#I will forever be insane about Unova

[rockman-x]

Pokémon Protag and Rival tier lists

[juliamex3]

headcanons of what I think the anipoke cast is up to in the future

Ash - Still traveling the world, on a journey to become a Pokemon Master, cuz ofc he is. He's changed his approach and focuses more on learning about Pokemon, but will still never say no to a good battle. Fights hard to stay World Champion. Occasionally still works for Cerise

Misty - She's still the leader of the Cerulean City Gym but she's slowly working up her way to becoming a Kanto Elite Four Member

Brock - Pokemon Doctor! Has been all over the place helping out at different Pokemon Centers over the years

Gary - He's a Pokemon Professor! Well known for all kinds of insane discoveries. He works under his Grandpa and eventually takes over the Lab. Still has a rivalry with Goh.

Tracey - He's Garys assistant now, make sthe lab very chaotic. Started taking art commissions on the side

May - Well known Top Coordinator who has won multiple Grand Festivals! But she still comepetes in contests and travels with the hoen coordinator gang

Max - Gymleader, he's taken over the Petalburg City gym! Dunno what his type though is, he can mix em if he wants to

Dawn - Also a well known Top Coordinator with multiple wins, and she still occasionally competes in contests. I like the idea of her getting into fashion and designing.

Paul - Either a Gym Leader or an Elite Four member, maybe even Sinnoh Champion, but definitely still battles

Iris - Contiunes to be Unovas champion, trying to snatch Ashs world champ title and learning about dragon types on the way

Cilan - S class connoisseur! Still likes traveling but also stays in Striaton a lot to help out in the café, though he doesn't act as gym leader anymore

Serena - Reining Kalos Queen and Pokevision influencer! Also her and Lisia are a pop star duo

Clemont - Not a gym leader anymore either, he's focused more on his inventions and becomes pretty well known for it

Bonnie - New Lumiose Gym Leader! I like to think she tried out both gym battles and showcases when she was old enough to go on her own journey, but ended up being drawn towards batrling a lot more. I also like the idea of her beconing Kalos champion eventually

Mallow - Pretty much took over Ainas Kitchen and started branding out their name to other Alola Islands

Lana - I kinda like the idea of her getting interested in acting after the gig she and the other sm girls had, still fishes with her dad for fun

Kiawe - Akala Islands newest Kahuna! Contributes to keeping the Alola league tournament alive as well. He doesn't have much time to help with the farm anymore but still delivers milk every morning

Sophocles - Works at Pokemon NASA, far off from going to space but he'll get there

Lillie - I am very attached to Lillie being a teacher at the Pokemon school, but I also like the idea of her writing books. Either way she does something booksmart tm

Gladion - Works at the AF, got sucked into the family buisness and researching UBs after Lillie the Nihilego

Goh - Cerises assistant still working for his own Professor title and more than mildly upset at the fact Gary managed to get there before him, he specialices researching species that were discovered more recently and has an always increasing of his own Pokemon to look after

Koharu - Since she doesn't have a canon long term goal, her story line was moreso about figuring out what she wants to do, that kind of makes her a catch all character. I can see her do anything really she works with whatever. Ik she helps out her dad as a research fellow at the end of the series and I also like her getting more into contests but I don't really think she does either of those forever? I like the idea of her doing photography, it's artistic in the opposite direction of what her mom does

[blueluneacy]

Volo Ergo Sum

tbh i dont know why i wrote this but it kinda fucks so i dont care

i really like those "lmao volo lives forever and sees the player in their own time" things so. heres that.

volo/reader if you couldnt already t ell

Warnings: reader is kinda depressed lmao, dealing with grief, volo breaks into ur fuckin house, bad vibes, slight obsessive volo

will i make a sequel some day? maybe. anyways ask me about my volo thots

It was quiet but not.

Nothing was ever truly quiet, not that you were trying to make it that way, but the quiet here was different from the quiet you knew of the past, of Hisui.

When you were in Hisui, when you were alone at night, you could hear the caw of Murkrow, or strange wheezing of a Drifloon, or even a Gastly out and about. Back in the Sinnoh region, in the present, there was nothing. The hum of a refrigerator. The honk of a car. Who knew that you would hate living in a city now, after all that you had been through?

People said that you had changed, after you disappeared. What a phenomena, you disappear without a trace for a year, only to reappear in the middle of Celestic Town in old Hisuian attire, without a trace of your memory. Of course, that piece about your memory was a lie. There was no way you could explain what had happened to you without sounding like you were insane.

You couldn’t stand being in Celestic Town for long. Something about the ruins made you feel queasy. So, you moved to Jubilife. It was no longer a small village, but a bustling city. You thought you could be more at peace here, with the spirits of your now long gone friends. Instead, you just felt cold.

There was something about the events of your time in Hisui that just left you hollow. Why was that? What is that you had been gone so long, that you had become one of them? Was it the bit of hatred you had for Arceus, for uprooting you from your life, making you a stranger to your own world? You tried reconnecting with your friends, but after a while, people assume that you’re dead. They move on. Some even laughed, asking why you were acting like their grandparents now. Has your experience changed you that much?

Or was it the bitterness of what happened on Spear Pillar? You visited again, back in this time. You said that it was a hiking trip, that you just needed some time out and about, but really, who were you kidding? It was all just an excuse. And at the top, the answers that you wanted weren’t there. Nothing but the ruins of a place long lost, even more ruined than what they were in Hisui. How unfortunate. You wondered how much destruction was still left from your battle. You looked down, to feel the grooves you were almost certain the two of you caused, but there was no way to be sure. The claws of your Luxray digging in as he launched a Thunder Fang. The cracks forming in the ground from an Earthquake from your Hippowdon. But there was no confirmation of anything.

You didn’t like to keep certain pokemon anymore. You met a powerful trainer with a Togekiss, and almost burst into tears. It was silly, really. You were being silly. And yet, so much of your team simply didn’t exist anymore. Zoroark, Goodra, Avalugg. You had to say goodbye for good to so much, simply from coming back. You didn’t even ask to return here. No, after you finished your mission from Arceus, he plopped you right on back, as if nothing ever happened. At least Ingo seemed to be doing well, from what you had seen on social media. Perhaps if you tried to reach out, he would respond. But he was all the way in Unova, and you were sure that he was busy. Running the Subway seems like a lot of work. Not to mention, you never had the heart to remind him of what was most likely painful.

So, there was nothing to do but sit, looking out the window as you listened to your Glaceon snore. Despite everything, you liked being a trainer. It was more odd not to keep at least one Pokemon, after all. Best to keep things looking at least a bit normal with you. Three seemed like enough. People still commented on how you were such a powerful trainer, that if you put your mind to it, you could easily take on the Gym Challenge and maybe even the Elite Four. You just laughed it off, continuing to work your day job the way you always did. That sort of life wasn’t for you. If you could live the rest of your life in obscurity, you would be happy.

But it seemed that fate was quite the trickster.

Perhaps your time in Hisui made you more aware, more aware than even your Pokemon, of the sounds near the door. You turned, swallowing as you heard the door knob start to rattle. A robber? At this time of night? You quickly ran over to Glaceon, grabbing her and shaking her awake. Quick! Become an attack Glaceon!

She rolled over. Stupid Pokemon.

So, you sat there, watching the door open and swallowing. You might not have recognized his silhouette, changing with the times, but you remembered that damn Togekiss. He really never changed.

“Haven’t you changed? I would’ve thought you would be a great trainer in this day and age. You made it hard to find you!” That voice. You could recognize it anywhere, even if a hundred years passed you by. And well, didn’t they, in a way? Volo easily stepped inside your home, taking the time to even shut the door behind him and take off his shoes while you stood there in shock.

“Y… You should be dead by now. Or have I finally gone insane?” You laughed a bit, running a hand through your hair to try and cover for your nervousness. It didn’t work.

“Which would you prefer to believe?” He asked. You didn’t know how to answer. “Fate is a funny thing. It seems our fates really were destined to be intertwined.” He stepped forward, easily striding into your home as if he owned the place. He looked… Modern. It was so out of place, seeing Volo in a T-shirt and jeans. He wore heavy duty hiking boots and a thick bomber jacket, losing the cap and instead just leaving his hair tied back in a bun, same as before. He had changed too. Were you the only one stuck in the past?

“I-I don’t have the plates, and I couldn’t possibly know where they are after so long! You’ll have to look somewhere else!” You said, still stumbling back. You felt shivers go down your spine as you remembered your last battle, the thought of that horrible shadowy beast appearing in front of you once again leaving you near tears. You only have three Pokémon, for crying out loud! One that only recently finally woke up and hopped to your side, starting to bark at the intruding. Good job, Glaceon. You’re doing great.

“You know, it might not have been a long time for you, but it’s been an awfully long time for me, dear.” Volo’s voice was dripping with that same, awful obsession you recognized from your last encounter on top of Mount Coronet. But, then, it was an obsession with Arceus, with his ideals, however sick they might be. You couldn’t fathom what he wanted now. “That whole time, I wanted to see you. You, the person who defeated me, spread the plates around Hisui so I couldn’t get them, and then disappeared. I thought, after you were gone, there would be no choice but to be a response. And yet, there’s been nothing. Only 12 of them have been found so far, either way.” He was 12 in, that was far too close for comfort. You hated thinking about that. Not to mention, Volo kept stepping towards you, getting closer, closer, until you were finally at a wall, with nowhere else to run. You hated that, hated how blocked in you were in the city. You ought to move if you somehow survived this.

“But now that you’re here… Well, did you even try to be a challenge?” He asked, reaching forward to grab onto you, gripping your shirt tightly. “This whole time, I’ve been thinking about it. I thought at first I would just kill you, but that’s too sweet. Then I thought about how I could ruin you, but you’re not even worth ruining anymore, are you?” He asked. You couldn’t respond. All you could do was look away. He was right. There was nothing left of the person you were in Hisui. It seems that most things just die into the past. Your Glaceon hissed and hit at Volo’s leg, but all he did was push it to the side, looking directly at you. After a moment of silence between the two of you, he just scoffed.

“How pitiful. Lord Arceus’ golden child, abandoned and tossed to the wayside. It seemed time moved on without you.” He said, dropping you before turning to leave. “I’ll leave you to it, then. There’s no fun when you’ve lost your will.” You gasped. Was that really it? You should be grateful, you know that. But, he… The last piece of what was left, of anything you knew from your friends, from Hisui. He was once a friend, wasn’t he? Didn’t Volo once care about you too? You reached out, grabbing onto the back of his jacket, trying to keep him there for a moment longer.

“You’re Just… Going to leave? After all that time looking for me, that’s it?” You asked, trembling all the while. “Over a hundred years, and that’s all you have to say to me? You’re crueler than I thought.” You told him, just looking at the ground. You didn’t know what else to say. Perhaps there was nothing else to say. If only you could see Volo’s expression though, the grin on his face curling into something malevolent. Oh, how far you had fallen. Look how much of nothing you were now, now that Arceus’s blessing wore off. Alone in the world, with no one to turn to. Perhaps the hell of living so long was a blessing in disguise.

All this time, searching for you for revenge. To force you to heel, to make you suffer for the injustice suffered all that time ago. Volo imagined it so many times. The tears running down your face, the horror in your eyes, the quivering of your lips. It was all so deeply ingrained in his mind. But now? You were so soft, pliant even. What were you going to do? There was no hope, no resistance in your eyes. Only the soft wanting to go back to a time where you were important. You could be important to someone. This whole time, you were important to him. Isn’t that the best time of revenge, after all?

“A world without the suffering we have experienced. We are the only two people who innately understand each other, love. The only two people who truly understand the cruelty of existing in this world.” Volo’s reply was strange, but you kept listening. You hated it, but something in your heart responded to it. That was crazy, right? Only someone who truly had nothing going for them would respond to such a thing.

“You know better than anyone how to survive in the wilds. Join me to find the rest. Once we’ve collected the rest of the plates and you’ve grown stronger, you can make up your mind on whether or not to take them back from me.” Volo turned to you, hearing a soft expression that nearly made you melt. You hoped that looking away and the dark would help you hide your embarrassment. Old flames burn long, you supposed.

“You’re making a mistake. I’m going to stop you and keep things right, just like before.” You said, already starting to arrange things on the couch to let him stay the night. No way you’re packing your stuff to leave in the middle of the night just to leave. You needed to arrange things so that your fridge wouldn’t rot while you were gone, your job, the whole works. Luckily, you had quite a bit of money saved, and well, you could hold your own in a battle.

“I know.” Volo replied, already making strides to come close to you, refusing to let himself be too far from you lest you forget his presence, setting his bag down and watching as his Togekiss came closer to your Glaceon, as if trying to say hello. Glaceon hopped up, its fur pointed up in distress as it looked to you as if to ask what to do. You simply shot her a look, telling her to play nice. Don’t fight battles you can’t win. “Still, it’ll be nice to have a traveling partner, no? I’ve had other ones, but none are quite the same as you.” And he smiled as he watched your face flush, your nervous disposition suddenly rise. Ah yes, it was going to be so easy.

When you’re longing for comfort, it’s so easy to convince you that he was in the right. The two of you were kindred spirits, after all. And even if you decided in the end that you would face him again, well.

Volo said it once. He’s not above using force to get what he wanted. No matter how gently he was holding your hand.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale’s Top 10: Favorite Pokémon

Rules:

1. No mega evolutions/gigamax alone. I have to like the Pokemon outside of just those bits.

2. Regional versions are covered if they make the list.

3. These pokémon are not Meta, they are my personal favorites. 

4. This is simply my favorites. I would love to hear yours.

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10. Volcarona

This thing just looks really f***ing cool.

The Fire bug typing.

The mothera reference. The insane special attack.

Stupidly fun to use when playing.

Volcarona is Alder’s ace for a reason. And if you don't kill it quick. You will be begging for your life by turn 3.

When ever I get the chance. It always has a spot on my Unova team. No question about it.

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9. Guzzlord

The Ultra beast with the code name Glutton.

I will say that gen 7 was... interesting in its approach towards Pokémon. I honestly didn't care much for the designs (outside of the Alola forms). The Generation did have a few cool things going for it, but I found most of the line up to be kind of boring.

UNTIL THIS MOTHERF***ER SHOWED UP.

This Dark Dragon type Pokemon just looks so ... monstrous. In the Ultrasun and Moon games, The pocket of space where you find it is a decimated city with nothing in it but it, waiting for something to eat. This thing destroyed its world, likely ate every person and Pokemon. Its downright terrifying. It looks like a boss monster or the final form of a JRPG boss. (Plus his appearance actually made me watch the anime for a brief moment, so kudos)

And it hits like a truck. Sure fairy type attacks grind it to dust. But outside of that, I can just RELATE to this thing. Being unable to fill its stomach and wanting to eat all the time. 

But the reason he is so low is that... you can't really use him until late game and in a sea of other ultra beasts, his impact is minimized

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8. Electivire

I just love this Thunder Yeti.

One of my favorite build on evolutions. The means of getting him are a bit hard, (having a special item to trade with just to do it) but the benefits are vast. He is fast and his ability neutralizes electric attacks, allowing him to go even faster. 

His movepool allows him to use fire, ice, ground, rock, steel and even Psychic attacks.

He can even learn a move that lets him get rid of his ONE TYPE WEAKNESS. 

Regardless of what side of the fight he is on, Electivire is one tough customer.

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7.Arcanine

He is a big fluffy boi!

ITS A DOG THAT BREATHES FIRE AND IS BIG ENOUGH TO BE RIDDEN!

My 10 year old self DREAMED about having one. It has soft fur and is loyal. It also is mega versatile. It can learn dragon type, electric type, ground and even grass type moves. It also just looks so cool. I wish we got to see it more commonly used, but sadly it is always outshines by ANOTHER fire type of the gen and that is sadly that.

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6. Rayquaza

Its a giant green dragon that looks like Shenron and has the best mega evolution. He is also my favorite Legendary. Sorry all other Legendaries. not even Arceus or Mewtwo could touch this beast at his best.

It is majestic, and I have played through emerald version MORE times than any other Pokemon game ever.

So let me tell you about how  monstrous this thing is. Its mega evolution was banned BECAUSE IT WAS SO RIDICULOUSLY OP and it is the reason why Mega evolution is no longer allowed because Z moves couldn't counter this thing. 

It always is cool. And THIS is what a dragon is.

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5. Empoleon 

This might have been shocking to see him so low on the list. Only barely making the top 5.

His design is one of my favorites. And his evolutionary line is my favorite LOOKING of all starters.

Its just... I always keep forgetting he is steel type and when someone uses a ground or fighting move he gets rekt. Now this is more on me and not on the grace that is empoleon.

I also wish this Pokemon got more love. It was overshadowed in the anime, its constantly ignored by most when talking about Sinnoh, and it has a diverse move pool.

I just wish it was either more of a tank or more of a fast sweeper. 

I want to love him more, but battling is kind of important to me and I just feel on edge using him.

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4. Hawlucha

My favorite Gen 6 pokemon.

Bar none. This wrestling bird is just so cool. It has THE best Shiny colors. It is based of a luchadore. It has its own special move, Flying Press. And it hits like a truck.

He has great versatility, he also is just fun to look at. And the Pokemon anime gave me a new appreciation for this bird. If he was a penguin, he would be number one.

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3. Lucario

Okay I admit it, Lucario is my more obvious pick. BUT COME ON!

It is one of the coolest Pokemon ever created!

It is fast and strong. It has Aura Sphere (one of my favorite moves in the game)

He was also my main in smash before Ultimate came out and nerfed him.

He was my boy. He also has one of the better Pokémon movies made about him and he deserves it.

Also you know a trainer is a bada*** when he/she has one on her team. Its like a status symbol.

And with the coverage he has, its no wonder he is so well loved. 

Plus his design is amazing, his shiny is one of the coolest designs, and he looks like a good boy.

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2. Raichu

HE IS SHAPED LIKE A FRIEND!

okay so I always liked the Raichu line, but I always felt Pikachu was overrated.

I still love the electric mouse, but I always evolved him.

When Gen 7 happened and THIS form of Raichu happened. I fell in love. Look at this Electric Psychic typing. And the answer to evolve or not was put to rest forever.

Having access to Thunderbolt, surf, psychic and an assortment of other moves. I just love how amazing it is to use. He also looks so cute and cuddly. This is the ideal Pokemon design, you may not agree, but this is what perfection looks like.

Plus, his tail is a surfboard. Your argument is invalid.

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1. Feraligatr

Let me tell you all a story.

My first Pokemon game that I ever played by myself was Pokémon silver.

My first starter was Totodile.

I started my journey with this little gator and every step of the way, whenever I was backed into a corner, this guy came through for me. I called him Gatorhawk. Because he had the little red tuft that I thought was a mohawk.

I remember playing the game in the car on my way home, doing my best against Lance and his three dragonites. The rest of my team was down. Only Gatorhawk remained as I faced his 3 remaining Pokemon. Surviving attack after attack.  Yet somehow finishing off his dragonites.

I got down to his last Pokemon, Out of healing items, and up against charizard.

My Gatorhawk was in the yellow. I was so close. All I needed to do was survive that Charizard’s attack.

It fired a hyper beam. I thought it was over. All of the hardwork I had gone up to this point, it was for nothing.

But Gator tanked it. By some logic He tanked a hyper beam with only one HP left.

And he hit with a critical Surf. It was over. We had won. 

I screamed so loud my mom thought something bad had happened.

I was a pokemon champion. I had beaten Lance. No older cousin help, no sister assistance. it was just me, and my Gatorhawk.

So when I see Feraligatr. I think of Pokémon, I remember the nostolgia, the good times.

I remember what it meant to be the best.

[sexysilverstrider]

Endless Love

 I love her.  Crimson eyes were fixed at the light that lit up his once darkened heart. Fingers perfectly intertwined together like perfect puzzle pieces. Sometimes his thumb would brush the smooth surface of her skin. Sometimes her hand would give his own a gentle, reassuring squeeze.  He loved her smile.  “Skitty, look!” Hazel eyes beamed at the beautiful lights of Wyndon’s famous Ferris wheel. A smile so wide that it could rival the sun, Kotone started tugging her husband towards the amusement ride. It was a Saturday night, and people and Pokémon were buzzing in various lively manners. Luckily for the couple, they were able to reach the Ferris wheel without any delay or trouble.  He loved her enthusiasm.  Bouncing up and down with arms now wrapped around his right arm, Kotone looked at him. “Oooh, this is gonna be so fun! It’s been a while since we’ve been so high up!”  A snort couldn’t be stopped even if he tried. “You do know you have your Charizard to fly you up and that Mewtwo of yours to float you whenever you want, right?”  He loved the colour of her eyes when they rolled in his gaze.

 “That’s different.” Left hand casually slipped down until it was back to curling around his own. “Besides, I don’t think the authorities would appreciate seeing a wild unauthorized legendary casually hovering two humans out in public.” Arceus, she still remembered the immense pain she had to go through just to make sure her Mewtwo was able to go through customs.  Never again did she want to see another document for the next 10 years.  Thankfully, her darling legendary was tucked inside his Pokéball. As much as it irritated the Genetic Pokémon that he couldn’t walk freely around the city like any other Pokémon, both Mewtwo and Kotone were just glad that he could join her in their vacation.  Smiles appeared so easily when it came to her.  “It’d be funny to see Mewtwo fight some cops, though.” Laughter peeped through his smile to feel her playful slap on the shoulder. A silent apology was given in a form of another hand-squeeze. The two talked and joked while they waited in line for the Ferris wheel. The cold winds of Galar wasn’t unbearable, but that never stopped Silver from wrapping one arm around his petite wife.  He absolutely needed no reason whatsoever to plant a kisses on the top her head too.  He loved how happy she made him. ---  The lights of Wyndon truly didn’t disappoint. Once safely entered inside the cargo, Kotone and Silver wasted no time to cuddle as they sat side by side. She would go on and talk about any random thing that catches her eye. He would respond and reply back with anything that either made her laugh or smile.  It’s the best feeling ever.  “It’s really nice, isn’t it…?” Her voice was a gentle lull inside the comfortable cargo. Left hand never letting go of his right, Kotone pressed her free hand against the thick glass. Lights of pink, blue, red, and purple livened the majestic city. There were some big balloons seen tied and hovered under the starry sky. From afar, she could see Wyndon stadium. It was then that her mind clicked about the famous Champion Cup that happens every year.  It was a shame that the sport’s event was only applicable to Galarian trainers and that it only happened from February to May. And she wasn’t Galarian. And it was already June when she finally arrived in Galar.  “You do know that even if you entered, you’ll just end up sweeping the whole challenge, right?”  Surprise brought her back to realize at his statement. Lower lip jutted slightly—just the slightest—as she looked at him. A cheeky smirk curled those luscious lips. Blush peppered each cheek knowing that he read her mind so well without her uttering a single word.  “Well…” A little pout formed her pretty pink lips. “You don’t know that. I heard their Champion is insanely unstoppable. I mean, I’ve battled some super strong trainers before.” Her mind brought her the images of the silent trainer she encountered at Mt Silver as well as the Hero of Truth that resides in Unova. “It would be fun to see what sort of Champion Galar has to offer, no?”  Kotone had a point. As much as they came her for a little getaway, even Silver couldn’t deny the curiosity he had about the Galarian Champion.  The Glorious Champion. The Hero of Galar. The Royal Hero Who Vanquished the Second Darkest Day.  At least…that’s what Silver had heard about her.  Arceus knows what kind of bullshit the Galarian Champion had went through to obtain such titles. Silver eyes gazed at the brilliant gleam of darling hazels.  If it’s anything like what both Kotone and Silver had went through when they were teenagers…  An unnerving shiver crept up his spine.  “Silver, you okay?”  A smile trembled the corners of his lips. “Yeah…just…” He released a small sigh. “Thinking about the things we went through.”  She understood him.  A small smile mirrored his own. “We’re here now.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “We’re alive. We’re together.” Scooting closer to him—as if they weren’t close enough already—Kotone brought his hand up and kissed the back of it. “I love you.”  Arceus, he loved her so much.  “I love you too…” He kissed her forehead, then slowly traced down to the cute tip of her nose. “So much…” Gaze filled with warmth that could melt her heart into puddle, Silver gently tipped her chin. “So very…” Chu… “Very much…” Kisses feathered her plump lips at every unrestrained emotion.  Her smile became honest. Became shaky. “Geez…” Face now reflected the dazzling colour of his hair. Kotone cupped her face with both hands.  How easily he laughed now because of her.  “Are you really embarrassed right now to look at your handsome husband?” Smile back to that cocky grin of his, Silver lowered his head to meet her gaze.  She didn’t lower her hands. But he did hear a cute, “Humph…”  Fuck, he was so in love with her.  Very thankful that they were so high up right now, Silver gave no hesitance in wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her up.  That definitely made her hands go down.  “Waah—Silver!” Plop! Her butt rested comfortably on his lap. Shock and embarrassment giving a nice splash of colour on her cheeks and ears, Kotone tried her best to look angry as she looked at him.  Tried.  Chup!  Shock once again took reign as she felt the lips she adored so much pressing so perfectly against hers.  His arms were locked neatly around her waist. “I love you…” That sincere smile back in its place, Silver continued his kissing adventure by moving to her left cheek, her neck, her shoulder, then back to her pouting lips.  Ah, he was insufferable.  Forever giving in to his bold advances, Kotone returned his kisses with a long, sweet, sighing kiss to his smiling mouth.  “I love you too, you naughty Skitty.” Hands cupping his warm cheeks, Kotone kissed the tip of his nose.  She always loved his laugh. ---  It shouldn’t be a wonder to see so many couples tonight.  And yet, Gloria didn’t know why a certain couple caught her attention at the moment.  They were a couple of adults. Around their late 20s or early 30s, Gloria assumed. The woman looked absolutely adorable in her low pigtails and white beret. The man beside her was a sight for sore eyes indeed. Never had she seen hair so devilishly red, and she once dyed her hair red herself. It was seen tied to a low ponytail, and his clear-cut face was an absolute picture if he were able to pull off such a simple look.  Clearly the two weren’t from Galar. It wasn’t unusual for Galar to accept tourists at this time of year. But it was definitely something for Gloria to see such a couple that sparked such…an intimidatingly lovely radiance.  That, and the fact that the woman’s arm was all too happily hugging the man’s left arm.  That’s sweet… So sweet, she added. Oh to be in love no matter how old you are—  “What are you staring at?”  Thoughts crashed against a wall to hear his voice. Quickly she looked to her side, only to have her head tilted upwards slightly to see the tall man.  Confusion and irritation masked such a beautiful face.  “You’re spacing out.” One finger gently poked her forehead. “If I didn’t call out for you, I bet I could see your soul casually slip out and wander off.”  Arceus, she was so cute when she puffed her cheeks.  “I wasn’t spacing out.” Never one to say much, Gloria pushed a few strands of her hand behind her ear. Crimson eyes stared at the area around them, silently trying to spot the mysterious couple.  But alas, they were gone in a sea of lively crowds.  Unbeknownst to her, Bede never liked to be ignored. “Seriously, what caught your attention?” He leaned to where she was staring. Curiosity now sated his mind, the Gym Leader looked around but found nothing.  She opened her mouth, the pure intention of wanting to explain what she saw remained in her mind.  But all that was thrown out the window when he turned his head to face her as well—which in the end resulted with their noses brushing each other.  “Ah—” was all she peeped.  “I—!” was all he sputtered.  Quickly both straightened and took a single step back. Pink puffed their cheeks at the simple physical contact. Luckily Gloria had her glasses to use as an excuse to hide her shame. Bede was just as lucky to have brought his red scarf tonight and already had it wrapped around his neck.  Shit, it smelled like her since she just wore it 10 minutes ago.  Ah, he was sure his face was growing pinker.  “A-Anyways…” he flustered, then took a deep breath to keep himself together. “We should—we should go. We should be quick if we want to go to that dessert café you love so much.”  Curse her face for getting warmer.  “Okay…” Cheeks cupped by cold hands, Gloria managed a nod.  Signalling the single action as approval, Bede spun his heel and began walking—  “Wait.”  The crunch of snow hit the sole of his boot at the meek sound of her voice.  Without a word, Bede turned around, a single eyebrow raised in confusion at the woman still standing in one place. “Gloria?” Concern now dripped out of pink lips, he turned to face her again. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you hung…ry…?”  The last question slurred to a gape when his gaze dropped to her outstretched hand.  “Hand…”  Violet eyes widened at her waiting palm, then at her.  She was as red as her irises.  “I want…” A deep breath was pushed out of suddenly heavy lungs. “I want…” The shine of her glasses hid such a sheepish expression. “Can we—h-hands…” Ah fuck her for failing a simple sentence right now—  Shoulders actually flinched to feel her right hand being held.  Immediately she looked up, glasses almost thrown off her face to see the tall Gym Leader.  Oh how glad she was to know he was just as embarrassed as her.  Violet eyes never met the pair of dazzling crimsons. “Come on…” Voice actually quieter than hers, Bede gently pulled her close. Fingers curled lovingly around hers. The grip felt shaky, then firm. Without another word, Bede patiently signalled her to walk.  Side by side. With their hands intertwined together.  Baffled was an emotion the Champion rarely felt in battles, but an emotion she definitely felt around him.  She then remembered the happy couple.  Gloria didn’t know why, but a smile shakily curled upwards, so bright and so ecstatic at the thought that maybe, just maybe, one day she and Bede would be just as happy as them.  It was Bede’s turn to flinch when he felt his left arm being hugged.  Luckily they kept moving, but he never tore his gaze away from her for a while. She still held his hand, but was now wrapping his arm with her other hand. Though her height prevented him from seeing her face clearly, Bede could see the hints of red on the tips of her ears.  She was excruciatingly adorable.  Blowing out a sigh—a sigh so shaky he feared it couldn’t hide the indescribable happiness he felt right now—Bede gave her hand a playful squeeze.  I love her. END

[1358456]

Review Response, June 16-22, 2019

Got a lot of stuff! ... Thanks to one person, mostly!

... Really missing those single line breaks...

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Wings #004

1) Heyo, I saw your responses to my reviews. I forgot my password when I read Wings and I didn't want to go through the whole resetting password thing, so I went in as a guest. I didn't really intend to come back to FanFiction, hence the random keyboard smashing username, yet here I am again to read your stories! Haha. I suppose I'll just keep my original username here.

Anyways, back onto the review! I really found this chapter to be amusing and engaging!

I should have realized Black was there! Rereading the last chapter, I missed the "loud" voice. Oops! And as much as I would love to see familiar faces meeting our lovely protagonist Y here, I like how you're going at a steady pace so the introductions won't be rushed. It makes the eventual meetings better, and I'd look forward to them more that way. (Highkey looking forward to Diamond to appear!)

Crystal as the soccer coach is so, so fitting. And the more I read about Y's struggles to do well, the funnier it gets when she fails due to her own recklessness or other people's mistakes. And when she had enough, she reminded me of a Rhyhorn stampeding through the field, bashing away any poor soccer players that were in her way. She's definitely going to join the soccer team now. ...the team is filled with hotheads.

Oh, hi Gold! Fancy seeing you here! I wonder if he's a teacher as well? Maybe another coach? ...is he and Crystal a thing yet? Asking for a friend.

Hey, you’re back to the old familiar ID! Hehehe.

Ah yes. Black’s inclusion was a subtle hint in the last chapter. The only hint being the italicized “loud”, indicating that he was in the soccer team somewhere. And yes. Y is going to be meeting the other familiar faces slowly over time. I mean, my favorite Dex Holder Platinum hasn’t even been mentioned yet, and it’s been 4 chapters. I’m taking things quite slowly in that regard, because it makes sense. A 1st year student is not going to be meeting all sorts of 2nd and 3rd year students right off the bat, you know? And oh yes. Diamond is definitely going to be in Wings. I think he’ll be the first Sinnoh Dex Holder that Y will meet.

Yep! Crystal as soccer coach! Definitely! And oh, Y. She’s like a rampaging Dragon when frustrated and pissed off, plowing through everything in her way, whether it’s her teammates or the opponent. Hehe. A soccer team filled with hotheads. Oh dear. Hahaha.

Nah. Gold is no teacher. What could he possibly be teaching in Wings? No, no. He’s there for a different reason that’ll be covered later. And yes, Gold and Crystal are in a relationship. They are “a thing”. Obviously it’s not going to be getting a whole ton of focus, but it’ll be there.

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Destiny #007

1) Its confirmed, eh? This entire thing was orchestrated by Peter. Not that I'm surprised, it's just nice to have clarity on that part. Anyways, I can definitely see Blue doing something she'll regret later. I mean if it says that Blue will probably help, then she just might. But I don't think she would help knowing it'd hurt the other dexholders. If she helps Peter it'd be because he somehow tricks her into doing it. But hmm, there's only one way to find out. And that's to read more chapters. Also, that small little tidbit about Black's feelings on the whole light stone matter I thought was really nice. I'm not exactly sure how, but it tied that entire part together. And it definitely made everything seem more real. I feel like I'm just being dramatic, but that's how I feel on the matter. And just wanted tp congratulate you on that part 'cause it was wonderful written. Well, the entire chapter was wonderfully written, but I can only hope you know what I mean. Speaking of Unova dexholders. That particular scene with Ruby, Sapphire, and White; I thought although great to read, was not how I imagined it going down. I think I explained this in one of my previous reviews, or at least predicted it. But now that I think about it, it's completely plausible. And one last thing before I end this review. I just realized that it's been quite some time since we've seen Green. Haven't read anything in his point of view since he found out that Blue left and set out to look for her. Which makes me wonder. Will you write his perspective while he's searching hopelessly for her? Or right before he spots her somehow? Cannot wait to see things from his perspective again! Makes my urge to smack him lessen. Fucking asshole, I know he didn't mean to do that especially in that way. But god was that a jerky move. Low-key wanna punch him senseless, but oh well. I'll just have to read his P.O.V. in order to be satisfied. Again, thank you!

The continuation!

Yes. Blue, despite wandering off on her own and thus being led astray, is still a good girl at heart. She wouldn’t willingly help in hurting her former friends. She would more likely simply walk away and not interfere than actively hurting them. But... there really is only one way to find out, eh?

I guess Black escaping the Light Stone in that fashion is kind of amusing in hindsight, now that he’s actually free. Hehe. ... And is partly plot relevant later on :) And yes. A part of my “headcanon” with Black & White is that Black is forever fated to be indebted to her. Nothing serious, but enough that he’d be more compelled to care for her. Something stupidly sweet like that. Hehe.

The meeting of Ruby and Sapphire with White? This is basically the easiest way for me to drag Black and White, who are completely unrelated to the whole Mega Hunter shenanigans, into the plot! It’s a natural conversation that leads to White tagging along for the sake of meeting the others. Hehe.

Heh. Green ain’t going to find Blue. He doesn’t even know that she’s not in Kanto anymore. He said it himself too. If Blue doesn’t want to be found, she’s going to just disappear. And it’s his fault. Unintentional, perhaps, but his fault anyways. Because compared to Red, he’s a dick. Hehe.

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Destiny #008

1) WHAT. THE. FUCK. HE JUST TOOK OUT A FUCKING ULTRA BALL AND THEN BRAINWASHED THIS POOR, UNSUSPECTING CHILD? HOW TF DID HE DO THAT? WHY CAN'T THIS MOTHERFUCKER JUST KEEL OVER AND DIE? I am legitimately raging right now. He's too goddamn powerful. How are the dexholders going to defeat this dude? I mean it was 27 vs 6. That's insane. How the hell did this dude even get his hands on such powerful pokémon anyway? You don't actually need to answer these questions, they're just rhetorical. And I know I'll get my answer later on. Also, speaking of that battle. When Green and red joined in, I swear to god I started clapping. The relief was immense. And reading that scene the only things going through my mind was that this was where Y and Ruby are going to die. Thank god that they didn't. But with those wounds? They can't battle him at his full power, not when they only have three days to recover. And they're not going to spend their days completely recovering. They'll have to pull themselves together and practice. That is, unless Yellow could use her healing power on humans. But I don't think that's the case. And how tf are they going to get that strong in three days? I know somehow they'll pull it of—as that is the way of stories—but as to how exactly they might go about doing that? I'm clueless. Speaking of which... it would be nice to have a story that doesn't go the same path as so many others. Where, somehow, the hero always prevails! Why? Because they're the hero. And, I mean, I guess it makes sense. They're the hero for a reason, but isn't it unrealistic for the hero to always win? To err is human after all. That is, if the hero was human. Don't get me wrong, I love stories with happy endings. It's just sometimes I ponder whether that was the realistic outcome. But anyways, I'm getting off-topic. I'm sure that in your story if the dexholders win, it would be for a very good reason. And it excites me to think of the ways of how you'll surprise me! This has been a long-ass review. I spent forever writing it, and I'm terribly sorry. But I thank you for writing this. Anyways, on to the next chapter!

Assimilation successful. ... It’s a phrase that you would’ve seen immediately in Destiny. I think the first chapter pretty much begins with that.

Hehe. How is he so strong? GAME MECHANICS!! The power of RNG abuse to get shiny IV 31 all things with the desired natures, and then EV raising them for max efficiency! And to make things worse, TEAM SYNERGY! ... And level 100! Because the Mega Hunter and his Pokemon are all based on a real life friend and his HUGE pile of RNGed Pokemon. ... I also have a similar sized pile of level 100 RNGed Pokemon, but I didn’t want to put myself in. That’d be weird! ... Heh. So. How are the Dex Holders going to win? ... I don’t know.

... “As that is the way of stories”... OTHER people’s stories, perhaps. Heh. The “power of bullsh*t” doesn’t work in my stories, you know. None of that “I have the willpower, I will succeed!” nonsense, or “the power of friendship!!”. Heh. “I am the main character, so I can do everything!” ... Nope. Not in here, bud. Hahaha.

2) Oh fuck I got so into writing that review that I forgot to put my name. Yeah the last long-ass review is Mel's.

Don’t worry, I figured! :)

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Destiny #009

1) Oh god oh fuck. So soon! The scouts are coming... which brings me to another topic. How tf did this dude get so many scouts? How is he seeing what they're seeing? And who exactly are these scouts? 'Cause if they're just little children as the scout who got caught, then the dexholders will have no problem. But this dude isn't that stupid, or he is and he's planning on winning because of numbers. Which, I guess, isn't a bad idea. Numbers certainly help, but I mean come on. What a horrible thing to do to brainwash children. This dude is such an asshole and my ahem for him grows with every chapter. What even is the point in causing so much chaos? How will this benefit him? (And coming from a lazy person) Why tf would he go to such lengths? It sounds like too much work tbh. Fuck that, I'd rather stay at home relaxing. But I guess each to their own. Also, the writing in this chapter was sooo well done. It is envy chapter, but this one I loved the uncertainty it exuded, because of the uncertainty in the dexholders. What I guess I'm trying to say is, is that your writing reflects the emotions and thoughts of the dexholders in a way. This might just be me, I felt it was like that. It wasn't too overtly noticeable, but it left me with that feeling. Oh, and also some things I forgot to mention in the last review. I think I might've mentioned this before, but it just made me really happy to see that you kept the characters in... well... character. Incorporating things such as Pearl shouting the moves that the pokémon were going to execute really excite me. That's because so many times writers forget these things. And in the end product, you read something that resembles a character, but isn't quite actually like them. Actually, now I'm sure. I did say this another review. I'm sorry for the repetition them, it just amazes me. Another thing that amazes me, the strategies! You did really well in planning out the strategies in the battles. They were intricate, but easily understandable. And they sounded really effective. Really nice job on coming up with those. Oh, and before I end this. I just wanted to say that the interaction between Gold and Crystal at the beginning of this chapter was great. Still staying on the matter at hand, but also delving a bit into their history. Their relationship... they've broken up... made me sad ngl. But oh well, It's to be expected of that certain relationship. It can either be a really good one... or one that ends in heartbreak. It's definitely complicated for them. But one thing that made me chuckle was when Crystal retorted with "You were the one begging for me to come back to you." or something like that. Like it's so true. That's exactly what would happen, and of course Gold would try to play it so that he was the cool one. But we all know that he was the one begging lmaoooo. Also, the way you wrote in Green's concern for Blue in the chapter made me cry because of how beautiful it was. You didn't touch on the topic, but you made it so clear by his actions and things he said. It reminds me of this one thing C. S. Lewis once said, where it was something like, "Show, don't tell.". And that was a good example of that I thought. Makes me think there's hope for their relationship. Also, I know I talk a lot abut how you're work makes me cry. But goddamn are you also good at writing fluff. And it's incorporated a lot in your stories, even your more tragic ones. It's nice, because it's always good to have a balance. I mean, having a completely tragic story without any elements of happiness isn't a good read. So while some parts are sad, there are so many others where I smile or clap or laugh and the list goes on. I never realized how expressive I am when I'm reading lmao. Anyways, thank youuuuuu again.

How did the Mega Hunter get so many scouts mind controlled? ... Well, there are a lot of fodder class trainers that’ll get stomped in like 0.5 seconds and then get taken. Given established time gap, it’s certainly plausible to have mind controlled a crapton of nameless fodder! ... Well, that’s the excuse, anyways. You always need some fodder, you know?

Heh. Imagine if the villains were lazy. “Aw man. I don’t want to plant bombs in all those places... it’s rush hour...” Why is he stirring up chaos? Hehe. You’ll see later~ ... ... Well of course, you’ll see later. It’s the PLOT. ... Real subtle there, 135. Well done...

Aha, Pearl’s Detector trait in use! It’s often hard to do given just how many Dex Holders there are, but I try to think like “in this situation, what would this group do, and how would the members react?” So in the case of a battle, Pearl would be the first to detect which attacks are incoming since that’s his whole shtick.

The... battle strategies... well, they’re mostly just recreations of what I went through in XY/ORAS battles with the guy who the Mega Hunter is based on. That freaking Eruption, man. ... More of the “asshole combos” later.

Hehe. Yep. Gold got dumped, begged, and is trying to maintain the “cool guy” outlook by pretending that she was the one begging. ... Poor dude. But hey, now’s the chance for him to show just how reliable he is! After all, there’s something about destruction and devastation that brings people together!!

Green’s concerns for Blue that has to be put under because of ensuing chaos. Hehe. This is a loose reference to something that happens in SA, and what Blue says to him: “Can’t you put me on the top of your priorities just once?” Almost a year after that story ended (Dec 2013), Destiny began (Sept 2014), and... sure enough, Green is forced to put something else on the top of his priorities, over Blue. It’s because of his personality. Task first. Personal problems come after the public ones. ... But it doesn’t mean he likes that.

Yes. BALANCE. I write a ton of cutesy, fluffy stuff, along with horrific doom hammer strikes. But the fluffy stuff don’t stand out in memory because they don’t have shock value, but doom stuff do. So the common misconception is that I always write doom. No, I do not. BALANCE! Especially much further on where a chapter is half fluff, half doom. BALANCE. ... That said, I think you will cry a lot though. Hehehe... But hey, you’ll be laughing and clapping, and even shuddering at the pure cute fluff later on as well!

2) Also I meant to each their own kek.

To each their own indeed. In a lot of ways.

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Heart #001

1) So I'm just going to say this before actually reading so I, don't forget.

So Platinum has to pick between the boys...?

OK, but *grabs a mic* WHY NOT BOTH?

*drops mic*

Seriously though, consider the ot3 as a viable outcome, please. Don't just... tease me with the ship 'tag' I guess dunno how to call it in FF

Yes, Platinum has to pick one or the other. Why not both? ... This is a PAIRING. A pair has two members. And forcing all three Sinnoh Dex Holders into a single “pair”ing does not work out for anyone.

The “tag”...

I assume you mean that? I only did that because I couldn’t add Platinum twice. My original intent was to put Platinum with Diamond and Platinum again with Pearl. But I couldn’t put up Platinum twice or have her be in two different pairings at once. And it’s not like I could isolate one of the boys either, because... well, that’s a little... on-the-nose, isn’t it? But to avoid “teasing”, I could just give one of the boys the boot and spoil the ending, which... well, I’m sure everyone who reads my stuff will know anyways.

All three of them together is not a viable outcome. As friends? Certainly. I’m not breaking the Morning Sound trio. In a love relationship? Nope. Not happening. One is going to be accepted and experience pure bliss. The other is going to be rejected and experience bitter heartbreak. It’s inevitable and meant to be. ... Just delayed for as long as Platinum doesn’t realize the situation.

[bigklingy]

Pokemon Generation Thoughts

Since a blog I follow did this, I thought I’d do mine. Gen 1:

Pros: -The one that started it all. -How crazily into it kids at school were. -Gym Leaders were pretty memorable. -For the time, a good twist for the final battle. -Glitches are fun to mess with. -The crit formula based on base speed was actually kind of interesting. Cons: -Incredibly glitchy, to the point where speedrunners keep finding more and more insane ways to break the game. Spawning item balls that are also trainers that are actually wild Pokemon?! Making a sign give you an Eevee?! Beating the game in 0:00?!?! I know these are glitches you’re unlikely to find without intentionally trying, but there are MANY game-breaking ones you’re very likely to encounter by accident. -Very unbalanced battle system. Psychic types are broken, some moves were coded badly and worse than useless (Focus Energy QUARTERED your crit rate), X Accuracy + OHKOs destroys the game, Wrap/Fire Spin etc were extremely annoying. -Most of the Pokemon haven’t aged well stat-wise. Gen 2: Pros: -I liked the Johto region. -Greatly fixed a lot of Gen 1′s gameplay, far less glitches. -Split Special into Special Attack and Special Defense. -Introduced breeding. -Had another entire region for the postgame, with 8 more badges. -Normal trainers have names now! Phone numbers gave them a bit of personality. -You can actually delete HMs now! -You can catch both mascot legendaries regardless of your game. Cons: -Most of the new Pokemon are extremely mediocre or outright terrible, with very few good ones (stat-wise). -IMO, second worst starters in the series. Typhlosion’s stats are directly copied from Charizard, why?? -The “split path” after the 4th badge, where you could get the 5th, 6th and 7th badges in any order, was a good idea in theory but not well implemented. Whichever path you take last ends up horribly underleveled. -Low levels overall, leading to a fairly easy main story. -Kanto is horribly balanced, almost everything is a joke for the point you have access to it. -Until Crystal, phone calls were generic and boring. In all versions though, phone calls get very annoying. -Cross-gen trading is clunky and awkward, you had to manually delete any move that didn’t exist in Gen 1. -Introduced roaming legendaries. Gen 3: Pros: -Nice graphical upgrade. -Abilities, Natures and the revamped EV system add more strategy to battling. -Introduced a new way to play in Double Battles. -The Hoenn region is pretty nice if you ignore the water areas. Some cool new area concepts we haven’t seen before, like deserts and volcanoes. -Significant plot differences between versions now. -Emerald’s Battle Frontier is very fun. Cons: -Loss of compatibility with older versions, meaning that a huge number of old Pokemon weren’t available until Kanto remakes. -Hoenn in general went really crazy with required HM usage. WHY DID THEY MAKE ROCK SMASH AN HM! -Vanilla Ruby/Sapphire have the worst postgame in the entire series by far. (Just a Battle Tower and one roaming legend) Fixed in Emerald and slightly fixed in the remakes. -Team Magma and Aqua were lame and unmemorable. Fixed in the remakes. -Introduction of version-exclusive legendaries. -Champions excluded, Hoenn probably has the worst Elite Four in the series, with incredibly boring, repetitive teams. -Completing the national dex was insanely convoluted, as Pokemon were split up across multiple games and spinoffs. You needed at bare minimum 4 games, a Gamecube and a Gamecube to GBA cable to do it. Gen 4: Pros: -Physical/Special split, increasing the viability of a lot of Pokemon. -Introduced WiFi, making trading MUCH easier. -Expanded the TM list, allowing for more options. -Most of the new Pokemon introduced had good stats and movepools. My favourite new batch of Pokemon. -Gave much-needed evolutions to many mediocre old Pokemon. -The “route split” where you can choose whether to fight Maylene or Wake 3rd, was kind of well-done. -Best starters in the series imo. Cons: -Diamond and Pearl are PAINFULLY SLOW. Both on the field and in battle. Saving takes forever. Surfing is horrendous. Platinum fixed some of this though. -Diamond and Pearl’s regional dex is horrible. Only one Fire type besides the starters, some of the newly-introduced Pokemon aren’t even in the dex! -And they made some very questionable choices to go with it. Protip: if your regional dex only has two Fire type lines, you PROBABLY shouldn’t have a Fire type Elite Four member. -Team Galactic and Cyrus are my least favourite villains by far. Their plot is a giant mess and it’s not paced well. I could go into more detail, of all their encounters before the halfway point, only one has any bearing on their main goal. The rest are just random acts of villainy for no reason. The Grunts don’t even know what the bosses are planning. -Main story is badly paced, HUGE drought between badges 2 and 3 (fixed in Platinum), and the massive level jump between Gym 8 and the Elite 4 forces a ton of grinding right at the very end (also fixed in Platinum) -No random online battling. -GTS is a mess, only trade via online forums or chatrooms. -Worst Safari Zone in the series by far. -The snow routes are awful. Good music though. Gen 5: Pros: -The fresh start the series desperately needed. -A regional dex of all new Pokemon. -Most new Pokemon have VERY good stats. -Main adventure is very balanced overall. Pokemon are available at just the right times, for the most part (Larvesta and Deino are exceptions) -Introduction of exp scaling, making it hard to get too overleveled during the main story and letting you more easily train low-level Pokemon to Lv 50 in the postgame. -HMs, besides one forced use of Cut, are entirely optional. Thank Arceus. -Gym Leaders are decently challenging, and actually do things in the story. -Some of the best storylines and characters in a Pokemon game. -Awesome twist on the formula at the end. -BW2 are full sequels instead of 3rd versions. Add new areas.. -BW2 has the best balance of old vs new in a regional dex, with an almost exactly 50/50 split. Some old Pokemon are given fresh new spins, like Riolu and Eevee being catchable early in the game. -BW2 has probably the best postgame in the series. -PWT is an awesome callback and a pretty fun battle facility. -Battle Facilities in general stopped cheating as much as they used to. -Added Shiny Charm, giving a non-cosmetic reward for completing the Dex. Cons: -Competitive metagame was kind of a mess, Smogon had to make several complex bans to try and keep everything under control. Mostly only applies to Singles though. -Introduced random online battles, but Ragequitting was rampant. -Introduced Triple and Rotation Battles, but were very under-used and barely anyone plays them competitively. -Worst starters in the series imo. -The Unova region is very linear and, at least in BW1, a quarter of it is postgame-only. -BW2′s plot was far more standard for a Pokemon game. -Some of the new Pokemon evolve at painfully high levels, which got bad when they showed up earlier in later games. Gen 6:

Pros: -First full 3D main series game. -I kind of like Kalos as a region. -Added Fairy type, helping nerf Dragons. (Though they might have gone overboard, Fairy is now kind of overpowered) -The starters are pretty good. -Ruby/Sapphire remakes were nice. -Added tons of nice Quality-Of-Life features, especially making breeding and EV training WAY easier and more accessible. -WiFi is amazing, especially the PSS. -A lot of Pokemon available in the dex. -Sycamore is a cool professor. Shame he wasn’t the Champion. -You won’t know it if you use the Exp Share, but basic trainers are actually very challenging, often having smart movesets and strategies, even egg moves. Try a no-exp share run sometime. These are actually among the hardest Pokemon games if you do. -The postgame Looker quest actually has a better story than the main game.

Cons: -Game Freak did a total 180 on their stance with Gen 5, and decided Pokemon would now be all about the old rather than the new. The games began a trend of GF extensively pandering to Genwunners at the expense of actual new stuff. Very few new Pokemon, all of them almost intentionally made rare. It almost felt like GF was ASHAMED of them, and had to hide them from the wrath of the Genwunners. Other pandering included a direct rehash of Viridian Forest, Snorlax, and a forced first encounter with a Pidgey. Not a new Pokemon, a Pidgey. -Worst tutorials in the series. It’s possible to catch a full team of 6... AND THEN BE GIVEN THE CAPTURE TUTORIAL. -Way too many rivals. Tierno and Trevor are barely there, and Calem/Serena feels undeveloped. -Team Flare are my second least-favourite evil team. They shouldn’t have bothered trying to hide Lysandre as the villain, it was so obvious. -Early pacing issues. Big gap between Gyms 1 and 2 (could’ve easily been solved by making Clemont Leader 2), Team Flare plot doesn’t start until pretty late in. -Worst Champion in the entire series. -Most Gym Leaders and all the E4 not named Seibold are jokes. (XY are weird in that on a challenge run, you’ll be steamrolling the bosses but getting destroyed by basic trainers) -THE EXP SHARE IS HORRIFICALLY BROKEN. Have it on all game, and you’ll be overleveling everyone by 20-30. It ruins what would otherwise be a pretty challenging game. -Kalos Route 13 is the worst route in Pokemon history. -THEY BROUGHT BACK SINNOH’S STICKING MUD, WHY?! -Sky Battles and Inverse Battles are really underused for something they spent a lot of effort marketing. Neither can be done in multiplayer. Sky Battles limited to a bunch of one-time trainers, Inverse Battles limited to only one. Neither can be done in multiplayer. -Controversial opinion, but I actually really hate Super Training. The EVs/Time ratio is way too small to be worth it, horde battles are far better. I only use it to finish off the last couple of EVs on a spread. -Mega Evolution is a mixed bag. It makes some weaker Pokemon useful (Beedrill, Kangaskhan, Charizard), but also makes some already good Pokemon even better (Scizor, Metagross, Gengar, Lucario, SALAMENCE). This means a lot of the more interesting Mega options go unused because you can only have one Mega slot. Evidence of not just popularity power, but more Genwunner pandering is on display. I like Charizard and Mewtwo, but I don’t think they needed two Megas. And NO Gen 5 Megas at all, and even after ORAS only one? (And it’s terrible?) -No new non-Uber legendaries, instead re-using, you guessed it, the Gen 1 legendaries. Gen 7:

Pros: -NO MORE HMs, FINALLY! -More new Pokemon than Gen 6. Each new Pokemon is given at least one unique gameplay trait, which is cool. -Alola is a pretty nice region. -Story and characters are great. Not as good as BW but a big step up from XY. -Team Skull are hilarious, playing all the unintentionally funny things about past evil teams for intentional comedy, almost acting as a bit of self-aware parody. -Genwunner pandering is less evident. Yeah only Gen 1 Pokes got Alolan Forms, but most of them needed upgrades anyway. NPCs from all gens get cameos, not just Gen 1 NPCs. -The Big Bad of vanilla Sun/Moon is a great villain. -The Exp Share is actually kind of balanced now, oddly enough. -Some of the trials are great boss fights, even better than most Gyms. -Poke Pelago’s “EV Bake Oven” allows for easy EV training. Cons: -Went back on a lot of Gen 6′s good multiplayer features. Festival Plaza is confusing and terrible. -Removed horde battles, replacing them with the extremely annoying SOS Battles. This also means EV training is a lot harder. Poke Pelago is good, but it’s non-interactive. -The first island is very hand-holdy and takes a while. -Island 3 feels oddly small for how big it’s supposed to be. -Still not THAT many new Pokemon. -Crabrawler and Charjabug’s evolution methods are DUMB, making them useless for the main story despite being catchable early. -USUM ruined Sun/Moon’s Big Bad’s characterization. Overall favourite to least-favourite: Gen 5 Gen 2 Gen 7 Gen 3 Gen 1 Gen 6 Gen 4 (But my favourite for competitive battling)

[puclpodcast]

PDL Week 12 Recap

PDL Recap Week 12

We have concluded the last week of the regular season of the PDL. Let’s take a look at the final games before we head into playoffs.

DEP vs. TOT: 6-0

NWN vs. HEH: 3-0

VAV vs. BFS: VAV Forfeit

COG vs. NJJ: 6-0

SHS vs. SLC: 4-0

NYY vs. NJJ: 4-0

PIP vs. BLP: 1-0

HFW vs. ITA: 0-1

JAX vs. LOL: 5-0

MID vs. DCC: 5-0

MIL vs. BAL: 2-0

AUK vs. MIN: 0-5

This has been one incredible season with a roller-coaster of up and downs. I’m incredibly proud of how hard every team has played so far and how much teams have improved over the season. For those teams that made playoffs, congrats and good luck. May the hax forever be in your favor and may your focus blasts never miss.

Let’s cover some season statistics before we head into which teams made playoffs.

No surprise to anyone but the Rhyhorn Steakhouse was the hardest division with the most overall wins, yet they have the lowest seed out of the top team of each division. We also had 13 teams out of 24 have better than a 50% record at the end of the season, which only goes to show how powerful all the teams have become over the season.

I have dug deep into the math figured out who had the toughest schedule overall. To calculate that I looked at each team and added up all the wins of their opponents and after a close battle the team with the toughest overall schedule goes to: Miami Lanturns with an average of each team have 6.75 wins.

Pick ’ems

This has been a lot of fun to cover over the season and I want to congratulate Clod9 on picking the most matches correctly this season, but it isn’t over. There will be a playoff bracket challenge where you can make a bracket for the playoffs and earn points based on how well each team does. More details and the link to the challenge are below.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

This has been one crazy ride to playoffs as we had several teams waiting up until the last moment to know if they were going to be in or not. I want to congratulate everyone on what they have accomplished this season. I encourage everyone to take part in the Pickem’s for the Playoffs and root on your favorite teams in the All Star Game. Without further ado this is how we calculated the playoff teams:

Seeding of the playoffs is based off Record first then we go into the tie breakers:

Best Win % in Division Head to Head Best Record Against Common Opponents Strength of Victory Strength of Schedule Coin Flip

Based off this we have determined the Playoffs

I’d like to announce the top seed of each Division in order of ranking:

1 COG 2 HFW 3 BFS 4 MIN

Next we have the Second seeds of each Division in order of ranking:

5 MID 6 ITA 7 NWN 8 SLC

Finally we have the 4 best of the rest teams in order of ranking:

9 BAL 10 PIP 11 SHS 12 MIL

8. SLC vs 9. BAL (Winner plays 1. COG)

5. MID vs. 12. MIL (Winner plays 4. MIN)

7. NWN vs. 10. PIP (Winner plays 2. HFW)

6. ITA vs. 11. SHS (Winner plays 3. BFS)

We will take a week off before playoffs so all first week matches for the first round of the playoffs are due July 8th. Once all the matches for the week are completed we will move on to the next round.

Fill out a Playoff bracket here: https://challonge.com/PDLS2PO

Interview with Zcron

This week I’m joined by the shadow president of PUCL… the legendary ZCRON!

Clod9: Thank you Zcron for joining us this week. It has been a wild ride this season but let’s start at the beginning: how did you prepare for this draft?

Zcron: Preparing for a draft never goes as planned, so I didn’t prepare beyond knowing that my first pick would be Excadrill. The rest of the team just kind of adapted as the draft went.

C9: Has your team performed up to your standards so far?

ZN: My team has been surprisingly effective despite lacking a real defensive core. About halfway through the season I decided to toss a lot of my tank stuff and just go full-on offensive with a focus on hard-hitting priority users like Golisopod and Raikou.

C9: Congrats on making playoffs. You had a great run last year with a couple upsets to set yourself apart from the rest until hax was your ultimate defeat. How far do you think you will go this year, barring hax?

ZN: The plan is to make it to the final match and then finally whip out Mega Tyranitar. Or he/she may come out earlier. WHO KNOWS?! Bahahahaha

But yeah, any Pokemon player should always aim for number one. I HAVE THE POWER OF ARCEUS AND ANIME ON MY SIDE.

C9: If you win you will be playing me in the Quarterfinals. Do you think you can handle that?

ZN: I managed to beat you earlier in the season, though it was close. Should be a fun game!

C9: Let’s look back on the season who were you most excited to battle this season? ZN: h3nz and I had the misfortune of both trying the exact same strategy, so a face-off against him was highly anticipated, especially since he picked up the Gigalith I dropped early on. Unfortunately, we both expected the other to bring our sand setter, and neither did, so our match was a sand match with no sand. Top keks all around.

 C9: I noticed a brand change this season,why did you choose the team name, Pittsburg Piplups? ZN: The sole reason I picked this team name was to troll Thatch. No more questions at this time.

C9: Were there any secret techs that you brought for your matchups that you didn’t get to showcase? ZN: My team is very versatile in the held items they can all bring, so most of the change-ups are about which of my Pokemon has the Z Crystal in any given fight. Golisopod having Assault Vest ended up being crucial in my final match of the season, though Wishiwashi didn’t get a chance to Hydro Vortex its old teammate, Cinccino.

C9: Who would you say is the mon you are/were most excited to use on your team this year? ZN: Excadrill is just too freaking great to not have, but Wishiwashi and Raikou in draft league are honestly insane. Great coverage and bulk. Wishiwashi should not be a D-tier. Not by any stretch.

C9: You’ve had an impressive run to the playoffs so far, what would you say was the key to your success?

ZN: Predicting correctly and mitigating risk. Playing to your outs in every match, and thinking about games in the long term, rather than the short. I keep track of every battle and every move used play-by-play on a piece of paper. Keeping notes has paid off for me.

C9: You have been around PUCL for a while so let’s dive deep into how that all came about, when did you start listening to PUCL?

ZN: I think it was in 2012 or 2013 that I started listening due to the urgings of my irl friend Bocefus.

C9: How did you get promoted up through the ranks to blackthorn council?

ZN: I produced a whole lot of written content for PUCL when there wasn’t much there. Eventually, I was tasked with recruiting other writers to the site, and that’s how we ended up with several members of the core PUCL leadership including Whimsicott, Jushiro, and SublimeManic.

C9:What Pokemon generation did you start with?

ZN: 3rd Generation, Pokemon Sapphire version. I got it for my 7th or 8th birthday and it got me through a cross-country RV trek after my house burnt down in the California mountains.

C9: What is your favorite region?

ZN: Hoenn. Unova comes close, but the lazy, circular shape kicks it out of the running.

C9: Who is your favorite Pokemon?

ZN:. Toxapex, with Golbat as a close second.

C9: If you had to pick: Attack or Special Attack?

ZN: ATTACK. MY DRILL WILL BE THE ONE THAT BREAKS THROUGH THE HEAVENS.

C9: What is your battle style:  Stall/Hyper Offense/Bulky Offense/Balance?

ZN: Out of those options, Bulky Offense is probably the closest. I like to make teams that can easily switch out and have passive effects like Magic Bounce or Rocky Helmet.

C9: Do you prefer Speed or Trick Room?

ZN: Speed. Trick Room is rarely a problem for me since it’s highly visible in a team comp, and is entirely destroyed by a single Pokemon with Taunt.

C9: What is your favorite Weather; Hail/Sand/Rain or Sun?

ZN: Sand, because I am a member of the political faction known as the DESERT COMMUNISTS alongside VIGER

C9: Electric/Misty/Grassy or Psychic Terrain?

ZN: I hate all of them, but Electric is the one I hate the least.

C9: Favorite status to inflict: Sleep/Freeze/Paralysis/Burn or Poison?

ZN: Paralysis. A big part of my strategy last draft league was T-waving everything with Cresselia.

C9: Have you watched the Pokemon anime? If yes, what is your favorite Theme song?

ZN: I like the Pokemon Advanced Battle song Unbeatable. Mainly for nostalgia reasons.

C9: Will you be participating in the Summer League to collect badges this summer or any other pucl event?

ZN: I have attempted to do the summer league several times, but have bad luck making the scheduled times and haven’t transferred too many non draft league Pokemon to USUM. I will make time for some battles soon. I want that 2ds XL!

C9: Thank you once again for joining us this week! Good luck in the playoffs! That’s all the time we have this week. See y’all again next time!

from PDL Week 12 Recap