#ask epic spheal

[epicspheal]

Hi! Congrats on making it through your first year of med school, I know that's hard to do so make sure to take some time for yourself 💜

I wanted to know if you could write something for Gordie? I'll take anything, but please take your time before doing this.

Hi there anon! Thank you so much for the kind words. Medical school has been an interesting challenge to say the least I also have to apologize for the delay in getting to this ask! When I first got this I was like "Oh Great, I'm actually working on a Gordie fic right now and I'll let them see this" Only school and writer's block got in the way So I'm going to bend my own rules for this an actually just do a character analysis for Gordie instead. So here we go... GORDIE NEEDS MORE LOVE FROM THE FANDOM Admittedly, I didn't know much of Gordie because I first played Shield. But since I loved SwSh so much I decided to go back and get Sword and there I actually fell in love with his character. He breaks the mold in a number of ways. Let's start off with his name. In Japanese his name is Makuwa which is the name of fruit called muskmelon (or just melon) which is very similar to Melony's name which is also derived from melon. So that's an easy tie between the two's familial connection. But Melons have interesting symbolism of their own as they represent prosperity, good fortune, and abundance in many cultures. And despite the rift between him and his mom, Gordie has abundance, prosperity and good fortune.

He's a major gym leader in one of the strongest gym circuits to date (minor gym leader if we're talking Shield but that's still huge), he has plenty of adoring fans, and his league card talks about how he's highly suspected of becoming a champion one day. Which is something that I don't see talked about much even in SwSh circles that absolutely should be. One for any trainer to be strong enough to considered a future champion is huge as there's only a handful of trainers who can even attain that rank. Even moreso as a type specialist. As we can see in the list of established champions in the series, the vast majority are multitype trainers with only a handful specializing in one type. And of those who specialize in one type only two of them (Wallace and Peony) that solely use Pokemon of their specialty while the others have at least one Pokemon not of their actual type. Gordie is a rock type specialist where all of his Pokemon are at least partially rock. And let's not forget that of the type specialist champions all of them are either Water, Dragon or Steel (yes Alder could count as a Bug type specialist but he's currently listed as a multitype champion). Rock however is often the specialty of the first or second gym leader on a gym circuit with so far only one trainer (Olivia) being representative of the type in the Elite Four. So for Gordie to be a rock type trainer who is strong enough to be considered a future champion is a huge accomplishment that I think bears mentioning.

Now let's take a look at his team. You can see while he does specialize in Rock types, only one of his Pokemon is pure rock while the others are dual type. The typings not only on the Pokemon but the moves he has are quite diverse allowing him to hit multiple types super effectively and cover 3 out of the 5 rock weaknesses. His team and movesets show he prefers an offensive approach prioritizing speed with Shell Smash, Tar Shot, Sticky Web and Coalossal's Steam Engine. In fact one of his in-game quotes alludes to the fact he prefers quick battles "I'll be bringing my matches to an end in a heartbeat—you'll see. No one who sees them will ever forget me."

He also heavily prioritizes breaking through physical defenses with Body Press and Wonder Room, as well as weather and entry hazards like Stealth Rock, Sticky Web, G-max Volcalith and Tyranitar's Sand Stream. It's a very solid set up that shows why in Sword he's the 6th gym leader challengers face and it shows how this team is very well designed to defeat Melony's.

As I've played through Sword at this point more than Shield (as I've decided for the purposes of cactusverse the Sword line up are canon) as I've gone through his gym, I really appreciate how encouraging he is to the player as they try to avoid the pitfalls in his gym. It's a nice touch to have him do that shows despite the fact he is a strict trainer he does have a soft side.

We know he does get frustrated after losing and unfortunately some people take that to mean he's a sore loser but he's not. Yeah he sulks in his locker and openly talks about his pride being bruised but there have been far better examples of actual sore losers in the franchise and he's not one of them. His fans honestly find his sulking sessions endearing and he even apologizes whenever he loses his cool.

"Sorry to lose my cool... I'll be sure to challenge you again."

And let's talk about the fact that he canonically is very popular and has a large fanbase. As a chubby character that's huge because unfortunately fatphobia exists and chubby characters are rarely portrayed as being popular, desired and highly skilled like Gordie is. Oh and he does backflips too showing his size doesn't mean he is unathletic? There are just so many positive subversions here and it's wonderful to see.

And Gordie cares a lot about his fans. He's stated to take the time to do autographs and meet and greets. He's seen in Twilight Wings opening fan mail in his hotel room. And a lot of what he discusses in Pokemon Masters EX involved him talking about how to best please his fans. It's obvious he cares so much for those who support him and it's heartwarming to see.

Now to get to the main talking point about Gordie...his strained relationship with his mom. I've seen people say that Gordie hates his mom but that's simply just not true! He's frustrated with her for trying to push her training style and preferred typing onto him. He wants to show he can succeed without her methods. But that frustration doesn't mean he hates her and quite frankly it's tiring to see how fandom portrays frustration as hate with Gordie and others. You can be frustrated without hating and I wish people would learn to use that nuance when talking about characters with strained relationships because usually when a narrative wants to display feelings of hatred...it will be very obvious.

In fact when Gordie does talk about Melony it's actually very tame. He mentions wanting to surpass her and how on Pasio the cold nights remind him of her. But nothing that signifies hatred. Sure they aren't on speaking terms but families sometimes go through rough patches. I'm sure at some point they'll begin to mend the rift. But yes, Gordie's a wonderful character that shows how even little details can signify so much. And once again I must say...Gordie deserves more love from the fandom!

#ask epic spheal #gym leader gordie #gordie pokemon #pokemon sword and shield #pokemon masters ex #character analysis

[epicspheal]

hi cami! hope youre doing well! id like to ask.. have you seen that pokemon zensho is now fully available in english? i only found out recently lol. you can find it at mangadex! if you have, what are your thoughts on it?

Hi there @soulsilvers I'm doing well thank you for asking! Yeah, I actually didn't know that they full translated Pokemon Zensho until I got this ask, so thank you for alerting me to this I appreciate it! So of course I had to read it all last night! Link here for anyone who wants to read it! It was so cute honestly. First Pokemon Concierge, now Pokemon Zensho making me cry and I'm here for it honestly. Like you said on discord, it definitely is very rushed at only 9 chapters. I definitely would've loved to see it have a few more chapters to explore more about Red and Blue's friendship (well here called Ash and Gary) and going through the league (I always feel like the elite four part of the Kanto story always seems to get the short end of the stick). Despite it's rushed nature, it does make up for it in being the most true-to-gameverse adaptation. But what I appreciated the most was the details that were added were very grounded. Like the problems the gym leaders were facing felt real. It was cool to see how Giovanni became the way he was because it has been hinted at that he's not always been the ruthless Team Rocket boss but something made him that way. I've grown to like Lt. Surge a lot over the years and I feel like his arc was really wholesome too. Many people criticize Kanto for it not being particularly story driven (which to each their own, some people like story drive gameplay some don't, groups are valid), but to say it's completely devoid of story is false. The theme of Gen 1 besides exploration is relationships. It's why the key driver is the rivalry (and strained friendship) between Red and Blue. The orphan Cubone, Agatha and Oak, even Mewtwo's existence plays on the concept of relations in a subtle way. Zensho takes this concept and runs with it throughout as Red travels through Kanto. Much like Pokespe, Pokemon Zensho does a good job at bringing smaller but notable NPCs into the fold and it was done in a way that was not overbearing (looking at Marvin from SwSh Pokespe taking Hop's spot). It was cool to see the SS Anne captain and Game Warden get some more screentime. Also props for this manga low key making non-binary Bill canon! I know some people who read it may not like this version of Red not being "badass" in that he does earn some of his badges without actually defeating the leaders but I think the way it's handled here was okay. I think part of Red's character is supposed to be how he puts caring for others first despite being so talented at battling and I think it's okay that there are adaptations that don't just fall into him being a legendary battler who sweeps everyone. Even though this is a retelling of Red's story I would say if I'm honest this was really Blue's story. Blue got a lot of focus in this manga and outside of Pokemon Generations we don't really get to see into Blue's mindset. I appreciated as you mentioned on discord, how despite everything it did still focus on the fact that Blue was still Red's friend despite everything. It's not something that's focused on a lot in gen 1 adaptations. And of course the rest of the Oak family gets some shine too. This is probably my favorite portrayal of Oak in that it retains some of his flaws but humanizes him too (although I wish they had devoted some time to his and Agatha's rivalry). And Daisy...even with her limited screen time very much still shone especially with her calling out Professor Oak for his harsh words towards Blue. And then of course the revelation of what happened to Blue and Daisy's parents. Give those kids (and this Professor Oak) a hug. This is definitely my favorite of the four Pokemon manga I've read thus far and if we ever got a short miniseries for the Gen 1 games again I would hope it would take more of the Zensho approach and be game accurate while still expanding on little lore details.

#pokemon zensho #pokemon manga #epic spheal reviews #ask epic spheal

[epicspheal]

Okay since you’re the biggest aficionado of Pokémon lore who I know personally, I want to ask about something that’s kinda getting me confused (though it is like 9:55 so that’s might be it)

Okay so Drayton is confirmed to be Drayden’s grandson, which is cool. I then realized “hey, this would mean he and Iris are relatives too!” and went to check Bulbapedia for any mention of it… but there was nothing about Iris and Drayden being relatives, even though I swear I remember they are. And then I checked Iris’s page, and it mentions that Iris calls Drayden her grandpa even though they aren’t biologically related and that’s making it even more confusing for my half-asleep brain!

Sorry if that was too rambly, I’m just asking: is Drayden the actual grandfather of Iris, biological or adoptive? Or am I bad at remembering Pokémon lore??? I’m gonna go to bed after asking this, I definitely need sleep…

Hey there @wyverewings! Awww thank you for the compliment! I'm glad people know me as the woman who likes Pokemon lore! To answer your question, Iris is Drayden's adoptive granddaughter! "Yahoo! I haven't seen you since I ran into you in Castelia City! Are you here to battle Grandpa? Yep! Opelucid City's Gym Leader, Drayden, is my grandpa. We're not really related, though! Oh! The Gym is that way! Before challenging it, you might want to go to Route 9! Still, your Pokémon really respect you! I feel how much fun your Pokémon are having, even from inside their Poké Balls! Good luck!" <- Iris from Pokemon Black and White 2 The above is the quote from the gen 5 games where she mentions she and Drayden aren't actually blood related. She's actually technically not even from Unova, but the Village of Dragons (which is somewhere outside of Unova) seen in her Memory Link story "I'm so glad I came to Unova! There are many different people and so many different Pokémon! And you know what... In the Village of Dragons, people take living alongside Pokémon for granted. I was surprised some people in Unova didn't think that way!" So at some point Drayden was in the Village of Dragons and found her and brought her to Unova!

#champion iris #gym leader iris #gym leader drayden #pokemon black and white #pokemon bw2 #ask epic spheal

[epicspheal]

I am in SUCH a state of jaw-dropped like WHAT emotions am I even supposed to be processing right now, like?!?!? LOOK AT THIS SPHEAL!!! Blue @/Red: "There is no way we're losing with me here, Red!" Blue @/Leaf: "Leaf? Sorry, but you won't get your turn this time." Leaf @/Red: "When Red and I are together, nothing scares us!" Leaf @/Blue: "Bluuue, stop trying to stand out on your own!" They are worsties/j, but I'm living for this dynamic its so hilarious, Leaf is exploding Blue in her mind, DeNA giving us canon "Leaf always left behind" jokes, wild, this wasn't on my bingo lol, and the "Bluuuue" hahaha, he's being extra and fabulous, sorry he was born to hit different /j, they're so silly I adore them

Hi there anon! Yes it was really cute to see their interactions. Granted it is a bit bittersweet as it comes with the knowledge that Billy Kametz no longer can voice Blue. His new voice actors is doing a great job though

Seeing more Kanto interactions is always great especially for the Kantrio. We know so little about them it seems when it comes to their friendship so it was cute to see they're interactions. Even moreso when you see Leaf's lodge story...Blue and Leaf are definitely worsties LMAO. I won't spoil it but what happens in her lodge story is so fucking hilarious. They just seem to enjoy ribbing each other. I'd honestly love to see them both tease Red more to be honest.

#trainer red #trainer blue #trainer green #trainer leaf #pokemas #ask epic spheal

[epicspheal]

So I had this thought that I'd like to share. What if Red's trauma response is just diving into stuff. Mainly " hero" stuff like rushing into a team rocket base and defeating everyone in sight. I dunno how to describe it, but it comes from the idea that maybe an 11 year old facing off against a dangerous mafia group would leave some lasting effects. I wouldn't be surprised if Red's journey scarred him in a way to think that if there's a threat he has to take care of it immediately. Am I taking that one scene from pokemon masters and making it super angsty for no apparent reason? Yeah.

But really it's a genuine thought I had. Red is seen as the calmer one of the Kanto trio but he's very much ready to fight ( by himself I might add) at all times due to his experience with Team Rocket.

Hi there ihopethisendswell!  I've been sitting on this for a bit because I was trying to figure out how to best articulate my thoughts on game!Red and trauma. Because you're right given what he has gone through a lot and is certainly valid to believe that on some level at least a little traumatized.

You mention the Kanto Villain arc scenes in Pokemas (which I confirmed via DM) were Blue yelling at Red for going alone and Red deciding to G-max Snorlax in the base. These were two very telling scenes regarding with how Red deals with threats.

Personally, I disagree with the idea of Red diving into stuff being a trauma response. Across iterations of the male Kanto protagonist (Game!Red, Ash, and Manga!Red) being a little reckless and diving into battle is a universal trait.

Now this is not to say diving into things recklessly can't be a traumatic response, because it most certainly can be. I think though a better example of "diving into things recklessly as a traumatic response" in the Pokeverse would be Hugh, Gladion or Paulo given their backstories. And to be fair I can definitely see the argument that after the run-ins with Team Rocket on his original journey that it's made Red more ready to fight and I don't doubt that it has had some effect. I just don't think it's a purely traumatic response and rather it’s mostly that Red is just naturally reckless.

I think the reason why game!Red being reckless and diving head first is often seen by people as purely a trauma response is the fact that he’s quiet. In fact, he's the only version of the Kanto Male protagonist who is canonically quiet as a major part of his characterization, transcending him just being a silent avatar for the purposes of self-insertion. We tend to, especially in the west, equate reckless and take-charge behavior as something outgoing people tend to do. Someone like Ash or Manga!Red. Quiet characters are often automatically perceived as stoic, calm and collected, and risk averse, even if their actions truly say otherwise. Like you alluded to, game!Red is often seen as the calm one but if the Kanto villain arc is anything to go by, he really isn't. Sure, he may keep a good poker face in battle or in regular conversation, but deep down he's fiery which is shown not only in his choice of starter, but also how one of his theme skills is "Passionate Spirit". Even Blue remarks about this quiet passion when he compares the player to Red "You kinda remind me of him!"You're like a crimson flame quietly burning."

That passionate spirit would drive someone to take charge in a moment of crisis even if they are on the silent side.

Now let's dive deeper into those two scenes. Let's start with the G-max Snorlax scene. For me this is a case where I see Red's actions being less of a pure traumatic response and more of another just inborn trait of Red's. It's universal among the Kanto male protagonists is being reckless with their strategies in the hopes of a large payoff be it in regular battles or serious events. Ash is known for having reckless off the wall strategies as is Pokespe!Red. So game!Red being incredibly reckless with his strategies also checks out.

Now to be fair, Red knows what Giovanni is capable of, so the idea that from past run-ins with Giovanni he knew to shut it down quickly is extremely valid and I do think that played a part into him choosing to G-max in an enclosed area But then remember Blue's quotes during the event "Wait, I know that look in your eyes! Don’t tell me—" Clearly this is not the first time Blue has seen Red be reckless. But what about the part where he left on his own? And didn't tell anyone he was alright and just hiding...much like how he just went up to Mt Silver to train for years without telling anyone, not even his mom? This is where I personally see trauma informing his actions. Red shares the passionate spirit, recklessness and diving headfirst traits with his anime and manga counterparts showing that this is very much a Kanto male protagonist thing. But one thing that game!Red lacks compared to both Ash and Manga!Red is a solid support system when dealing with major threats at least initially. Now Red has friends...two best friends in Blue and Leaf. And he certainly has the respect of all the major trainers of Kanto. But when it came down to the Team Rocket crisis back during his journey, game!Red was very notably alone in dealing with the threat. While Ash didn't really have a proper face-off against Team Rocket in Kanto, he still had his friends Brock and Misty to ward off threats from TRio, and other companions when the other evil teams made their presence known. Manga!Red had Blue and Green as well as the gym leaders of justice in helping to defeat Team Rocket in the manga as well as the help of future dexholders and gym leaders when he got involved in other villainous arcs. But the game version of Red? None of the gym leaders helped. The elite four weren't evil but just holed up in the Indigo Plateau. Leaf was nowhere to be found even though we know she went on her own journey around the same time Red and Blue did. And Blue…chose to battle Red instead of help out. In fact a lot of his living legend status stems from the fact that he took down Team Rocket initially solo. Sure both Ash and manga!Red also would dive in solo at times but they almost always had backup.

Not having backup in those stressful dangerous times is certainly a traumatizing experience. When I think back to when Blue yelled at him for not taking him along all I could think was "Blue, you know your my favorite character, but...you do remember not helping him right? Not sure you should expect him to ask for your help" Granted we know at this point of time Blue and Red have made up and are back to being best friends. But while Red may have forgiven Blue but I can totally understand why he may not of reached out to him initially. Same thing with Leaf, the Kanto gym leaders and Elite four. It's reasonable to assume that in the moments when he realized Team Rocket was up to no good, Red thought "I've got do this alone, because no one else will help me". Which is rather sad when you think about it. We don't even see Red even begin to accept help until the Kanto Villain arc...after Blue yells at him. And for what it's worth I think it's not due to Blue yelling at him but Blue (and the others) showing that they can actually be reliable backup. This is lightly expanded upon in the Johto villain arc where Professor Bellis mentions she sent Blue and Red to help investigate the randomly Dynamaxing Pokemon. We could argue that the two split up during that request but given how for the remainder of the Kanto Villain arc Blue and Red worked together it's likely that finally Red knows fully he can trust someone to have his back in these situations. This also correlates well to his disappearance up to Mt. Silver. Sure, he did go up there to train, but the fact that he went up there for so long without telling anyone, not even his mom does ring alarm bells. I think given everything that happened not just the Team Rocket business but his loss of friendship with Blue there is a lot of reason for Red to be upset and want to isolate himself if only just to process everything and train in peace without threats from villains or being reminded of a broken friendship.

Compare this to his anime and manga counterparts who don't have extended periods of pure isolation. And at least with manga!Red when he goes missing for a month it's immediately shown as suspicious and when he goes off to train on Mt. Silver it's with Gold. Ash is hardly ever alone for extended periods time with the exception being some of the newer movies. The bonds of friendship in the midst of a crisis are a common theme among Pokemon and it's a major thread in the manga and anime with respect to both manga!Red and Ash. And this is something game!Red doesn't get a chance to experience (at least as far as we know of) until the Pokemas Villain arc. So, do I think that Red feels like he needs to take care of threats immediately is a response from trauma? No, not really. It's, in my opinion, mainly standard hero stuff that encapsulates the Kanto male protagonist in all forms. Perhaps some of it is a trauma response but not as much as many would assume. Do I think that Red feeling like he needs to take care of things alone is a trauma response? Absolutely.

I'm hoping we get to see more of this addressed in Pokemas to get more definitive answers. Which I think we might given that some of Blue's dialogue in the Paulo Interludes are...rather ominous...and we may be getting some backstory. Mainly about Blue but Red is going to be inexplicably tied to this given the line of "And it's possible to get back some of the things you've lost". I'm almost positive that's regarding his friendship with Red and I feel like it would be hard to tell this part of the story without addressing either the Silph Co incident or how Red finally decided to come back down from Mt. Silver.

#ask epic spheal #trainer red #trainer blue #pokemas #character analysis

[epicspheal]

Something I’ve always wondered about is the recluse who gives you Fly in the Kanto games (the lady with the Fearow). She lives on Route 16 where you can’t get to without Cut, and that’s all well and good. But three years later, she’s living on Route 28, in an area where the average Trainer (at least the player) needs 16 Badges and permission from Professor Oak to even visit! Like, who even IS this woman?!? Is she an uber-powerful Trainer herself or something?!? I dunno, that sounds like untapped superboss potential to me.

Hi there @ether-gearhead! Good question! Yeah she definitely sounds like superboss potential to me. Honestly if I had to guess she might be a hall of famer of the Indigo league Remember that prior to Blue (RBGY/FRLG) and Trace (LGPE) there wasn't actually a sitting champion. It was a recent development around the events of gen 1 that they wanted someone who made it through the elite four to actually be at the top (hence why Oak has that email on his computer asking him to come back to the league as he like Professor Rowan is a former hall of famer). Given the fact that a lot of Gen 1 (and gen 2) media seems to show the league as important but subdued (as in it's not a huge focus of daily life like say in Galar) it's very likely that former Hall of Famers just went onto live their lives quietly. Gen 1 was really a coming of age story (amidst the backdrop of strained relationships) so the idea of their being former champions who after beating the Elite Four decided to live their quietly makes sense. So the lady who ends up living on Route 28, a route that you need a lot of badges to even access, is probably a former champion who just didn't feel like throwing hands with a kid and rather just help them out by giving them HMs. For every champion like Nemona or Red who crave battle and seek it out constantly even after becoming champion, there's plenty more across the world who probably just want to live in peace even after they accomplish such a historic feat (I know this isn't cactusverse post but this is a huge theme across all four of my champion OCs at some point in their live).

#ask epic spheal #pokemon frlg #pokemon hgss #pokemon npcs #cactusverse

[epicspheal]

So from what I’m gathering, Terapagos put Heath into a dreamlike state, at which point he drew pictures of the Paradox Pokemon, and then Terapagos made them real. I dunno, that’s what makes the most sense to me, because if the professor was inspired by Heath’s book, then the Paradoxes would’ve had to have existed well before their time!

Hi there @ether-gearhead! That's a solid theory you have there! It is stated canonically already the Paradoxes have been around long before by Arven at one point because he's confused as to how his parent built a time machine when there are records of the Pokemon existing well before his parents were even alive Which makes sense when you consider the definition of paradox which is "a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true" Which is everything we know about the origins of Paradox mons so far. Sada/Turo are supposed to have built a time machine to bring them here but yet Heath and his expedition crew had encountered and documented them years before, with that paranormal magazine that's referenced in the Pokedex entries even making stuff up about the Paradox mons in the present day And of course there's the big paradox surrounding the Past Paradoxes of Raikou and Suicune who at least form what we know of their origin lore, weren't even a thing until after the Brass Tower burned down. Going with the idea that Heath's dreamlike state allowed Terapagos to manifest the Paradoxes, that means Heath was at least in the time period the tower initially burned down or maybe someone on his expedition crew was from Johto and brought the legend to him. So maybe he was thinking of them (and then of course the swords of justice) during that dreamlike state causing them to be manifested by Terapagos. I am really curious to see how deep they're going to go into the Paradox Pokemon's lore in the DLC.

#terapagos #pokemon scarlet and violet #paradox pokemon #professor sada #professor turo #ask epic spheal

[epicspheal]

The League's Director (in Pokespe) when half the Kanto gym leaders are members of a criminal organization and the Elite Four tries to wipe out humanity: i sleep

Hi there anon! Haha this posts brings back a lot in regards to some past discussion regarding the role of the Pokemon League and dealing with criminal organization. Because it does seem odd that someone like Giovanni, nevermind the Elite Four and half the Kanto gym leaders could manage to slip by the league... Until you look at the league for what it is which is a very organized sports association. Sure it passes legislation but only in regards to the sport of Pokemon training (passing salaries, how many Pokemon can be carried at one time, etc) and at least in the Hoenn Chapter declaring a national emergency. So there is some power but ultimately with the fact that there is an International Police organization, armies for various regions (as hinted at with Lt. Surge) and local law enforcement there's very little the Pokemon League actually can do. Much like in real life people who go into sporting organizations or other professional organizations can be bad people on the side and have criminal dealings. And it's not the job of the professional organizations to handle them criminally, the most they can really do outside of cooperating with law enforcemen is decide to kick the person out and bar them from any future sanctioned events. So the idea that trainers can be league reps and still be evil actually makes a lot more sense when you look at it that way. And it also explains why in general most gym leaders, elite four, and even champions don't do as much you would think they would in regards to regional threats in the games and anime (I know we're talking about the manga mostly for this ask but I wanted to bring the games and anime up too because it's pertinent). Because again they're under a professional sporting organization and not a governmental one. It's not really in their job descriptions as part of the league to actively combat threats. Now if they happen to be detectives, G-men, soldiers and what not as their other jobs then yeah there's more of a professional reason to help but again it's not coming from the league itself which is just a global NBA/NFL/MLB assocation That doesn't mean they shouldn't try to help out. They absolutely should as a civic duty to their regions especially given their battle prowess which is helpful in dealing with various threats, but it's not a requirement in the job descriptions so they can most certainly not intervene and still retain their jobs because the Pokemon League Association.

As far as gym leaders/elite four/champions being criminals, well certainly the League should have the power to kick them out but the fact that they don't across multiple canons raises some implications. Either they don't really care or they may fear retribution if they try. After all especially when speaking of the Elite four they are incredibly powerful and certainly may decide to retaliate if they haven't been imprisoned. The people in the league association (running things in the background) may very well not be capable of handling a pissed off ex-league member and so they could be backing down on actually handling evil members out of safety concerns.

#pokespe #anipoke #pokemon games #pokemon worldbuilding #ask epic spheal #pokemon league

[epicspheal]

It’s interesting to me how Leaf’s Lodge story centers around the concept of a voice recorder (the Fame Checker’s Japanese name). Does this somewhat confirm that Leaf was the one who fought Blue before Nugget Bridge, given that’s where he gives you the Fame Checker? Hell, it makes more sense that Leaf would be called a “chatty gossip” than it would Red, because, you know, the whole silence thing.

Hi there @ether-gearhead!

Good question! I think the answer to this is possibly. They do seem to be splitting up a bit of the canon "Kanto Protagonist" events between Leaf and Red. They've confirmed at least she's friends with CopyCat through some of her dialogue However in the Pokemas Pasio Gold Rush event, Leaf does state she got her nugget from the Sevii Islands. Considering the Nugget Bridge event is tied to Team Rocket it does point to that event maybe going to Red as we know Red drove Team Rocket out of Kanto, and since they are giving the main rivalry with Blue to Red as well and the Nugget Bridge incident hits both of those story beats (Team Rocket and Blue rivalry) I'd imagine that one at least has a likely chance of being an event Red takes over. Now yes with Leaf being canonically more chatty it would make more sense for Blue to call her a "chatty gossip". But remember Gen 1 Blue was cocky and snarky so him saying that to Red could've just been a put-down. Put-downs don't always have to be accurate (the amount of kids who have been bullied for something that wasn't even true about them is a good example). This isn't to say Blue couldn't have given her the Fame Checker but maybe at another time. Like Blue faced Red at the Nugget Bridge but met Leaf sometime later and gave her the fame checker (and maybe called her a "chatty gossip" then). It's just hard to say for certain because they're very tight lipped about what Leaf has done canonically except for her getting her starter with the boys, battling the gym leaders, knowing CopyCat, failing to catch the Snorlax Red has, catching Moltres, and traveling the Sevii Islands

#trainer leaf #trainer red #rival blue #rival green #pokemas #pokemon masters ex #ask epic spheal

[epicspheal]

So based on how the Neo Champion event was structured, could it be inferred that Leaf beat the Elite Four before even Blue did? Granted, she WAS aware of his boast to Red before their battle ("I am the most powerful Trainer in the world!"), but he could've made that same boast to her after she lost.

Hi there @ether-gearhead! Ooh good question. I think the answer (based on what we know canonically) is maybe...but unlikely Right now we have very little evidence that she even is a champion. Especially compared to the boys Red and Blue where they explicitly talk about them having been champions at one point where as Leaf...they kind of dance around it. I do think she is a champion canonically by the way (I consider anyone who appeared in the Victory Road story as canonically being in their respective region's Hall of Fame) I'm just pointing out that they don't tend to harp on it like they do Red and Blue Now as far as when she would've become champion, we don't have solid evidence pointing in any direction, I think it would've been after Red and Blue's famed bout. If Blue had of taken down Leaf, I think it would've been mentioned at this point by either Leaf herself, Blue or literally anyone on the elite four. It's a rather big plot point and would add a lot of context to the Kantrio's journey overall. It's more likely that she reached the hall of fame sometimes after Red and Blue's battle but before Lance officially took over. As it's been stated there was a time that the Indigo League didn't have a standing champion. There are 3 years between Gen 1 and Gen 2 and we're not sure when Lance would've taken up the title and it's likely he didn't take it up immediately after the battle between Red and Blue. So she could've become a hall of famer between the events of gen 1 and gen 2 and like many champions before her decided not to remain as a standing champion. It would be nice to get some more concrete information about her status as champion and her story in general.

#trainer leaf #trainer red #rival blue #rival green #champion lance #pokemon frlg #ask epic spheal

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So apparently, Masters confirmed that neither Dawn nor Lucas are Akari or Rei! I never really bought that notion, purely because Princess Salvia was a thing long before Legends: Arceus, but what did you make of that?

Hi there @ether-gearhead! I was certainly shocked they didn't go that route, but I'm okay with it to be honest. Like you mention with Princess Salvia from the anime, look-a-likes are a thing in the Pokemon World. But also for me personally, after watching Hisuian Snow and seeing one of the basic themes of the story being about humans and Pokemon learning together be played out by people of that time (Alec and the other children being more willing and trusting of Pokemon than the adults) without the interference of Faller!Rei/Akari was just so much better. Like I'm personally of the opinion that the whole faller plotline was unnecessary to begin with and that the story would've been much more impactful had the protagonist been from Hisui and worked to change people's minds about Pokemon and not having some kid from the future change attitudes about Pokemon. So for me, masters not making Rei and Akari just Dawn and Lucas thrown back in time is great.

All that being said, there is still a possibility they may still go with Rei and Akari (if they show up in Masters) as actually being Dawn and Lucas sent to the past. See when you're dealing with memory loss (be it post-traumatic amnesia from concussions which is something likely to be the case from the Legends Protagonist literally falling from the sky, to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's or dementia) can cause profound personality changes. Such so that perhaps the reason why Irida and Adaman realized Dawn and Lucas weren't Akari and Rei is because Akari and/or Rei's personality may be very different once they arrived in Hisui. I'm not that saying this is what will happen, just stating a possibility for how they may incorporate Rei being Lucas and/or Akari being Dawn.

#pokemas #pokemon masters ex #pokemon legends arceus #trainer dawn #trainer lucas #rei pokemon #akari pokemon #ask epic spheal

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Would Blue or any of your OCs enjoy Family Feud? If so who would be their favorite hosts?

Hey there @namelessbaron! Good question! So Blue has actually been on the Pokemon version of Family Feud with Daisy, Professor Oak, Agatha and Bill with the Pokemon equivalent of Al Roker hosting (since it was a celebrity family feud against the Blackthorn Clan). They won and the proceeds went to Mr. Fuji's Pokemon house! As far as my OCs go, the only one who has been on Family Feud was Jack for the Galarian Royalty special edition. His family did not win because they (like many royals) are very out of touch with the peasants commoners. The equivalent of Louie Anderson was Jack's personal favorite host

Jabari and Cami have WANTED to bring their family onto Family Feud but their parents were not willing to go on the show much to the cousins' dismay. Family Feud is one of the things Jabari and Cami have bonded over as kids well before both of them became league champions. The Pokemon equivalent of Steve Harvey was definitely their favorite host. Valen has watched every episode of Family Feud since it's beginning in order to better understand humans. Which leads to him coming up with...interesting observations of humanity! Valen doesn't have a favorite host he loves them all! Both Marsha and Calla have watched Family Feud but it's not either of their favorite game shows.

#cactusverse #pokemoon oc #blue oak #ask epic spheal

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FRLG is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month. What would be your ideal celebration for the occasion?

Hi there @ether-gearhead! I feel so old knowing it's been 20 years since FireRed/LeafGreen came out... I'm turning 30 this year on April 1st

Anywho...what would I like for celebrating this? A remake of FLRG- *gets booed off the stage with tomatoes thrown* Seriously though I would love for them to at least port FRLG to the nintendo switch. And with the later gens and Pokemas really expanding on character interactions and development and after reading Zensho.... I'd love to see some media featuring Red's journey that mimicked Zensho in harping on the bonds between people in Kanto. Kanto is both overexposed and underutilized in the same breath. Overexposed due to all of the Kanto pandering we see (much to many people's chagrin). But it's also underutilized as the pandering is very empty just "OMG look guys it's Kanto" instead of expanding upon it. A lot of the gen 1 fans/appreciator who are still active in the fandom (and aren't toxic genwunners) want to see Gamefreak do something more with the first region. It deserves some more exploration and there are plenty of threads to actually expand upon if they chose to do. And if the Kanto cast got a development arc like what we see starting from Alola to Paldea where there's more focus on the characters and giving up more history of Kanto, I think people who are tired of Kanto would come to appreciate more if it was given something other than just being shoved down our throats with no real development.

Ideally I'd love to see a short series (longer than origins) that featured the Kantrio as a whole with them all development and roles. Obviously since Red is the living legend he's the star, but it'd be nice to see Leaf get something too. And of course expand on the fractured relationship between Red and Blue. I'd love to see some more stuff about Oak and Agatha because in many ways I feel it parallels Red and Blue's falling out. And we need more content with Daisy in it please! Some focus on the Sevii Islands would be cool and honestly I'd take some of the little threads we saw in Zensho (the game warden and Koga, Lt Surge and the SS Anne Captain, the camper who is a gym trainer to Brock, etc) and putting that in as well. Maybe take some cues from Pokemas and have an episode of the Kantrio capturing the legendary birds. Maybe it ends with Red going off to Mt Silver and giving a segway for a series based on the Johto games as well (because Johto is also severely underutilized and deserves more).

#ask epic spheal #kanto #pokemon frlg #pokemon firered #pokemon leafgreen

[epicspheal]

Suppose DeNA ultimately incorporates the Let’s Go kids into Masters (Chase, Elaine, Trace, and maybe even Green). How would you go about incorporating them to exist alongside the FRLG Pallet trio?

Hi there @ether-gearhead!

Oooh this is a good and tough question! I feel like DeNA is going to likely pull a Johto where they just sort of combine FRLG and Let's Go together like they did with Crystal and HGSS. By that I mean Kris just exist alongside Ethan and Lyra's in the same universe and kind of having her own thing I will say it's a much easier task to do this with Kris because she has the benefeit of the Pokespe manga being able to inform some of her character since in Pokespe she works with Oak and we see her conversing with him a lot in Pokemas and she was searching for Suicune in the manga which again informed her partner for her Sygna Suit. Let's go isn't going to be as seamless of an addition because they truly exist in a different timeline as: 1) The first Kantrio female protagonist is named Green and not Leaf 2) The first Kantrio have a different starter and team composition 3) Chase/Elaine take the place of Red's role in Let's Go being the one to defeat Team Rocket and capture Mewtwo (if we add Origins into this) 4) Trace takes the place of Blue as the surprise champion who gets defeated soon after While Pokemon Masters is definitely a multiverse crossover (especially with the addition of Ash from the anime) I feel like Let's Go's cast is a little harder to integrate since from the PML league, various smaller stories, and the Kanto Villain arc they really hyped up Red as this living legend who defeated Team Rocket and became champion by taking down his true rival Blue. It gets referenced so much that I don't know if they'd be that eager to try a mulitversal counterpart for that scenario, especially when the reception of the Let's Go cast isn't as great unfortunately. And while I can see them adding Green to the mix, I feel like with Leaf already being shafted (she needs another alt I'm hoping she gets a Neo Champion one or something) it would just further hurt Leaf. All this to say (as a long aside)...this is Gamefreak's fault for being too chicken to just go all in on making Let's Go a true sequel and not this halfway reimagining/halfway sequel thing. Because the idea of Red, Blue and Green/Leaf being mentors to a younger squad of Pallet Town kids is fantastic. With a younger Mina appearing in Let's Go and Adult versions of Red and Blue appearing in SM/USUM I think it would've been wiser to just have had Adult Red and Blue with an adult female protagonist (doesn't matter if they name her Leaf or Green) appear in Let's Go as mentors and have Chase/Elaine and Trace take on a new story set in Kanto. Like center it on Meltan/Melmetal and Shadow Pokemon from remnants of Team Rocket (to tie in with Pokemon Go). Maybe since Trace shows that he's easily frightened, make him already a champion (like how they did Nemona) but his lack of courage and at times unwillingness to push his Pokemon in situations be the reason why Chase/Elaine have to step in...which ultimately ends in him losing the title. But since Red and Blue would be adults here, perhaps at some point they run into Kukui and learn about his dream for Alola and we see them decide to go be facility heads for the Battle Tree. And then in the post-game we see Blue handing the reigns of the Viridian City gym to Trace (who I think could be a good successor). They could even with this add more of a plot to the female protagonist. Maybe she decides to stay in Kanto to help the kids out...or maybe she teases traveling to some other region.

That, in my opinion, would've been a way better use of the new kids while giving the first Kantrio some time to shine. And most importantly, it would've made adding the Let's Go kids to Pokemon Masters way more seamless. And more lucrative for DeNA since a more original story would've enhanced the popularities of Trace, Elaine and Chase. But unfortunately that didn't happen I think if DeNA does add them, given what's actually canon for them, I think they may just focus more on Alolan/Kanto variants of Pokemon. Like an event where Alola and Kanto characters (mainly Let's Go) compare variants. Trace has the Marowak so they could have a battle with him and Kiawe and his Alolan Marowak. I could see them just combining Green's character into Leaf and giving her a Ninetales and then giving Lillie an Alola Ninetales (as a nod to the anime) and have them face off. They could then give Chase/Elaine Kantonian Golem and Dugtrio against Alolan Dugtrio (Molayne) and Alolan Golem (Sophocles). They could also use Meltan/Melmetal for a Let's Go event, but I could honestly see them doing an Ash Alt for that since he has Melmetal (if Ash does get more Alts, a Melmetal and Greninja alt are the most likely ones in my opinion). If they were to give it to the let's go kids I can see them doing it for any one of them honestly.

#ask epic spheal #rival trace #trainer green #trainer leaf #trainer red #pokemon frlg #pokemon lets go #rival blue #trainer chase #trainer elaine #pokemas #pokemon masters ex

[epicspheal]

Now that she has full artwork, we need to talk about Daisy Oak! Even if she’s not Champion-level, there’s no way she isn’t a very powerful Trainer in her own right! It’s said that even the most ferocious Pokemon calm down around her, so that alone tells me she has access to some serious badasses of her own! She routinely travels from Pallet to Celadon for tea, so she would have to have earned at least a Thunder Badge and a Cascade Badge to make that possible, and why not, let’s give her a Rainbow Badge since she’s a routine visitor to the area anyway! In fact, my theory is that Daisy was the substitute Gym Leader for Viridian Gym, but you never actually get to battle her because Giovanni chose that time to come back to his Gym, and that’s how Blue came around to taking over the Gym himself!

Hi there @ether-gearhead!

That's certainly an interesting theory! I definitely think Daisy Oak is quite the badass in her own right (it seems to be a theme for the Oak family). However I don't think she has any gym badges or was ever a substitute gym leader. Mainly because in FRLG it's shown in her fame checker data that she is a grand champion...contest coordinator! Coordinator's don't often get their flowers from the fandom at being able to train strong Pokemon, but they can. Of course we have Wallace being both a master coordinator and a champion as well as Juan (in the anime) and Fantina who are both gym leaders and coordinators. But also we have Wallace's cousin Lisia who is a high tier coordinator who is capable of mega evolving! As far as we know Lisia doesn't have any badges (although I do believe in Masters she does mention she wants to learn more about battling as a typical trainer would). Also Johanna, the player's mom in DP is also a famous coordinator and again there's no evidence of her having (or needing) badges to get from Twinleaf Town all the way to the contest hall in Hearthome City. We don't know if there's a ribbon equivalent system in-universe (by that I mean you need X ribbons to get certain HMs or have Pokemon obey you) but I feel like if the badges do have actual in-universe effects (besides just being progress markers for us) then so would contest ribbons. Because many coordinators never set foot in a gym yet they travel the region just like trainers do with little problem. So while I'm not saying Daisy never took part in a gym battle, I think it's more likely she got her skills to travel safely while training her team for Pokemon contests.

#Daisy oak #pokemon frlg #gym leader wallace #gym leader juan #gym leader fantina #lisia pokemon #johanna pokemon #ask epic spheal

[epicspheal]

Given the Trace in Cactusverse ask, I could see Red getting involved in the Game Corner and Silph Co. being recontextualized into Red having a mini-freakout at Chase going in to take on Team Rocket all by himself, and so following him into the fray. I’ve long posited the theory that Chase got as far as Archer before Red saved him after losing to Giovanni, and if it weren’t for Masters clearly painting him as the junior Trainer to Red, then I’d say the personality they gave him neatly aligns with that theory.

Hi there @ether-gearhead! While that's certainly a nice theory that ties the old Kantrio together with the new Kantrio, that won't work specifically for cactusverse at the moment (if that's what your asking). The thing is if I were to place Let's Go in the cactusverse timeline it would have to be somewhere after the events of BW and Before BW2/XY to coincide with Mina (who appear in Kanto) being younger and then being shown as at least a teen by the time the SM events roll around. Which would mean (given that again cactusverse still starts at FRLG) that Team Rocket would've been long been dealt with probably before the new Kantrio is even born (I know there have been many a edit war on Bulbapedia about the gap between Gen 2/Gen 4 and Gen 5, I personally go for a decade between the events). This is what I meant in my previous by Trace being stuck in limbo because there literally isn't anything for him (or Chase/Elaine to do) and as I said cactusverse isn't really about creating brand new plots so much as dealing with the aftermath (or in the case of Jack's presence in Galar, explaining why so many of the cast have maladaptive behaviors, which is still aftermath but it's giving previous context). As it stands none of the New Kantrio (and Green also) have anything novel that allows me to explore an aftermath (bar Trace maybe taking over the Viridian Gym once Blue goes to Alola, which again is confounded by the fact he wouldn't even be able get a chance to play the role as rival let alone champion in the current set up) since by then everything is taken care of. Team Rocket is gone, Blue got over his ego, Red confronts society again, Blue and Red repair their friendship, Leaf gets a purpose that allows her to shine on her own (and yes for cactusverse parts of Green have been merged into Leaf's character like certain Team Members and some motives). This is once again where I lament Let's Go not being just proper Kanto Sequels with their own unique story set around BW1 to set up Alola which would come 4 years later. Then there really wouldn't be as much of an issue about whether the New Kantrio would be a part of cactusverse. Also in regards to Chase trying to take on TR, as cute as that is, for me part of what makes the cactusverse story of the Kanto events poignant is that Red does this all alone like in canon. It contributes to the fall out between him and Blue taking a turn for the worse since Blue really wasn't helpful at all at that time because up until then Red was mostly shrugging off Blue's ego-based rants, but being left to do take on Team Rocket in Silph Co by himself? That was a major blow to his perception of Blue. And this is a huge thing that has to be addressed once they finally get Red down from Mt. Silver. It takes a long while for them to regain their trust because while Blue is still Red's person, that lack of help was a huge betrayal and Blue has to own it and make that up. And I feel like adding extra parties to that just would complicate things a bit on my end, but I definitely see the potential of your theory being put to good use in other AUs.

#cactusverse #ask epic spheal #trainer chase #trainer red #team rocket