#part of me wonders if it looks too much like raichu but it changes as much about raichu as pikachu does

[teshamerkel]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

Chapter 14 (19 Pages)

<< First | < Previous | Next >

Hazel gives Nia a new lead to follow in her search for answers, as well as the courage to confront Tobias.

-

“You’re Hazel.”

The older Pokemon smiles, looking wistful. “I haven’t gone by the name Hazel in over a decade. Most know me as Alice nowadays.”

Well, that would explain why no one knew who Hazel was. Nia opens her mouth to say something, ask something, a thousand questions she’d rehearsed bubbling at her lips. Instead, her throat chokes up as tears flood her eyes.

She finally found her. She found Hazel. And now she’s crying again. Nia scrubs at her face, apologizing, only for soft arms to scoop her into a hug, cutting off her words.

“I know it’s scary,” Hazel murmurs, paw stroking soothingly at Nia’s back. “Everything is so new and different, and you hardly know a soul.”

Nia whimpers, squeezing Hazel back and burying her face in the older woman’s soft fur. They stay like that until the kettle starts to shriek. Hazel gently escapes Nia’s hold, moving to smother the fire and pour out two small cups of tea.

Some kind of power (psychic, maybe?) outlines the cups in gold, and then they levitate into the air, catching Nia off-guard. Hazel floats over to the table, drinks following smoothly enough not to spill, and sets one of the cups in front of Nia. The riolu sniffs and wipes away the last of her tears, accepting the tea with a quiet word of thanks and cupping it in her hands. There’s something soothing about its near-painful warmth and faint herbal scent; even watching the drink’s steam rise and curl into the air feels calming.

After a few moments of silence, Hazel speaks up in a hushed voice. “I found myself in the Pokémon world when I was about...oh, 26 years old or so. It must have been around 1980.”

Nia looks up, taken aback. “1980?”

Hazel nods, taking a sip of tea. “Yes. I’ve had the chance to speak with a few others in our situation throughout the years, and it seems time here runs on a scale similar to Earth’s.”

“Yeah,” Nia agrees, doing the mental math and feeling shock numb her ever so slightly. “You’ve been here for...for 40 years?”

“Give or take, yes.”

Hazel says something else, but Nia doesn’t answer. She’s focused on trying to control the tremor in her breathing, the shaking in her fingers, the violent pounding of her heartbeat. 40 years? Last she’d heard humans had only been appearing in the Pokemon world for about 30 years.

How long has this really been happening?

“Did you—did you ever try to go back?” Nia rasps.

Hazel hesitates. “For a year or so, yes. I did try to find out...why I was here. What happened.”

“And?”

“I’m afraid I didn’t find many answers,” Hazel answers, blue eyes flashing gold as she uses the same psychic ability to stir her tea without using her paws. “There were far less cases of our situation back then, and even less Pokémon who actually believed that we were once human. We were left to do most of the searching for answers on our own, and without many resources it’s difficult to find any solid leads.”

Nia’s grip tightens around her tea. “B-But there has to have been some breakthroughs somewhere after so long, right? How did you do your research? Reading? Traveling around to ask other Pokémon? What about those Pokémon who remember their past? The ones who are always former humans? Yuh—Yamask! Surely there’s something that no one has tried yet!”

Nia doesn’t register how desperate she must sound, how close she is to breaking down again, until Hazel doesn’t answer. She looks worried.

“I mean—there have to be answers, right?” Nia asks, consciously quieting her voice. “Somebody has to know how this happened to us. How to fix it.”

Hazel’s face drops into something sympathetic. “You want to go back. To your old life.”

Nia blinks, bewildered. “You don’t?”

Hazel shakes her head. “This is my life now. I have a husband and a daughter. Beautiful grandkids. A successful career and a home. Every morning I sit on the docks and watch the sun rise with a cup of tea and a pastry from the neighbor’s bakery. At this point, I’m more comfortable as a raichu than I would be as a human.”

Nia can’t believe what she’s hearing. Sure, the Pokémon world is wonderful and the people are kind, but...

“Don’t you...don’t you miss your family? Your friends?”

“Of course I do,” Hazel answers, tone slipping into something sharp for the first time. “But that doesn’t change the fact that sometimes you don’t get a choice in the matter.”

Nia flinches, looking down into her tea again.

The raichu’s voice softens. “I created a new life here, instead. I found love, and friendship. Of course I’m not going to forget my old family and friends, but that didn’t mean I had to stop living my life until I found a way back to the human world. And I’m glad I thought that way. I’m happy here.”

Nia knows the words are supposed to be soothing, but instead she’s fighting off a rising wave of panic. Her stomach rolls and there’s a sinking, heavy feeling in her chest that feels like lead. She doesn’t want to start a new life here. She doesn’t remember her family and her friends, not exactly, but the longing in her heart makes her sure that she needs to get back to them. She has to find a way. There has to be a way.

After a few beats of silence, Hazel asks, “Did you lose your memory, coming here?”

Nia blinks back tears and meets Hazel’s eyes, nodding.

“But you have yet to regain it.”

Nia nods again. “I...I know I was human. I remember certain things, l-like technology and some songs, and that I used to play softball. I don’t remember my family or my friends or what happened to bring me here, b-but...” she reaches up to clutch at the fur of her chest, where it feels like she’s tearing in half.

“You know how you feel about them,” Hazel guesses.

The tears finally spill over, so Nia squeezes her eyes shut. “I need to get back to them.”

Hazel is silent as Nia takes a few deep breaths.

“I wish you luck in finding answers,” Hazel finally says, words slow and careful, like she’s trying to find the perfect way to phrase this. “Just...know that they may not be the answers you would like.”

Nia’s not sure what to make of that, so she just takes another deep breath and sips at her tea. It is tasty, if a bit bitter.

“Where are you staying now? Do you have anyone to help you?” Hazel asks.

Nia finally offers a small smile. “Yeah. I’m living at the Lexym Guild, with a meganium named Maggie and my, uh...my Seekers partner, Tobias.”

Hazel tilts her head, frowning. “He didn’t come with you today? It’s quite a walk from the guild.”

“N-No, he did,” Nia answers, shifting uncomfortably as she once again feels the emptiness of Tobias’ absence. “He’s, um...out somewhere in the port.”

“This was an important mission for you, to find me. He didn’t want to be a part of it?”

Nia isn’t sure how to answer that without admitting aloud that Tobias doesn’t care about Nia’s goals at all. Instead, she simply shrugs.

Hazel hums. Then, she slides a paw across the table to gently lay over Nia’s own. “Nia, I’m going to tell you something very important, okay? Look at me.”

Nia does, swallowing hard.

“The Pokémon world is...kinder than the human world, in many ways. But you still have to be careful that Pokémon don’t take advantage of you. Of your lack of knowledge regarding this world. Your fear. Your kindness.”

“What—“

“I could be wrong,” Hazel says, cutting Nia off softly but firmly. “But this Tobias sounds like he isn’t there for you the way partners—and friends—should be.”

Nia feels her ears pin back, betraying the truth of Hazel’s words. “H-He’s had a rough life—“

“Which is unfortunate,” Hazel says, squeezing Nia’s paw. “But that doesn’t excuse his actions. Everyone needs to learn to adapt and grow. With you, he has the chance to become a better Pokémon. And if he decides not to take that opportunity, then it isn’t your job to deal with him. Your feelings are important too.”

Nia’s vision blurs with tears, and she looks down at her cup of tea as it slowly loses its warmth. “You sound like Maggie.”

“If this Maggie agrees, then I’d say you should really consider your current arrangement. It’s easy to take advantage of someone like you. You’re sweet, and you’re lost. Don’t take that.”

Nia sniffs, squeezing the raichu’s soft paw. She already knew this, but hearing it from Hazel, from someone who has been in her exact position...maybe it is finally time to make a change with Tobias.

“It’s your decision, of course,” Hazel says, voice lighter again. She leans back. “Just...think about it. Why don’t you tell me about how your life has been since coming here? How long have you been in this world?”

Nia smiles, relaxing and slowly unraveling the story of the last two weeks of her life. Waking up in the Pokemon world, settling at the guild, choosing a name and meeting everyone, saving Tobias and forming a team with him, training and starting out as Seekers, meeting Hadley and hearing about his old “human” friend...

At the mention of Hadley, Hazel laughs, looking like she wants to be mad but can’t quite manage it. “I haven’t seen that silly old bug in years! Of course he’s the one to rat me out. Always had loose lips, that one. Which is remarkable for someone without actual lips.”

Nia giggles. “Sorry. I’m glad he told me, though, or else I never would have found you.”

“Did he tell you how we met?”

Nia shakes her head, leaning forward in her seat.

“Well, I’d fallen terribly ill while on the road in my early years. When I went to a doctor, they were shocked to find that I had a developed a form of the common cold.”

“One of the medics at the guild mentioned something about that,” Nia says. “They said if I got sick, it could be, uh. Serious.”

Hazel hums a thoughtful sound. “I don’t remember much about that week or so I was sick, but doctors did seem rather...cautious. About telling me whether I’d pull through or not. Looks like I brushed by death’s door a bit closer than I thought.”

Nia’s fur prickles at the casual way she mentions it. “Y-You aren’t scared that you’ll get sick like that again?”

“No, not really. I did have a few more bouts of illness throughout my life, but nothing that I couldn’t pull through. Nowadays, I’m fairly sure I’ve been through most common ailments, having had children and all. They’re germ magnets!”

Nia cracks a small smile.

“Still, that does remind me,” Hazel says, focusing back on the riolu. “The first time you start feeling ill, do go ahead and check in with one of the medical Pokémon at the guild, all right? Your symptoms might come on weak, but don’t take any chances.”

The riolu swallows hard and nods. Hazel said when she got sick, not if. The raichu seems sure that it’ll happen eventually, and Nia would be lying if she said that didn’t send a bolt of fear into her heart. She doesn’t want to die, and especially not here, sick and without her family.

“I met Hadley when I was recovering in hospice,” Hazel continues. “He’s always been a reckless thing, and he’d chipped his shell in a fight with a golem, of all things. He lost, of course, but he didn’t want to tell me that.”

Nia tries to relax again as Hazel dives deeper into her story. Soon enough, they’re both laughing, and moving on to talking about the oddities of the Pokémon world, of how strange it was to wake up with tails and ears and superpowers. Apparently, Hazel had arrived as a pikachu, like her daughter Margot is now, and had decided to evolve later on in life. She explains that the levitation abilities of alolan raichu help a lot with larger wood carvings, when she has to work on areas much higher than she can reach on foot.

“So evolution didn’t...hurt, or anything?” Nia asks at one point. “It still sounds so weird to me.”

Hazel nods understandingly. “It is odd, no doubt. But no, it didn’t hurt. It was...a bit strange, feeling my body shift and change in the span of a few seconds. But I certainly don’t regret it. It’s quite sad, really, that evolution doesn’t seem to be working anymore. An upsetting development, to be sure.”

“H-How long has that been going on, anyways?” Nia asks. She’d been meaning to bring this question up with Maggie for days now.

Hazel stirs at her cold tea. “Oh goodness...maybe the last ten years or so? It’s fairly recent.”

“And no one knows what’s causing it?”

Hazel sighs. “Well, we’re certainly getting the share of the blame. Has anyone warned you about that yet?”

Nia nods. “Y-Yeah. Everyone at the Haven is really nice, but August and Maggie said I should be more cautious about revealing that I’m human when we travel farther away. Why are we getting blamed?”

Hazel shakes her head, looking bitter. “When a problem rises up that no one knows how to fix, it makes it easier on folks if they can blame someone else for it. The animosity has only gotten worse as time goes on and more things change. Being unable to evolve has changed the lives of a lot of Pokémon, and not for the better. I shudder to think about all of the poor cocoon Pokémon who got caught in their middle stage and are trapped there.”

Nia frowns. That’s such a strange thing to happen so suddenly, presumably after never happening before in the history of this world. “What did everyone say, right after it happened?”

“Oh, they were sure the world was ending. That Arceus herself was forsaking them. But then nothing else drastic happened immediately after, the days carried on, and eventually Pokémon grudgingly adapted.”

“Are any Pokémon still looking into it?” Nia asks, feeling her curiosity rise and her itch to research resurface.

“Oh yes, the last I heard it was still a hot topic, particularly in the bigger cities. Around here, Pokémon are content to make due.”

Nia thinks about the evolution that she would have available if she could evolve. A...lucario, she thinks it was? Similar to her current form, but bigger. Taller. She remembers reading that Tobias would eventually become a much larger creature, though, a dragon with wings and everything. It’s difficult to imagine the little charmander going through such a huge growth spurt.

After a moment of thoughtful quiet between them, Hazel lightens the mood by launching into another story from when she’d first arrived in the Pokémon world. Apparently when she’d first woken up, she’d screamed and accidentally electrocuted a kind but terrifying-looking Pokémon who was just trying to help her out. Nia listens and strokes the rim of her cup, smiling warmly at the old raichu. She has such an obvious grandmotherly air about her—even more so than Maggie.

At the end of her story, Hazel suddenly sits up. “You know, that reminds me of something I saw last week. There’s a Pokémon who’s trying to gather former humans for a meeting sometime soon. Some sort of club, I suppose?”

Nia’s ears perk up. “Really?”

Hazel nods. “I’m comfortable as a Pokémon now, so I dismissed it. It seemed like a load of hullabaloo to me! But maybe you would want to look into it? They would likely know more than I would about how the research on this phenomenon is going.”

“Y-Yeah, absolutely! Do you know where I could find out more about it?”

“I believe there was a flyer up in the bazaar near the waterfall, on one of the bulletin boards.”

Nia jots that down in her mind, beaming. “Thank you so much, Hazel! Oh man, I’ll check that out as soon as I leave.”

Hazel chuckles again. “Why don’t you go on ahead? If you don’t have anything else to ask me, that is. You look ready to jump out of your seat.”

Nia laughs, embarrassed. “Sorry. I’m excited.”

Hazel shifts, sitting heavily onto her tail before rising into a float. She collects the two cups from the table and sets them down in the kitchen area. “It’s fine. Come along then.”

Nia moves to follow the raichu out into the shop. She casts a quick glance up at the loft, but it’s quiet. Margot and her boys must already be asleep. When the two of them reach the front door, the raichu turns to her with a smile.

“You take care, all right? Smack some sense into that partner of yours or tell him to hit the road.”

Nia laughs, nodding. “I’ll do my best.”

Hazel leans in, taking Nia’s hands in her own and dropping her voice to a whisper. “And if things don’t turn out how you want, just remember that there’s always a silver lining. You’ll reach happiness, one way or another.”

Nia’s breath catches. Fear and denial roll in her gut (she will find a way home, she will), but she knows the raichu only means well. So she offers a shaky smile. “R-Right.”

“Thank you for the talk. Come back and visit this old girl if you’re ever in the area. It’s nice to have another human around.”

Nia nods. She is right about that. “Absolutely. Thank you so much for talking with me.”

“Of course.” And with that, Hazel pulls her into another hug. Nia hugs her back, squeezing hard and breathing in the scent of her short fur. She’s only known her for a couple of hours, but she already knows she’s going to miss her.

“C-Can I write you sometime?”

“Please do,” Hazel says, pulling back and patting the riolu’s cheek. “I would love that.”

“I’ll send you a letter as soon as I figure out how the mailing system works.”

Hazel laughs, playfully pushing Nia out the front door and into warm night air. “Go on, get out of here! And good luck. Remember what I said.”

Nia nods and gives the raichu one more wave before turning to join the Pokémon still milling about on the boardwalk. She’d passed the bazaar earlier in the day, when she was searching for Hazel. It’s...to the right? She thinks. She supposes she could just follow the sound of the waterfall, too.

As Nia makes her way through the port town, faintly lit by the fat moon overhead and the light spilling out from homes and shops, she keeps an eye out for Tobias’ tail flame. As much as Nia hates conflict, Hazel is right. She needs to have a talk with the charmander about their partnership. She can’t keep sacrificing her emotions and her own goals just because Tobias insists on keeping up such a bitter attitude and shoving her away at every opportunity.

Nia finally finds the giant bulletin boards in the bazaar, sitting in front of shops and between closed market booths. Wait. Dang it, she can’t read anything at this time of night! Great. If only a certain fire type were here. A small growl of frustration slips from her throat. She doesn’t have anything that can make light, right?

Oh! Wait, maybe..? Nia hesitates, glancing around. Would she even be able to do it here, already so worked up and exhausted from the day? She supposes she doesn’t have much of a choice but to try. She closes her eyes, feeling the tear-drop appendages framing her face rise as she searches for that fire at the core of her being. Her aura. After a moment she finds it, burning strong and bright. She stokes it with thoughts of her family, of Maggie, of Xander and Andyn, of Hazel...and she feels it grow. Satisfied, she directs it towards her hand with a little nudge, focuses it in her palm, imagines the light cradled there...

Nia cracks open her eyes, grinning with delight to see the cyan of her aura condensed into a tiny flame. It casts a faint blue glow over her and the flyers, and she hurriedly starts skimming the papers for anything about humans. She scans the board once, twice, feeding more energy into her palm and feeling it start to strain her as the seconds tick by.

“C’mon, c’mon,” she mumbles, picking up the pace as she frantically scans flyer after flyer. She eventually abandons the board and runs to the second one nearby. Hazel said it was only like a week ago, right? It has to still be here. What if it’s buried beneath other papers? What if—

Nia’s gaze snaps back to a particular flyer as she catches sight of the word ‘human.’ There are a few of the flyers nailed to the wood, so Nia snatches one, dimming her aura and skimming through it.

The Will of the Humans Movement

Are you a human who suddenly ended up in the Pokémon world? Looking for answers, a network of others that understand you, a place to talk about your past and the human world? Come join us in one of the largest cities in the land! We’ll be having a conference in the city of Ghatha on the first day of the fall season. Food will be provided, as well as resources for finding your way in the Pokémon world until you can be returned to your human life.

Nia takes a deep, shuddering breath, killing off her aura and laughing to herself. She’s incredibly relieved that this sort of idea even exists, that this group sounds so confident about being able to return her to the human world, but she can’t help laughing at the very human-like advertising method. It almost sounds like a college club flyer, or a support group. These guys are the real deal, all right. And it says the first week of fall? If she recalls correctly, it’s nearing the end of summer right now, so that can’t be very far away at all!

Nia folds up the flyer and carefully tucks it away into her satchel. Then she sets off again, wondering how she’ll find Tobias. It’s a warm night, but he probably would have gone inside by now, right? Nia knows she passed one or two larger buildings that advertised themselves as inns. Or maybe he’s still at one of the restaurants? He did seem really excited to eat here.

Just in case, Nia peeks into the restaurants she passes on her way towards the inns, scanning the small crowds inside and feeling her belly start to rumble at all of the delicious scents. Finally, she pokes her head into a restaurant with savory, smoky scents pouring from the kitchen area. In the dim lighting, a familiar tail light and red scarf catch her eye. Tobias!

The charmander looks relaxed, slouched into a seat, empty plate in front of him as he picks at his teeth. Nia hurries over to him, taking the seat across from him and making him jump.

“Sorry,” Nia says, smiling. “Good meal?”

Tobias sits up. “Yeah, definitely. Worth the trip for this alone.”

A silence falls between them, and Nia feels her happy expression slowly drop. She doesn’t know why she expected it from Tobias, but...he didn’t even ask if she’d succeeded in her search for Hazel. Didn’t even mention how his supposed “search” went.

“So I was thinking of just using the inn two doors down for the night, and then heading back a bit after dawn tomorrow.”

Nia nods. “Uh, sure. But, um. Can we talk first?”

Tobias stops cleaning his teeth, giving Nia a suspicious look. “What about?”

“It’s...kind of important. To me. Please?”

Tobias heaves an annoyed sigh, but this time Nia doesn’t wince away. In fact, she feels her anger and frustration only grow stronger.

“Fine,” he says. “Shoot.”

Nia glances at the owners of the restaurant, adorable blue and white otter Pokémon with seashells on their chests, chatting amicably at the entrance to the kitchen. A purple bulldog Pokemon with huge fangs sips quietly at a bowl of soup nearby. The atmosphere is peaceful. She doesn’t want to shatter that with a potential argument.

“Not here,” Nia says, meeting Tobias’ annoyed gaze. “How about down on the docks?”

“Seriously? Why?”

Nia bites back an exasperated sigh. “Just trust me on this. Please?”

There’s a beat of silence, and then Tobias grunts a quiet, “Fine. Let’s go, I already paid.”

Nia nods, and the two head out. Tobias falls back to let her take the lead, and she guides them to one of the staircases, down to an open dock over the water. As they walk, Nia feels herself grow more and more nervous. Her stomach feels tight and nauseous. Maybe this can wait? Maybe she should keep the peace this far from home. She could always just talk to him about this tomorrow.

Hazel’s serious expression flashes through her mind. No. The raichu was right. She needs to put this out there right now, before she loses her nerve. The two of them reach the end of the dock, and Tobias crosses his arms, shuffling away from the edge.

Nia swallows, mouth opening and closing as she tries to figure out how to begin. “W-Well, I wanted to talk about, uh, our team.”

That at least seems to pique the charmander’s interest.

“I-It’s just...I was wondering if you could m-maybe try being, uh...a little nicer?” That’s it, Nia. Nice and stern. God, she’s such a pushover.

Tobias blinks, snorting. “What? Is that seriously why you dragged me out here?”

Nia cringes. “I mean, yeah! I...I-It’s just that you don’t ever want to talk, and you don’t seem to really care about w-what I want, and we’re partners and all, so—“

“We’ve been through this before,” Tobias interrupts. “I’m not nice. And we’re partners, not friends.”

“I know that!” Nia says, voice sharp. Tobias straightens up, anger flashing across his features. “I know that, but there’s a difference between being partners and being whatever we are! We should care about each other, have each other’s’ backs! Actually talk to each other! But every time I try to start a civil conversation you just say something cruel or don’t even answer me!”

“Look, you aren’t special,” Tobias growls, stepping closer with a snarl curling at his lip. “I treat you like I treat everybody else—better even, and—“

“And that’s what I mean!” Nia says, voice edging on a shout. “You treat everyone like dirt! Even Maggie half the time, and she’s been nothing but kind to you your whole life!”

Tobias actually winces at that, but the shame on his face only seems to fuel his anger. Even his tail flame flickers brighter. “Look, I signed up to be Seeker partners with you, nothing more. It doesn’t say anything in the contract about me being nice. You knew how I was before you asked me to form a team with you.”

Nia feels angry tears prick at her eyes, and she throws her arms out in a bewildered sort of gesture. “Okay, fine, I did! Maybe I thought that somehow I could change you, be your friend and help you open up. I know you can be kind, Tobias, I’ve seen it with Maggie and the kids—you can be nice, you just choose not to!”

Tobias huffs, smoke pluming from between his teeth. “That sounds like a mistake on your part.”

“Maybe it was,” Nia admits. “But I don’t think it’s wrong to expect that my partner would have the basic decency to care about me and my goals a little instead of only focusing on himself.”

Tobias opens his mouth to respond, but Nia beats him to it.

“I know you didn’t go looking for Hazel like you said you would. You didn’t even ask about my search or if I found her when I finally tracked you down! You didn’t do a single thing to support me even though you knew how important this was to me!”

“I’ve been nothing but kind to you,” Nia goes on, ignoring the way her voice breaks as she steps forward, feeling a thrill of satisfaction when Tobias steps back. “I’ve kept your secrets, lied to protect you, tried to befriend you so you’d have someone to talk to...I’ve tried so hard to be a good person and bring out the best in you.”

“I didn’t ask for that,” Tobias protests weakly.

“You shouldn’t have to! We’re partners! We should be on each other’s team, not two separate ones. And I shouldn’t have to ask you for the simple courtesy of respecting me and not being a—a total jerk!”

“I protect you in dungeons!” Tobias snaps back. “I share the money we get! What more do you want?! Where is all of this even coming from?”

Nia makes a frustrated noise. “Tobias, we’ve only been partners for two weeks and already I’ve reached the end of my patience! This isn’t a sudden thing! How did you not see this coming?”

“How am I supposed to know if something’s wrong if you don’t tell me?”

“Maybe by paying a little attention! All I’m asking is that you try to care a little bit!”

“And if I refuse?”

Nia tries to take a cue from Margot, straightening up and changing her expression into something harsh and unmovable. “Then I’m leaving the team.”

Finally, Tobias’ mask of anger melts away, leaving only horrified shock behind. “W-What? You can’t—you need to gather information, and—”

Nia crosses her arms. “We both know you’re the only one who would be struggling to find a new team, Tobias. I’d be fine.”

The charmander’s expression closes off, cold and distant. “...And to get you to stay?”

Nia doesn’t answer for a few moments, thinking and enjoying the way her piercing gaze seems to make Tobias squirm with unease. “I would need you to try to be kind. To be an actual partner. Care about me and what I want, the way that I’ve been doing for you. Actually talk to me. Trust me.”

“Trust you? You’re blackmailing me.”

Nia fights back a new surge of anger, sighing. “Tobias, this isn’t blackmail. This is a second chance.”

The charmander doesn’t answer that, and the two of them stand locked in a tense silence.

“So that’s all? I just need to be nice to you?”

“I need you to try to be kind,” Nia corrects. “There’s a big difference. Sucking up to me or faking a personality isn’t going to cut it. You don’t need to be sweet and bring me breakfast in bed. I’m just asking that you stop treating me like the enemy. Like someone whose wants are lesser than yours.”

Tobias is silent, flexing his claws as he stares out at the water with fury in his gaze. Eventually, he says, “Did Hazel put you up to this?”

Nia barks a short, humorless laugh. “You’d know if she had if you’d actually gone with me, wouldn’t you? I’ve been feeling like this for a while, Tobias. Maybe if you paid attention to someone but yourself you would have noticed.”

Tobias growls at that, a few embers fluttering from his breath, bright in the darkness.

“You don’t need to decide now,” Nia says, feeling her anger start to drain in favor of exhaustion. “I want you to be serious about your answer, either way. This is a dealbreaker for me.”

Tobias glares at her for a moment more. Then he snarls something under his breath and storms past her, back towards the staircase to the shops and inn. Nia watches him go, and doesn’t relax until the charmander’s bobbing tail flame disappears completely in the darkness. Then she sinks to the ground, cradling her head in her hands. That was...more intense than she’d been expecting. But she also got her point across. She thinks.

She sits there for a while longer as the moon climbs high into the sky. Eventually, she rises to her feet, taking shaky steps back towards the buildings of Afon’s Cap. She’s definitely not going to go sleep in the same inn as Tobias after that. She considers returning to Hazel’s to ask to stay the night, but she really doesn’t want to bother the little family when they’re likely all asleep by now.

Instead, Nia picks a different inn than the one Tobias had suggested earlier. What tomorrow brings for her and her team she doesn’t know, but when she flops down into a pre-made nest, she feels...light. Relieved to finally have that off her chest, to finally have a resolution between her and Tobias one way or another.

Nia is done being the charmander’s doormat. 

#pmd #pokemon mystery dungeon #pokemon #alolan raichu #riolu #pmd seekers of soul #tesha draws #tesha writes

[forestofmemories]

he’s so fast now he finally has more chances to deal gaogaen damage!! go nyaheat goooo!!!

where’s the lie dkgjsngkns he helps them become stronger and them in turn help him grow, too (’:

oofff just like in one of their first battles;;

this is a bit random but. I’m so used to kaki being the one using this z-move that it’s so weird not hearing him say ‘dynamic full flame’ at the top of his lungs kgsdjgn

other than that the animation in this whole scene is SOOOO good! also I think xy&z is playing in the background? either way it’s a banger

YESSSSS!!!!! HE DID IT!!! just like lugarugan or even mokuroh, seeing nyaheat overcome gaogaen, his rival, just as he is is so satisfying

I honestly like nyaheat way more than I do gaogaen but... the fact that he evolves right after defeating kukui’s, instead of during battle as a way to be equal in strength with gaogaen makes me like his final evo a bit (lot) more (’: he was so determined to win, and he did!🥺💕

AGAIN, imagine attending the alola pokemon league as an spectator and suddenly one of the guardian deities appears. out of the blue.

RUDE! I wanted to know what kukui’s last pokemon was!! will we ever know I wonder

truly a match full of surprises

I shouldn’t be laughing pikachu I’m so sorry kdjngs

alola oyako,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,PLEASEEEE

I...... somehow feel like there’s a slightly different version of this preview earlier in the series???? anyway..... kukui’s a doting father you cannot change my mind

lei’s gonna be the biggest spoiled baby in all of alola🥺

ANYWAY!!!! next ep is the best, most epic battle EVER

this last shot of the op is one of my favourite things ever. it’s just, so so crowded and every single one of these characters have so much personality I🥺 love them with all my heart

take this very cool shot of agoyon vs kapu kokeko bc their battle is so intense, fast and crazy I cannot possibly do it justice but gosh. it’s. so SO good

smug satoshi for your soul

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 truly, I’m rly happy the series allowed him to be back for a lil while! purple baby did very well against both lucario and kapu kokeko, and held his ground till the end💕

this might be one of my fav shots ever???? he looks so good omg

LET’S GOOOO

they came stylishly prepared

I’m not crying nopenopenope

and now all four kapus are here like dkgjnskgn future leagues in alola are gonna be so boring bc this one is just so insanely crazy

HERE WE GOOOO

(((((((((((((((((’:

also. that raichu on the top right dkgjnsfkj chaotic baby

I love these two with all my heart😭 they’re both one of my biggest comfort characters (and friendship of course!) I just. have no words to describe just how much they mean to me and how much happiness this part of the match gives me

I’m just sitting here staring at the animation in awe bc. how on earth are they ever gonna top this

it’s CRAZY and the best battle EVER

the array of emotions satoshi’s face goes through in this bit... man😭 maybe this is me being extremely biased towards sun & moon, but this is one of the things that makes alola so special imo! everyone’s really kind, they share everything with everyone, they’re all very supportive, pokemon live in harmony with people, everyone’s grateful to nature etc etc and all of this has had an impact on satoshi, to the point he’s felt an extreme connection to the region, as a whole🥺 I cannot possibly word it right bc I’m not very good with words but... yeah, this is how I feel at least

also type wild playing in the background, making an already very epic and unforgettable moment, even more epic. seriously HOW are they gonna top this incredible battle

of course he’s exhausted gkdjgs that was a crazy long match and a crazy strong z-move

also pikachu looking for his hat, too (’: ahh

I LOVE THESE CHILDREN SO MUCHHHHHHHHH😭😭😭💕💕💕💕💕

you did, you truly did😭 they finally won against kapu kokeko, finally got to battle kukui who’s also royal mask... satoshi and his team have overcome every single obstacle (so to speak? they were all more like rivals) they’ve encountered in alola💕

I’m. speechless. I’m going through a torrent of emotions rn I love these two SO much I’ll never get tired of saying this over and over again they deserve the world

truly (((‘: kukui was incredibly lucky to be able to fight alongside one of alola’s deities

this is all so wholesome🥺 this is how the series ends right. hanako moves to alola, they all become one big family and both her and satoshi go back to kanto every now and then to visit oak and his other pokemon, right? (not in denial about the finale approaching… not at all)

*commentator voice* I am in tears. just. wow. this league was truly amazing and it ended with a bang, in the best way it could possibly ever end

now I only have two eps left and I don’t think I’m ready… I already miss the league sdkjgsnk can I go back

#sun & moon rewatch #pokeani #crazy long post #the longest post EVER #bless tumblr for allowing endless posts full of screenshots #though at some point the web grew tired of me and I couldn’t even type spaces lmaooo #‘we get it you love sumo WE GET IT SHUT UP ABOUT IT’ #😅😅 #two eps left!!!! #I’m! not! ready! for! this!!!!! #long post

[cosmopoliturtle]

Flipping the script - Which are your least favorite redesigns you did? Like maybe they just don't seem right now or something? And also, favorite redesign for the beta Pokemon you've done so far?

Oh boy– Okay, now I’m on the hot seat XD I guess we’ll do the same Generation format. 

I guess as a disclaimer, if any of the one’s I bring up here are anybody’s fave I’m not throwing shade on you, this is just how I feel. Maybe there’s something in them you see that I don’t. I’m sure somebody could crazy indepth look at all of my redesigns and find faults in all of them but like, I see faults in literally everything I do so I dunno how much that would help.

 Also if you’re wondering why I don’t go back and change any of these specific Pokemon it’s just cause if I were to go back and start changing things now, I’d be stuck in a hell loop and I’d wanna start changing everything. They reflect who I was and what I wanted to do at the time so I’ve chosen to respect that fact and I’m overall satisfied with how most of my redesigns have turned out in some way or another.

Gen. 1 - Pikachu Line

Pikachu and Raichu were ones I went back to most and made changes. It was kind of all in vain honestly because I don’t think I could ever match the perfection of such a long-lasting icon that Pikachu has become. Pikachu has kind of transcended Pokemon and is just a staple what people think of when you talk about any thing touching Japanese media. I think the odds were stacked against my favour but I can definitely say I did not recreate the magic of such an iconic brand but I tried doing my own thing and here we are I guess.

Gen. 2 - Granbull

This one is kinda cheating because I already went back and made it something I really like now, but yeah the original never really sat well with me while the new one I feel much better encapsulates the things I like about Granbull while the original I think went too far in a different direction.

Gen. 3 - Volbeat and Illumise

I drew these 2 while having a massive panic attack for unrelated reasons XD given that I think they turned out fine but I always kinda thought they could be kinda cuter, maybe rounder and softer. I like the idea behind them still but I definitely think Volbeat in particular could of been pudgier and cuter then he currently is. I’m very attachted to their concept though and I think illumise for the most part looks fine. Most of this is on Volbeat. This is probably the closest one I feel the urge to go back and change mainly because the changes would be minor and would make me feel so so much better. Just like a little itch is all. 

Also one I do like but I can critique - TAMATOA

Here’s the thing– I love Moana, I love Tamatoa, Tamatoa’s song is amazing, it’s one my favourite little bits in a western animated movie, I can separate the creatives working there versus Evil Corp but that being said I think my Crawdaunt is a little on the nose. I don’t doubt other Pokemon may be references or inspired by the things the creators love but I think they do it a lot subtler then I did. I still like the colours, the vibrant contrast is something I do with Dark Types regardless, and I really like the goofy pose and the dragon-claws but I could of been a wee bit more subtle I feel. 

Gen. 4 - Probopass

I like this guy in theory but wowie zowie does it ever look…something. Like I kinda love it for being so weird but I feel like the idea could of been cleaner. It’s so bizarre, this penguin totem electric moustache spinning top hat man. I think it exemplifies how weird I take these sometimes so I like in that regard but I think it could have been done cleaner and more succinctly.

Gen. 5 - Cryogonal

While a big departure from regular Cryogonal I kinda feel like I played mine too safe if that makes any sense. Normal Cryogonal has always bothered me for just being a big face but I feel like mine kind of being an ice golem thing could have been done weirder. I had so many off-the-wall ideas for this guy I’m not sure why I settled on this one. I do like aurora mantle and the colour contrast but I feel like I should have pushed it to being something a bit less conventional in terms of silhouette mainly.

Also one I do like but I can critique - Gothita Line

I can definitely see someone saying this is more a Regional Variant of my Ralts Line then a new Pokemon but at the same time I don’t particularly care and I really like them anyway XD I love the Hime Cut and the red string motif I went with. I’m putting them here though just ‘cause I think it would be fair to point out.

Gen. 6 - Hawlucha

This guy could be crazier I think. I like the colours for the most part and I like all the patterns and shapes and what I did with the tail being connected to the mask but I feel like the face could be weirder considering what normal Hawlucha looks like. I think taking inspiration from something like Alebrije could of pumped this one up in being a bit more memorable. I like most of it but I think it could have been pushed way way further.

Gen. 7 -Tapu Bulu

This one I feel similar to Hawlucha and Cryogonal where it could have just been pushed a bit further to give it a greater sense of identity. I think they’re cute but they also don’t quite fit with my other Tapu redesigns that have more mask-like faces. I think I figured the hat would cover that part but I think it could have been done a bit better. 

Mega Evolutions - Mega Aggron

I really like all the shapes like the face, the wingalings, the face on the chest and the tail hooking together but I think it would have looked better with more Kaiju-esque body shape like the normal one has. Considering that Aggron is one of my favourite Pokemon I’m not sure why I settled on a more theropod shape–I don’t think it’s bad but I think the dumpier, Kaiju shape of the normal one is a lot more likeable.

Beta Pokemon - Best and Worst 

Best one is Ghift, I’m probably never drawing anything this cute ever again sorry not sorry.

Worst one is Belmitt because they’re okay I guess. I like the shapes I did down the back but they don’t inspire any incredible feelings or anything. It’s fine.

Moral of the story is I’m still trying to improve all the time and hopefully I am I can’t tell I dunno. 

#heartsy-artsy-pony

[catflowerqueen]

You know, for all my talk about how Paula evolved, and how the circumstances are kind of suspicious if you don’t know any better… ironically, there is a pokémon in Treasure Town who actually does fit the assumptions that Wigglytuff came to by the end of the chapter. That pokémon is, of course, Marill.

Azurill have the same evolutionary requirements of pichu, and, unlike Paula, Marill did not have access to the same “shortcut,” as it were. He evolved the normal way, and, since he’s a little younger than Paula, it’s actually more suspicious that he’s currently a marill since, again, he would have to have evolved earlier than his current age. Though it does, at least, help pinpoint a more exact timeline for when the evolution issues started to become more widespread. He seems comfortable in his body (compare how differently he and his brother walk in-game, with how I had Grovyle struggle with his sudden change to moving bipedally after his own evolution), so it probably has to have been at least a few months or so since he evolved. But considering the circumstances behind it, I doubt it’s been more than six. Maybe a year, at most—but even that I feel is pushing it.

 The reason why I say this, and why I say he evolved so early, has to do with the theory Wigglytuff finally settled on for Paula’s early evolution. Marill’s catalyst was… I wouldn’t say “benign,” exactly, but it has to do with what the Kecleon brothers told the Hero and Partner during the brothers’ introduction—his mother recently became ill, so he felt like he needed to step up so he could help her and better take care of Azurill. His strong bond with his brother fulfilled the first half of his requirements, and his general maturity (based on some of the things he says in-game leading me to believe that he also leans towards being a bit of a bookworm) and the sudden change in circumstances—leading to more “experience and knowledge”—fulfilled the other half. If his mother hadn’t fallen ill, he probably wouldn’t have evolved for a few more years. Definitely not until he was at least Paula’s current age in the story, if not a bit older, even—and that’s disregarding the current difficulties everyone is having in general at this point in time. The reason no one is making a fuss about it like Wigglytuff and Chatot were with Paula is that they know the family, and are aware of the cause, so everyone knows it’s more of an unfortunate circumstance than anything else, and something beyond anyone’s control or outright influence. Also, as far as the guild goes… it’s entirely likely that they have no idea who they are beyond what Team Rainbow may have said while discussing their first outlaw capture. Maybe a few of the other apprentices, Chatot, or Wigglytuff, have seen the duo in town while stocking up on supplies, but it isn’t like they would really be friends with them the way Team Rainbow is. Especially not at the time HIPS is taking place.

 It is probably another reason why the Kecleon brothers seem so fond of the duo, though, and make a point to tell the Hero and partner about how the duo has “stepped up and taken charge,” and to directly tell the Azumarill brothers how “admirable” they are.

 If I had to guess relative ages… well, Laura’s maturity given her unfortunate circumstances growing up put a bit of a wrench in things, but I still feel like Marill is younger than her. She is exactly eleven (and a few days) at the time of meeting him, so I feel like he would be around nine, maybe ten years of age. Which is definitely younger than is typical for a marill. Azurill, then, is around six or seven—noticeably younger than his brother, but still old enough to be able to accompany Marill on quick errands even with a bit of an age-gap between the two. And that means that the brothers would still be young enough that Paula’s age of thirteen years makes her seem like a cool big-sister/older-kid type—because thirteen definitely makes you a cool teenager to younger kids, even though she only just barely qualifies as a teenager and the gap in reality is not actually that big.

 This does, of course, make me wonder a little bit about what that means in terms of perceptions about the four of them (Team Rainbow and the Azumarill brothers) as far as the Kecleon brothers go—both in canon and in HIPS. Because, of course, all of them are part of a three-stage evolutionary line, and Paula and Marill are already on stage two while Laura and Azurill are not. But Paula and Laura definitely seem older than the brothers, and by a big enough margin that the duo could look up to them and ask them for help and protection, even if the girls weren’t already expected to do that given their position as explorers training at the Wigglytuff Guild. And, of course, since all pokémon have different evolution requirements… well, the Kecleon brothers already know what caused Marill to reach his second stage so early, and marill evolve into azumarill at level 18. Treecko, on the other hand, only hit their first evolution at level sixteen, and then they evolve for the last time at level thirty-six. Then, of course, pichu share the same requirements as azurill, and then their third-stage evolution depends on owning a requisite item. Of course, that’s all going to translate differently in the story, since the story doesn’t use the same mechanisms as the “game” terms.

 That means in-story it’s probably more something like… assuming the pokémon in question even wants to evolve in the first place, and then wants to continue on a “normal” path rather than staying for an extended period of time (or forever) on one specific stage, then, typically, all three of the kids’ evolutionary lines would move onto their second stage at roughly the same time in their early teenage years (a little older than Paula is now). After that, the azumarill-line hits the third stage first, probably at the end of the teenage years. In comparison, the sceptile-line wouldn’t evolve again until late twenties, early thirties. And the raichu-line can basically evolve for the last time whenever they find a stone—and typically they would begin thinking about whether or not they would even want to during their mid-to-late teenage years, with plenty of them deciding that they are uninterested at that time (or being unable to gain possession of a stone) and then either staying a pikachu for the rest of their lives, or only evolving later into adulthood. Essentially, though, it means that if you see a marill, then—current circumstances with evolution being barred to everyone aside—you are probably looking at a teenager, while a grovyle could be anything from a teenager to a young adult and a pikachu could range anywhere from a teenager to an elder.

 Ironically, this actually means that Grovyle was pretty much right in line with the typical progression for his species-line in the world of the past—if not a bit earlier, even. Now he is probably reaching a point where it wouldn’t be unreasonable for him to think about evolving again, actually, now that the option is more open to him. And he wouldn’t have the same hang-ups that others might have considering that, even when the future was dark, his parents made it all the way to being sceptiles.

 …Where was I going with this…? Oh, right, the Kecleon brothers’ perceptions of things. Well, considering the situation with evolution currently, they probably assumed—like everyone else—that Paula was older and evolved at around the typical age, Laura would have just reached the age where she would be considering whether or not she wanted to move to the next stage before the option was barred to her, Azurill is obviously still too young either way, and Marill had to mature a little bit faster than normal. So, basically, of the four of them, Marill is the only one whose evolutionary status they would see as “unusual,” and if they’d had any thought regarding Laura or Paula it would have been that Paula was lucky she had the chance to decide before the sudden cut-off, and Laura’s situation may or may not be a little pitiable depending on whether or not she was thinking of moving to the grovyle stage.

  After finding out Team Rainbow’s true ages, though… they will probably assume that she’s in a similar boat as Marill—except maybe her circumstances were a bit more dire, considering she’s actually an apprentice. The fact that they would have seen her roaming around town during those weeks of getting cold feet about actually joining the guild—especially since she had to pass by them going to and from the guild every day, and they would have seen her disappointed expression most evenings considering where they are located relative to Sharpedo Bluff—would only make their assumptions about her situation even worse. They will probably also figure that Laura is in the same boat, if not one in even worse shape since she joined up even younger. And while they are definitely going to learn about the age thing, the amnesia and species-change thing is probably not going to come out until much, much later. Maybe. I’m still deciding on how much they’re going to share on that front, since while it’s not directly tied to the whole “the guild is now host to a Time Gear” thing, it’s… sort of indirectly tied to it, at this point? Kind of sort of?

 Like… if it comes out while they’re chatting and Laura/Paula mentions that she’s taking lessons from Sunflora, then I can see it as being part of a natural progression of that conversation. Otherwise… while it’s simple enough to discuss the age thing, since the inhabitants of Treasure Town are going to wonder why the girls aren’t going out on missions as much, there really isn’t an easy way to bring up the whole “Laura used to be a human” thing, especially now that it’s pretty firmly tied up with the whole “we think that she was part of a group of humans who worshipped the deity that gave us the Time Gears” deal—and there is no way anyone is going to be mentioning the Time Gears in any capacity considering the favor they’re doing for Uxie. And even in regards to extra training with Sunflora… it would be very easy for them to assume that’s happening because she’s young and Sunflora is the only resident grass-type around who could help her fine-tune some things, rather than because she needs to literally learn how to be a pokémon, and Sunflora is her best bet at learning since there are, actually, some things she would need to know about being a grass-type specifically. So, unless they ask specifically what sorts of things Sunflora is actually teaching Laura, and then she/Paula mentions something extremely basic and non-specific to grass-types, the species-change and/or amnesia probably isn’t going to come up until Dusknoir inevitably figures out who she is. And even that conversation is probably going to go differently, since, again, they’re going to be more concerned with the Time Gear situation at present than they are with Laura’s memories. Actually, Dusknoir is probably going to have to work solely with context clues this time around, since I highly doubt they are going to outright ask him like they did in canon, even though they probably would talk to the Kecleon and Azumarill brothers about the Dimensional Scream at some point—though Dusknoir is not likely to be the source of information for that, either.

 …Come to that, it might actually be Uxie, or one of his siblings, who finally spills the beans to Dusknoir/about Laura’s status as a former human (or at least opens a somewhat safer gateway for it to actually come up in discussion) after the Crystal Lake fight happens. It is entirely possible—and extremely likely—that while in canon Dusknoir questioned why the guild lied to him about seeing a Time Gear on their expedition, here he’s going to, instead, question why they didn’t bring up the fact that they knew Uxie. Or at the very least he’s going to use his “outsider” status to make an interested comment on that fact, since, honestly, everyone who actually knows Wigglytuff is probably going to assume that his failing to mention Uxie after the expedition was more a lie of omission anyways. Or maybe they wouldn’t even go that far, since it would be entirely reasonable for the guild to still say they didn’t really find anything on their expedition, because even if it is kind of cool that Uxie is a legendary, why would they go around spreading information about where he lived? It would be kind of rude to just announce his address willy-nilly like that, and while it’s always cool to make new friends, considering Wiggyltuff’s personality, it isn’t like that’s really notable in any way. It would not surprise anyone to learn that he’d become friends with a legendary, and since all his friends are equal in his eyes, it isn’t like he would be going around and bragging about his new friend’s status as a legendary or anything. The most important bit of that expedition for him would be the revelations about his youngest apprentices, and no one would really think to question the specifics behind how he learned that, anyways. Especially since even after Uxie identifies Grovyle as the thief, he is going to be cagey in general about when, exactly, he moved the Time Gear to begin. Or whether he even did move it to begin with, since as far as anyone knows he might not have kept the Time Gear in his actual home in the first place. So as far as anyone else knows, the Wigglytuff Guild might not have known that Uxie had any connection to the Time Gears until he brought it up after identifying the thief.

 But if Uxie, Wigglytuff, or any of the others do start to be more open about the fact that they did, indeed, meet during that expedition, then it’s entirely possible that they might discuss what Uxie tried to do for Laura, and what little information he managed to find. Even if they left the Time Gear out of it (which they definitely would if they noticed Dusknoir in earshot), it would still be enough confirmation for Dusknoir about who she is. And, really… all he would care about anyways in terms of the Time Gear is that Grovyle doesn’t come into possession of it, and that Laura remains oblivious to why she might want to go looking for any of them. Sure, maybe he would wonder idly where Uxie’s went, or whether it was even at the lake to begin with, but it ultimately wouldn’t matter to him in the long run.

 And, wow, did that get way off-topic to my original point of this post, which was that the reason no one is overly worried about the fact that Marill evolved as early as he did even though he shares his second-stage evolution method with Paula and were extremely concerned about her is because they can attribute his meeting the requirements to his bond with his little brother and wanting/needing to step up for his sick mother’s sake.

#pokemon mystery dungeon #explorers of sky #what if...? #hidden in plain sight #writing #fanfiction #headcanons

[sage-nebula]

If Alan had to assemble a new Alolan team (he'd keep Lizardon of course!)who do you think he'd pick?

Hmm, do you mean like if he did what Ash does at the start of each new saga and only brings Pikachu with him to new regions, thus filling the rest of his team with ‘mon exclusive to that region? Okay, I can do that … but to make it interesting, let’s make him a team from every region, and then I’ll assemble a final team of six out of those. =) Putting this beneath a cut, because it’s going to get long:

I’ll put the species name first, and then the nickname he’d use for them second. And of course, the first ‘mon for every single region is always going to be the same. ♥

Kanto:

Charizard — Lizardon (Fire/Flying; Fire/Dragon)

Lapras — Lace (Water/Ice)

Raichu — Rai (Electric)

Nidoking — King (Poison/Ground)

Gengar — Gar (Ghost/Poison)

Aerodactyl — Ptera (Rock/Flying)

Lizardon is self-explanatory. He goes with Alan to every single region and they’ll never, ever part.

Lace is a callback to my Immortality AU, where I think I ended up giving Alan a lapras (or maybe reunited Ash with his?) because I imagine that lapras are a species that live a very, very long time—that even they’re not technically dragons, the lifespan of the Loch Ness Monster in our own world lends to the idea that lapras would be long lasting. In any case, I could see a lapras on Alan’s team. Lapras are very strong and very durable, and we know that Alan does like pokémon that can be both tanks and very heavy hitters, which lapras are. In addition, though, lapras are known for having very gentle temperaments, and since Alan is so calm and gentle himself (when he isn’t given reason not to be), I feel that would fit well with a lapras. Lapras are very rare (they’re more easily captured in Johto on Fridays), but there could possibly be a situation where someone working in the Safari Zone gives him one to raise and take care of once they learn that he comes from the Kalosian Pokémon Lab, because they need someone to look after this particular lapras and raise her, and they know he’ll do a good job.

Rai, I figure, could have been inspired by Ash, in the sense that knowing Ash and his Pikachu made Alan take interest in the pikachu line and thus decide to raise one himself. Rai would be captured in Viridian Forest as a pikachu, raised up, and then eventually evolved with a Thunder Stone (not against his will, of course), because although Alan would be inspired by Pikachu, again, he does value reaching for one’s max potential in his team, and as we’ve seen in canon he does tend to evolve his pokémon all the way.

King, I feel, would be a little male nidoran who saw Alan in the Viridian area and decided, for some reason, that Alan was an Opponent and a Rival and an Enemy and that he would take him down. Unfortunately, nidoran are not very big or intimidating ‘mon, so this … did not go as planned for King … but Alan recognized and appreciated that fighting spirit and so offered King a place on his team. King originally accepted with the idea that once he gained enough strength he would defeat Alan once and for all, but ultimately he came to really love him as a trainer and became a very faithful member of the team. So, you know. Maybe he’ll eat someone else instead. (Spoiler: He’s not going to eat anyone, Alan won’t let that happen.)

Gar would be a temporary member of Alan’s team; he’d be released back to the Lavender Tower once Alan was ready to leave Kanto. I don’t really have a story behind this one, but gengar seems like the type of pokémon that Alan would find an interesting challenge to train, and the gengar that we meet in Lavender Tower in the anime is friendly enough so that he probably wouldn’t want to drain Alan of his life. (Probably.) So I think it’d probably be more of Alan offering to show Gar interesting things around Kanto, Gar agreeing, and then the two parting ways at the end of the journey.

Ptera is another callback to the Immortality AU, because I’m almost positive I gave Alan an aerodactyl there, because again, they’re basically immortal themselves, very long lasting. (And for Alan and Ash in the Immortality AU, that’s very important.) This wouldn’t necessarily be the same aerodactyl that tried to eat Ash—rather, maybe this one was revived from Old Amber, flipped out because it was fossilized and now it’s suddenly alive again, Alan helped calm it down, and so the scientists were like, “Please take this before it eats us.” Nonetheless, aerodactyl again seems like the type of pokémon Alan would train, so I could see him with one.

Those who know that Alan is my valiant dragon son are probably surprised that dragonite wasn’t included, but while I considered dragonite, in honesty I … have never been very fond of dragonite. Its design has never appealed to me, and while it is strong, I just kind of … eh. There are better dragons out there, in later gens.

(Also, I know you’re probably thinking, “Well, I’m still surprised you didn’t give him an arcanine!” but listen … the temptation was there … I do think Alan would be very good at training an arcanine and that he’d like it, but when thinking about his Future Permanent Team, I couldn’t bear to have him leave the arcanine behind, and I don’t want his team to be too similar to mine, so … a call had to be made. I had to restrain myself, despite how very real that temptation was.)

Johto:

Charizard — Lizardon (Fire/Flying; Fire/Dragon)

Noctowl — Yoru (Normal/Flying)

Tyranitar — Bangiras (Rock/Dark)

Houndoom — Soot (Dark/Fire)

Donphan — Don (Ground)

Mantine — Tine (Water/Flying)

Lizardon is self-explanatory, as always.

Yoru comes from my Fix-It of the team we see him with in the League, because it kills me that they gave him unfezant, of all pokémon, when you can’t even catch that in Kalos (but you can catch noctowl), and noctowl is far more fitting thematically. I think that Yoru (short for “Yorunozuku”) would bond with Alan very quickly as a hoothoot, and would evolve into a beautiful noctowl in short order.

Bangiras is that very same tyranitar we see him with in the League. I didn’t have any real issues with him having a tyranitar in canon, so there’s no reason not to stick with that choice now. Bangiras would be captured as a larvitar and would start out feeling a rivalry toward Lizardon (that is not reciprocated) because he would want to be Alan’s strongest and favorite, but that attitude would settle down over time. Whenever he’s in Kalos and/or otherwise around Bonnie, Bonnie likes to sing “Getta Ban Ban” because of his name.

Soot is … okay, listen. For those of you who have read Genesis, you’ll know that technically the first pokémon Alan ever had was a houndour puppy that he, at the tender age of five, named “Soot.” Alan didn’t actually catch this houndour, nor was he able to raise it, but he tried and he gave it a name and it remains a very important part of his past, because if he’d never tried to keep that houndour puppy, he never would have met (and been unofficially adopted by) Sycamore. So I’ve always entertained the idea that one day, Alan and Soot would be reunited. How Soot would get all the way to Johto from Kalos is anyone’s guess, but maybe Soot was actually captured by another trainer at some point, who then traded him away to someone in Johto, who then released him. It’s possible! In any case, Soot and Alan meet by “chance” (read: destiny) at one point in Johto, Soot recognizes Alan instantly, Alan realizes that Soot is Soot, and so he’s captured and raised up (probably captured as a houndour, still, just a fully grown one at this point, close to evolving but not quite there yet). The naming convention is off from the rest, but Alan named him Soot so long ago … he’s not going to change that now. Soot is very playful and, even as a full grown adult, likes to act like a baby and get belly rubs with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Sometimes Alan still calls him “Sootie.” It’s hard not to.

Don doesn’t have a story behind her; I think a donphan just seems like the kind of pokémon that Alan would train, particularly since donphan can be tanks, can be fast (ROLLOUT), and are hard hitters (again, ROLLOUT). Also, I have a real soft spot for phanpy, so I like the idea of Alan raising one up to be a mighty donphan (albeit a mighty donphan that still thinks she’s the size of a phanpy).

Tine is partial bias to sea rays that I gained during my Japan vacation, and partial “I do think this would fit.” Again, no real story to this one; I just think it’d be interesting for Alan to raise a mantine and I think he’d enjoy and be good at it. Everyone was mantine surfing~

Again, the big surprise here might be that I left off kingdra, particularly since he has dragon clan heritage in Blackthron City (though if this is a canon compliant timeline, he might not know about that yet). But I didn’t want to give him two water-types, since water’s not really his thing so much, and I personally prefer mantine over kingdra. But don’t worry, there will be dragons to come in the future regions.

Hoenn:

Charizard — Lizardon (Fire/Flying; Fire/Dragon)

Flygon — Lye (Ground/Dragon)

Milotic — Milo (Water)

Absol — Sol (Dark)

Salamence — Bohmander (Dragon/Flying)

Metagross — Meta (Steel/Psychic)

Lizardon remains self-explanatory.

Lye would be captured as a trapinch, and perhaps got its name both because of its future final evolution, and also because it was very hot to the touch (due to being out in the desert) when Alan first met it, thus it burned him and made him think of how lye burns when it comes in contact with skin. In any case, even as a trapinch Lye always wanted to be off the ground, which makes Alan wonder sometimes if he should have named it Fly instead.

Milo is another call to the immortality AU, though it’s Ash that has a milotic in that one, rather than Alan. Nonetheless, milotic is a big pokémon that looks like a sea dragon, is very strong, and very much a tank as well, so it’s the type that he’d have on his team. Plus, I like the idea of him catching a feebas, and knowing that no matter how weak it is at the time, he can help it become stronger. And with time, he does. 

Sol would be a healing, reclamation type pokémon for him. For those of who you have read Genesis (linked above), you’ll remember that the mayor of Isolé Village compared Alan to an absol in a derogatory way:

The mayor looked back at [Augustine], and her furious scowl was instantly replaced by an apologetic smile. “Oh, Professor Sycamore! I’m so sorry about all of this. I should have warned you to watch out for this one, but I didn’t think even he would … well.” She chuckled, but Augustine could hear an undercurrent of anger in it as she placed her hand on the boy’s head and shook him a little, her fingers gripping his hair far more roughly than Augustine had ruffled it back in the houndour den. “I should have known better! Alan here is like our own little absol—brings disaster wherever he goes!” She laughed again, the sound loud and aggressive.

That was years and years ago, but Alan has an eidetic memory and so he remembers everything that happened to him in that village: every punishment, every name he was ever called, and so forth. And as a result, given that he was always compared to absol and that it was meant to be a bad thing, seeing absol has always filled him with a very uncomfortable, anxious feeling. It’s not something he ever takes out on them, obviously, but seeing absol (or hearing the word “absol”) reminds him of those days back in Isolé, and he doesn’t like it. (Buneary sort of do as well, come to that, since they were always allowed to run around the village at will, but it doesn’t have the same tie to him as absol does.)

So in that sense, if he came across an absol in Hoenn, he wouldn’t want to capture it at first, but perhaps the absol would keep following him around because she knew that something bad was going to happen to him and wanted to prevent it. And after she helped save him from whatever disaster, it’d help him come to terms with things. Sycamore himself taught Alan that absol never bring disaster, and Alan knew that … and he also knows that he never really brought disaster, that the things he was blamed for weren’t really his fault … but sometimes it takes a while for the heart to catch up. And so he’d capture the absol, and name her Sol (meaning “sun” as well as being a play on her name), as a sort of healing / reclamation thing.

Bohmander would either be captured as a bagon, inspired by Zinnia and her salamence, particularly in my preferred scenario where a version of the Delta Episode is carried out post-XY(&Z), and Alan and Zinnia become quite acquainted with one another as a result. Boh is a bit smaller than the average salamence and is quite gentle, but he’s no less fierce in battle and everyone would do well to remember it.

Meta is the same metagross that Alan has in the League in canon, inspired by Steven and his metagross. If I remember correctly, the personality that I gave to Meta is that they are very young but also very desperate to prove themselves and be strong to make Alan proud. They struggle with self-esteem, but Alan always reminds them that he’s proud of their progress, and that helps a lot.

See? I told you there’d be more dragons.

Sinnoh:

Charizard — Lizardon (Fire/Flying; Fire/Dragon)

Mismagius — Mumargi (Ghost)

Lucario — Cario (Fighting/Steel)

Weavile — Manyula (Dark/Ice)

Mamoswine — Mammoo (Ice/Ground)

Gallade — Rei (Fighting/Psychic)

Lizardon is self-explanatory, as always.

I don’t really have a story for Mumargi, except that maybe Mumargi kept “accidentally” crossing paths with him as a misdreavous before he finally caught her. After he caught her she tried to wander off at every given opportunity, because she’s contrary like that.

Way back when the Flare Crisis was airing, and Alan did that amazing back handspring to avoid the spikes in the megalith, I came up with a headcanon that perhaps he studied martial arts under Maylene for a time while traveling through Sinnoh. Perhaps that headcanon could still come to light and that’s how he ends up with Cario, who was his sparring partner while studying with Maylene and who decided to travel with him when he left. (And now whenever he and Maylene encounter each other in public they have to spar immediately, as soon as they make eye contact, without explaining anything to anyone in the nearby vicinity. Those are the rules between martial arts sensei and student.) 

Manyula is the same weavile we see him with in the League. Again, he chose a weavile there, I had no real issues with it, so why not keep it up? (Also, the Sinnoh ‘dex is hard enough to choose from without eliminating canon choices orz.) If I remember the characterization I gave her, she’s very mischievous and prideful and somewhat tsun in that she doesn’t like to play well with others … or at least, that’s what she pretends. 

There’s no real story behind Mammoo other than I thought it’s the type of pokémon that would fit Alan’s battling style, and same for Rei. 

Honestly, this one was really hard because I don’t like the majority of the Sinnoh ‘dex, and those I do like are already taken by members of Alan’s family (Sycamore has garchomp, Clemont has luxray), or just wouldn’t really fit his battling style (glaceon, leafeon, floatzel). So I struggled a lot with this one, I won’t lie.

Unova:

Charizard — Lizardon (Fire/Flying; Fire/Dragon)

Krookodile — Rook (Ground/Dark)

Zebstrika — Strike (Electric)

Beartic — Bear (Ice)

Chandelure — Lure (Ghost/Fire)

Bisharp — Sharp (Dark/Steel)

Lizardon is self-explanatory.

Rook seems like the type of pokémon Alan would train (fast, strong, tanky), and so there’s no real story behind this choice. That said, I like to imagine that if Rook met some of Alan’s more mischievous ‘mon from the past (such as, oh, Manyula or Mumaragi), he’s the type they’d try to scapegoat for their own wrongdoings even though he’s super honest and sincere and would never do anything wrong ever in his life if he could help it. Don’t worry, Alan never falls for the lies.

Strike might seem like kind of an odd choice, but I think that zebstrika can be pretty strong and fast and Alan would appreciate that, especially in an electric type. Strike is proud and hates losing, and is prone to tantrums and sulking fits when things don’t go his way. This is something he and Alan work on together.

Bear would have been captured as a cubchoo and not intentionally named Bear, but when Alan first encountered the curious little cubchoo trying to raid his bag for snacks, he said, “Hey there, little bear,” and from there on out the cubchoo would not respond to anything else. So now he’s a bear(tic) … named Bear. So it goes.

Lure tried to, well, lure Alan off a cliff at some point, back when she was still a litwick. That didn’t work, and when it didn’t, Lure tried again and again until finally Alan got exasperated and captured her. She still likes to try to lead him off places, this time in earnest, but she has a bad sense of direction and so she can’t be trusted as navigator even when she’s doing her best. She is a solid member of the team, though.

Sharp is the same bisharp that we see in canon. I had no problems with this one, so why change it? I can’t remember the personality I gave him, except maybe he was another that hated to lose? God, I wish I could find that post. Anyway, Sharp is bisharp, you know how it is.

I hated that canon gave Alan a random unfezant, as mentioned above, so that one got axed. I was also really strongly tempted to give him a haxorus, but I feel that’s Iris’ territory since she has that iconic axew, so I left that be.

Kalos:

Charizard — Lizardon (Fire/Flying; Fire/Dragon)

Pangoro — Pandar (Fighting/Dark)

Aegislash — Exagide (Steel/Ghost)

Tyrantrum — Rexillus (Rock/Dragon)

Noivern — Bruyverne (Flying/Dragon)

Meowstic — Mistigrix (Psychic)

Lizardon is self-explanatory.

For some reason I imagine Pandar as a little pancham at Sycamore’s lab that becomes utterly fixated on Alan because he (Pandar) wants to grow up to become very strong and knows that Alan could train him to do so. Thus, Alan ends up taking him along on a journey. Lo and behold, Pandar ends up achieving his dreams, so it’s a happy ending for everyone.

I don’t have much of a story for Exagide, but I think that Alan would be very interested in training an aegislash because of how much strategy goes into battling with one. I think he’d find the challenge exciting, and that Exagide would be happy to have someone who appreciated their talents.

Rexillus just seems like the type of pokémon Alan would like, as with so many others on this list. I’d like to flip the script a little and imagine Rexillus as a very lazy pokémon that Alan really has to work with to get motivated, and that even though Rexillus will at least battle reliably now, his favorite activities are still eating, sleeping, and watching cartoons. (He knows what’s up.)

Bruyverne is, I will admit, a personal bias of mine because I really like noivern, so even though Ash had one, well … it’s not an iconic pokémon of Ash’s, so it’s fine. Hell, maybe Alan was even inspired by Ash’s, I don’t know. Either way, I do think noivern would suit Alan’s battling style, and thus Bruyverne would be a good fit.

Mistigrix might seem weird, but I decided to give one to Alan as a call to the game character Emma, who I feel at least partially inspired Alan’s inclusion in the anime. Emma has an espurr named Mimi, and so I feel that giving Alan an espurr (and then meowstic) works. This works even better if we go with an idea I had once where Emma was Alan’s childhood friend in Lumiose, and she still has Mimi; she has her girl, Mimi, and Alan has his boy, Mistigrix, inspired by Emma and her Mimi. They make a pretty good team.

Alola: 

Charizard — Lizardon (Fire/Flying; Fire/Dragon)

Mimikyu — Kyu (Ghost/Fairy)

Mudsdale — Dale (Ground)

(Midday) Lycanroc — Lycan (Rock)

Kommo-o — Kommo (Dragon/Fighting)

Toxapex — Tox (Poison/Water)

Lizardon is self-explanatory.

Kyu is a carry over from my fic To Devour the Sun, although I guess saying that is spoilers a little bit. Regardless, one of the ideas I have for near the end of the fic is for Alan to go off to the abandoned Thrifty Megamart to get some space and time alone (with Lizardon, of course), and while he’s there enjoying the quiet, a very lonely but curious mimikyu ends up coming up to him. The mimikyu means no harm, and she seems to be hurting in some way that he can’t quite identify, but that he empathizes with … so he takes her with him. He names her “Kyu” both because it’s a play on her name, and because she’s curious; “Kyu” sounds like “Q,” like question. (Also, I’ll fully admit that I love mimikyu with all my heart, so. This is a bit of personal bias, too, but I still think it’d be interesting to see Alan with a mimikyu that rides around on his shoulder because she, like Ash’s Pikachu, doesn’t like pokéballs.)

Dale doesn’t have a story behind him, but he seems to fit Alan’s battling style. Also, tbh, Alan is a hero, so we might as well give him a gallant steed to ride on in at least one region.

Lycan is a result of my third eye opening and finally allowing me to see sense. For the longest time I planned on giving Midday Lycanroc to Sycamore in To Devour the Sun, as a play on the whole “papa wolf” theme. As a result I was going to give Alan a drampa here, particularly because I feel that a drampa would gravitate to this boy. However, I have that so backwards. Sycamore should get the drama, as the caretaker of children who can get fiercely protective over them (were it not for the laws of Kalosian land Sycamore may well have burned Isolé Village down for how they treated Alan), and a regal wolf suits Alan far more. Plus, this also works in the sense that Ash has dusk lycanroc, while two of his rivals have the other two forms (Gladion with Midnight, and Alan with Midday). It works out.

Anyway, Lycan still has a very protective personally when it comes to his pack, which is Alan and the rest of the team. So he still acts like a papa wolf, at least.

(Also, don’t tell Sycamore’s drampa about Isolé or it very well might still get burned down after all.)

Kommo is another that I imagine would try to challenge Alan to fights, ultimately see that he can’t win, and then want to come along to train and get stronger. So not a very original story, I guess, but Alan attracts these types because he has that type of warrior spirit.

Tox is kind of a random choice to most, I imagine, but of the remaining pokémon in Alola I figure that toxapex is a good fit. It’s a bit outside of Alan’s normal training style, perhaps, but I think he’d like that challenge.

Final Team:

Charizard — Lizardon (Fire/Flying; Fire/Dragon)

Absol — Sol (Dark)

Mimikyu — Kyu (Ghost/Fairy)

Salamence — Bohmander (Dragon/Flying)  

Tyranitar — Bangiras (Rock/Dark)

Aerodactyl — Ptera (Rock/Flying)

a.k.a. The team one would be likely to face if battling him when he’s the Champion.

I spent about three hours putting this all together, and this final team was probably the hardest one. I honestly have a notepad open that I’ve been using to do a base rundown of weaknesses and type coverage and, honestly, I feel like I should be going even deeper by selecting natures and movesets and all that, but … it’s 3am. I’m tired. So I’m not going to do that right now, even though Alan deserves it.

Anyway, my reasoning:

As an overview, I was torn between two different themes. Part of me wanted to give Alan’s final team the theme of mega evolution, in that every single pokémon on it would be capable of mega evolution. The other part of me felt that it was more important to give him pokémon that had more emotional value to him and his story, particularly since the only ‘mon on his team that would be mega evolving during battle would be Lizardon. In the end I did a bit of both; five out of six pokémon on the team above are capable of mega evolution, but I also did my best to choose at least most of them due to emotional weight with regards to him and his story.

So with that said:

Lizardon, as I’ve said a billion times by now, is self-explanatory. He’s Alan’s partner, his platonic soulmate—these two are never going to be separated. Their partnership is so iconic, so legendary, that anyone who even knows of Alan in a passing fashion (“oh yeah, he’s the Kalos Champion”) knows that Lizardon will show up if one challenges Alan to a battle. They’re like Ash and Pikachu. There’s no separation here. And of course, Lizardon is the one who mega evolves as well, meaning that it’s not even that easy to plan against him since his type could change to Fire/Dragon mid-battle. (So, you brought a water-type to deal with him? Too bad for you, he’s not weak to water anymore, suckaaa.)

Sol is included because of everything said above about Alan’s reclamation / healing with absol. Absol don’t cause disasters, and neither did Alan himself. He and Sol would grow really close throughout this process and I feel that Sol would be a very strong member of the team, even though she only has that one singular typing. Sol is also capable of mega evolution, though she would not mega evolve since, no matter how close they are, she and Alan don’t have that level of bond. That’s reserved for Lizardon.

Kyu is also a healing pokémon in Alan’s story, in the sense that when Alan first finds her, her actual Jolly nature has been pretty worn down and smothered by her isolation and other past traumas, the nature of which Alan is never able to learn (but figures it’s not his business anyway). But as they travel and train together, she’s able to heal and her true nature is able to come through. I think that, when looking at the rest of Alan’s team, a mimikyu seems rather unexpected—but that actually works in their favor, particularly given how wicked strong mimikyu can be (and how strong Alan’s in particular would be, given that he would absolutely utilize that Swords Dance + Play Rough / Shadow Claw combo). Kyu would be a smart choice to trip people up.

Bohmander, more often called Boh and inspired by Zinnia, is an important emotional choice for Alan because of that association. I don’t want to spoil too many of my ideas for this adaptation of the Delta Episode (though whether I’ll ever get it written and posted is another matter altogether), but Alan and Zinnia have a platonic, spiritual kinship of sorts that that they feel on a level they can’t entirely explain. They go through a lot together, and come out better because of it. Boh would, in a way, be a reminder of all that, on top of Alan caring for him as a pokémon. Plus, he’s a dragon and he can mega evolve (though he wouldn’t), so that also earns him a place on the team.

Bangiras doesn’t really have emotional significance, but despite being weak to practically everything, type-wise, tyranitar is still an extremely strong pokémon, and is capable of mega evolution (though again, he wouldn’t) to boot. I feel like Bangiras wouldn’t exactly be comfortable hanging out at the lab, and if Alan raised him up from a larvitar, releasing him into the wild would also be a pretty painful choice since it takes so long for larvitar to reach the tyranitar stage. So I feel like keeping Bangiras on the Champion team is worthwhile, even if Bonnie starts singing “Getta Ban Ban” every time she sees him.

Lastly, Ptera is a choice I’m still waffling about, but ultimately decided upon because, while Ptera is technically not a dragon, aerodactyl is dragon-like enough to the point where Lance had one back in Gens I and II. Additionally, aerodactyl is capable of mega evolution (though she wouldn’t), so thematically she also fits in that sense as well. I think in the real world competitive scene aerodactyl isn’t valued so much (unlike tyranitar), but the anime operates by different rules and aerodactyl are shown to be pretty fierce there, so I think that Ptera would still be a smart choice. (Plus, aerodactyl can learn Aqua Tail via move tutor … that would come in handy for any pesky ground-types.) 

All that said, I’m still waffling about Ptera because part of me feels like Meta would also be a very good choice. Meta tries very hard and wants to be strong to make Alan happy, so it makes me feel bad to leave them off the type, and Steel/Psychic adds a bit more variety to the above type set. However, the reason why I’m waffling is because even though Meta was inspired by Steven’s metagross, metagross just doesn’t feel like a very Alan pokémon in the same way that an aerodactyl does. Aerodactyl are dragon-esque, and metagross are … robot-esque, I guess? I think I read once they were inspired by UFOs? Metagross stands out in a way that doesn’t feel very true to him, and while it could be argued the same for mimikyu, I think the backstory that I created for Kyu (which honest to god did develop naturally as I was outlining To Devour the Sun) feels like it makes up for it, versus “Steven had a metagross and that seemed inspiring so I caught a beldum to raise up myself.” I love Meta, but ultimately this is why they didn’t make the cut. Though that said, this could easily be a situation where Alan’s sixth pokémon is up for debate, and you see either Ptera or Meta and you’re never sure which one it will be before the battle … that could be the case, too. (Although honestly, that could go for any of his pokémon, because in a universe where he honest to god did catch all these, he could call upon any of them at any time. I imagine the same is true for Ash when Ash is Champion, even if Ash has a more “regular” team that he has on him when traveling and such.)

Anyway, a few more notes:

I really debated adding Soot to the team, since Soot has a VERY strong emotional tie to Alan, second only to Lizardon. However, I think that Soot would prefer belly rubs over battles, so while he can battle, he prefers to spend his time at home being a house dog instead. Alan respects that, and thus doesn’t have him on the active roster. (There’s also the fact that Soot is the only pokémon that Lizardon … it’s nothing personal. Soot hasn’t done anything wrong. But on some level that Lizardon doesn’t like to talk about, he’s jealous of the fact that Soot knew Alan before he did and has a kind of special bond with him because of what happened in Isolé. Lizardon knows that what he has with Alan could never be replaced, but … that sort of unreasonable jealousy is still there. So honestly, Lizardon wouldn’t want Soot on the permanent roster, so it’s good that Soot doesn’t like battling much anyway.)

I did briefly consider Rexillus, particularly since that’s another dragon, but then I remembered that Rex is a lazybones that doesn’t like battling either, so it’d make more sense for Alan to use someone like Bangiras who does enjoy battling instead.

I really, really, really wanted Yoru on the team because, thematically, noctowl suits Alan so well—but ultimately there are stronger choices, so as much as I love Yoru, he’s not a regular battler. (Except for in canon when he was totally in the League instead of that ridiculous fanon unfezant, am I right?) 

Anyway, it’s about 3:30am now and I really need to get some sleep, so I’m going to leave this here for now. (I’ll also probably schedule it for a daytime reblog since I’m posting this at an ungodly hour.) Sorry I decided to be so extra about this instead of just answering the question more simply, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! Thanks for asking!

#decadeoldtiger #trainer alan #trainer alain #my valiant dragon son #meta #champion alan

[happylilraichu]

i want. you to answer all the pokemon asks. is that greedy xD i can just send a few if its too much!

Of course not!! I love getting asks and this gives me the perfect opportunity to babble more about my self-insert life in the pokemon world!!

@xzienne​ sent me a bunch too so I’m just gonna answer all of them at once here! Sorry it took so long - I was halfway done and then my computer restarted itself and I lost all the work I’d done oops ^_^”Here we go!!

fresh water: which pokémon would be your main partner (starter or not)?

The biggest, roundest Raichu the world has ever seen! He used to ride on my shoulder as a Pikachu but now he’s a bit big for that, so I give him piggybacks instead! 

rare candy: would you travel alone or with other trainers?

Ideally, a bit of both. I love the idea of having a bunch of human friends to journey with and support each other, but sometimes I just need my own space, so I’d be just as content going off with my pokemon and meeting up with people occasionally in different towns. Cause after all, you’re never alone when you have pokemon with you! 

soda pop: how would you spend your money?

I’d probably do what I do in the games and buy healing items in bulk, even those you don’t think you’ll need super often, cause it’s always better safe than sorry! Otherwise, probably a good chunk would go on food and on pampering my pokemon with fancy treats and ribbons and things ^_^

lumiose galette: what would you wear on your journey?

I want to be comfy, so it wouldn’t be the most elaborate, but I still think it’d look cool. High waisted jeans, a black tank top, either a green or yellow jacket covered in a heap of pins and patches. Good sturdy boots. Though a part of me wants to get myself a big pair of chunky heels so I can be Tall and Fancy ^_^ Maybe I’ll carry those as backup shoes! Big satchel to hold everything with a couple of charms hanging off it! A Z Ring and Keystone (I’d wear it as a necklace)

lemonade: what would your battling style/strategy be?

My main battling team are all electric types, and I run double battles with them! A surprising amount of electric pokemon can lean Rain Dance, so combine that with Electric Terrain, then you’ve got a speed boost for certain pokemon, nobody can fall asleep, electric moves get a boost and Thunder has 100% accuracy! On top of that, some of my pokemon have the Volt Absorb ability, so field sweeping moves like Discharge actually benefit them to be hit by! 

casteliacone: where in the pokémon world would you go for vacation?

I’d love to explore the Orange Islands!! Otherwise, I feel like Kalos would be a really lovely place to take a holiday! Also Fula City!! It looks so lively and bright!!

moomoo milk: how often would you visit home?

I’d probably try and go home every few months or so, depending on where I was travelling at the time, though I’d most likely only stay for a few days at a time before hitting the road again~

lava cookie: what would be your most-used key item?

Excluding Z Rings/Mega Stones here, and considering I can’t ride a bike to save my life, probably the Berry Blender and Pokeblock Case honestly! I love to spoil my pokemon and while Coordinating isn’t my primary focus, it’s definitely something I do and enjoy~ 

berry juice: what would you pack with you on your journey?

Pillow, blanket, first-aid kit, matches or a lighter,  big water bottle, one of those tiny picnic sets where you get a plate/bowl/cutlery, notebook and a handful of pens, phone and charger, needle and thread, polaroid camera, bag of toiletries and a few spare clothes (I’d wash them in rivers or at local coin laundromats), pokeblock case (I’d use the public berry blenders cause I imagine those things are heavy!!), headphones, a giant mixed pile of healing items and there’d always be handfuls of loose change, dried berries, trail mix and candy at the bottom of my bag!!… I feel like I’m forgetting stuff, but I should draw one of those “What’s in your bag?” things for this

old gateau: which city/region would you choose to live in?

Johto!!! Specifically, Olivine City!! I’ve always been in love with the place, and I think it would a wonderful spot to live! Alternatively, Lilycove City in Hoenn is also wonderful~

tea: when you’re not battling/coordinating, how would you spend your time?

I’m a breeder!! I breed Pichu and make sure I find good homes for all of them! Otherwise, I go traveling around the coastlines, swim with my Vaporeon and surf with some of my Pikachu who know how! We just take a week or two to camp out on/near a beach far from home and relax, collecting shells and taking photos of Wingull. It’s always a good, chill time ^_^

ragecandybar: who would be your rival? tag them!

As a league challenger, my rival is 100% @petticoat-swashbuckler​!! We’ve legitimately had IRL conversations about pokemon where we sounded like arguing anime characters! We have very different ideas about how to raise pokemon, which means we tend to butt heads a fair bit, but she’s a strong and confident trainer who I really respect, our differences aside, because I know she really does love her pokemon and I always enjoy our battles, even if our paths don’t cross too often out on the trail~

In the coordinating circuit, @musashi​ is my rival!! We’ve come head to head a few times now and while I’ve won a few ribbons, none of them have been from beating her. One day I will though! She inspires and encourages me to push myself as a coordinator and I always look forward to seeing her in the contest hall~

poké puffs: what would your favorite traveling snack be?

Trail mix is good!! Anything I can spend a long time chewing on is also a favourite, so stuff like jerky or dried fruit are definitely a go-to~

honey: how would you pamper your pokémon?

Lots of pokeblock! Poffins and pokepuffs too when I can get my hands on those. I’d take them to specialist groomers as often as I had the money, and we’d take trips to carnivals and fairs whenever we got the chance, were I’d buy them all the treats they wanted and take them on as many rides as would allow them on. Fancy little ribbons and costumes for those who like dressing up, lots of trips to the beach!! They’d all be so loved and spoiled! 

aprijuice: what would be your preferred method of travel?

As I said before, I can’t ride a bike to save my life, so a lot of the journey would be on foot, or flying on my Pidgeot if I had really big distances to cover and limited time to do it. 

sweet heart: would you be a league challenger or coordinator?

Both, though I’m a battler at heart~ I’d try and dedicate and equal amount of time to both, though if I ended up missing a contest season for one reason or another, it wouldn’t be the end of the world for me - there’s always next time and it means I can redirect my energy into working on battle strategies rather than appeals

poffin: would you sleep on the trail, in a hotel, or in the Pokémon Center lobby?

So long as I have something decent under my back, I can sleep anywhere, though I’d definitely prefer being indoors when I can. Hotels would probably be a luxury I’d save for traveling for contests, so Pokemon Center lobbies for sure! They always seem really cosy and inviting anyhow~

berry: what would your trainer class be?

Ideally, I’d become a gym leader!! Though other than that, probably Ace Trainer!!

shalour sable: which evil organization would you take down?I’m setting up a facebook event called “Team Magma Meet Me Behind The Pokemart Dumpster At 3:15am For An Ass Kicking” as we speak xD

#this took so long to get through but I had so much fun with it!!! #general reminder that I'm always happy to talk about my self-insert life in the pokemon world if people have questions!! #ok now what are the tags I normally use for this sort of thing #mystery gift #trainer card #to be the very best #I think those are the only ones

[mysidewriting]

Through the Storm

Through the Storm Page "Soundtrack" From the Start--Previous Chapter

Epilogue

After months of dark skies and hellish amounts of stress, we were all finally free to return to our normal lives... yet no one was in a rush to do so. All the champions and visitors stuck around at least until Cadence was properly thrown into jail. It hadn't felt right to say goodbye immediately after the crisis had calmed and everyone from outside of Hoenn was interested in seeing the region when it wasn't stuck in a state of torrential downpour. Steven's cabin became very lively, music and laughter audible in every hallway all throughout the day and well into the late hours of the night. Exactly how I imagined a gathering of the champions would be. It was pleasant and felt much needed after everything we'd all been through. A celebratory end to this atrocious trip.

As wonderful as going home would be, I was fearing walking back into Aether. It felt like I'd been gone for ages and I was certain paperwork would be piled in mountains on my desk. How many projects had ended and started without me? What had Faba attempted to change while I was away? I wasn't necessarily looking forward to finding out the answers to these questions.

On the bright side, Moon was coming home as well. After everything she'd been through and everything she was trying to cope with now Kukui and the other professors had forbidden her from visiting the last few regions. They'd phrased it as though it were bad news but she hadn't been upset about it at all, if anything she was glad she didn't even have the option to continue. On top of that, I'd managed to convince Kukui that she deserved at least two weeks off to rest and recuperate. Though she denied needing the time, both the professor and I had already agreed that she would receive it. No amount of work could deter my excitement to go home after finding out she would be back as well. Thoughts of the future together had left me so euphoric that I'd spent that entire evening with a grin on my face and even in her sullen state she couldn't help but laugh at me.

I'd suggested that Lillie consider moving back to Alola soon, as well. After spending that time with Lusamine I was thoroughly convinced she was ready to return home again. Lillie was shocked by the statement, claiming that hearing me say that was far more convincing than any doctor's words. She'd ran off to Hau with the news and I took that to mean she was going to start looking into the process very soon. So my family would be back home too... Things were verging on feeling too good to be true.

The only things that kept me from feeling paranoid about the far too perfect situation were Moon's moods. She was stepping through the stages of grief, albeit fairly quickly, as she mourned the sudden passing of her father. Her shock and denial had faded fairly quickly and I hung close to her side for every second of it, assuring that nothing was her fault or able to be stopped... no matter how often she claimed she could have done something different. Anger was much harder to deal with and although I knew she was trying her best to avoid it and didn't mean any bit of it, she took it out on me quite a few times. I'd been 'politely' asked to leave and shoved when I didn't do so immediately, called out for saying we could have saved him, and flat out ignored... Just a few hours after that she'd called me back into the room in tears, sobbing on my shoulder about her 'being a bitch' and 'ruining everything before it even started'. All I could do then was hold her and promise her everything was, and would be, fine. As challenging as it was to work through something so heavy and emotionally draining so early in our relationship - something she brought up frequently - I didn't mind it. I was ready, willing, and able to help her through every second and I liked to think I was... The end goal of seeing her genuinely happy and smiling again was more than enough of a motivator and reward anyway.

That was about where we were the day before we would be flying back to Alola. I was out on the back porch with Lillie, enjoying the feeling of the sun on my skin for the first time in a while. Red and Green were mock battling on the lawn while Gold commentated it, entirely focused on finding any excuse to make Green sound like an idiot. He'd actually gotten me to laugh a few times and that fueled the fire of insults. Green's face went completely red with anger and snapped at Gold to shut up. Gold was pretty okay. I couldn't find a trace of jealousy or annoyance towards either him or Green now that my selfish side couldn't categorize them as threats. Green was still a bit too stuck up and childish, though... Annoying rather than worthy of my jealous concerns.

A loud burst of laughter brought my attention to the tree line, Hau appearing from the woods with his raichu and that arcanine... The one that attacked us on Mount Pyre. It had lost all of its hostile tendencies after destroying the machine and now resembled a huge, lumbering, and confused puppy. Hau had been taking care of it for the past few days, socializing it with the rest of his team in an attempt to cheer it up. Considering the stupid smile on the creature's face, it seemed to be working. Moon wanted to bring it to her mom when we got back. She didn't have the heart to take care of it herself and didn't really have the means to take care of a Pokémon as a pet. Her mom's house could use a guard dog, she was accustomed to having a pet anyway.

The battle halted, Red's attention shifting to watch Hau's raichu in amazed bafflement. I bit back a laugh as I watched the silent champion attempt to question why Hau's raichu looked like that. Did he know about Alolan variations? My guess was that he did not, considering the look on his normally stoic face.

Lillie stepped up and leaned against the railing next to me, resting her head on my arm as she watched the two of them. Red had released his pikachu and the two Pokémon were investigating each other curiously. Their tails twitched happily as they chattered together. She sighed heavily, "It's going to be so sad to say goodbye to everyone."

I'd been half avoiding the sentiment of goodbyes... It was nice having Lillie around again. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed her while she was away; too focused on that discrepancy over mom to notice how empty Aether felt without them. "You'll see us again soon enough." I said with a smirk.

"Even just a little bit of time apart is hard, especially after spending so much together..." She mumbled. "And what about Gold, and Krys, and Brendan, and May, and everyone else? You, Moon, and Hau won't see Red and Green much either."

I shrugged, "Alola is a huge tourist area, maybe they'll visit." I didn't care as much about the others, but...

Lillie stood upright, "Moon should really see everyone before we part ways... she'll be so sad if she doesn't get to say goodbye." Exactly what I was thinking.

I shoved off the railing, heading back into the house. Lillie giggled and called after me, "Don't force her into it, Bub."

"You know I won't." I replied before sliding the screen door closed again.

Slipping into Moon's room I was surprised to see all the lights on and the curtain to the tiny window drawn open - beams of sunlight shining through the already luminous room. It'd been dark in here for the past two days, the atmosphere matching her dour moods.

She sat at the desk, combing through damp hair. Her sweatpants and t-shirt had been switched out for that floral shirt she'd worn so frequently during her trial days and a pair of jeans. The light from the window backlit her figure, bathing her in this warm glow that made her appear ethereal. Like solgaleo was reaching out to heal her itself. I attempted to pacify my expectant expression as she turned to me, a tiny smile gracing her lips... That was more than enough, that smile blew away a good twenty pounds from my shoulders and brought a stupidly excited grin onto my own face. It was the first genuine smile I'd seen in a while, the first one that had actually reached her eyes in what felt like ages.

"Hey." She said, her ocean blue irises finally looked calm and bright again... all that gray storminess dissipating even more as I approached.

I stepped behind her, leaning down and wrapping my arms around her shoulders. Partially feeling like I had to prove she was real in this moment, and partially because I couldn't resist. She smelt like lavender and chamomile, so aromatic that I couldn't help but press a kiss to her neck just to taste it. She shuddered and giggled, the sound making my chest feel light and warm. "Hey there, my dear." I whispered, letting my lips tickle her soft skin as I spoke. Somehow grinning wider as she jumped away with another shiver and met my gaze with a playful look, cheeks flushed. "How are you feeling?"

She took a breath in and held it, a complexity passing through her features as she looked back at the hand mirror she'd placed on the desk. "I don't know..." That breath escaped her in an audible 'whoosh'. "I guess I'm better, but not... okay, yet."

"Any progress is good progress." I said, standing upright. "And you are making amazing progress."

She tucked her chin, smiling again. "Thanks... I guess I've come to the conclusion that everything was inevitable anyway. I mean with mew and all... it just seems like fate decided this a while ago." Mew...? Her mind was off in her own thoughts, those words just spilling out of her mouth without any discretion. I couldn't follow this train of thought at all, she'd ran me through that day a few times already and this was the first time I'd heard the word 'mew'.

I shook myself from the reverie, letting her focus on her thoughts without bothering to question her. Whatever it was that persuaded her to accept the loss was fine, as long as nothing harmful came from it. When she came too and looked up to me expectantly I nodded. "I apologize ahead of time if this sounds cheesy. But... the dead are never truly gone so long as we hold onto their memories." I assumed most people had heard this phrase at some point, but Moon's face dropped. Clearly she hadn't heard or thought of it.

Tears started building up in her eyes and I jumped, swearing under my breath before sputtering out apologies. I was so certain I'd set her back, all that tip toeing around words and actions and I'd gone and screwed up right when she was feeling better... But she stood up and hugged me, burying her damp face in my shirt. "Didn't I tell you to stop apologizing, dork?" She said in a tearful and shaking, yet somehow buoyant tone. My stream of apologies cut short. "You don't need to say sorry. That was exactly what I needed to hear."

My automated response was to apologize again, but I caught myself. Simply saying 'okay' instead, placing a hand on the back of her head gently.

She leaned back, one arm still wrapped around my neck as the other wiped away the tear streams down her cheeks. She was smiling again, a full blown smile through those tears that resulted in a powerful fluttering in my chest. She laughed, "Gladion, I don't know what I'd do without you."

I blanked at that, just stared at her face.

"I just... thank you." She said, her mouth pressing out in a serious line. "For everything, I really don't know where I'd be right now if you weren't around. I feel like I owe you the whole world after the last few months and I really want to make it up to you somehow."

I laughed, shaking my head before catching her lips in mine quickly. I hovered there with my face close to hers, "You don't owe me anything, Moon." How could anyone's eyes be so beautiful, that blue just didn't seem real - especially up close like this.

"But you've done so much for me! I need to do something..." She nearly shouted, shocked.

I shook my head again, the tips of our noses brushing with the movement. "No, there's no list of checks and balances. There's no competition in this. Besides..." I cupped her cheeks in my hands, already cringing at the cheesiness of my next words... but cheesiness was what worked. "You're all I need."

Her expression softened, cheeks turning bright red. She took a fistful of my shirt and yanked me forward - crashing her lips against mine fervently. The kiss so intense and passionate I could barely think straight, could only focus on the taste of her. Every previous encounter like this had been sweet, laced with assurance, and tender... but this... there was a fiery hunger present in her intent and it sent a shiver down my spine. Totally unexpected, totally new. My mind slipped away even more, struggling to hold onto my impulse control. She moved as close as she could without breaking contact, I held her tightly around the waist and even that didn't feel close enough - I wanted more. I wanted to claim every inch of her as my own and I wanted her to do the same for me. Our mouths parted and she nipped and tugged at my lip playfully, I fought back the reckless moan that wanted to escape me the best I could... wondering if she was aware of what she was doing to me, how weak she made me. This is way too much right now. I pressed one last ardent kiss into her lips before breaking away and taking a step back, trying to clear some of that overpowering energy growing between us.

I took a few deep breaths to get my mind back under control, seeing she was recollecting as well. Both of us struggling to control our breathing and totally flushed. She caught my gaze and sputtered a laugh, eyes absolutely luminous. I grinned, chuckling a bit myself - thankful she had found humor in this awkward moment.

"You sure you're not okay now?" I asked with a drop of laughter still lingering in my voice. She seemed fine, as jubilant as she was every time I'd visited her at the league in the past. Giggling and smiling at everything. And that kiss... that was unlike anything I could have imagined from someone still feeling depressed.

She laughed again, "I'm a lot closer to okay now, you're 'cheesy' words of wisdom definitely helped a lot." Her gaze shunted off to the side. "I know I'm still going to feel like total trash later on, but maybe thinking about the good memories I've been ignoring for so long will help."

"I think it will." I replied.

She looked back to me, her previously beaming grin compressed back down into a smaller, sweeter smile. "Having you around helps a lot too, of course."

The warmth in her expression made my chest ache and I pulled her into a hug. "You're always welcome to see me, no matter what." Even if I was drowning in work I would never turn her away, knew I wouldn't have the heart too... Not that I ever really had. She nuzzled into me, mumbling something along the lines of a muffled 'good' before settling against me like that. I held her for a while, enjoying that sweet smell from her hair. The thought of work and being home again reminded me of my original intent for heading to her room. "You should come see everyone one last time. It may be a while before you see all your new friends again."

She took a step back, nodding. "Yeah, I was psyching myself up to see everyone before you came. I think I'm ready now." Her fingers laced through mine and she squeezed my hand. I shouldn't have been excited by that simple touch still, considering how often we'd kissed, cuddled, hugged, and held hands... but every single touch from her was enrapturing.

"Let's go."

Note: Well, that's everything! Thank you everyone for reading, I hope it was enjoyable and I hope the ending was satisfactory! If you're interested in finding out what happens a few years after all this mess is done, keep a look out for 'After the Storm'! That will eventually be a thing as well! Thanks again c:

#gladion x moon #gladion #gladion fanfic #lonashipping #mahinashipping #pokemon #adventure #romance #Hau x Lillie #through the storm #through the storm epilogue

[knightofbalance-13]

I’ve decided to switch focus for a moment from RWDE to this, a sort of hyperbolic series of videos criticizing Video Games. I will might also cover his Twilight Princess/Skyward Sword too but I wanna hit this because I am very well versed in Pokemon and I have been a fan of the series since I picked up an old Red Version back in the early 2000′s so yeah, I have been a long term fan having played the games from Red to X and the only reason I don’t play Sun or Moon is because I haven’t gotten the games. I have done quite a bit of research on them though so I feel confident that I can debate this. So let’s begin:

0:25

Actually yes, they have. A lot. Like the Steel Type which WASN’T a part of Generation 1, Berries, alternate Pokeballs with differing catch rates based on conditions, Natures, Physical/Special Split, Double Battles, Held items, Evs and Ivs, Abilities, Breeding, EV training, Poke-amie, Mega Evolution which completely changed the game, Roaming Legendaries, the Fairy Type and re typing of previous Pokemon, the Alolan forms, Poekpolaga, Z-Moves and many others because I don’t do competitive battles. And this is all coming without delving into how THESE aspects are changed and built upon, such as the Triple battle, Rotation battle and Inverse Battle being built off of the Double Battles along with the various new Pokeballs, The change with the Physical Special Spilit, the sheer variety of the held items and the Abilities that are rare like Hidden Abilities or Mega Abilities. And then we have spin off games, such as the Mystery Dungeon Series, the Ranger series, the Rumble series, Pokemon COnquest, Pokemon Snap, Poke Collseum, Pokemon XD, Pokken and such. This is simply not true.

1:50

This Mario analogy really bites him in the ass because if Pokemon is nothing but these turn based battles, then Mario would be, by his logic, nothing but jumping around. And once again, this only applies to the Pokemon main series, not the spin offs which have dungeon crawling, adventure games, beat em ups, stradegy games, photo shooting and fighting games. So this compliant still doesn’t hold up and with  the Mario analogy kind of gives an air of willful ignorance.

2:08

“Copy and Paste”? Really? So the fact that there are new characters, new locations, new cities, new types of battles, new items and so are completely disregarded? If so, then no wonder you have a problem: you aren’t taking things into account. And then there’s the fact that not every Pokemon fan watches trailers so that flaw doesn’t apply to them and is thus not a universal criticism.

3:22

*Groans and growls* A. That doesn’t even make sense considering wild Pokemon cannot stall the game like that, they would have no concept of such a thing being WILD Pokemon, another Pokemon means more experience points without having to look for more Pokemon, grinding is inherently slow so “quickly” doesn’t even make sense, you are pretty much guaranteed to be stronger than any none Legendary Wild pokemon in the game so a second pokemon would pose no threat and this could have just been avoided if you mentioned how in generation 5 when you are faced by two wild pokemon you could send out two. I know this is a joke but the joke is so poorly written and so badly enacted that there’s no humor for me to suspend my disbelief for him.

3:43

Gee, i dunno. Because that’s over 800 POKEMON that you would need to program into the game which is located on a hand held console meaning it has less space and less processing power than a console. Also, Pokemon following you around is your suggestion? Dude, that is the definition of a novelty: as cheap throwaway gimmick that in fact would be just like that “new coat of paint” you were complaining about. All the stuff I mentioned but you refuse to acknowledge actually impacts the gameplay.

4:22

...Would you believe it if I said that this exact analogy is why I decided to do all of this? Yeah, this is a TERRIBLE analogy. First off, you’d HAVE to order the Cheesecake, just like how you’d BUY a pokemon game. If you complain about getting the same basic formula as before, it’s no one’s fault but your own.

Secondly, stuff like Abilities, Fairy Types and Mega Evolution would change the game entirely so it would be exactly the same as before. But you know what IS essentially chocolate shaving? Having your Pokemon follow you around. The one specific compliant so far and it spits in the face of everything else.

Third: The part about not putting chocolate shaving on strawberry would be disgusting if it actually happened, just like how adding in Pokemon following you everywhere would clash with the gimmicks of some of the gyms.

Fourth: The part about being more expensive is just blatantly false: Teh starting price of Pokémon games, at least since Diamond and Pearl, has always been 50 dollars. Are older games cheaper now? Yes but that’s how prices go: The newest games are more expensive because they expanded more than the older games.

Fifth: You can stop ordering cheesecake at many time and look for another dessert, just like you can stop playing the main series of games and look at the spin-offs or just different games. Nobody is forcing you but yourself.

4:32

Hehehehe...

Remember this.

4:37

But if you change the battles, that would be a complete OVERHAUL of the game, that thing you said Pokemon didn’t need to do 5 SECONDS ago!

4:43 And Abilities, and new types, and Mega Evolution, and held items, and Double+ battles...

Also, no unique Z-Moves? Well, sorry Catasrropika, 10 000 000 Volt Thunderbolt, Stoked Sparksurfer, Extremem Evoboost, Pulververizing Pancake, Genesis Supernova Sinister Arrow Raid, Mailcious Moonsault, Oceanic Operetta, Guardian of Alola, Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike and Clangorous Soulblaze: None of you are unique enough!

4:52 Then don’t USE the Z-Moves: You have a choice to not use them. Even so, you cannot speak for everyone and if this is YOUR issue, that’s YOUR problem, not Gamefreak’s/

5:13 A. The opinionh about Totem Pokemon is personal opinion and without any proof is irrelevant.

And B. What about Kiawe’s trial which is about spotting the difference in the dancing, or Mallow’s trial where you have to find four ingredients or Sophocies’s trial where you have to answer several questions? A bit more expansive than most Pokemon Gyms.

5:30 Because if they did do that: Then the Gym Leaders (oir Captains here) would just feel like a generic trainer. It works for the rivals because you see their teams grow but with Gym Leaders? One battle and that’s it. The types give them more personality and more vibrancy.

5:39

Why are the rivals dumb? What makes them dumb? ... No answer? Well then, they aren’t the dumb ones here.

And if we talk about rivals as a whole: What about Gladion? He’s a call back to older rivals, specifically Silver with his personalty and parental troubles.

6:33

A. YOU DID NOT FINISH THE GAME. This explains why you have made so many mistakes here: You are talking out of your ass and pretending you know this stuff without seeing it for yourself or, lie me, doing any research on them. If you don’t even confirm what you are saying is true, why should anyone believe you?

And B. Exp. Share is OPTIONAL: You have no one to blame for that but yourself if you let your team get that overleveled.

.7:12

A. Pikachu’s voice is literally it saying “pik-a-chu” That’s it. Nothing else. You are directly lying here.

B. That skit is as unfunny as one form modren Family Guy

And C. Pikachu’s only appear in SOS battles and only in two places so they DON’T appear that often. And even if Hau has a Pikachu, he uses it three times and evolves it into a Raichu.

7:40 Then that would break the game, making attacks with low PP completely worthless and making super hard to defeat Pokemon like Shuckle a terror. You say, don’t do a big overhaul but this WOULD be a big overhaul.

8:04 THAT is the very definition of a complete overhaul. You just contradicted yourself AGAIN.

8:15 You mean like a dungeon crawler, or a beat em up or an adventure game or a fighting game? Like the ones that already exist? Yeah, kind of makes it look like you don’t do a lick of research.

8:27 Okay then, what’s your excuse for fans like me, ones who ARE older but still enjoy the new games? Nothing?

8:35 ... He says they should do a spin off game...and references a spin off game...

.. Do I even need to be here?

8:57

A. Teh E-Shop games cost about six bucks a piece: Not really a cash grab.

And B. That part ignores the legal side of things where, by using already existing Pokemon, the creators have every right to protect their intellectual property if they so choose. Not to mention this sin’t even exclusive to Pokemon, which around the time Uranium got hit a Metroid fangame was hit as well so this is clearly Nintendo’s doing.

9:39

...

You know...Nothing...and I mean nothing...pisses me off more than some whiny, entitled, arrogant, pissant pseudo-fan claiming that a creator is being lazy or some shit because all that says is that you understanding NOTHING about what they d Especially since this so called “artistic intergrity” was gone when you started not doing research, contradicting yourself and outright LYING just to push your narrative while insulting the real fans for paying attention to the changes that the creators have done over the years and teh chances tehy’ve taken.

And the most ironic thing is, you putting LESS effort into your videos would actually HELP. Because you already don’t do research or fact check anything you say, you already take footage from other places and the one thing you put effort into were the WORST parts of the video. Remove the original animations and you’d actually have a better product. Funny how stuff rebounds on you.

#pokemon #with a side of salt #terrible criticism

[inikavulpixelreviews]

Let’s Talk About Pokemon - Gen 1

So with the first 151 Pokemon under our belt, let's look back on this ol' bunch of weirdos.

I was pretty young when Pokemon was first released in 1998 in the states, a whopping six years old. And even then, I think I was slightly late to the Pokemon craze. Maybe? Apparently, the anime had been airing the US for some time before the games actually came out, which throws off my mental calendar a bit. The very idea of Pokemon was unheard of, and this little sub-genre of Monster Collector RPGs had only just started. I know Digimon's still kicking, but is Monster Rancher still around these days? I know today we have the likes of Ni No Kuni and Yokai Watch. Ni No Kuni's a little closer to a traditional RPG for my liking, and Yokai Watch just isn't my style, but I appreciate that Monster Collector games aren't exclusive to Pokemon.

Like I said, traditional RPG games really aren't my cup of tea. It ends up feeling slow and I would much rather be swinging a sword myself than be telling a character to swing it for me. Pokemon comes to a beautiful middle-ground where it makes sense that you wouldn't be performing the actions yourself, you're the one giving commands to your pretend mice and dogs! It's that distinction alone that attracted me to the idea of Pokemon. It's an adorable game where you collect your little freaks of nature and grow attached to them as they wreck face across your journey, growing stronger and stronger until you got a super-dog biting the faces off of anything that stands in your way. That right there is the core spirit of Pokemon.

But that's more like my feelings about the series as a whole and what attracted me to it. What about Generation 1 itself?

It's a shame Pokemon's golden years are over. It's so weird to think about. For me, Pokemon's always been massively important, constantly there. To look back at it in retrospective, it's mindblowing to think Pokemon became a world-changing phenomenon for a while, to a point where Pikachu was probably a bigger face for Nintendo than Mario was for a bit there. Hell, there was a second wave of that when Pokemon Go came out!

I can see why Gen 1 has that kind of appeal to it. The First Generation of Pokemon has a flavor to it that's hardly touched upon in the series anymore. I can get why some old fans that dropped out of Pokemon feel the way they do. Me, I both love and am a little tired of Gen 1. Moreso love, I’m just the kind of person that likes to see new stuff. There’s just no denying Gen 1′s style was classic, and with Pokemon shifting the style every generation, it’s a bit no wonder why more “casual” fans of Pokemon were put off at one point or another and left. I'd rather each Generation has its own flavor than feeling like one gigantic entity of creatures.

And, in all honesty, Gen 1 hasn't aged amazingly for me. It aged better now that I've dug through them all to pick out ones I like, but also I sure did find a pretty handful that I actually kind of dislike. While yeah, I’ve always known there’s Pokemon I’m not too much a fan of, I never quite realized how many are from Gen 1. That’s why I’ll end up saying Gen 1 is one of my least favorite Generations if you ask me. Least favorite, not that I dislike the generation as a whole.

I don’t think it’s necessarily Gen 1′s fault either, a lot of it is just how my taste in my pocket monsters changed a lot since I was younger. I appreciate that they're there, but I've wound up gravitating more towards newer Pokemon that have wilder color schemes, and with designs that look a little more exotic. Gen 1′s very much a product of its time, and I’ve been of the opinion that Pokemon’s generally (barring a few hiccups along the way) has only gotten better with Pokemon designs. Sadly, the sacrifice has been that newer designs are little less weird until recently.

No matter what I think, Gen 1′s clearly done a lot right. It’s spring-boarded the series into success for a reason, even if it’s not likely Pokemon will slam into the level of success Gen 1 had. At least, not unless they make some major revitalizing game like Pokemon Go.

For now though, I'm gonna follow suit with Bogleech and create a few categories to sort some Pokemon into.

Top 10 Favorites of Gen 1:

For future Generations, there's going to be a “Favorites as of this far”, but obviously with just Gen 1 done so far, that'd be redundant. Also, clearly these are from left to right in order.

My tops change quite a bit throughout the years. For a while, I could comfortably say Flareon was my favorite, but then I had a little rediscovery with Vulpix and Ninetales. Vaporeon and Victreebel are also newcomers to my list from recently.  And man, Venusaur’s probably gonna remain on this list for good. That nostalgia factor is too strong.

Bottom 10 Least Favorites of Gen 1:

My least favorites hardly change at all, really. I've pretty solidly not been very keen on any of these Pokemon for the better part of all these years. And really, Dragonite and Persian are only lower than Machamp because not only are they kind of boring, but they’re evolutions to things infinitely cooler than they are. The squandered potential!

I dunno if I'll give this category the treatment of the above one, where I'll keep track of my least favorites the longer this series goes on. Maybe, if nothing else to find out a list of my least favorites. Because I'm actually not that sure which Pokemon to call my least favorites.

Though, I got nothing against Dewgong or Tauros. They're just eh.

The Cutest:

These will be 6 instead of 10. And also in no particular order.

Perhaps what you'd expect where you ask someone to name off the cutest Pokemon. I'll stick Kangaskhan there for being a Pokemon with an adorable mother-child thing going on. Other than Kangaskhan, probably my official “would keep as a pet” tier.

The Coolest/Most Badass:

While having a little more variance in terms of which are my favorites or not, here's a pack of Pokemon that are unmistakably cool.

The Prettiest:

“Pretty” feels like a rare subtype of Pokemon compared to Cool or Cute, but I'll take a jab at it anyway. These are Pokemon that have pleasantly flowing designs and are just plain nice to admire. Maybe “Eyecandy” Pokemon would be a better name for them.

Most Creative:

Because my tastes are pretty conventional, the Pokemon that are more atypical deserve a shout-out too. I find them all neat or interesting, with varying degrees of how much I like them.

Weirdest/Most Unique:

And of course, here's some designs that are just plain out there, and very much unlike any other Pokemon. Gen 1's got a lot of these, but here's a handful.

Most Forgettable:

And of course, here are some designs that just strike me as generally unremarkable, and thus I just end up forgetting about them entirely. I may be “meh” about quite a few Gen 1 Pokemon, but these are just so thoroughly “meh” the only thing bringing em to mind at all lately is Pokemon Go. (And Sun and Moon, in the case of Persian and Tauros.)

Most Under-Appreciated:

There's a few Pokemon that either go totally unnoticed or are outright hated on unfairly. The latter are hardly ever in Gen 1, but there's quite a number of Gen 1 Pokemon that are under the radar by this point in the series. This one's a bit hard because I found it difficult to find Pokemon that I both liked a lot and that other fans don't like. Like, Raichu's not neglected by the fanbase exactly, it's got its fair share of fans. It's just there because of Gamefreak, really.

Summing Up Gen 1 in 6 Pokemon:

These are 6 cherry-picked Pokemon that I feel best encapsulate the spirit of Gen 1. You got your saurian badasses in Scyther and Rhydon, the cutie, pure animal-types in Raichu and Eevee. Pikachu aside, Charizard's basically the mascot of Gen 1, whether I like it or not. And then you got goofy little weirdos like Poliwhirl there. Possibly switch out Scyther or Rhydon for either Magneton or Koffing, because this generation also feels more industrial than the usual.

And finally...

My Gen 1 Team:

Though, bear with me. This was 18 friggin years ago and I was 6 or 7 years old at the time. I remember watching the anime and playing the spinoffs vividly, but for some reason playing the main-series game of Blue, in particular, is such a blur I honest to god can't remember my entire team. Hell, I'm not even sure if I had a full team of 6! For all I know I just cruised on through off of Venusaur, Raichu, Pidgeot, and Lapras alone. And then when I got to the Indigo League, I caught all the Legendary Birds and wrecked house using them. All of them probably had Hyper Beam too.

I'd also put my Leaf Green team here, but honestly I don't remember it either. And I'm fairly certain I never completed Leaf Green.

And at last, that’s all we have to say about Gen 1. I’ll take a brief break (About a week or so) before we move on to our next subject, Gen 2! See you in Johto!

[Archive]

#Pokemon #Gen 1 #Kanto #Pokemon Reviews

[returnerofthewrites]

Writing Exercise: Date

The soft twang of an ukulele rang out through the cafe, mixing with the sounds of clinking utensils and idle chatter; air whirred out from above, sending delicious scents wafting across the room and out the door. Glancing out the window, I peered out at the rest of the mall, idly tapping my footpaws to the beat of the music as I watched Pokemon after Pokemon wander by, cheerfully making their way wherever. My ear flicked when a soft hum drifted past, and I turned to look across the table at my partner, my muzzle curling into a cheeky grin when I saw the end of a fork sticking right out of her mouth.

“Enjoying your Valentines breakfast so far, Rose?” I quipped, curling my fingers around my mug of Tapu Cocoa, blowing on it a couple times before taking a sip, tensing up for a split-second when the scalding-hot liquid singed my lips. The cream-furred fox smiled warmly at me in response, her nine fluffy tails waving against the chair, and she gulped down her bite of pancakes before letting out a sigh, looking as relaxed as could be. “I guess I'll take that as a yes.”

“Mmhm,” Rose finally replied, setting her fork back in her bowl, and she gingerly wiped her lips on her hoodie's sleeve, blowing at a few strands of her headfur that drooped in front of her face afterward. “I'm glad we finally decided to come try this place. It's too bad we were too late to try any specials, but at least we found something to split, hehe.”

“Getting here early probably helped,” I shrugged, picking up my own fork and spearing a couple of Bluk berries, rolling them around in the copious amount of syrup before chomping down. My mouth instantly began to water at the sheer sweetness, and I grunted, then swallowed, before speaking back up again. “Mmrf- sorry. But yeah, Cyan's told me about how fast this place can get. Definitely a nice day to come though, huh?”

“Yeah...” Rose trailed off, looking outside, and I followed her gaze, the two of us contentedly watching the various passerby. The Ninetales leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands and gently bouncing in her seat, her ponytail shaking from side to side all the while. Sunlight filtered down from high above the roofs of the various shops and stalls, glinting against the paved stone floor, and I took a deep breath in... and out... folding my arms against my blunted chestspike and stretching out. “I hope he and Erin are having a good day too, though. I wonder why they didn't want to come with us?”

“I don't know, it'd probably be less romantic to have them commenting on how sappy it is for us to be sharing a plate of pancakes like this.” I grinned again, and Rose rolled her eyes, playfully sticking her tongue out at me. A chuckle escaped my throat, and I shook my head, my aura tassels sliding against my shirt and shoulders. “Besides, Erin's got something fun in mind for the two of them anyway, unless she changed her plans at the last minute.”

“Oh?” My partner cocked her head, ruby red eyes shining curiously. “How do you know that?”

I blinked, then reached my hands behind my head, casually crossing my legs and acting nonchalant. Turning my gaze outside, I slowly answered her question. “Erin swung by the apartment the other day, asking for help figuring out a gift for Cyan. I think you were working that day, so she was gone when you got back.”

“Aww...!” The cream-furred fox beamed at that, cutting herself another slice of breakfast as she spoke up. “What did you end up telling her to get?”

The corners of my mouth twitched higher upward. “Boxers.”

Rose paused – her forkful of pancakes mere inches away from being devoured – and then leaned forward, her eyes going wide and her tails waving up and down as she shot me a knowing look. “Bill!”

“Hey hey, c'mon!” I couldn't help but chuckle as the Ninetales stared incredulously at me, and I raised my hands up, the folds of my shirt flapping slightly as I glanced around the cafe; thankfully, nobody seemed to be looking at us. Admittedly, Rose's outburst was probably too quite to draw much notice anyway. Hah! “She asked me to think of something that could help her drop a hint. Cyan's so shy about the subject that I figured it'd be easiest if she just got right to the point, hahahah.”

“Boxers are just going to get him all embarrassed, though...” She replied, giggling under her breath herself before finally chowing down, and we both shared the last few bites of our meal before continuing the conversation, forks clinking and jaws chewing. I smiled and affectionately poked at Rose's footpaws with my own, taking a few sips of my hot chocolate and exhaling pleasantly as we finished the pancakes off.

“I thought of that,” I said, tapping my pawspikes together a couple times, glancing through the window again when a few wild Pikipek swooped down onto a table outside, quickly nipping it clean of crumbs before getting swatted away by a nearby waiter. “So I told her to try getting some plain old weights, or maybe restock the spices or something, too. He'd probably appreciate either one, right?”

“Mmm, that's true. Still, as long as they have a good time, I'll be happy.” The fire type Pokemon nodded thoughtfully, leaning back and patting her belly, running her fingers over the fabric of her hoodie. I was about to reach for the empty pancake plate, ready to lap up the rest of the syrup, only for another passing server to snatch it up, giving us both a hasty, beleaguered smile before leaving a check in its place. The Ninetales sighed happily as I grabbed it, drawing my wallet out of my jeans' pocket as I tallied up the bill. “Though now... I wonder what else you have planned for today, hehe! Oh, and leave a good tip, will you?”

“Heh, way ahead of you.” I pulled out an extra couple of bills, slipping them inside of the check and setting it aside. Pushing my chair out, I stood up, reaching out and helping my partner out of her own chair, and we looked around the little cafe, drinking in the cozy atmosphere for a moment longer. Then we strolled out into the open air, a fresh breeze and warm sunlight washing over us. “Want to look around a bit?”

“Mmhm,” Rose nodded, curling an arm around mine and lightly resting her head against my shoulder for a moment. “I'd like that.”

The two of us stepped out into the modest crowd, padding against the paved stone floor as we weaved our way between this fellow and that, glancing around at the numerous stores and little stalls dotted all around the center of the mall. Parents wandered around, their tails swishing or ears flicking as they held their childrens' hands tightly, and plenty of other Pokemon ambled in all directions, carrying bags, holding bottles or simply chatting with each other. An Alolan Raichu floated along, riding atop her tail with a couple bags looped over her shoulder, and an Alakazam jogged after him, waving his spoons to try and get her attention.

Soon enough, Rose and I had crossed through the heart of the mall and ridden an escalator down to the end of the complex, walking past a couple of fancier restaurants. Just a moment later, my partner broke away from me, padding past a burbling fountain and jogging up to a railing, gazing out into the distance with a smile on her face. My heart skipped a beat as she hopped onto her tiptoes, leaning over to look out at the marina, sailboats and motorboats and plenty of other boats jostling and bumping against each other from the tide, and I walked up to the Ninetales, wrapping an arm around her back.

“We could go and look around there, if you wanted,” I remarked, lightly giving her a bump with my hip before looking out at the boats as well. The wind picked up strength, whistling and blustering in my ears, and I curled my other arm around my midriff, keeping the folds of my shirt from flapping in the breeze. Rose didn't respond, and I turned towards her, drumming my fingers against her hoodie. She kept staring out towards the high masts and the sparkling sea, her eyes lost on the far horizon. “What's on your mind?”

“Just thinking,” Rose muttered, her voice soft, and she curled up with me, holding me close in a loving hug. Her inner fire flared up, sending her body heat washing over me like a warm bath, and a couple of her tails curled around my own. “I know we came to visit a couple times before we moved, but... it's crazy just how huge Melemele is, isn't it? There's so many parts of the island that we haven't been to yet, but now I'm looking out at the sea and it feels... really small. Does that make sense?”

“I get what you mean.” I nodded my way into the Ninetales' headfur, nuzzling and tousling it with my nose. The fire type Pokemon gave one of my aura tassels a tug in return, and she chuckled, lightly swaying back and forth. “It is still an island, after all. I bet we could probably drive around the whole thing in a day if we tried.”

“Hehehe...” Rose glanced towards the ocean again, and I followed, my gaze trailing away from the marina and onto the beach park sitting right next door. “I guess once the paperwork goes through and you get a call back, you might be making round-trips like that all the time, huh?”

“Maybe maybe,” I winked, letting go of her and putting my hands on my hips, light glinting off of my pawspikes. The Ninetales reached out and playfully ruffled the fur around my blunted chestspike before bringing her hands back to her chest, fiddling with the laces of her hoodie's hood. Slowly, she took a couple steps back, smiling as she watched the palm trees shake in the wind; my nose twitched when I smelled the scent of salt, carried along from the water. “So what next? The marina or beach park sound good, or were you thinking of something else? I'm up for whatever.”

“Could we...” She began, and she drew in close again, a shy, faintly-blushing expression rising onto her face. “Could we maybe go out and walk to the end of the peninsula? You know, where the benches are set up and everything.”

I blinked, then smiled in understanding, leaning in to give her a quick peck on the cheek. Her ruby red eyes fluttered shut in happiness, a warm laugh escaping her throat.“Sure. C'mon, let's go.”

Bending an elbow, I offered the cream-furred fox a hand, and she gingerly took it in her grasp, walking alongside me as we hopped down the stairs to the sidewalk. Making our way to the nearest stoplight, we paused for a moment as a few cars – and a few Tauros riders, to my surprise – went by, hooves and tires stomping and screeching against the road. Once the coast was clear, Rose and I briskly crossed to the other side, scrunching up our faces somewhat as the wind gusted into our faces.

“Well, it'll be a good day for the surfers!” I quipped above the noise, briefly squeezing Rose's hand, and she nodded in agreement, her tails waving up and down and brushing against my back. It didn't take long for the sun-heated concrete to give way to soft, grassy loam, and Rose let go of me, her curves and ponytail bouncing as she skipped ahead with a spring in her step. I cracked a grin, reaching back and scratching at my aura tassels before kicking off into a jog, quickly catching up to the fire type Pokemon.

Palm fronds cast long, leafy shadows down onto the dirt as the sun hung high in the sky, and I picked up my pace, narrowly speeding past my partner as I spotted a bathroom building sitting at the end of the park trail. The ocean glittered in the light, foamy waves crashing their way onto the beach, and I took a deep gulp of air, slowing to a stop once I reached a bench, my partner padding up to me soon afterward.

“Phew!” I grunted, bending over and resting my palms on my knees, panting heavily as I tried to catch my breath. My tail swung side to side, heart pounding from the exertion, and Rose promptly sidled her way over to the bench and sat down, her nine fluffy tails fanning out, too big to fit through the wooden planks. I eased my way down next to her, leaning forward and letting my arms flop into my lap. “Good run.”

“I thought Erin was the only one who liked to make things into a race,” My partner replied, playfully sticking her tongue out.

“Maybe it's a fighting type thing,” I joked, bringing a hand up and carefully tousling her headfur. “Then again, aren't you the one who started it?”

“Hehehe... it's nice to be a little carefree for once,” Rose thought aloud, leaning back and folding her legs, twiddling her fingers atop her skirt. The Ninetales glanced from left to right, looking around the park and out towards the water; groups of swimmers floated along in a barred-off lagoon, while a few fisherfolk were sitting right on top of the rocky barrier, their lines cast off into the open sea. Rose fidgeted a little, and I glanced over, watching as she rubbed at her sleeves. “Mmph, I'm still not used to how warm it is, either, even though it's still February. No wonder everyone's swimming instead of sunbathing.”

She scooted sideways to snuggle up, her ponytail tickling my aura tassels. I drooped my head against hers as well, a peacefulness settling over us. The wind started to slow down after a few minutes longer, the chill from the gales and the shade from the palm trees helping to keep things cool, and we sat in silence, contentedly Pokemon-watching. A few flocks of wild Wingull crowed out merrily, swooping down to the beach and roosting in the damp, shallow mud. Seconds later, they jolted to life when a couple of Oricorio dashed right through them, laughing and cheering, with surfboards tucked under their wings.

My ear flicked against Rose's head when I heard a soft purr escape my partner's throat, and I turned my head, her own ears twitching as I nosed at them. I felt my tail start to wag when she giggled and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, leaning further into me.

“Happy?” I asked, lowering my voice to a whisper as I snuggled up to the Ninetales. My heart skipping a beat when she turned towards me, giving my muzzle a gentle, loving lick. Pulling her in close, I exhaled pleasantly, letting my eyes droop shut.

“Mmhm,” The cream-furred fox replied, curling her knees and shifting onto her side. “I love you, Bill.”

I pulled her into a hug, letting her nuzzle into the crook of my neck, her tails wiggling against our backs. “Love you, too.”

And so we sat there at the end of the beach park, wind blowing and sun shining, the sound of the waves drifting through the air.