The Land Spirits are capricious by nature. What if Tapu Koko, arbitrary as gods are, simply did not decide to save Luna and Nebby as they fell from the wooden bridge? How much of Alola's fate would change?
Fury and Confusion
is a Pokémon fanfiction by Lebensmude. Based on the Pokémon Sun and Moon games, the story follows a What If? scenario: the protagonist (named Luna) is not saved from her attempt to rescue Nebby, and this triggers a series of events that will change Alola forever.
Fury and Confusion contains examples of:
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Some characters have different hair colors than in canon: Hau is mentioned as having black hair, Ilima ashen brown hair, and Acerola black (though she does mention to have dyed them purple in the past).
- Affectionate Nickname: Ilima and later Lillie call Acerola by her nickname, Ace.
- All for Nothing: It was revealed that Ilima had spent years building up a resistance to help drive off the Unovan occupiers from the Alola Region so that he could help Acerola become the region's princess. However, Acerola herself continued to refuse to take her role as the region's royalty, resulting in their relationship to slowly break apart.
- Alternate Universe: Even accounting for the What if premise, the world of Fury and Confusion is not an exact replication of the world as presented in the games: guns are mentioned and seen used, some characters have been aged up, Ilima has a different temperament and backstory, and some Pokémon not found in Alola in the games like Froakie are mentioned as being around.
- Ambiguously Bi: Lillie had shown attraction towards older men like Professor Kukui (despite him already being married) and towards girls like Acerola.
- Acerola herself had shown closeness towards Lillie and still harbor feelings towards Ilima, despite their fallout.
- And Now for Someone Completely Different: This story has multiple POVs, including Lillie, Gladion, Acerola, and Lei.
- Ascended Extra: Both Acerola and Ilima got more screen and more importance to the overall story, especially the former as she's one of the major main characters.
- Attack! Attack! Attack!: Lillie's Bagon, Koa, seems to prefer just headbutting and biting as preferred battle 'strategy'.
- Black Sheep: Ilima suspects that Lillie's Bagon, Koa, is an outcast of its original group because he seemed to be unable to use the common Bagon sounds, suggesting that it is due to a defect or injury/ailment affecting its vocal abilities.
- Break the Cutie: Lillie had been through a lot, even from the first chapter alone...
- Both Acerola and Ilima suffered this in the past after each of them suffered psychologically trauma from a nightmare cast by Totem Gengar in their trial.
- Lei also had suffered this from her earlier days in Team Skull, leading her to take a Took a Level in Jerkass case.
- Darker and Edgier: Aside from the premise involving Luna dying the danger of Pokémon is not glossed over, Lillie finds herself forced on the run once more, Team Skull is hinted to have been much worse in the past and profanity and violence pop up rather frequently. Nihilego also looks and acts just as horrifying as the games imply it is.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Gladion may not be the nicest person, but when he cares about someone, he will protect them.
- Lei herself had shown concern for Gladion, despite her attitude. And she seems to also care about Lillie during their time together. However, this doesn't stop her from having to fulfill her job as a Team Skull grunt, as she had to take Lillie towards the Aether Foundation.
- Ilima may seem insensitive and act as a strict Trial Captain, but he does care for the wellbeing of those participating in the Island Trials and genuinely care for Acerola despite their broken relationship.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: After seemingly surviving her death from falling from a cliff towards a rushing river, Luna somehow ended up in Team Skull's custody with a case of amnesia.
- Mysterious Waif: Luna fits the role, though she does have a more lively personality than most.
- No Kill like Overkill: Lillie found the bloody remains of a mercilessly killed Totem Gumshoo. One possibly is that it was killed by a sleeping Nebby, who had evolved into Cosmoem.
- Non-Uniform Uniform: Lei likes to wear white pants instead of white shorts while donning the Team Skull uniform. While she's not an actual member, Luna also wears jeans in place of the shorts.
- Original Character: Lei is an original character of the writer, being a Team Skull grunt and a close companion of Gladion.
- Refusal of the Call: It is revealed that Acerola is a descendant of the Alolan royalty who ruled over the region before being overthrown by Unovan occupiers. Many people, including Ilima, wanted her to take her role as Alola's heiress when the Alolans overthrow their occupiers. However, Acerola herself doesn't want anything to do with this.
- Scars Are Forever: Lillie obtains two rough scars on her foot and tight due to a bad run in with a Bagon in the first chapter.
- Secret-Keeper: Both Ilima and Acerola had found out by themselves that Lillie is Lusamine's daughter. But the both of them decided to keep it to themselves (only informing Lillie after completing Ilima's trial) and keep Lillie's secret from everyone else.
- Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: Lei is this.
- Shock and Awe: One of Lillie's Pokemon is Hana, a young Pichu with electrical powers.
- Shown Their Work: The author happens to be a Hawaiian resident, and this reflects in Alola becoming even more of a Fantasy Counterpart Culture of Hawaii than it is in the games.
- Took a Level in Cynic: After having to witness Luna's death, to get bitten by a wild Bagon (and forced to be its trainer to boot), to run away twice, and to take a dangerous & life-threatening Island Trial just to run away, Lillie started going from a nice and gentle girl towards a more cold and calculative trainer. Though, she does still retain some of her more caring side.
- Gladion, Ilima, and Lei have also gone through their own messes, leading them to be who they are today.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Let's just say that Gladion wouldn't have ended up as a rough Team Skull grunt if his family didn't fall apart.
- Ilima ended up becoming more coldhearted and manipulated after being broken by Totem Gengar's nightmare, all so that he could help Acerola ascend as the Alola Region's princess.
- Lei used to be more idealistic and nicer during her earlier days as a Team Skull grunt. However, that trait took a heavy blow from having to work for an evil gang and doing terrible tasks just so she can one day earn enough to leave for a better.
- Was It All a Lie?: Lillie was forced to run away for the second time (this time from Kukui) when she found out that he had been secretly informing one of Lusamine's allies about Lillie's status. Lillie, deeply hurt, ran away again. However, some text messages from Kukui suggest that he does genuinely care for her.
- What If?: The main thrust of the story is what would happen if Tapu Koko didn't come to the protagonist's rescue, and a mysterious girl resembling her was found by Team Skull.
- Gladion, at one point, had a vision of an alternate timeline where he, Lillie, and Luna were close friends and his family problems seemed to be resolved.
