#also HOW. IS. PIPLUP. NOT. ONE OF THE STARTERS!

[burningcheese-merchant]

Ok fuck it. Fuck it I need to rant. I'm disappointed to the high heavens. This just looks like X and Y again. It just looks like they finally bothered to get off their asses and make Pokémon Z like everyone begged for 10+ years ago and they're trying to relabel it as a Legends game. You know what the word "legend" means? It means OLD!!! It's a fantastical tale of days long past! PAST! NOT FUTURE! Why are we in the future!!! There are no legends about the damn future, only the past!!!

How cool would it have been if we were in the Pokémon equivalent of Napoleonic France? If the protagonist was from a lower-middle-class family (maybe even lower, a genuinely struggling protagonist would be interesting, especially within this time period), who set out with their Pokémon to earn money to help out, only to end up caught in the middle of a nationwide shitstorm? What if you ventured throughout the region, through the beaches and mountains and beautiful French/Kalosian countryside, all the way to Paris/Lumiose, where the societal rot is at its most obvious and damning? What if the "evil team" wasn't evil at first, just a band of revolutionaries with their hearts in the right place, seeking change and justice for the broke and starving public against the laziness and corruption of the self-absorbed elite? What if the villain was the king at first, because he and the other royals really are as awful as they're stated to be? What if there were (optional, because not everyone was against the French monarchy) side quests to help spread revolutionary propaganda or help the rebels earn money, gather resources, toughen up their Pokémon in preparation for future battles against the royals? Hell, what if there was a rival group of royalists who acted as the rebels' foil, whom you can also help and hinder as much or as little as you liked?

What if there was an honest-to-God violent coup where people and Pokémon stormed the royal palace and destroy everything in sight (and you could be there, battling guards or something)? What if the king was challenged to a battle and lost miserably, proving once and for all how weak and pathetic he is, and thus overthrown and exiled (can't execute him, this franchise is too cowardly to evolve past being milquetoast kiddie shit)? What if the rebel leader, with his dear Empoleon beside him, took his place and crowned himself emperor right then and there, to the overwhelming joy of his followers and sympathizers, dismay of his opponents, and whatever it is the player chooses to feel, because there should be a genuine undercurrent of historical, political and philosophical discussion about all of this throughout the story that encourages us to form our own thoughts and opinions about the situation?

Only for the rebel leader, the Napoleon figure, to turn out worse than the king ever was, and his close subordinates immediately going mad with their newfound power and practically destroying the country. Then they really ARE the evil team for real this time, because they became the tyrants they sought to destroy, and depending on the player's past actions, it might partially be their fault that they succeeded. Imagine the Pokémon equivalent of the fucking Reign of Terror. People and Pokémon being attacked, imprisoned, exiled (again, they're too chickenshit to kill people. Tens of thousands died during the REAL Reign of Terror). Imagine your new mission going from trying to flee Lumiose and go home (only to fail, because they won't let anyone leave outside of being formally exiled out of fear/paranoia about uncontrolled dissidents) to taking an active role against the new regime, battling police to bust innocents out of jail, reuniting families and friends torn apart by fear and force? Imagine a heated battle against the stand-in for Maximilien Robespierre to help put an end to the madness!!! What if you went to libraries and picked up newspapers and listened to the telegraph and discovered everything has been censored in some way? What if you went into houses and found depressed wives and mothers and sisters and daughters, and opened letters from the men in their families (and their Pokémon, too) who were conscripted into the Kalosian army because the Emperor is trying to wage wars against neighboring regions to fulfill territorial ambitions (which actually did happen, Napoleon's France was constantly at war, which majorly tanked the economy because all the men were sent off to die or be horrifically injured. Remember when they tried to invade Russia? Over half a million troops went, barely 1/6 of them came back)? The climax of the story + defeat of the Emperor in battle can be a nod to the Battle of Waterloo!!! The post-game can have the player looking for runaway rebels like how you hunted for the Sages in post-game Black and White! What if there was a limited time mystery gift event where you could win a ferry ticket to the island the former Emperor is imprisoned on, JUST LIKE THE ACTUAL NAPOLEON, and there was a final cutscene between you and him where you discuss everything that happened and he asserts that he did what he had to and he still believes that he was acting in Kalos's best interest!!! Because many of the revolutionaries really did think that way, they believed they were doing right by France!!! Even when they jailed and murdered thousands of innocent people!!!

But no, we don't get cool shit like that, we get AZ running a fucking inn for whatever reason and an "urban redevelopment plan" that's literally just "let the Pokémon trash half the city with zero repercussions or any consideration for the homes and businesses in the areas they overrun". What the fuck man

[rouge-the-bat]

this can be because you liked all the starters a lot, or wasnt into any of them for a gen, or whatever other reason.

if you get multiple games in a gen/replay games and choose different starters for each game/playthrough, then you can take into consideration if you had any difficulty deciding who youd have as a starter on your first playthrough.

[demonic0angel]

Pokemon x DP

Also on AO3

Danny sighed. Tucker nudged him gently as he said, "Hey! You'll be alright, it's no big deal not to get a Pokémon at 14."

"Yeah, but this is my fourth time visiting the center and this time, none of them liked me! I think they liked me less!" Danny protested.

Sam shrugged. "It's fine, stick it to the man and all that. Reject social norms. Pokémon are everywhere, maybe one of them will come to you later."

All three of them were walking to his house, because tomorrow would be the first day of school and they all wanted to have a game plan for the following years of pain and suffering.

Danny kicked at the ground, launching a pebble onto the road.

"Easy for you guys to say," he scowled. "Both of you found Pokémon from the center on your first try. And Sam, you get Pokémon from your parents.”

Tucker and Sam winced. It was true. Both of them had almost instantly found their Pokémon when they first turned 10. Sam herself had two Pokémon, an Ivysaur that she evolved on her own from the Pokémon center and a Flabébé that she got from her parents. 

It was only Danny who seemed to be struggling.

When children turned 10, it was expected that they would go to a Pokémon center to pick out their first. There were the basic starter pokemon as always, such as Bulbasaur or Pichu or Scorbunny or Piplup. If children didn’t feel a connection to any Pokémon or none of them were chosen, they could usually come back again and find another.

If that still didn’t work, then a parent or relative or someone older could always give them one or help them catch it. If they had money, they could even buy a Pokémon from a Pokémon breeder, like Dash Baxter did, who got himself a Druddigon.

For someone like Danny, who didn’t have money or any starter Pokémon, getting one on his own would be difficult.

After all, another Pokémon was needed to catch one. Otherwise, a normal person would have to fight a Pokémon with their own bare fists.

Which was unfortunately looking like what Danny would have to do if this kept going on.

Ivysaur poked her head out from where she had hiding in the backpacks and gave a soft rumble, reaching out with her vines to rub Danny's hair comfortingly.

Danny sighed and took a vine in hand, twining it around his fingers with a small smile. "Thanks, Ivy."

"Ivy!" The Pokemon chirped.

"At least your Pokémon still like me," Danny went back to grumbling. "The others seemed really afraid."

He recalled the horror and apprehension the other Pokémon had felt around him. It made him feel… sick. Seeing how they reacted, it was like he had truly become something monstrous.

"Hmm. It's probably because our Pokémon grew up around you," Tucker said with a nod. “My Pichu doesn’t react badly to you either.”

Sam's eyes widened before she leaned in closer. "Do you think it's because of... your new thing?"

Danny nodded miserably.

He had come into his ghost powers just a few weeks before the school year began, and now everything was messed up. Ghosts and ghost Pokémon had now infiltrated Amity Park and he himself had turned into some sort of unknown hybrid of both human and spirit.

He didn't know what to think. Controlling his powers were already a struggle and now he was starting high school too! In the same school as Jazz!

It was going to be torture, he already knew.

There was a tapping noise of footsteps and Danny sighed again.

Speak of the devil and she may appear.

"Danny!" A sweet voice called and Danny barely even blinked before he was pulled into a hug. Ribbons wrapped around him similarly and Danny choked as he was pressed against his sister's chest. "Did you get a Pokémon? Who is it? Let me guess, a Snivy? No, a Charmander? Maybe a Fuecoco?"

"Jazz!" He struggled and turned red as his friends all giggled under their breaths. "I can't breathe! Sylveon!"

Jazz and Sylveon both pulled back, looking down at him. Sylveon was perched on her shoulder, ribbons flowing around them both as two of them reached down to smooth down Danny's hoodie and press down his ruffled hair.

Danny glowered as both mother-hens cooed over him. "I didn't choose one."

"What!” She cried out, shocked before she quickly schooled her attention and tried to smile. Her eyes, however, were filled with pity. “Well— actually, it's fine. You still have time and I'm sure that mom and dad can get you a Pokémon too, if you'd like… it might take a while though."

Danny's eye twitched.

"Maybe I'll just catch one," Danny grumbled, tensing as his hand accidentally went through one of Sylveon's ribbons. Sylveon paused and tilted her head at him and Danny tried not to show his panic on his face. "Uhm! I gotta go! To the arcade with Sam and Tucker! So, uh, see you!"

He quickly darted away.

Jazz blinked after him and then called, "I'll let you borrow Chansey and Sylveon if you need them to catch something!"

Danny grabbed Tucker and Sam by the straps of their backpack and yanked them away.

“Change of plans!” He immediately hissed.

His friends, however, started protesting.

"Ow! Cool it, dude! Pichu is in here!"

"Hey! Calm down!"

Danny turned red again as he slowed down away from Jazz. "I think my powers showed up again. Sylveon noticed."

His friends' ire immediately turned into worry. "Oh no. Do you think she could tell Jazz?"

Danny thought about it. Sylveon was extremely loyal to Jazz, but she had also been in the house after Danny had changed and she had supposedly evolved shortly after the portal had turned on. It was like a sign of some sorts, her turning from an Eevee to a Sylveon when he had become something else too.

Jazz had been overjoyed and thankfully, did not question why Sylveon had suddenly evolved while watching over him.

Danny shivered and his breath turned into a cold mist.

“Oh no.” He looked up, where a ghost had suddenly appeared and was now terrorizing some random people. He looked at his friends, who were already staring at him with wide eyes. “Can you guys cover for me?”

Sam nodded and Tucker gave him a thumbs up.

Danny ducked into an alley with his friends, handed them his backpack, and quickly transformed before going out to fight back the ghost.

The ghost looked like some sort of zombie figure with green skin and dead eyes. It did not speak, not even making quips as it darted at people and tried to scratch them. It growled and acted viciously, trying to hurt as many people as they could. People, thankfully, were dodging or using their Pokémon as defense, but the ghost didn’t relent, even attacking the Pokémon.

“Not cool, dude!” Danny said, floating in the air. “Don’t attack other Pokémon!”

The zombie ghost looked at him with a glare but then darted off to swoop at another civilian.

Danny tried to focus on his powers, hoping to aim at the ghost and blast it out of the sky. Instead, he accidentally struck the ground where the civilian was already dodging the ghost’s attacks.

“Hey! Watch it!” The guy cried, clutching his Snubbull.

Danny winced. “Sorry!”

The guy scrambled away and the zombie ghost turned back at him again, its expression even darker.

It still didn’t approach or engage, instead, merely turning around to harass other people.

Danny scratched at his head.

Did he have to be the one to come over and attack them first?

He sighed but then flew over to try and blast it again. His powers fizzled out of control but it was too late, Danny was now in front of the zombie ghost, blocking it from attacking a small family that were still trying to escape.

“Run!” He said. “I’ll hold it back!”

Just as he shouted that, a blast of ghost powers hit him and threw him back. Danny was thrown against a tree, but somehow managed to phase through, tingling with pain but otherwise unharmed.

Danny shook it off and glared at the zombie, who was now looking at him warily.

“Oh no, you don’t! Don’t attack innocent families, or you’re going to be dead meat! Permanently!”

Danny flew back and aimed a punch. The zombie ghost dodged and then they were fighting, with Danny going on the offensive and the zombie dodging his every attempt.

Danny frowned.

Why was the ghost still not speaking? And why did it only keep dodging too?

This was unlike any other ghost he had fought.

Danny raised his hand and with a sudden burst of anger, his powers surged and then struck the zombie ghost out of the sky.

There was a very distinct, high pitched yelp that did not belong to a zombie ghost before it suddenly faded to mist, revealing something else.

A small figure dropped towards the ground, spinning out of control.

Danny’s eyes widened and he immediately flew down to catch it. When it landed in his arms, it was squirming weakly and growling at him, twisting to bite at his fingers and hands.

It was a Pokémon, one that he didn’t recognize.

It was gray with white fur on its tail and neck, wispy and tinted with red. It had yellow eyes that glared hatefully at him and despite how it wriggled and tried to get away, Danny didn’t let it go, even as it sank its fangs into his hands.

Without thinking, Danny pulled the Pokémon close to his chest and then flew over to where his friends were.

Sam and Tucker were hiding in an alley, holding onto his backpack and their Pokémon. They all stared at him when he arrived with the Pokémon in tow.

“Can one of you scan this? I don’t know what it is,” Danny said, showing them the strange creature. It was kicking at his hands and scratching and biting, but Danny didn't let go.

It didn't hurt as much as he had expected, now that he focused on it anyways.

Tucker immediately pulled out his PDA and scanned the Pokémon.

“Danny, did you catch that just now? Was it the zombie thing attacking people?” Sam asked, looking at the snapping, growling creature warily.

Danny nodded, just as the Pokédex finished the scan.

“Zorua: the Spiteful Fox Pokémon. A once-departed soul, returned to life. Derives power from resentment, which rises as energy atop its head and takes on the forms of foes. In this way, Zorua vents lingering malice,” the electronic voice monotoned from Tucker’s Pokédex-PDA combined device.

Tucker hummed and added, “It says that it’s a normal and ghost type.”

Sam gasped. “A Zorua! I know those! They’re usually called the Tricky Fox Pokémon though, and they look different.”

“It’s a ghost,” Danny said with a sudden smile. “That’s why it’s different.”

Like him, this Zorua was different. White from black, ghost from living, this Pokémon was just like him.

Suddenly, Danny knew exactly what he wanted.

“Hey,” he said, addressing the Zorua as he raised it to meet his eyes. It tried to scratch at his face but he held it slightly out of reach. “Do you want to be my Pokémon?”

The Zorua stared at him in shock, stiffening and freezing in place. Its eyes were large like dinner plates.

“I don’t have one yet, but I promise I can be a good trainer. I’ll give you food, pets, a place to sleep. I promise to treat you well.” He tried to sound as sincere and truthful as possible.

The Zorua continued staring at him.

Danny silently glanced at Sam and she wordlessly retrieved a Pokeball for him.

Danny slowly released one hand from him holding the Zorua. It didn't jump away, only staring at him as he raised the ball upwards for the Zorua to see. “If I catch you and it works, can we be partners? If it doesn’t, I’ll take you to a Pokémon center to heal and then let you go. Would that be okay?”

The Zorua didn’t say anything. It just glanced between the ball and him with a strange look. Not really knowing what to do but incredibly eager to catch it, Danny then tapped the Pokeball on its forehead and a red beam zipped out, capturing the Pokémon.

In an instant, it disappeared into the ball.

The ball shook left and right, glowing for a long, long while.

Danny held his breath. Sam and Tucker grabbed at each other in anticipation.

And then with a soft noise, the Pokeball stilled and dinged.

They all cheered like their team won the Super Bowl.

“I did it! I did it! I caught my first Pokémon!” Danny cheered, almost crying. His entire body felt limp like he had finally been released form a burden.

“You did it! You caught a Zorua!” Sam slapped his back with a grin.

Tucker whooped. “Heck yeah! That’s what I’m talking about! Dab me up!”

He and Tucker did a congratulatory handshake, grinning like maniacs. Danny then opened the Pokeball again and released Zorua, who shook its fur out with a soft, disgruntled expression.

It licked its paw and didn't meet his eyes, but Danny grinned hard enough for his face to hurt at the sight of it.

His first Pokémon.

One he caught all on his own!

He knelt on the ground, opened his arms, and said, “C’mere, boy! C’mere!”

Zorua, like before, just stared at him for a long time. And then it slowly approached.

After what felt like an eternity of anticipation, it carefully brushed against Danny’s hands.

Danny beamed and picked it up, holding Zorua close.

“I’m glad you chose me, Zorua. We’ll be the best partners ever and fight all of the ghosts!”

Zorua huffed.

Tucker remarked, “It’s kind of cute. Though how will you tell your parents? Don’t they hate ghost Pokémon?”

Sam also frowned. “Yeah, and this one looks really unique. What if someone connects the dots between you and your ghost form?”

Danny paled. He hadn’t thought about that.

His parents hated all ghosts, ghost Pokémon included. It was why Jazz had normal type Pokémon (until Sylveon evolved, at least) and why his parents had a lot of dark types, all to combat most effectively against ghosts.

It was why he hadn’t told them a thing either.

Danny nibbled on his lip in thought, his friends similarly focused on finding a solution.

But once again, Zorua seemed to be the perfect solution.

With another huff, Zorua let out a white flash and then a black with red accented fox-like Pokémon appeared.

Sam gasped, looking impressed. “Oh! It transformed into a normal Zorua!”

“Zorua are dark types, aren’t they? I think Zorua just solved your problems for you!” Tucker smirked.

Danny stared at Zorua, who looked back at him with narrowed eyes. Danny couldn’t help the slow but wide grin that spread over his face again before he reached over to pull Zorua back into a hug.

“You’re perfect,” he said, unable to help the awe in his voice as he rubbed his cheek over the tuff of fur on Zorua’s head.

Zorua growled and wriggled once, but didn’t bite or scratch him again.

Danny then de-transformed.

Zorua stared at him for a long time, studying him. Danny allowed it to look for as long as it wanted. A light filled its eyes and with a small coo, Zorua climbed onto his shoulders, where it sank its claws into his hoodie to stay on.

Danny grinned at his friends.

“Want to go to the arcade? For real this time?” He said.

“Yes! Let’s go!” Tucker cheered.

“I’ll pay for half of the coins, you pay for the other half,” Sam said with a smirk.

Danny smiled again, reaching over to stroke Zorua’s head again.

He got his first Pokémon! A Zorua, just like him, ghostly and hidden and powerful.

Best. Day. Ever!

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I still can’t draw lmao, so have this short DP fic.

Ahhhh I've been obsessing over Pokémon on and off for a while now, which is fun since my sister is also getting back into her Pokémon phase as well. (I handle the anime and books, she handles the games and cards 💀)

Things to note about this pokemon AU: + This is a DPxDC series. However, I probably won't write a DC Pokémon fic on its own, only either DP or DPxDC…. Probably. + I do not focus too hard on pokemon regions + I choose Pokémon based on a mixture of backstory, vibes, power, and aesthetic. As such, it's probably not entirely accurate to the character, but I like my choices + The DP and DC world are separated with different cultures, politics, etc, but the pokemon are the same, just in different varieties or rarities. + I tried my best to choose pokemon based on my own ideas and not others, but I unfortunately had the same brain worms as mizartz (it is only unfortunate bc I didn't want to copy them but we had the same thoughts and I was screaming crying throwing up bc I didn't want to change my choices either so fuck it), so there are a few similarities. I did try my best to be different though but if I really didn't want to change it, I just didn't. + I also try not to repeat the same Pokémon bc there are over 1000 Pokémon, if I can’t find a unique one to give to a character, frankly, I expect you guys to be disappointed in me 💀 + The characters will continue gaining more Pokémon over the series! :D Everyone gets (at least) 3 Pokémon, but some people will have 6 or more!

[would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend]

It’s time to break down the top ten pets we covered this past year before we move into the next! These pokémon would each make good house pets for most owners, and come with our official recommendation. This post will give a brief overview of what makes each candidate a top option. A little later, a separate post will provide the links to the full posts for each one. Let’s get into it!

10. Plusle and Minun

Stand-out pokémon from a type that tends to rank pretty lowly on this blog, both plusles and minuns would make good starting pets for someone interested in Electric-Type pokémon. While you’ll need to be careful of their paralyzing moves, some experts believe that these pokémons’ passive electric powers can have surprising health benefits. That being said, their ease of care isn’t the best (feeding these little friends will be more than a little expensive).

9. Piplup

Piplups have quite the reputation for being unfriendly due to their prideful, haughty attitude, but once you break through that prickly exterior they can make a great pet. They aren’t the best Water-Type pokémon in this top ten, but if you’re looking for a new aquatic friend then a piplup may be a good choice for you (so long as you don’t mind swimming in the cold!).

8. Rowlet

Pretty good year for bird-like starter pokémon! Rowlets are great fits for night owls who could spend some time on training. Plus, if you have a pest problem, a rowlet would be more than happy to help you out with it! They’re also just so unbelievable cute (maybe showing some bias there).

7. Nincada

Good news for Bug-Type fans, you’ve got two great options in the top ten this year! Nincadas are pretty low maintenance, so the barrier for entry into caring for one is perfectly low for new owners. As I discussed in their post, however, you will need to keep in mind the commitment that you take on when adopting one: this is one species of pokémon whose entire lifestyle is geared towards evolution. While I have only discussed one of their evolutions thus far (shedinja), the ease of care and threat level of these evolutions is much higher. Experienced bug-type owners won’t have a problem, but newbies would need to consider this heavily before adoption.

6. Lotad

If you’ve got access to a pool of water for a Lotad to chill in, then you’ve got just the right environment for adopting one. These guys are friendly (at least to other pokémon), easy-going, and their needs aren’t very extreme. They may not be the most energetic or “exciting” pets, but lotads are a great candidate for an aquatic pet!

5. Azumarill

Like the lotads under them in this top ten, azumarills are simultaneously easy to care for and friendly, making them a great option. Like most Water-Types that we discuss, any potential azumarill owner will need to provide them with a place to play in the water, which might not be something everyone is able to provide, but beyond that, they would make a great companion. They’re playful, caring, and cute! What else do you need?

4. Snom

My personal favorite out of the top ten, it’s another delightful bug, snom! While there isn’t a vast wealth of data about this species, given how recently they were discovered, there is plenty of indication that they would make a safe, low maintenance pet. They may not be the most expressive, but their diet of snow and relatively low threat level makes them a great candidate, so long as you don’t mind keeping your home cool.

3. Meowth

That’s right, meowths are especially the same as regular cats, making them an excellent pet! Like regular cats, these pokémon are fickle and free-wandering, but the path to their heart is quite simply paved with shiny things. Plus, as a huge bonus, look at that charming face! If you’re a cat person, you’re a meowth person.

2. Dachsbun

So long as you can keep them safe from their many potential predators, due to their sweet smell, a dachsbun would make an excellent pet. Unlike meowths, who are essentially cats, dachsbuns are much more than “just-a-dog”: are you a baker or a farmer? A dachsbun would make the perfect companion for you due to their ability to provide yeast for baking and to help plants grow with their mysterious scent.

And finally, our number one pet option of 2024 is…..

1. Teddiursa

Adorable, safe, small, and easy to care for, teddiursas would make a great pet for any owner. Their diet is made up almost entirely of honey, which is pretty easy to come by. Plus, if you provide your teddiursa with the right raw materials, they can make their own, providing for a perfect play activity that they may even share with you. Just…uh… make sure you use an everstone, and you’ve got the perfect little friend.

Thank you for another great year of blogging! I truly appreciate all the ongoing support, and I hope to be even more active in 2025. Will a non-Normal-Type pokémon finally come out on top next December? Probably not. But let's see!

[tiredspacedragon]

So we finally got a proper Legends: Z-A trailer

Saw a few other people posting their thoughts, so I figured I might as well join in because I do have a lot to say and not too many people to say it to. So here's what's going through my head looking through the trailer and website.

Long post ahead.

I was right. I told y'all and I was right and I am going to be smug about it because I said so. Present. Freaking. Day. I said the clothes in the reveal trailer proved it wasn't set in the past and I. Was. Right. Could still be time travel involved I suppose, but the majority of the game is set in the present and I am vindicated.

I wonder if the train station we arrive in, or I guess I'm just assuming this is a train station, is the same one that takes you to Kiloude in XY. Still want to know what "the usual place" is and if it has anything to do with the ghost girl.

The male protagonist kinda looks like Professor Sycamore to me. I wonder if we're gonna be a nepo baby in this game.

No gym logo on Prism Tower anymore. Which could mean anything really.

Actually a little disappointed about the "wild zones," I'd have preferred to see the Pokémon just out and about wherever. I think they may still be? But just mostly confined to these places. Bit of a bummer, not that bad.

The starter trio is...weird. I am disappointed to see that neither Snivy nor Piplup are part of it, feels like that was done on purpose just to subvert expectations. But subverted expectations don't guarantee the surprise is better, y'know? But yeah, Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile. I mean I don't dislike any of them, I'm happy to see them getting some love, they desperately need it. But having two of them be from Johto is really strange. Kanto and Hoenn probably weren't options because their starters already have Megas, but that still left Sinnoh, Alola, and Galar to pick from. So here's hoping they've just got something really good cooked up for both Meganium and Feraligatr that they just couldn't wait to show off. I'm really not sure if this game will follow in the footsteps of the previous Legends game and give us regional forms for these guys, or if they'll just get Megas instead. Both is possible, but unlikely, while just Megas feel like the most likely. Which kinda sucks because I like regional forms and would like to see more, but Kalos is the Mega region, sooo... I mean they could give these guys regional variants and then give us Megas for the Kalos starters and have us get one of them a la how we got a Mega Kanto starter in XY, but that's pure speculation. Anyway, these guys are neat, if a little odd. I like 'em fine. Also first time getting two quadrupeds in one starter trio so that's cool. Yeah Tepig's gonna stand up but it's still a first for the base forms.

Looks like the catching system works the same as it did in Arceus, which suits me just fine, because I had a lot of fun with that.

Ooh, we can go on rooftops. I notice, though, that there's no sign of catacombs yet. Still holding on to that little hope. Come on Game Freak, it's a whole game set in Poké-Paris, there have to be catacombs.

Rival picks the starter weak to yours. Lame.

Okay, so real time battles. That is...very interesting. I doubt this will become a series staple, at least in the mainline games. The turn-based Pokémon metagame is far too deep, intricate, and honestly well-crafted for them to just throw it out, but it is a neat idea for a pseudo side game like this. The faster pace will make the battles less methodical, less about taking your time and coming up with strategy and more about thinking on your feet, which could be a neat challenge. And I'm looking forward to seeing how certain moves' mechanics change in relation to this new system. The above screenshot, for example, shows a Lucario using Protect, which is normally not a very good move for playthroughs as it doesn't do much in most single battles other than waste a turn, but now in this game it will be invaluable. Being able to completely block an enemy attack without worrying about dodging and repositioning is incredible. It looks like each move is on a cooldown timer too, so you can't just hammer away with the same move over and over again. Guess that keeps the battles more dynamic. Also I wonder if this means they'll do away with PP. More powerful moves may just take longer to recharge. Hmm. There's a lot more I could say here, but I don't want this post to go on forever. Still this is neat, especially since I've been musing a lot lately on the differences between battles in the games vs how they're depicted in the anime and such.

I see the player character still has a dodge roll, so I assume the Pokémon can still kill us? Hope so, that was a big part of the fun last time.

So Mega Pokémon are all permanently iridescent now? I...actually don't mind that, it looks kinda nice. Sorta reminds me of the Terastallization crystallized effect. Pretty. Also I like the new bronze-coloured Mega Ring. Also pretty.

So the CEO is evil, right? That's kinda the way these things work in Pokémon. Of course it could be a double bluff and she's actually chill because they know we're expecting that trope by now, but we'll see. The big manly man secretary with the Pancham and Buneary hair ornaments in his man bun is cute though.

They put AZ in a SUIT?? Man looks clean! Like he even washed his hair! And he's smiling! He recovered and he's actually happy! Oh you love to see it. Still though, my guy, I get that you're three meters tall, but you live in Poké-Paris. You could have found a tailor. So I guess the stitched together clothes are a fashion statement.

Also we are so getting that Floette.

I never noticed that Zygarde 10% has a butthole before. A hexagonal one at that.

Looks like some parts of the city are still under construction. There's scaffolding up. That's cool, adds more of a 3D element to the environment. I do like climbing things.

Also, speaking of the city, it's split into five sections, and now they're all colour-coded. Which is kinda funny looking, but I mean I'm here for it. The colours match the plazas Lumiose had in XY that were named after colours...almost. The red section is where Magenta Plaza should be, and the section where Rouge Plaza should be is a very pale pink. So did they change the order, or are these colours someone's very mixed up idea of what magenta and red look like?

Okay so the rival is the protagonist you didn't pick with a palette swap and wardrobe change. That's cool, it's been a while since we've seen that. I mean I guess Arceus did it, but that was to match DP having Lucas and Dawn appear in game. The last time it happened with totally new characters was...XY. Huh. And of course changing their look is totally new. The names are a little goofy though. Urbain and Taunie. Sometimes Pokémon can be subtle with the protagonists' and rivals' names, but Urban and Townie here are not an example of that.

Speaking of, no names for the protags yet, but they are totally new designs, not makeovers of Calem and Serena, at least not obviously. I wonder if they'll be referenced at all. I highly doubt either will actually appear, but some mention of "the hero who stopped Team Flare x years ago" would be pretty standard Pokémon fare.

It is interesting how things in the wild zones seem to have just been left as they are. Like they weren't cleared out or turned into parks, there are cars left crooked on the side of the road and tables and chairs abandoned where they sat. I wonder if that's going to be a point of tension in the plot, people opposing the redevelopment plan because they were forced out of their homes. Seems unlikely for Pokémon to get into anything like that too deeply, but they may touch on it. Why do they look like that?

Sooo that's a Chikorita that knows Disarming Voice, which it cannot learn by any means in the mainline games. I smell a Grass/Fairy Meganium form in our future. Mega or regional, whichever. Tepig is shown using Rollout and Totodile is shown to know Bite, but both of them learn those moves normally, so that's no guarantee of Rock or Dark types for them. Fairy moves are new for Chikorita though, very very new.

Either that is the world's tiniest Onix, or Pokémon won't be properly scaled in this game. Again :/ Come on guys, you made it work last time. Yeah, visible size variation has been a thing in the last couple games, so maybe there's hope, but that itty bitty Onix sucks to see.

Okay hold up. Bottom right corner. It looks like Mega Evolution is on a timer. Don't tell me it just ends after that runs out. Oh I don't like that. Not at all. The whole point of Mega Evolution is that it's once per battle but it lasts the entire battle. That better not mean it only lasts until that timer runs out, that just makes it reskinned Dynamax. But I don't know what else that could mean. Ugh. Not a fan of that, no sir.

LOOKER BUREAU SPOTTED!!! Oh please tell me we get to check in on Emma. I would love that.

Okay, so this is the last thing shown in the trailer. A logo showing what looks to be the Prism Tower with a Poké Ball atop it, just after the text, "PROMOTION MATCH ANNOUNCEMENT." So what I would assume that means is that there are some kind of promotional battles, maybe a tournament, being held in Prism Tower? Possibly to fund the redevelopment project? I expect they'll use this to have a bunch of old characters show up with updated designs, which I love, so consider me stoked.

[april]

I beat Pokémon Platinum!

living national dex complete ✅ and thus marks the end of my adventure... let me recount the whole tale...

Star no.1: The Platinum Flag

This part of the story is not exciting. I had to talk to my Diamond player character in the underground 32 times to catch Spiritomb, and while I was doing that I also stole my own flag until I got to 50. Very boring. I did need to do this one first though, as I needed Spiritomb for a certain egg move for...

Star no.2: Master Rank Super Contests

Doing Pokémon Contests again was fun! I only needed to win the one category to get the trainer card star, but I also wanted to collect the trophies, so I did all five of them. Poffins were obtained from the Veilstone Dept. Store because making good poffins on your own is literally impossible.

I selected my Pokémon based on their movesets, generally opting for one move that works well when performed first, one move that works well when performed last, one move with unconditional high appeal. The last move depends heavily on the category, being either another unconditional high-appeal move or something with the potential to earn even more hearts.

COOL Magnezone: Spark / Zap Cannon / Discharge / Natural Gift

BEAUTY Froslass: Powder Snow / Ice Fang / Blizzard / Ice Shard

CUTE Whiscash: Water Gun / Snore / Return / Frustration

CLEVER Dusclops: Astonish / Night Shade / Shadow Punch / Faint Attack

TOUGH Magmar: Smog / Strength / Lava Plume / Rock Smash

Star no.3: The Hall of Fame

I beat Cynthia. This part of the story is also not exciting. I suppose one noteworthy thing is that I did not use any Pokémon with Ice-type moves, so my strategy of choice to bring down her Garchomp was to teach Draco Meteor to my Giratina.

Oh, and I guess I should mention Manaphy. I played through Pokémon Ranger prior to this to get the Manaphy Egg, which I then transferred to and hatched in Platinum to use throughout the main game. Tail Glow and Surf is a wonderful combination.

Star no.4: The Battle Tower

I've basically told this part of the story already through various posts on this blog, but as a recap: inspired by my Emerald Battle Frontier team of Salamence / Milotic / Snorlax, I thought that singles were best beaten with a fast Choice sweeper in the front, with one physical and one special tank in the back for switching in. So, I put together a team of Garchomp / Forretress / Tyranitar.

This did not work. The physical/special split meant that there were physical moves that are super effective against my physical tank, and special moves that are super effective against my special tank.

But, I noticed something. When Tyranitar did wall a special attacker successfully and got set up with a few Dragon Dances, it was pretty much unstoppable. Then, I remembered that DPPt introduced the Focus Sash, and that I could trivialise growing EV-lowering berries using mulch, so I respec'd my Tyranitar into a Focus Sash lead.

Garchomp had already proven itself in the Battle Hall, which left me with Forretress to swap out. I needed a third sweeper, but what? Well, I had all these recreated event distribution ROMs on my R4 (courtesy of piplupness), so... let's try the Oblivia Heatran with a Choice Scarf and see how powerful Eruption can really be.

And that worked. Tyranitar / Heatran / Garchomp got me to the gold Battle Tower print on its first run, and then to 105 wins on its second run! Still took a while, and a lot of checking Bulbapedia and the Battle Tree Damage Calculator, but we got there.

Star no.5: The National Pokédex

I was gonna say this part is not interesting either, but I guess I did it in a sort of noteworthy way? I did it without cheating in any Pokémon and without any transfers from RSE or FRLG. I knew that this was possible from my combing over Serebii years ago, but now I've actually proven it by doing it.

Murkrow, Misdreavus, Trapinch, and Clamperl lines: obtainable in Diamond & Pearl

Johto starters and Johto legendaries: obtainable in HeartGold & SoulSilver (obviously)

Mewtwo: also obtainable in HGSS, glad they weren't faithful to GSC in that regard...

Hoenn legendaries (minus regis): also obtainable in HGSS!

The Kanto & Hoenn starters are also obtainable from HGSS, and I chose Charmander and Torchic in SoulSilver. But, I didn't want to play either version more than once, so I... forked my HeartGold save after beating Red in order to get Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Treecko, and Mudkip all with the same OT. It's fine, don't worry about it.

Now, if I didn't have access to a fateful encounter Regigigas at this point, I would have been stuck there. But wait, I did! I already told you about the recreated distribution ROMs. The movie Regigigas was the key to the final three missing Pokémon—Regirock, Regice, and Registeel.

I caught them today, and now my journey is complete.

Living dex screenshots under the cut ↓↓↓

[sillyguysss]

AGS Pokémon teams

All generations but no legendaries/mythicals. I looked at both aesthetic and Pokédex entries (for the entire line ) and sometimes I just made up some neat story reason or any combination of the three. I'll explain my reasons for all. Also I'll be making a pre Nibelheim Sane!Seph team.

Genesis Team

•• Delphox ••

I wanted AGS to all have a starter and giving Genesis a fire starter was a no brainer. Of the fire starters I felt like Delphox -a Fennekin when he originally picks it out- would appeal to him the most just aesthetic wise.

•• Alohan Persian ••

This would be Genesis second Pokémon because it's the family pet! Meowth are known to be pets to rich people and for the exotic feel his parents bought an Alohan Meowth specifically. They are smart and prideful and it basically instantly decided Genesis was it's favourite person in the household. When Genesis leaves the home to go tackle the Gym challenge the Meowth followed him until he finally relented and took it along.

•• Froslass ••

Now, this one's fun. Froslass Pokédex entry mentions that it freezes people and displays them as decorations, but they apparently only go after men they think are handsome. Cue a Froslass trying to freeze Genesis to death and Genesis -instead of having the reasonable reaction of get the fuck away from me- takes it as a compliment and makes the Froslass part of his team.

•• Ninetails ••

Ninetails is 'very smart and very vengeful' which are words one could use to describe Genesis and also it's pre evolution Vulpix: 'If it is attacked by an enemy that is stronger than itself, it feigns injury to fool the enemy and escapes.' That's a thing Genesis has literally done in canon, so how could I not give him this pretty fox?

•• Tsareena ••

First of all, this Pokémon is canonically pretty af. It's used as a mascot for beauty brands. It also 'has an aggressive personality and cackles every time it kicks an opponent'. That just feels like the sort of Pokémon Genesis would have, what can I say?

•• Gardevoir ••

This one is mainly for the aesthetic/vibe of it, but it's also extremely loyal which I think is something Genesis could value. So he gets a Gardevoir to round out his team.

Angeal's Team

•• Chestnaught ••

Once again, the grass starter feels like a no brainer, Chestnaught specifically though because it protects people using it own body, which seems like a very Angeal thing

•• Sirfertch'd ••

This is maybe the most Angeal Pokémon on the team. It's a noble Pokémon, that always makes a point out of fighting fair. It also eats it's own weapon (it's a leek) and if that isn't the height of being frugal and cheap I don't know what is.

•• Kangaskhan ••

Look this mostly for the Mothergeal jokes, but even aside that I can see him admire a Pokémon that is so fully dedicated to caring and protecting it's young. Protect the weak and all that

•• Bastiodon ••

It's whole thing is protecting people. It's face is quite literally a shield and it's also mild tempered so it's giving gentle giant to me, which is a perfect fit for Angeal.

•• Dachsbun ••

Of course Angeal needs at least one Dog. I ended up with Dachsbun, because not only is it a cute little dog, it's also food themed and Angeal does love cooking.

•• Togekiss ••

It hatches from an egg, it's a friendship evolution Togepi stores joy in it's shell and Togekiss doesn't like fighting. It just feels like it fits in and would make such a sweet addition to the team.

Sephiroth's Team

•• Empoleon ••

I struggled the most with giving our favourite baby a starter, especially because he was kinda left with water, but I ended on the Empoleon line. Piplups Pokédex entry mentions that it doesn't like being taken care of and might give it's Trainer a hard time and is hard to bond with. I like the Idea of Miniroth needing to take care of a Pokémon like that, with Genesis and Angeal often remarking just how alike Sephiroth and Piplup are.

•• Absol ••

Absol gets mischaracterized as a doom bringer, because it always appears right before disaster strikes. Thing is, it only wants to warn people, but it's severely misunderstood. I totally see Sephiroth empathising with such a lonely Pokémon.

•• Maroawk ••

Look, Cubone/the Maroawk line was the most obvious choice. For the uninitiated, this Pokémon wears it's dead mother's skull, crying because it misses it's mother so much. That's canon, I'm not lying. Anyway yeah, as soon as Sephiroth would come across one he would relate and take in the little fella.

•• Lapras ••

So, this one is partly because I think a gentle calming Pokémon like Lapras -which can also understand human speech- would be really nice and healing for Sephiroth and also because of the circumstances of how I imagine they meet. See, Sephiroth's Cubone sometimes cries trough the night.(Angeal and Genesis and basically all Pokémon complain regularly) In nights like that Sephiroth tends to stay up with Cubone, often getting a bit melancholic about his own mother. In one of those nights a nearby Lapras sings and the song calms both Sephiroth and the crying Cubone. He thanks the Lapras and it ends up joining! No more sleepless nights! (Lapras also used to be endangered and again, Sephiroth relates to Pokémon that are in lonely in some kind of way)

•• Mimikyu ••

This is our third and final entry on 'Lonely Pokémon Sephiroth relates too'. Mimikyu hides under a disguise meant to be cute, in an attempt to get closer to other Pokémon and people. This thing is so lonely it tries to be something it's not. Look Sephiroth would absolutely take in a stray Mimikyu and show it it's loved.

•• Altaria ••

Another case of 'I read the Pokédex and had a vision™'. See swablu (the first stage of altaria) is known to just land on people's heads and pretend to be a fluffy hat. Please Imagine this little fluffy cloud thing landing on Sephiroth's head pretending to be a hat. Imagine. And now tell me he wouldn't immediately fall in love. Altaria also wraps it's wings around people it cares for and hums, and I think I'd be cute if it and Lapra sing together.

And that's all of AGS Pokémon teams. I had a great time doing thing so if you want to see other people's team just tell me!

[godisasimp]

Pokemon present :

Mobile games idc about.

SHINY MELOETTA BUT NOT SHINY VICTINI? STILL KEEPING THAT ONE UNOBTAINABLE??? EVEN IN FUCKING POKEMON GO????? WHY THE FUCK????

Oh fuck yeah Arceus expansion in TCG pocket (i won't be opening it because I'm still trying to get rainbow borders mew and 2* mew full art)

Irl TCG new expansion (maybe this one won't be like traumatic evolutions (who am i kidding?))

Random ass SV events.

Latin America language added, that's OBJECTIVELY very cool and probably the best thing of this present (lol)

New game very cool, thank god Tera and megas are separated... I can't imagine how a Tera-flying Adamant Focus band max attack +6 atk Mega-Rayquaza would do the universe...

Now onto ZA :

Chikorita, Tepig and Totodile... Sure is a lineup? I'm not too fond of any of these guys so pretty sad, rip Snivy and Piplup you were literally french coded and still lost to fucking Chikorita and Totodile (the literal Napoléon pokemon didn't make it as a starter how the fuc-). Also : 2 johto starters????? What?????

No new megas, form or mon shown (i will mention that the only mega charizard shown was X, rip Y lovers (me) (that or i am blind and stupid)), pretty sad, i was expecting at least one or the legendaries, but nothing.

Talking about forms :

SHE'S FINALLY OUT OF "scrapped content" JAIL AFTER OVER A DECADE OH MY GOD.

If she's shiny locked I'm killing all of game freak.

Overall : meh. 7/10 present, shorter than i thought and no new mons shown.

[glitchfang]

As someone who hasn't watched pokeani in 9 million years. What's wrong with Ash's gible?

sorry, idk if you meant it like this exactly but my first thought when reading this ask was like “did gible do anything problematic?” which is a very funny mental image to me. he called me a slurc that’s why i hate him.

the tldr is petty childhood beef ive played up for years so that my friends can bully me about it because theyre MEAN!!!!

the long version is that, imo, gible completely fucks up that last year of the show. its inclusion is not nearly as offensive as ambipom’s sendoff, but it’s still pretty bad writing.

see, a huge emotional part of that last half of the show is ash’s bond with his team vs paul’s harsh approach, and ash having to prove paul wrong about his abusive behavior because paul’s the kind of asshole who’s like “facts don’t care about your feelings.” the biggest example of this is the lake acuity battle vs the league: its emphasized kinda hard that ash is dedicated to bringing out the best in his team as they are, while paul is willing to toss his pokemon aside like they’re nothing.

so why the fuck did they remove gliscor before that if her inclusion is apparently so important to the themes here, and replace her with an unfunny writers pet gible

“oh emery, it’s not a writer’s pet, its an animal” YES IT IS they won’t shut the fuck up about how awesome this gible is and how it can take down legendaries apparently?? but like most of its appearances are just dicking around failing draco meteor and doing a really unfunny bit where it keeps hurting piplup. (which also paved the way for the “black sheep” starter trend they did with oshawott and chespin in bw and xy. i hated that trend)

it feels like such a meanspirited character because most of its bit is just hurting piplup and no one caring because “ha ha piplups the stupid one” (there are numerous episodes where piplup is unnecessarily targeted and the moral is that piplup should shut up and deal with it because hes annoying. it gets old really fast) and they put off his improvement until the very end, so by then gible has completed a journey thats usually covered in the first half of the arc, and has just been incredibly unlikable the whole time

people keep defending it because “it’s ash’s first dragon!” and “gliscor was weak and it needed the extra training!” but that first one wouldve been way more satisfying if his first dragon was goomy, sorry not sorry, and it’s also just a crappy first dragon to give him if its not even gonna be relevant to ash’s emotional arc AND its delegated to a running gag where it doesnt actually accomplish anything impressive

and the second critique sucks because?? it feels like people just missed the whole point of the league battle? that ash put work and love into his current team because he believes in them? so why is gliscor shipped off to be trained with Some Guy while ash dicks around with a gible who’s not even gonna be relevant enough for the finale?? it weakens the league battle for me. gliscor’s win against drapion was cool, yeah, but wouldn’t it have been more satisfying if gliscor actually trained for this battle and earned it onscreen??

and i do hate to be that guy. but he should’ve evolved it. gible looks so awkward and out of place as the last team member. he is not part of the gang.

anyways yeah it mostly comes down to gible replacing my favorite character for cheap meanspirited jokes. and also fucking up the writing in an arc i really like, but it’s mostly the first thing.

[drivingmebonkas]

Favourite Pokemon Starters

Sooooo, i know I'm (very, extremely) late to the party but I've been checking out the pokemon games and they look fun! I try buying one on switch soon, I'm still deciding which.

But for now I'm having fun looking at all the starters. They're so cute! 💕 And because I feel like it, I'm gonna show off my faves from each generation of starters. Share yours too! I'm curious!

Generation I (Kanto) - Bulbasaur - Grass/Poison

They're a cutie and I love the grass/poison mix. Their evolution stages are cool too. They say the last evolution is a Venusaur but honestly that plant looks more like a corpse plant to. I like them either way. (the middle one is Ivysaur) They start of so cute and then they get so chonky. And they keep they're lil kitty ears XD.

Generation II (Johto) - Chikorita - Grass

I'm not gonna lie, it was a really hard choice between this one and Cyndaquil, but its critter/dinosaur appearance and herbal abilities one me over. It really is adorable.

Its leaf sense temperature and humidity which it uses to find a nice, sunny napping spot. Like a cat! And other pokemon like to sleep with it, partially due to that and partially because its leaf and flower gives off a calm and relaxing scent.

Generation III (Hoenn) - Mudkip - Water

This little one is full of cute critter vibes. One of the reasons I like this one above the other two is that even levelled up it looks like a cool animal instead of some weirdly humanoid thing. It's just a matter of personal taste there. Mudkip becomes Marshstomp becomes Swampert. They all look so happy XD

But it wins on its own ability too. Apparently they're surprisingly strong for their size, even able to crush boulders. I love the imagery of that. I also like how its head fin acts as a radar. And it stops self-destructive attempts from opponents. I also like that we can find it in mud and swamps instead of rivers and oceans. That's fun. We could take mud baths together XD

Generation IV (Sinnoh) - Turtwig - Grass

This little one isn't just cute and snuggly, it becomes huge. As it grows it starts to give off solarpunk and earth golem vibes. Some real high fantasy stuff there. Mythical stuff too. I love it.

It's shell is helpful too, saving you from a critical hit to avoid total obliteration. And I mean, come on, It's a turtle/tortoise. Who doesn't love those. Though I'll admit Piplup was a very close second.

Generation V (Unova) - Tepig - Fire

Cutiepie to lil wrestler (Pignite) to sumo (Emboar). I like this one, it's so cool, lookit his belly band decals. I know this one probably counts as humanoid but the boar vibes are stronger so whatever. I'd like to hug him but it'd probably be a bear hug, so....

It's thick fat gives it protection against Ice and Fire moves so that'd definitely be handy. It loves berries and is very fast. RIP to anyone who has to catch a runaway.

Generation VI (Kalos) - Chespin - Grass

It's such a little cutie. It grows from a tiny cutie to plushie to a huge juggernaut with mecha vibes and I love it. It looks so cuddly. This choice gives "I won't start a fight, but I'll sure end them" vibes.

Apparently if you feed the Chespin a bunch of berries it's shell hardens (another berry lover, they must be amazing). And it's little spikes are usually soft unless they're up in defense, like a hedgehog. So that's cool. They seem fun.

Generation VII (Alola) - Rowlet - Grass/Flying

I mean, come on, just look at him. Rowlet starts off a cute and cuddly plushie, evolves into the smart professor looking Dartrix, then turns into a fancy cloaked grumpy teenager Decidueye. And it can fly! They're even nocturnal like me. How much better can it get?

Generation VIII (Galar) - Grookey - Grass

Monkey! And he becomes a gorilla! I love the middle stage's name, Rillaboom. They love rhythm, tapping their sticks and music. We can play drums together Grookey! Let's have fun! He can also make grass terrain and help flowers grow, so that's sweet too. Very useful XD

Generation IX (Paldea) - Fuecoco - Fire

They're fire crocodiles! And they're cute. It's funny how the second evolution, Crocalor, is an egghead, and the third evolution, Skeledirge, is just plain cool. Their warmed scales must be snuggly in winter. And this bit here.

Fuecoco is laid-back and does things at its own pace. It enjoys eating, and it will rush towards any food it sees.

is just plain relatable. Fuecoco gets me.

Total Type Stats!

Fire - 2

Grass - 6

Water - 1

Special - 2 (Poison & Flying)

I guess that spells out my preferences pretty clearly huh 😅

What about you guys? What do you like?

[imthepunchlord]

So what do you think of the Starters for Pokemon AZ?

A little surprising. Mainly that we got two Jhotos. I was expecting starters from 3 different gens. I am curious if there's a reason that Chikorita and Totodile were chosen instead of some other starter. Which, maybe they decided they just wanted to knock out doing something with the Jhoto starters?

Which, does that mean Snivy will be a starter in the next Legends game, to knock out doing a different spin on the Unova starters? And will Litten or Popplio be with it, since we got a start on the Alola starters?

But yeah I'm curious if there's a reason. Not opposed to them, but it is a little odd.

I'm also curious to see if we'll get regional evolutions, megas, or both for these guys. Considering it's the modern day and potentially a sequel to XY (though I've seen some theorize this is an alternate timeline), I would bet megas are more likely, but we'll see. Who knows at this point.

Which, part of me does hope for regionals as I want to see how these guys will get French fried.

That was part of the fun for the Arceus starters, as they took some that weren't aesthetically oriental, and did a more oriental spin for them.

With Samurott being the slightly odd exception as it was already an oriental themed pokemon. It got visually more wicked looking, but less really changed up for it, while Typhlosion and especially Decidueye got more changes to them.

Which, if the idea for Legend starters to get adjusted for the region, that could be why the popular expectation of Snivy and Piplup weren't included, because they're already very French. Not a lot of ways to really change up Serperior and Emopoleon.

Which Blaziken could've been French fried, but maybe they decided against given it already got a mega in XY, and it could've been a 2nd Charizard that no one would've been crazy about.

But Meganium, Feraligatr, and Emboar? Those could be French fried and get a whole new look to them, a whole new spin.

Chikorita may gain the fairy type, so maybe they'll do something more with perfume and aromatherapy (and Spritzee won't be the only fairy tied to scent). They may also do something with the fleur de lis.

Tepig could have something working off food, given pork is popular in France, and notably Tepig I think is tied to cooking berries. Or maybe it'll join Lechonk in playing off "lipstick on a pig" cause fashion.

Totodile, I've heard some interesting theories from Lockstin.

One of which is gator in the sewers where France has the most famous, the Catacombs.

And a funny idea of Feraligatr becoming a fashionista, given crocodile skin was used in fashion, and a major fashion company in Paris has the logo of a crocodile. It's also funny to picture caveman themed Croconaw becoming fashionable Feraligatr.

I've also seen suggestions of them being a fantasy trio, the princess (Meganium), the knight (Emboar), and the dragon (Feraligatr).

Either way, very curious. I am super happy to see Chikorita have a 2nd chance and may get some more love, as it seems like the most beaten down starter.

[strontiumsun]

Ahead of Pokemon Day, I'm throwing out my Pokemon Legends Z-A starter predictions:

Snivy, that evolves into a Grass/Steel Serperior

Litten, that evolves into a Fire/Fairy Incineroar

And either Piplup, that evolves into a Water/Ghost Empoleon OR Sobble, that evolves into a Water/Poison Inteleon

Color palette from here.

Theory-crafting after the cut!

Snivy

I mentioned on my Serperior art that I think this Pokemon is a shoo-in for Z-A. It's literally based on French nobility. Aside from its design, I think Serperior is deserving of another form with more min-maxed stats. Competitively, Serperior lives and dies by its Contrary ability. Without it, it's base 75 Special Attack is wholly unimpressive. It's fast, somewhat bulky and weak. It can do better!

I'd like to see a Grass/Steel Serperior that wields itself like a rapier or epee. I'd redistribute its Special Defense and Special Attack points into Attack and Defense, and keep the speed, making it a physically defensive fast attacker. With Swords Dance, Leaf Blade, Sacred Sword and Smart Strike - or a new Steel-type signature move - plus its great options like Coil, Leech Seed and Glare, I could see this being a very effective Pokemon in competitive.

Litten

I didn't so much choose Litten as it became the only viable option. Emboar is ruled out because of Snivy; Charizard and Blaziken are ruled out because they have Megas; Skeledirge is too soon. That left Infernape, Incineroar and Cinderace, and of the three I feel Incin has the most potential.

Incineroar may be the most popular and effective support Pokemon in doubles, but it's no secret this Pokemon isn't great in singles. A new Incineroar form based on singles, with an equally busted ability as Intimidate, could be pretty cool.

Theme-wise, I like how Litten is a black cat, reminding me of this famous French poster. As for Incineroar, I think a Fire/Fairy clown or mime-inspired design would rock. Alolan Incin is a wrestler with a heel persona who secretly has a heart of gold; Kalosian Incin could have the appearance of a cheerful clown but really be quite sinister. It would be an interesting juxtaposition.

Stats-wise, Incin's speed is the main issue, but making it bulkier could offset that. I'd gut its Special Attack and move those points into more bulk. I'd also give it Recover so it can act more like a wall with an amazing defensive typing, and Trick to cause havoc by switching items. Flare Blitz, U-Turn and Knock Off would stay in its moveset, with the addition of Play Rough or another new signature Fairy STAB. Now imagine if it had an ability like Magic Bounce. Scary!

Piplup

Piplup seems like an obvious choice... which is why I'm not all in on it. I'm worried that two Pokemon with similar vain personalities based on French rulers in one starter trio might be too much overlap.

If Piplup does get in, I'd like to see a Water/Ghost type Empoleon. Imagine a hazard-setting spin blocker with Competitive. That would be pretty OP.

Sobble

Sobble is my least favorite Pokemon. I despise this creature. But Inteleon really needs something more in its kit to help it stand out from other Water type attackers. I could see it being used to represent the gentleman thief Arsène.

Water/Poison is the type I'd like to see and one I've seen cool concept art for. Kalosian Inteleon could be a fast pivot with the ability to disrupt the battlefield. I'd give it some kind of signature Poison type move that sets Sticky Web, plus Mortal Spin so it can remove its hazards on its side of the field. Stats-wise, I'd move its attack into Special Defense, retaining its high speed and special attack. Kind of like a more potent attacker version of Tentacruel.

[heavenlyhoundoom]

Me roasting Sinnoh.

Turtwig: The most forgettable grass starter.

Grotle: Why aren't you ground type!?

Torterra: The weight of the world must weigh heavily on your back.

The cimchar line: Monkey...

Piplup: Noot noot!

Prinplup: Are the growths on your face painful?

Empoleon: The short king pokemon.

Starly: I don't see any stars on you.

Staravia: The fact that I can't think of any way to roast you shows how forgettable you are.

Staraptor: AKA, the emo bird.

Bidoof: I'll give you some respect for creating such a cult following.

Bibarel: How does it feel to be the most commonly used HM slave?

Kricketot: I think you're wearing your bib backwards.

Kricketune: And the reward for most ridiculous cry goes to...

Shinx: Holy shinx, I can't believe you're not a lion pokemon.

Luxio: Looks like this cat's going through an emo phase.

Luxray: The "why isn't this dark type" pokemon.

Budew and Roserade: Why were neither put in the same generation as your middle evolution?

Cranidos and Rampardos: Talk about total egg head.

Shielding and Bastiodon: How are either of you able to balance with those heavy shields on your face?

Burmy: You look really goofy without your cloak.

Wormadam: You can either have "Bigger Bush, Pizza slice, or "Why is this steal type? "

Mothim: How's stealth rock going for you?

Combee and Vespiquen: Finally, some bee pokemon that actually look like bees.

Pachirisu: Hide your seedots.

Buizel and Flotzels: I think these two got lost on their way to Sega.

Cherubi: The fact that the big cherry has to eat the small cherry to evolve is kinda fucked up.

Cherrim: Remember when this pokemon was impossible to catch in Legends Arceus?

Shellos and Gastrodon: Why do both forms have such beef with each other?

Ambipom: Ah, yes. The first of the many cross gen evolutions added to make weak pokemon stronger.

Drifloon: This pokemon is the definition of hide your kids.

Drifblim: Ah, a blimp, how scary!/s

Buneary: Its fur looks like it would make some top notch earmuffs.

Lopunny: This pokemon definitely wouldn't pass the censors nowadays.

Mismagius: This pokemon is the Whitney's miltank of the Paldea region.

Honchkrow: This pokemon takes the term neck beard too literally.

Glameow: Why would you give a cat eyeliner?

Purugly: Why are people calling this the ugliest pokemon when Loudred exists!?

Chingling: The first of the handful of random baby baby pokemon that were showhorned into gen 4.

Stunky and Skuntank: The fart joke pokemon.

Bronzor and Bronzong: These two have to be the most forgettable pokemon from gen 4.

Bonsly: Look ma, no hands!

Mime Jr: Was this pokemon really necessary?

Happiny: Why was this one of Brock's pokemon when it's not even rock type?

Chatot: Remember when you could make this pokemon swear?

Spirtomb: How does it feel having the fairy type take away your gimmick of having no weaknesses?

The gible line: I exist, so I must bite.

Munlax: Excuse me, but the Muppet show is auditioning in the other room.

Riolu: It is more useful than most baby pokemon.

Lucario: Gamer's first fur bait pokemon.

Hippoptas: How was Ash able to carry one on his head!?

Hippowdon: I wonder how many people mistook the female version for a shiny.

Skorupi: Sure, let's remove any scary aspect of a scorpion. Why not?

Darapion: Do the arms coming out of your head hurt?

Crogunk and Toxicroak: One Psybeam and you're dead.

Carnivine: It's incredibly ironic that this pokemon is weak to bug types despite also eating them.

Finneon and Lumineon: 💤💤💤

Mantyke: I can't get over how this pokemon looks high off its ass.

Snover: One ember and you're dead.

Abomasnow: I wonder if people decorate this pokemon for Christmas.

Weavile: Look at this Shadow the hedgehog wannabe.

Magnezone: I'm surprised this pokemon doesn't have levitate as one of its abilities.

Lickilicky: It's ironic that your tounge's shorter than your pre evolution's.

Ryperior: Insert Rhyferior joke here.

Tangrowth: This pokemon looks like it would be used by hippies.

Electivire: The electric yeti.

Magmortar: It looks like it has an easter egg for a body.

Togekiss: This pokemon has been arrested for joy dust trafficking.

Yanmega: This looks like it could be dragon/bug type.

Leafeon: Photosynthesis....Photosynthesis....

Glaceon: It's sucks that you can't get this pokemon until really late into the game.

Mamoswine: Mmm prehistoric bacon...

Porygon-Z: This is why you don't download Windows on your Porygon2.

Gallade: You know you only exist so that insecure men don't have to worry about their male gardevoirs making them question their precious sexualities, right?

Probopass: This pokemon is smashing.

Frolass: And you only exist to make the reason gallade exists less obvious.

Rotom: It's name is just Motor backwards.

Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf: These pokemon look more like mythicals than legendaries.

Dialga: So are they friends or enemies with Celebi?

Palkia: The "why is this water type" pokemon.

Hetran: Why was this pokemon the first legendary to have a gender ratio?

Regigigas: The pokemon with the most crippling ability.

Giratina: It has a worm form.

Cresselia: The most beautiful rubber ducky.

Phione: The most unnecessary mythical.

Manaphy: Why was this given a baby pokemon?

Dakrai: Definition of "Ow, the edge".

Shaymin: This looks like a chia pet.

Arceus: You'd think this pokemon would be a legendary rather than a mythical.

[kohakhearts]

goh starter trio meta perhaps? i was ensnared by the goh-scorbunny parallel subpoint in the cubone meta bc i'm making myself unwell thinking about how scorbunny latching on to goh and goh latching on to ash.... but also more generally, sobble's whole thing and the absolute tearjerker drizzile evolution episode, and goh's weird ass dream about his rillaboom parents and then waking up to baby grookey clinging to his arm, you get it, i know you're galaxy brained about this

YESSS I AM *SO* GLAD YOU ASKED!!

so my tl;dr here is that all of the galar starters represent something about goh specifically relating to his childhood. their growth and eventual evolution (or lack thereof!) therefore serve to highlight his character development (as an aside, i think this is a very common theme in anipoke. ash's pikachu not evolving speaks to the fact that ash's growth isn't about becoming someone new but about staying true to himself and embracing a battle style that reflects the creative ingenuity that, in the early os, other characters mocked him for. similarly, dawn's piplup chooses not to evolve because it doesn't want to change how things are between them. does this not seem fitting for the partner of someone like dawn, who has always admired her mother so much that she never even considering doing something other than following in her footsteps? i'm sure there are other examples, but these seem to me the most obvious ones!).

let's break down each one, then!

scorbunny

when we meet scorbunny, goh is still determined that mew will be his first pokemon. this is a point of stubbornness that, while impressive and arguably kind of admirable, is frankly kind of stupid. how is he supposed to get to mew without any pokemon to help him? there's an interesting implication in this resolution, which jn004 and jn005 really highlight for us - goh isn't comfortable with having a pokemon. he knows a lot about them, is interested in researching them, but as far as the bond between pokemon and trainer goes, i don't think he feels prepared for that. it's easier to pick a target that is far from reasonably attainable for him at this point, especially since he does have some history with mew - didn't it take an interest in him? didn't it give him a reason to chase after it?

so meeting scorbunny, he's obviously not thinking about catching it. but he lies to the guy at the scone stand, in an interesting parallel to how scorbunny steps in to protect the nickit. he doesn't even seem to know why he does it. but just before that scene, he sees scorbunny wipe some of the dirt off its face. he doesn't get the whole story and connect all the dots until after, but i think he realizes then that scorbunny is trying to hide itself in some way. that it's performing as something it's not. and on some unconscious level, that motivates him to lie for it. after, we get this whole exchange, where the scone seller tells ash and goh the story

and this note is what makes goh get up and approach scorbunny and the nickit:

it's very symbolic that he wipes the mud off scorbunny's face. and then later, he even points out when they see it again that it looks better without all the mud covering it up - it looks more like itself. it's not pretending to be something it's not. goh wiping the mud off its face is him saying that he accepts it as it is. that being resigned to living a certain way just to fit in or just because that's how it's always been is pointless.

and i mean...even ash says in this scene that the things goh is saying are things he's only recently learned himself, right? goh denies it (and tbh when he says that he's always thought the world is big and anyone can explore it if they want to or whatever - i don't think that's untrue! i think it's just that, prior to meeting ash, he didn't have it in him to explore it), but ash has a point. and what goh is doing for scorbunny here is the same thing that ash did for him.

relatedly, scorbunny follows him, right? in the same way that goh "accepts" ash as his friend, scorbunny chooses goh as its trainer. goh recognizes that it travelled far for him, that it saw a vision of its future with him, and changes his mind about not catching it. i think the determination he saw in scorbunny to chase after its dreams resounded with him, because he's only just started doing the same thing. and his entire character is built around this idea of like, learning how to adapt and how to let other people help you find the courage to chase your dreams (and even to help you chase them). how could he possibly deny scorbunny the same thing?

but while scorbunny's enthusiasm helps motivate goh to chase his dreams, he is very flippant and dismissive, as we see when it learns ember and he says it doesn't matter, that scorbunny doesn't need to know a fire-type move and this gut-punch of a line, of course:

goh is someone who needs a lot of convincing to do things he doesn't think he'll be good at (or enjoy). he only joins project mew because gary goads him into it. he spends most of his life refusing to make friends, because he had one bad experience. he's a fairly black-and-white thinker, which makes sense considering his background. he doesn't really believe in change. he especially doesn't believe that people (or pokemon, in this case) can change their circumstances just through hard work and determination. as we see in jn003 with the ivysaur, he also doesn't think that it's anyone else's place to intervene and "help" others. if you can't change something, then don't. and there's no point in hoping it'll change on its own, either.

when scorbunny storms off here, his expression is interesting. this isn't the expression of someone being judgemental. it's the expression of someone who sympathizes.

he sees scorbunny trying so hard to do something he thinks it can't do and thinks that scorbunny's determination to change things is, if i had to guess, kind of immature. a lesson scorbunny will have to learn, whether it wants to or not. at first it's kind of endearing, but then he actually gets frustrated, because he feels like scorbunny's determination to learn ember is harmful to them both. here, there's a degree of "why won't you just trust that i know what's best for you?" for sure, but on a deeper level, i think that stems from a place of "can't you see that i'm just trying to protect you?"

...but obviously, all he really does is wind up lashing out and hurting scorbunny's feelings. he tells ash that he was trying to draw out scorbunny's strengths (and he was, by telling it to use moves it was already good at!), but ash points out that their values weren't aligned and that's kind of the opposite of strength when it comes to pokemon battling. so he reassesses the situation and finds a way to bring out scorbunny's strength that also aligns with what scorbunny wants. that compromise is what makes scorbunny evolve. it was the right call! but then raboot starts ignoring him.

and this is like. a running gag with scorbunny - goh gets distracted by other things and doesn't notice that it's trying to show him things. it happens when they meet and it happens again in this episode with its ember. we see something very similar with goh and his parents in jn032 when he's excited at the prospect of their vacation together, but when he tries to ask what they want to do, he turns around and find they're both asleep (and we see the flashback of something similar happening last time, too).

with raboot, in a lot of ways, goh is grappling with...himself. or at least, the person he was before he met ash - cold and distant, more interested in doing whatever he thinks is worth his time than in school, for example. so if goh saw his child self in scorbunny, he sees his more "adolescent" (i mean. he's still ten so still child, technically. but older child lol) self in raboot. and he actually responds to this in a way that's a lot like how we see his parents responding to him. in jn022, we see him

buy a bunch of apples for raboot, even though he thinks it doesn't need them (and is hurt when it doesn't let him have one, despite raboot seeming pleased that he bought them for it). compare to the device he shows horace in jn032, for example, which he says his parents built for him. or his six computer monitors. his parents reach him best through material means!

question why raboot hates him when it's not responsive to his overtures. contrarily, goh's parents don't think he hates them; they just automatically assume the worst case scenario (like in jn015 when he calls and they immediately wonder if he did something and got kicked out of the institute). but while that's their worst case scenario about him, raboot hating him is kind of goh's worst case scenario, right? it took him time to open up and accept scorbunny as his partner. now that it's evolved and is acting differently, he's terrified that he came to care for it only for it to leave him.

which leads to my last point here, which is that he doesn't actually ask what it wants. in this episode, he concludes that raboot would be happier without him. so he leaves it behind, but he never actually considers how it might feel. goh's parents do the same thing! they worry about him, but they don't share their concerns or ask how he feels. they just assume that he must feel a certain way and they adapt to compensate for that. but they never actually ask him what he wants.

this episode ends with him realizing that he hasn't been reacting to raboot's feelings so much as to his own, of course, and we see their relationship smooth out quite a bit. he's acknowledging that he's done things wrong, but also that it's not all his fault - and raboot's change in temperment is just a consequence of it evolving. they accept each other again and move on.

then, it evolves into cinderace and kind of opens up again more (though it's been doing that little-by-little since jn022). i think the fact that raboot and riolu evolve at the same time was a really cool move by the writers to kind of demonstrate how like...the relationship between ash and goh is reflected in the growth of their pokemon. they trained together! in a way they kind of grew up together! riolu, ash's token baby pokemon in jn, evolving at the same time as goh's starter feels like a very deliberate choice to highlight how ash helped goh's pokemon grow, too - through getting the ball rolling with how he helped goh grow as a person and a trainer. if that makes sense?

anyway, i don't have much to say about cinderace, other than that if he saw himself as a child in scorbunny and as an older child in raboot, then cinderace's level of openness and its enthusiasm aren't just reflexive of it getting back more of its scorbunny-esque personality - it also shows how goh has changed and has learned to embrace these parts of himself, now that he's in that "coming of age" age (well, for pokemon. he is still only ten lmao).

i think we see something similar with his other starters, though maybe a little less on the nose.

sobble

the drizzile episode, as you mentioned, is probably Thing here. but i think the theme with sobble is sort of that, where scorbunny maybe reflects more of the way goh thought about growing up and his aspirations (and how hard it was to open up to people), sobble more so mirrors his social experiences at school and with chloe.

VISUALLY, i think it's really telling that when goh catches sobble, he's...literally speaking to it from the other side of the water:

this whole episode (jn028) is about goh kind of...forcing sobble into positions it's not necessarily comfortable with, and not realizing that it's uncomfortable until it runs away from him. as we saw with raboot, this is a common theme with goh - but it's most obvious with sobble!

he realizes, of course, and says this:

even in flashbacks, goh never comes across as a shy kid. he doesn't exactly relate to sobble, but i think he's drawing a parallel here between them. he wasn't shy, but he was always on the "outside" - that's why he's so good at researching. he strives to see things as they are without getting involved. eventually, this is something that will make him a pretty thoughtful and strategic battler, though at this point he's still learning how to apply that to more than just research for the sake of research.

and then after sobble meets inteleon, we have these bits too:

goh's childhood motivations on the surface appear to be like...he doesn't want to bother with friends, because they aren't going to be able to serve a purpose for him. he isn't interested in making friends with anyone who is less into pokemon than he is. but after what happens with horace, it seems to get a little more complex, and then we have to wonder if his motivations really were that surface-level to begin with, or if, maybe, his policy of not making friends has always been a way for him to protect himself from betrayals like he experienced with horace.

we see chloe as early as jn001 trying to convince him to make friends, to no success. she doesn't even refer to herself as his friend - he doesn't seem to be willing to let her. he believes he doesn't need friends and is better off alone. but he doesn't realize until after meeting ash that his solitude is more of a self-imposed exile, in that it's hurting him more than other people. he can't improve as a person and reach his goals if he's too busy trying to protect himself to accept that he needs help from other people to do those things. so, again - i think he sees that side of himself in sobble. so it feels very impactful that he reaches out to help sobble become a better battler, but rather than forcing it to battle in a way that makes sense to him, he comes up with a way to have it train that plays off of its strengths of running and hiding.

and then, of course, there's the episode where sobble evolves, jn062. the writers themselves do most of the work here of drawing the parallel between goh's childhood and how drizzile is feeling, but i think it goes even deeper than that. drizzile is unhappy because it wanted to evolve into inteleon, not into drizzile. it's not comfortable in its own skin. and it doesn't necessarily want others to see it, because it feels like it's still growing and it's not ready yet. it kind of just...needs time to sulk and brood. drizzile runs away again, because it's not ready, and while they're looking for it, it's chloe who makes goh start thinking about when he was a kid, by saying this:

which prompts him to think about how he was searching for a "reason" for why drizzile was acting how it was, just like how adults used to demand reasons from him even when he didn't have them. and then of course we get this scene:

but i think he does on some level know why, because he talks immediately after this about how his parents weren't home and often felt lonely. he's more comfortable being alone. he's protecting himself. which is reinforced by the fact that he then tells drizzile this:

goh has a hard time putting his feelings into words, which is something we see throughout jn. he sees that drizzile is the same and this is a huge moment for him, because he's saying here that it doesn't matter what inspired its feelings; he understands it is experiencing those feelings and that's enough. he'll wait until it's ready to fully process them or whatever else it needs. drizzile kind of returns the favour when he starts crying here and it reaches up to brush away his tears, then disappears again.

overall, this episode does an amazing job of showing us how goh has become someone who actually acknowledges his and his pokemon's feelings - this is the only time we see him as a child where he's not doing something to try to ignore his feelings, or trying to walk away from them. in flashbacks, his back is often to his parents. in jn032, he gets upset, and then tries to cover his disappointment up immediately with anger and avoidance. the writers set this scene up so that we can see the reason behind his feelings clearly (just like we can see the reason behind drizzile's, even though goh and co. can't), but they rightly emphasize that goh's ability to analyze "why" he or his pokemon are feeling a certain way isn't always helpful. emotions are meant to be felt, not intellectualized. it's a good message, and a huge area of growth!

drizzile's evolution into inteleon also shows us how this acceptance translates into it eventually being comfortable enough to be who it wants to be. and the characters are impressed by it - it even earns kecleon's admiration, the same way that other inteleon earned its when it was a sobble. this is a pretty clear mirror with goh's social life, where he went from being this friendless outcast figure to someone with a lot of friends, and a great willingness to make more, as he became more comfortable and confident and willing to reach out to others.

and lastly,

grookey

the only one of the three that doesn't evolve, for reasons that aren't ever really made clear to us. but i think that as random (...and tone deaf) as his dream sequence at the start of grookey's debut episode is, it actually makes a lot of sense. in the original, the dream has camille and walker transformed into rillaboom, and goh is understandably freaked out. but i think the bigger, more symbolic thing is that even if it is a dream, his parents are the ones that foist grookey upon him. this does seem like a really weird choice, until you start thinking about the parallels, right?

in reality, grookey is team rocket's pokemon. the episode title "when a house is not a home" tells us that grookey obviously doesn't feel like it "belongs" there. but the episode doesn't open in team rocket's base. it opens in goh's apartment. and the part i didn't show in the drizzile scene above is when he says this:

the fact that goh was home alone a lot as a kid gets brought up fairly often. it implies that he kind of had to adopt this lone wolf persona, because there was no one else around to take care of him. he had to learn how to console himself and meet his own needs (hence why he's so combative about ash intervening with the ivysaur in jn003!), which is a lot of responsibility for a kid. grookey is handed to him like it's a responsibility in his dream, but then they bond. and he starts to appreciate having grookey around, to the point that he misses it when it returns to team rocket.

to me, the choice to have grookey not evolve kind of comes down to grookey being kind of...emblematic of goh's childhood. like, in his dream, grookey is this burden that's forced on him. someone he has to take care of, even though he isn't really prepared to do that. in reality, grookey is escaping from an environment that doesn't meet its needs. putting those two things together, i mean...that's just my reading of it, anyway. so grookey not evolving, and goh accepting grookey as it is - without any of the "growing up" analogs we have with cinderace and inteleon - is a way of showing that goh has come to terms with his childhood and that he accepts (and cherishes!) his childhood self. which he can only really do after he's done all the growing we see reflected in the evolutions of his other starter mons. (relatedly, grookey is the only starter of goh's who goh considers leaving with other mons in its evolution line. specifically, with two thwackey and their child, i.e. a family unit not unlike goh's!)

anyway! this is a very long post, so thanks for sticking with me if you did. hope my takes are as galaxy-brained as you hoped hehe

[pokemonbiologyirlthetabletop]

Piplup, Prinplup, & Empoleon

Piplup (#393)

Gloriavem parvavem

General Information: Piplup the Penguin Pokémon and one of the most beloved Pokémon in the world. They’re small, round, cute, trainable, courageous, and at all stages they are excellent members of the family and highly valued as partner Pokémon to trainers and Rangers alike. At this stage of life, they are poor walkers and are often seen falling down—but this won’t stop them, the Piplup will simply puff its chest up and keep going.

Piplups average at 1’4 feet (0.4 M) tall and weigh about 11.5 pounds (5.2 kg).

Habitat: Despite their evolutionary line’s bold resemblance to Emperor Penguins, the fact of the matter is that Piplups nor any of their evolutions are ice-types, and simply cannot withstand the harshest of Antarctica’s winters. Instead of being found in giant colonies within the continent’s interior, they are found in colonies along the coastlines of Antarctica and in the lower latitudes in the southern portions of Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the surrounding oceanic islands. They are only native to the Southern hemisphere.

Life Cycles: Piplups are born near the coastline as singlets each Fall in the Southern hemisphere to a dedicated and loving pair of parents. They will spend the first year of their life being lovingly protected by their parents, who will switch duties every few days. The Piplups are born away from the water to evade the predators found there, but in a couple weeks are brought to the sea in order to learn to hunt, swim, and dive. These first several weeks/couple months of a Piplup’s life are the most treacherous, when predators from all sides are looking to eat a fatty, tasty baby bird that doesn’t know how to survive yet.

By the next breeding season that summer, Piplups are able to fend for themselves, but will still seek the protection of the older/larger members of their colony.

Piplups are most commonly eaten by Glaceons, Cryogonals, Sharpedos, leopard seals, Articunos, and Antarctic birds of prey.

Behavior: Piplups are prideful Pokémon who value their independence and ability to fend for themselves, and despite their popularity this can cause problems with its trainer since they are incredibly strongwilled. They will even refuse handouts from humans that they don’t trust, and don’t generally enjoy being pampered. But despite their willfulness, Piplups are friendly, courageous, highly intelligent, and social creatures that get lonely easily. They may not enjoy handouts, but they will work together to solve common goals, and will forcibly take care of sick or injured members of the colony whether they like it or not.

Diet: Fish. They may also eat other sea creatures when fish are harder to find, but they eat fish. May occasionally enjoy some kelp for the fiber.

Conservation: Threatened

Relationship with Humans: Piplups have been beloved by humans ever since their discovery(s) by different cultures throughout time, but especially once the Europeans found them and brought them back to Europe. They are a useful companion to seafolks and sailors alike, and their prideful natures and beautiful elegance and overall cuteness make them agreeable to aristocrats, too.

Of course, not all cultures took them in as pets, and many in the southern reaches of the world would hunt Piplups for sustenance, too.

In the modern age, Piplups are a popular starter Pokémon given out by the Pokémon League Foundation. In large part because of this, they are common in households the world over, but most especially in colder regions of the Southern Hemisphere.  Many find their prideful natures endearing.

Additionally, Piplups face predation at the fangs of invasive Glaceons at untold and unchecked numbers. These Glaceons were brought in by human explorers to Antarctica.

Classification: Piplups are related to Eiscues, but in the grand scheme of the penguins are relatively unrelated, with their last common ancestor being several millions of years old. They are in the order Sphenisciformes with all other penguins. Its species epithet, “Parvavem” means “little bird.”  

Prinplup (#394)

Gloriavem solitariam

General Information: Prinplup is a deeply prideful Pokémon, and the evolved form of Piplup. They are skilled divers who can hold their breath for up to 10 minutes at a time, they are graceful swimmers in icy waters, and they have a song that sounds like the roaring tide.

Prinplups average at 2’7 feet (0.8 M) tall and weigh about 50.7 pounds (23 kg).

Habitat: They are found in the higher latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere, particularly along the coasts of southern South America, Southern Africa, and Antarctica, but also on the surrounding oceanic islands. In the winter, solitary individuals have been seen as far North as the Galapagos Islands, but the events are few and far between, and none have set up a permanent residence there.

Life Cycles: Prinplup are in that stage in life where they consider themselves better than everyone else and want to forge their own path in the world, so they do. Their extreme self-centeredness makes them fully unsuitable for living in a colony or working as a team with others. It’s at this point in their life that Prinplups will migrate all across the Southern Hemisphere and even a little into the Northern Hemisphere at the Galapagos Islands, but the equator is too hot even in winter and no sightings of wild Prinplup have been seen past this point of the globe. On these travels, Prinplups learn about themselves, the world, and their place in the world, and grow humbler as a result. They even learn to forge friendships (or rivalries!) with others not of their kind, or perhaps end up creating new colonies or joining others. When they are ready to return home or make their own, the wisdom they learn as a Prinplup will set them up for great success as an Empoleon. This migratory urge is also key to genetic dispersal of the species and ensures that inbreeding is minimal across the colonies.

While Prinplups can reproduce and are known to have love affairs with other species on their journeys, in general, they just don’t, and frankly would be truly terrible parents anyways.

Behavior: Prinplup see themselves as the most important and better than everyone else, which makes them horrendously uncooperative and unable to work together. This is part of the drive that leads them to disperse into the sea for a long time.

On Pokémon teams, Prinplups are not cooperative with other Pokémon, but their desire to be better than others and prove themselves strong and elegant, means that they are still quite excellent at battling. Rangers may have a harder time with the uncooperativeness of these Pokémon than the average trainer.

Diet: Fish

Conservation: Threatened

Relationship with Humans:  Prinplups are the aggravating stage of the Piplup family, and a facet of their development that can turn a lot of folks off from ever owning one. Many trainers will abandon their Prinplups because they get fed up with having to actually care for a Pokémon and raise it to become a well-rounded, well-adjusted adult. And something that often gets overlooked in Prinplups, is that it’s not that they don’t care about others, it’s that they lack respect for authority “just because that’s how it is” and see themselves as the main character. It’s why they don’t get along with other Prinplups but can potentially still be a great member of a team if their trainer raises them well and works with their efforts to learn about their own identities, rather than against them. Unfortunately, not everyone gets this memo, and there are a handful of Prinplup rescues that seek to take in abandoned Prinplups and raise them right, even possibly finding them new homes with trainers who’ll love them the way they need to be loved.

With all that said, Prinplups are actually an excellent Pokémon to be on the team of any journeying trainer.

In media, there is a teenaged Prinplup in Tuesdays With Turtwig who is humorously depicted as being rather vain, but who does seem to mean well. Prinplups are often depicted as the stereotypical annoying teenager, but its depiction in Tuesdays With Turtwig is generally considered one of the better representations of teenagers in modern media for its portrayal of the emotional nuances that come with teenagerhood.

Classification: Its genus name “Gloriavem” means “prideful bird” and its species epithet, “solitariam” refers to its loner, solitary nature from other Prinplups.

Evolution: Prinplup evolves from Piplup at level 16.

Empoleon (#395)

Gloriavem rex

General Information: Empoleon is the final evolution of Piplup. It gains the steel-typing, a rare type combination that gives its wings hardened edges that have been compared to the highest quality blades. In the water they are as fast as jet boats, and their steel wings can cut right through ice floes. Some know it as the Emperor Pokémon because of its historical association with Napoleon Bonaparte, and others know it as the Master of the Waves.

Empoleons average at 5’7 feet (1.7 M) tall and weigh about 186.3 pounds (84.5 kg).

Habitat: Empoleons are found in the Southern hemisphere along the Antarctic coasts, as well as the southern coasts of South America, Southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the surrounding oceanic islands.

Life Cycles: Empoleons are the protectors and leaders of their colonies. They spend much of their time defending their colony from threats, especially the newborn Piplups. They are also almost always the parents of the colony, who work to take care of all of their children together. While their pre-evolutions can reproduce starting at level 15, both Piplup and Prinplup usually just don’t or lack any real opportunity to, and reproduction in these two species tends to really only occur in captivity.

Behavior: They have journeyed the world and have learned who they are and their place in the world, developing a strong sense of self as a solid foundation to their pride, creating what amounts to a well-rounded, courageous, and dependable Pokémon who still retains its base pridefulness. Empoleons frown upon unnecessary battles and prefer to resolve disputes peacefully, but will take up arms to defend their colony from any and all threats—and threats to their pride! An Empoleon has no qualms with brutalizing anything or anyone that dares threaten its colony.

Diet: Fish

Conservation: Threatened

Relationship with Humans: Empoleons gained international acclaim when Napoleon Bonaparte used one as his signature Pokémon during the French Revolution, and was key to his escape from Elba. To this day, the media associates them with war generals, emperors, top trainers, and kings. They are an incredible Pokémon to have on any team.

Outside of the glorification of war, Empoleons have been deeply affiliated with sailors and fishers for countless generations in many parts of the world. Their reliability, speed, durability, and strength have made them vital assets to seafolks, especially those in colder climates.

Classification: Its species epithet, “rex” means “king”, giving it the full scientific name of “King of the prideful birds.”

Evolution: Empoleon evolves from Prinplup at level 36.

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[quartings]

Legends Z-A Thoughts and Theories!

Okay, I was pretty quiet on my opinions for Scarlet and Violet, but I'm confident enough to be very pleased and optimistic for this! Legends Arceus was the strongest Pokemon game we had in a decade, and to see them continue this, bring back Megas, and take an extra year to hopefully make it non-buggy? Makes me so so excited!

On Megas:

It's a bit of a surprise to see Megas back, but honestly? Not too much of a surprise. Even ignoring the inevitability of Kalos remakes, Megas are the only gimmick Pokemon kept around in their spinoffs. It was in Mystery Dungeon, Shuffle, Smash Bros, Pokemon Go, and probably more I'm forgetting! So it was always in the back of Gamefreak's mind and I'm glad it's truly back again!

With Gens 8 and 9 bringing back cross-gen evos, I think they'll focus on only giving Megas to three-stage lines, to not quash the potential of 2nd stage Pokemon getting regular evolutions. So starters and Pokemon like Flygon can get Megas since they can't evolve further, but Pokemon like Tropius and Chimecho probably won't, in case they get evolutions in Gen 10 (That then get Megas)

I also don't think we fully grasp how many more Pokemon can get Megas now, too. Barely any of Gen 5 and 6 had Megas (Seriously only 2 Pokemon between the 228 Pokemon in those gens) and we've had THREE more generations since then!!

Note: We went from wanting a Dunsparce evo, to wanting a Dunsparce Mega, to getting Dudunsparce with mixed fan reception. Now I'm going to be a selfish deluded clown bitch and get my hopes up for a Mega Dudunsparce.

Speaking of starters and Megas, do we think we'll get a mish-mash of older starters for this game that then get Megas (Say, Piplup, Snivy, and Scorbunny) or will we get Megas for the three Kalos starters?

Megas may mean Mega Stones return as held items, and held items weren't in Legends Arceus- new gameplay advancement?

Legends Arceus gave us 7 new Pokemon (most of them cross-gen evos) and a dozen new regional forms. Do you think we'll still get regionals this game, or will the design team be focused more on making new Megas instead?

On the world:

It's been confirmed the whole game is only in Lumiose City- how big is the map?? Hopefully we really do get lots of sidequests, biomes for wild Pokemon, and traversal options.

When is this? We're redeveloping Lumiose City, but are we in the past developing it into its current state, or are we in the present/future developing it into a new solarpunk city? Or neither, and this is a "Paradox" game set in a timeline which doesn't quite match ours?

This doesn't have to be an isekai (as in, we don't have to be time travellers again per se), just keep that in mind!

The "Z" in the logo represents Zygarde, with the black color and green hexagons. So who's the "A"? It's green with green scale/leaf patterns on it. What does it represent? The "Chaos" to Zygarde's "Order"? Is it a 5th Zygarde form or is it a whole new Pokemon?

Meta thoughts:

This further confirms my theory that Gen 9 will last until 2026, where they announce Gen 10 on that year's Pokemon Day for their 30th anniversary, and that's great! I'm glad they aren't overworking themselves too much compared to Gens 6-8.

On them "skipping" Unova remakes: I don't see this as skipping. We've been long overdue for a Z version since Kalos is literally the only Pokemon region to only appear in one release (no third version, no remakes, no sequels, no ultras, no DLC). So we're simply making up for the "deficit" of a third version here, and we can go back to focusing on Unova remakes for Gen 10.

Do you think we'll get any final updates to SV to tide us over until the next LegendZ trailer around August? Maybe a small DLC, mythical reveal, or free update?

Pokemon Adventures skipped the last Legends game, so they'll probably skip this one too? I'm fine either way- at least by skipping it, they won't be too rushed and stressed, and they'll actually have the time to flesh out SV and catch up with ORAS/SM/USUM/SwSh in the full volumes.

But on the off chance they do adapt Legends Z-A, do you think we'll get dexholders named Z and A??

Note for the future- the Yoasobi Pokemon song BiriBiri has a part where they namedrop all the game titles- one part has the lyrics "ABC to the XYZ". Long shot, but if Legends Z-A does indeed have an ABC theming, this could be a crazy bit of either coincidental or intentional foreshadowing!