#his first league since johto..

[meistoshi]

lied abt sleep i am btw still thinking abt. au where satoshi didnt get the motivation to wholeheartedly stick with battling after his first defeat at indigo n switched gears to instead go all-in on baseball. the way that like Truly nothing much has to change. mfer will Still wind up in the mortal perils he's already experienced. the one thing i'll say is that baseball!satoshi definitely didn't encounter mewtwo until off-season research assistant job led him n gou to its spot as in jn46

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

I sincerely hope I’m sending this request correctly. I wanna ask for a pokemon request where reader has a full Unown team with the Paldea crew reaction(Arven, nemona, penny) and maybe the blueberry academy crew reaction. I love unowns they’re my funky little letter guys. Basically the reader is an Unown enthusiast who only ever has unowns and only ever used Unowns. They have all the forms but the six they use are just the ones they took with them to Paldea. They went through Paldea and became champion with a full Unown team. Same with the bb league. I just think it’d be funny to see everyone’s reactions to that. Their partner mon would be Unown O and the other five you could pick cuz Unown O is my favorite letter. And also if u could write the unowns being affectionate with the reader and vice versa. I just like seeing trainers bonding with their pokemon. Thank you and I enjoy your writing!

(Side note: Honestly if ScarVio was able to have unowns in it you’d bet your ass I’d do a full Unown run. I’ve done it for other games. Was disappointed and sad I couldn’t have any unowns in them, sword/shield too.)

I LOVE the Unowns omg. I got a plushie of V and I'm still trying to get shinies and alphas in PLA

My favorite is F because it looks like a little stick figure but I adore all of them very much <3

.......

General

Ever since discovering the Unown in Johto (Ruins of Alpha) and the two additional forms in Kanto (Tanoby Chambers), you found your calling as a trainer.

An Unown trainer, to be precise.

Unown O was the first one you caught, and has been your battle partner ever since!

You've become something of an enthusiast, asking researchers what they've discovered and documenting the Symbol Pokemon as you collected them.

You've caught so many that you actually encountered a shiny or two--each capture being a success.

Their existence, connection to Arceus, home dimension, and "secret power" when more than one are gathered were all fascinating to you and made you wanna learn more.

You even incorporated some of their designs into your outfit: like gloves and socks that had symbols printed on them, keychains and charms on your jewelry and/or backpack..etc.

All 28 Unown grew to love you, and the ones in your party are super affectionate when you bring them out.

Their favorite game is hide n' seek (taking after their "ancestors" from PLA) around your home, and you like to play along.

Ofc people are wary around Unown given their mysterious nature, but you vow to break that stigma by feeding them treats and letting them nuzzle up to you, showing others that they're just like any other Pokémon: companions who deserved as much love and affection as a Pikachu.

After parting ways with your friends in Kanto and Johto, you don't leave without gifting them an Unown that was the first letter in their name (for Blue you left him a Shiny Unown B...which he still brags about to this day).

You decided to move to Paldea to take your Pokémon training more seriously, attending school and showing off your Unown since they're not native to the region.

Your team consisted of O, as well as N, E, F, R, and M--referring to what all 28 are collectively called (One Form).

Despite knowing they can only use Hidden Power and nothing else (plus the drawbacks from having a psychic-only team), you defied all the odds when you took on not one but TWO championships and won.

And of course, the friends you've made during your journey all got to know the Unown personally.

Paldea

Arven

At first, he thought your Unown team had more to it...until he realized that was ALL you brought to the battlefield.

Just funky letters that only knew one move.

"Oh come on, you're never gonna win with a team like that-"

And then you go and beat him with a team like that, and it shuts him up.

But Arven just rolls his eyes to the sky, making the excuse that he's not used to battling, and moves on.

As you get closer to him, though, and help him take down the Titan Pokémon around Paldea, he warms up to your team and admits they're kinda cool.

He'll only shoo them away if he's making a sandwich, not wanting to be crowded (but tbh he can tolerate Unown O's presence more than your 'raidon's).

You presented him with picks inspired by the designs of some Unown (I, K, T, Y, and !) to hold the ingredients together, and he's thoroughly impressed by your dedication to the craft.

You joked about selling them if you ever went into the art of culinary--yet Arven tells you to seriously consider it.

After the fight with the AI Professor in Area Zero, he sees your entire team pop out of their pokeballs, clearly stressed from being locked inside due to the Paradise Protection Protocol.

You never did a battle without them and were afraid they couldn't protect you, but you reassured them you were okay, letting them stay out during the journey home.

Only then does he realize that sure, they're weird little guys that don't seem all-that powerful, but you treasure them all the same.

Nemona

While she was confused about you not using the Paldea starter the Director offered you..she's HYPED when your real team comes out to play during your first match together: One made entirely of Unown, a Pokémon not even native to Paldea.

She may have read about them in some textbook unrelated to battling and glossed over them.

But to see them in battle left her extremely impressed and asking you dozens of questions afterwards.

They could just change their type when attacking??? She read about Arceus supposedly having that power, but it's awesome that these little letters/symbols can, too!

Despite thinking you'll bore her by having no strategy except "use hidden power", Nemona NEVER wants you to feel discouraged!

She wants to battle your team every time.

As you fight your way through the Pokémon League and all the way up to the Elite Four, she's rooting for you 100%, praising your Unown for overcoming even the toughest terastalized foes.

Knowing your party members, they LOVE praise and are very friendly towards her and her own Pokémon.

If any of them have timid/lonely natures..her words give them a big confidence boost.

And it reflects in their reaction times and how often they'll heal their own status conditions or tank OH-KO hits.

She says you're helping them get stronger every day, but you give her lots of credit, too, for helping you get this far.

Penny

While dealing with Team Star, Giacomo's dark team put your Unown through a world of hurt...

Penny had been watching the battle, worried that he was going to be the reason you failed to squander the organization.

Yet by some miracle, your team came out on top!

Only then does she realize you were more than capable of taking down all the bases.

Unown P comes out to greet her while you've doing an LP exchange, and it scared her pretty badly.

Especially as it just...stares. Occasionally blinking once or twice as she tries talking to you.

Conversations are hard enough for her already, and staring doesn't help matters, so she gets ready to leave-

But then its tune changes when you pat it on the head(?) and it trills happily, snuggling up to you.

Penny had to do a double-take, wondering how it managed to look so cute..but she dismisses your concerns when you asked why she made that face.

Later, after revealing she's the leader and becoming your friend thereafter...she still gets anxious around the Unown from time-to-time, but eventually warms up to their presence.

You don't treat them any differently despite their mysterious nature.

If anything, you care for them just like anyone would a cute Eevee: by spoiling them with love, treats, and sweet words of encouragement.

Penny felt like a hypocrite for being scared of them, considering people used to be scared of Team Star--yet they aren't as evil as everyone made them out to be.

They used to be lonely and misunderstood, just like the Unown were before you found them.

BB Academy

Kieran

When you showed off your team for the first time, Kieran was stunned.. remembering the things he read about them but didn't know they could actually be caught.

All he says when you show him Unown K is "wowzers".

And the journal entries you've logged turned his eyes into stars.

You show him all the photographs of ruins and Unown blending in during your trips to the signboards, rambling about what you've seen and discovered.

He loves listening to your tales..and wishes he could see those places with you.

But what he didn't like, however, was whenever you two had a battle in which your Unown only needed one command to win. You didn't have to try at all.

Even with his team's most supereffective attacks..speed and dumb luck were on your side, crushing his confidence and making him jealous.

It doesn't help when you still decided to keep Ogerpon despite you saying you only ever used Unown.

It wasn't fair.

And ofc by Indigo Disk, Kieran wants nothing more than to destroy your team, insulting them under his breath when he thinks you can't hear him.

You just scowl and cover their nonexistent-ears while they nuzzle up to you--although deep down, you knew he didn't mean those words.

He's just pissed off that he lost sleep and his appetite over training his team, giving them the best moves and items to utilize on the battlefield..only for you to sweep the BB League with a simple command.

He managed to OH-KO one Unown with Incineroar's Darkest Lariat..and that sinister grin you saw on his face was most unnerving.

But you still claimed victory over him and he takes the loss hard.

Down in Area Zero, he's convinced that the "Hidden Treasure" Terapagos can take down your "Hidden Power" team..

But after seeing them form a shield (similar to the crystal one in the Spell of Unown movie) that protects him when the legendary goes rogue..it changed his perspective.

Only then he understood why they were so powerful.

As the Unovian Pokedex said: Alone, nothing happens..but together, Unown are strong and invoke a great power.

When the dust settles, O floats into Kieran's hands, healing the pain in his wrist caused by Terapagos breaking the masterball.

He felt so so guilty for the name-calling and his desires to hurt them. Yet they've all forgiven him.

In a way, Unown remind you of him: small and unassuming, at first glance..but full of great power that's waiting to shine.

During Mochi Mayhem, K stays by his side while he holds off the possessed townspeople and you capture Pecharunt, growing quite attached to him.

And after coming back to the academy, you decide to trade him that Unown, hoping he incorporates it into one of his teams. Be it casual or competitive.

Carmine

Back in Kitakami, she laughed at your "puny"-looking letter Pokémon, thinking them to be weak as she sics Poochyena and Polteageist on them.

While their dark/ghost moves hit the Unown hard, it's Unown O who takes them down with critical hits..and Carmine got LIVID.

She impressed you're sticking with a team that appeared in ancient texts, although that doesn't dissuade her from teasing you about them for a while.

Ngl you nerding out over Unown facts and studies you've recorded reminds her of Kieran infodumping about Ogerpon.

Your Unown just glare at her, and you gotta call them back to your side before they try attacking her outside a battle.

However as time goes on and she warms up to you, meets Ogerpon, etc..she grows to like them more, too.

Eventually she's cheering them on as they take down the Loyal Three and tank their poison attacks.

By Indigo Disk's events, she comes around to genuinely smile at their presence.

Although she had concerns Kieran's new team would be too overwhelming for them...

Yet your team of hieroglyphics won anyways.

And down in Area Zero's underdepths, they invoked a great power to shield the siblings from Terapagos' attacks, protecting the two people who once hated and mocked them with all they had.

As they both break down in tears, some Unown come out of their pokeballs to comfort them, and O stays on your shoulder as you exit the cavern together.

A few photobomb the selfie you take with the twins back at the academy (as well as Kitakami's festival), but it's alright.

Carmine will allow it because you treasured them and they DID save her and her brother's skin.

Drayton

While you did struggle during his trial (due to his "Terarium Pokemon-only" rule), the actual battle caught him by surprise when your Unown swept the floor, taking down his dragons.

How Unown F was able to withstand an Electro Shot was beyond him, but it was sturdy enough to finish the fight with a Fairy-based Hidden Power.

After winning, you both take a selfie in commemoration, with you passing F to Drayton like "can we get an F in the chat" and him humbly accepting it.

It was all in good fun, and looking back on it in your scrapbook made you laugh.

But what you didn't feel good about was him rubbing your victory in Kieran's face after you win the championship, further shattering the kid who nearly keeled over trying to make the perfect team to beat you..only for some "letters" to kick him down into the dirt.

"Wow, that's tough..now are you gonna take the F or L, ex-champ?"

He forgot this kid doesn't understand much internet lingo, but Unown F and Unown L didn't appreciate his jokes, and neither did you.

But after the events in Area Zero, you let it go, eventually deciding to trade him Unown D as your way of thanking him for helping you get close enough to knock sense back into Kieran.

Crispin

Let's face it, he's gonna be staring at your Unown like a Magikarp out of water and ask how they eat..

Or if they eat at all for that matter.

Their eyes just blink and poof, their share of the meal is already gone.

He knows they're psychic Pokémon, but still...

His favorite ones are definitely C (bc of his name) and S (for Spicy), though he's eager to see how your team fairs in battle when you clear his trial.

You warn him it might be "boring" but he acts like you insulted his cooking and begs you not to say that again.

"Every Pokémon battle gets me fired up!!!!! Don't downplay yourself!!!"

Even when your Unown easily douse his Pokémon's flames with Water-based Hidden Power (and Fire for his Exeggcutor), he still had a blast battling you, realizing those little letters are full of vigor and surprises!

He's eager to see what supereffective type they're gonna use next.

When you eventually decide to trade, you contemplate giving him an extra Unown F you had..or a C.

But you settle for the latter, and Crispin promises to feed the little guy well!

Lacey

Unown are small, simple, and make trilling noises...all checking off her criteria of "cute" Pokémon!

Although knowing they're connected to Arceus--the literal god of all 'mons--is an unnerving fact, she agrees that they're adorable and deserve to be treated as such.

She gets to learn your team's different natures, and likes how you're trying to convince people that they're not as scary as the old legends present them.

They love nuzzling up to you, resting on your shoulder and/or head, twirling around, and playing with the local Minior.

That being said..Lacey gets shocked at the punch they pack during battle, with them using Poison or Steel-based Hidden Power to take down her fairies.

It's always the most unsuspecting Pokémon who are the most powerful.

Even if you worry about the battle being boring since all you can give out is one command, she's gonna turn your pessimistic thinking around!

Unown F is her favorite since it's looks like a stick figure, but Unown L is also pretty neat..yet she wonders why Unown ? and Unown ! look tired all the time...

When you trade her a letter/symbol, she's thrilled to welcome yet another cute Pokémon onto her team!

Amarys

Considering their affiliations with ruins and Arceus, the existence of Unown have always piqued her interest.

And you so-happened to be a walking encyclopedia of anything related to the Symbol Pokémon, given the journals you've written on their mannerisms.

Amarys likes reading them over, and thinks a quiz involving the Unown Alphabet would be good to have at BB Academy.

On the other hand, after your battle to climb the League rankings, she wonders if you've ever used other Pokémon..only to find out that you never did.

All you know are Unowns.

She won't force you to change your team members, seeing as they were able to beat ALL of the league members--including Kieran.

But she suggests you had one Unown use Hidden Power on its battle partner, who could hold onto a Weakness Policy.

Yet you're adamant, saying "why would I want one Unown to hurt the other just for a temporary attack boost? :((("

Your team members are besties, your cuddle buddies..how could you do that to them???

Amarys is genuinely touched by how much you care for your Unowns, and vice versa.

Speaking of which, Unown A started hanging around her more often..and she cautiously tries to pet it, surprised by its happy trills, but otherwise acts nonchalant.

When you both decide to trade, you give her that Unown and she promises to look after it.

[strawberrystepmom]

pokemon trainer au! gojo x f!reader. reader is a fairy gym leader and satoru is league champion and a flying type trainer. a bit of world building! we discuss fairy gym leader and satoru's first meeting and their future plans a bit. wc 2.6k

part one, part two (you are here), part three

divider by @/cafekitsune!!!! 🩵

Unsurprisingly, the news of the current League Champion stepping down spreads like wildfire and you chuckle while spooning cereal into your mouth and leaning against the counter in your kitchen, Skitty eyeing you desperately from the floor below begging for a bite.

You scoff at her and point toward where her bowl lies a few feet away, full to the brim, and she rubs her tail against your calves while you lean over the counter and narrow your eyes at the TV, chomping on another perfectly soggy mouthful while watching clips of Satoru’s recently televised battles as Champion flash across the screen.

“Damn he’s good,” you mutter to yourself as if it’s a surprise. You know very well how good Satoru Gojo is, it’s why you’ve spent the last three years refusing his requests to battle. He has no reason to battle you other than bragging rights and you know his ego to already be overly inflated even if it is rightfully so and you’ve been satisfied with your decision until now.

You’ve spent two days trying to figure out why he asked you on this journey in the first place, stuffing your long forgotten camping gear and various repel sprays and medicinal sprays in the largest bag that you own while pondering every aspect of why. Why you?

Thinking back throughout the years, you remember every interaction you’ve had with the man fondly. Perhaps it’s the teensy crush you’ve always harbored for him painting the memories as sweet or maybe he is simply sweet beneath the brash and arrogant exterior. People are capable of being more than one thing at once, an important lesson you’ve learned in your life. You met him when you were still going to school and he was a member of the Elite Four, your shock seeing the way he and his Sneasel worked together against a schoolmate of yours was enough to catch his attention.

The two of you were the same age back then, fifteen, but on two clearly different paths - he was destined to become Champion and your own future felt undefined but free, something you’ve always craved.

He winked at you that day in response to your wide eyes and parted lips and you’ve never forgotten it. Not that he’d ever let you, the starstruck look is something he manages to sneak into almost every conversation the two of you have had since. Clearly it had an effect on him too and you’ve been quietly smug about it for a long time.

“And now we have a few words from the Champion himself. Mr. Gojo?”

You nearly choke on the mouthful of cereal you’re working on swallowing, holding your chest while Skitty chirps happily at your near imminent demise. You’ve always been certain she’d be the first to eat you if you were to die so you glance down, shaking your head, before gluing your gaze back to the man on the TV with a glistening grin as wide as the screen he’s upon. It’s a surprise to see him, you were certain he’d let his spokespeople do the heavy lifting, and it does nothing to answer the question on your mind of why he picked you.

He would be infuriating if you didn’t find him so charming. His hair flops over his eyes, big and blue and beautiful as ever, and he is wearing a suit which is something you don’t think he has ever truly done before. You know the PR around this must be a nightmare if they’re hauling him onto daytime television in a suit likely designed by the finest designer in Johto and sheer amusement makes your lips twist into a smile seeing him nod politely to each question he has been asked. 

“Thank you for giving me the time to talk about my future plans,” he grins and you scoff, Espeon now joining you by hopping on the counter. You start to fuss at her but stop yourself as soon as Satoru begins speaking again, his head bowed humbly. Whatever he’s saying goes in one of your ears and out the other, your eyes trained on the way his pretty mouth moves instead of what he’s saying, and Espeon chirps at you. You toss her a glance and reach for the remote, turning up the volume to actually listen to the man on the screen.

“How can someone call themselves a Champion if they aren’t rising to every challenge they can?”

Nodding, you’re surprised that’s the public reason he’s giving. Perhaps he won’t mention the travels of the two of you at all and you are his mere escort, someone far more familiar with the routes criss crossing your home of Kanto and the other regions than he is, and if so, you’ll accept that although his pretty mouth looks a little less pretty when you remove the thought that he may have a thing for you as well from your mind.

“I need to challenge myself to be even better, to see this entire world, to experience every Pokemon I can and I’ve invited a friend along with me,” his words fade out when he says your name and mentions Camellia Town, the place you’ve called home for the last five years, and you watch the camera pan back to the surprised expressions of the show hosts. Despite their shock, he continues carelessly and your jaw drops as wide as it did the first day you ever met him.

“If you see us out there, don’t hesitate to stop and ask for a battle! My partner is capable of more than she lets on.”

Almost as if every one of your companions hears him, they all turn toward you and you sigh. Espeon blinks, Skitty begs at your feet, Piplup chirps enthusiastically at your snowy white Vulpix - they’re as ready for adventure as you are and you’ve taken it too easy on them.

“I know, I know.”

Throwing your hands up in surrender, you intentionally ignore the buzzing of your phone on the counter next to you. The screen lights up with messages from your friends and fellow gym leaders, one of your best friends’ names at the top of the screen. You read her messages and snicker to yourself, shaking your head.

Call me now. What do you mean you’re traveling with THE Satoru Gojo?????????

THE Satoru Gojo you’ve whined and pouted over for years?????

Oh this is delicious. I love you. Call me NOWWWWWWW.

Scoffing at the last message, you drag the device to your ear and listen to the dial tone on the other end, only to be met with screeching when she picks up.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” You groan at her words and hear her boyfriend chuckling on the other end, probably making her breakfast in his cozy little Dark type gym in the city. 

Some girls have all the luck and it comes in the form of raven haired gym leaders that think they hung the moon. Others get stuck with arrogant men that have the attention of the entire world on them at all times. You make a mental note to ask her for tips later but for now you play defense, shocked at the tone of your own very best friend in your ear.

“What was I supposed to say? This dude I’ve had a crush on for a decade asked me to go rough it with him?”

“That’s exactly what you’re supposed to say but you don’t talk to anyone about anything ever,” you let her go on a rant and you roll your eyes, pantomiming her words about needing to be better about telling everyone what’s happening with you. 

It’s true, you’re terrible about keeping everyone up to date even your own mother who you’re certain is calling you judging by the beeping you hear alerting you another call is coming through, but you figured by this point in your twenties everyone would just accept it. You’re old enough that you won’t be changed and it’s time for everyone to just accept it.

“Okay, well, next time the man you’ve loved for ten years shows up and asks you to run away with him you better call me. I love you!”

You return her admiration, smooching and making kissy noises into the microphone, before immediately ending the call and watching the screen fade to blissful blackness, no notifications for a moment. The television screen pans back to the newscasters who are still buzzing with your name and you know anonymity on this journey is a dream. 

Perhaps you should have known better from the start that it would be anything but a normal journey to travel by Satoru’s side but you have always been a little bit of a hopeless dreamer.

Your phone buzzes again and you sigh, looking down to see the name on the screen belongs to the man of the hour himself. Discarding your cereal bowl, you scramble to pick up the phone and press it to your ear.

“Did you see me?”

You snort, shaking your head while Espeon crawls across the counter to eavesdrop. 

“I did and you looked great. New suit?”

You swear you can hear how smug he sounds from the other end of the speaker and you roll your eyes for the tenth time in an hour, scooting back from the counter to bend at the waist and press your forehead against it. How are you still reacting to a crush this way at 25?

“Yeah somethin’ stupid they put me in to make me camera ready but I didn’t call for compliments although they’re appreciated,” you hum and giggle, wondering what he could have to say next. “Did you like my little shout out though?”

“No. I’ve been getting calls nonstop for fifteen minutes.”

Gojo chuckles and you want to wrap yourself in the sound like a warm blanket. It drips with his confidence but it’s the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard and tomorrow’s deadline of his arrival to come get you starts to loom when your eyes fall on your half packed suitcase that is spread across the floor of your living room. To get your mind off of it, you switch gears and raise your brows, cheeks puffing out as you exhale.

“Satoru, can I ask you something?”

He hums affirmatively. His mind wanders a bit to what you could possibly ask or if you’re rethinking your commitment to take this journey with him. Was this morning too much? He has been reminded endlessly his whole life that he’s too much and from everyone else, it doesn’t bother him. From you, it would wound. He has always wondered what you really think of him, not just a fifteen year old version of you in a denim miniskirt with her mouth agape at his abilities. 

“Why did you invite me?”

He’s relieved you have no intention of wounding him after all and he plays off his relieved sigh with another chuckle, twisting his mouth to the side in the back of a car driving him from the PokeNews Network headquarters back to his high rise apartment in the city. The last two days have been a whirlwind of nonsense and he’ll be glad when the rush is over and the two of you are finally on the road to wherever the wind will take you next. The city rushes by outside of the tinted window and you wait for his answer, yanking your phone from your ear to scroll through your social media.

“Is it such a crime to want to get to know a pretty girl better?”

That’s the last answer you were expecting and it’s evident by the cough he hears on the other end of the phone. Espeon approaches you and rubs her head against your knuckles and you squint to read the name on the little dark screen.

“If you wanted a pretty girl I’m sure whoever @FlyHighGojo is must be pretty and would love to be by your side for the journey.”

Your eyes scan over the message in front of you eloquently listing out the ways you could never love the former Champion as much as whoever mans this account does and you laugh, swiping the app closed. He tilts his head, smiling despite himself. 

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Your rabid fangirls? They’re currently on my feed in droves and now they know what I look like so I’ll be shocked if I don’t have a crowd outside of my house by the end of the day.”

He sighs, thinking quickly on his feet. There’s no regret about mentioning you, in fact he’s proud he was finally able to do so since he thinks about you all the time, but he does feel bad that the droves are out and seething over it.

“I’ll come get you before they have the chance. Be ready by 5.”

Looking back at your half packed suitcase, you groan.

“Really?”

“Really. We’ll start tonight instead of tomorrow.”

“Okay, but give my question a real answer first.”

Words dance in Satoru’s head yet he struggles to string them together. How can he tell you it’s because he has had a crush on you for ten straight years without sounding utterly pathetic? This is the most powerful man in the League and certainly a figurehead of the culture of your life and that of all humans who love Pokemon, who would he be if he admitted seeing the look on your face that day has haunted him since?

He was in love at first sight, he has just always been too preoccupied to worry about it. Now, it’s all he can think about.

“I’ve always wanted to get to know you better and I’m running out of time to do it.”

He has been League Champion for eight years, unstoppable in every single way, and he’s willing to walk away from it just to spend time with you. Your heart feels so heavy and light at the same time, a lead filled balloon, and his honesty seals the deal.

“Perfect. I’ll be ready for you at five.”

Amusement is all you hear from the other end of the phone, his laughter making you grin. You make him feel so blissfully normal that he forgets to be embarrassed by his slip of his true feelings.

“That’s all you have to say?”

You hum affirmatively, mirroring his own response to your prior question.

“I don’t want to make you sick of me before we even leave so yes, for now.”

Although he thinks it would be impossible for him to ever get sick of you despite the little bit of distance that still remains between the two of you, he appreciates your forethought. This trip is a means to finally win you over, uninterrupted.

“Alright. I’ll see you at five.”

He ends the call with your goodbye and confirmation of the plan and holds his phone to his chest for a moment, shutting his eyes tightly. Most of what he knows about you is secondhand information fed to him by the same friend who just accosted you for your plans with him, the two of them close thanks to her relationship with his best friend. She has filled in every blank he has ever had when it comes to you and he finds himself indulging in imagining you filling in the rest of it during his ride home.

Yes, this is a chance to get to know a pretty girl better but you aren’t just a pretty girl. You’re you. Patient, kind, funny, gracious…he could go on but stops himself, raising a perfectly arched white brow while he looks out the window and into the limitless sky, as blue as his eyes.

It’s time for him to figure out who he is if not Champion and he can’t wait to do it by the side of the most patient person he has ever met.

[epicspheal]

I want to give a huge thank you to @summerandfall for this amazing comic commission! I wanted to see my vision of Blue finally triumphing against Red in away that made sense for his character

So to clarify, Blue's actually won against Red before the first two battles in my verse...the one at the lab and the optional pre victory road battle (the ones he can actually win without having to be repeat)

The first battle at the lab all three trainers (Red, Blue, Leaf) get a win and a loss that day. Blue beats Red but loses to Leaf who loses to Red.

But as you know if Blue wins at the lab he gets this from his gramps...

So that doesn't help the already fracturing friendship and this helps to Kickstart the "I must always be better Than Red no matter what" drive that ends up being his undoing for the Indigo League 

The second win is just a nod to Yellow because if he wins both he gets a little cocky and his team is a bit weaker at the champion match because he underestimates Red since he's thinking "If I beat Red before I can do it again"

But after that he loses to Red...constantly for over a decade

Until the PWT opens in Driftveil

At that point Blue's at a bit of a personal crisis

He's not as fulfilled at being a gym leader because while yes he loves mentoring but having to hold back on challengers to test them (and even then most of them still losing because yeah he was champion for a day but that's longer than most people will ever be he's still very powerful)

And he tried the professor route when he studied in Kalos but that didn't work...he likes research but the comparisons to Oak were too much and by that time Oak and Blue had repaired their relationship but Blue realized he wanted to follow his own path and be a competitive trainer for as long as possible

And he still hasn't beaten Red since they had just started out...

But at the PWT he gets to be on the world stage...he gets to go all out with no regrets...he's having fun challenging people who can match his strength level. He loves battling in a stadium with an audience

Finally the final round is him vs Red

Of course everyone is expecting Red to be the victor...The odds are in his favor and in smaller league tourneys back in Kanto and Johto Red always came out on top whenever faced against Blue

But this time it's different. Blue's just enjoying the ride and enjoying the atmosphere of the PWT and he forgets he battling Red, so much so that he wins and he's stunned when he does and Red in a rare moment speaks in public to congratulate him

Because once Blue just had fun, forgot about the expectations being an Oak, a former champion, a chosen of a legendary (Zapdos), a gym leader, Red's rival 

When he was just Blue Oak...the dude who loves battling

He wins...and becomes that years world champion 

[doubleddenden]

Okay I was just sharing a tweet I saw with my friends, right. Then I realized the background- one of the possible decorations you can set for the Blueberry Academy League Club Room, the Dark theme- could potentially be a hint towards ZA. So basically I saw a gold mine in a meme, so thanks for accidentally inspiring me :)

1. The "hag" meta is definitely in for vtubers, so that tracks for Iono lol, but 2 moving away from that, 2. Follow me into this rabbit hole and look here, friends

Besides Larry being beautiful and questioning his life, a lot of us saw the portrait and thought it could resemble Caitlin of the Unova Elite 4 and formerly princess of the Sinnoh/Johto Battle Castle- fitting since Blueberry Academy is off the coast of Unova in the case of Unova Elite 4. Some of you probably think this is old news- be patient, I'm going somewhere with this.

The resemblance is there, especially in the hair in gen 4, but the eyes are different and she's holding a Banette or Banette doll, a ghost type. It was dismissed by many to just be a creepy little girl.

Except, I think it might be a hint or teaser. And before anyone dismisses this. Take a look at these screenshots (from Nintendo Life via google)

A lot of people immediately turn to the painting of Uluru- aka the rock monolith found in Australia, and many tend to focus on that for Gen 10 hints- myself included, of course, I've wanted Pokemon Australia since I was 10. However, what if I told you that if a Z-A hint were a snake...

...It would have bitten you. That's Lumiose Tower in that one sketch, a cleverly hidden tree in a forest of brighter colored trees. There's other stuff there I wanna look at, but unfortunately the angle is purposely bad in Hassel's art room, so you can't focus on it.

So if we go back to the creepy girl in the portrait, knowing that Game Freak already planted a Z-A hint that tiny on that wall, we could possibly go a little nuts and say that maybe she's a character we meet in Z-A.

If that weren't enough- Banette has a Mega Evolution, introduced in XY. So yeah.

Anyway here's what I think: Caitlin has an ancestor that used to be royalty in Kalos, or more fittingly, part of the Lumiose Aristocracy in Z-A's fan proposed time frame of 1850s Rennovation of Paris, or so. Caitlin has psychic powers, fitting for a Psychic type user- but Ghost type trainers also have been known to exhibit supernatural abilities similar to Pokemon Psychics as well, and Caitlin is so powerful that she either had her butler run the Battle Castle for her or sleeps most of the time as an Elite 4 member to keep her powers in check. Perhaps her powers are passed down and a result of a family line of involvement with supernatural Pokemon.

The girl in the photo is either the first or just another of the family that has some kind of innate power or connection to Pokemon in this manner- in this case, ghost types.

Lumiose in XY is actually not that far from the haunted swamp and supposedly haunted house/tourist trap, so perhaps Caitlin's ancestors are losing power in the aristocracy at the time period but still retain some sway, and most importantly could be the proprieter of ghost Pokemon we'll need for the dex AND an "alpha" equivalent ghost type Pokemon.

Picture this: there's a haunted mansion to the north of Lumiose. There's some old documentation inside that will help with your goal of rebuilding Lumiose- but it's haunted. Like HAUNTED haunted. It's layout kinda large but manageable, like Luigi's Mansion in a way. Caitlin's ancestor- maybe of some partial relation to Shauntal as well- helps guide you through this mansion that's infested with ghost type Pokemon.

That's an idea anyway, which admittedly could be a stretch from just a couple of screenshots- but do keep in mind that Gamefreak hid Gmax Toxtricity in their Alolan office in Ultra Sun and Moon on a poster at a bad angle. Not to mention they probably had DeNA use Masters to tease at Volo with Cynthia's Giratina Sygna Suit. Plus the Kitakami Easter egg at Larry's own gym before SV DLC was even announced, or using the English word for Blueberry- a North American berry, instead of the Spanish words for Grape and Orange- to signify Blueberry Academy being off the coast of Unova/America.

Sometimes their hints are right in your face, sometimes cleverly hidden, sometimes it doesn't even register until it hits- so imo, I think I might be onto something here. At the very least, a haunted house in Pokemon is LONG overdue at this point- we haven't had a new one since Alola in gen 7, although that was a destroyed grocery store- the others we've had are repeats of Lavender Tower or Lost Tower and Old Chateau.

... WHICH, BTW, A chataeu... is French :) the Old Chateau- haunted by ghosts, in Sinnoh, where Caitlin was first introduced. Come to think of it, in Hisui, there isn't even a NEW Chateau yet.

So now I think it's a possibility that Caitlin's ancestors were the ones that built the Old Chateau, and possibly used blueprints from one in old Lumiose to build it in the freshly colonized lands of Sinnoh. Blueprints WE help find.

Or, as a lot of people who made it this far are probably SCREAMING at me right now- all of this is nothing and the little girl is just a generic little girl made to be creepy on purpose.

But we like to have fun here in DD's theory corner. And it'll be so hilarious if I got some of this right in the slightest.

[sinnohelitefourlore]

Sinnoh Gym Leader Headcanons Pt 1:

Roark:

- has a, dare i say, “rocky” relationship with his father. originally his father wanted riley to take over orebourgh’s gym, but since he rejected it roark was his second choice. he’s still kind of bitter over it and likes to rebel. (i.e “my dad told me not to do this” *does the thing directly after*)

- every fossil that the other miners find is double-checked by roark because he knows his shit.

- when he was in orebourgh trainer’s school he would be that kid moaning in the back of his class bc he thinks that’s peak comedy. also because he knows it’ll piss his dad off.

Gardenia:

- gardenia can interact with fantina’s ghosts without crying, and that’s it. one time, she tried to interact with cynthia’s spiritomb. it took the elite four and cynthia thirty minutes to calm the girl down.

- yes she loves plants but she’s also a piercer hear me out she can definitely do piercings she’d be that girl that gives other girls piercings in the school bathroom.

- is eterna’s local weed dealer. not as good as morty’s shit, but volkner tells her she’s getting there. cynthia definitely knows but looks the other way.

Maylene:

- maylene had her first kiss with aaron at age seven, as they were childhood friends. they both exclaimed “ew!” as soon as their lips touched.

- her mom left her when she was twelve bc of her dad’s gambling problem. her dad was never home which left her in the care of her grandmother. she’s angry over this. so, so angry. but cynthia tells her one day that she herself was raised by her grandmother, too – and look at her now: sinnoh’s champion. this inspires maylene to train harder.

- it was rumored in veilstone that maylene’s hands were made of pure steel which is why she could punch so hard. one time as if to prove this rumor, flint asked her to punch him in the stomach as hard as she could. the league had to shut down for the day as flint recovered in the hospital. it was awkward to explain to the doctors and nurses as to what happened. no, flint did not want to press charges but he’s terribly embarrassed. aaron tried to warn him, so he figures he deserved this outcome.

Crasher Wake:

- wake did wrestling shows that were in the style of a drama (think, WWE) and would come up with the most outrageous storylines.

- was the kid that beat up bullies at his trainer’s school bc “two against one isn’t fair” and, “pick on someone your own size.”

- frequently challenges byron and fantina to a drinking contest after gym hours, and he almost always loses. but when he wins, he’ll throw his hands up, and then promptly pass out.

Fantina:

- when she was ten, she marched up to her parents and told her that she wanted to be called “fantina” from now on. her parents welcomed their daughter with open arms.

- is Kalosian, which according to the sinnoh league members would explain why she can hold her liquor so well. she usually comes out on top in those drinking contests between wake and byron.

- is the most widely known coordinator around the world. you could go to an island with no electricity and the children and elders knew the name “fantina dumont.” if you were fortunate enough to go to one of her shows, you would see paramedics on standby because when she sent out her Drifblim a few people would pass out in awe, not fright.

Byron:

- before he married his wife: byron shot his friend in the ass with a BB gun by accident, went to hoenn with his buddies and they got kicked out from every single bar by staging fights so they wouldn’t have to pay for drinks, and swam from johto to kanto after he and his friends flipped a police car and were being chased. he drops random stories like this at league meetings and everyone stares in bewilderment – including his own son because what the hell dad wdym you dropped acid with the champion of Unova once???

- occasionally stars as a guest in one of wake’s wrestling shows. they play lovers having a quarrel before wake tackles the shit out of him.

- during canalave’s yearly pride parade he is the one giving dad hugs because “even when i was a kid, men have always had men… y’know, i had a buddy once, back in the mines… and he was a little off to the side, but he was damn good with a pickaxe. had a beer with his husband once.”

Candice:

- snowpoint city in the sinnoh region is known as the “home of the yodelers.” on top of being the gym leader, candice is the best damn yodeler that snowpoint has ever seen.

- she also had a reputation as a little girl for throwing snowballs at visitors from another region before declaring sinnoh was the best.

- if you want gossip, candice will spill all the details. she knows everything about everyone. no one is more up to speed about who’s-sleeping-with-who, who-cheated-on-who, and how Stacy Cambridge from her trainer school definitely got a nose job and yes, it’s definitely noticeable. no one really asks for her gossip, but she blabs it at the league meetings anyway.

Volkner:

- smokes a pack of cigarettes a day. one time to be cheeky at a league meeting he lights one up, therefore cynthia threw him out – which was what he wanted so thank you cynthia.

- has been on so many fucking antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds throughout his life that he’s basically an expert on them. a lot of the younger gym leaders and elites (i.e gardenia, aaron, candice, roark, and maylene) are depressed and/or anxious and lets them know his own experiences with meds.

- when he was a kid, though he wasn’t a sunyshore hoodlum, he did learn how to use a pocket knife. not that he ever needed it since he had a pikachu to thunderbolt the motherfuckers if he wanted to.

[palletofshipping]

since palletshipping week is almost here, I’ll share some hcs!

Gary:

• I already mentioned this on my twitter, but his pendant from his first outfit (OS-Chronicles) was originally his late father’s 🥲

•His parents passed when he was about 3 years old. He has vague memories of his parents, but knew that they loved him :(

• His maternal grandparents live in Johto! He didn’t really get to see them in person for the first time until he journeyed to the region. The reason why is because his grandparents don’t like to travel and they are EXTREMELY old school so they don’t have rotom phones/video phones.

•His sister, Daisy is a Pokémon breeder in Paldea! She used to be a coordinator but wanted to take a different path after traveling a few regions. She now likes to style pokemon for contests :)

• Gary ends up doing online college for his Bachelor/Masters degree so that he can stay with Ash.

Ash

• His father passes when he was about 4 1/2 years old. Gary, knowing the feeling of losing a parent, comforts his during this time. (note: i know the canon AU implies that is dad is living. I’m basing the hcs off of the regular canon)

• one of his earliest memories with his dad is watching one of the Pokemon league competitions on TV

•pretty sure i mentioned this on twitter as well but, Ash eventually gets tired of the monotony of being a defending world champion, which leads into his existential crisis at the age of 14

• He likes to sleep in LATE on weekends. Poor guy isn’t used to working full time 😔

Both

•they start dating at the end of their time in Paldea. They’re about 15-16 during this period. Let’s just say that their experience in Area Zero may have expedited the confessions.

•They get engaged when they’re 21.

•they get married a year later at Oak’s Corral so that all their pokemon get to see them get married 🥹

•about 10 years into their marriage, they adopt a young girl named Luna (I’ll talk about her in a future post)

•if they can’t come to an agreement on what they should have for dinner, they battle!

[bearimba]

Pokemon Mini Headcanons

Realized it's been a solid minute since I've shared anything. so! here's some pokemon headcanon tidbits that have kinda been floating around in my head but I don't have anywhere to put them yet:

Barry is extremely tall. Like, at least six feet. Since he's very visibly the goofy type, it's not super intimidating until suddenly he's barreling down the street and nearly knocking people over in his wake. He's also incredibly clumsy, so it's kind of a bull(tauros?)-in-a-china-shop situation.

Leaf is part of the team that revolutionized and maintains the PSS (not part of the original team though, she's too young for that), which is of course led by Bill. Where Bill came up with the, made the team, and did a bunch of hardware stuff, Leaf is in charge of software stuff and does coding for the different programs. As for the rest of the team. well. I don't know who they are bc I haven't gotten that far.

Also, Red's sign name for Leaf is Green, as in, literally the sign for the color (the same goes for Blue). Blue's often calls her Greenie as a result.

As Hoenn's Champion, Brendan is considered a very down-to-earth and blunt person, which is great and all until you remember he's from the ✨️bearimba pokeverse✨️'s equivalent of Florida and is basically Reigning Florida Man Supreme. He's definitely done some crazy stuff but it kinda gets shoved on the back burner (that definitely isn't partially because the media pushes his more serious side in order to fight the "all Hoennians are unhinged" allegations).

Lucas is legally deaf (deaf but not Deaf, he lost his hearing as a kid) and uses hearing aids. He can kinda sorta understand people without them, but it's less like he understands the words and more like he understands the sounds that are supposed to be word, so it's way more convenient to keep them in. Whenever he doesn't want to deal with Dawn's and Barry's shenanigans, he just turns them off, closes his eyes, and relishes in the relative peace and quiet.

He's also the one who gets transported back to Hisui during the final battle with Dialga/Palkia/Giratina. Long story short (bearimba DPPt/PLA rewrite when?), his hearing aids get destroyed in the process of getting transported and he's forced to go through the events of PLA at a huge disadvantage, mostly relying on his quick wit and vast knowledge of pokemon to survive the game.

Lorelei, Karen, and Clair are all besties, and they meet up regularly to have brunch and share the latest gossip (aka pooling together their resources to gather info on their enemies, discuss the most recent affairs in Kanto/Johto, and more, all under the guise of "girls' time").

Silver and Janine first meet when Silver gets accidentally caught up in a prank meant for the E4, for which Janine very vehemently apologizes (under threat from Koga) and Silver reluctantly forgives her (under threat from Lance). They get along surprisingly well after that, especially after they both get involved in the Kanto League as gym leaders, and they eventually become pretty good friends.

Team Rocket was kinda just a shady family business until Giovanni took over in his twenties. In the 30ish years he presided over the it, he managed to develop it into a massive, multi-level and multi-department organization with their fingers in just about every aspects of the Kanto economy before their collapse. (all things considered, it's kinda funny/pathetic how things ended---he had all this power, then just threw all that and his kid out the window because some teenager happened to beat him in a pokemon battle)

Indigo Plateau (the actual plateau itself, not the League building) is pretty unique in that it's literally a plateau in the middle of a bunch of mountains. which. isn't really how geography works. Story goes, it was originally a mountain that served as the battleground for a pair of ridiculously overpowered trainers, and it got leveled in the middle of all the fighting. In honor of the plateau's legend, there was a regularly held tournament for pokemon trainers to decide who was the best of the best in the region. Eventually, some guy decided to make it an "official" event, and that's how the Pokemon League got its start before it spread and became an international organization!

[bunnygirl678]

I came up with a Reguri AU that I’ll probably never write; feel free to steal it and write it or draw it or just use it to help you fall asleep like I did yesterday.

-red beats green takes title, he had beat team rocket but Gio was watching from the shadows

-red fucks off to mt silver, Gio sees his chance and finds Green off searching the forest or whatever for Red

-Green is in a bad place cause of losing his title and his bff/school yard crush being missing so he’s easy to manipulate

-Gio is like hey the league had Red and his Pokémon killed cause he was too strong for them

-at first Green is like fuck you but then when Red doesn’t come home for months he believes it and finds Gio and is like let me help

-Gio bribed someone in the league for Green to be Viridian city gym leader all he has to do is turn a blind eye to Rocket

-and Green is like obviously Rocket is evil but less evil than the League, and he’s still like missing a parents figure after the whole shit his gramps says so he like clings to Gio

-anyone who beats Green is supposed to be reported to rocket for protection from the league but really they wanna steal the Pokémon green obviously doesn’t know that he just wants to protect kids from REDS fate

-Lance tries to make friends or whatever and Green just hates him and he’s like whyyyyy

-Gio fucks off to Johto to look for Silver

-Gold comes to battle and it’s like a ghost for Green so he beats Green, and Green freaks out, this is the first person since Red who beat him and he looks like Red

-green is like go train on mt silver cause Gio is Mia and he trusts the rocket execs as far as he can throw them

-gold goes up and finds red alive and tells him about how shady green is, so red goes down the mountain to be like wtf green why are you evil now

-green thinks it’s a ghost and like cries and apologizes and kisses him, and is like I couldn’t save you from the league

-eventually red gets green to explain everyone Green realizes he’d been used

-they defeat Gio once and for all or whatever

-green quits the gym even though lance is like your a good leader and you never did anything illegal except ignore team rocket doing stuff

-Red takes him to Alola or something so they can both heal, they are obviously dating at this point

-green is constantly guilty even though all he did was try to help kids, red is guilty cause if he never went up the mountain green would have not been taken advantage of

-anyway somehow they work out

[tommycorriander]

Larry x Kabu (AoKabu, Blueturnipshipping) headcanons/rambles who cheered!!

- the name 'blueturnipshipping' is being coined by me!!! If there is another wildly used name I would like to know, but my reason for choosing that ship name is because when combined, Ao and Kabu translates to 'blue turnip' (at least, when using machine translation. If it translates differently I would like to know!!!!)

- Kabu, especially in his youth, was seen as quite attractive due to his physical fitness and general attitude on the battlefield. Paired with being a celebrity he was likely sought after frequently. He mentions it very rarely in passing but isn't something he likes to bring up, both from general politeness/being humble and also because a good chunk of those pursuing him were parasocial due to his status. It happens a lot less now due to his age, since he doesn't use social media he doesn't see how there are some people online who make negative comments about him being past his prime. Even so he still has that latent feeling of having peaked, stemming from his previous stumbling in his career as a gym leader.

- Larry probably hasn't experienced being desired in the same capacity as Kabu. Being a gym leader and elite four member doesn't get you much prestige in Paldea due to having less money within the League and a lack of celebrity culture in Paldea for the league. The only exceptions to this are people who are famous for things outside of their position as a gym leader, like Iono with her streaming career. As this is something Larry doesn't have, he isn't on nearly as wide a stage. He's also not particularly 'handsome' in the sense that he isn't well built or looks like a model, so while he has had experience dating and being sought after it's generally not very common and definitely became rarer as he got older. Thats partially because of him being extremely busy as well, not just from his age/looks.

- Kabu is extremely outwardly passionate about battling, something that Larry admires and partially envies. Larry also has a passion for it- he wouldn't be a double member of the League otherwise- but due to working two positions and having an office job he's worn thin and has lost that 'spark' that made him really enjoy battling in the first place. Kabu reignites that in him.

- Kabu greatly appreciates Larry's ability to ignore how others think about him. Kabu isn't self conscious per se, but you do end up taking on some level of concern about your appearance/attitude/actions/etc when you're a celebrity and scrutinized 24/7.

- Kabu is canonically from Hoenn and I headcanon Larry as being from Johto due to his Dudunsparce + how heavily based on the Japanese salaryman stereotype he is. Because of this they both bond over a shared appreciation for the similarities in their cuisine (I headcanon that hoenn has a heavier focus on seafood due to having a lot of ocean nearby, and the Kanto/Johto areas are more agriculture focused. However they are both based on Japan so there is overlap)

- Kabu is more prone to grand gestures of love. Think impressive dinners, big bouquets, if he's making you a meal it's going to be a full course meal. That sort of thing. His 'always do your best' attitude carries over into his love life, though he does try to tone it down as Larry can sometimes be overwhelmed by it.

- Larry, conversely, shows his love in smaller ways. He sees something at the store while buying groceries he thinks Kabu would like and gets it, and doesn't really say much about it. Sending texts on his break that are just simple reminders that he loves Kabu. They balance each other out.

- both of them are a little surprised to learn they like each other back. Larry because he views Kabu as completely out of his league, and Kabu because he would have thought his more fiery personality wouldn't have meshed very well with Larry's more muted one. Kabu has had experience in the past with having lovers originally fully enjoy how passionate it is before they got tired of it and found it overbearing; Larry is just always a bit surprised people actually like him outside of him being a generally fine coworker since he's constantly hearing from others that he's boring and not very fun.

N e wayz. I like sharing and I like answering questions!!! So if anyone sees this and is curious about other headcanons of mine for these two (even just individually, not just as a pair) then send me asks!!!! I don't bite :)

[pkmnprideflags]

Everything We Know About the Protags' and Rivals' Families

Red/Leaf

Their mother is probably the Pokémom we know the least about. She only ever talks about worrying for her child, and doesn't seem to have any hobbies or anything noteworthy about her. I'm glad that the later games have started giving the moms more personality.

As for their dad, the only reference to him is in the Celadon Department Store. Upon looking at one of the TVs, the protag will say, "A sports game! Dad'll like that!" So we know that their father is a fan of sports, and has enough of a connection with their child for them to know that.

Blue Oak

Of course, he has a grandfather (er, what was his name again?), and that grandfather has a cousin named Samson who lives in Alola. He also has an older sister, Daisy, who has allegedly competed in Pokémon Contests in the past according to a Pokémon Journal in the Sevii Islands. This means she must have traveled to either Hoenn or Sinnoh at some point, probably during her childhood or adolescence. We know nothing about Blue & Daisy's parents.

Ethan/Kris/Lyra (as protag)

This Pokémom still doesn't have much going on outside of talking to other women in town and apparently enjoying cooking, but she does at least assist by managing her child's money. In retrospect, an eleven-year-old in real life probably should not be trusted with all that money, so good idea. Too bad she also seems irresponsible with money, buying things with her child's money without asking them. Sometimes those purchases are helpful, sometimes they're not. Either way, you should get permission first, ma'am.

As far as I can remember, their father is never mentioned.

Ethan/Lyra (as friend)

They live with their father in New Bark Town; as far as I know, their mother is never mentioned. Their grandparents are the Day Care Couple that lives south of Goldenrod City.

Silver

We all know by now that Silver's father is Giovanni. According to the Celebi event, father and son parted ways three years before GSC on Route 22, with Giovanni heading towards the Pokémon League and Silver heading back, presumably to Viridian. If we assume that he is the standard protag/rival age of 11, then he seperated from Giovanni at the age of eight. When he shows up in New Bark Town, he lowkey seems to be homeless. I'm not sure how an eight-year-old without Pokémon would have made it over to Johto alone. The most likely people to help him would be Team Rocket, but he's stubborn enough that he'd probably reject their help. Did he climb through or trek around Mt. Silver?

Despite the many fan theories, the identity of Silver's mother has never been discussed in the games.

May/Brendan (as protag)

A protagonist with two visible parents?! Impossible. But yes, Norman and his wife are still together. In Ruby and Sapphire, your mother specifically mentions that your family moved from Johto; curiously though, that dialogue was changed in Emerald to just say "another region." Later in B2W2's World Tournament, Norman specifically says he is from Olivine City.

The only references to their parents' lives before comes in ORAS, when the mother mentions that she and Norman watched the Litleonids the last time they occurred. Awwww.

May/Brendan (as rival)

They live with their parents, Professor and Mrs. Birch, in Littleroot Town. In Emerald only, they also have a younger brother. Prof. Birch seems to have a very close relationship with their child, though since they're often involved in fieldwork they may not get to see their mother much. Interestingly, Birch and Norman have supposedly been friends "since their school days." That means either Norman had gone to school in Hoenn before moving to Olivine, or Birch went to school in Johto.

Wally

We actually know a lot about Wally's family since it's part of the plot of RSE. He lives with his parents in Petalburg City, who are understandably protective of his health. He later moves to Verdanturf to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousin Wanda. Not much is known about them, other than that Wanda is romantically involved with a guy from Rustboro.

Lucas/Dawn (as protag)

They live in Twinleaf Town with their mother, the Contest star Johanna. She gets out of the house more, both for Contests and to observe her child's success in the Battle Zone.

There are two references to the player's father, and both occur in Platinum. Johanna says that her child reminds him of him and that the two of them "are so alike." Later when met at the Battle Frontier, Palmer will note that he was a friend and rival to their father, similar to how they are now with Barry. Notably, in a very early beta of Diamond & Pearl, the player's father was going to appear early in the game. I don't speak Japanese, but based on the screenshots I'm guessing he was going to be involved in the player's first Pokémon encounter.

Lucas/Dawn (as friend)

They live in Sandgem Town with their father, grandfather, and little sister. Their father works as an assistant to Professor Rowan; nothing about their mother is known. Their sister watches TV a lot, and therefore often hears about swarms occurring in Sinnoh.

Barry

He lives in Twinleaf Town with his mother, while his father Palmer works at the Sinnoh Battle Frontier. Both parents seem to care for their son, but I honestly can't remember them ever talking to or about each other, so I don't know what their relationship status is.

Hilbert/Hilda

The Pokémom of Nuvema Town is said to have been a Trainer herself when she was younger. However, now she mostly stays at home, only departing to give the player the running shoes. In B2W2 she behaves similarly to Red's mother, saying she kind of wants to go out and find her child, but would feel bad if they stopped by while she was gone. Which makes me wonder: does her kid not still have their Xtransceiver? Why can't she just...call them like a normal person?

Their father is referenced by their mother when she says that they met each other on their own Pokémon journeys. Aw, young love. No hints to their current relationship status, though.

Cheren

Cheren lives with his parents in Nuvema Town. I don't remember anything of note about them.

Bianca

Bianca lives with her parents in Nuvema Town, and we all remember how her father acts at the beginning of the games. I don't recall her mother's reaction; apparently she was the one to tell him that Bianca made it to Nimbasa City, so maybe that indicates that Bianca trusts her slightly more.

Nate/Rosa

This is definitely one of the cooler Pokémoms. She is an old friend of Professor Juniper, and used to work in Pokémon Centers (specifically implied to be the ones in Nimbasa and Mistralton). She's knowledgeable about the many locations in Unova, and supports her child by providing information.

Bulbapedia claims that there are references to their dad in the games, but a search of relevant pages has turned up no references.

Hugh

Hugh lives with his mother, father, and younger sister in Aspertia City. His father has the sprite of a Black Belt, and his mother has the sprite of a Nursery Aide, which is a cute pairing. Hugh also mentions that he has a deceased grandfather, who caught his little sister's Purrloin. Hugh is very protective of his sister; overall this is a cute little family.

Calem/Serena (as protag)

They live with their mother, Grace, in Vaniville Town. The two recently moved to the town, but it's unclear if they are from another region entirely, or just a different town in Kalos. Regardless, Grace is known for being a Rhyhorn racer.

The only mention of the player's father is in a story Grace tells about one of her races. She lost control of her Rhyhorn at the finish line, where he was waiting, and she "sent him flying."

Calem/Serena (as rival)

They also live with their mother in Vaniville Town. It's mentioned that both of their parents are renowned Pokémon battlers, which is cool. Otherwise, their father is never mentioned.

Shauna & Tierno

Strangely, we know nothing about these two's families. Shauna seems to live in or near Vaniville Town since she hangs out there a lot, but she doesn't have a house there. Tierno hangs around Coumarine City a lot during postgame, so maybe he's supposed to be from there? But we know nothing about their family lives.

Trevor

Trevor lives with his sister in Lumiose City. Apparently his mother and father are currently traveling the world to train their Pokémon. The world of this game series just seems very chill about family relations, and treats it as socially acceptable to leave your family to take a journey. I suppose they appreciate long-distance relationships or just don't value family that much.

Selene/Elio

They live with their mother on the outskirts of Hau'oli City. Their family was originally from the Kanto region, and the player's mother was once a renowned Meowth trainer, earning the nickname of the "Scratch Cat Girl." She's even seen at the end of the game battling the Masked Royal.

Apparently she is still married to the player's father, who still lives in Kanto. The two keep in touch by sending each other letters.

Hau

Hau lives with his grandfather Hala in Iki Town. He mentions his mother several times, saying he enjoys her cooking; she is not confirmed to be present in the games, but there is a female NPC randomly placed inside Hala's house that some assume to be Hau's mother. His father is traveling on a journey in another region (implied to be Kanto).

Gladion

We all know this by now - used to live with Lusamine, Mohn, and Lillie; then Mohn disappeared, Gladion ran away with Type: Null, and Nebby teleported Lillie to Route 1. An Aether Paradise NPC also notes that Lusamine's father (so Gladion's grandfather) was a wealthy man who loved Pokémon, and he was the one who built the Foundation.

Chase/Elaine

They live with their mother in Pallet Town. Like Red & Leaf's mother, this Pokémom doesn't have a whole lot going on. Bulbapedia says that they have a referenced father; I'm guessing it's that same dialogue in the Department Store from the other Gens.

Trace

Since he's no longer Professor Oak's grandson, Trace seems to only live with his sister. Perhaps another Trevor situation?

Victor/Gloria

They seem to have always lived in Postwick with their mum. She doesn't have a whole lot going on, and the only reference to their father is the statement that the player's bag is a hand-me-down from him.

Hop

Hop lives in Postwick with his parents and grandparents, and Leon used to live there before going off to be a champion and whatnot.

Marnie

Her parents are never mentioned; she seems to live with Piers.

Bede

Bede was apparently raised in an orphanage, so the identity of his parents are unknown.

Rei

Both as the protagonist and as the rival, their family situations are unknown.

Akari

As the protagonist, her family situation is unknown. As the rival, she mentions wanting to send a photo to her parents and brag about her work with the player in the Survey Corps.

Juliana/Florian

They recently moved to Cabo Poco with their mother from a different region. It's implied they may be from Galar, as the mother has a Skwovet and uses the term "cuppa" when talking to Clavell. Their father is never mentioned.

Nemona

Nemona's father, mother, and sister live in Cabo Poco. They moved to the Paldea region when Nemona was seven; their original region is unknown. Nemona's father is on the board of the Rotom Phone company, so they have a decent amount of wealth.

Because I'm a nerd, let's finish with some stats:

Characters confirmed to have both parents currently alive: 16 out of 34

Characters who live with both of their parents: 8 out of 34

Characters who live with their mother: 22 out of 34

Characters who live with their father: 12 out of 34

Characters with at least one living grandparent: 5 out of 34

Characters with siblings: 10 out of 32

[smallestapplin]

[request]

Let’s goooooooooo

How about some theme based gym leader S/O headcanons, Authors choice on characters, go wild, feel free to make them yandere if you’d like just have fun with this one!

- Pierced Anon

Anything for you broski! I used this opportunity to write about less loved characters. ^^

-

-

💙Blue💙

- Power couple? Power couple! With Blue’s history with being a champion and a gym leader, aside from being a legend, you two are THE power couple.

- The finale gym leader to beat, strong with your typing, and strong in your theme, with your very loving boyfriend who stops by to cheer you on.

- I’m so sorry if you are a dark or ghost type gym leader, with your dark and spooky aesthetics. Blue is going to be in your gym, bright clothes, looking so out of place, as he acts as your personal cheerleader.

- “That’s right! That’s my partner! Heh, aren’t they just amazing?”

- He posts a fair bit online, and respects if you don’t want to have pictures of you posted. But he does have an entire slumber dedicated to you, and of you and your Pokémon training.

- He will make memes of the trainers you defeat, cause he’s recording the whole match, and some expressions or moments are just too funny not to!

- Buys or produces all sorts of merch themed around you, to show his love and support of his honey!

- Plus, Blue makes the perfect sparring partner. He changes up his teams, has good strategies, strong well trained Pokémon, battling against him easily prepares you for others.

- He accidentally ruins you for normal challengers, cause not many pose as much of a challenge as your boyfriend does.

- Be careful and watch which pokeballs you pick up! There have been several times you grabbed the wrong one, and brought one of his Pokémon to work instead.

- Though his Pokémon like you, so they were at least chill. You, however, we’re not chill-

-

👻Morty👻

- another match up! You two are quick to become a hot topic, and what most want in a relationship.

- Morty is so relaxed, so calm, but so attentive and caring, loving to hear you talk about work.

- Meanwhile you’re just opposite enough to complete him, being everything he needs and wants in a lover. Especially with the job!

- You being a gym leader is relieving, as you’ll understand his complaints, or comments on how he can improve his gym, or train.

- And since he’s a gym leader too, he can help you out a lot more than most could!

- Half the time he only had to say one word, and you’ll completely understand what he’s talking about. He loves it!

- He likes surprising you at work, when he’s in his lunch break, or day off. He’s stealthy without even realizing it, and sneaks up on everyone, scaring the daylights out of challengers and employees alike.

- But, while a subtle change, you’ll notice how his smile softens, and eyes brighten at the sight of you, as he walks over with a lunch box in hand for you.

- You both have hectic schedules, with managing your respective gyms, meetings, and taking care of the gyms upkeep. But Morty makes all the time he care for you. He’s always stopping by.

- He’s scared trainers, cause sometimes he’s the first person they will see, and think they are at the wrong gym. Only for you to pop up and greet them, making the trainer sigh in relief.

- It’s pretty common knowledge around Johto that you’re with Morty, even new people are quick to find out. Especially since you steal his scarf every chance you get.

- But Morty likes it when you steal his clothes, he thinks it’s so cute.

- He’s a decent person to train against too! He’s the fourth gym leader, and his ghosts come with a good amount of power.

- But he’s never upset when he loses, in fact he’s happy to cause that means he gets to give you kisses, for winning of course.

-

♠️Grimsley♦️

- this man is constantly texting you to come down to the league, just so he can get his affection, but shhh he’ll never admit it and call you the needy one.

- Both of you live pretty busy lives, but mostly you, as Grimsley mainly just sits and waits for a challenger. So you get many calls and texts from him, as you work.

- He likes face timing you and watching you battle, he likes seeing the show you put in at work. He’s your number one fan from the shadows.

- Though everyone knows.

- He’s more salty about the other league members and champion adoring you, cause they have told him if you two ever break up, they are taking your side.

- He was more offended they even thought of you two breaking up! How rude!

- His Pokémon are babies for you, and you’ve taken his Krookodile to work, cause she wouldn’t stop following you, and would sulk when you’d tell her to go back. So you were stuck with an oversized lizardy lillipup for most of the day, your challengers found it hilarious.

- Until Grimsley called you, asking for his Pokémon back.

- “Babe, I’d love to give her back to you, but you’re gonna have come down here and get her yourself. She’s cuddling me right now.”

- “Oh of course, when my Pokémon want to cuddle is ‘oh of course sweet baby’ but when I want to cuddle it’s ‘no Grimsley, you bite too much.’ How cruel.”

- “Grimmy, sweetie, I know you bite to show affection, but your teeth are sharp and biting my forearm isn’t very sexy of you.”

- Yes, these types of conversations happen regularly.

- He’s fun to train with, however he will be making it a bet, mainly cause if kisses are on the table he is not going easy, he wants his kisses damn it.

[ghostchanuwu]

2nd to last batch of AniRedux Hoenn redesigns!!!After Hoenn I'm gonna do some Kanto and Johto ones (more designs under the cut,first 4 are older drawings but will be updated,all designs are finalized so no major changes when redone)

Tbh Tate and Liza's ORAS designs are already pretty solid so all I did was add their sun/moon imagery to line up with their aces (also hairstyle changes with Tate being slightly more flared to closer represent the sun and Liza's being smoother to represent the moon)

I went full Volcarona with Flannery's design along with giving her a more tough girl look with the cut sleeves and having more red and orange colors in her design while also keeping her towel belt bc of the theme of her gym being a hot spring (her gym goes SO HARD in ORAS)

Roxanne's design leans in hard into the teacher aesthetic along with having a nice business vibe since Rustboro is Hoenn's financial hub

Wattson's design leaned more into his RSE side but also added a bit of yellow to his hair and some plusle minun themed goggles since this man definitely owns a bunch of novelty accessories and shirts (he is wearing a Togedemaru themed Alola shirt under his jacket)

Pre current day trio back when they were traveling together! (Steven at this point is 16 about to hit 17 while Winona and Wallace are 17)

Steven is freshly graduated from Rustboro High 2 years early with honors and is set to go to university but he had decided to take on the Hoenn League before he does since he was considered a prodigy in his advanced battling courses and was noted to have an affinity for steel types and psychic types

Winona had originally set off at 14 as a part of her Field Researcher course, she wasn't very interested in it at first but was hooked immediately when the teachers said that she would be studying in Fallarbor which not only has a healthy Swablu population nearby but also some Skarmory and Gligar sightings, she and Steven meet back up after 2 years of not seeing eachother and the first thing they do is go out to try to catch a Skarmory (it goes comedically wrong but ends with Winona getting a newly hatched Skarmory and Steven getting the world's snarkiest Skarmory despite it only being a few months old)

Wallace is an up and coming Coordinator who already has a bit of a following from the contest he had participated in in Slateport showing off his Milotic and Gyarados duo which shocked the audience since most trainers his age completely forego training Gyarados because of their temper but Wallace's is surprisingly elegant, he doesn't participate in the Gym Circuit until he hits his early 20s but does have the Rain Badge (he did attend Rustboro's middle school years ago which is where he first met Steven and Winona but quickly transfered to Uva-Naranja academy in Paldea since they was offering a really nice foreign exchange student program)

Steven-Metang,Skarmory,Aron,Kirlia

Winona-Swablu,Skarmory,Swellow

Wallace-Milotic,Gyarados,Quaxly,Marshtomp

(Winona's Swablu is shiny since her father had wanted to have a special one bred to be her starter)

I may have done a little something special with Maxie's design, he still keeps the shoulder pads since every admin in Magma wears some form of armor but he is hiding a little something behind those glasses, he had been partially possessed by the Red Orb when he first came into contact with it years ago permanently scaring him along with changing his eyes (at first I went 3.0 + 1.0 Gendo-like but simply stuck with how Primal Groudon's would look), he just simply hides it along with the glasses having improved his eyesight along with it being where his keystone is affixed

Zinnia went full gremlin vagabond vibes, messy hair and a torn sleeve from where she had to patch up a nasty wound that her Salamence had suffered when they first left Meteor Falls no thanks to a very angry Walrein, she had been entrusted with the 2nd mega anklet that her village possessed officially crowning her as Lorekeeper along with the remains of Aster's cape (Aster had the 1st mega anklet but it was lost when they passed)

[pikachu78109]

Johto League HC’s

((This is just a hodgepodge of headcanons that I have for the Johto League in no particular order. This E4 is my second favorite (first being Unova) so I want to play around with their dynamic as not just powerful Trainers, but also as work colleagues/friends, or individually))

Johto League in General

As with many Leagues in the Pokémon world, it’s a professional environment. I don’t imagine the Elite Four, as well as Champion, residing at the League as a resident, but rather a workplace where you clock in and out like you would in the real world.

Of course, with the other Leagues, each chamber has a personal touch in accordance to each Elite Four member type specialization. In order to have a chamber, an upcoming member must prove themselves by entering into a battle test to determine if their skills are up to League standards and have done sufficient work/training that can be submitted (ie. acquired all eight Gym Badges, completed any extracurricular activity/training, conducted outside research, etc.)

Johto happens to be an interesting case given that it neighbors Kanto, so the Johto League is often referred to as the Indigo League. Over time, Elite Four member from each respective region has undergone changes. Lorelei stepped down to return to the Sevii Islands to help out at the Lab there while Agatha has since retired. Due to this, the League has opened up positions for anyone to apply. Koga, a Kanto Gym Leader, underwent the Gym Challenge by collecting all the Badges and applied his strength to become a Johto League member, as did Will. Bruno kept his position, while Lance got promoted to Champion as Red stepped down. Karen entered the Elite Four as she works within the League, so she stepped in to fulfill the final position.

Johto League Members

As for the members themselves, they all range in ages. Will, by my estimate, would be around in their early twenties (either 22 or 23 give or take) whereas Karen would be nearing 30. Koga would probably be in his mid-late forties as opposed to Bruno, who’s pushing around 35.

In terms of familial ties, I see Will being related to Lorelei (this is sort of a theory). They are cousins whom keep in moderate contact with each other.

For Will, they are a bit more sarcastic compared to the other members of the League. It does come off as a bit unprofessional but the others don’t seem to mind. Will sometimes acts like a ‘whatever, dude’ kind of person, but really they are genuine and laidback. Given their type specialty, Will doesn’t have Psychic abilities like Sabrina or Caitlin. They love the typing for the aesthetic hence why they are dressed so mysteriously.

Just to include this here, I personally headcanon Will as nonbinary.

Karen is an interesting lady. I imagine her as the bad bitch who takes no shit from people and radiates confidence 24/7. She could be having a bad day yet still feel like she’s on her A-game. Honestly, though, Karen keeps it authentic. She has no reason to hide who she is and completely embraces the fact that people are intimidated by her presence. The fact that she’s the only person to train Dark types in both Kanto and Johto says a lot given the negative reputation surrounding the typing. For this, Karen respects the typing more as it stands out from the norm. Yes, this choice of specialization has gotten her dirty looks, but Karen doesn’t care. She’ll continue to stomp out judgement with her Houndoom and Umbreon any day.

Deep down, at her core, Karen’s a kind-hearted and humble individual. She doesn’t like it when people assume the worst about her. In actuality, Karen can be down to earth and can vibe with everyone else.

Low key has a crush on Lance. Acts completely flustered and shy whenever alone with him. Remains professional during working hours though.

Bruno and Koga have quite a close relationship as battle partners. They’re both competitive, but Bruno has a high competitive streak compared to Koga’s. There are a few things that they have in common, such as having a strict training regimen. Neither one wants to be caught off guard, so they train hard by doing a practice battle every day as a warmup.

Where these two differ, though, Koga has a lot on his plate apart from being a League member. Most obvious would be him being a single father to Janine. He doesn’t worry too much about his daughter; he has trained her to take up the Fuchsia City Gym personally, so that she will be capable of taking on this responsibility. Janine is only fourteen, again by my estimate, and she’s quite skilled at her age though nowhere near the same level as her father. Koga does check in to see how she’s doing and, at times, he worries about his little girl.

Being the oldest among the League members, Koga often acts like the wise, sage-like father figure of the group. He’s serious but may often crack a few Dad jokes (much to Will’s annoyance) and few riddles to mess with Bruno and Lance.

Koga is not the best cook and neither is Bruno, so the League kitchen is off-limits for them.

Lastly, Bruno. The man is a big, buff Cheeto puff whose looks are rugged and give off feral vibes. I understand that Bruno is supposed to be hermit-like given that he spent most of his training in the mountains. The concept of a shirt being applied onto Bruno does not exist as I would imagine Bruno having sensitivity issues regarding fabrics. Wool, silk, cotton etc. irritate his upper body the most. He tends to sweat a lot due to his training, so shirts will stick to his torso in an uncomfortable way. He’ll wear pants (thank God) so there’s some body coverage.

Speaking of training and exercise, Bruno doesn’t have the best body odor. Karen and Will keep harping on Bruno to implement proper hygiene, much to Bruno’s dismay. Look, if Will has to send out their Slowbro to use Water Pulse on Bruno to get this man to shower, they will do it.

I feel like out of the four, Bruno would be most likely to throw hands if backed into a corner. Aside from Lance, whom I headcanoned as being in physical altercations, Bruno gets angered easily and riles up whenever someone provokes him. Man’s anger is that of a Tauros and has the power of a Steelix. So, yeah, Bruno can easily kill someone with a single blow to the noggin.

Just to put, which I should’ve stated beforehand, I have always seen Bruno as aroace. The concept of romantic relationships doesn’t apply to Bruno as, to me, Bruno seems like someone who has spent a majority of their life in the wild than with other people. So, forming any romantic feelings has never occurred (at least nothing that would spark interest) to Bruno. He’s capable of being affectionate towards his Pokémon, but people are a different story as he can never quite read them clearly. Bruno chooses to focus on training and being his best possible self, so any possibility of romance has never popped in, now and never.

Rounding it off, Lance being the Champion of not just Johto but Kanto as well has raised some controversy. Some people supported the decision, recognizing Lance’s strength being Champion-worthy, whereas those gawked at the notion of someone just being handed a title so easily and without question. Red stepped down from his Champion title as it never satisfied him, thus handing it down to Lance. Of course, Lance refused at first but Red insisted upon it. Typically, Champion’s can step down one of two ways: by resignation (formally, by application) or by challenging a Trainer eager to take their place. Red’s abrupt departure left everyone shocked. Initially, Lance hesitated but after Red’s reasoning and, of course, battle to prove his strength, he accepted. Red’s leave caused a string of changes to occur, especially for the original Indigo League Elite Four to change entirely due to this.

Lance takes his role of Champion seriously but that doesn’t mean he’s confident all the time. There have been moments where he feels like he doesn’t deserve this honor and questions if he’s even right for the position. People tend to mock him for his team being that of Flying type rather than Dragon (yes, I am bringing that in). On top of that, there’s the controversy as mentioned prior, to which Lance constantly worries if he’s living up to Red’s expectations.

Regarding his relationship with the Elite Four, it varies. With Will, it’s more akin to a Dad and teen relationship where Will doesn’t care what Lance thinks of them (secretly does but won’t admit it). Like I said, Karen has a low key crush on Lance, though he’s pretty oblivious to it. They remain professional, but down to earth. Lastly, his relationship with Bruno and Koga are quite close so I would often assume that they hang out often after League hours.

Altogether, this group is an interesting one with various personalities and quirks. Some new, other familiar but all around tight knit in their own unique way :)

Low key I see them as high school tropes in way ie. Will as the nerd, Karen as the popular girl, Bruno as the jock, Koga as the theater kid, and Lance as the student class president.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale's Rankings: Best Ash Ketchum

Now this sounds like a weird Ranking topic, but with over 20+ years of Pokemon anime to sift through, I can tell you there are some differences.

This Ash:

Is very different than this one:

And not just in animation styles.

So I should go over the rules.

I will be distinguishing each Ash on the Tried and True method. Based on Ash's Hat. For Example, Ash in the Kanto league, Orange Islands, and Johto Ash are all the same Ash, as they have the same hat. But once he goes to Hoenn, Its a different Ash

I will be ranking them based on Personality, Pokemon team, Competence for experience level, Performance and Overall Charm.

In regards to Competence for Experience, I mean how skilled he was shown to be compared to how he is in the region

I will not be including Manga, or spin offs. Purely the anime. Movies will be included if it benefits Ash

This is a personal list and I would love to hear everyone's thoughts.

____________________________________________________________

7. Black & White Ash

This... this ash at his lowest point in my opinion.

Also 2nd lamest companions. Iris was fine but the green haired Connoisseur annoyed me.

This was around the time the anime tried to do a soft reboot/retcon within itself and had Ash still say he is 10, even though he already went through 4 regions.

This Ash isnt a terrible person or anything, but ... he is kind of an idiot in battle. He gives advice and there are times he's mature but he loses battles he has no business losing. His team is also pretty unremarkable in Unova, even with all 3 starters. He never fully evolved any of them, the only Fully Evolved pokemon from Unova being his Krookadile (His best pokemon aside from Pikachu) Leavanny and Unfezent. (Which he switched out HALF THE TIME)

His pikachu also lost to Trip (a bargain bin version of Paul) who JUST GOT his pokemon recently.

But that is nothing compared to his embarrassing performance in the Unova League.

He made it to the great 8 and ended up losing to Cameron. Who if I had describe his incompetence, it would physically hurt me.

This Ash off the bat was not going to win any Leagues. But you would think with his experience he would be better... but he wasnt.

6. Sun and Moon Ash

I hate this iteration of ash... personally dislike him.

This Ash is likely the most immature we've seen ash since Kanto. Most of his maturity is gone in the first half of the season. His battle tactics may not be as bad as the previous ash (With this Ash actually WINNING his league). But its hard to say if most of those wins feel earned. Unlike later entries on this list, this Ash stumbled into incredibly powerful pokemon (two of which are basically legendaries), but to this Ash's credit, his Incineroar and Lyconroc were trained up and earned. I also enjoyed seeing the dynamic of this ash had with his friends in alola, along with the professor. I do think this Ash didnt deserve his Win in the league... mainly because the league was hardly official in terms of rules. It was basically a tournament with half of the people being his friends. But thats me nitpicking. This Ash does show to grow and strategize better than the last Ash, so I will give him props. But thats all I am giving him. Well Okay, Pikachu helped hard carry in this season

5. Journey's Ash

This Ash is... well he is technically the most skilled Ash as he can use all the tricks and did win the Master Class. But I dont get why.

Side note Gou is the worst Companion in the entire series dont @ me I know I am right.

This Ash STUMBLES hard into all his strong pokemon. Gengar, Dragonite, Dracovish. Sir Fetched and Lucario are the only two he needed to help evolve. Also, what is up with that unbalanced Team Composition? Half weak to fairy and dragon, Half weak to ground types. How did Cynthia NOT sweep?

That may have been Nitpicking a bit, but I still stand on the former point, most of his mons were strong at the jump. In Alola, the two legendaries he finds he at least has to evolve. Sure they are legendaries, but still.

I also just found this ash a bit too kidish until the end at the master class tournament.

Now did Ash deserve to be the very best? Yes. Did this iteration of Ash deserve it... Meh. At least it wasnt Unova or Alola Ash.

I do like that this Ash actually remembers his journey and tries to improve on it... though I am still pissed at a LOT of the retcons they did.

It did give us a lot of epic battles and Pikachu's epic clash.

4. Ruby & Sapphire Ash

Now we are at the Ash's I actually enjoy.

This Ash is a more refined yet still Childish Protagonist. He has been around the block and still has his child wonder. Yet he is more brazen and intelligent. He is more strategic compared to his previous iteration and will go into battle's with clever strategies. His team is also fairly balanced, His Sceptile being the star of the show, but his hoenn league team was nothing to sneeze at, His Swellow, Glalie, and Torkoal did work.

His placement in the great 8 in Hoenn showed his improvement and was a solid placement for him at this time. After this we really got to see Ash improve in the Battle Frontier.

Now the Battle Frontier is similar to Ash in the Orange Islands, the main difference though is that this is a more mature ash with some more serious opponents. Ash had a larger arsenal of pokemon and if it wasnt for all the experience he had gained, he likely would never have beaten Brandon and his team of incredibly strong Regis

Ash had his MVP companion Brock, and was accompanied by May and Max. Max being the young curious kid helped let Ash be more mature, while May still being new to pokemon let ash give advice as well as explore new avenues for strategies by watching Contests

Out of All the Ash's I would say he is the ash I look to to show his growth.

3. Original Ash

The Original, The start, the hyper active, comedic Ash that I grew up with.

Ash in the start was a complete noob and was stubborn to a fault. Its funny how he doesnt earn Half his badges through battles at the start. His pokemon usually joined him instead of being caught, and a chunk usually left for other reasons.

This Ash does grow and has the most heart out of all the ash so far. He cares about his pokemon and this is the closest Ash to capturing the magic of a trainer on their first Journey.

During the Orange Islands and Johto he does grow a bit, learning new strategies and showing himself capable of winning. He even bests his rival Gary.

And Of course this Ash had a team of strong mons, Charizard, Pikachu, Heracross, Squirtale, Bulbasaur, Pidgeot, Lapris. and a HERD OF TAUROS! Bayleaf, Quilava, and more.

And of course the OG companions, Misty and Brock. Though tbh I never cared for Misty. She was Mid.

2. Diamond and Pearl Ash

This was VERY hard for me to decide. Ash from Sinnoh is honestly some of the Best Ash I have seen.

We see ash grow and develop a lot more of the iconic strategies and out of the box thinking we know him for. Ash had met his antithesis in Paul and would clash with him only to have one of the best battles in ALL of Pokemon in the great 8!

This Ash had The OG Brock by his side, along with Dawn, who in my personal opinion was a superior coordinator companion to May. I liked May but Dawn managed to vibe with Ash much easier in my opinion.

Ash's team with Gliscor, Torterra, Buisal, Staraptor, Gible and Infernape were a solid team base, and Ash's Pikachu also being a star in its own right

I loved the maturity of this ash, as well as the frustration he felt when being beaten by Paul at every step. He even began questioning his own ability when Paul's cutthroat tactics seemed to show such results. But it was shown through Infernape why Ash was in the right.

This Ash also should have gone farther than top 4, but dude faced DARKRAI AND LATIOS. Not Ash's fault the had to deal with the one trainer with a game shark. It did feel like Tobias was created SOLELY to stop Ash from winning. But even the final's opponent couldnt beat the darkrai while Ash at least did.

Still salty on that.

1. XY Ash

Yes, Kalos Ash is my favorite Ash. Sure Kalos as a region and a game was MID. But Mega evolutions, the battles, the way Ash grew and developed. This Ash was SUCH an improvement from Black and White Ash that it felt like this ash was from Diamond and pearl. It is Ash at his best. His most mature, his most energetic yet not annoying. This Ash is the cool ash that your GF tells you not to worry about.

Serena Clemont and Bonnie were solid compatriots. Bonnie being a better max, and Clemont being the dorky yet fun inventor. While he isnt Brock, he is still a fun character. And of Course, Serena is best girl. She didnt lose her bike to Ash's pikachu, so points. She knew him from the past, the cute crush never felt forced. It also made the times when they argued really hold weight. Ash realized he effed up when Serena was pissed.

Now for the team. Ash earned his OP team. He evolved all his pokemon save for Pikachu and Hawlucha, into the strong powerhouses they became. He was competing against Mega evolutions AND Winning. He and Greninja even bonded so hard he got a unique form. AND THAT THEME FUCKING SLAPPED

His fights in the Kalos league top 4 and final match were INSANE!

His rivalry with Sawyer was interesting, especially with how Sawyer overtook him when he was in a slump only for him to push back hard.

His rivalry with Alain also had some depth that I wish was explored more.

This Ash deserved the Win in Kalos. But even so, his fight with Alain in the final was intense and epic.

It shows how Ash went the POLAR opposite of his Unova iteration, it showed how Ash struggled and grew on the level of Sinnoh, and it showed how he was a leader in his own right. This was Ash at his best.

[lumenflowered]

An update. For the faint of heart and those who are thoroughly done with hearing of another universe's Team Rocket, I would recommend that you stop reading here with the knowledge that things should, hopefully, be largely improving from here.

Giovanni is dead. There was not much of a body left to recover, but from what I saw there... that was more blood than the human body can feasibly lose without bodily functions shutting down. I would have much preferred for him to surrender quietly but it is rather poetic, in a terrible way, that it was his own actions that led to his demise.

I am... truly, I am very glad that it did not have to be by my hand. I have seen far too much death. I have enacted far too much death, and if being in a new world truly does mean that someone like me can have a fresh start—and I am rather inclined to believe, at this point, that it does—then I am more than happy to leave that aspect of my past where it belongs.

The Pokémon that did it is currently in Brock's custody, as he has experience with both Rock-types specifically and with aggressive Pokémon. Oddly enough, from what Brock has told me, Giovanni's Rhyperior is very well-behaved now that Giovanni is out of the picture and does not seem to have been abused.

I have returned to Johto. Silver has as well; she is rather invested in thoroughly trouncing Ethan in the realm of video games since, and I quote, "he actually puts up a good fight there." I... do not mind Kanto, it is a perfectly nice region, but Johto is... where I first Fell.

Johto has become more of a home to me than even Yharnam ever was, which seems rather ridiculous when I type it out. Nevertheless, I would not return to Yharnam were I offered the choice, not even to deliver some very strong words to some very specific people who are, in all likelihood, dead themselves.

I... have a life here. A new purpose. And I have come to realize that means something. That I mean something.

...In any case, even if Team Rocket was not now in disarray due to the loss of their leader and soon to be referred to in nothing but the past tense, Giovanni knew that I had defeated Lance, and so there really is no more reason to attempt concealing that from the knowledge of the general public.

The news goes live tomorrow morning. It may be longer before the Indigo League is fully restructured to the point that I am able to take on challengers—there are five qualified individuals to be the Elite Four, for instance, but there must be four by definition—but I am... apprehensive, perhaps more than I should be, about it regardless.

Lance did tell me that, if I had any doubts about this, to please tell him sooner rather than later and to not simply vanish without a word. But I believe... this is something I can do. This is something worth doing, at least until a challenger arrives to defeat me, and I have gathered that does not tend to happen particularly often.

Tomorrow, I officially become Champion Maria.

...There will be no turning back from that decision. But I do not believe I want to. This is... this is something I want to do. Desperately.

So I will.