Tales of Elysium
is a webcomic by Haychel and SlyGrovyle inspired by the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series of games, but going in a very different direction than the games usually do. It updates on Sunday and Tuesday.
The characters and plot points originated in comics and literature that the authors created for PMD-Explorers. By Mission 7, Haychel and Sly decided to abandon the storyline and create an alternate canon story incorporating their characters and their backstories.
Leon is a Riolu without a past, save for memories of Cold-Blooded Torture and a mysterious book with ever-changing content that only he can open. Vagus the Totodile is part of a rescue team that leaves their guild after being fed up with their corrupt boss. Together, they search for the mythical land of Elysium in hopes of finding answers to their past, present, and future.
This webcomic provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents: While Mycaelis and Vagus's Charizard mother Divina doesn't appear to have been this, their father, a Feraligatr named Gaius, constantly pushed them both to be stronger using Training from Hell. This has also had a bad effect on Mycaelis's personality. To put only one example, their father once caught a child-killing Sneasel and offered to let him go free...if he could kill Vagus. And he showed no signs of intervening when it looked like Vagus actually would die. And then punished Mycaelis when he intervened.
- Action Prologue: Featuring a Slowpoke caught in the middle of a battle between Rayquaza and Deoxys.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Compared to Nintendo's official designs for Riolu and Totodile, it's clear Haychel has deliberately given the protagonists a more enchanting appearance.
- Agony Beam: One of the methods in which Leon was tortured.
- All There in the Manual: SlyGrovyle has also written some canon prequels that explore the childhood of Mycaelis and Vagus before and after losing their parents.
- Ancient Artifact: The book first appears in the prologue, 500 years before the story begins. Even then, it appeared to be in existence for quite some time.
- Arc Symbol: The armbands worn by Team Spartan bear a Laconian symbol.
- Art Evolution: Compared to the beginning of comic, there is a noticeable refinement in the illustrations by the end of Volume 1.
- Asshole Victim: While Vagus and Mycaelis losing their parents was a tragedy, it can be said that their father deserved it due to his abhorrent treatment of both of them in order to make them strong.
- Badass Family: Team Spartan is composed of two brothers and their adopted daughter.
- Berserk Button: Don’t ever make a big mess in front of Aamon the Espurr; His crewmates warn Vagus that he doesn't like being talked to or given orders either.
- Beware the Quiet Ones: Foreshadowed when the crew warns Vagus about Aamon the Espurr.
- Chekhov's Skill: At one point Leon's book shows him a number of different rope knots. Cue he and Vagus being accepted onto the Argo because he can tie a bowline knot (and is therefore of use to the crew) due to studying the book.
- The Chosen Many: The Laconians are said to have once been the protectors of Elysium.
- Curb Stomp Cushion: Mycaelis gets in a few good hits on Lorenzo but still winds up taking a serious beating.
- Elemental Powers: Well, they are Pokémon, after all...
- Family of Choice: Meri and Noir are this for Leon; Kareena and Narda are this for Mycaelis and Vagus.
- Fat Bastard: Team Spartan's guildmaster, a Toxicroak named Crass is quite on the chubby side, and is nothing short of arrogant and dishonest. He is evasive when Team Spartan accuses him of colluding with criminals and attempts to bribe Mycaelis and Vagus with a higher commission if they would drop the matter entirely.
- Flashback Nightmare: Poor Leon relives his memories of torture and imprisonment whenever he goes to sleep.
- Fourth-Wall Mail Slot: This webcomic staple makes an appearance before the start of Book 2.
- Glowing Eyelights of Undeath: While the 'hosts' are various Pokémon species, they all possess the same attribute: one eyelight each.
- Great Big Book of Everything: Leon's book straddles the line between this and Tome of Prophecy/Fate: it shows Leon what it thinks he needs to know, although it's not very good at telling Leon why he needs to know it.
- Harmful to Minors: Before being abducted and brutally tortured as child, Leon witnessed the gruesome murder of a Swellow he had just healed.
- Healing Potion: Fabius possesses a potion that can revive the nearly departed, but it cannot heal fatal injuries or take away the pain.
- "Here's Johnny!" Homage: Vagus references the iconic scene in Kubrick's The Shining while invading Slade's hideout.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Olly the Scrafty, who puts himself in the way of a lethal blow meant for Vagus before punching him off the Argo.
- Pokemon Shield: One of the early villains, an Aggron named Slade, tries to pull this against Mycaelis. Mycaelis calls his bluff.
- I See Dead People: Kareena discovers they have the ability to see monochrome apparitions that are living memories, a trait that is shared by all abnormals.
- The Klutz: Olly the Scrafty.
- Loophole Abuse: Mycaelis promises Slade the Aggron to spare his life if he releases his hostage, but he never promised that Kareena would do the same...
- Loyal Phlebotinum: The Book is very choosy on who is able to open it.
- Made of Indestructium: The Book. It's later revealed that Laconian armbands also have the same properties.
- Night of the Living Mooks: The fate of Mycaelis and Vagus's parents.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Levi ends up on the receiving end of one, courtesy of a furious Mycaelis, followed by some Punctuated Pounding.Mycaelis: YOU *BAM* GUTLESS *THUD* GUTLESS *BAM* GUTLESS FUCKING CUNT!! *CRACK*
- Oblivious Janitor Cut: The Argo is under attack, yet Aamon the Espurr would rather concentrate on swabbing the lower deck.
- Off with His Head!: Crass killed by Levi
- Ominous Fog: When the Argo enters the mist that surrounds Elyisium, things start taking a turn for the worse...
- Parental Substitute: Marvin the Floatzel and Narda the Lanturn were this for the orphaned Mycaelis and Vagus; Kareena is also an orphan and was raised since infancy by Mycaelis and Vagus.
- Penal Colony: Elysians exile their criminals to Tartarus, a nearby island.
- Pirate: The crew of the Argo.
- Punny Name: The Argo's Bronzong (known as the Bronze Bell Pokémon) is named... Isabell.
- Reality-Writing Book: Solon the Slowking explains that The Book is ever changing due to the changing nature of fate.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Before leaving on his adventure, Vagus gives one to Mycaelis. Guess how well he takes it...
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Mycaelis and Vagus, which is also an Elemental Rivalry. The same could be said of their parents, albeit with the colours/elements reversed.
- Removing the Head or Destroying the Brain: One of the few vulnerabilities of the 'hosts' since Fabius has yet to successfully reanimate a headless cadaver.
- Spoiler Cover: The cover image for the first volume gives away how the voyage on the Argo will end for Leon and Vagus.
- Superpowerful Genetics: The Laconians.
- Teleportation: While some Pokémon like Levi the Gallade possess this ability as a psychic move, the magnagates (and the magic ability to use them with entercards) from PMD: Gates to Infinity also exist in this universe.
- Suspicious Spending: Vagus calls Crass out for the luxury items that decorate his office and would be beyond the means of an honest guildmaster.
- Theme Naming: Very much a thing in this comic. Team Spartan uses a Laconian symbol; Theseus is the first mate of a ship named the Argo (which was originally sailing in the direction of Tartarus) and at least five other crew members (Idas, Tiphys, Atalanta, Castor and Pollux) are also named after Argonauts; Leon's name is short for Leonidas; and Solon is the first current resident of Elysium referred to by name.
- Tomes of Prophecy and Fate: The book qualifies as a tome of prophecy and its ability to rewrite its prophecies qualifies it as a tome of fate.
- Too Dumb to Live: When Crass is cornered by Kareena, he attempts to block her blade attack with his arm. He's lucky it's little more than a deep cut and his arm didn't get lopped off entirely.
- Villain with Good Publicity: The crew of the Argo believes the Laconians to have been this.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: The first casualties in the attack on the Argo are crew members that had yet to be named in the story.
- Writing Around Trademarks: In PMD-Explorers, the Pokémon village is named Tao. For Tales of Elysium, the village is renamed 'Oat.'
- You Can't Go Home Again: Above all else, Theseus wants to return home...to Elysium.
