#am i using rei to rant on pokemon more? not really. some of the things i said here aren't what I think of the games.

[gingericywolf]

One of my personal headcanons is that Rei is a big pokemon fan.

Mainly because it was one of the first things he met at the start of his journey when he left the village.

When he was not training or checking out the food, or during long hours of travelling, you would see him play on a gameboy he got thanks to daitenji. He probably started either with the first gen or the second (not sure yet but I'm really leaning in him starting with Gold/Silver because it's the gen Raikou is from and you know... electric tiger thing is kind of all Rei's deal). Anyway he did play all the games. If he started with Gold/Silver he would have gotten Red/Green/Blue/Yellow at some point not long after, and really gets into the glitches that the first games where. His copy of Red is probably broken beyond hope.

With the years he gets all the new games, maybe not always at launch but as soon as he can for sure. He always gets one of the pair and then the third title, collecting the second game of the pair after. Diamond/Pearl/Platinum is when he starts getting more into the world building of the games, replaying the older ones and trying to want to put together all the little bits (look pokemon lore is. Something. Someone in there really cares and wants to build something).

Ask him about black and white you will not be able to stop him from explaining everything. The whole ideals Vs truth thing of the games and how Reshiram and zekrom are some of the best looking legendaries since Ho-Oh and Lugia (and that is just cause those where his first games). And also not a third game but a Duo Of Sequels?? White 2 and Black 2 gave him too much hope.

XY where enjoyable. The topic of life and death, more lore, the AZ thing. Megaevolution? Dam yeah! mega kangaskan broken af, amazing. Didn't really like the starters tho and overall the game left a bit of a weird feeling, like something that didn't reach it's full potential. Something that was changed at last minute. The post game with looker was nice yet seemed a bit out of place and Team Flare felt like a joke to the previous evil teams. Also NO THIRD GAME? NO Pokemon Z? No Zygarde lore? Damn.

I haven't tackled the remakes yet but Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire in this gen where probably his favourites of them all other than the Heart Gold and Soul Silver. The ORAS post game was great. Really anything that adds to pokemon worldbuilng and delves into the past of world is like catnip to him.

His Sun and Moon and Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon experience was kinda ruined by the fact that basically all the important bits where spoiled by the trailers and leaks, being when he starts being more online and active in online spaces. But Also these games are like a bomb of lore, maybe not well approached but fucking multiverse being canon in pokemon is wild. Ultra wormholes sucking people in and trowing people around causing them amnesia? He hopes none pf his faves suffers this (oh dear if only you knew ) yet maybe a little bit he hopes they do just to see them again earlier. Also the fact that is the first game where the grunts of the team you fight aren't really the evil team and the villain is someone else? Nice change. He liked team skull. On the other hand Lusamine initially reminded him of Judy a bit on first impression, until Lusamine goes completely batshit insane(Really the anime made her too nice for the little I have seen and she is awful in the games). And Again a duo of sequels, but this time they don't work as well, not adding much until later in postgame.

Now we enter in switch territory which for me is harder to work with, not having it and not being able to first hand play but

He is a nostalgic so of course he liked the Let's go. Seeing the pokemon in the overworld and seeing shinys was great, also using the joycon to launch the balls

Sword and Shield Are good, too linear, but good. Also first games that get DLCs. The new pokemon where nice, but didn't like any of the starters, and he enjoyed trying them and making different combinations. Hell he even got more into the pokemon competitive scene and loved it, he made his own teams for each different season! The combination of having more free time by not being a blader full time anymore and the lockdown really made him go down the hole of making the perfect team for him. He wanted to run a Rain team so that thunder had 100% precision but he felt good runnign a Sun team near the end of the season. He was close to reach the world championship but at the end didn't have enought points for the smallest margin. His pokemon flame was burning more than ever in this period.

At the same time the Diamond and Pearl remakes felt like a slap in the face. After ORAS he was exited to see how the lore would have been expanded in a 4 gen remake. Instead Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are the exact same games as the original but with a style choice that.. works well in pixel and not that great like this. Anyway it was nice not having to wait 45 minutes for a chansey health bar to go down.

Then Legend Arceus came around and OH BOY YES. It felt like everything he ever wanted. Semi open world, able to see and catch pokemon on sight, playing in the past of a region he already knows, the region that started his lore obsession and it is not disappointing! The story, the characters, oh is that the train man for 5 gen? Cool! OH no wait, SAD!! why couldn't it be the other one. Sure maybe the graphics could have had some more work and there are some minor bugs but in the overall the game WORKS

He was working in his competitive team for the last tournaments before the worlds, so he played these last games slowly and mostly after the worlds. He enjoyed them even while the 9 gen talk was full on and leaks where booming everywhere. He had to block the pokemon tag to not get spoiled and the little he heard and saw made him worry

And when the games came out his worries where confirmed. Scarlet and Violet. When he sees the first experience shared He is disappointed. More than that. He feels cheated on. If he felt that XY where unfinished with these games it's an objective fact. Sure he is a nostalgic but there was no need to have a game so buggy and glitchy at times. Some are fun sure and he knows he abused the shit out of glitches in the first games but this has a different taste. And he is angry because he realizes he has been part of the problem for the longest time. That these games where pushed too fast. There was already a pokemon game out this year, what need was there to push another one. What bad could have done to delay it a little bit more. He knows it is not possible with the cards and everything else around it but is stills does not feel right. And he is sad. Because once again he sees potential. He sees improvment in certain aspects, He sees the work someone has put into these games, in the stories they want to tell, but the shell all around is just not working playing it. His friends watching him play can feel the duality of the feelings inside of him. Yes he got the games, he got them because he wants to compete again. Build a team early and test it. He is not fond of the estetic of the new mechanic but he already has found it interesting on how it challenges his knowledge of typings. There are not many new pokemon that he likes, he will still try them. Sometimes you just have to run with one to find a surprise bond with them. Still there are so many old gen pokemon that he likes that it is hard sticking to the new ones. Of course his starter is sprigatito. I mean he is a cat. He probably would change starter only if playing with a special someone that really wants the grass cat.

He is such a pokemon nerd that he even considered and then got the eeveelutions rings for him and his partner.

Anyway yeah this was supposed to be short but Rei said no you listen to me now I have things to say and feelings about this whole ordeal so here this is sorry for the long post

#rei kon #pokemon scarlet and violet #beyblade headcanons #bakuten shoot beyblade #pokemon #am i using rei to rant on pokemon more? not really. some of the things i said here aren't what I think of the games. #i haven't really played them all #some are mutually shared tho #i didn beta read this so there are probably many errors #also he has a TON of crushes for characters #he would tell you with a straight face that it is not possible and then sight while looking at volkner pictures. #pokemon guys just do something to him #some of the female characters too #he would never admit to any of this if you ask him