The Alolan island challenge has changed in the last few decades. Now less a coming of age ritual, and more of a group-assigned year long exam, gating access to higher education.Selene Matsu isn't really a battler. She doesn't really understand battlers, and she doesn't get people all that well. But she understands pokemon, and she yearns to learn more: if she wants to make it her job, she has no choice. Finish the island challenge in its entirety. Travel all four islands, finish all the trials.Do all that, and help a few teens as dysfunctional as she is do the same.
A Grafted Flower is a rewrite of the USUM games, heavily focused on the island challenge as a flawed institution, on what personally motivates the students that take it on, and expanding on the perspective of the pokemon of the archipelago. Cover art done by yours truly.
Inspired by Spitfire by Y_ko and I Will Touch the Skies by Soussouni.