Thread: Any ideas on how to incorporate the PokeWalker into fanfiction?

Okay. So, I know that out-of-universe, the PokeWalker was included with Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver as a way to encourage kids to exercise more. However, it had been my favorite aspect of SoulSilver back when I was playing it two years ago (another being the Battle Frontier that Platinum had introduced). The best part about it was being able to unlock new areas the more time you spent walking with it, which I did whenever there was something in the game proper I had to wait for or whenever I went somewhere that either involved a lot of walking or there was an opportunity to walk laps somewhere while waiting to leave. (Last route I managed to unlock before completing the game, Beyond the Sea notwithstanding, was Scary Cave.)

That all said, I'm looking for a way for such a thing to be able to work in fanfiction. So far, I've had several ideas going on about that:

Original idea:

Jamie has one of these from before he starts his journey. Once he has some Pokemon, one of their Pokeballs can then be inserted into the device, and the Pokemon inside is transported to a secluded place where it will either become happier (1 point for each hour) or gain more experience, depending on how pleasant or harsh the environment is for it (and different Pokemon will like different environments more than others), the longer it stays there.

Each time a Pokemon is sent, Jamie can also check up on it, and can collect up to one wild Pokemon and three items via a stylus, at the cost of some freshly-collected watts. (Whatever is available at any given time will be random.) Whichever Pokemon is inside the PokeWalker will not be in the party, and cannot be called out to battle. However, a space can be made within the party in order to recall the Pokemon, any wild Pokemon that are captured, but at a cost of some points made to it which could otherwise be saved to unlock new areas. (Recalling the Pokemon inserted will not cost any points.) Jamie can only watch what goes on with his Pokemon, but if it faints at any point, it will automatically be sent back to a PC Box, unless he has any empty spaces in his party (in which case it will end up there instead).

The longer a Pokemon remains inside the Walker, the more likely a new area will be enabled. Some areas can only be unlocked if Jamie wins 3rd place or higher in any PAL Park contests much later in the ficseries. There are two places that can only be unlocked through other criteria (those of course being Beyond the Sea and Night Sky's Edge). If the Pokemon is close to fainting, Jamie will receive a signal to intervene by either recall it or capture the Pokemon endangering it (only if it can recover on its own). If the Pokemon faints, no new watts will be accumulated, but the Pokemon will retain any happiness or experience that it has accumulated until that point.

Current idea:

Jamie receives it from Professor Elm after showing him the newly-hatched Togepi. From there on, he can use it at any point to teleport to any location available on it, whether to relax or to train his Pokemon through elements such as heat or cold. The more combined time he spends at any location, the more areas will be accessible.

In response to this, a friend of mine had some arguments against it. To quote him:

It kind of brings up serious plot issues, one of which being 'it's not real so everything he catches has to be Porygon or something' and another being 'why would Elm trust *this* piece of technology to him so soon when he doesn't really know Jamie' and a third one being 'this technology is way too advanced for the GSC characters...'.

I did tell him that, on the second point, he might just as easily buy it at a PokeMart (as long as he obtains one sufficiently early in the game). However, aside from his hatred for HGSS (or anything else that was introduced after Platinum), he actually had some valid points.

So, what I need to ask is, does anyone here have any ideas on how to properly implement an in-universe manifestation of the PokeWalker into fanfiction (and also, a potential in-universe reason why the other two main characters, who will explore Kanto and Hoenn respectively before all three mains venture into Sinnoh, never do have or obtain one)?

It could just be a Johto-exclusive item, maybe? (the simplest way to explain why Kanto and Houen don't have them) Or maybe Devon doesn't have the means to make them. (that would explain Houen at least)

I incorperated the PokéWalker Areas into the actual Kanto and Johto (and merged one into the Icy Path of Mt. Snowfall, next to Mt. Moon) before adding the Pokéwalker as a prototype Pocket Training Simulation Device (intials intended), a prototype for trainers to try and push out the Exp. Share Device and codenamed "Pokéwalker", but ended up cancelled (Ethan's dad works at where they produce them and sent him one to try for his 11th birthday since his son always went on about beating Red).

Originally Posted by LightningTopaz

It could just be a Johto-exclusive item, maybe? (the simplest way to explain why Kanto and Houen don't have them) Or maybe Devon doesn't have the means to make them. (that would explain Houen at least)

Well, that's a start. In that case, it would mean that there'd probably be a similar company in Goldenrod, which is where Jamie gets his third gym badge (thus still early enough). Or, it could also be under development in the Global Terminal that only existed canonically in HGSS, and Jamie is asked to try out a prototype in exchange for his own if it works.

This, then, brings up some other issues. Forgive me if I end up not making sense, but here goes:

Canonically, Silph Co. and Devon Corp. are two separate entities; the former is in charge of producing PokeBalls, and also created the Silph Scope in order to help people spot ghosts in Lavender Tower. The latter is the company that produces TMs, created a fossil-resurrection machine (which likely made its way to Cinnabar Island during the events of RBY/FRLG and RSE), and also created the Devon Scope in order to spot hiding Kecleon. One argument my aforementioned friend had was that the Pokewalker would seem like military technology that the developers would try to keep hidden from the general public; considering how Silph Co. was indeed invaded by Team Rocket, while Team Magma or Aqua attempts to steal some important documents belonging to Devon, this might very well be the case.

Another key point would be regarding the Global Terminals. Even though they only existed canonically in Goldenrod City (Gen IV only) and Jubilife City, according to my ficseries, there will also be one each in Saffron City and Rustboro City. However, they initially are not open for business until Ellen (the Kanto protagonist) finds all three gemstones (yes, there are three, including an emerald; the ruby is found in Cinnabar Mansion) to bring back to Celio while exploring the Sevii Islands. Until then, all Pokemon trades take place within a single Pokemon Center.

The above paragraph means that there'd be plotholes. First of all, that would logically mean that Ellen would deserve her own Walker in exchange for her services. Second, a key aspect of the Walker is that some routes can only be unlocked after the National Dex is unlocked; one of those, Beyond the Sea, is unlocked by making an international trade through the Global Terminal. Five more of them, the ones canonically only accessible through downloading events, are unlocked by winning 3rd place or higher at the Pal Park tournament, which takes place in Sinnoh while transporting participants to a secluded area for each of five contests. (Whether the Pokemon there are natural or virtual in origin is up for interpretation.)

Then again, considering that the Dream World, the Black/White equivalent to the PokeWalker, is the in-game result of something much more natural, it's possible that whatever equivalent the ficseries has to the PokeWalker isn't even a man-made device, and is something only found in Johto. If anyone has ideas for what that could be, feel free to contribute them. I'd really appreciate them.

Originally Posted by Instrutilus

I incorperated the PokéWalker Areas into the actual Kanto and Johto (and merged one into the Icy Path of Mt. Snowfall, next to Mt. Moon) before adding the Pokéwalker as a prototype Pocket Training Simulation Device (intials intended), a prototype for trainers to try and push out the Exp. Share Device and codenamed "Pokéwalker", but ended up cancelled (Ethan's dad works at where they produce them and sent him one to try for his 11th birthday since his son always went on about beating Red).

That's a good suggestion. I'll try to put some thought into it. Right now, along with the possibility of it being canceled and Jamie owning a prototype with some code written into it, it might be something with which to access a special region uninhabited by humans. The environments he accesses would thus be natural, and so all three arguments by my friend against it would be negated. Thanks!

Originally Posted by McKnight

Originally Posted by Instrutilus

I incorperated the PokéWalker Areas into the actual Kanto and Johto (and merged one into the Icy Path of Mt. Snowfall, next to Mt. Moon) before adding the Pokéwalker as a prototype Pocket Training Simulation Device (intials intended), a prototype for trainers to try and push out the Exp. Share Device and codenamed "Pokéwalker", but ended up cancelled (Ethan's dad works at where they produce them and sent him one to try for his 11th birthday since his son always went on about beating Red).

That's a good suggestion. I'll try to put some thought into it. Right now, along with the possibility of it being canceled and Jamie owning a prototype with some code written into it, it might be something with which to access a special region uninhabited by humans. The environments he accesses would thus be natural, and so all three arguments by my friend against it would be negated. Thanks!

Glad to be of assistance, and I'd imagine the prototype would have most of the code in to be sure the code would work and figure out where it wouldn't.