#even though i think i like this thing more than quilladin

[front-facing-pokemon]

[adobe-outdesign]

If you still do pokemon reviews can you do my 4 all time fav pokemon magnezone, chesnaught, decidueye and serperior?

I already did Decidueye and Serperior, but as for the other two:

I like Magnezone better than Magneton on the grounds that Magneton is just three Magnemite stuck together and nothing else, whereas Magnezone is at least trying to do something. Don't even know how much it succeeds design-wise, but at least its trying.

It's also nice because you can still kind of tell it's three Magnemite, but the designs have been radically altered so they look like they're fused together. So it still conveys the same concept as Magneton, but with an original design instead that adds a bit of a UFO theme.

The design itself is good overall, but there are some questionable elements around the head. The antennae on top comes out of nowhere and adds another color for no reason; you could've dropped it and not lost anything. The "cap" that runs across the middle head is the same way; it would've been better just with a single round eye and dot like a regular Magnemite and nothing else. Other than that, however, it's solid.

Side note, I love its BW animation. Someone had way too much fun with it.

Chesnaught got a lot of dislike when it first came out, but honestly, I dig it? It has something things I'd change, but for being a warrior hedgehog chestnut it looks pretty slick. It's one of those Pokemon that does a good job at not being super literal with its concepts.

In terms of things I like, I love the pattern on the shell and the overall look of it, with the two giant spikes and four smaller spikes. The arms have a really neat look, with three claws and some extra spines on the back, and the color palette is really appealing.

However, there are some elements of the design that I feel could've used a bit of refinement. First, something about the body looks off to me; I think the legs and tail are a bit too long and thin for something so back-heavy. Compare it to the similarly-structured Blastoise and you'll see what I mean. The limbs don't have to be that short, but just shorter and stockier than they are here.

Secondly, the chestnut shell feels weird because it has a random green bit on the front cutting over the beard, seemingly for no reason other to make it look connected to the body. I feel like the green piece in front should've been removed, and instead have the shell wrap around the arms more. Same idea, just doesn't interrupt the other design elements as much. Also, shrink the front spikes slightly so they don't overlap the red outline and create tension.

Thirdly, it's got a bit of anime face going on. I would've dropped the random white section on top of the head and made the entire area brown, so the color is carried through more and you don't have so many random elements in there. Then give it a bit longer of a muzzle. Maybe add a row of spikes on the head as well, just to carry over the theme from the shell and arms.

And finally, while I like the colors a lot, it does make it feel very disconnected from Quilladin and Chespin. I'd argue that Quilladin isn't a good transition between the first and final evos in general, but the colors aren't helping. It's even stranger because the shiny is brown and green, and it does indeed match the rest of the line much better like this. I would've made the legs brown as well, or at least tan, but otherwise it feels like this should've been the main palette and the white should've been the shiny.

At the end of the day, though, I do like what it's going for, and it still has a pretty good design. It's just one of those Pokemon that's held back by a bunch of finicky details that keep it from quite nailing the landing as well as it could have.

[tightropenuzlocke]

Chapter Seven: This Is My Palace

They headed northwest up Route 6 the next day instead of continuing down Route 5, which meant Serena had lost not one, but two consecutive arguments—a miracle in and of itself. So instead of heading directly to Yantreizh or Relifac-le-Haut, they were detouring to Palais Chaydeuvre.

Xoana was practically vibrating, ready to shake apart at the seams. She hadn’t expected it, not after so long. Maybe it was everything else going on as well. It took all her strength to hold it in and chat normally to Aisling, Tierney, and Tracie.

The Pokemon were scattered high and low all around them, searching for something Félicité could use as a wand. By this time, all but Justine seemed to be taking her rejections with alacrity. After all, much depended on the soundness of her weapon, and the selection criteria were impossible to communicate to those outside her line.

Serena stared off at the scenery, pretending to watch her pokemon. Yet she didn’t even notice when Justine at last pried a branch from the bushes that gave Félicité pause. She twirled experimentally and sighted down its length. Justine stared back hopefully through the fork at the end, tail twitching with nerves. At length, Félicité sighed and stowed the branch in the thick fur by her hip. Even this somewhat half-hearted acceptance elicited a whine and wagging tail from Justine, but as before, her enthusiasm with a huff and the cold shoulder as Félicité stalked back to Serena’s side.

“Hey, she’s got a proper wand now!” Xoana prompted. “I can’t wait for her to use it in a real battle.”

“We’ll see how it performs,” Serena muttered, just as skeptical as her Braxien. Her quiet surliness was expected, but for once Xoana felt no obligation to do anything about it. Although, she did wonder if all of this had eroded Serena’s determination to apologize.

Then the Allée-Paradis opened up before them—every tree, hedge, and topiary perfectly shaped and manicured—every flagstone in its proper place. And beyond on either side, tall undulating fields of wheat just beginning to golden. Better than every photograph and painting because it was alive and breathing and she was part of it.

Xoana skipped ahead with a squeal and spun around under the branches. When it all finally stopped spinning, she found Aisling smiling broadly at her.

Heat flushed her face but it wasn’t all embarrassment this time. In fact, that was rather a small quotient. She skipped back to Aisling’s side and hooked their arms together so that they might process down the royal causeway like proper noble ladies.

Aisling looked down in surprise and then her smile split her face. She puffed up—not unlike her Fletchling brother—chest out and shoulders back. She placed her hand over one of Xoana’s and her smile turned more intimate, less like a billboard for the whole world to see. Xoana felt her eyelashes flutter.

And that was too much—too close to so many fantasies she’d had before. She slid her hand out from under Aisling’s and found something to mitigate it. She grabbed Serena’s passing arm and pulled her in too.

...

Maybe she’d had it right back at the lab—the way they both settled as soon as their arms linked. Or maybe Xoana was just trying to force Aisling and Serena to get along. She had to admit they were being pretty churlish, even if she’d never back down.

But then again, Serena had given in awfully quick last night. Tough to blame her. Aisling had almost found herself begging right alongside Xoana, except that she couldn’t give Serena the satisfaction—not yet anyway.

Aisling gestured grandly with her spare hand before putting it in her pocket. “Shall we?”

They started moving again and fell in step with each other. It was a beautiful day and things could be worse.

Xoana gasped when the perfectly cubic trees fell away and the palace itself stretched before them. Aisling smiled fondly for a moment only to notice her expression mirrored on Serena’s face. Hm, that was—she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

“Wait, what’s that?”

Their heads snapped forward to look. There was an enormous furry mound where the main gate should have been.

They stopped in front of it and stared upward. A peaceful snoring filled the silence.

“What is a Snorlax doing here?” Serena asked. “Do you think it’s guarding the entrance?”

“It’s supposed to be open,” said Xoana, sinking.

“Bree, could you ask this mon what’s up?”

She nodded and went up to him. “Snorlax! Excuse me, Snorlax!” Bree called, vigorously shaking a paw twice the size of her head.

No reaction.

Tessa was next to try and climbed up on its stomach. When that didn’t work, Sprout started to tug on a leg with his vines. Some of the other pokemon started prodding and calling to it, all to no avail. Íde opened her mouth to torch one of its feet, forcing Aisling to reprimand again.

But after another ten minutes went by without success, Aisling began to think her Charmander had been right. Tessa had fallen asleep on the Snorlax’s stomach and Félicité looked ready to burst a vein trying to force psychic energy out of her new wand.  

Aisling stepped back a bit to evaluate their predicament. There was no way around it. The Snorlax was completely blocking the ornate, gilded gates and the adjacent wall ran the circumference of the palace and gardens. It was past opening according to the website, but the only soul around was the slumbering beast that blocked their path.

Xoana drooped.

“Alright, I’m going up,” Aisling declared.

“Wait, what—?” Tierney began, but by then Aisling was already clambering up the Snorlax’s side, pulling herself up by its fur.

The pokemon’s head rested against the gate, squishing its already squat neck into nonexistence. It snored, mouth open and drool dribbling out. It lacked front teeth to make room for the long tongue poking just past its lips, but it did have jutting canines as big as Aisling’s thumbs. Its breath smelled somewhat comfortingly of fermented plants, but only fools thought herbivores would pass up meat if given half a chance, or that only carnivores were dangerous.

Aisling stood slowly and carefully on its chest, taking half a step back from her first idea. It was then she saw two men and an impeccably groomed Furfrou running up to the gate from the other side.

“Are you a trainer?” the older of the two called, huffing from the exertion.

“Yeah!”

“Thank the gods!” He stooped to catch his breath.

“Could you help us dislodge this fellow?” The younger man asked for him. “He’s always trying to get in at night and we can’t get the gate open with him sleeping against it.”

“Sure. My friends and I can take care of it.”

Aisling squatted back down, grabbed the Snorlax by his chubby cheeks and shook.

“MY QUEEN!” her friends chorused in horror, but the Snorlax didn’t wake. Worth it.

Aisling delivered her verdict: “I think we’re just gonna have to attack it.”

“Seems rude to start a battle when he’s sleeping,” said Emer, though she didn’t sound firmly against it.

Aisling’s Croagunk croaked.

“You know Wake-Up Slap?” Said Bree. “Why didn’t you tell us before?”

Maeve trilled, throat sack bulging, and crossed her arms.

Bree scoffed. “I wouldn’t let that happen. Come on, I’ll go up with you.”

Aisling offered her hand and Maeve hopped from foot to foot for a moment before taking it, careful not to touch Aisling with her red finger. Aisling had forgotten that hazard. She should really be reading the pokedex entries more thoroughly.

Once the Quilladin and Croagunk were aboard, Aisling slid back off. Sprout grabbed Tessa with his vines and pulled her clear. Everyone was ready. Maeve looked around at their expectant faces and wrung her hands.

“Wake-Up Slap!” Aisling commanded.

Maeve squeezed her eyes shut and struck the Snorlax across the face. The slap resounded around the courtyard, bouncing off the palace walls and back.

Nothing… not even snoring. Then a rumbling began. Bree swept Maeve up over her head and scurried down as the rumble turned to roaring and the Snorlax scrabbled clumsily to his feet.

A combined cry rang out as the pokemon rushed him in a show of force and unity. Emer blasted him in the face with Water Gun and was rewarded for her smart strategy by being punted all the way to the bushes. Xoana cried out for her, but Aisling was confident the little Marill would bounce back, which she did a few moments later.

The Snorlax took a swipe at them all but Sprout and Bree grabbed his arm with their vines, halting him for a moment before he yanked and both were airborne. Bree used the momentum to swing around and kick him in the side while Sprout reeled in to attach himself firmly, taking advantage of the confusion to drain the Snorlax with Absorb.

Tierney’s Hawlucha came to the rescue at her call, plucking Sprout from the Snorlax’s arm before he could do it himself and thus clearing Spark for and electric attack. Félicité followed up with an Ember. The tip of her wand ignited as it was supposed to, but the fire started creeping down towards her hand and she was forced to stop.

The Snorlax swung but Laoch used Counter which made him stagger and Valériane followed with a Karate Chop to his shoulder.

“Ember, Íde!”

The Charmander released a blast that looked closer to Flamethrower.

“Gust, Finley!”

The Combee zipped behind Íde and stoked her teammate’s attack into a wall of fire that all had to shy away from. The Snorlax threw up an arm to shield his face and backed away. Maeve and Froabble kicked him in the side to steer him further and he broke into a run, shaking the ground as he retreated.

“Ha! Nice work all!” said Aisling.

She offered high-fives to her fellow trainers and Bree copied by offering the same to her teammates. Íde tapped her paw a bit grudgingly, but Maeve was enthusiastic. All seemed at least somewhat satisfied besides Félicité, who rubbed at her charred wand, and Justine, who drooped in embarrassment at having provided the faulty weapon.

“Thank you all, truly!” The older man declared, helping the younger to open the gate. “We usually have a pokeflute to deal with those brutes, but, ah…” He trailed off, brow furrowing, and the younger man stepped in.

“It’s currently on loan to Fort-de-Vanitas for an exhibition.”

“Right, yes! But let us move on to introductions. I am Baron Agreste, Caretaker of Palais Chaydeuvre, and this is my eldest son, Gabriel.” Baron made sense. They were both expensively dressed now that Aisling took a moment to notice them.

Xoana looked about ready to bow so Aisling stepped forward and offered her hand, giving each man a hearty shake. If they didn’t like it, they didn’t show it and greeted the rest the same.

“We really must repay you for the trouble. Would you all care for a tour?”

Xoana stifled a squeal.

“That’s awfully kind of you. We’d love one.”

It turned out Palais Chaydeuvre was a combination of traditional museum and historical site with some rooms featuring exhibitions of various kinds while others were preserved and restored to represent what the Palace was like when it was still the royal residence. It had the typical museum staff, but Baron Agreste and his family also lived there. Apparently they had been in charge of the palace’s upkeep since it was built, and this had somehow not changed when it was seized by the government of the people. His ancestors may have sided with the revolutionaries. That part was unclear.

Xoana was delighted the entire time and the baron was pleased to have someone so enthusiastic. His son disappeared, no doubt to do whatever the baron was meant to be doing while he escorted them around instead. The Furfrou was unbelievably bored and more than once tried to slip away only to be called back before she could get very far.

Serena said little, but she knew Xoana’s tastes well. More than once she pointed out something that had Xoana skipping over to look.

Tracie stopped in front of a painting and tilted her head. “What’s this?”

“That is thought to be the earliest depiction of mega evolution. For the longest time, no one knew what is was.” Aisling stopped to give it a closer look. A small human figure stood in the foreground holding something bright and shining aloft while behind them reared what might have been a huge and monstrous Gyarados with greatly exaggerated fins and red and black mixed in with the usual blue. “It was in one of the rarely used bedrooms and no one paid it any mind. But after mega evolution was discovered, a guest identified it and we had someone come in to evaluate it. Since moving it to public display, scientists and art historians the world over have come to see it.”

Age and abstraction made the confusion understandable, but it was still evocative somehow. That would be her one day—fist raised to the sky in exhilaration and defiance as unquenchable power flowed through her and an entire stadium roared her name.

Some of that same ambition must have tugged on Serena too, because was leaning over Aisling’s shoulder now and seemed not to notice.

“Ya’ see that, Comtesse?” Serena stiffened at how close Aisling’s voice was to her ear. “Coming here was in line with our program. We had a good battle to strengthen our teams and now we’re doing extra research on mega evolution.”

Serena retreated and crossed her arms but gave a huff that made Xoana smile.

...

Xoana didn’t want to leave the luxurious halls but it would have been a shame to come all this way and not see the famously beautiful palace gardens and grand sculpture work. And truth be told they were all growing tired of staring at things on walls and in glass cabinets and getting drowsy from the palace’s stuffy air.

The baron had left them before lunch, so they were free to wander as they pleased after. It was comfortably warm out and the light breeze smelled incredible. The lilacs must have been in bloom. Xoana sighed as they wandered across the bridge and stopped to look at the bronze Gyarados fountain in the middle of the lake.

Aisling offered her arm and Xoana nearly followed the urge to take it before the baron came running up. Aisling stretched expansively. Maybe she hadn’t meant to offer it?

It was difficult to understand much before he caught his breath, but Xoana soon puzzled out that he was pleading for their help finding his “lost” Furfrou. That seemed rather unlikely, but the poor old man appeared genuinely distressed and she agreed to look.

Justine had the best nose and seemed eager to be of use after the faulty wand business earlier, so they followed her lead around the gardens. Tierney got sidetracked capturing a lily Flabébé, but caught up with them before the scent trail lead them into the grand hedge maze.

“I think we should fan out, yeah?” said Tierney.

And so they did, though a bit reluctantly.

It took Xoana a little while to realize that it was Aisling twittering and not some bird. It was hard to whistle back through her smile, but she tried her best. Tierney was next to catch on, responding with a pretty good imitation of Valériane’s hoarse croaks after each of Xoana’s calls. Then Tracie followed, cooing like a Pidove. Finally Xoana heard Serena’s patented sigh from the hedge beside her followed by her best attempt at a Swanna’s trumpet.

Aisling cracked up and the rest of them folded like a house of cards. Even Serena chuckled quietly on the far side of the hedge.

It was then Xoana saw the Furfrou standing in the t-intersection in front of her, once flawless la reine trim covered in dirt and tangled with twigs and leaves. Xoana stopped and the Furfrou looked at her, eyes wide. She gave one swift tug but her long ear was snagged in the hedge. The Furfrou then held perfectly still.

“Found her!” Xoana yelled to the others. There were whoops and the patter of footsteps as they all attempted to converge. “Let me help you get out of—”

The Furfrou yanked herself free and bolted.

“Oh no, I scared her!”

“Nah,” said Froabble, already hopping after her.

“Then why did she run?” Xoana called after her pokemon.

Justine wriggled under the hedge separating them and took off running while Serena and her other pokemon’s footfalls doubled back.

“Wait!” Xoana called, joining the pursuit, the Furfrou kept running and they kept after her.

They all met Tierney and Laoch down a corner, but the Furfrou dove down another path between them. Next Tracie and Spark had her cut off, but the section was wide and the Furfrou rushed her. Tracie dove to the right, but the Furfrou zigzagged at the last moment and jumped clean over Spark to get away.

Tierney pulled Tracie up and they were right back in it. The Furfrou tried to make a turn but Aisling and Bree were there so she skidded with a startled yelp and hurdled down the straightaway, narrowly outpacing Bree’s vine lasso. Serena and Félicité almost had her, but she escaped once again, this time towards the outer part of the maze.

“Dammit!”

“Comtesse stay on her!” Xoana yelled. The pause gave the Furfrou a lead, but Serena and her three canines took off after her. Serena was by far the best runner in any case and Xoana was confident she would catch up. The rest of the pokemon had converged. “Valériane get us an aerial view!”  

“Finley you too!” Aisling called.

“Okay, we have to get her into the Chandelure quadrant,” Xoana told them. “It has the most dead ends and only five exits. My Queen, you skirt around the Delphox quadrant and try and flank her. Vicomtesse, same with the Pyroar quadrant. Baronne, take the middle path and I’ll take the hedgerow.”

They all split off again and Aisling offered her a little salute that did something to Moana’s chest as she rounded the corner. Moments later they were all out of sight. Xoana whistled and they all sounded off with their fake bird calls.

Their quarry was wily. She knew this maze like the top of her paw. But they had numbers and a strategy now. The Furfrou tried to hide in the Delphox quadrant but Aisling and Serena flushed her out. Next she took the diagonal to the Pyroar quadrant but Tierney and Tracie drove her away.

“Valériane says she’s headed towards the fountain,” Froabble informed her.

They were close and they booked it. Xoana could see the Furfrou coming but she wasn’t going to make it in time. She, Tessa and Sprout weren’t fast enough.

“Go Froabble! You can do it!”

The Froakie pulled ahead of her, a bright blue blur against the dull path.

“Water Pulse the fountain!”

He dove in and the water lit like a beacon. Xoana felt something warm and tingling and almost electric—something powerful—flow out of her and the water surged upward and spread. The Furfrou’s eyes widened in terror and her mouth gaped at the wall of water mounting above her. She turned sharply, spraying gravel, and fled into the Chandelure quadrant.

“YES!” Xoana cried with a jump as the water crashed back down. “She’s in!”

Froabble hopped back out of the fountain as a Frogadier and they high-fived as she ran past back into the maze. From their calls, everyone else had made it to one of the other entrances and it was time to close in.

The Furfrou went south first but Tracie and Tierney blocked her in. Aisling and her team had split and blocked all the west outlets, so she ran north only to be confronted by Serena. Her only remaining option was to run back towards Xoana, then turn down one of the dead ends to dodge Froabble’s leap.

Xoana chased her in and dove atop the Furfrou before she decided her plush coat could maybe make it through the hedges after all.

“I got her!”

Her friends cheered and the Furfrou groaned.

“Gods I’m so sorry!” Xoana told her, scrambling off the poor pokemon. “I wasn’t even thinking! We shouldn’t have been chasing you. Did I hurt you at all? I’m so sorry!”

The Furfrou picked herself up and grumbled.

“She’s okay,” said Froabble, hopping to Xoana’s side. “And she’s says we’re forgiven for catching her because that chase was the most fun she’s had in months.”

Xoana doubted him as the Furfrou sat tall and stiff as a guardian statue before her, but then her lips pealed back in a grin and the bedraggled ball and her tail wagged.

Sprout and Tessa finally caught up and the Teddiursa flopped down to catch her breath. They all laughed at that while they waited for the rest to find them.

...

Xoana was a little worried the baron would be angry with how filthy and bedraggled his refined companion had become—and how they’d been chasing her all around the maze like some kind of escaped convict—but he was simply overjoyed to have her back safe and thanked them all profusely for their trouble.

The Furfrou rolled her eyes and Xoana began to suspect firstly, that the baron couldn’t understand her, and secondly, that her sneaking off to be rowdy and get dirty was a somewhat regular occurrence.

“You know it is getting rather late and I feel simply terrible about enlisting you all twice in one day. What do you say to staying here for the night?”

“In the palace?” Xoana asked, certain she had somehow misunderstood.

“We have rooms set up for family visits and special events. There are plenty for each of you to have your own.”

Xoana actually felt faint and she might have wobbled because Aisling put her hand on the small of her back to steady her. Serena stepped up to answer for her.

“That’s so kind of you, Baron. We’d love to.”

“It’s the least I can do. There are fireworks after dinner to celebrate Fin-de-la-Tyrannie.” Xoana had completely forgotten that was today. “You can all watch from one of the private balconies. Once the visitors have gone, we’ll show you to your rooms.”

Xoana barely kept it together long enough for the baron and Furfrou to leave. Then she was bouncing up and down and hugging everyone and telling Froabble he was the best pokemon in the world.

...

The day really couldn’t have gone any better—ill-advised shenanigans included. Even after all the battling and running, Xoana was full to the brim. She was ready to do it all again right now, but part of what made it all so wonderful was that she couldn’t. So she swayed instead, hugging herself as twilight set in.

Aisling stepped out onto the balcony behind her and Xoana didn’t need to turn around to know she was smiling.

“I’m so excited! I haven’t seen many fireworks before.”

“Me neither,” said Aisling, coming to stand next to her by the railing.

“Today was amazing. I’m never going to forget it. We haven’t even seen these fireworks yet, but I know I’ll never forget them either. So thank you for everything you did to help make it so special.”

“It was my pleasure,” Aisling purred in one of her usual self-assured tones. Then she paused, shifted her weight, and leaned both arms on the balcony. When she spoke again, all trace of teasing, confidence, and irony was gone. “Thank you for inviting me along on this whole thing. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Xoana leaned on the balcony too, edged a little closer until they were almost touching.

“I’m glad you came.” Now that was bold and bordered on innuendo. Aisling bumped her shoulder and Xoana looked up at the sky to try and focus on something other than the warmth flaring up her side. “You add a lot to the group, something we were missing. I think we’ve all been having more fun with you. I know I have at least.” She was rambling now, but she didn’t dare stop. “You’re really something else, you know? That’s part of why this day was so incredible, and how I know the rest of it will be.”

Xoana looked down at their hands and saw Aisling’s reaching for hers. Her heart skipped a beat and the moment slowed.

Serena walked onto the balcony behind them. Xoana could pick out those footfalls anywhere. Aisling withdrew her hand and turned to slouch back against the railing.

“The Comtesse graces us with her presence.”

Serena snorted, but with less than her usual derision, and stood by the railing on Aisling’s other side. Despite everything, she’d had fun as well.

Xoana knit her fingers together and stared at them. Had Aisling really been about to make a move on her? Would she have gone through with it if Serena hadn’t shown up? Did Xoana want that?

She was chewing on the inside of her lip and sensation was leaving her fingers.

But how much of that was Aisling and how much was the want that had been aching in her for years? She’d wondered the same about Serena. She still doubted, even though she knew she shouldn’t.

“Ais—” Serena stopped herself, started over. Xoana glanced over, and Serena met her eyes instead of Aisling’s. “My Queen.” She blinked and shifted her focus to Aisling as she grunted to acknowledge she was listening. “I’m sorry for what I said about Dáire.”

Aisling’s face betrayed nothing, but her shoulders hunched and her knuckles strained on the railing.

“I truly didn’t mean to imply it was anything other than a tragic accident. I was shocked and spoke carelessly. I apologize and I will do my best to not be as insensitive in the future.”

Xoana thought she heard Aisling’s teeth grind, but a quiet thanks passed her lips.

They actually did it!

But after that there was stiff silence rather than catharsis. Maybe they weren’t ready yet, but at least they had tried. Xoana caught Serena glancing at her again. Maybe they had tried for her. They had both spent the day trying to make sure she was happy. The least she could do was try the same for them.
 She dug around for the joy and energy she’d been overflowing with only a few minutes ago and slid between them, putting her arms around both of their shoulders.

“Fireworks with friends is the best! Thank you both for today.” She gave their shoulders a squeeze and they smiled.

Then the first firework went up, making any further conversation impossible. Tierney and Tracie came running out to join them and they all watched together.

Xoana cheered and applauded and hopped up and down, pulling everyone into the excitement with her. She let the bright colors fill her vision and the sound fill her chest with its booming.

It really was beautiful, even if it was over a bit too soon.

[inikavulpixelreviews]

Let’s Talk About Pokemon - The Chespin Family

650: Chespin

And here, we start Gen 6 for real this time. And even though X and Y were a whole Generation ago, and as we're slowly looking forward to Gen 8, that first announcement of the X and Y trailer still feels like among Pokemon's hypest moments for me. Over is the age of 2D sprites, but now we have entirely new 3D models! The same ones that have been accompanying these reviews since we started. When it came to the starters however, I was pretty put off from Chespin if just for the simple fact that we have our first mammalian Grass starter after 5 Generations straight of making the Grass starters being dinosaurs and reptiles. It’s for sure a change of pace, as we’ll see later the “extinct animal” theme Grass starters have has been getting more nuanced since Snivy. 

I’ve historically always gone with the Grass starter. Not even out of obligation, I just tend to love the Grass starters more. Chespin here is the sole exception out of the 7 gens so far. Chespin's kinda cute. But only kinda. It has the look of a much more typical Pokemon, not so much a Starter. I could see this wandering around in the wild and not bat an eye about it. I think the feature I like best is its head, overall. It has a cute hood/helmet thing going on. And it's got a cute face. But it's otherwise not working miracles for me.

Personal Score: 7/10

I’ll still give it a solid score cause TCG art can get it to look a little extre cute. But still easily my least favorite of the Grass starters to date.

651: Quilladin

And it's back to really goofy, awkward-looking Starter middle stages I'm sure we all missed! Quilladin is hilariously round, that helmet now turning into some kind of body-armor. And as the name hints, we've also got the beginnings of this line's theme in here as well! But also in turn, a theme for the remainder of our Starters this generation...

Quilladin itself gets a pass, but not much else. Just as an odd one out, cause the middle stages for the other two starters actually aren’t that awkward looking. I could see that as a deliberate thing to give Quilladin more identity, but it’s just not gelling with me too well. The lower half could do with looking a little more detached from the main body, in the sense of making the main body look more like it’s wearing a shell. Cause it otherwise just looks like skin.

Personal Score: 6.5/10

Too much of a goof to dislike, but it is the awkward one of the bunch.

652: Chesnaught

And coming out of its shell, we have the Grass/Fighting Chesnaught. Boasting heavy armor and arms that can turn into a shield in its ingame animations, along with the final forms of the other two Starter Pokemon, we have a clear cut overall theme with the Starter Pokemon for Kalos! Cause these three are actually different classes of Dungeons and Dragons (or Fantasy RPG in general) characters! With the well-armored, sturdy Chesnaught and its middle stage's name eluding to being the Paladin! Which is such a cool way to give the Starters an overall theme! Which is something I'd be more than happy to see become a mainstay in the series, giving your three options for monsters at the beginning have some sense of unity.

But as for Chesnaught itself, it's not a mind-blowing design for me. This may be a shock, but this time, the Grass type isn't my favorite Starter this time, not even among the three starters present. But Chesnaught's far from bad. Even beside the DnD theme, it's got cool bits, looks well armored without looking too busy in design. I do like it. And it's a well-designed monster. It's just far from an ideal critter for me.

But what about the extinction thing?! While Chespin and Quilladin may have looked a little more like chipmunks or hedgehogs, Chesnaught makes it abundantly clear that we're looking at a Glyptodon here. An armadillo-like prehistoric mammal that even has the beard-fur look Chesnaught does! So indeed, just like all Grass starters before it, the extinction-creature-grass-monster theme hasn't been lost yet. It’s a cool way to give a different take on it, choosing a mammal instead of a reptile. Prehistoric mammals definitely don’t get enough credit.

Personal Score: 7/10

Even so, it’s still a genre of creature I appreciate but don’t fully enjoy.

Overall:

Heck, what might be even more surprising is that this time around, the Grass starter is actually the Starter-trio's low point this Generation.

[Archive]

[crystalelemental]

You know, talking even briefly about how I don’t care much for the Gen 5 starters has resulted in me wanting to share my opinions about starter Pokemon as a whole.  Like, what I think of each of their evolutionary lines.  So let’s do that.  Not really a ranking or anything, just my opinions on each.

BULBASAUR LINE Bulbasaur’s evolution line is great, fight me.  They’re little dinosaur creatures with a giant flower that blooms on its back as it evolves, how is that not cool?  Grass/Poison was super redundant in Gen 1, putting it into conflict with every other grass type bar Tangela, but nowadays it’s...slightly less common of a typing?  Okay, it’s pretty standard.  But I really like the concept behind them.  Also, I can’t remember where I saw this, but someone insulted Venusaur’s design and I want you to know I’m judging.

CHARMANDER LINE Okay, Charmander?  Super cute, love the little lizard creature.  Charmeleon?  Okay, bigger and angrier, kind of a thing with Pokemon as they evolve.  Charizard?  The most stock-standard “dragon” you can imagine.  It’s literally just a Dragon.  Had they not been cowards about the typing back then, it probably would be Fire/Dragon.  But no, Fire/Flying.  I really don’t like Charizard.  It’s so standard and yet it’s held up as one of the best Pokemon designs, and for what?  For being a standard, boring-ass dragon.  Listen kids, dragons are boring, and we need to get over them.

SQUIRTLE LINE Squirtle itself is just adorable.  I love this thing so much, it’s honestly becoming my favorite of the gen 1 starters, even over Bulbasaur who I adore.  I’ve heard others mention that Wartortle is kinda underwhelming, but really, it’s not worse than Charmeleon or Ivysaur, and they’re just fine, so I think those people are just mean.  As for Blastoise itself, it’s a cool concept, though you do have to wonder how it got metallic cannons coming out of its shell.  Really doesn’t make much biological sense at all, which proves once again that anything that genwunners complain about Gen 5 being stupid for, Gen 1 did it too.  Overall great, probably turning into my favorite of the evolution lines.

CHIKORITA LINE Okay, I really like this evolution line, but for contrarian reasons.  Chikorita is not the cutest of the starters in Gen 2.  Cyndaquil is.  Its concept of having a giant flower around its neck isn’t bad, but Venusaur’s just a little more interesting in concept.  But ultimately, I still really like this line.  Because it’s the worst starter line from a competitive standpoint.  It’s so bad it’s hard to use even in the main game.  This poor thing deserves love, and if you hate on them, you are a bad person.

CYNDAQUIL LINE Okay, real talk: Cyndaquil was my go-to as a kid.  It’s so cute!  It’s such a cool concept, too.  The evolution line is a little stale, though?  I know the other starters aren’t exactly much better, but it really feels like it’s just slowly elongating with no substantial differences between the forms.  Also, mono-Fire feels like a huge waste on such a cool concept.  Like, imagine if this thing got a secondary Electric or Ground type or something.  Yes, horrific 4x weaknesses, I understand that, but counterpoint: it’d be cool.  And that’s really what matters.  Not like Typhlosion’s exact copy of Charizard’s stats did it any favors to begin with.  Still, this line is probably my favorite of the generation for one, singular reason.  It’s not a reptile.  Every other starter up to this point was some kind of reptile!  Gen 1 had this whole dinosaur motif going on, and Chikorita’s basically a dinosaur thing while Totodile is an alligator...crocodile...thing.  Thank you, Cyndaquil, for being the most unique animal type of the starters.  Even if your evolution path is kinda boring.

TOTODILE LINE Totodile’s line is...interesting.  It starts out as a cute little critter, and as many evolutions do, becomes a huge hulking monstrosity in its final form.  Feraligatr is pretty cool, and I do think it’s interesting how it’s the lowest level for final evolution of all starters.  That was a neat trade-off.  But man, Croconaw’s design just looks...odd.  It’s probably supposed to be like an egg pattern, but it really looks like a weird caveman cloth print, and it doesn’t look great.  It’s like an awkward teen years before getting to be a fairly cool adult.

TREECKO LINE Treecko was always my least favorite of the Gen 3 starter lines, and I never really knew quite why I was so lukewarm about it.  Spoilers, I adore the other two, but Treecko never really stood out.  I think my comments on Cyndaquil gave me a realization as to why: it’s another reptile creature.  It’s a cool-looking evolution line, but it’s still a reptile.  And I’m about reptiled out.  Still, we have to admit that Grovyle is super cool, both because of its sleek design, and its role in Explorers of Sky.

TORCHIC LINE Prior to Gen 6 producing the greatest starter of all time, Torchic was my stated favorite.  Listen, Fire/Fighting was a cool typing back when it happened the first time.  It wasn’t until it kept happening that everyone got sick of it forever.  A kickboxing chicken is also just about the funniest way to go with the typing, too.  You can’t deny how imaginative this line is.  Plus, the first form is super adorable.  Tiny little chicken, doing its best.  I love it so...  And its final form looks nice, too.  Really, the designs of Gen 3 were all spectacular.

MUDKIP LINE Mudkip was the one that gave Torchic a run for its money.  Mudkip itself is super adorable and precious, and while it and all its evolutions can look a little dopey, they have a lot of charm in their design.  Plus, Water/Ground is an awesome typing.  Quagsire did it first, yes, but that didn’t make it any less cool.

TURTWIG LINE Believe it or not, I don’t have very strong opinions about most of the Gen 4 starters.  Like Gen 5, I feel like none of them stuck with me that strongly, and any playthrough of the game, I’m perfectly fine dumping the starter.  That said, if I had to pick a favorite of them, it’s Turtwig.  I guess I just like turtles.  It’s mostly the concept behind its final form that I love.  It carries a giant tree on its back, and packs a fairly unique Grass/Ground typing.

CHIMCHAR LINE And now the exact opposite.  From day 1, I never liked Chimchar.  First off, I do not like monkeys.  I just don’t.  Secondly, Infernape stole the exact same typing as Blaziken, which is not only shitty, but also really boring.  Every other starter so far has been fairly unique in typing choices, and this asshole is gonna just do the exact same thing as last gen?  Oh, I’m sorry, it gets to be way faster but a bit less strong but still really strong.  Fuck Infernape.

PIPLUP LINE Piplup is cute, though.  And having its final form be some emperor penguin that’s apparently made of steel is awesome.  Torterra is the favorite from this gen, but man, Empoleon had such a cool typing it was hard to not consider it the most interesting.

SNIVY LINE Snivy’s alright.  It had a solid design, and I can understand why Smugleaf caught on as the fan favorite.  That said, that’s kinda all it’s got.  Serperior is plain boring, and it’s the only Grass starter not to get Earthquake for coverage at any point.  The only thing to its name is Contrary, and somehow it’s on its way to being the highest competitively ranked Grass starter, even above Mega Venusaur.  Which just goes to show that competitive Pokemon is broken beyond all repair and we should probably torch it all and start over.

TEPIG LINE I can’t believe they gave us three Fire/Fighting types in a row.  I’m gonna say it: if Emboar had gotten literally any other typing, it’d be my favorite of this gen.  Not even a contest, really.  Emboar looks cool, and Tepig is adorable.  Sure, Pignite is...a little awkward of a design, but that’s fine, it stood up.  It’s not lying to me unlike some middle stage fire starters I could mention.  But the fact that it’s part Fighting means it’s a huge disappointment.

OSHAWOTT LINE Oh wait, except Oshawott is also a huge disappointment.  An adorable little otter to a cool samurai otter, to whatever the hell is going on with Samurott.  “Steve, it can stand on its back legs and has the sword thing so-” no.  No it does not.  You know why?  Because it’s not drawn like that.  If you wanted to keep the samurai thing going, it’d be drawn and displayed as bipedal.  Instead, you gave us water horse, whose special attack is higher than its physical attack.  This should’ve been the favorite of the generation, but that final form does not look good, does not make sense for the line, and is mono-Water.  Not even a dual typing to keep things interesting?  Sad.  So I guess I don’t have a favorite of Gen 5 starters.  Because none of them are consistently good.

CHESPIN LINE Gen 6 did many things wrong.  Starters were not one of them.  Chespin is adorable and wonderful.  People made fun of Quilladin, but really, it’s the same deal as Pignite: it looks a little awkward but ends on a high note.  Chesnaught looks great, and the paladin concept is great, giving it a lot of good support moves and a Grass/Fighting type that is never really good but is interesting.  I like it a lot, but it’s massively overshadowed by...

FENNEKIN LINE Behold, the greatest starter line ever made.  They gave me a fox!  A Fire/Psychic fox!  Do you know how long I had waited?  Literally since Ninetales.  Fennekin is adorable, Braixen is the sassiest thing ever I love it, and Delphox is still an excellent witch design.  If there is any flaw this line could possibly have, it’s that Braixen should have the Psychic typing and access to some of the tech Delphox does.  Oh, and that the evolution line is competitive trash and has gotten literally nothing of value while a certain bastard-ass frog gets like 12 different favors over nothing.

FROAKIE LINE This is the worst starter line of all time.  Froakie itself was fine.  The idea of going ninja-theme on the frogs?  Fine.  I don’t care about ninjas at all, but fine.  That should’ve been the end of it.  But no.  It could’ve been just as simple as “not my preference” and move on.  And it should be.  But instead, they give it Protean, one of the most broken abilities in the series, on top of its blistering speed.  Hell, in ORAS, they gave it Gunk Shot, which rounded its coverage so perfectly it got banned to fucking Ubers.  So obviously, we went too far, right?  Time to dial it back.  Haha, idiot.  In the change to Gen 7, they give its multi-hit priority move a special designation instead of physical, because god forbid this bougie-ass frog have to work for anything in its goddamned life.  Oh, and we gave it a special snowflake form based on the anime, that gets like 50 more base stat points than a goddamned mega evolution.  Because, again, god forbid this bougie frog have to work for a damned thing in its life.  I thought it was blatant favoritism that Charizard got two megas.  I thought it couldn’t get any more obvious who their favorite starter was.  I was a goddamned idiot.  They could’ve gone way harder, and they did.  Greninja deserves nothing but getting its ass nerfed into the ground where it belongs.

ROWLET LINE You know, I actually wish the Rowlet line was better than it is.  Rowlet itself is cute, and while the final form’s design isn’t really my thing, the concept of it being an extinct bird and thus being part Ghost is...morbidly hilarious.  It’s also an archer!  That’s really neat!  But...it’s not very good.  I blame the speed.  Why did they want to make everything so bulky offensive this gen?  It didn’t work.  Whatever their reason, it’s a nice enough evolution line that just doesn’t quite hit the mark for me.

LITTEN LINE Ooooh boy, okay.  Look.  Litten’s super cute.  Torracat?  I can work with that.  But Incineroar...  Oh my god it looks so weird.  I don’t know what it is.  I think it’s similar to Bewear, in that it really just looks like someone’s fursona, only instead of being a really bad and lazy fursona with no personality, it’s a surprisingly high-quality one with a backstory about being a wrestler that’s simultaneously endearing but also concerning how much effort was put into it.  I know it’s a fire-type thing to stand up in the final form, but maybe...you shouldn’t have.  Maybe you should’ve been like Samurott.  Actually, maybe the two of you should trade places!  Samurott should stand its ass up, and you should sits yours down.  Then everything would be fixed.  Forever.

POPPLIO LINE Were it not for Fennekin being an adorable fox with the best typing, this would be my favorite evolution line.  Popplio was cute.  Maybe a little odd looking, but still cute.  Brionne was one of the prettiest middle evolutions in starter history, and it ends on the most elegant thing in the world.  Primarina is gorgeous, and I adore it.  Much like Fennekin, if there’s any real detriment, it’s that the middle stage doesn’t get the secondary Fairy typing.  Then it would truly be perfect.

[batsoulscrolls]

PMD: Unbounded Fates

Chapter 10

Cold walk

[PEV] [NEXT]

Sevin,Ruby, and Keil made it to the Cuthaer guild premises. The premises are larger than the guild itself now covered in deep snow and only the path has been cleared. They made it where they needed to be, a large clearing of the snow and a huge crowd surrounding a podium lifted up by a very large box. The crowd themselfs all talking to each other sharing their ideas on what is going on. “Maybe nature is mad at us” a voice says. “It the Cuthaer guild doing, try to make us join their guld.” another voice theroised

Then a Honchkrow lands on the podium and the crowd falls silent. “The guildmaster will not be able to give a speech due to an unexpected visitor, so I the second hand of the guild master will give it.” Honchkrow firmly says

The Honchkrow clears his throat as he pulls a piece of paper “The town of Sunne, the Cuthaer guild, and the neighboring village I thank you for keeping calm during an unexpected time. But thanks to the late hero and previous guildmaster Shasha, she has prepared us for the unexpected. But do not worry I have sent a letter to the H.E.L.P. organization about our problem. Now if anyone is unsuitable to the cold the clinic, our guild will, and other guild associated buildings will house you and keep you warm until the snow and cold weather has passed. Now for the guild members and those who are within our branch, all incoming work will cease instead you will be given a task to do. Go to the guild to receive the task. Thank you for your time.”

Then Honchkrow fly off and the crowd returns to talking to each other, Keil moves in between Sevin and Ruby “You heard the man, to the guild and also I’m getting cold.”

Keil walks away and Sevin, also Ruby, though reluctantly. Sevin gets closer and takes a look at the guild again as it is the only building within the clearing. The guild is built very differently, almost entirely different design. The way it's built is strange, it has a very large hallway-shaped building on both sides of the main entrance that makes it look like the entrance sunk into the building and even the second floor and also the third floor but only one on the left all topped off with a dome-like roof. Each floor a small roof protruding at each floor.

Ruby, Keil, and Sevin are at the entrance doors to the guild, but they are closed. Keil goes up to the door and knocks it very heavily “Come on, let us in!” he yells

“Yo! a password is required to enter.” a voice call out through the doors

Then Ruby goes up to the door and kicks it “There is no password Teal, open the door so I don't have to kick it down and shove that stick of yours down your throat!” she yells even louder than Keil

The right door begins to open inwards revealing a Delphox wearing a teal colored poncho and black covered bage. Delphox looks at them, then stares right at Sevin and a bit too long for Sevin liking. “You have the bracelet thing, my little brother need that bracelet and your help.” Teal blankly said

Keil walks in followed by Sevin and Ruby, Teal closes the door behind them. Sevin never was inside, only outside the guild. The guild hall is huge, even bigger than Keil dojo in width and height. To the left a   several boards spaced out from each other and a single reception desk at the end the board close to the entrance, to the right a long wall stands only a doorway leading somewhere just barely visible to Sevin and another doors at the back. Also the wooden floor is a dark brown and it is warm to the touch. But in the middle of the guilds hall a very large crystal device stands, the crystal is dark blue color and smaller crystals integrated into a gold ring-like base. Sevin gets closer to the crystal device and Fred comes around from the back of the crystal, holding a yellow crystal. Then Espurr and Quilladin follow behind Fred “Thanks again for getting that power crystal shard, now I think I could power this up after last night checking.” Fred said

“No problem, after all it is our job to help.” Quilladin enthusiastic said

Then Fred notices Sevin “Hey, great timing! I just going to activate the  device.”

Then Fred inserts the yellow crystal into an empty slot in the gold ring. Then the large crystal begins to rise and change color to glow a bright blue. Then the other crystal begins to glow a bright blue and Fred's face fills with excitement “YES! IT WORKS! After weeks on end it works!”

Then the pearl in the braceit on Sevin begins to glow as well, then the blue transparent appears but now black scrolls through the screen side to side. Then a paper size image appears, then a drawn image of a Zoroark appears with the above text saying wanted. Sevin continues to read but then Ruby voice bairs out “You can’t be serious! I am not going to take care of children!”

“I envy the person who partnered with her.” Espurr says

Sevin touches the pearl and it turns off. Then when Sevin turns around, he sees Ruby coming towards him “Sevin. To the mess hall. Now.” Ruby says, trying to contain her anger .

Ruby walks to the back of the guild hall and enters into a double door parallel to the entrance doors. Sevin follows behind and also enters. Sevin finds several pokemon moving tables to the side of the mess hall, Ruby is standing behind. Sevin goes to Ruby “So what our task” Sevin questions

“We got to help with the daycare people, I would rather be cutting wood in the cold instead.” Ruby replies

Before any more word can be exchanged a Machamp approaches them “Come help us setting us the cots” he says

Sevin goes and helps with setting up the cots and also ruby though with less enthusiasm.

[mysticdelphox97]

Some Alain & Mairin Headcanons! (Part 1?)

@modeststroke asked me a while ago about how I wrote my two favorite Pokeani characters, and of course I got caught up with college work and never posted it. I figured I’d just post what I have and see what my friends (and other fellow Alain and Mairin fans!) think about them :)

I’m also gonna tag @kalosstarters since I’m sure you’d like to see this too c: (and my senpai @wingsonghalo of course <3 ) I’ll probably also make other parts to this if I develop more headcanons for them, so be sure to look out for those in the future!

Alain:

Expressing his feelings isn’t something that Alain is used to doing, since he tends to keep to himself, but that doesn’t mean he never confides in anyone. If he feels he needs to talk to someone, he’ll go to Professor Sycamore for guidance. He’ll also open up to Mairin; usually at her insistence, but he isn’t against it. They are the only few people that he feels comfortable enough to talk to (there’s also Charizard, but she can’t exactly talk back)

Alain develops a couple of triggers that resulted from his time working for Lysandre. The most prominent one is the move Draco Meteor—whenever a Pokémon uses it, Alain will flinch and temporarily lose focus. Anything that even slightly resembles a Draco Meteor attack, such as fireworks, will also cause those reactions.

He automatically grows cautious around anyone wearing a lot of red—specifically, the vibrant red that represented Team Flare. Even if that person has a heart of gold and good intentions, Alain will keep his guard up until he’s absolutely sure they’re worth trusting. The last thing he wants is another situation like the one with the Di—with Lysandre.

It goes without saying that his loved ones are very important to him. Alain is more than willing to put his life on the line in order to protect them, but doing so upsets Mairin greatly. Because of that, Alain tries his best not to put his life at stake—after all, he can’t protect what’s important to him if he… if something happened to him.

Alain works as Professor Sycamore’s assistant for a few more years until he decides to focus on his education and attend school (this is when he and Mairin go their separate ways, but on good terms). Initially, he worked towards becoming a Professor like his mentor, but he developed an interest in becoming a Pokémon Doctor and changed his major accordingly. The fact that he was able to do something good by helping to heal Pokémon that have been hurt filled him with a new sense of purpose.

When Alain was a young boy, his mother used to work at the Lumiose Pokémon Laboratory as an assistant to Professor Sycamore, alongside Dexio and Sina. Alain would often accompany her, which is how he grew attached to Sycamore and saw him as a father figure (his biological father left long before Alain was born). He was 12 when his mother passed away from a terminal illness, and Sycamore became his legal guardian.

Mairin:

Of course, we can’t forget that this girl has an unfortunate case of clumsiness. She tries her hardest not to trip or fall down, but she swears every rock and slope is out to get her. Her clumsiness does get better as she gets older, but she is by no means graceful at that point.

Mairin flinches badly when she gets yelled at. This mostly comes from her being particularly more sensitive, and tends to take things personally.

Mairin is full of energy and always willing to keep moving forward. She also isn’t afraid to express what’s on her mind and voice her opinions, especially if it concerns the wellbeing of Alain.

As she gets older, Mairin does a lot of physical training with her pokemon, and as a result gains quite a bit of confidence in her body. This causes her clothing style to change, from wearing many layers to wearing clothes that accentuate parts of her body that she loves (such as her arms and abdomen). 

Chespie is her very important partner, so he’s almost always out of his Pokeball. It was easier to have him out when he was a little Chespin, but as he evolved into a Quilladin, and later into a Chesnaught, it was pretty difficult to bring him to certain places. He’ll usually have to sleep in his Pokeball if Mairin is staying at a Pokémon Center, or in an outdoor enclosure if there is one.

Mairin’s parents mysteriously disappeared when she was a baby, leaving her in the care of her grandfather, Ramos. She was raised by members of the family, though most of them felt indifferent to her because her parents were teenagers, and they were only related through marriage. As a result, she was often shunned by most of the adults and kids; the only person who accepted her with open arms was Ramos. As Mairin got older, Ramos wanted to make sure she had a secure future, so he wrote in his will that Mairin will inherit the family ranch and the Coumarine City Gym when he passes away. Not surprisingly, no one was entirely happy with this decision, but since it had been done legally, they had to respect Ramos’s wishes.

[echoeternally]

Birthday Gift!

Well, it’s @rott-ing-root’s birthday again! Probably my only friend that’s gotten more than one from me, since she both likes my stories and keeps up talking to me. (In spite of my increasingly difficult schedule and poor communication skills, yay!)

This year will be the underwhelming one, since I’m very out-of-touch with myself. But, Root suggested a few different couples to focus on, and that’s what I’ll try. And I’ll focus on Swampert and Sceptile for @ask-theoddfamilies, since they get less focus than Sneakpast, usually.

It’s a probably non-canon one-shot. Here goes!

On a cloudy evening, Swampert and Sceptile returned to their home, as Sceptile clapped excitedly while his husband dragged a haul of Remoraid and Octillary in a net.

 “Ooh, I can’t wait to serve some fish and octopus tonight!” Sceptile bounced a bit as he grasped the door handle.

 “Yeah, uh…can’t wait,” hesitantly agreed Swampert.

 Before Sceptile could open the door, it was thrust open and sent him tumbling backwards into Swampert. The two watched as Grovyle hurriedly stormed from their home.

 “Grovyle, son, where are you going?” Swampert lifted Sceptile back up and attempted to watch his son.

 “Out,” snapped Grovyle. “To places you’d avoid with people that you don’t like.”

 “Scrafty’s house, then.”

 “Shut up!”

 “Have fun, sweetie!” Sceptile waved as his son stormed off. “Don’t stay up too late!”

 His gecko son refused to reply, though Sceptile seemed undeterred by this and strolled inside his home. Swampert rolled his eyes, and then heaved their dinner haul in.

 “Maaaarrrrssshhhyyyyyy! We’re hooooommme!”

 Darting around the living room, Sceptile scrambled to search for his other son, as Swampert panted with the fish. His husband returned and tapped his foot by the stairs.

 “Marshy, where are you?”

 A door creaked open upstairs, and footsteps plodded from above. Marshtomp walked over and waved to his parents from the top of the stairs.

 “Hi Dad, Daddy.”

 “Come on down, baby. We’ll have dinner ready soon!”

 “What, um…what is it?”

 “Remoraid and Octillery Delight!”

 “Oh…” Marshtomp glanced around and shrugged. “That’s ok, Daddy. I’m not hungry.”

 “What?! But you love it!”

 “Um…it’s just…” Marshtomp fidgeted and wrapped his arms together. “I need to take care of…school stuff.”

 “Homework?”

 “That.”

 “Son, is…everything all right?” Swampert huffed and shook his head. “Your father and I…have a very big…haul for us to, ah…enjoy. Don’t you…want any?”

 “Later, maybe. I need to get this done.”

 And before either of his parents could debate with him again, the younger mudfish slipped away, retreating to his room. Sceptile frowned and slumped down at the base of the stairs, kicking one of his fur carpets.

 “But…he loves this stuff,” murmured Sceptile. The reptile picked at his carpet, and sank further down to it.

 “Um…look, babe.” Swampert sighed and sat down on the floor. “Maybe we should…ah, have a talk.”

 “About?”

 “Eh…certain…choices of…food that we eat?”

 Gasping, Sceptile covered his mouth. “Wh…what’s wrong with our food?”

 “The…food choice itself?”

 “Huh?”

 Swampert sighed and dragged a hand over his face. “Ok, let’s…you do realize that we eat other Pokemon. That’s…horrid, right? Other families eat animals, true, but we actually eat the Pokemon that evolved beyond that.” Swampert lifted his hand, as Sceptile tilted his head. “Dear, don’t you think that’s…a little barbaric?”

 “…I’m confused. They’re fish. That’s food.”

 “And the Politoed?”

 “Also sea food! And a delicacy to this family!”

 “Scepty, they’re living creatures.”

 “So?” Sceptile shrugged. “We need to eat, they need to die. It’s simple to me.”

 “Sceptile!”

 “What?”

 “It’s just…oh, where do I even begin?” Swampert folded his arms. “The thing is, dear, maybe you’ve gotten…you’re a bit…you can—”

 “Swampy, what?”

 “You’re a little extreme, even for the kids.”

 Squeezing his eyes shut, Swampert clasped his hands against his head. He peeked an eye open, with Sceptile’s face in front of his.

 “You’re calling me what the other neighbors call me…aren’t you, Swampy?”

 “N-no! Dear, I would never!”

 “Say it, Swampy.” Sceptile’s eyes narrowed. “Say it.”

 “D…dear—”

 “YOU THINK I’M CRAZY, DON’T YOU, SWAMPY?!”

 Sceptile grabbed a lamp and swung it at Swampert, who ducked down by the fish net. He rolled away as Sceptile swung the lamp down again.

 “Say it, Swampy! You think I’m just as insane as all the others call me!” The reptile’s eye twitched, and he dragged the fish net away from Swampert. “SAY IT!”

 “No, babe, I love you!”

 “LIAR!”

 Yelping, Swampert dove away as Sceptile slammed the net of fish against the ground, creating a small crater in their living room. Rushing to the kitchen, Swampert tried to go out the back, failing to undo the lock as Sceptile chased him.

 “Ooh, good idea, baby!” Sceptile snagged a knife from the counter. “You always were the smart one between us! JUST NOT SMART ENOUGH!”

 “Please, Sceptile, please stop!” Swampert shivered. “Come on, dear, I wouldn’t call you that! I know that it offends you, I know it does!”

 “Then WHY—?”

 “Because both boys are making a point!” Swampert shook his head. “We’re just…we need to think about how we do some things. It’s not insanity, Scepty, but things our family does…we come off as unusual.”

 “Being divergent from the expected norms of society is a striking unique and significant trait!”

 “I…what?”

 “We’re different, but that’s a good thing, Swampy!”

 “Yeah, but you just…ah, forget it.” Swampert hopped up and grabbed Sceptile’s free hand. “We’re just a little too into our own world, that’s what I mean. We need to…we need to get on a level that the kids understand.”

 “They understand us!”

 “Grovyle barely lives here.”

 “He likes his boyfriend!”

 “His boyfriend is a complete…” Swampert paused for a moment and shook his head. “That’s not about us, though. My point is that Grovyle doesn’t bond with us, and I think that’s because he doesn’t relate well. You and I never learned to properly connect with him.”

 “Maybe you didn’t,” argued Sceptile, tugging his arm away. “But both of my boys love me.”

 “Marshtomp won’t even leave his room now!”

 “He has homework!”

 “It’s not that, but he…” Swampert frowned. “He’s been distant lately too. And it must be something wrong with us.” He smiled to Sceptile. “I didn’t even get to finish earlier. You come off too strong, and I come off too stern. We each have faults.”

 “But…”

 “We do, babe. We do.”

 Slowly, Swampert reached for Sceptile’s hands again, and gently pulled the knife away, placing it on the counter. The husbands stood together quietly for a moment, and then hugged each other.

 “Dads?” The two broke away and turned to Marshtomp, who waited between the kitchen and dining room. “Um…I heard a bang, and the fish broke the floor outside. Is…everything ok?”

 “We’re fine, Marshtomp.” Swampert patted Sceptile’s hands. He smiled softly. “We just…had a fishy issue?”

 “Swampy, that was so cute!”

 “Dad, puns are lame.”

 “But Marshy, Marshy, how’s homework?”

 “Huh? Uh, oh! Oh, it’s…good.” Marshtomp scratched his arm. “I did, um. I got…through a lot?”

 “Baby, what’s wrong?” Sceptile placed his hands on Marshtomp’s shoulders and knelt down. “Is there something wrong?”

 “You can tell us, son!”

 “Um…I, uh…I want to, but…it’s weird.” He tugged on his arm. “W-well, not weird for you guys, I guess, but it’s…um…”

 “Marshy, whatever it is, we’ll always love you.” Sceptile smiled. “You mean more to us than anything.”

 “Even each other, apparently,” muttered Swampert.

 “Ok, I…uh, I got a…a boyfriend.”

 Sceptile and Swampert froze for a moment. Abruptly, Swampert shouted and jumped into the air.

 “Ha! Finally, yes! I knew it! I knew you’d fall in love some day!” He clapped and bounced. “Ah, it was only a matter of time. Son, I’m so—”

 “Swampert, hush.” The elder mudfish snapped his mouth shut and blinked. Sceptile shook his head and turned back to his son. “Marshtomp, did someone force you into that? You know you don’t have to date anyone if you don’t like it, right baby?”

 “Y-yeah, I know, Daddy.” Marshtomp sighed. “But I do love him. At least…in my way.”

 “See, son? I told you—”

 “Hush up, Swampert.” Sceptile glared as his husband, who sank back. He softened as he turned back to his son again. “Marshy, it’s fine if you really love him. But does he love you, without pushing you?”

 “Yeah, he said he would.” Marshtomp smiled. “He’s been my friend for years, and I think he gets me, so it should work out.”

 “Oh good!” Sceptile hugged Marshtomp. “Then I’m happy for you, baby!” He pulled back and grinned. “So, who’s the lucky boy?”

 “Quilladin.”

 “Chesnaught’s son?” Swampert folded his arms. “Hmm. Then that’s…Greninja’s son too, right?”

 “HIM?! HIS SON?!” Sceptile shook Marshtomp by the shoulders. “Marshy, you’re not serious, are you?!”

 “Uhh, I aaaammm.”

 “What?! How could that happen?!” Sceptile shook Marshtomp harder. “Marshy, his father is a bully!”

 “Sceptile, that’s not nice.”

 “But it’s true!”

 “Well, his son isn’t him, so, that’s that.” Swampert shrugged. “Besides, we’ve met Quill. He’s a good kid, if not a little, um…awkward, I suppose.”

 “I’m awkward too, Dad.” Marshtomp frowned. “Anyway, I want to, uh…date him. I mean, I am already, but…it’s different?”

 “That’s fine, son,” soothed Swampert. “As long as you’re finally dating.”

 “Swampert!”

 “What?”

 “It’s fine as long as you’re happy, Marshy.” Sceptile smiled to his son, but his face quickly fell flat. “Even if it is to a terrible frog’s son.”

 “Sceptile…”

 “What?!”

 “Um…anyway, I’m going to go back to talking to him.” Marshtomp backed away. “Uh…bye.”

 With that, the younger mudfish retreated upstairs. Sceptile and Swampert waited quietly in the kitchen, and turned to each other. Swampert shrugged, and Sceptile clasped his hands together.

 “Well! That was a fun workout and way to spend the night.” He bounced up. “Now, let’s get dinner cooking, baby!”

 “Uh…Scepty?” Swampert watched as Sceptile rushed back to the living room for the fish. He sighed and slouched. “But…I hate Remoraid…”

 Resigning himself to the meal, Swampert and Sceptile pulled the fish and octopus out, and prepared the rest of the ingredients for their meal. And the two chattered as they spent the rest of the evening together.

Huh. That felt hectic. But then again, that fits Sceptile’s character.

Anyway, it was a cute concept. Root wanted Sceptile and Swampert to have an argument of some kind, so I made that much up. And I previously wrote Marshtomp in a relationship with Quilladin, so I slipped that in. It’s not canon, though, since he hasn’t told his parents on the blog yet.

But hooray, there they are, in a cute fanfic together! Anyway, Happy Birthday, Root! Hope you enjoyed, as well as other readers!

[atrainernamedradish]

Starter Trio Rankings (Worst to Best)

A bunch of Poketubers have done this and I thought I’d expand on the whole starter subject but more of a grouping scenario than singling them out. This is essentially a companion piece for those who will notice a lot of repeated things written in this.

7) Unova (Serperior, Emboar, Samurott)

While not the worst in terms of first appearances, my dislike for this trio continues as each line expands into evolution. Tepig does not evolve well and its evolutions shouldn’t have been Fighting types. Everyone praises Emboar’s shiny and honestly I think it’s okay at best. Blue fire is just an overrated aesthetic for me. My gripes with the Snivy line are that it’s a basic grass type with an awkward middle evolution. The Oshawott line is my favorite of the three. Samurott grew on me, but it should have been that Fighting type they slapped onto Emboar. Not to mention Samurott’s God awful move pool! Overall I feel like the Unova starters could have been designed a bit better.

6) Kalos (Chesnaught, Delphox, Greninja)

The base evolutions are just so underwhelming for me! My initial choice was Chespin out of the three, but the Fennekin like won me over despite my dislike of it. Delphox is a solid mon while Braixen is just the cutest~ Best middle evolution hands down! I don’t know how to feel about Quilladin. Chesnaught appeals to me though. And then there’s the Greninja line! Frogadier is the only thing I like about the line. Honestly I hate Greninja and it shouldn’t be a water type. It’s move pool is lackluster and it’s not that good of a mon unless you’re running Protean. And I’ve seen better black shinies, just sayin’.

5) Kanto (Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise)

The Bulbasaur line is my favorite in this trio. I have nothing bad to say about it. I also like the Squirtle line which also has a top tier middle evolution. ...and then Charmander gets bigger and uglier and I can’t be bothered. While, myself isn;t a Charizard fan, I can understand why it is so popular. HOWEVER it didn’t need TWO Mega Evolutions! I will admit that it has a good shiny though~

4) Sinnoh (Torterra, Infernape, Empoleon)

I love Piplup and Empoleon, but the moment Piplup evolves, I’m always on a mad dash to evolve it because I’m not fond of the middle evolution. The middle evolution of Turtwig is also not my favorite either, but neither of these middle evolutions ruin their lines. Infernape looks like a total badass... but I think its first two evolutions are pretty damn ugly which ruins that line.

3) Hoenn (Sceptile, Blaziken, Swampert)

I always choose Torchic as my starter when I plan in Hoenn. I love Mega Blaziken’s design to that of the normal design, but I still love both none the less. Combusken is a little awkward looking but doesn’t hinder the overall line. The Mudkip line is a sold secondary pick with an amazing typing combination. But dear GOD do I despise the Treeko line (even if it has a great shiny)! I have never used a Treeko nor do I have the urge to do so... (I lie actually cause I might in the far future >w>)

2) Johto (Meganium, Typhlosion, Feraligatr)

The Cyndaquil line is my favorite starter line out of all the others and it’s not a Johto journey without one~! The Totodile line is well designed despite the fact that I find the middle evolution to be down right ugly lol! For the Chikorita line I have nothing good or bad to say about it.

1) Alola (Decidueye, Incineroar, Primarina)

I had to do some soul searching and the results had me putting this in its rightful place as number one! To be honest I originally hated the entire Incineroar line, but once I used it to give a chance my entire opinion changed. ...well... except for Litten. I’ve never been fond of its 3D model which doesn’t make it look very cute to me... Torracat ended up looking pretty damn cute to me~ For Incineroar I finally figured out what my problem with its design: it’s hands. But that’s a rant for a previous starter list lol~ Other than that tiny design flaw... I appreciate it now. For the Popplio line I wasn’t initially sold on Brionne’s design, but one Pokemon Refresh trip later and it’s now adorable, though in an awkward way~ Primarina was love at first sight when the leaks came out, and I don’t care what gender mine is either (and his name is Mercury, after the “queen” himself ;P)! And I was Team Rowlet from the start! I love the entire line from the adorable Rowlet to his sassy and awkward Dartrix evolution to the badass archer Decidueye evolution~ The Alolan region had top notch starters and I hope Generation 8 can wow us further~!

[adobe-outdesign]

you’ve already done chesnaught, but have you reviewed chespin and quilladin?

(Chesnaught is over here for anyone wondering.)

Chespin is super cute. It's got a neat abstract design--it's ostensibly supposed to be a hedgehog according to interviews released at the time, but there's nothing hedgehog-esq about its body shape other than the head quills.

Regardless of what it is or isn't supposed to be, the chestnut theme is a unique one and works well to make it stand out. The design is simple enough as well.

However, something about it always looked odd to be. I think it's because the chestnut looks more like a hoodie than it does a thick piece of protective shell. I think it might've helped if there was an actual light-colored inside ridge to it along the edge, to show that it has depth and isn't just a flat marking or something.

Aside from that, I don't think you needed the random triangles on the side of the face (the one at the top can stay as you need something to break up the circles a bit). I also would've liked to see the arms be more of a light brown so they're not so disconnected from the body, maybe with triangular dark points at the ends to tie that color and shape from the face back in.

The reddish-orange tail tip is also very random, as it doesn't really share color with any other part of the design (maybe the nose, though the nose could easily be black instead), doesn't really lead into anything as it evolves, and doesn't really go all that well with the brown and orange color scheme.

Also, this might just be personal preference, but I also wouldn't have minded a few small quills on the back, to make it look more like a chestnut.

Quilladin at least manages to not be a dreaded transitional stage of Chespin and Chesnaught, but it unfortunately it also feels like it's spiraling off in a completely unrelated direction from the rest of the line.

First, the good stuff. Namely, I like the expression; it's rare to get kind of a "zany" Pokemon like this, and it gives it a lot of personality.

However, aside from that, the design doesn't really do it for me personally. The perfectly round body shape/armor looks like it would make it hard to move and feels unnatural, while those weird reddish-orange tips have come back for a vengeance. The shape of the fur on the head being mimicked by the brown on the body is a nice touch, but it's also doesn't really work when it's just part of a random stripe.

Also, for something based on hedgehogs and chestnuts there sure aren't a lot of spikes on this thing.

Personally, I think it would've been nice to see a bit of Chesnaught's white color scheme starting to work its way in here, namely the white. The way it's completely enclosed in a chestnut at this stage is more than enough to distinctify it, even if the colors ended up being somewhat similar to each other. Add a few short spikes and lengthen the limbs a bit and I think that would help it connect back to Chesnaught more.

So as a whole, Chespin is very cute, but the colors could be a little more refined and the chestnut a bit more pronounced. Quilladin does a good job at remaining a unique design, but also feels like it's going in completely different direction from the rest of the line. It's still good enough as-is, but it's lacking the last little bit of refinement I think this line needed.

[tightropenuzlocke]

Chapter Six: Supernova Shining Bright

Route 5 had a skatepark of all things, but maybe that was to cut down on the number wheels in the city proper. The place itself was something to see, to say nothing of all the people using it—this one girl in a headscarf was really good! So Aisling and Tierney hung back to watch for a while. Aisling had always wanted to try skateboarding, but there was never enough pavement where she grew up to get properly into it. Might be something to pick up a little farther down the line. Maybe Tierney would be up for trying it with her—though her fascination could be more due to with some of the people in the the skatepark than the skating itself. And who could blame her?

The smell of burning fur interrupted Aisling’s musings and she cast around to find her new Charmander crunching what appeared to be the remains of a charred Minun. Time to stop lingering and get to work.

She stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled piercingly to gather up her crew. Bree had never left her side and Gobán shot out of the grass to her, wings fluttering in readiness. Surprisingly, Finley appeared almost as fast and landed lightly on Aisling’s arm when she held it out. It was a nice change.

Aisling hated herself for thinking it.

Emer came bouncing along, babbling about a pond the wilds had told her was off to the north through the crops. Hmm. A watering hole like that was a good place to find battles.

Most of the fields were oats or lavender so Aisling forbade Ember and had her Charmander use Scratch on her wild opponents. The restriction irked her a bit but didn’t slow her much. She really was a ferocious piece of work, but that lust for battle was perfect for Aisling’s purposes. Honestly someone should be paying her for all the Bunnelbies and Gogoats she was clearing out of here.

Finley had to fly up and scout ahead to find any battles for herself and dutifully returned after each match to be checked over, while Íde continued to charge heedlessly ahead.  

“Leave some for me!” Gobán hissed at the Charmander’s back.

Emer found the pond and dove in for a swim while the others took a drink. Her buoyant tail bobbed along the surface as she swam beneath, sending ripples across the water that made the lilypads dance—all but one. A pair of big yellow eyes peered out from under it and burrowed into Aisling. The head was amphibian in shape and covered in dark brown mud.

Aisling leaned over. “Bree,” she whispered, “see that pokemon lurking under the lilypads?”

Bree squinted. “Oh yeah!”

“Think you could lasso it from here?”

Bree nodded and planted herself before hauling back and firing out a vine. The pokemon ducked but Bree’s aim was true thanks to all their practice. She slid a bit in the muck near the edge and backed up onto more solid ground to reel in her catch hand over hand.

With a final yank something bright turquoise and sparkling flew out of the water and flopped heavily onto the ground. Not a Froakie, but a Croagunk of a shade Aisling had never seen.

A shiny.

The Croagunk hopped to its feet and belched lavender mist as it struck Bree in the face with its tongue. The Quilladin flinched but her vine didn’t loosen so the Croagunk kneed her with a swift dark-type attack.

Aisling had Bree meet the next attack with Needle Arm and the sting of her quills was enough to put the Croagunk on the back foot. Bree had it pinned and beaten less than a minute later.

Bree backed off the Croagunk and it sighed in relief but flinched as Aisling approached.

“We’re not gonna kill ya,” Bree assured it. “You can be on our team!”

Aisling tossed her ball and the Croagunk disappeared in a flash.

“Oh! Whatcha catch?” Xoana and the rest had caught up. “Comtesse just got a Snubbull.”

Aisling let the Croagunk back out and they all gasped. Tracie whipped out her pokedex.

“Is that a shiny?!” Xoana yelled. “I can’t believe it! I can’t believe your caught another one, holy shit!”

“Hail to the shiny queen!” Tierney crowed.

“Croagunk is nice, I suppose, even if it is doubling up on fighting-type.” Serena really needed to step up her shade.

“Toxicroak is the shit,” said Aisling, looking at her new shiny pokemon.

The Croagunk shifted nervously from all the attention and nearly jumped out of her skin when Bree clapped her on the back. But Bree and Emer spoke encouragingly to her while Aisling’s friends continued to freak out, and she settled down.

Gobán slithered up to Aisling’s shoulder and hummed in pride and excitement. Her powerful Charmander settled by her feet.

The luck god still smiled on her.

...

Serena herded them all back towards the path so that they “would reach the hotel before dark” before Xoana could really finish processing Aisling’s second shiny catch. Xoana couldn’t help glancing back again and again to check that this was real. Each time the Crogunk was still there, sparkling like the southern sea as it trailed behind them all.

Predictably there was another, almost as urgent pull at her attention. Aisling had a little more swagger in her step again and she held her head high, exposing a strip of her freckled neck above the collar.

“Korrina!”

Xoana jolted out of her contemplation with a flush rising to her own neck. Serena was already bounding forward to meet the young woman and her Lucario. Korrina waved back and hit the brakes on her roller blades, causing her long, blonde ponytail to swing forward over her shoulder. 
Aisling leaned into Xoana’s periphery and nodded to Korrina questioningly.

“The Yantreizh Gym Leader. We’ve, uh, known her for a bit.”

“Nice,” said Aisling with a grin.

Maybe at the beginning it was. Now… Xoana didn’t want to think about. Though she probably should. Korrina was more or less the reason they were all here—all but Aisling anyway. Serena had wanted to enter Prof. Sycamore’s program rather than train with her mother since Korrina had taken part and come out the other side as Kalos’s youngest Gym Leader. Now she was an idol of mega evolution to rival Diantha.



“Hey Serena! Hi Xoana!” Korrina chirped.

Xoana was a little energetic herself sometimes, but Korrina made her tired.

“How have you been?” Neither got a chance to answer. “I already know! I heard you both got into the mega evo program! That’s so awesome! Up top girls!” She offered them both a high five which Serena eagerly accepted. “I’m so pumped for us to have a real battle, so work hard okay?”



“Of course! I look forward to it!” Serena chirped. Gods the bald-faced admiration and need. It was like looking in a mirror—or a window into a past she was not keen to return to. 

Which is why Xoana looked away and noticed the Lucario getting up in Aisling’s space. She held her ground even as the pokemon’s aura sensors stood on end and her Dunsparce hissed from her shoulder.



“Artemis!” Korrina reprimanded. A sharp look passed between them before the Lucario reluctantly stepped back. “Sorry about that…?”



“Aisling.”



“Aisling,” Korrina repeated. “Nice to meet you! You’re in the mega evo program too.” She held out her hand and glanced at her Lucario again. “Artemis says you have an interesting aura. She’s never seen anything like it.”



“Really?” said Aisling, betraying nothing. “Neat!”



They didn’t get to talk for long before Serena butted back in and Xoana tuned right out. The jealousy was more than she could take. Sure Korrina was gorgeous and talented, but that kind of laser focus came at the expense of other things. Xoana just didn’t see the lasting appeal.

At some point Korrina noticed the bright turquoise frog with them and that understandably derailed the conversation for a while, though of course Korrina would never be gauche enough to ignore Serena entirely—just Tierney and Tracie.

Xoana’s gaze drifted from Korrina to her Lucario. Having been forbidden from investigating Aisling more thoroughly, Artemis had turned her attention a little more covertly on Aisling’s team, scrutinizing each in turn. If there was something odd about Aisling’s aura, would it effect her pokemon? Was that a thing? The whole aura business was more in the realm of pseudo-science except for the fact that some species of pokemon could very clearly see them. Maybe unexplored was a better term.

“Well, Artemis and I should be going but I’m so glad we ran into you all!” Good. It was almost over. “I’m sorry again about Artemis. She forgets about the proximity thing.” The irritated flick of the Lucario’s ears suggested otherwise, but she dipped her head in apology as required. “I can’t wait to see you all again in Yantreizh, especially you, Aisling.”

She skated leisurely away and her Lucario jogged behind her after one final lingering look at Aisling. Serena waved even though Korrina didn’t look back.

“So,” Aisling began in that tone that meant she was about to start something. “How long you been nursing that crush, Comtesse?”

Xoana turned her head slowly. It was like she was being transported to a parallel universe.

“Wh-what?” Serena stuttered.

“You heard me.”

Xoana was clearly imagining this. She was having an intrusive daydream, nothing more.

“It’s not—!” Serena paused and adjusted her tone, “a crush.”

Aisling nodded, lips tightly sealed and eyebrows hitched all the way to her hairline.

“I just admire her.” Serena started walking again to avoid Aisling’s increasingly triumphant expression but didn’t have the sense to stop digging herself deeper. “She’s not that much older than us but already so accomplished. And she’s so nice, you know? And she always has been. Xoana and I have known her for years.”

Serena continued but she was no longer looking their way so Aisling leaned over and whispered to Xoana: “So I’m hearing,” she counted off on her fingers, “absolutely a crush, totally legal, deeper than that hot bod, and years now. That about sum it up?”

Xoana covered her mouth but still snorted audibly. Serena came back to earth and Aisling covered her with a cough.

“Sorry.” Another totally phony cough. “Please do go on. I’d like to hear more about her.”

Serena’s eyes narrowed suspiciously but she couldn’t resist the urge to monologue about Korrina for very long. Tierney and Tracie pulled ahead so that they wouldn’t have to participate and Xoana and Aisling stayed a step behind. Aisling leaned in again when Serena was sufficiently distracted.

“Have you tried telling her how gay she is?”

Yes, but it wasn’t something she could do again. “Have you tried telling Serena anything?”

Aisling laughed.

“Maybe we should go straight to Yantreizh?” Serena fretted, turning to them.

Xoana and Aisling leaned away from each other to look a bit less like conspirators.

“Sounds great! Just a quick trip over the mountains!”

“We could—”

“I’m joking,” Aisling cut her off. “I wanna see the beach this summer.” Serena threw Aisling her dirtiest look and opened her mouth to argue. “Besides which, we’re not ready. Don’t you think we should have at least one more badge under our belts before we face her?”

Serena swallowed whatever she was going to say and gave it another moment’s thought. “You’re right. It’s important that we be well-prepared for the Yantreizh Gym. We need to make the best impression possible on Korrina—since she’ll be judging whether we’re ready to proceed in the program.”

Xoana and Aisling nodded, trying to keep their faces serious. They let her keep talking and slowly the vision began to fade. It was slipping away like a dream upon waking, and Xoana snatched at it.

“You—you see it too, right?” she asked softly.

“Oh, absolutely.”

Aisling’s unqualified confidence loosened something in Xoana’s chest. Perhaps it was more than one thing. She’d been ignoring that tightness so long it was difficult to say. There were ugly emotions, tangled with the rest. She couldn’t tease out one without bringing the whole mess to the surface. Or she couldn’t before. Maybe with some more time, some more gentle loosening, she could unravel a bit more of herself. She could find where it belonged and weave it in properly.

“What’s so interesting about your aura?” Serena asked as casually as she could muster—which approximately equated to the demeanor of a detective in an interrogation.

Aisling shrugged. “Donno. Can’t see ’em.”

Serena’s eyes narrowed again. Aisling pretended not to notice, but that wouldn’t stop Serena—not when there was a challenge before her.

“Maybe we should have another battle. A rematch.”

“Sure. Sounds fun.”

They sent their new catches out first and Serena had her Snubbull use Charm right off the bat to even the playing field. Aisling had her Croagunk counter with Astonish, which succeeded in tripping the Snubbull up and reclaiming the advantage until she made the mistake of using Mud-Slap. Sure it rendered the Snubbull half-blind, but it also sent her into a frothing Rage that spooked the poor Croagunk, setting her up for a Headbutt to the gut that knocked her right out of the battle.

Aisling flinched a little and withdrew her before sending in Emer to hose the furious Snubbull down.

Serena and her new catch didn’t much appreciate the consideration. She sent in her Squirtle, only it turned out to be Justine using Illusion to close. Emer was tougher now, but Justine fought furiously to take care of the water-type and prevailed with Serena’s quick orders and encouragement.

Xoana called Emer over and tended to the downtrodden Marill rather than let her be withdrawn looking so disappointed.

The triumphant Zorua lasted mere seconds against Aisling’s Charmander, who didn’t even flinch as Serena’s actual Squirtle stepped up to face her.

“Wait for an opening and use Scratch,” Aisling commanded clearly and calmly.

“Water Gun, Laurent!”

The moment of hesitation made it clear that these two knew each other. Shockingly the Charmander did as she was told and dodged the first volley before raking the Squirtle. He withdrew into his shell but she continued her assault until he was able to use her wind-up to nail her right in the face with Water Gun. Even the point blank hit wasn’t quite enough and she struck him savagely across the face, laying him out.

Aisling whooped and her Charmander looked down at her opponent in satisfaction, tensing in gleeful anticipation as Félicité stepped up to challenge her. Serena’s brows set and the Fennekin blasted into Íde with Flame Charge, not to do damage, but to gain speed. She danced clean away from the Charmander’s slashes with the boost and scratched up her chest and face until she fell.

Félicité evolved from the victory, rearing onto her hind legs as she transformed. She flexed her far more dexterous paws experimentally, ignoring Justine’s excited yipping and hopping behind her, but sharing a glance and a smile with Serena.

Aisling looked to Gobán, still on her shoulder, and nodded. The flattened serpentine creature leapt gracefully down and Félicité met her with an Ember. Gobán emerged from the blaze covered in rock and knocked Félicité clean off her feet. She used Flame Charge to get clear of the next hit and scramble back up onto two legs. She danced to the side and roasted the Dunsparce again, but it didn’t do much but warm the rocky armor before Gobán rolled back out of range. Félicité took a deep breath as Gobán went into the turn, gathering herself, and blasted the Dunsparce with one continuous stream as she came in again. Serena’s fists clenched tight, willing strength into Félicité’s flames. Gobán barreled into her head, knocking her down again and slamming into her a third time as she tried to rise. Félicité yelped and Justine whined.

For a moment Serena paused, but then her eyes met Félicité’s and she hung her head.

Gobán came to a halt and shed her rocky casing. Heat haze drifted off the pebbles and some of the Dunsparce’s scales were discolored. But she slithered back to Aisling, wings fluttering and pleased as anything.

Félicité forced herself to sit up, clutching at her side. Serena knelt to look her over, and Justine fretted by her side.

“Good battle, Comtesse. That was even closer than last time,” Aisling remarked. “You nearly had us.”

But of course that was no consolation to Serena, who thought she should have had it in the bag. Xoana stepped in to shift her focus.

“Félicité evolved! That’s so awesome! We should all keep our eyes open for a stick she can use as a wand!”

Serena was still sullen after that, but it did get her moving on towards Fort-Vanitas.

[inikavulpixelreviews]

Let’s Talk About Pokemon - The Froakie Family

656: Froakie

And to finish off our trio of Starters, we now have this adorable little frog! With an adorable little foam around its neck, a froth similar to what real life frogs use to protect their eggs! But I'm sure eagle-eyed Pokemon design enthusiasts also noticed a little something going on with Froakie here. For Froakie, much more than Fennekin and Chespin did, is already laying hints at what its final evolution will be like...

Froakie bears quite a striking resemblance to a Japanese caricature of a thief; a big ol' bag strapped over its shoulders and on its back, and that little “mustache” even looks like the knot of a bandana tied to cover their face. This frog is a kleptomaniac! But more importantly, a sneaky kleptomaniac.

Personal Score: 8/10

A really cute frog! Arguably my favorite one, other than one in the not too distant future...

657: Frogadier

And Frogadier here takes it one slight step further, in making the top of its head look a little bit more like an actual mask. Too bad it's otherwise kind of an average frog monster, then. A cool cartoon frog at least, and it’s yet another middle-stage that avoids middle-stage awkwardness. But that’s not a glowing mark. Just something that should’ve been worked on so that other starter’s middle-evos like Marshtomp or Prinplup didn’t feel like they only existed to bridge a gap.

Personal Score: 6.5/10

It’s a cool frog in the end, but it lacks the charm of Quilladin’s goofiness or a hardened theme like Braixen. Cover its head up, and it’s just a blue frog.

658: Greninja

Which leads us to none other than Greninja itself. The sneaky ninja, or “Rogue/Assassin” of this starter trio! And boy is this one cool frog! It's such an overall cool design, all topped off with an absolutely ridiculous looking scarf, made not out of bubbles, but out of its own, elongated tongue! And giving such a feature to a Pokemon that is otherwise a very cool and “serious” design is a move risky for creating a clash of tone for the thing, but it actually looks plenty fine on it.

I also think it's insanely clever how its legs are made. Greninja, despite being an anthropomorphic frog, is still VERY frog-like in terms of proportions. Right down to the big-thighed shape of its legs that taper off to be really skinny toward the bottom. But this also simulates the looks of a ninja's legs; the main “pant” garment cutting off and closed in on where the “boot” begins around the knee. Just a really cool way to include a frog's physiology into, well, making a frog-ninja.

Greninja also picks up the Dark type; completing a secondary rock-paper-scizors trio of types with the other two starters, the Grass/Fighting being beaten by the Fire/Psychic, being beaten by the Water/Dark, being beaten by the Grass/Fighting, and so-on. Though I half-hoped if they were to do something like this, they'd have made it so that the Pokemon that's weak to its type previously can no combat that type's starter because it picked up the type that its secondary type was weak to. Ei, Grass/Dark vs Fire/Psychic vs Water/Fighting or something similar. Oh well.

It’s also about time we got a frog in Pokemon that did something with its tongue. We’ve gotten FIVE other fully evolved frog or toad Pokemon, and it’s not until Greninja here where a frog’s iconic tongue becomes a front and center feature. 

Personal Score: 10/10

And yes, this marks an odd plot twist where the Grass Starter is actually my least favorite of the three.

Ash-Greninja:

Oh, I guess I better briefly cover this thing too. Ash-Greninja is a special event Pokemon that only got introduced so far in the demo of Sun and Moon, toted as Ash’s very own Greninja that transformers into this by very unique ability. And it’s okay I guess. Putting more black or red on Greninja isn't bad in theory but the execution is off here. They either needed to commit to it or only pick one extra color. And I get it just form changes to resemble Ash but goodness that “hair” looks so profusely wrong.

I do remember when Ash-Greninja created quite a debate during the Sun and Moon hype. A lot of theories suggesting that a replacement for Mega Evolution was going to be “Synchro Evolution” where your fully evolved Starter changes to more resemble the player character. The concept is sound but given Character customization, that’d be a lot of alt-forms to design.

Personal Score: 6/10

Nah, just give me the default.

Overall:

Some really solid starters this time around! Two high-runners with the straggler still being pretty good!

[Archive]