d_s_t_e's Wattpad Reviews

PC Zero Continued: The Plot

* Spoilers everywhere. Go read the book or give up now.

Pokémon Chronicles: Zero starts out (after a brief section of prologue) by introducing the first person narrator: a Piplup named Crystal who lives with her adoptive mother and many adopted siblings. Her life seems fine, but she tells the reader that she has a deep longing to see the world, one that is at least partially based on some kind of mysterious impulse or instinct.

"...there were deeper reasons for me wanting to explore the world, reasons that I myself couldn't fully understand. For the most part, I felt as though I had to for some reason, as if there was something major and dramatic waiting for me out there..." – Prologue: Let's Begin!

She soon gets her opportunity in the form of an opening at a nearby school and sets out on a journey, soon being joined by her friend (and sometimes-rival) Megan the Cyndaquil.

This is a pretty vanilla beginning. It does its job, of course. It introduces the main character, shows what her goal is, and quickly introduces interpersonal tensions and potential dangers to come, but there is nothing particularly unique or interesting in these plot mechanics. A character leaves home to go on a journey because she wants to go on a journey, a very common story. As I said, there's nothing wrong with that... except that I think it could be so much better.

Why? Well, because Pokémon Chronicles: Zero is not actually the story of a Piplup who goes on a journey in order to satisfy her longing for adventure. The story isn't actually about Crystal at all. Stick with me here. This will all make much more sense after I drop some literature knowledge.

The Conflict

In fictional literature, there are several different types of conflicts. The main conflict of the story could be person vs. person (you might have been taught it as man vs. man, but I'm choosing to be more gender neutral). This type of plot involves a protagonist who is opposed by an antagonist. You could imagine Batman vs. the Joker. Batman is the main character, the hero of the story, who is opposed by the villainous Joker. Batman wants to save Gotham City; the Joker wants to destroy it.

Some other types of conflict include person vs. nature (books like The Hatchet, where the main character must survive in the harsh wilderness), person vs. self (in which the entire main conflict is an internal one, like A Christmas Carol in which Scrooge is his own worst enemy and undergoes a journey in which he finally becomes a better man), person vs. society (pick your favorite dystopia), and more.

So, on to the obvious question at hand. What is the main conflict of Pokémon Chronicles: Zero? Crystal is our main character, right? So we switch person for Pokémon and say that it's Pokémon vs. ...? Who or what is opposing Crystal in her goals? Suzie the Kangaskhan, the Pokémon who adopted her, offers some slight resistance to the idea of Crystal leaving but mostly endorses it wholeheartedly, even offering her a lot of very useful supplies that she'd kept especially for the occasion. Megan argues with Crystal and seems combative, yet she is also clearly described as a friend. Even more than that, she does nothing to prevent Crystal from leaving on her desired journey and even ends up travelling with her, which provides help.

At the end of chapter one, Crystal meets her first real villain, a Zweilous intent upon making her a meal. This would certainly oppose her goals, so is the conflict Pokémon vs. Pokémon? No, this particular villain actually turns out to be a very minor character in the book as a whole.

So what am I saying? Am I trying to tell you that this book has made the fundamental error of not even having a proper conflict? No, although that certainly would be the case if you made the mistake of thinking that Crystal is the first half of our conflict label. And that mistake would be perfectly understandable given how this book begins.