs the show, one grows through the show innit.
Kecleon sucks though!
Besides that, will be interesting to see what other characters are brought up and how their own beliefs intermingle with the current cast of characters in retrospect.
Grammar-wise:
No particular complaints, there's a few little minor capitalization issues and bits like that, but nothing I care too much about personally to pay serious attention to, unless it's some super glaring problems.
Style:
Kind of a +/- thing where there's a lot of content on the page, but it's so sparse and small paragraphs where it makes the page empty in comparison. It's nice because you get through it easily, but at the same time when you're going through so much content you want it to feel a bit thicker as a result. Some people hate it, some like it, no real great answer for it.
If there was another draft of it, would play around maybe with more tight writing styles and see how it feels and how it plays out.
Overall though, the story was a nice run through and the first chapter had a good enough hook that tempts you