#like with pokedex information and everything

[onestepbackwards]

Consider

Self aware au, but the player continously refers to the hero as their child. It's absolutely something I'd do

When reader gets pulled into the game, hero is calling them a parental term of some sort. I imagine the aware characters having interesting reactions to that.

Laventon is over the moon, he already calls the hero "my girl/boy" so it makes it even better for the God of this world to do so.

Ingo has a breeding kink, so of course he adores it. Makes him think of a domestic life with their God

Volo is shitting himself. You're telling him he almost killed the child you consider to be your child. *fuck,shit,fuck* cue a sobbing apologizing Volo on his knees. He'd be begging for forgiveness.

However you ignore him, giving him pat on the head, saying that you'd deal with him later. You have a bigger issue to deal with

Kamado

Combine this with any of the other aus, perhaps the 30 ft tall one, and it gets so much better. =)

(Been hanging around here for a bit. Finally worked up the courage to send in something. Could I be known as Witch Anon?)

Welcome on in Witch Anon! Good to see you! （＾∀＾●）ﾉｼ Honestly, I would adopt Akari/Rei. They deserve the best, especially after everything they’ve been through. I would throw hands.

Imagine, you get pulled into the game, you wake up with the hero above, concerned. Understandably, you are distraught and confused. They try and calm you down, and what catches your attention, is when they seem to cling to you. They tell you they have heard you this whole time, and have felt safe in your presence. You guide them, and try your best to keep them and their team happy and healthy. They didn’t mind someone taking control every so often, and were quick to figure out their world was a game to someone else’s. But they knew you were on their side, especially when you spoke up for them whenever something bad happened. They knew no matter what, you were in their corner. Especially when you started calling them your child. You cared for them more than any person here. So when they saw you laying on the ground, they immediately knew who you were. They had to protect you until you woke up, like you had protected them. You both discuss what to do from here, and they insist on taking you in as their guardian. You’re a little taken aback, but accept none the less. You did care for them, and you would protect this child with your life. Even if they ended up doing most of the protecting. It’s okay though, they are happy protecting you after all you’ve done for them. They insist on coming with you everywhere you go, and being there to protect you. Especially if you want to go see the village. You wonder why, but then they tell you it’s because of how the others may react to you. Others? That has you curious. The hero explains that the others are somewhat aware of your existance. Your voice, your face, all of it. Whenever the game was on, they’d either hear you or see you. You don’t know how to process that information. Other characters were also aware? They heard you, and some saw you? You feel your face flush. Oh god these people heard you, and all the dumb shit you’ve said. You hoped they didn’t hate you, and told the hero as such. They smile and shake their head. “No, they don’t hate their god. At least I don’t think so?” You stop mid step. A God? You ask for clarification. The hero looks at you, confused. They’re talking about you, silly! Who else? You are completely gobsmacked. They think you are a god? The hero shrugs. They are aware that there’s more to it than that, but it’s easier just to go along with it. Meanwhile your mouth is opening and closing like a fish. You aren’t a god, you assure them! The hero tells you they don’t mind if you are or aren’t, they’re just happy to have you with them. Getting to the village, however, is quite chaotic. Laventon is excited to meet you! You worked just as hard to help with the pokedex, and seemed to be a rather kind soul! You smile and tell him you are happy to help, and you couldn’t have done it without the hero, who you wrap an arm around like a parent to their kid. When he hears you call the hero your kid, it’s as if a lot of things click into place. Of course the hero would be your kid, not just your vessel! It explains why you are so protective of them too! He already loves Akari/Rei as his own, and its obvious the hero sees him as a father figure, and he already liked you a lot. When he’s alone, a thought crosses his mind. What if the hero saw you both as their parents? A blush covers his cheeks at the thought of being with you as a parent. It doesn’t sound so bad, the more he thinks about it. Ingo is another that loves the idea. He already likes you a lot, and knows you care about him quite a big deal from all the things he had heard you say about him. Ingo cares about the hero a lot as well, and feels a like a parent figure to them. So when he hears you call them your kid, he’s secretly ecstatic. He’s polite when talking to you, but inside, his mind is racing. He can’t help but daydream about you two together in a home, him cooking for you and the hero. He becomes flustered at the idea of providing for you both. The domesticity of it makes him flustered enough to pull down his hat while talking to you. The hero sees this though, and teases him about it later. Meanwhile, word gets around to Volo that the hero is more or less your kid, and you are very protective of them. He nearly screams and tears his hair out. Seriously?? The kid who he had fought, with the intention of getting rid of, was the kid of the true god??? Oh he was so upset. Expect him to find you two late at night, knocking on the hero’s door. Both of you are surprised to see Volo at the door. Not only that, but he looks like an absolute wreck. He gets down on his knees, and begs you both for forgiveness. He swears, he had no idea! He swears, even though he knew of your existence, he couldn’t stop himself! It was as if strings were controlling his every move! He babbles on and on to you two, and you nearly squeak in surprise when he grabs a leg, and is begging for forgiveness. You and the hero share a shrug. They had told you they were upset, yeah, but they didn’t hate him. You awkwardly pat his head, and tell him you’ll.... figure something out later. He betrayed the hero, and it would be up to them if he got forgiveness. He’s still upset, but let’s go of you, and agrees to leave. This wasn’t outright anger at him, and he would take anything he could get. Besides, you still had to deal with Kamado, who has seemingly been avoiding you this whole time. He was gonna get a tongue lashing when you finally got your hands on him for banishing your kid. Beni wasn’t safe either. Meanwhile, the hero has stars in their eyes. They are so lucky to have someone like you willing to protect them, especially after everything they’ve been through.

The 30ft au idea does make this a bit funnier. If anyone had any doubts you were a god (despite you telling them time and time again you weren’t one), they certainly felt you were now. Everyone thinks twice about ever hurting your kid, lest you come by to stomp on them. You wouldn’t, but hey, you weren’t going to correct them either. Anything to help people back off and keep your kid safe.

[indigodiskmybeloved]

Terapagos' Wasted Potential and My Rewrite of This

Aside from Pecharunt and Zygarde, I think Terapagos may be the most underutilized and wasted potential in all of Pokemon.

The second I saw Terapagos' design, I was hyped for the little turtle. I was attached to the theories and predictions surrounding it.

I am a HUGE fan of the trope of "ancient giant dead creature being the land in this world." Like the Titan's body in The Owl House.

I know it was just a theory and most likely wasn't going to come true, but I was hoping that Terapagos was Paldea. Imagine how cool it would be for Heath and Professor Turo to be searching in vain for Terapagos, only for it to be the land of Paldea the entire time!

That would be a generally more interesting idea and honestly kind of cool to see in the DLC!

So what did Gamefreak do? How did they write the story of Terapagos?

Simple. They didn't. There is not much of a story for them, which kinda sucks.

All we know about Terapagos is that there were more of them before they went extinct, and it's the source of Terastal Phenomenon.

How does a small turtle have enough power to put Tera crystals all over Paldea, Kitakami, and Blueberry Academy?

Short answer: It's a magic Turtle, stop asking.

Because why spend time developing the basic world building of your region when there's other things to explore.

Which brings me to my second point:

The Indigo Disk Was More of Teal Mask Part 2 Than Its Own Story

The Teal Mask DLC was FANTASTIC. It had an engaging and interesting story, especially with the role swap with the Loyal 3 and the Ogre. Still wished they did something with Pecharunt relating to the Loyal 3, but it's acceptable.

But the Indigo Disk should have focused more on Area Zero and Terapagos, rather than Kieran's revenge arc. Terapagos was just a plot device for Kieran to grab, not its own separate character. Have Kieran's arc be a separate story from the Terapagos story.

Or shit, wrap up Kieran's story with Possessed Kieran in Mochi Mayhem or something. If you give too much spotlight to a character, other characters end up forgotten about, or underdeveloped.

And that is my main issue with Terapagos. We learn NOTHING.

How did the little turtle give Paldea so much power? Why is this one hibernating for all this time? If this baby could hibernate and be fine, why couldn't the other Terapagos' do so? If they had enough power to potentially danger the world with crystals I doubt tectonic plates could kill them!

Which brings me to my third point.

Terapagos Being the Land of Paldea Would Make a Fuck Ton of Sense

Let's look a the Pokedex Entries:

"The world as the ancients saw it" and "resembling a planet floating in space"

Terapagos is referencing the World Turtle, the story about a Turtle who CARRIES THE WORLD ON ITS BACK

You cannot give us this information and have a design inspired by a turtle carrying the world on its back and NOT GIVE US TERAPAGOS BEING PALDEA

Past legends like Necrozma and Eternatus had giant otherworldly magical forms, which looked threatening. They resembled the source of what power they give to the region! Ultra Necrozma stole the world's light, and Eternatus turns into a giant fucking hand!

If you wanna make Terapagos a bit of a threat at least, make it the region. Up until this point, we've been told that Terapagos terastilizing is gonna doom Paldea and put it in danger.

So, in the scenario of the giant Terapagos being the land of Paldea, what would happen if it woke up?

Kieran pulls out the crystal of its child, and the big Terapagos notices that their child is not near them.

And then the world shakes, and Terapagos awakens. Kieran and the others find out that the world of Paldea is on a giant turtle with no way to calm it down.

Now there's much more at stake here, and it genuinely sounds cooler than a baby turtle choosing its new parent.

Now you might be asking, "Its a Pokemon game! They don't need to explain everything!"

This is the same company that brought us the story of Scarlet and Violet. We got the AI Professor, the truth about Team Star, Nemona, Arven, Penny, the Teal Mask, just all of it.

To end the Indigo Disk on a bit of a lackluster note, it's kinda sad. There was so much they could have done with Terapagos, but they just left it empty.

[pokeology]

Not to be that person but like do you think everything in the Pokédex is real??? Like all marcago are just hotter than the sun??? Not like dissing you but aren’t you a professor

The sun is not as hot as you think it is. Natural processes on Earth regularly do reach that temperature. Lightning is a famous example.

The pokedex is intended for trainers. Not professors. Everything written there is simplified for your sakes. If we were to give you every bit of information we actually have on these species, the pokedex would be so big it would be completely useless for a trainer that just wants to know what they are looking at.

You try reducing decades of research into three sentences for people who have never taken a biology class in their lives. It is not as easy as you think it is.

[ameftowriter]

FINALLY I WROTE THIS AFTER 2 AND A HALF DAYS!!

Whew... I'm sorry for it being so late on this one.

But I did my best after being inspired by this wonderful art. Thank you @k-chips and @zomandfriends and @wyrdle .

Also this is based off @k-chips 's Dadvell AU yes xD

Thank you for reading and I hope you like it. I apologize for any errors as well.

Under the cut cause it's a bit long and also spoilers.

EDIT: I forgot to add some important tags I'm so sorry also some information cause I rushed to post this and I'm forgetful

Title: But what about you?

Tyme walked through the hallways to speak to Clavell at his office. Everything was going well so far she thought to herself. Everything was going smoothly and even issues that rose were quickly fixed and resolved. She was happy to report to Clavell that there were many willing volunteers to help set up for the first Academy Ace Tournament this Friday and the participants for the battles itself have all signed up.

But as she opened the door to the Director's office, she saw the one last big issue to resolve.

Clavell continuously paced around his office. Back and forth, back and forth, over and over again. He stopped and looked like he thought of something.

Then he grumbled and began pacing around again.

Tyme sighed to herself... There was indeed one last thing that had to be dealt with first.

And perhaps she's the only one who can resolve this problem.

She approached Clavell who kept going and going, as he didn't realize who was already there next to him.

"Director...." Tyme began.

"And there's still the board meeting...." Clavell muttered to himself as he walked away, not noticing Tyme.

"Director Clavell..." Tyme repeated herself as she walked to follow him.

"The Tournament is this Friday... I still need to get a speech prepared..."

"Clavell."

"But of course... I still need to provide more support for Arven and his friends..."

"Clavell!"

"Oh!" Clavell quickly turned to see that Tyme was standing next to him with her hands at her hips and looked at him with the most annoyed expression.

"M-Miss Tyme..." The flustered director spoke, "My goodness... I didn't see you come in... How long were you--?"

"I just got here, Director Clavell...." Tyme shook her head. She could feel the tension within him.

"I must apologize then, Miss Tyme.." Clavell bowed at her, "I have been quite busy with various affairs."

"I'm sure you are, Clavell..." Tyme sighed as she dropped the title, "Though I believe you may have overloaded yourself with too many affairs."

"... Do you think I have?" Clavell wondered, a lot of events have occurred in this school year alone after all. But he was the director, a lot of things are his responsibility. 

"Definitely." Tyme nodded, "You need to take care of yourself once in a while, Clavell. You won't be able to help anyone in your state. "

"I suppose you're right but I..." Clavell paused for a moment as he thought of what he needed to do. "Ever since I found out the truth about Team Star and around two years ago... I have to make sure these kids are doing well for themselves now and the school isn't giving them too much trouble ...."

"Yes ..." Tyme did not want to be reminded of that shame she felt when she was told of the truth behind the entire incident. But she has noticed then that the Team's members have started coming back to classes and have been opening up to the teachers and other students... Especially her student, Penny...

"Then the Academy Ace Tournament is this Friday... We need to make sure everything is set up and we got the proper permissions for the location and the shops..."

"Of course..." Tyme and various volunteers have already gotten the permissions needed to set up the Tournament. Chairwoman Geeta already compiled it all for them. She wanted to tell him this, but the man kept on pacing...

"Jacq needs assistance in his classes and his Pokedex as these Paradox Pokemon that Sada brought in have a lot of information to bring up and even to other Pokemon Professors..."

"That's not a rush then is it?" Tyme tried to reassure him, at least to lessen the burden.

"Speaking of Sada, and the Paradox Pokemon..." Clavell already changed the topic as the thought of the incident that happened a couple of months ago, "Dear Arceus... Those kids... I still need to check up on them and their well-being... A couple of months have passed already, I dearly hope that they are still doing okay since then..."

"I'm sure they're doing all right, Clavell..." Tyme remembers seeing the four students in question, enjoying each other's company and having quite a loud yet joyful chat in the cafeteria yesterday. She was quite happy to see that.

"But also Arven...." Clavell clutched his head as he counted in his mental checklist, "I have been worried for him since the incident in Area Zero.... When we found out that his mother had been gone far longer than we realized, then down there to meet the AI and... And..."

"Clavell!" Tyme had grasped his shoulders firmly, and jolted the man awake from his self induced trance, "For Arceus's sake, settle down."

"I... I apologize..." Clavell muttered.

"I know you have a lot to do, but please take care of yourself first." Tyme pleaded with him with the softest look possible, "I worry about you."

"I..." Clavell felt his face heat up by that. "I'm really sorry Tyme... For making you worry for me."

"You've gone through a lot under a span of a year, even more than anyone should." Tyme reassured him again, "You don't have to be sorry for this."

"I know but I..." Clavell began to remember his mental checklist again, "I feel like there is still much more to do..."

Tyme sighed, here we go again.

"I still need to check on the kids...." Clavell counted, "And Arven... He still needs my help, I need to be there for him more..."

"Clavell..." Tyme spoke softly.

"I'll also still need to talk with Team Star, I want to make sure they're doing well too..." He counted it again.

"They're all right...." She reassured him again even though it fell on deaf ears.

"Jacq needs help as well..." Once again he does it.

"That can wait. Even though he knows it's not a priority..." She continued.

"Then there's the tournament... I can't just leave it..."

By then, Tyme had enough and pulled the man to her and enveloped her arms around him, hugging him so tight.

"But what about you?" She says to his ear, "You silly old fool..."

"Tyme... I..."

"I've said it before and I'll say it again... You need to take care of yourself. If you don't then I will... For your sake ..."

"Tyme..." Clavell repeated, as he was unsure of what to say or do. "You don't have to..."

"But I want to." Tyme answered back, "You need this. At least for now..."

Clavell could feel the tears well up in his eyes as he brought his hands upward to return the hug she had given him... "Yes... Yes, please... And thank you."

The two remained like this for a good while as Clavell quietly sobbed as he grasped Tyme's sweater. He was grateful to have her around at his moment of weakness and felt himself relax for once. Tyme rubbed circles on his back as she, herself tried to hold back her own emotions. She hated seeing him like this. When she found out about everything this poor man had gone through in just the course of this school year, she brought it to herself to accompany him more and help him more than ever. It was the best thing she could think of right now. So despite it all, she was relieved that she could finally help him.

As the two finally went silent, Clavell sighed, "Thank you Miss Tyme... I needed that..."

"Good! Now that wasn't so bad, is it?" The two let go of their hug but their hands still on each other. Then the two stiffened.

The realization that they're so close to each other had clicked in for them and they have once again fallen into silence.

"I...umm..." Clavell was the first to speak, with his face flushed red and his hands letting go of Tyme's waist, "Th-thank you Miss Tyme... For that support..."

"O-of course..." Tyme felt her face heat up, and her heart skipped a beat... she never really realized how... good looking... Clavell is up close like this...

"Is there something else wrong, Miss Tyme?" Clavell managed to speak as he felt his own heart rate speed up after being so close to her like this. "You still have your hands on my shoulders..."

"Oh... oh! I... I apologize, Director Clavell!" Tyme quickly removed her hands from him as she felt flustered, "I'm... I'm just glad to help!"

"Of course!" Clavell gave her a soft smile, as he still felt relaxed and happy to be by her side. "If you have time then, shall we have some tea?"

"That would be wonderful!" Tyme smiled at him back. The two are simply delighted to have each other at this time of vulnerability.

"Oh... My... Arceus....." Penny muttered as she peeked through the office door. She was actually there to try to meet up with Director Clavell to talk to him about the STCs and its steady progress and various records with it. But instead she had just witnessed something she definitely wished she could have recorded.

"Well... This can wait..." She said to herself as she slowly closed the door as silently as possible to not get their attention, "Priority one is to gossip this to Riley, Arven, and Nemona.... They're gonna be so happy to hear about this!"

She then silently walked away from the office ready to head back to her friends.

[pc-box-ghost]

Hello, a trainer from Kanto here! Do you know anything about Pokedex malfunctions? I was curious if you have some information about it, since I have a Hoenn Pokedex that have been on my shelf for years now, and I only remembered about it a few days ago. I tried to turn it on a few times, but it only turns off by itself after a minute or less. Sometimes it doesn't work at all, any suggestions what I should do?

Hey! Thanks for asking. Pokedéx malfunctions. Those are fun. Issues like this one are usually caused by a couple of different things. On some pokedéx models, the internal components can become improperly seated surprisingly easily. If the pokédex got dropped at all at any point, it's entirely possible that something got disconnected in there. If the internal battery or CPU isn't seated properly, the pokédex either won't power up at all, or it'll switch off very shortly after being turned on. Getting everything seated properly and reconnected will fix the problem, if this is what's going on. It's also possible that there are loose or completely disconnected wires in there, which would also cause that issue. If you do decide to open the thing up yourself and check everything, I'd suggest getting an anti-static wristband or to ground yourself beforehand, just to make sure you don't accidentally shock it. Some things in there are pretty sensitive to electrostatic discharge. Speaking of which, if you have electric-type pokémon and they accidentally zapped the pokédex at any point, something may have gotten fried in there due to the power surge. If that's the case, it's likely a burnt-out power supply, the motherboard's fried, or data necessary for booting up the system or normal operation got corrupted. If it's just a corrupted boot sector, your local lab or research center may be able to get you a new pokédex and just transfer your data over to the new one for free, if it's still under warranty. If something in there is fried, I'd look into replacing the parts that are messed up. You may be able to find the parts online, or have a repair shop order them for you. It could also be a failed hard drive, but typically if that's the case, the pokédex won't boot up at all, and you'll hear a short series of beeps when attempting to start it up. Replacing it should do the trick. Your local lab / research center should be able to help you recover your data if this is the problem, too.

[ecargmura]

Pokemon Horizons Episode 28 Review - A Wild Ball Chase

If I am allowed to be honest, I didn’t like this episode. The kids were acting a lot dumber than they actually are and most of the episode was just chasing an old guy around. It felt rather silly to me. Am I the only one feeling this way? All I can remember from this episode was that the kids were running around. That’s it. That’s the episode. 

This whole conflict could’ve been avoided if the kids, specifically Roy, were a bit more cautious. The old man, Tepen, is still a stranger at the end of the day, so the fact that he wanted to see both the ball and the backpack should’ve give instant red flags. I get that Roy is a bit naive and sheltered due to his upbringing on the island, but at least have some awareness! Liko was a bit more doubtful towards Tepen and his words, but she still fell into the trap of being an overly trusting kid—in her case, it was because Diana recommended them to see him and she trusts her grandmother. I don’t know why Friede didn’t think he was suspicious either. The only sensible character in this episode was Hatenna; it sucks that no one really tried listening to her at first as they all got distracted by Fuecoco and Roy’s hunger, which caused Liko to assume Hatenna was hungry. Come on, Liko! You’re better than this!

Speaking of Friede, why do some of these episodes always end with him or Captain Pikachu saving the day at the end? I thought Episode 26 established that Liko doesn’t always have to rely on Friede to solve her problems with the way she tried to rescue Terapagos on her own. It feels like Captain Pikachu will just be a deus ex machina if this keeps up. Though, I did like that Friede was out of the investigation for most of the episode due to him ruining the market stands. At least that was a bit of a creative take on how to avoid the over reliance on Friede.

Even if I found this episode rather stupid in execution, there are still some things I liked about it. First off, Hatenna can use a move! She uses Confusion to levitate a shovel and have it cut the pouch around Lampent. It sucks that Liko didn’t think about using Hatenna for battle when Sprigatito, Fuecoco and Wattrel were asleep. Second, I did like that Tepen did get a lot of punishment for his actions like Diana almost getting her Arcane to incinerate him; I honestly wanted that to happen. Diana also used Bronzor as a mirror of truth of sorts, as shown in a Pokedex entry to show off what Tepen was back in the day—an earnest adventurer. Hopefully, he finally reforms. Third, we get some progression as Tepen is revealed to not be working for the Explorers, but for a Pokeball artisan. Maybe they could have some information about the Ancient Pokeballs? The last thing I liked about the episode was Tepen’s choice of Pokemon. They all have a theme of being antiques in a way and I think that’s super creative. 

Maybe I’m being a bit harsh towards this episode, but that’s just how reviews are. Not everything can be good. This episode isn’t bad, but I just wanted it to be better. I want to know your thoughts about this episode. What is your take?

[emberglowfox]

The night is quiet, save for the distant toll of wandering Chimecho and the scritch-scritch-scritch of a pencil against paper. A cool wind curls through the shattered crown of the Temple of Sinnoh, fluttering the pages of a well-worn book.

The scritching stops, and a hand presses a pencil flat against the page.

“Arceus?”

The being called Arceus removes its eyes from the night sky to look down at the young girl curled casually against its flank, legs crossed and pokedex propped up on one knee. She returns its gaze with pleasant fearlessness.

“I’m working on your Pokedex entry,” she informs it, then hesitates, “but… are you even a Pokemon, really?”

Arceus tilts its head and heaves a deep breath that gently shudders the girl. “Yes and no.”

She frowns, but seems to have been expecting the non-answer. “What do you mean?”

“In my entirety, I am something that exceeds your understanding, lacking both form and description. The form that sits with you here is but a fragment, given shape and consciousness so that I may walk alongside you. To best fit in with your world, I have imposed upon this form limitations that would befit a powerful Pokemon.”

The girl gives a thoughtful hmmm and leans back. “So… basically, there’s god-Arceus, which is the big creator of the universe and everything, and then there’s you-Arceus, a little chopped-off piece of it that’s made to look and act like a Pokemon.”

If Arceus could smile, it would; it seems this form still lacks some elements. “I am only a god in my strength compared to man and Pokemon; however, I believe this is a satisfactory way of understanding it. 

“Satisfactory,” the girl repeats under her breath, though not unkindly.

“I will revise one aspect of your metaphor. I am not a ‘chopped-off’ piece; I am as much a part of myself as ever. I am able to exist as an infinite number of minds, making an infinite number of decisions. This body is just one example of that.”

The girl’s nose wrinkles. “Yeah, that is kind of hard to get my head around.”

“You are trying to apply the logic of your world to something that exists far beyond it,” Arceus informs her gently. “There will be some shortcomings.”

“I’m just gonna write you a dex page,” the girl says with a sigh. “Big-you might not be a Pokemon, but little-you here may as well be, as you said. Plus,” she grins, “I wanna see Laventon freak out when he reads it.”

The night continues in silence, for a time; the girl returns to pressing words and drawings to her paper, glancing up every now and then at Arceus to get the details right, and Arceus continues to gaze at the night sky. It’s so different than the sight its used to seeing, from infinite angles and times. Here, it sees with one set of eyes. The it that is All enjoys the experience, drinking in the novelty.

“One more question.”

“You may ask it.”

“Why do you look the way you do now? You said Big-you is ‘formless’ and ‘indescribable’ and all that. But I’m describing you right now.”

Arceus chuckles. “This form is one I selected for myself, combining elements from my creation that would be familiar to people and Pokemon and that I found agreable. For me, it is the same as styling hair or changing clothes; I simply chose that which appealed to me most.”

“So basically ‘because you thought it was cool’, is what I’m going to write.”

“If you are so inclined.”

[kafus]

also ok i’m taking a break now, did everything around hearthome (except participate in a contest which i will do later) and caught up my pokedex n stuff too, but uh. i just gotta say it’s still so baffling that this is here LOL i know this information is a cool surprise to the player but the idea that johanna is a contest star who’s also probably been on TV and dawn had NO idea prior to this… gives off the likely unintentional implication that these two just are not close and do not interact at all

i mean she does buy you a dress so that’s nice i guess. amusing that she just had this on hand like ok

also btw word of advice: this poffin is the best poffin in the game. it’s better than any poffin you can cook on your own and it’s better than the storebought ones in veilstone city. genuinely the way to get the highest contest stats in gen 4 on a single pokemon is to replay the game up to this point over and over and keep giving the npc gifted mild poffin to ur pokemon by trading it back and forth 💀

[genshinemblem564]

Pokémon Legends Arceus Retained Memories Headcanons

TW: Depictions of PTSD

• So we all know that the protagonist is post Daimond/Pearl/Platinum Dawn/Lucas (whichever you picked), so why doesn't it feel like that. It honestly feels like they've lost their memories like Ingo did, but that's clearly not the case as proven by their dialogue choices, so here's a few headcanons I made where MC remembers everything.

• Upon meeting certain characters, MC will tense up as if ready for battle. These characters would include Laventon(upon noticing the golden G on his lab coat), Cyllene, Arezu, and Coin. Likewise, they would have an overall positive reaction to Rei/Akari, Kamado, Volo, Mei, and Cogita.

• Upon finding space time rift Pokémon, excluding Sneasel and Weavile, MC makes their own Pokedex entries, which Laventon studies with the type of glee only a researcher can show.

Magnemite: The magnets at its sides are used to feed off of the electricity contained within a metal unit. The advancement of technology in this creature's time makes Pokémon like this much more common.

Magneton: As a Magnemite grows in strength, so to does its magnetism, often times causing it to link with other Magnemite forming Magneton. The increased magnetism has also increased this Pokémon's core temperature significantly. Direct physical contact is ill-advised.

Magnezone: Exposure to Hisui's central mountain's magnetic field has caused the three Magnemites' bodies to meld into one Manezone. Using its magnetic waves, it is capable of a form of echolocation similar to Zubat's. How magnetic waves are capable of this is difficult to explain, but if one ever finds a Magnezone in the wild, it is best to take cover and wait for it to pass.

Porygon: An artificial being created by future technology. Calling this thing a life form seems rather extreme, as all studies have shown it has no will of its own, only having just enough of a mind to receive and execute a command. No mind to think and no will to break.

Porygon 2: After receiving an Up-grade, Porygon has gained intelligence and emotions. While still having no signs of life such as a heartbeat, it is now more than the mindless tool it started as.

Porygon Z: A faulty upgrade has made its way into Porygon's mind. This Pokémon is erratic and unstable in its behavior and movements. Those kept in Pokéballs seem to be tame enough. If you encounter one in the wild, however, RUN.

Fossil Pokémon (Proffesor Laventon does a good enough job, this is more of just a side note.): This Pokémon was brought back to life using futuristic technology.

• Knowing the truth behind Sinnoh (Palkia and Dialga), they find the feud between the clans frustrating and stupid for different reasons than everybody else

• When the sky turns red, I think this would cause MC to go into a full panic attack, because they know what's happening, they know how to stop it, but they don't know how to reach the lake guardians considering they're sealed off.

• Volo is surprised when they mention Giratina. He's even more surprised when they say their Giratina saved them.

• I feel like Volo's betrayal would have more or less the same impact.

___________________________________________

Hey again, sorry I'm not posting for my lack of posts. My switch stopped working, so I had to get a new one and a myriad of information is no long readily available to me, but this popped in my mind, and I just had to write it. I might add more to this later, but at the moment I can't think of anything that doesn't pertain to the story. Anyway, I know I've said this countless times already, but it bears repeating for those who need it, feel free to use this if it inspired you in any way.

[smallestapplin]

Just had the cutest idea

So what if both Ingo and his wife had Amnesia when they first arrive at hisui. However when they first meet each other both instantly fell in love. Which leads to them both courting each other and little later getting married in hisui.

And whenever they return to modern times and regain their memories. They get all blush and bashful cause they realized that they loved each other so much they ended up getting married a second time in ancient hisui.

Bonus that in A museum exhibit on ancient hisui there is a photo of them on their wedding day surrounded by their friends and Pokémon . 

I hope your month is good, both pillow sides cool, and crops watered.

I kept reader neutral.

3,000 words, OOPS

-

-

You couldn’t remember anything aside from your name. You panicked when you realized that waking up to a man towering over you.

Laventon had comforted you best he could, trying to calm your frantic self, and while it worked he could see you were still afraid, nervous, and confused.

After you helped him with catching his run away starters he took you in. The village wasn’t as welcoming but you had him, Rei, and later Cyllene.

You did everything that was asked if you, what else were you to do? The strange arcphone and the commander’s orders were all you had to go by.

This world is new and terrifying but you managed. Filling up the pokedex came with risks and those nobles were no laughing matter.

Yet at night you still tried to remember anything about yourself, but all you were left with was questions.

Where did you come from?

What was your original home?

Did you have family?

Why is there a ring on your finger?

Why did you feel attached to it?

Why does you bed feel off?

Why do you feel like someone is missing?

You had no answer to any of them, and the lost kept growing.

You kept yourself busy as to distract yourself from your thoughts.

You walked out of your home like you have been for months now only to be stopped by a stranger.

He looks tired all hunched over like that but he seems so…familiar, tattered black and rust colored coat with a hat to match,a pearl clan tunic, and black pants and shoes, his expression looked more stern, frown settled onto his face. You feel like that goatee wasn’t there before, but you can’t place why.

His pale silver eyes locked with yours and you felt that air leave your body.

He looks so rugged and handsome, you felt the urge to run into his arms and confess your love for him.

Your own thoughts scared you, he is a stranger for crying out loud.

You didn’t know he felt that same that moment.

Look at your beautiful eyes, your surprise expression is so cute, sleep having left you, he could just coo at how cute you look half dazed in your survey outfit.

“Good morning, person from the sky! I apologize for almost running into you like that, the commander has informed me he wants you in his office.”

You struggle to keep standing. His voice sounds like home, it fills you with so much joy.

His voice is so lovely, you could listen to him talk for hours.

And deep down you feel like you have.

“Oh! Thank you.” You nod and left for the commanders office.

You can feel your face burning.

Ingo watches you leave, his heart yearning for you to come back. He feels light headed, his heart is beating so quickly.

He made his way to the training grounds per Irida’s orders and waited.

His heart goes right back to pounding against his rib cage when he sees you waking towards him with his clan leader.

“This is Ingo, he is Lady Sneasler’s warden, he is much like you! A stranger without his memory aside him his name.”

Ingo tilts his hat down in a slight bow, but also trying to cover his blushing face.

“Pleased to properly meet you. I apologize for the abrupt how-do-you-do before. I am the warden Ingo. I understand you’ll need a hand from Sneasler in order to meet Electrode Whether she’ll see fit to help you, however, we can only find out by making the journey. Now, let’s have a safe journey to Mount Coronet! All aboard!"

His face burns at the sound of your cute laughter. He is quick to leave to calm his beating heart once more.

“Hm that’s odd, I’ve never seen him act like that before.” The leader ponders before taking her leave.

Seeing him pose like that and say things like that makes you feel a faint memory bubble up but it’s quickly forgotten when Rei comes up to you.

“You got everything for your trip to Coronet Highlands?” The boy hands you a few extra items.

“I should, don’t worry, I’ll be back sometime.”

You knew he worries for you since he and the professor took you in.

At the highlands you met up with Ingo who rambled most of the way.

Some of the things he spoke about sounded familiar to you too! Being with him makes you feel like you’re on the verge of remembering something.

Even battling made you faintly remember being in a moving metal room with him across from you. But that’s all you could remember.

He was the first one to rush up to you after you quelled Lord Electrode. Fretting over you and asking if you were okay several times.

You spent as much time as you could with him.

Both of you loved being around the other. Having been doing this for a few months before you two caved.

That night you two were out by the fabled spring, laying in the grass staring at the stars. You were pressed against his side, an action he didn’t seem to mind.

“You feel like home.”

Ingo was caught off guard by your soft admission, but he couldn’t help but move closer to you.

“As do you, I feel like I found my place with you.”

He sits up and looks at you, grabbing your hand to pull you up to him.

“If I may, I wish to court you, my heart feels complete when I’m with you, I love you so much, I want historians to read the letters I’ve written you and see my undying love for you.”

Ingo cups your hands in his own “if you’d allow me, that is.”

You didn’t respond, only giving him a tender kiss that he melts into. Pulling away you rest your forehead against his.

“I would love nothing more, I’m just so happy you feel the same.”

You two laid back in the grass, whispering your love for each other in between kisses.

After that you two were seen almost everywhere together, especially after your banishment when you moved in with him.

He was approved of by your family, Cyllene was happy you picked the most respectful person she could think of.

Laventon was just happy you were happy.

And your three little siblings gave him the talk before approving.

You spent a year with Ingo. He was your rock and the light of your life, he helped you through Volo’s betrayal and helping you fill the pokedex if you were having trouble.

Ingo was as much as your support system as you were his.

Your loving hold made him long for more.

Ingo had asked Palina for a little guidance and she was more than happy to help.

He proposed to you in the same spot you two confessed with a beautiful black pearl, as custom for the pearl clan.

“I love you, I wish to spend the rest of my life with you by my side, you mean everything to me, please, would you make me the happiest man in Hisui and be my betrothed?”

“Yes! I love you so much! My sweet man!” You both held each other crying so happily.

News was spread and a wedding happened months later.

A traditional Hisuian wedding with hints of Galarian.

It was the greatest day of your life, Cyllene comforting a sobbing Laventon.

Lian, Rei, and Sabi kept everyone in line for the most part, happy to be at your side for this.

After Irida deemed you both married cheers could be heard all across the region.

Laventon was determined to take as many photos as possible, constantly refilling his camera throughout the night.

Between a massive group picture, sectioned off smaller group photos, and so many of just guests having fun.

Laventon truly caught the love you two shared with how many pictures he had of you and Ingo looking at the other so lovingly.

It took you so much longer to complete the pokedex with how often you procrastinated finishing it. You spent so much time with your now husband and family.

When you did and Arceus called upon you to face it Ingo stopped you.

“What if you get hurt?”

“Ingo, I’ve done this plenty of times before, I have packed extra items just for this and everyone is in tip top shape.”

“My dear please, I can’t risk losing you.” He pleaded, but you stood your ground.

He finally relented, with you kissing his tear stained face.

“I’ll be back for dinner, don’t you worry.”

With that same warm smile he fell in love with you were off to the temple ruins.

When you finally beat Arceus it stood there, not having broken a sweat, while you stood panting and covered in bruises, burns and a few cuts.

“Wend to thy betrothed, and th're thee shall findeth home.”

When you came to you were still standing in the temple. Gazing at the sky you realized it was closing in on supper time, Ingo will be relived to see you.

“Honey I’m home!” You jest, only to find yourself wrapped in his arms, the smell of dinner wafting through the air.

“I’m so glad you’re back, I was so worried.” For a loud man he sounded so small right then.

You kiss his cheek “I told you I’d be back, nothing will ever keep me from you.”

With his broken laugh, he pulls away wiping away a few tears “you make it sound so ominous.”

You look at yourself in the mirror from the open doors of the bedroom, all the injuries Arceus gave you were gone, that would explain why he didn’t freak out.

“Everything alright, dear?”

“Oh! Yeah I’m fine, man do I got a story for you! Arceus truly is a pain to fight-“

“My dearest, I would love to hear your tale of battling a deity, but at this very moment I’m sure I will die from a heart attack if you do.”

“Okay that’s fair, but I gotta tell you soon!”

You both ate dinner, surrounded by your respective Pokémon, Ingo lightly scolding you for trying to feed his Gliscor a part of your portion.

It was nice to be home.

You both sat outside your shared cabin watching the sunset.

Until a new rift appeared, you and Ingo held onto each other for dear life, trying to fight the suction of the rift, your Pokémon fighting to help, last you heard was Sneasler’s loud cry.

Before you both found yourself in a tunnel? You’re light headed, you can’t stand.

“Ingo..?” You blindly try to find him but couldn’t.

You hear your name being called a few times when a man’s face blearily comes into view.

Why does he have Ingo’s face? A poor illusion you’d say. He looks frantic and talking to someone else but you black out before you could tell what.

You wake up alone in a white room and weird contraptions beeping.

“Oh good you’re awake, the doctor said you and Ingo were pretty beat up and that it could take a while.”

You look towards the voice and see the same man.

“They let a Zoroark in? Your illusion is poorly made.”

He looks shocked “you think I’m a Zoroark? Those can’t even speak!”

Now it’s your turn to be confused “where do you live where they can’t?”

“Unova! This is Unova! Y/n please you have to tell me what all of this is about, where even were you two? You disappear for years and come back in odd clothes.”

“…what? How do you know my name?”

“No no no not this again, I was hoping you’d at least remember something!”

Now that you look at him, it seems like he has been crying, his appearance is messy and exhausted.

“I’m sorry, I don’t remember much but my own name and Hisui.”

You watched the man, you later came to know and remembered as Emmet, sob before he left the room.

A few days and you and Ingo let back home with Emmet.

A few memories resurfaced when time spent with him but it was a slow process. But Emmet was just happy to have you two back.

You both learned so many walking into that house, it looked untouched. Pictures lining the walls telling a story of love and family. You blushed when you saw photos of a modern wedding between you and Ingo, but kept quiet.

Memories came in short bursts and at random moments, but tears were shed nonetheless. And your old team was happy to have you back.

Though a few months into being back, and begin to you expressed your sorrows of leaving behind your Hisuian team and family there.

“I’m sorry, I just keep thinking back to Hisui, i finished the pokedex there and everything, Laventon was so happy and there was a party….I wonder how they all faired.” You sighed at dinner.

Ingo nods with you “I wish to know their fates as well, I hope they weren’t too hurt about our disappearance.”

You snort sadly “Are you kidding? Cyllene and Lian probably rioted.”

During your take with Ingo neither of you noticed Emmet typing away on his phone.

“I’ll be back you two, I have to make a phone call.” And the younger twin rushes out.

You and Ingo share a look before going back to eating a talking.

Emmet has been nothing but kind and patient with you two, which feels odd to you, you feel like he was never like that. You’re grateful though, he has been paying for everything after your disappearance and now while Ingo and you get use to Unova.

It’s probably the only reason the house was left as it was.

Emmet slide around the corner, happy as ever. “Okay! I got a week off work next week, and I booked tickets and a hotel, we are off to Sinnoh this weekend!”

You and Ingo choke “you WHAT!?”

And that week flew by.

Emmet walked you two through the airport and boarding process and keeping you two calm for the flight.

“Unlike this metal thing I could control Lord Braviary!”

“My fairest in law, I swear to whatever Sinnoh thingy you always swear to I will tape you to that seat if you don’t sit still.”

“Here.” Ingo places his coat over you and holds your hand.

“….was that SERIOUSLY all it took!?”

When you three got to the hotel Emmet laughed at your awed expressions.

Emmet took you both to see landmarks, trails, and ruins of Hisui’s history, happily listening to you and Ingo talk about it all and explaining everything to him.

“Oh! This is where me, Laventon, Rei, and eventually Cyllene would have family night, cook a big dinner so we didn’t have to go to the wallflower.”

“Oh? Why not the wallflower?”

Emmet jumps and hides behind Ingo with how fast you turned to glare.

“Beni isn’t the best, and I refuse…refused to eat anymore of his cooking.”

Next was the museum and seeing all the extinct Pokémon before the rest.

“Lady Sneasler and her kits are deeply missed, they were good company and amazing companions.”

“That’s the one you were the warden of, right?”

“Yes, she would carry me like a kit to her den after she grew to like me.” The stoic twin nods.

“That’s how he developed slight poison resistance!” You boast, holding onto his shoulders.

Emmet sighs contently watching you two walk around and talk about the many Pokémon, a few tearful ‘thank you’s to an extinct Pokémon he could only assume was your starter there.

It’s at times like these the smiling twin is glad it picked the least busiest time and least busiest day.

Especially for the tears that were shed when you three found Laventon’s journal.

The professor spoke highly of you from the beginning till the very end, you and Rei were family to him and he was glad he had gotten to know such a wonderful hero.

Cyllene’s journal was more professional but words wavering between that and casual when writing about her wild child that gave her heart attacks. That wild child being you.

You and Ingo cried seeing pictures, you got to see photos of everyone getting older, some slowly missing from the pictures as they were met by fate.

Emmet was leaving you two alone, he stuck near by but he wanted to give you two space to grieve for friends of old.

But this? He couldn’t help but laugh at this.

He gave it five minutes before calling you two over.

“Can you two explain to me this?”

You and Ingo looked at what he was talking about and instantly went flushed.

“Did you two seriously get married a second time in Hisui?” He teases.

Ingo hides his face behind his hat.

“Hey, we didn’t know! We both didn’t have our memories.” You pout.

But looking back at those photos fills you with such joy, seeing how happy everyone was.

“Man you two are so sickeningly sweet for each other, and that’s coming from me!” The younger twin laughs.

You and Emmet go back and forth until an employee stops you two.

“Oh I see you three like this exhibit, I’m glad! We had the hardest time putting it together, and everyone kept swooning at the couples love, if you see here we found a bunch of their letters and journal entries about their love for the other, and that picture of their wedding solidified it!”

You laugh along with Emmet. But you’re more embarrassed than anything at having other read your things.

“You guys look awfully similar though, that’s so cool! Anyways, if you need anything I’m happy to help!”

The second the employee left Emmet doubled over wheezing.

“Saps! The both of ya!”

You just hide your face in Ingo’s chest.

The rest of the trip is going to be similar to this you can feel it.

[thegothgainer]

A couple of my favorite things from each Pokemon generation

I have a lot of negative things to say about recent Pokemon, but I kinda want to offset that with a list of some of my actual favorite things. There are a lot, so I'm going to try and list just one from each gen.

Gen 1

Probably the hardest to come up with, since later games mostly improved upon the formula. I could just say "it's the first Pokemon game" but that feels like a cop-out. So, instead, I'll say it's the sort of mystery it had. You'd find new things out from being told by friends. There were rumors about how to catch the mythical Mew. There was the superstition that holding down certain buttons would help catch Pokemon. It may have just been a thing of its time, given the state of the internet back then. But there's something about getting information from guides and friends instead of an ad-ridden barf of a website that made Pokemon feel really personal.

Actually, I just remembered one more positive in me. Gary being an absolute asshole. I love being able to take my rival down a notch. I don't want to feel bad I destroyed my rival because they're a great person. I want to rub it in Gary's dumb face.

Gen 2

The phone system. Being able to get calls from trainers, asking for a rematch was the coolest thing. It made the world feel so alive. Like there were things going on while you were training to become a champion.

I'm surprised we don't have anything like this in modern Pokemon games. A fake social media network would be sooooo cool to see within Pokemon. Gen 7 kinda had this with the photos, but the responses weren't from NPCs you've met. It felt kind of flat to me. But if Youngster Joey followed me and commented on every picture of a Ratata I posted, I'd be stoked. If my rival sent pics of their travels while I did mine, it would make me want to go out and find those places and show them up. I think there is a lot of potential to make the Pokemon world feel more lived-in in the games.

Gen 3

So, Gen 3 is two things, but both because of the same reason: Puzzles and Exploration.

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald had a lot of depth to the maps. You could climb your bike up the side of a mountain and drive over a bridge from where you were just standing. The sense of exploration was strong too. You could dive underwater and see the depths. Too much water, my ass.

Exploration felt worth it too. Especially the Regi trio. Three legendary Pokemon you get just by wandering around and hearing myths and solving puzzles. None of it is part of the main story. You feel rewarded for exploration. We got a whole open world in Gen 9, but none of the exploration really feels as worth it as it did in Gen 3.

And the puzzles were really fun too. They had a slight challenge to them as a kid. In the newer games, the gym challenges feel a little more like filler than a challenge. The themed puzzles were almost a staple of Pokemon gameplay at this point, from spinning tiles, to cracking ice blocks to pushing boulders around. It was a part of Pokemon's DNA, and honestly, I miss it.

I put these in the same category because of the Regi trio. They are the result of exploration and puzzles, and I really feel like they highlight everything that was great about Gen 3 gameplay.

Gen 4

The best thing I remember about Gen 4 was the lore. And it had to be in Gen 4! This was the game where the creation trio was introduced. But seeing all this lore really helped to flesh out the world a lot. I really want to see more story outside of the main storyline and Pokedex entries. I want to know about the wars that happened long ago. I want to know the myths that the mythicals were involved in. I want to know more about this world that GameFreak has created. We do see a little bit of that in Legends: Arceus. And I love it for it.

Gen 5

Sprites.

I never had the opportunity to play the Gen 5 games until after I completed Gen 7. But I do remember that I was blown away by the personality that the sprites brought. Every single one was animated in such a way that really highlighted that Pokemon's personality. The idle animations in modern games can feel a little bland and stiff. But just look at this! Wings flapping, mouth chomping, this guy feels alive. This kind of personality really helped the Black and White games feel so organic.

Gen 6

Pokemon Amie.

It's one thing to select an item, click use, and then just heal your Pokemon up. But, I'm playing Pokemon because I love my partners in crime. I want to give them the praise they deserve, not just run to a salon and select the option to groom them. And feed them. It was like a dumbed-down Nintendogs, and I would love for there to be more Pokemon games that expand on this idea. Or even just bring it back in full in a new game.

Honestly, the whole online capability of the game was great, that whole section on the lower part of the 3DS. It was really easy to find trades, battles, etc, something that I think the new games lack for some reason.

Oh, and Megas were also really cool. Probably the best "Gimmick".

Gen 7

Gen 7 was in a kind of transition period, but honestly, it had one of my favorite stories. A lot was going on, and it was great. Runaway hooligans, interdimensional travel, mind control... this game had it all. The characters are fun, especially Guzma (what a name, by the way). And from what I remember, post game for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were really cool for having all of the big bosses from previous games show up and say what happened in the worlds in which they won.

Runner up is wild double-battles (SOS battles). I miss in-game double battles...

Gen 8

This one is a tough one. Not that I particularly hated Gen 8, no. It's just that it was in a sort of experimental period that Gen 9 greatly improved upon. It was the first attempt at a semi-open world, and it was pretty cool, but underwhelming. But, it definitely opened up my mind to what Pokemon could be. They were finally trying new things that strayed from the original formula. Raid Dens were a neat concept, but just didn't feel like it had the epicness it was going for. The Wild Area was cool, but not as explorable as I hoped. But, at the very least, it let me know that Pokemon didn't have to be just the same linear path every generation. Maybe in the future we can finally get back to the exploration and collection that made Pokemon so enjoyable. Which led to...

Gen 9

Everything that Gen 8 was trying to do, Gen 9 improved. Not perfected. Far from it. But it started getting closer to what I imagine to be my perfect Pokemon game. I'm not going to explain my perfect Pokemon game here, but I will highlight a few things about Gen 9.

First, of course, is open-world exploration. I remember taking on the challenge of doing the gyms in reverse order. And while I would have loved some better scaling, it was just really cool to be able to do the gyms and story in my own way. I really hope they fix it up a bit and continue it.

Then, there's the story itself. The game went real. A little darker than some of the previous games, but not edgy dark. No spoilers, of course, but it was good to see characters get plenty of character growth and screentime. It was cute. It was sad. It was fun.

Raids were also improved. It still has its connection problems. But the biweekly 7-stars feel more of a challenge. I don't like that it's built around FOMO and I feel it should rotate. And when they drop support for the game, there will no longer be 7-stars. Maybe they'll patch something in, but I'm doubtful. Still. I do enjoy it better at least than previous raids.

If I could, I would also add in some of the side games to this list as well, but this is already a long post, so maybe in another.

Anyways, I'd love to hear what all other people enjoyed about these games. I know there's a lot of hate for these games every gen, and I know I've rambled about things that I would have liked to see done better. But there's also plenty to love about this franchise.

[insaneiceshard]

I want to hear about the pokemon x rainworld au. It sounds so cool and i totally havent been thinking ahiut something similar.

Okay first of all, THANK YOU FOR ASKING!!!!! I swear to god you're like the hyper fixation fairy, letting me indulge in info dumping and all.

Secondly, I've only played Pokemon X&Y, and that was a WHILE ago, so the information I remember might not be accurate for the AU nor fit it that well. That means I'd absolutely love anyone actually into Pokemon to add something, anything really, to this AU.

HAVING SAID THAT, here's everything I have so far~

One of the specific word building bits I want for this AU is for the Rain world universe be placed within the Pokemon universe. Like, all the lore, characters, everything, just take place within the magic system and vibes of Pokemon. So Ancients would obviously take the role of the humans, but here they're all still ascended and gone. The beings they left behind, both constructed and wild, have pokemon equivalents. Like maybe Red lizards resemble a fire type, vultures a flying or even dragon type, maybe stowaways could be dark or psychic typed!

I really like the idea of Iterators spending their days training or battling each other instead of looking for the solution. Of course there might be remnants of that culture, but I feel like most would be happy with their pokemon. Hell, maybe Moon or NSH could be gym leaders!

For the slugcats I really don't want to lean heavy into the pokemon vibe. I'll obviously design them accordingly, but I really like their simple designs so I just wanna add my own little touch. Though I fully imagine them being obtainable pokemon, for the wild ones at least. Spearmaster, Artificer, and Hunter would all be apart of their respective iterator's teams. SRS, FP, and NSH respectively.

I've only thought about pokedex entries and movesets a tiny bit, so all of what I have will be below:

Saint: Ghost & Ice type - The Lingering pokemon -Shadow Force -Haze -Nightmare -Calm Mind

Rivulet: Water type - The Savior pokemon -Baby Doll Eyes -???

Monk: Normal & Fairy type - The Benevolent pokemon -Play Rough -???

Artificer: Fire & Steel type - The Desolation pokemon

Gourmand: Normal type - The Guardian pokemon

Survivor: Normal type - The Wandering pokemon

Hunter: Poison type - The Cyst pokemon

Spearmaster: Normal & Dark type - The Messenger pokemon

I've thought about giving every scug a pokemon-esque name, but that's were my knowledge on the games end. And i'm bad at world play...

I have a few sketches on what Saint and Arti's sprites might look like, so here ya go!

I've already started of Saint so maybe I'll post that soon,,,

[ihaveatheoryonthat]

This is based on this prompt from @dragonofthedepths. Fun fact: part of it was, in fact, written in a hospital. Not the greatest way to check your fic for accuracy, let me tell you.

---

Dawn had played a lot of video games with Barry in her youth. Games with magical fairy-inspired guides or mysterious waifs that teased a player with breadcrumbs of information as the plot progressed. Games in which the tutorial held your hand a little too much, or whose advice was obtuse to the point of uselessness.

She’d never expected to find herself smack dab in the middle of one such setting, aided by a ghost who couldn’t have clashed with the landscape any more if he’d tried-- but that was perfectly fine, since nobody else could see him.

It was counter to everything she’d learned from the media form when her quest ended-- with Volo and Giratina both defeated at the crest of the Spear Pillar-- and nothing happened on that front. Usually there was some kind of goodbye at the conflict’s end, whether tearful or long awaited, but no; Dawn continued to live her life in Hisui, dutifully filling out her Pokedex as Galaxy Team’s most haunted surveyor.

Not that she wanted the Conductor to leave her! He’d been the single biggest factor making her stay bearable-- someone to commiserate to in matters she couldn’t discuss openly, who’d stuck with her when Jubilife had wiped their hands of her, the only one who actually knew her name. It just… it didn’t resolve anything. They were no closer to understanding why she and the Nobles could see him when others couldn’t. They didn’t have any idea why he was in Hisui when everything about him screamed that he was from somewhere-- and likely, somewhen-- else entirely. They didn’t even have the first inkling who he was or what his name might have been. The most they could work from was a stringent adherence to the concept of ‘safety first’ and the railway jargon he couldn’t help but pepper into every other sentence.

Hence her name for him. He’d acted as her guide through Hisui, he talked like a rail enthusiast, he was the Conductor.

Or Ducky, if she was feeling… well, ducky.

And even now-- even with the Pokedex complete and Arceus defeated-- the status quo had not changed. Sure, she was back in her time of origin, but she wasn’t home; she was in a foreign land again, still visibly a fish out of water as she listened to the guiding words of a man nobody else could see.

At least back then she’d had a baseline as to the native Pokemon, but not here.

Fortunately, the Conductor was inexplicably knowledgeable whenever she asked after a Pokemon or started down a dead end. It had made sense in Hisui-- he’d spent two years as an invisible observer prior to her arrival, so of course he could offer helpful insights-- but didn’t add up in Unova. It seemed to indicate that he’d been here at some point, but, of course, he couldn’t confirm or deny.

They would get to the bottom of it, Dawn decided. Just as soon as they made it somewhere with a Pokemon Center.

Unfortunately, they’d landed in front of a remote shrine, and the only town they’d passed through thus far boasted limited services within what was clearly some manner of battle facility. While she didn’t doubt she could compete, fighting her way up a giant tree was not on Dawn’s agenda for the time being; the Conductor seemed oddly interested, though, which marked it as a site to revisit at a later point in time.

It could wait until she made it somewhere she could call home, though.

Eventually, after a bridge, a close call on a rocky cliff face, and being steered away from a forest, they made it to a city.

And not just a city-- a massive city! It was so far removed from anything in Hisui that it wasn’t even funny. Dawn didn’t even know if anywhere back in modern-day Sinnoh was of a similar scale. Maybe-- maybe-- it was roughly comparable to Veilstone, with its department store, or the bustling port of Sunyshore, but even compared to the most lively Sinnoan cities, this place still felt enormous.

It was overwhelming, and, even though he tried to help, the Conductor’s innate sense of direction led them not to the Pokemon Center Dawn had been hoping for, but some kind of public transport. She shouldn’t have been surprised; ever since they’d gotten here, he’d been able to drift through the landscape with a vague sense of recollection, but any specific requests were too far out of his ephemeral knowledge base.

And, so, she’d made a mistake. As she’d often done when studying-- or fleeing from-- Pokemon, she’d asked him to scout ahead, to see if he’d be able to find their end destination without the limits imposed by the physical world. Dawn hadn’t counted on just how much busier the city was, how much harder it might be to pick a person out of the omnipresent crowds or how damningly easy it would be to drift along them, unaware of what she was doing. Before she knew it, she wasn’t outside the row of shops they’d diverged before, but nestled among patrons of a fairground.

She didn’t know how she’d gotten here. She didn’t know how to get back.

She tried once, in vain, to call for her friend, but it was immediately swallowed by the din of modern life.

For the first time since that emphatic promise that she wouldn’t be alone in Hisui, Dawn wanted to cry.

---

The Conductor didn’t know much, but he knew proper procedure if one was lost in an unfamiliar environment. It hadn’t done him much good when he’d awoken in Hisui, absent everything that made a human human, but better late than never, he supposed.

He’d been unable to locate a Pokemon Center within a reasonable amount of time, and returned to where he’d split from Dawn to find her gone. Though he hated phasing through other people, he hadn’t had much of a choice as he sifted through the crowd, trying to work out where she might have been shunted to the side. When night began to fall and he hadn’t had any luck, he was forced to conclude that the strategy wouldn’t lead to any meaningful result; while common sense dictated that one was more likely to regroup where they’d lost their companion, he dearly hoped that Dawn would have better sense than to return here after dark.

So he’d done the next best thing: he gone back to seeking out a Pokemon Center. It was the one landmark they’d been looking for since arriving here, and what Dawn had specifically asked him to find for her. If it was so important, surely she’d look for it on her own.

If he could find it, there was a good chance he’d be able to locate her, as well.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t entirely sure what a Pokemon Center was. There was a lingering sense of asylum that he couldn’t explain, but he didn’t know what purpose it served, beyond being a place Dawn could theoretically contact her family. He’d been told he would know it by the red roof, and while the darkness didn’t make navigating by color alone ideal, the streets here were brighter than even Jubilife Village’s after sunset. While he hadn’t found success before, given enough time, he could do this.

He could and he did. But there was still no sign of Dawn.

After some observation, he concluded that a Pokemon Center was a place to rest and heal. With a further hour’s study, his understanding grew to include the fact that people-- specifically people who traveled with Pokemon-- could find shelter here for the night. It was entirely possible that Dawn really was here, and the late hour had forced her to find a place to sleep.

While there was nothing stopping him from searching to see if that was true, he absolutely could not, under any circumstance, trespass on another’s space uninvited.

And so he waited in the facility’s main body, watching the trickle of people who sought assistance in the deepest hour of night-- watching as it opened into a stream of bodies departing for the day. He stayed stationed there, where he could pick out every face as they exited the temporary lodging, until morning had well and truly passed.

With a sinking heart, he realized his companion might not have made it here.

He didn’t know what to do.

---

The last several days had been incredibly hectic for Emmet, in spite of the fact that he’d spent exactly half of one shift at Gear Station.

It could largely be chalked up to the fact that, midway through said shift, an anomaly had been reported along the green line. Isadore and Ramses had been sent out to survey the area, but only made it a handful of minutes before hastily calling in, reporting that Emmet needed to get over there, asap.

That was when fear had first clenched his heart, and it had yet to relinquish its grasp.

Because, when he’d arrived onsite, he’d found exactly what he’d afraid of: his brother was laying, limp and unresponsive, along the tunnel floor. In the moment, it hadn’t mattered that he looked none the worse for wear-- only that he was still and silent.

With the gentle rise and fall of Ingo’s chest, however, hope managed to slip through anxiety’s hold on Emmet.

That had been days prior. There had been no change in the time since, no indication that his twin would wake, and with doubt constricting his every move, Emmet was beginning to resent the space that tiny bit of hope occupied. He’d had days to pose every question imaginable, from the practical to the grandiose-- what was going on, why couldn’t his brother wake up, why would the universe return him only to keep them apart?

So when that same universe forwarded a message from the local precinct-- non-emergency, but concerning the outdated missing persons case-- Emmet had had enough of asking questions that might never see an answer. He tasked Haxorus with guard-dragon duty and marched down to meet the responding officer and her witness in the waiting room.

The girl was vaguely familiar-- in a way that neither he or Ingo would likely work out until they pooled their information-- but it seemed the same couldn’t be said for him. Her eyes widened the instant she realized who she was looking at and a hand gravitated toward her mouth. Officer Jenny didn’t touch as she steered her away, to an aside room, and Emmet had to grant her points for that, at least.

Dawn’s story was this: she’d been stranded in Unova with only a friend at her side. They’d been lost for days-- “kind of”-- and, upon reaching Nimbasa City, had gotten separated. The kicker was that, once she’d found safe harbor at the station and was asked to describe her missing companion, she’d described Ingo. Perfectly. She hadn’t used his name-- hadn’t even known his name-- but every detail she included matched.

Only that wasn’t possible. If she’d been in Unova for longer than a week, maybe, but for the first time in years, Emmet knew exactly where his brother was. He couldn’t have been wandering around with Dawn when he was out cold in a hospital bed. And how could they have been lost if it was Ingo with her? The two of them worked in regional transportation, for the dragons’ sake; the idea that he could’ve gotten lost so close to home was laughable.

When he voiced this skepticism, Dawn went quiet. Understandable-- he’d all but kneecapped her story-- but, instead of insisting, she took up the burden of asking questions. Why was he here, in a hospital? How long had his brother been here? And for what? Did they know why Ingo wouldn’t wake up?

He kept his smile in place, but was keenly aware of the edge to it. Emmet might have excused himself shortly thereafter, if Officer Jenny hadn’t stepped away to answer a call at the same moment.

“He’s not there.” Dawn said bluntly, as soon as the door shut. “That’s why-- it’s just his body. The rest of him was helping me.”

Emmet raised a single, doubtful brow.

Frustrated, she set a hand on either side of her bandana and briskly ruffled her hair, “That’s kind of what I thought when we met, you know? That he was a ghost. I guess I was kinda right.”

“A ghost.” Emmet echoed, and while there was still a dubious hint to the twist of his lips, his mind kicked into overdrive.

Dawn didn’t seem to catch onto the fact. “It didn’t explain a ton, but that was the only way some stuff made any sense. Ghost Pokemon can disappear and float through stuff, so-- uh?”

She stopped abruptly, waylaid by the pokeball Emmet set on the tabletop between them.

“This is Chandelure.” He said without preface, “She is Ingo’s partner Pokemon. She is also a ghost. I believe she may be able to test your theory.”

“Chandelure,” Dawn echoed, testing the syllables, wondering, “I think he remembered her. A little.”

There was a beat of silence. Dawn winced at her gaffe.

“Explain.”

Looking firmly off to the side, Dawn’s hands found one another, tangling together nervously, “That’s the other thing that made sense if he was a ghost. He didn’t really… know anything about himself? I didn’t even get his name until Officer Jenny showed me the missing person flier. The only things that ever came back were someone he battled next to and a fire type Pokemon. I thought it was just… part of being dead or something.”

“He is not dead,” Emmet snapped for the umpteenth time, more out of habit than because she needed to be told.

“Yeah,” She said, immediately, but with an unexpected softness to her voice, “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

---

He hadn’t meant to become so thoroughly misplaced. Truthfully, he hadn’t.

It was just… there was a Pokemon.

That didn’t explain it satisfactorily; there were Pokemon everywhere, of all shapes and sizes, but not like this. Some rang a distant bell, but this one-- this one was so achingly familiar. The wrought iron limbs and perfect globe of its body, the flickering purple flame at its core-- he’d suffered a vague recollection of it, once, but the experience had been difficult to weather.

Parts seemed… different, but not necessarily wrong, and the Conductor had found himself trailing after it without quite meaning to. Like all others, the Pokemon didn’t acknowledge his presence-- however, its flame grew subtly brighter as they lingered together, and with time, more appeared. Not lanterns, like the first Pokemon, but smaller, waxy white bodies that shared the same gentle glow.

The Conductor had no recollection of these Pokemon, but he was certain one of their ilk had been important to him. Precious, even.

Slowly, the midday sun waned, and with it the afternoon he’d wasted. He knew he should depart immediately-- he still had to locate Dawn-- but at the same time, he didn’t know how to turn away from something that resonated so strongly with his missing memory.

Before he knew it, dusk had begun to fall.

It was hard to notice beyond the haze that settled over his mind.

---

The instant she began to manifest, Chandelure was off like a shot. Without a word of command or clarification, she phased through the wall and, when the humans-- tragically solid-- didn’t immediately follow, cried from somewhere out in the waiting room.

For his part, Emmet had already leapt up and was reaching for the door, but Dawn spent a moment maneuvering around the side room’s furniture.

The ghost barely waited for them to catch up, swiveling impatiently in the air until she’d deemed them ‘close enough’ and resumed her mad dash through the city. It was only by virtue of having lived in Nimbasa for so long that Emmet had even the slightest edge on navigation, and, frankly, he was a little surprised that Dawn was managing to keep up so well.

Even when properly lit, the side streets could be treacherous past nightfall, but Chandelure kept them safe twice over: her light illuminating any hidden faults in the walkways, and her single minded determination scaring any potential encounters away before they could challenge, question or mug either of the humans charging after her.

Chandelure only began to slow as they reached the edges of the park beyond Gear Station. She started to twirl in the air again and, for a moment, it seemed that it might have been a signal that they’d arrived, but as she drew higher into the air, it became apparent that she was taking a moment to reorient herself, to pinpoint her station now that they’d crossed the bulk of the distance. Then she froze, shrieked in outrage, and took off again, toward a cluster of slightly-distant, twinkling lights.

Litwick, Emmet realized as the shapes grew beyond their pastel flames, led by a single Lampent. Quite suddenly, he understood Chandelure’s umbrage.

While the folktales were greatly exaggerated, they were built upon a kernel of truth: feral Litwick led people astray in order to feed upon their energy, wasting time weaving convoluted circles while their prey wasted away. And the Lampent… well, perhaps its presence shouldn’t have been a surprise, given the circumstance. They were, after all, renowned for haunting cities in search of fuel.

The younger Pokemon scattered with Chandelure’s furious arrival, but the secondary form was slightly more stubborn; it crackled back, indignant, refusing to bow to its fully evolved kin.

And between them was the object of their animosity.

Even more ethereal than the ghost Pokemon, he knelt on the ground, shoulders slumped from exhaustion as he raised his head to look from one to the other. Neither of the lanterns acknowledged the motion, fixated on one another as they were, their hissing raising from a simmer into the boiling keen of a kettle.

The Lampent flared brighter in challenge, and what might have been the dimmest flicker of recognition was burnt away from the form below.

That would not stand.

“Chandelure,” Emmet called, and she immediately shifted her arms, anticipating his orders.

If the Lampent wouldn’t depart on its own, they would simply have to make it leave. Disruptive passengers and sore losers could only hope to find themselves ejected from the platform with merciless efficiency-- so if her Shadow Ball landed just a heartbeat before the directions could feasibly reach her, if the attack seemed ever so slightly more vicious than usual, what could be said, other than that she was verrry good at her job?

Lampent-- conscious only because Chandelure wanted it gone-- fled as soon as it regained its bearings.

In the crisis’s wake, neither trainer or Pokemon seemed quite sure how to proceed-- so it was Dawn, more accustomed to dealing with this phenomena, who stepped up.

Or, rather, ran up and fell gracelessly to her own knees.

“Conductor?” She asked, waving a hand in front of the spectral image of his twin, “Ducky?”

“Ingo.” Emmet said, more firmly, and the man in question blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision.

Following Dawn’s lead, he knelt down so they were on the same level. Chandelure looked between them-- the two of them, oddly, Emmet and Dawn-- and gave a low, uncertain whistle as she lowered her hovering height.

Though they were mere feet apart, her searching eyes couldn’t seem to land on her trainer.

As he looked back to the apparition before him, Emmet found himself on the cusp of reaching out and had to fight the instinct, clasping his hands together to still them-- but the motion, small though it was, seemed enough to draw Ingo’s attention. With a bleary, barely-there focus, his eyes fixed, first, on the folded hands, and then on their owner’s face.

“Emmet?” He managed, so faint that even a whisper might overtake it.

Heart pounding, all but strangled by the last-ditch effort of fear digging in its nails, Emmet beamed at him.

Woozy but determined, Ingo veered closer. One fist uselessly braced against the ground, he leaned into his twin’s space and reached up, hesitating only when the reality of the situation seemed to dawn on him.

There was a small, almost disappointed, “Ah,” and Emmet decided to hell with it, unlacing his hands to meet the gesture, intangible though its terminal was.

Chandelure let out a muted chime, looking from Emmet to where his hand lingered in the air, and then the same distance opposite him. Her eyes were still unable to hone in on her human, but she was trying. She was trying so hard.

They would fix this, so she could finally see him again. So Emmet could finally hold him again. So he could finally live again.

---

Haxorus’s tail gave several restrained wags as they returned to the hospital room. Gentle though the thumps were, Emmet still grimaced on behalf of whomever happened to occupy the space below them and hurried over to her, ruffling her snout and praising her for keeping watch.

He wasn’t sure how, given that his brother didn’t currently match up with the physical plane, but he was keenly aware of Ingo hovering by his shoulder, curiously looking her up and down. It was difficult to fault him for honing in on the six foot tall dragon but, at the same time, the thought that he didn’t notice his own body laying half a room away was… amusing, to a point.

It was less amusing to consider where the inattentiveness might have stemmed from-- the pack of ghosts siphoning off his life force, or whatever had reduced him to this state in the first place.

Emmet recalled Haxorus and turned to where their attention was needed, only to come to an abrupt halt when the motion put him nose to nose with Ingo, who startled and moved back.

“Can I help you?” He asked, entertained, to an answer of averted eyes and sheepish, “Not used to anyone else seeing me...”

That would certainly be a track they’d need to clear, in time. For now, however, their task was making it a possibility in the first place.

Where Ingo had failed to spot the room’s focal point, Dawn had not; she idled at the foot of the bed awkwardly, nibbling on her bottom lip. Every so often, she’d tear her eyes away to glance at the both of them, as if reminding herself that this was legitimate. Emmet offered a level smile and stepped nearer, assuming his usual vigil. Automatically, he took the hand laying atop the blanket, exactly where he’d let it rest before.

Almost apprehensive, Ingo drew nearer, inspection of his own body cut short by frequent looks in Emmet’s direction.

Finally, he said, “We’re twins?”

There was a beat of silence.

“Are you just realizing this?”

He opened his mouth to little effect, and snapped it shut in favor of pointing-- to Emmet with one hand and his own still form with the other.

“Yes,” Emmet said, voice deliberately flat to mask his amusement, “I have been made well aware.”

“Give him a break,” Dawn said, and in spite of her words, she was clearly trying to tamp down on a grin of her own, “Ghosts can’t use mirrors.”

Ingo ducked his head, embarrassed and-- perhaps simply to give himself an out-- reached for the hand in Emmet’s grasp. He vanished instantly; for just a heartbeat, Emmet’s anxiety gained ground again, but then there was a sputtering cough and the limp hand instinctively began to curl.

“I had forgotten about breathing.” Ingo wheezed, just in time for Chandelure to complicate the matter by knocking the breath out of him.

“That is concerning.” Emmet said, and then proceeded to do nothing as she kept him pinned, secure in the knowledge that her cheer meant nothing was actually wrong.

Chandelure, spectral angel that she was, spent only a few moments there, then looked up at Emmet with big eyes-- globs of luminous lantern oil slowly arcing away with her movement-- and inched herself to the side, out of her trainer’s one-armed hug. The free hand made to follow her, until its owner followed the ghost’s line of sight.

When, instead, it diverted toward him, Emmet seized it and wasted no time pulling his twin upright, into the gentlest hug he could muster. It was hard to maintain. The rapidly loosening bindings around his heart had to go somewhere, and his arms desperately wanted to pick up the slack, to hold on and never let go-- but stubbornly, carefully, he did his best to match the infinitely more welcome pressure around his own chest. It was… faint, and he didn’t entirely succeed at reining in his enthusiasm, but it was also perfect.

A weight rested against his shoulder and he immediately turned into it, pressed a kiss to the short grey hair. Whispered a near-frantic, “Thank the gods.”

There was a soft snort against his neck, echoed by an audible scoff somewhere else in the room. It didn’t escape his notice, but he just didn’t care enough to pursue the point right now. He had much more important matters to attend to.

Three things happened in rapid succession, at that point: the limbs tangling around him went slack, there was a brief, startled, “Oops,” and, before Emmet had the wherewithal to do more than tilt his head up, he caught a glimpse of Ingo-- firmly back outside of his body-- leaning into place again.

Situated as they were, it was impossible to read his expression, but the embarrassment was clear in his tone as he rasped, “I will… endeavor to prevent that from happening again.”

Internally batting away fear’s second swipe, Emmet patted his brother’s back. “A project for another day. I will be right here to assist.”

A beat of silence, and then a heavy exhale. It could have been from reacclimating to physicality, but something in the back of Emmet’s mind told him it wasn’t; it was a veritable sigh of relief. He wondered if he’d done the same, before, when he’d finally had his twin back in his arms. He wondered if he’d been just as obvious to Ingo.

Emmet only let go when Chandelure began to get impatient-- which meant it had been substantially longer than even his time-table-oriented mind had caught-- and his brother reluctantly leaned back, only mollified when she clambered into his lap. One hand cradling her globe, he looked up to the foot of the bed and quirked what could be called a smile.

“Hi, Ingo!” Dawn chirped, moisture still gathered shamelessly in her eyes, “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Hello, Dawn,” He echoed, tired, but voice warm, content. Though he didn’t look, he subconsciously gave Emmet’s hand a squeeze, “It’s nice to finally be met.”

[kaliade]

Idea While Playing Legends Arceus

I've been playing Legends Arceus for a while and had an idea. I know other people probably have had the same idea. If there are any fics you know along the same lines as my below idea, let me know, please! I want to read them.

Idea- as a note, I played with the female PC, so I'm using Akari for the PC name. I still want to see fics if they are about Male PC as well!

So, the Banishment scene. We have a person who has given their everything for Jubilife VIllage and the Galaxy Team. They've sought out Pokemion to fill the Pokedex. They've found partners for several people in town. They've found items and solved problems for others. Now, because of the paranoia of Kamado, they are being thrown out and the people are whispering behind her back about how she could never be trusted. And Akari breaks.

They wanted her to be the bad guy? She'll be the bad guy.

Think of how many Pokemon you've caught at his point. How many are still in the paddock? I bet a lot, probably a few Alphas, too. How hard would it be to order them to attack or just leave the village? How much does Jubilife rely on the Pokemon Akari's brought back? I imagine a lot for the farming at least. Then there's the possibility of them attacking. As much as I like Zisu, I don't think she and her Security Corp could deal.

So basically, I want Akari to lose her shit. You wanted an enemy, now you have one. Good luck surviving. And that animosity bleeding over to the clans when they refuse to help her. Just, this teenager broken by everything that's happened to them, the many times they've nearly died quelling the Nobles, the risks taken in the field to get just that much more information for the dex.

I want to see the hero become the villain.

Oh, sure, she takes Volo's hand--he's the only one willing to help her--and saves Hisui/the world, but there's no celebration after, no festival. Why should she show one ounce of care to those that threw her out into the wilds to die? Hell, maybe Volo gets a willing assistant in summoning Arceus. After all...

Why should she care what happened to them when they showed no care for what would happen to her?

[talenlee]

How do Pokemon Breed?

I’m something of an originalist in Pokemon. I think that the games are the core of what the narrative flows from and everything else is flexible story that builds on that. What’s more, in Pokemon, people can say things, but there’s nothing saying that they’re right. People are wrong all the time in Pokemon, and sometimes people even lie to the player characters, to themselves, or to one another.  What’s more, the player character is a kid, somewhat, but also a kid who is experimenting with and learning about Pokemon training and breeding, so chances are good, people would explain the useful things to them.

But they don’t.

There’s a mechanical answer to the question of course. After the first two years of the game and then for twenty-ish years of the game, what you did was you dropped the Pokemon off at a daycare centre, and if the pair of them were compatible in some way, they’d produce an egg if you spent enough time waiting around. This version of the system was pretty elaborate, too – whether or not the Pokemon bred and the results of how it bred was a bit like a complex flowchart where you had to check details all the way down. For example, two Pokemon of the same species could breed, obviously, but two Pokemon of the same type could check each other’s genes, which was how the game did its best to keep Pokemon that were related from creating offspring. That system isn’t checked any more, which I think means that you can hypothetically get two sibling Pokemon to reproduce nowawadays. Or maybe they’re just more complex now and the game tracks that some other way.

This egg hatches based not on time but the number of steps you take while holding it, which I guess is either a compromise of the way the games express time, or it’s an actual mechanical need where the Pokemon eggs require constant agitation. There are Pokemon who supply warmth to eggs that speed this part of the process up, which kinda suggests the latter, especially in the newer real-time games where you can see Pokemon wandering around and doing their own thing.

Nowadays, instead of a daycare centre, where Pokemon get up to the thing they get up to off-screen where you don’t see it and don’t have to work out what a Cradily’s donger is like, Pokemon instead reproduce by going to a picnic and having a sandwich. Doing this, they leave an egg in your basket and they can leave a lot if the sandwich is really good. The thing is, they do this without you necessarily losing attention on the Pokemon. There’s some interface fades, which I guess can be treated as a lapse of attention, but also, do you think of the time and experience of Pokemon as being a wholly in-camera real-time experience? It doesn’t seem to be, at least based on the way that the game cross-fades to combat scenarios.

But that’s the mechanics of the game and the camera. These mechanisms are there to let you, the player, engage with the game system of Pokemon, which is mostly about transferring information between Pokemon of stats, moves, and sometimes natures or even species. That’s not really answering the question I’m asking, which is instead:

How do Pokemon breed?

There’s a lot of routes to take this kind of analysis. Pokemon is a game world with a lot of supplementary material, and some of that material was generated en masse to feed a demand for media in a wide variety of markets and audiences. If I wanted to I could find any number of sources that explain how Pokemon Breed in a variety of different G-rated nonsense ways. Plus there’s the Pokedex, full of unreliable information (as far as we know). If you want to, you can construct an entirely realistic, meat-based way to consider Pokemon Breeding. I understand if you go to furaffinity you can find an extensive documentary process considering all sorts of material opportunities here.

I don’t want to, because there are infinite texts of dubious relationship to the core material. There’s a genuine chance some local magazine to your home town made its own Pokemon Guide and writing from an unguided expert trying to pump out a booklet for a kid to buy got made and was licensed enough to have a Pikachu on the cover, but none of that implies they know anything about what they were writing about.

This is of course, a game for four year olds, but I think the thing that deserves attention in all this is that the Pokemon aren’t animals. We know they’re not. The whole nature of Pokemon is that their world is so wildly different to our own and we keep on defaulting to think about Pokemon in a way that treats them as animals. Pokemon breeding, as best we know, doesn’t even require physical contact. They need to like one another – compatibility is an issue – but it’s not like the Pokemon even need to materially interact as far as we know.

We know that Pokemon can change their mass and scale freely; they shrink down to get into the Pokeballs, rather than the Pokeball coercing them into it. When you throw the ball, it’s not that the ball captures them and does something weird and wonky to them, it’s that the ball is something the Pokemon investigates. What this means is that the entire vision of agency you see in the Pokemon universe, with trainers capturing things, is actually kinda backwards. Pokemon trainers aren’t capturing things, they’re presenting an opportunity to the Pokemon and seeing if the Pokemon wants to do it. The battles between Pokemon and trainer are also consensual – the Pokemon can refuse to do things – and if you want to see it, check out what happens when you transfer a high-level Pokemon to a starting character. Pokemon are sentient and sapient. Pokemon are also capable of regeneration and production of food that humans can consume and give it up consensually. A bunch of them are in some way, plants, at least they’re considered grass types and have some kind of self-sustaining relationship to sunlight.

Okay, then, so they’re not animals, not proper animals.

What does that mean for their breeding?

Well, I mean, whatever you want it to.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[itsbenedict]

finished pokemon violet today! will post more specific thoughts in my annual review roundup post (i guess it's an annual thing now), but:

somehow an actually good story with good writing, which to my recollection a mainline pokemon game has never once had???

professor turo what the FUCK

new mon are extremely fun, especially the cute one with a giant fuckoff 160-base-power hammer that Kills Everything

they really need to fuckin' condense the combat flow UX at some point- "ENEMY used Confuse Ray!" [animation of confuse ray] [animation of tweety birds] "YOU was confused!" [animation of tweety birds again] "YOU is confused!" [couple seconds of building tension] [animation of it hitting itself] "YOU hurt itself in its confusion!"... that should be like, two steps, over in like four or five seconds tops. we're not on the gameboy anymore, you have so many more feedback channels to keep the player informed of what's happening

larry's gonna be a tumblr sexyman calling it now

BOY oh boy is the camera a mess. pop-in is so bad that i've literally walked into pokemon in the overworld that were invisible because their textures hadn't loaded in at the time i collided with their hitbox, several times. if you battle anything at the water's edge your pokemon falls into the sub-ocean and somehow the battle continues to function just fine. the opponent just aims Down now

wow epic minecraft reference

hey why is there one (1) place in the whole game where there's double battles, and a pair of pokemon whose concept and unique abilities literally only work in double battles, and they only spawn at levels higher than the level cap of the gym where you can double battle. why do you hate double battles, gamefreak, they're the best kind of pokemon battle

arven did you literally call a taxi to pick you up from the Illegal Death Crater. what was that conversation like. how much did you have to tip that guy.

fuck are the environments ugly. anywhere that isn't a town is dirt textures with airbrushed-on green for grass, everything is blurry and polygonal, huge swathes of samey wilderness- between this and Legends Arceus it's super clear pokemon needs more time in the oven.

eri and her lieutenant girl are really fuckin gay huh

penny is really fuckin trans huh

the ambush/stealth mechanics are basically nonfunctional, in that they're realistic and pokemon who could realistically see you coming from a reasonable distance away using physical eyesight with peripheral vision do, and then don't turn around and ignore you at any point, so you're only getting surprise attacks if you're extremely lucky

getting around the world with miraidon actually feels really smooth and fun- if only the world like, contained anything worth exploring to find

the little photos with the pokedex entries are cute

Clive.

if it weren't for the many and varied symptoms of pokemon getting rushed out the door for the holidays every fucking year, this would probably take home the prize for my favorite mainline pokemon game so far. as is, eeeeenh. sorely needs polish, lot of wasted potential, many good ideas that could've been developed better