Infinity Train: Blossomverse delves into the guts of a lot of character archetypes.
Infinity Train: Blossoming Trail / Infinity Train: Voyage of Wisteria
Chloe Cerise
The author wrote Chloe as a way to vent out her frustrations over the anime writers and their writing of the character, showcasing how the anime world treats her unjustly.- In the anime, Chloe is meant to fill the role of the Token Female character who travels alongside Ash; however, this fic explores what happens when a character doesn't want that role. Chloe feels ostracized over her disinterest in Pokémon and is incredibly resentful of Ash, seeing him as a 'black hole' who has completely swallowed up all the attention her father and best friend have to give. Knowing that the only way to get acknowledged by either of them involves doing something related to him infuriates her. Moreover, learning that Ash is the Alola League Champion makes her feel even worse about herself; she'll never be able to compete with a Champion. Part of the story is about learning how to be her own person, without having to piggyback off him, her father or anybody else.
- She serves as a harsh deconstruction of the usual protagonist of a Betrayal Fic. Her decision to run away from home, finding new friends on the Train and growing stronger on her own, is not depicted as the best possible thing she could have done. While her anger is certainly justified, not all of her grudges are, and she holds onto them to her own detriment, transitioning into Fury-Fueled Foolishness.
- The ultimate goal of many a Betrayal Fic protagonist, to return home in order to confront and call out their former family, friends and loved ones, winds up as the catalyst for Parker's actions in Act 2, and the fallout from that is immense, leaving her family home in ruins and her reputation tattered.
- The Resenter: While Chloe's resentment of those who hurt her is justified, she extends that resentment towards others who have done nothing to deserve it. Like Ash, who catches a lot of blame for Professor Cerise and Goh paying far more attention to him than they do to her — something Ash has absolutely no control over. This stubbornness is turned against her, with several making it clear that if she won't forgive them, then they won't forgive her, either.
Goh Fujihachi
- Better with Non-Human Company:
- Goh prefers the company of Pokémon, believing them to be superior to humans since they can't betray their trainers. However, Tokio's 'betrayal' of him was a misunderstanding — one which Goh made no attempt to clear up in his anger.
- Raboot also notes that Goh betrayed him when he considered abandoning him in Hoenn, and is so disgusted by his downward spiral during the second arc that he considers looking for another trainer to join.
- Determinator:
- Goh's Goal in Life (Gotta Catch 'Em All, especially Mew) has grown into an unhealthy, single-minded obsession over the years. Other aspects of his life have gone neglected, leaving him with underdeveloped social skills, poor empathy, and difficulty understanding others' points of view. Ash is effectively his Only Friend; while Chloe was his Childhood Friend, he's neglected that relationship to the point that it's withered away to little more than resentment on her end.
- Chloe's disappearance causes him to shift focus from finding Mew to finding her, determined to fix the immediate problem at hand while completely failing to understand the underlying issues. He latches onto the notion that everything will go back to normal if he can just find her.
- Once it becomes clear that he can't force Chloe to conform to the reality he wants, Goh's determination turns bitter, and he fixates on tearing her down in order to build himself up.
- It should be noted that Goh's tunnel vision excludes Chloe's family. He never mentions to the Professor that he's been texting Chloe, and Parker never even crosses his mind. Nor does he care about the impact his actions have upon them.
- On the flipside, helping him break out of that mindset is shown to have its own issues. Once it's finally hammered home how much his fixations have hurt everyone around him, rather than learning that he needs to dial it back and temper his behavior to be less destructive, Goh becomes convinced that simply having dreams is what's causing the problem, and that he needs to give up completely. He also balks at trying to make things work because it's just another "goal" that he might get obsessed with, causing even more pain. And everyone who had previously called him out for being too obsessive can't talk him out of his downward spiral without coming off like they're backtracking.
- No Social Skills:
- Goh's lack of social graces crosses over into a Lack of Empathy for others — part of the problem is that he simply doesn't care about how others feel, considering his wants, needs and desires to be far more important.
- Though his parents were concerned about their son's poor social life, they ultimately chose a hands-off approach, hoping the situation would resolve itself. When they finally do start trying to step in, there's signs that these issues run in the family more than they'd care to admit.
- As a Collector-type Trainer who aims to capture a particular Pokémon, his relationship with Raboot is strained; Raboot wonders whether their relationship actually matters to him, or if he's merely a stepping stone on the path to Mew.
- Goh illustrates what kind of person would be a Fair-Weather Friend, as his various communication issues and general lack of experience dealing with others gradually alienates the few friends he does have, all without understanding why or how to fix it.
- In Act 2, he tears the Asshole Victim trope in half: though he becomes increasingly jerkish as he spirals into denial and lashes out at others, when karma comes calling for him, it morphs into an uncomfortably hellish ordeal. Any potential catharsis is replaced with growing horror, shock and disgust at how far Parker and Zeno go in breaking him.
- He also deconstructs the idea of somebody actively seeking the Infinity Train out. What kind of person do you have to be in order to obsess over entering a magical therapy train, especially when you don't even want to admit you have any sort of problems?
Ash Ketchum
- The Ace: His status as a well-traveled and highly successful Trainer make Chloe deeply resentful of him, as well as convinced that he considers her beneath his notice. Goh also resents his accomplishments as he becomes more aware of them — especially the fact that he's made so many human friends along with the Pokémon.
- All-Loving Hero: Though Ash usually charms and befriends most of the people he meets, Chloe resents him for how Professor Cerise and Goh pay more attention to him than they do to her, their daughter/Childhood Friend. And while he tried reaching out to Chloe, he never fully understood her point of view, with the closest he got being when he asked Goh why she disliked Pokémon and got a Non-Answer. His particular brand of friendliness, while effective, doesn't work if somebody isn't willing to open up, and has natural limits and limitations.
- Because Trip sees him as this, he calls Ash out on his inability to connect with Chloe, causing Ash to feel even guiltier and leading to several complications. Including Parker latching onto that very same sort of black-and-white reasoning to condemn Ash as well.
- The fact that plotlines tend to naturally revolve around him as the protagonist translates to him having a bit of a Guilt Complex, blaming himself when things go wrong.
- His Humble Hero status: while he doesn't brag about his accomplishments or coming off as arrogant and approachable, it also means that Ash is unable to explain all the other adventures he went through with Chloe. Because of this, Ash shows off no means of communicating with Chloe and all the adventures he went, probably gaining a connection with her.
- Ash also points out that he never brags about his accomplishments because it would make others feel jealous, such as Goh getting upset by him having met a Mew and so many other mythical Pokémon (not to mention having captured in one back in Alola).
- His goal of being Pokémon Master. It's mentioned multiple times in the narration that Ash was quick to help out his previous female companions yet did nothing to help Chloe out or even get to know her. While his drive to reach his dream and be the best trainer he can be is very effective at getting to know those who share his interests, even those with very different attitudes such as Paul, or even those outside of the field with similarly open dreams, a more self-contained person like Chloe can struggle to relate to him.
- Being a very trusting person who takes people at their word normally just causes Ash problems with Team Rocket and their disguises. In this fic, him trusting people at their word meant that he had no reason to question Goh's interpretation of what was going on with Chloe, especially as Goh was not being intentionally malicious or intending to deceive Ash. An Ash who didn't inherently trust those around him to either not lie or give him the full truth where it mattered would not have the angstier parts of his character bio in the story right now.
Trip Espinosa
- Trip deconstructs the typical
Fixer Sue of an Accusation Fic, the insightful outsider who harshly spells out everyone's problems when the main victim isn't able to. Thing is, his status as an outsider means he doesn't actually have a clear picture of the entire situation. And while his Brutal Honesty is effective in some cases, it also backfires badly and causes no shortage of pain, both from people becoming more defensive in response to his jackassery and people taking his words too literally. As soon as the situation shifts so that brutal callouts aren't useful anymore, he finds himself questioning how relevant and helpful he actually is.
Parker Cerise
- Where his sister deconstructs the standard protagonist of a Betrayal Fic, Parker does the same for that of a Revenge Fic. His desire for personal catharsis leaves him constantly dismissing the punishments that have already been doled out as 'not good enough' — and when given the chance to lash out, he unleashes his wrath upon everybody, including innocents like Ash and Serena, whose only 'crimes' are trying to stop him from going too far. In the end, his actions do more harm than good: since he 'justified' himself as avenging her, people grow to hate and blame her for it.
- Just a Kid: Parker is repeatedly frustrated by by others dismissing him for his youth, despite being the one who was closest to his sister. This contributes to his Rage Breaking Point; however, while he proves that others were wrong to dismiss him, it's not portrayed as a good thing or as though he was entirely in the right. Rather, having the ability to ensure that others can't dismiss him as an innocent child anymore works against him, causing considerable grief to all involved.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: While Parker was the only member of his family to have a better sense of who Chloe was, something his mother praises him for, being forced to step up in such a way and serve as his older sister's confidant and primary support hurts him as well. He also still retains a very simple, childish perspective befitting his age... and his belief that he knows better than the adults around him ultimately leads to tragedy.
Franklin Borage
- Bystander Syndrome: He is a character who is noted to have done nothing and theoretically could have done something in regards to Chloe's problems. However, it is framed with the simple fact that he is not able to perceive social interactions as well as others and avoided interactions enough that he doesn't know a lot of what is going on. He's even unaware of the talent show incident until it is brought up by UnChloe because it is so outside of his interests.
- Double Standard: Like Yeardley, he was allowed to get away with things Chloe wasn't by her classmates and society at large but less so because of his gender and more so of his autism. Beyond some comments about being allowed to be different, he also is not being as punished as the others as it is implied he won't have as much trouble, if any, getting into a different school. However, this is framed less as 'just because' and more because of a combination of both evidence of him not being involved (via taking notes with recorders) and the simple fact that being a special needs student gives him some level of slack.
Paul and Reggie Drangea
- Because their parents are gone, Reggie was Promoted To Parental Substitute — something which effectively ruined his relationship with his younger brother, along with Paul seeing him as a failure after he lost at the Battle Pyramid. Reggie was struggling to reconnect with Paul, who saw his efforts to reach out to him as 'overbearing' and overstepping boundaries.
Infinity Train: Knight of the Orange Lily
Gladion Montblanc
As part of the author's annoyance with Gladion's treamtment in the anime, it's fitting that a realistic look was taken to him.- Of the Chuunibyou. Instead of being a quirky gag that hurts nobody, Gladion's chuunibyouness makes him unwilling to face reality in favor of his fantasies, making him come across as oblivious and foolish at his best.
- He also deconstructs the Aloof Big Brother: In most media, this type of character would come across as cool and interesting, especially to their younger siblings. Gladion, meanwhile, comes across as cold at best, a prick at worst, and his aloofness is part of the reason why Lillie just can't stand him anymore.
- And of course, Secret-Keeper is taken apart as well. While normally such a character is seen as doing it for the greater good, the secret Gladion kept did more harm than good, and when people eventually do discover it, specifically Lillie, she's justifiably livid.
The Thief/Robbie Jewell
- He's a stand-in for passengers that come from "normal" worlds and states how unfair that he lives a life of mundane boredom.
Other
- Never My Fault and Moral Myopia are Running Themes:
- Before boarding the Train, Chloe sees herself as entirely trapped by the expectations of others. Act 1 sees everything she's kept bottled up boiling over, as she lashes out at all who hurt her with their inattentiveness and apathy. Act 2 has her gradually realizing that the situation was less black-and-white than she believed, coming to recognize the role her own inaction played.
- Mirroring this, Goh's increased Jerkassery after their breakup is fueled in part by the idea that it's honestly unfair for Chloe to blame him for their friendship decaying when she wasn't saying anything... while denying the idea that he needed to make any effort himself.
- Nightmare Fetishist: Chloe's interests, combined with a lack of any parental oversight, led to both her and Parker being exposed to materials that were not entirely appropriate for their age. In Parker's case, this led to him developing a very blasé attitude towards horror, not understanding the difference between reading something gory or watching a nightmarish scene versus experiencing it firsthand.
Infinity Train: Cherry Bloodlines
Chloe Cerise
The story takes a few hard looks at Chloe Cerise from Blossoming Trail.- In the original Blossoming Trail Chloe was shown to be in a lot more stable position than her primary antagonists at school Sara and Yeardley as her family was shown to be a lot more healthy and stable. Here the financial divide is a bit more clear: her family situation is genuinely shown to be a lot more stable than any of her antagonists, to a point Professor Cerise even confirms that Talia works because she wants to, not because she has to, and thus a lot of people who dislike Chloe in universe see her as a Spoiled Brat whose issues are so petty compared to their own. One person even says that she has everything but refuses it out of stupidity.
- Chloe in Blossoming Trail was frequently shown to be the smartest or the bravest in the room, and while Cherry Chloe is not a coward or an idiot it is made clear that she's just a talented young girl: both Ash and Lita can get Chloe to do things she is very hesitant to do with 'trainer charisma'. She is not so above everyone else as she likes to think she is.
- Her issues with Pokemon in canon were seen as a thing to be teased or harassed about, often compared to liking 'the wrong things', in Blossoming Trail. Here it is outright racism on Chloe's end that Sara outright compares to homophobia that anyone who realizes she has it mocks or jeers her for such a mindset and it ultimately is what gets her captured, tortured, and on the Infinity Train.
Goh Fujihachi
- Goh is treated less like a inconsiderate jerk but more of a well meaning person who may have a mental illness of some sort.
Yeardley Lobelia
- The Lobelia family is usually just presented as a rough one that, at worst, serves to give Yeardley a Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse trope or an Unintentionally Sympathetic treatment. Here the family dynamic creates an antagonist in Skye Lobelia who is a lot more dangerous than Yeardley for not just Chloe but the rest of Kanto, and it can be laid at the feet of Yeardley's jerkass father.
Infinity Train: Court of Cyclamen
As per Blossomverse fare.Bede
- Jerkass Has a Point: He was actually making solid remarks to Hop and Chloe on their attitudes. The problem is that his way of doing so is actually insensitive and he doesn't seem to care on how his words affect them.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Bede is afraid of explaining why he does what he does because everyone else chews him out, thus making it hard for him to open up and really get help for his mental health.
