#pokemon sword and shield discussion

[the-thirteenth-prime]

A slightly unhinged ramble-rant on Chairman Rose and how people are missing the entire point of SWSH.

Like, I keep seeing it pop up--like a fucking rank smell you only detect if you’re in a certain place when the wind is blowing in the certain direction--but man does it not bewilder me. Like, these guys who post tags like ‘Chairman Rose is a bad guy but is not a BAD guy’ or ‘I kind of agreed with Chairman Rose’ are just. Are you high?? Did you entirely miss the point of his character?? Did you completely miss the main plot of SWSH?

I’m going to be talking about some heavy shit (including non-sexual child grooming and non-sexual child predation), so I’m gonna put the rest under a read more, let me just say that the theme of SWSH is the relationship between adults and children on their Pokemon journeys, the responsibilities adults have towards children, and what happens when that relationship is abused.

First off, before I get some know-it-all coming at me about how there’s no evidence that Rose is a child predator or a groomer, let me just say there is. Is he a Chris Hansen ‘take a seat for me’ groomer?? No, he’s not, because child grooming is not purely a sexual thing.

Per a very informative article:

“Grooming can be sexual, romantic, financial or for criminal or terrorism purposes, and can target both children and adults. The common aspect is that a perpetrator manipulates a victim by building trust and rapport. The key to grooming is a power dynamic within the relationship: age, gender, physical strength, economic status or another factor.”

Now, with that out of the way, I’m not going to go into shit that’s super obvious to anyone with eyes, but Rose is a serial child groomer. Like, his most obvious victim is Leon, and it’s really wild that people can’t see it?? Like, Leon obviously comes from a fucked-up home situation with a mother who’s absent and neglectful at best (and the people who don’t seem to realize this REALLY confuse me). Like, he has canonically raised his little brother in a house with three adults that could have done the job for him, and the anime literally stated that he was so busy raising Hop and taking care of household chores that he could barely interact with other kids. He was endorsed by Chairman Rose at an age that is implied to be at least two years younger than the average Gym Challenger, and--per the sub of the PokeAni--Rose literally raised him from the moment he became Champion.

(Where was Leon and Hop’s mother during this, you ask? Obviously being terrible at home, since despite Leon being run ragged for all of his life and rarely being home, he still somehow raised his little brother. Let that sink in.)

So Leon has spent his entire life being moulded into Rose’s delusion of the Hero of Galar for the sole purpose of sacrificing himself to defeat Eternatus to stave off an energy crisis that will happen in a millennium and probably would be averted with solar power. THE SUB IN THE POKEANI LITEARLLY HAS ROSE TELLING LEON THAT HE HAS GROOMED HIM FOR THE EXACT PURPOSE OF TAMING ETERNATUS. I’M NOT MAKING THIS UP. I WILL PROVIDE SCREENSHOTS IF ASKED.

Does he know Leon may likely fucking die in the attempt? He sure does, because he’s already started to work on grooming Leon’s replacements! In the game, Bede is a trainer who came from a neglectful home situation who was noticed by the Chairman and given his endorsement for the Gym Challenge wait hold on that sounds really familiar.

Really, REALLY familiar.

Rose’s ploy with taking away Bede’s gym challenger endorsement after Bede literally did what he asked him to was a clear manipulation tactic, and if it hadn’t been for Opal intervening (and she ABSOLUTELY has Rose’s number and you can’t convince me otherwise), the tactic likely would have worked, because Bede would have done anything to get his endorsement back.

(Also Oleana is absolutely the fall girl set up to look like an obstructive villain while Rose can maintain his veneer of innocence. That’s a topic for another day tho.)

AND THEN. in the anime, he flat out tries to do this with Ash. AND IN THE GAME, HE TRIES TO DO THIS WITH THE MC, LIKE BEDE IS HIS PLAN B AND THE PC IS HIS PLAN C. However, the only child Rose has regular chances to interact with who DOES NOT get the manipulation treatment is Hop. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Chairman always tries to pull shit with you when Hop isn’t around, and the two times he DOES interact with Hop are at the very end of the game where Leon’s been forced into trying to stop the apocalypse and after the Opening Ceremony.

What’s different about the Opening Ceremony, though? LEON IS STANDING RIGHT OVER ROSE’S SHOULDER SMILING STEPFORDLY. Which brings me to my next point: why Rose pulls his end game bullshit.

Leon is now in his early 20s, so he has obviously started to ask for his own agency and say no to things. He has also obviously realized that he does NOT want Rose around his brother, which is why he is fucking looming over Rose’s shoulder when he meets Hop and why Rose almost seems to deliberately avoid Hop for the rest of the game. Rose knows that if he so much as messes with Hop, Leon is going to absolutely turn on him, and he’s already become obstinate enough to be a problem. Rose is losing control of Leon, which is why he’s grooming his potential replacements.

It’s also why Rose LITERALLY HOLDS LEON HOSTAGE IN A TOWER. Like, I am amazed that people haven’t seemed to realize that Hop and the MC were ABSOLUTELY rescuing Leon from a hostage situation. Leon had been on top of the tower with Rose for HOURS at that point, and given Oleana’s personal fucking army and how much Leon clearly did not want to be up there, it’s obvious that there wasn’t a way he could easily extricate himself from the situation. What you do hear from his meeting with Rose sounds a lot like a guy trying to say no while also trying to de-escalate a volatile situation: almost like a victim to their abuser oh wait.

(Oleana also says that the reason she wants to defeat you and Hop is to break Leon’s spirit so he won’t have the strength to say no to the Chairman anymore. Like, that’s literally in game. It’s dialogue.)

So yeah. You’re rescuing a prince from a tower who’s being held hostage by an evil king trying to use the prince’s special power for nefarious purposes. This game is full of fairy tale metaphors. Like, a ton.

When you and Hop show up, you basically force Rose to let Leon go so as to not look like a complete fucking monster or cause a scandal, and Leon basically very politely tells Rose to ‘fuck off’ when he leaves.

So Rose--this narcissistic, megalomaniacal child groomer, who’s basically been shut down by the lynch pin of his plan--does the absolute most rational thing and RELEASES THE APOCALYPSE DEMON OUT OF SPITE. He literally says on a screen in front of Galar that oh no, his releasing Eternatus and causing the Second Darkest Day is actually all LEON’S fault for being so unreasonable and unrealistic. It’s manipulation. It’s emotional abuse. It’s Rose punishing his victim for saying no. It’s Rose throwing a tantrum because Leon told him to wait another week before doing something about something that would happen in a millennium.

Bede made a fool of Rose doing exactly what Rose and Oleana wanted him to do, so he punished him. Leon said no, so he punished him, and punished all of Galar while he was at it. He’s not doing shit for the good of Galar. He’s doing it for himself.

See, the game’s story exists to debate the relationship between adults and children in the Pokemon world. For generation after generation of games, children as young as ten have gone out in the big wide world with nothing but their starter and a Pokedex, and the adults they have met have never had any poor intentions towards them specifically. Yes, there’s all the evil teams and blah blah blah, but they weren’t targeting you, the child MC. You were just caught up in their messes. SWSH is the first game to show that no, there are adults who will try to take advantage of you because you are a child, and there are good adults who will try to protect you.

Opal protects Bede. Leon protects you and Hop. Leon has obviously gotten old enough to realize that what Rose did to him was wrong, and he tries so fucking hard through the whole game to protect you and his little brother from his boss’s machinations and all the bad shit happening in the world. I know people bitch about being ‘railroaded’ and not allowed to participate in the ‘plot’ until the end, but that’s the point. The good adults are trying to protect the children from the bad adults trying to harm them, and the children intervene only when the adults die trying to save them. Children should be allowed to adventures and have fun, but they should also be protected and shielded from shit that can harm them and shit they’re not old enough to understand, and this game--for better or for worse--is trying to strike that balance.

One last, very important thing. Leon’s life had been micromanaged and controlled from the moment he became Champion by Chairman Rose. He had to become all things to Galar--its fucking policeman, it’s regional hero, it’s unbeatable symbol of perfection, it’s hero, and--almost--its messiah--and when the MC becomes a Champion? He doesn’t hesitate to become Chairman, and he tells you--the new Champion--that your job is to explore and have fun. He doesn’t ask you to do sponsorship deals. He lets you do matches and tournaments at your own leisure. He calls you politely to ask if you want to do the Galarian Star Tournament. He doesn’t even know your PHONE NUMBER and I think about that a lot.

The game is about the responsibilities adults have towards children. It’s about how you don’t have to be the main character to be the hero. It’s about how you can’t and shouldn’t do everything alone. It’s about how child predation and abuse don’t have to be obvious or ‘traditional’ to be real and a threat. Finally, as Leon demonstrates so poignantly, it’s about breaking the cycle of abuse.

And THAT’S why SWSH is one of the best stories--if not THE best--that the Pokegames have ever told, regardless of its faults and the National Dex and a berry tree looking a little weird.

[themaskofreason]

you're the local pokemon guy so would you say this is accurate https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5sxnid4DJiM

yes except not leon he's definitely not straight (hes bi). i am now doing to evaluate more pokemon characters from games i am too invested in and decide if they can say the funny haha word:

birch: yeah. he doesnt say it but yeah.

"that guy is not heterosexual. like i saw him and immediately thought egg but also im predisposed to that" - mutual from internet and real life

roxanne: no but she's trans (confirmed by me and mutual from internet and real life)

brawly: definitely not. hes an ally but sometimes it slips out "by accident". he's like that guy from that one japanese street interview who's tried the gay thing and it wasnt his thing but he respects it.

wattson: canonically has a wife so no (but he has gay friends)

flannery: lesbian icon. she can say it.

norman: he's dabbled (with birch) before he got with his wife. cannot say it (he broke birch's heart)

winona: pansexual trans icon (imo she's down bad for roxanne (previously established straight woman)); she can and does say it

wallace: of course. is this even a question. (he's gay for steven stone (i can and will argue that this is somewhat canon)) (he's actually pan but like. he can still say it) (also we have decided he is a man who is "on estrogen for fun")

sidney: no, but he still says it. "he says slurs but if u call him out he gets SO INTENSELY defensive. he is a terf" - mutual from internet and real life

phoebe: oh aye yeah totally

glacia: no she cannot and no she does not she is a respectful ally

drake: gay trans sailor. of course he can say it

steven: yeah. yeah he's wallace's bf.

milo: yeah totally fr

nessa: 100%

kabu: ally king he would never say it (he suffers with depression. unrelated but i thought i would mention it)

bea: we debated this one for a bit. conclusion is she is a bisexual woman with an extremely boring bf. "she can [say it] but she doesnt bc it makes her boyfriend think he can" - mutual from internet and real life (we then fell into a discussion of our irls (not the same group of people thankfully) who are like this)

"like bea is constantly joking about being w like, nessa or smth but it is so obvious it is barely a joke" - mutual from internet and real life

opal: cannot say it. used to, though. she begins as an insane crazy bigot ("literal pokemon jkr" - mutual from internet and real life) but then meets bede (transmasc king) and realises shes a terrible person and changes her ways <3

gordie: either a he/him lesbian (mutual from internet and real life's opinion) or a straight man who says it after a few drinks much to his mother's disappointment (my opinion). please give feedback we cannot decide

melony: got married before she discovered gay people exist. experiences lesbian yearning (mutual from internet and real life has said she is the song good luck babe). raised her kids to be good allies, does NOt say the word.

piers: yeah and he says it daily.

raihan: totally. he doesnt say it often but he can and will when necessary

leon: he's a bi trans king. he can say it but he gets scared of being cancelled (because he's very much in the public eye) so he doesnt

sonia: bisexual trans queen! she can but doesnt!

chairman rose my beloathed: he can but he should not because i hate him

oleana: she can and she does ("she's The mean lesbian" - mutual from internet and real life). i hate her.

[v0id-echoes]

so we all agree that Teal Mask is the correct answer here right

(being real I mean no shade to people who prefer Isle of Armour- i’m genuinely curious as to why that’d be the case- I just greatly prefer Teal Mask myself and so far that seems to be the common opinion from my pov. might make a ramble post about it later idk)

[theangrycomet]

this is probably just me being picky on semantics but does any one else get annoyed at how Sonia’s considered a Pokemon Professor?

I know sword and shield has some of the worst writing for a pokemon game but Sonia’s arc was especially frustrating for me

like- the whole time she’s researching the myths (if it can really called that) she’s treating it either as some chore assigned to her by her grandma or some sort of game. All the conversations she has with the MC, it feels like the player is either pointing out the obvious to her or handing her the answers. It barely implied that she’s done any thorough research beyond joining the MC to historic sights.

heck if it weren’t for Bede destroying the mural in Stow-on-Side (which for some reason NEITHER of the local gym leaders choose to address themself) she probably would’ve just stopped with what she had.

than she’s just, decreed a Professor by Magnolia at Hammerlocke?

I know Pokemon takes liberties with the title “Professor” but it’s been established that it takes some degree of schooling AND apprenticeship/interning.

I’m sorry but with what the game shows us she is not a Pokemon professor- she is a galarian historian at best- WHICH IS FINE!

I probably would have liked it better if she decided that she didn’t want to pursue pokemon research like her grandma and pursue history. But instead everyone treats her as though she’s the next big thing in pokemon research instead of how her work points out how much has been hidden from the public.

[skeleton-bat]

It just makes me laugh a little how in pokemon some gym leader or elite fours or champions or kahunas or what have you are underage because it's like, I don't think they're getting paid, but the fact these underage kids are working feels kinda weird to me xD I just kinda laugh it off cause I don't know the depth of it but the fact they have a toddler in the elite four of the newest game it's like, child labor laws? Child protective services? Like I don't care if this toddler slaps at pokemon battling she shouldn't be an elite four member at this age ya know lol like what is happening?

Where are her parents?!

[regigigaz]

Notice how pokemon games started becoming worse* when looker stopped showing up in them

[epicspheal]

Let's Have A Champion Time! A Leon Analysis

Leon…he’s the reason why this blog even exists. He (and the entire cast of Galar) are THE reason why I’m really into modern Pokemon outside of Pokemas and Alola Reguri. Let’s talk about the great (formerly) unbeatable champion of Galar. Ever since he was announced he was subject to a lot of conspiracy theories (remember all of the “Leon is a fraud” and “Leon is actually evil” threads pre-SwSh) and even after the release of SwSh people had a lot of interesting takes on Leon (“Leon’s a himbo”, “Leon is still a fraud”, “Leon is a bad brother”, “Leon is a bad friend”). But a lot of people have seen the good in Leon and how wonderful of a character he is and I just wanted to add my two cents to the “Leon is an amazing Pokemon character” bandwagon Please note for the sake of this I’m only discussing game!Leon (so Pokemon SwSh and Pokemon Masters EX) otherwise this analysis would go on forever.

Now onto the analysis! Let’s start of course with Leon’s name. While Leon is an actual name, for our beloved directionally challenged champion it actually derives from Dandelion. And dandelion surprisingly has a lot of symbolism such as

Wishes coming true: Leon certainly has a wish to see the trainers of Galar be the strongest in the world

Surviving difficulties: Leon managed to be an unbeatable champion in what is probably the most difficult gym challenge circuit in the Pokemon World. Not to mention all of the other burdens that come with being champion

Heat/the power of the sun: Charizard 

Happiness and Joy: Leon is certainly truly happy when he’s in battle

I also wanted to take a bit of time to point out an older post I made regarding Leon’s Outfits because it’s actually chock full of symbolism that I think often gets swept under the rug because his champion fit is seen by many to be a bit goofy! I encourage you to check it out but in short summary it definitely symbolizes the image he has as champion and the burdens that come along with it.

Now to his team! Leon is one of the few champions (other than Blue, Trace, Nemona, and technically Hau, N, Kukui) to actually have a dynamic team that changes based off the starter you pick. Notice how the vast majority of the ones with a dynamic team occupy the rival role? Well this is actually important because while Leon is the standing champion of Galar, this dynamic team shows that he views himself as much of a rival to the player as he does the Unbeatable Champion. His team is also very British- er Galarian. Which makes sense given the fact that he is very much a symbol of the Galar League which defines the region’s culture, so it makes sense that his team also define the region’s culture as well. He leads with an Aegislash which is a sword and shield and the line itself is linked to people who have leadership qualities and Leon shows he’s a capable leader throughout. Also there’s knight qualities associated with Aegislash that apply to Leon, as Rose during his Darkest Day part 2 even calls Leon a knight.

Speaking of knights, I’d also add the Rookidee that Leon catches as part of the catching tutorial to Leon’s motif as the knight of Galar. Of all the early route mons they could’ve had Leon catch, it’s no coincidence they made him catch the one that’s line is also based off a knight. 

 He also has two powerful dragon types in Haxorus and Dragapult. Dragons are big in British culture and not only that his dragons are based off of weapons, a battle axe and fighter jet. This again points to Leon being essentially the line of defense for Galar. Rhyperior and Seismitoad also have motifs related to battle/war. Rhyperior has a drill and club while also coated in armor while Seismitoad can secrete various chemicals and packs a powerful punch Mr. Rime leans back into British Culture with clear design inspirations from Charlie Chaplin a famous British entertainer. While Leon aims to win, he also wants to put on a show for his fans so Mr. Rime definitely embodies this aspect. Mr. Rime also takes some inspiration from the yokai Haradashi which is known for cheering up sad and lonely people.  More entertainment can be seen with his Cinderace which is clearly derived from a soccer player (er I mean football, sorry I'm an American force of habit). Soccer/Football is absolutely huge in Britain so and it’s very entertaining (and fun to play) so this again points to Leon wanting to entertain people with his battles.

Leon’s Rillaboom (which became quite infamous in his anime counterpart) actually straddles the line of both entertainment and battle. Rillaboom has a whole drum set and there are many famous rock bands from Britain but also there’s the fact that drums were used in war a lot especially in Britain.

Another Pokemon that straddles the line between entertainment and battle is his Inteleon. Inteleon is based off a spy and a sniper both of which have clear ties to war, but also the spy part is a throwback to James Bond who is a very famous British fictional character.

And lastly we can’t talk about Leon without mentioning his Charizard. Charizard is draconic which again ties back to battle but it’s also (to some people’s chagrin) a very popular and entertaining Pokemon. Most notably the very first protagonist Red in many canons tends to have a Charizard. Leon in many ways is a homage to Red as he was also young when he became champion and they are both known to be some of the greatest trainers to have ever existed. He’s an example of what could’ve happened to Red if he had chosen to stay in the limelight as Indigo League champion instead of disappearing to Mt. Silver.

To further look at his team we can take a look at his movesets (linked here). We can see his approach is very offensive but he has a lot of coverage ensuring he can hit all types for a lot of damage. When he does opt for non-damaging moves he does seem to prefer status such as confusion through Teeter-Dance and Badly Poison through Toxic showing he aims to disrupt opponents and inflict as much damage as possible. His highly offensive tactic is straightforward but no less threatening and it fits with his genuinely kind and straightforward personality.

I want to take a moment to discuss two key pieces of information about Leon from Sonia and Opal "Thanks for always taggin' along with Hop. I hope you can keep it up. Leon really worries about him, too. He practically raised him, after all." - Sonia in the Motostoke InnThis is an optional piece of dialogue but it reviews a lot about how even when Leon was young he had a lot placed on his shoulders. Leon was definitely a parental figure in Hop’s life which no doubt contributes to the idolization we see Hop have of him throughout much of the game. This also adds to the meaning of the cape he wears as he has had so much riding on his shoulders.

"Your talent in Pokémon battles is beyond anything I've ever seen, but you're rather hard to read..." - Opal’s audition notes

We know Opal is very astute and can read people as well, but for her to not be able to read a then 10-year-old Leon says a lot. It shows even at a young age Leon kept up a facade in order to maintain the happiness of those around him and just shows how much pressure he’s been under pressure for as long as he can remember.

"Hello, hello, Wedgehurst! Your Champion, Leon, is back! I promise I'll keep doing my best to deliver the greatest battles for you all to watch!"

I really liked this quote as it’s very straightforward but planned. This is Leon in full champion-mode as he’s addressing the public in this part. I know during this speech a lot of people who played SwSh started to get annoyed with him because of his references to being a champion and unbeatable but I feel like people missed the fact this is him playing up a persona. The people over the years have clearly liked him talking about his being unbeatable and so he leans into that to give the people what they want.

"Look at you, Hop! I reckon you've grown...exactly an inch and a quarter since the last time I saw you!"

This line right here should’ve honestly quashed any ideas that A) Leon was dumb and B) Leon was a bad  brother. This line clearly shows him being observant (which many people who are dumb don’t do) as well as mathematical and he makes a point to notice the little things about his brother who he doesn’t get to see a lot. If he didn’t care about Hop he wouldn’t make note of something like the amount of height he has obtained since they last met up

"I bet you will be, Hop. That's why I brought along these Pokémon for you and <player>. So the two of you can battle and train and grow stronger together...to try to reach me!"

Another thing that people that seemed to make of Leon was that he’s unreasonably arrogant and self-absorbed. But here we see that he has a vested interest in seeing Galar trainers grow and maybe one day actually reach and surpass him. Yes in the entirety of the speech he does play up the unbeatable champion persona a bit but he is doing that to motivate not downplay and discourage.

"Your moves passed right through it? So, the fearsome Pokémon they say live in the Slumbering Weald...Are they actually illusions or something? Get strong enough and maybe the two of you could be the ones to reveal the truth someday. For now, let's simply get out of this place. You'll be alright now that I'm here with you!"Again this is another example of him being supportive of both Hop and the player growing and improving by giving them another goal besides just beating him, but to discover the secrets of the Slumbering Weald. This bit of motivation actually lowkey helps Hop get to his eventual path of being a Pokemon Professor

"Good to see you, too, Yamper! Yamper here is a real champ when it comes to helping you find your way around. He came to my rescue plenty of times back in the day, when I got lost on the road. Oh yeah, and that's his Trainer, Sonia. What can I say about Sonia? Well, I like the way she cooks. She makes food you can gobble down in a flash."I loved this quote from him because it shows the tension he and Sonia currently have due to their strained friendship but that he also still appreciates her and her Yamper for how they helped him during his own gym challenge.

"But Hop... Did something happen with him? He was acting really odd when I ran into him. He took one look at me and immediately was like, "I'm so sorry, Lee!" It might be the first time I've heard him apologize for anything, and I've no idea what it was for! Maybe he's feeling down because he's had some hard losses in battle?"Again this line shows how much concern and attention he pays towards Hop. Despite them not always having a lot of time to spend with each other he still knows Hop well enough to know when he’s acting oddly and he genuinely wants to know what’s going on. The reason why he DOESN’T know the full story because Hop didn’t actually explain what was going on…not that he didn’t pay attention

"I already told you, didn't I? Keep your eye on the goal! And for you, that's winning the Gym Challenge! The only Gym Badge left is the one you'll get from the Dragon Gym's Leader, Raihan. Right? Raihan is the only Trainer out there I consider a real rival. He's that good, you know!"

Here we see more of Leon trying to motivate the player into aiming for him, even if it means he takes on the threat of the random Dynamaxed Pokemon all by himself. And here we get a chance to see him talk about Raihan, the only person who actually makes him sweat even a little in battle. He’s showing a lot of respect towards Raihan which again beats back the claims that he’s exceedingly arrogant as most arrogant trainers tend to act like they have no peer in terms of strength. This again furthers the parallels between him and Red as Red also has exactly one person he views as a real rival, Blue.

 “Thanks! I appreciate the thought. But all I could ever ask of you would be that you join me in the greatest final match ever. I'll do my part to make that happen by keeping everybody's future safe. So you just keep on doing your part by winning your way through the Gym Challenge!"Once again Leon is trying to keep Hop and the player out of danger which shows his concern for his brother and friend but also a bit of his savior complex, something that was built on him being the strongest in Galar for so long. I know by this point many people were a little frustrated by him keeping the player out of danger but it shows how he really takes the job of protecting everyone else seriously.

"That was incredible. Brilliant. Honestly...there were even tears rolling down my face before I knew it. To think that the two of you set out together from the same town, built up the greatest teams, and arrived here at this point to throw everything you had at one another... That burning desire to win... Those moves filled with undefeatable passion! It was battling at its very purest, in every possible way! Even though there were some Trainers who weren't sure whether you were fit to be endorsed for the Gym Challenge at first..."I remember playing Pokemon Shield for the first time and having such a huge grin reading this set of text. Once again Leon at the end of the day, loves his brother and loves seeing trainers grow. And this battle, although the end of the road for Hop in the gym challenge, gave Leon a bit of what he wanted. To see his brother grow and see someone (the player) that could actually reach him. As someone who has a (forced) smile most of the time getting to hear an account of him having a bout of genuine emotion is actually touching. Plus him admitting he was wrong for doubting their ability to be endorsed in the first place shows humility and that he's able to have his mind changed on certain topics. 

"I think I understand well enough. What I don't understand is why we ought to cancel tomorrow's tournament in order to solve a problem that's a thousand years away from affecting any of us! What difference is one day going to make? My duty as Champion isn't this...this madness. It's to carry out that Championship Match! That's what Galar wants—and what I want! It's what we've all been looking forward to for so long!"The argument between him and Rose about the future of Galar for many seemed odd and pointless but I think these lines actually show a lot about Leon people don’t consider. Once again we see that Leon does indeed understand there are energy issues that are plaguing Galar but also we see a side of him we haven’t seen thus far. We know he has the wish to see Galar trainers to be stronger but up until this point that wish hasn’t really been threatened. But it is with Rose trying to cancel the tournament and here we get to see our usually compliant champion say “that ain’t in my job description” in regards to the match being potentially canceled. The part where he said “That’s what Galar wants- and what I want” is really striking because yes once again he’s putting the wants of Galar on his shoulders, but also he even directly states he wants to see the match through. Given the emotions that we saw from him with the Hop vs Player battle we can imagine that this year in particular he was itching to see the match. Sure Raihan always gives him a run for his money, but the player is shaking things up and after years of being undefeated this had to be very exciting for Leon. And while we’ve seen him state his wishes of strong trainers to the public, for him to say that Rose of all people was actually really powerful. He’s not just looking forward to the battle for the sake of his fans, but for his own sake as well

"The tense, still air on the pitch... And the exact opposite from the audience, cheering and yelling... They're both fantastic, wouldn't you say? But remember, the audience is also a bit cruel... They want nothing more than to see one of us lose, after all! It can fill you with fear knowing that, but I absolutely love pushing past the fear. I love giving it everything I've got as a Trainer and seeing my team give everything they've got to seize another victory! It's the greatest feeling in the world, and I can't get enough of it! I can feel my partners itching with anticipation inside their Poké Balls... We're going to have a real champion time. I'm the Galar region's Champion, Leon! Me and Charizard, and all the rest of our team, will use all our knowledge and experience to crush you completely!"This line right here gives me chills. It’s a speech very reminiscent of the champions of previous regions in it shows Leon as THE obstacle to overcome in Galar. His mention of the audience having the cruel want to see one trainer fall was intense because it brings back into focus how much of a spectacle the Galarian Gym challenge is compared to other regions in the game verse. I love the mention of how at times he might have felt fear knowing the audience wanting to see one person fall showing another vulnerable side to him besides his ability to get lost easily. Also the emphasis of Charizard being his ace as he’s the only team member he names outright just shows how deep the bond he has with his starter Pokemon

"You came to help me in spite of the danger? Thanks, Hop. And you, <player>. You two really have grown tremendously! But no need for you kids to worry. It seems like some power of Eternatus's was keeping my team from Dynamaxing, but...we've had a champion time all the same!"

Ahh, the famous lines before Leon gets knocked out! Once again we see him encouraging Hop and the player by commending their courage and growth. But also we see his champion persona coming into play here as he seems to make light of facing down Eternatus. He’s trying to keep the kids from being too worried while also showing them how strong he truly is. And to be fair, he almost single handedly tamed Eternatus which is impressive when you realize how far got on his own when it took Hop, the player and the two wolves to actually bring Eternatus down. Some people have used him getting knocked out to pain Leon as a fraud, but in reality this scene shows how truly powerful he is. Not to mention he’s one of the few champions who actually actively tries to intervene

“And now that you've grown so strong, perhaps it's time I started looking ahead myself. It's time we adults started working on improving the here and now, for the sake of all that's to come!"

I really like this part of his speech after you beat him because you see even though he’s had his world turned upside down by getting his first official loss, he’s not stuck in the past so to speak. He’s not worried about trying to regain his crown as champion. Instead he’s more than happy to pass the torch to the new generation and think of ways he can support upcoming trainers all the while now having a new goal for himself. Instead of being the obstacle to overcome now Leon has his own obstacle. The player.

"As your older brother… No, as your rival, you have my full support!"This was such a sweet line from Leon once Hop decides to become a professor. You could tell in this scene it meant the world to Hop to know that Leon supported him changing paths but also views him as a rival. Bad brother Leon, where?!

"<player>! I've been waiting for you. Always knew you'd be able to win your way here. Now, how about you take on Challenger Leon with everything that you've got?" Again going back to his lines after being defeated, Leon is just over the moon about now finally having an obstacle to overcome instead of being the insurmountable obstacle that came with being the Unbeatable Champion. Even when he shows a bit more raw frustration in his defeat animation in the battle tower, you can tell he enjoys having someone who pushes him like the player does. So much so that if he DOES win we get treated to this line: "Come on—remember our final match! Is this really the best you can do?!" "Hah! Don't you start on me, Raihan! I'm really trying here! See, I've spent my whole life battling with myself to become the greatest Trainer... And then I saw how <player> grew so strong by competing against my little brother, Hop... and how much it made Hop grow, too. It really proved to me how much further you can go when you're battling against a proper rival! And now that I've taken over running the League from Chairman Rose... I'm thinking I want to bring even more thrilling battles to our wonderful Galar region! So for both these reasons, I've called you all here today to tell you that... I'm declaring the Galarian Star Tournament open!" I liked this quote from Leon a lot because it shows his own reflection and growth. Even though he acknowledged Raihan as a true rival, he admits that he was mainly competing with himself in regards to improvement as a trainer. But Hop and the player’s rivalry inspired him to look at competition with others in a different way. And now that he’s at the helm of the league he wants to continue his dream of making Galar’s trainers stronger by allowing them to work together in battles!

Alright so we’ve gotten through the quotes I wanted to focus on from SwSh…but now I want to talk about some quotes from Pokemon Masters EX

"I'll always be around to make sure we have a champion time! I won't let anybody down!" - Sygna SuitWe know Leon really cares about making sure everyone else is having a good time and we can see even though the Leon that was brought to Pasio has been through the Darkest Day, that he still very much concerns himself with others’ wants

"I trust you too, Hop. I'm proud to be your brother."

"Me too. But y'know what? We were always together, even when we were apart." - From the Galar Legendary AdventuresI really adore these pairs of quotes because again it shows just how much Leon adores and respects his brother Hop. He recognizes that they don’t get to spend a lot of time with each other but that doesn’t matter to him as their bonds are still as solid as ever. As someone who has older siblings who I also didn’t get to see much growing up (let alone now as an adult) I can really relate to Hop and Leon’s dynamic and it honestly made me and my family feel seen through a Pokemon Game of all things.

"It didn't look like they were lying or trying to play innocent..." - Galar Villain ArcAgain putting to rest Leon not having a lot of brain cells, Leon was able to correctly ascertain that the Oleana and Rose who were transported to Pasio hadn’t yet tried to reenact the Darkest Day. This again shows his keen observation skills that quite frankly allowed him to remain champion for so long. 

‘That's why, before anything like that can happen, I want to properly tell him this time that...we can change the future together—not alone!" Leon here is reflecting on a flaw that both he and Rose shared in that they both felt the need to shoulder everything themselves. Yet since this is a Leon that had already been through the Darkest Day and getting knocked and seeing how the team work of Hop, Gloria, Zacian and Zamazenta actually solved things, he wants to bring this message to Rose.

"Your way of doing things shuts other people down. And with that, your valued partners will drift away."

I really like this dialogue of him confronting Chairman Rose about how he acts. The fact that he mentions “your way of doing things” shows this is kind of a pattern Leon himself has dealt with during his time working with Rose. We know he respects Rose and appreciates the opportunity from the endorsement he gave him all of those years ago, but that doesn’t mean he can’t call him out on his BS. Honestly I would love for a SwSh remake to expand on this line leading up to Rose unleashing the Darkest Day to better improve that plot

"My little bro always used to say, "I want to be just like you, Lee!" But the two of us are really different people. After lots of frustration, he finally found his own path. That's why he's doing so brilliantly now. There's nothing at all wrong with being different!" - It’s All Good, the Free Spirit EventI wanted to end off the quotes with once again showing how much Leon looks after Hop and how proud he is of little brother. You can see through this quote that the reason why he took a more hands-off approach in guiding Hop was so he could find his own path without feeling like Leon was steering him in any one way.

Phew, that was a lot and honestly there’s a lot more I could add but for the sake of not making this Tumblr post too long and getting this out for Leon Day, I’m going to end it here. Leon is a great champion and overall character and I hope people come to appreciate him more as the years go on! 

[localtelephonebooth]

Here are my thoughts on the Pokémon wielder twink

Before you read: I did not proofread this. This is Tumblr. We ball. 

Since the recent update to Master Ex’s Mystery Stone storyline, there's been a small influx of people saying Volo abuses or is cruel to his Pokemon because he views them as “tools.” This is arguably wrong because he has so many Pokemon–Togepi, Budew, and Riolu (it can be argued Volo caught his Roserade and Lucario fully evolved, but I don’t think that changes the message of this post by much)–evolve via high friendship. I am not saying he does not treat his Pokemon as tools of sorts, but by no means is he abusive. I would argue that Volo treats his Pokemon like livestock, whereas trainers like Giovanni treat Pokemon as swords that need polishing. 

Farmers have to take good care of their animals to yield good produce. If you starve or beat your animals, the product the animal produces becomes poorer quality. As the saying goes: “A happy cow produces better milk.” I believe this logic can be applied to Pokemon as well. The better you care for your Pokemon, the stronger they are in battle. Volo more than likely understands this logic. Hence why his Togepi is quite happy. However, going back to the farmer analogy, it’s likely Volo views his Pokemon as end products. A farmer in the meat industry knows that their livestock will be sent to the abattoir. Does that mean they treat the livestock terribly because they're going to be slaughtered anyways? No. As discussed previously, treating animals terribly results in poorer quality product. It’s in everyone’s best interest to treat their animals well. Still, demands have to be met. In Volo’s case, the demand is reaching and potentially beating Arceus. I would not doubt that if a few of his Pokemon had to be sacrificed to reach this goal, he would do so without hesitation. That being said, Volo is not a cruel trainer. He’s just not treating his Pokemon as companions like the typical trainer.

Thanks for reading my post! Now, I want to state immediately that I am probably wrong on a few things. It’s possible I have completely misread the dynamic of Volo’s and his Pokemon. If I were to bring a counterpoint to my post, I would say Volo potentially treats his Pokemon like early man did with wolves. Early man domesticated wolves because they helped with hunting and other smaller jobs. The wolves, receiving food and protection, would stay alongside their human companion. I feel this matches the themes of Pokemon as a whole. It also explains why many of Volo’s Pokemon evolved from high friendship. Even if they’re “tools,” his Pokemon still work with him mutually. I feel this more strongly correlates with his sword and shield analogy, and his discussion on bonding through pure survival. Anyways, that’s all I have for now. I would love to hear everyone’s own opinions on Volo! He’s quite an interesting character who deserves more discussion.

[samthesoupman]

My interpretation of the Pokemon Timeline

Quick few notes before I start this: I am aware that each pokemon game is it's own pocket universe, and timelines arent really important to the games, this is just for fun, side games like XD and Ranger won't be counted, remakes will take precidence over the origional versions, and if you have any evidence gainst this- please tell me! I'd love to have a discussion about this. Obviously the first game in the timeline is Legends Arceus, though the year is hard to tell- I'm gonna but it in it's own time period i'm calling "BE4" meaing "Before Elite 4" - so before the idea of catching and training pokemon became the norm for the pokemon world.

Then- the Kanto dilemma- is let's go cannon? Well the pokemon company swears let's go is mainline- the fact that the game starts with you isekai-ing into the TV is evidence enough for me that it's not real events- at best maybe it's a game in universe. Fire Red and Leaf Green's events can be dated however, the 96 on red's shirt in Ultra Sun and Moon and the constant references to "20 years ago" -fan service or not- show that FRLG take place in 1996.

Obviously, as stated many times in game, Heart Gold and Soul Silver take place 3 years after FRLG- not much confusion there at all. Briliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are also easy, as the game starts with talking about the Red Gyaradose incident in Johto. So, both these games would take place in 1999- in my opinion BDSP takes place maybe a month after HGSS.

The next one is a bit of a jump from what most expect- Black and White. I purely put this here because of Caitlin. Her hair is about 18 inches longer than it is in Platinum, taking into account how fast hair grows- that would put BW 4 years after BDSP in 2003. Then, obviously B2W2 happens 2 years after BW as stated in the story- putting it in 2005.

I put X and Y next, and I put it way ahead in 2013. There really isn't anything in XY that can help determine when it is- Dexio and Sina show up in USUM- so it can't be too far from those games. I just put it in it's release year. The most evidence I have for this is that they have portable holograms- a lot more advanced than the poketch's and X-Trancievers of the 2000's.

Next up I put ORAS in 2015 I'm sure a lot of you were shocked when I didn't put ORAS with FRLG like that one gamefreak guy said in his deleted twitter post- my reasoning? Wally is still a kid in the battle tree while Red and Blue are aged. Nothing really changes if ORAS is moved here, Steven is an adult when he cameos in HGSS, so it would make sense he hasnt visably aged 16 years later. At his oldest in ORAS he would be 32, well within the age range for a champion.

Then, one year later, USUM takes place in 2016. Obviously given the evidence i've used for many of the other placements this should explain itself, 20 years after FRLG.

Finally- Sword, Shield, Scarlett, and Violet... these games are almost impossible to place, but based on how far technology has come and some characters from BW having teenage children in the Blueberry academy- I'm just putting both these games in 2020- which would make the gym leader kids at around 17 depending on when they were born assumedly after BW's events.

so that's it! thank you for reading! share how you feel with me or i'll break you kneecaps.

[the-thirteenth-prime]

In which Pokemon Masters Ex jumps the Galarian shark.

Is it stupid to be disappointed in a gatcha game? Yeah. Am I really disappointed in the Galar arc now that both parts have been posted on Youtube? Absolutely.

(spoilers for unreleased content under the cut)

Look, I get that DeNA were in a pickle when they had to bring Rose into the Villain Arc, because homeboy's in jail probably forever for being willing to commit genocide over a power crisis a thousand years in the future. So the only other reasonable option (other than breaking him out of jail) was to have another Rose from an alternative universe come in. However, in doing so, they wrote themselves into a corner they really couldn't get out of.

Let me explain.

First off, for those of you wanting Rose to be confronted by literally anyone about his abuse of Leon and Bede and his willingly sacrificing Leon to Eternatus: I am really sorry to disappoint you, but it doesn't happen. Not only does no one really bring it up, but Bede isn't even in either part of the Villain Arc. And before anyone says it's stupid to expect a gatcha game to handle (child) abuse: they did it with N. They blatantly did it with N and Ghestis. They CAN do it. For whatever reason, however, they just...chose not to with Rose. Even if they didn't want to get into the Leon weeds, Bede is literally right there in the game, but he doesn't even get a name drop. It's fucking ridiculous.

However, I can see why--even if they wanted to bring it up--they couldn't really do it, because the only ending they could write with the scenario they established was a milquetoast 'reconciliation' with Rose. Bringing up what 'canon' Rose did to Leon and Bede would utterly tank this, because this is a version of Rose from the past, meaning that he is still actively abusing Leon and Bede in his own world. Bringing up the big A would inevitably lead to questions about the OTHER Bede and Leon back in Rose's home timeline/universe. As much as I hate it, I can see why the writers of a gatcha game wouldn't want to open this can of worms.

At the same time, they could have just...broken Rose out of jail to take revenge on Leon for leading Galar into destruction or whatever.

Not only that, but it's canon (see PokeAni) that Rose has been grooming Leon from childhood to defeat Eternatus. Meaning that Eternatus is still chilling in its egg in the power plant in Rose's home universe. Are we...not going to warn the other Leon and Raihan about what's going on in the Hammerlocke Power Plant, or at least mention possibly warning them???

I just. It's disappointing, because DeNA showed they weren't afraid to discuss child abuse when it came to N and Ghestis, but they completely dropped the ball with the Galar Arc, even though there are many reasons why they did so. What smarts the most, though, is that these poor writing decisions lead to an entire arc of Leon trying to placate his abuser and groomer into not starting the apocalypse or creating a civil war on Pasio pretty, pretty please.

The fact that the arc ends with Rose leading an exhibition match with Leon and Gloria knowing what Rose fucking did to Leon?? What he's still doing to his own Leon???? And he's probably going to be working together with Rose in future events??? His abuser and the man who tried to kill him???

As dramatic as it sounds, Leon deserved better. Bede deserved better. Galar deserved better.

[championfrolicfleece]

Champion Frolic Funfacts/Lore Master Post

Here's a Master Post on Funfact/Lore about my very first experience in Sword And Shield!

1. I named the player character Frolic because of Hop's name. I just thought it would be adorable if the rivals had somewhat matching names.

2. I stared Shield as a Nuzlocke, but quickly got bored of playing the game when I finally got to the first gym, so I set the game down for a few years.

3. Once I returned to the game and remembered I was Nuzlocking it, I lost my dearest Yamper in the Water gym and decided to cancel the Nuzlocke and play normally. I didn't want to lose my sweet puppers </3

4. After removing the Nuzlocke conditions, I found myself enjoying the game far more, and quickly fell in love with the story and characters.

5. I ship Gloria/Victor with Hop, Postwick Shipping is beautiful.

6. I do not really ship Leon and Sonia, I'm a soft-core shipper of them. I can appreciate artwork/fanfics of them, but I don't think I'll create much shipping content of them. I'm more of a Leon X Raihan shipper, and will def make shipping content of them. However, I also have my own ship with Leon. I ship him with my first ever Pokemon Oc, Oleander. I will post lore/backstory on Oleander in another post after I finish their design!

7. Scorbunny was my starter of choice, and their name is Scorch and they have an amazing nature that ups their physical attack power, which in turn makes their Pyro Ball attack a deadly force to be reckoned with. It says in their summary that Scorch loves to battle, and honestly, rock on lil Bunny Man!

8. I one-shotted almost all of Leon's Pokémon, save for his Dragapult, I sent out Frostine, my Frosmoth, to ice-beam it. I didn't realize it had flamethrower. I one-shotted his Charizard with my Vaporeon named Mistral.

9. I completed the post-game in like 3 days.

10. I actually love the fact that Leon, for the most part, keeps the player and Hop out of the big and dangerous stuff. How he goes out of his way to handle things, like FINALLY! Adults doing their jobs! I honestly didn't mind the fact that the player wasn't going around beating down some evil team or something. Because I was honestly getting bored of that rinse and repeat plot. I actually enjoyed the fact that the player and Hop were just allowed to be kids and enjoy their journey, and the only reason they get involved is because they choose to do so.

In most games, the protagonist is kind of just pulled into the conflict just because they exist. But here, it's because the player and Hop want to help Galar and Leon. I know a lot of people really disliked how disconnected the story was, what with how the game didn't show you a lot of the stuff happening behind the scenes, but I didn't mind it, personally.

I was just happy running about doing trainer things and beating gyms, and connecting with my Pokémon through camping and eating curry. I've never felt more connected to my Pokémon in any other game than I do with my Pokémon in Sword and Shield.

11. I have many questions about how Leon survived getting blasted by Eternatus's power after it broke out of the Pokeball. Like how the fuck is he not dead? I even have a Youtube video I made discussing my confusion-

SERIOUSLY HOW IS HE NOT DEAD?! I LOVE HIM, BUT WHAT?! POKEMON, EXLAIN.

12. It took me so many hours to finally get the berry sweet to evolve my Milcery into Alcremie. I kept getting rare candies, and the same sweets over and over, I think it took like three to five days in total to evolve them into the Alcremie with the blue berries in their swirls. Whose bright idea was it to LOCK all of the evolutions for Alcremie behind such a WHACK system anyways? Like if they're gonna do that, then at least make it so you can battle the cafe twice a day, and one victory gives you a guaranteed sweets prize!

13. The Water-bike kind of sucks, like even with the upgrades you're still kind of slow in the water, I hate when I'm riding the bike and accidentally hit the water and all the momentum just... stops. It's a buzzkill, like let me go FAST!

14. I feel as though I understand Leon, I easily get lost in the game, and forget where shit is. Honestly, I don't blame him for getting lost. Without being able to fly from place to place, I think it would take me hours to figure out how to get back to where I wanna go.

15. Leon is the first ever character to make me read character x reader fics. I am not ashamed of that.

16. I noticed while playing that Leon and Hop have such an interesting dynamic with one another and their family members, and I wish it had been explored more. Like, their mother and grandmother seem to really only talk about Leon, and there's no pictures of Hop to be seen, and well it just seems Hop is put on the backburner, while Leon is at the forefront of the family. I really do wish that this Leon and Hop and their family aspect was explored more, because it's obvious Hop really feels pressured to be just as great as Lee, and to not drag his name through the mud. In the game it's really obvious that Hop has some complicated emotions when it comes to Leon. He loves and adores his brother so much, but he also feels lesser than him, feels like he'll give him a bad name if he doesn't become just as great as him.

17. Hop made me feel for him in the game, never before have I ever felt so conflicted in defeating a rival and crushing their hopes and dreams right in front of them - Wally is a close second-. Like, fuck me, this poor boy cannot catch a break. To be honest, him wanting to become a Pokémon professor didn't hit right with me. I feel like he would be more suited to a Pokémon Ranger type, it just seems more his style. Going out and saving People and Pokémon, still battling, capturing Pokémon, and filling up his Dex. Being a Pokémon Ranger would allow Hop to go out and journey far and wide, and help People and Pokémon in a more Hop like style. I feel like him being a Ranger would have been a much better choice for his character. Pokémon Ranger Hop was a missed opportunity.

Well, that's it for now! I'll add more funfacts/lore/feelings about my first Pokemon Journey through Shield later. It's almost 2 am and I'm eepy. Goodnight!

[askmerriauthor]

Pokemon Violet - The Paldea League and Geeta

Man, Geeta has turned Paldea into kind of a shitshow, hasn't she?

Discussion/stream of thought rambling on elements of the game's story after the jump. Spoilers ahoy. This is about the story and lore implications, not about the combat-based mechanics of the Pokemon League.

The actual purpose and function of the Pokemon League throughout the various incarnations of the Pokemon franchise over the years have always been a little muddy. That's on purpose, I believe, as it allows more creative freedom for each version to define itself. In the earlier games, the Pokemon League was a sort of trial to prove one's worth as a Trainer exclusively. It had no impact on the lives of anyone other than combat-focused Trainers. As time went on and the stories became more complex, we saw the League turn into a more public element that had a greater impact on its setting. The Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and the League Champion became public figures of renown and respect. It varied from being local celebrities to even being something akin to vigilante superheroes. By the time we got to Alola (Sun/Moon), it was shown that establishing a Pokemon League is both A) something a region does entirely on its own for its own purposes and B) something that will put a region on the map. Having a League brings prestige and value to the area. This is never more overt than in Galar (Sword/Shield) where the entire Gym circuit and Pokemon League is a heavily commercialized professional sport that directly parallels fútbol here in the real world in terms of its popularity, scope, and money-making. As time has gone by, we've seen the Pokemon League become less of a rite of passage and more of a business.

The Pokemon League in Paldea, meanwhile, cranks that up to 11 and breaks the knob off. And that is to the utter detriment of literally everyone.

As has been frequently observed, the Gym Leaders of Paldea don't actually seem to like being Gym Leaders and certainly don't like the Champion, Chairman, and Creator of the Paldea League; Top Champion Geeta. She's their boss and behaves as such, keeping a professional and detached attitude toward them and everything else she does. The various Gym Leaders discuss how much she micromanages them and puts pressure on them for performance. On one hand, she enforces performance reviews several times a year that risk a Gym Leader losing their role if they don't meet her standards. On the other hand, Geeta ordered Katy - the Bug Gym Leader - to hold back and go easy on Trainers who challenge her because her Gym just so happens to be near to the academy where newbie Trainers might be discouraged if she was too tough. Geeta even controls what teams of Pokemon the Gym Leaders use. Larry is a Normal-type Trainer by his own preference, but Geeta forces him to use Flying-types later in the game.

We can be generous when we examine these behaviors, given how the Gym Leaders themselves offer a more gracious view of Geeta's behavior after you defeat them. They give the impression that Geeta's meddling is the result of a genuine, if poorly implemented, desire to encourage them and young Trainers to achieve more. I don't necessarily disagree with that, but it's also abundantly clear that Geeta is running Paldea into the ground and actively abusing everyone around her in the process. Young Trainers included.

Despite the Gym Leaders having that as their job, it's also a point worth noting that it's not their only job. Every Gym Leader has another job - they run a bakery, are a professional artist, a livestream internet celebrity, or pull double/triple duty within the League itself. Larry is simultaneously a Gym Leader, a member of the Elite Four, and some form of administrative agent within the League. And, yes, he is exactly as exhausted, over-worked, and spiritually beaten down as one would think. It's never explicitly stated why this is the case, but it's clear that being a Gym Leader doesn't pay the bills. As in, Geeta is not paying her employees sufficiently to make a living in the amazingly generous and socially supportive world that is the Pokemon Setting. Larry makes mention of how Geeta likes to rope people into doing her work for her, or just working for free, which we not only see but experience ourselves firsthand.

At the beginning of the game, the very first time we meet Geeta, she's talking Nemona - a teenage student who is not her employee - into doing work for her. At the end of the game, Geeta volunteers the League to aid in setting up a tournament, but immediately puts all the admin work on Nemona - to the point that Nemona can't participate in the event, despite battle being the one thing she loves most in the world. When we the Player become a Champion (not The Champion, A Champion - Geeta never surrenders her title as Top Champion and just bestows a lesser title on those who beat her), the first thing she does is rope us into doing her performance review of the Gyms for her. She also blackmails Penny into doing free programming work against her will to help the League. Arven, meanwhile, is not given any task because Geeta doesn't see him as useful, so he's specifically ignored as comedic relief.

On top of all this is the fact that Geeta is also on the Academy's board. She has a massive amount of influence over the school, its staff, and its students. This becomes a particular issue given how Geeta has fully integrated the Pokemon League into the local economy.

Something exclusive to Paldea is something called "League Points". This is a digital currency in-universe that can be used to purchase various goods and services from League-sponsored sources. That is to say, literally every market in the entire setting with the specific exception of individual auctions of rare items outside the standard economy. Even the student store and cafeteria use League Points. To be blunt, it's Company Scrip. The Player does things that the League wants done (combating Pokemon, trading in useful materials, challenging Gyms, doing research on Tera Raids, etc), they're given Company Scrip, and they then spend that Scrip at vendors the Pokemon League owns or subsidizes. Anyone with even a hint of common sense or a knowledge of history knows how this is an EXTREMELY BAD THING as a practice. Made all the worse by the fact Penny is able to very easily hack into the system and illegally produce/distribute all the League Points she likes, meaning it's not even a particularly well-designed system.

Going to the "villain plot", despite Geeta absolutely not being considered a villain and the story technically not having a villain at all: there's allusions in the game lore that Geeta is directly involved in the Tera outbreak plaguing the region - that is to say, a massive environmental threat endangering the entire population and region itself - and that she helped set it into motion for how it would empower the League. Tera Orbs - the proprietary and exclusive technology needed to use this game's gimmick - are held only by the League, Gym Leaders, and specific Trainers approved by Geeta. Using them is ultimately detrimental to Pokemon, Trainers, and Paldea as a whole, but that doesn't stop Geeta from distributing them as suits her needs.

Even going back to the earlier notion of looking at Geeta's actions with a generous gaze and giving her the benefit of the doubt, I'm left unable to reconcile that given the outcome. Geeta herself says everything she does is for the sake of making Trainers stronger and encouraging others to achieve great things. Yet her actions - both as a League member and personally - weaken and hinder everyone around her. The Player becomes stronger despite everything Geeta sets in place and for their own reasons. It's stated in-game that the vast majority of Trainers in Paldea never get more than three badges, and Geeta herself states that she's unable to hold back against anyone who challenges her because she enjoys the thrill too much. As a result, Nemona and the Player are the only other Champions to exist in Paldea since Geeta's been running the show. Also, not even beating all the Gyms is enough to qualify one to challenge the League; Geeta enforces an interview and, if you don't answer questions to their satisfaction (specifically to their satisfaction - if you just answer earnestly and not say what Geeta wants to hear, you fail), then you're denied access to the League outright.

On top of all of this? I know I said I wasn't going to talk about the combat mechanics, but it is relevant in this case. The Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, and Top Champion Geeta herself are... well, to be completely frank? They're weak. Like, laughably weak. Geeta has a team composition that doesn't make any sense and is designed in a way that intentionally sabotages her combat viability. I wasn't even significantly over-leveled or relying on clever strategies, and I utterly steamrolled every single challenge with just my Grass-type Starter Pokemon and the occasional swap to my Salazzle when I was feeling bored. I didn't even bother with type match-ups or using the Tera gimmick. Amusingly enough, Larry gave me the most trouble - he got two whole hits on me in the midst of his steam rolling. The Gyms and League are simply... weak. All because of Geeta's endless meddling. And even the characters themselves seem frustrated and resentful about it. For all of Geeta's talk about wanting to make Trainers stronger, everything she does actively weakens everyone around her and herself.

What we end up with is a Pokemon League that's centered around one person's goals and ideals, that's forcing everything and everyone around it to bend to that person's whims. All in a way that's actively undercutting those desired goals in the process. If Geeta is trying to make the Paldea League a major player for the sake of gaining a better standing for the region, she's doing a cataclysmically bad job of it. I really hope we get a lot more lore in the upcoming DLC expansion because Geeta's left all kinds of questions that really need addressing.

[naturally-elegant]

(*Sigh*) Do I really have to do this…?

Yes, hello, you may call me Avery. Please ensure that you use he/him pronouns for me. Of course, I only specialize in the most elegant of Pokemon, as I’m the minor circuit’s Psychic Type Gym Leader~

If you think you can best me in battle, then I do believe you may have to get your Future Sight checked, ohoho– HA! The mere delusion is enough to make me laugh, as such a thing should be considered improbable…no, impossible! Losing would certainly be a Psystrike to my ego…

Ahem… You will find my absolutely charming Pokemon below:

Galarian Slowbro ♂ - Florian

Galarian Rapidash ♂ - Duke

Swoobat ♀ - Eloise

Alakazam ♂ - Sebastian

Galarian Slowking ♂ - Kingsley

Girafarig ♀ - Neru

Chingling ♂ - Senritsu

Natu ♀ - René

((OOC NOTE: Please read before interacting!!

(Previously part of co-blog, but separated into a solo blog)

ICON CREDIT!!

Hey hey! Welcome to my Pokémon rp blog. On this blog I will be pretending as if the world of Pokémon is 100% real. This being said, I will be including pkmn rp tags in each post that fits that description as a warning.

Friendly reminder that if you try to engage a plot with me or any kind of offscreen rp experience without at least discussing it with me first, then I will likely not respond. Even if you do approach me with something in mind, there is no guarantee I will engage. Also I tend not to interact or engage in any big events. They tend to become overwhelming for me and you’ll most likely never find me becoming a part of them. Please don’t send in asks regarding big events.

If you are looking to interact with my muse, and your muse is tied to some potentially triggering topics, I would prefer if you discussed potential interactions with me first. This is for my own comfort, so please keep this in mind.

Admin is an adult! If this makes you uncomfortable then move along.

This is an RP blog. This means I will be trying my best to roleplay as Avery with the information we have. I will be including several headcanons of mine regarding this character, though none of them are too drastic.

Please be aware that when I am talking as Avery, I will often be sarcastic, rude, self deprecating, and all around unpleasant. If you are uncomfortable with this, it may be in your best interest to move along. If something ever comes off as rude/mean, it does not reflect how I actually feel and is just how I believe Avery would react.

This blog is SFW, save for vaguely suggestive topics. Anything that is deemed as explicitly NSFW will be deleted on sight.

Another warning. This blog may often be involved in long RP threads. I won’t be using any programs to cut my long posts short. If this bothers you, I would recommend skipping this blog or blocking the tag “long post” or “rp thread”.

This version of Avery I’m roleplaying is set after the events of Pokémon Sword and Shield as well as any DLC events.

Also! I follow and like from @ripoff-robbie-rotten.

DNI: Proshippers, TERFS, and NSFW blogs))

[crystalelemental]

When I was a child, there was something that really bugged me in Pokemon games. Why was it that some Pokemon showed up so late? I really like Misdreavus, but it's all the way in Mt Silver! Even smaller issues like Seel in FRLG felt annoying. I have to beat five whole gyms without this thing? Why even pick it up? This led, inevitably, to my first hacking device: a GameShark for Gen 3. I have a vivid memory of replaying FRLG, excited to hack in my own personalized and very normal starter, Articuno. Articuno was so great when you caught it! Surely it would be even better if I could use it all game!

Now...I did not have the internet at the time. And by Gen 3, I was perhaps overconfident about not needing a strategy guide. So while you may know what happened already, I did not know what was coming. Articuno sucked. Like, really bad. If you look at it, it turns out the answer is obvious: it only knows Gust and Powder Snow as attacks until Ice Beam at level 49. Which...hey, wait a second. That's only one level below what you catch it at to begin with! And it turns out, this was similar all over. Seel didn't learn anything but Headbutt until level 17, it was useless against Brock despite its typing. What is going on? Why do all these Pokemon I like when I catch them at the intended time suck so badly when I get them early?

At the time, I blamed it on the Pokemon being bad and just hacked rare candies. But over time, you begin to suspect that maybe, just maybe, the game was designed on purpose? That maybe there was a structure to the game at large that kept things in balance. With age, it stops being "this was badly designed because I didn't get what I wanted out of it," and starts to become its own thing. To quote a famous Nuzleaf, I believe all of this is happening for a reason.

Friends...let's talk Sword and Shield.

My team was Rillaboom, Thievul, Butterfree, Mr. Rime, Alcremie, and Dragapult kinda sorta, with additional showcasings for Carkoal and Perrserker. I say sorta kinda on Dragapult because I intended to use it, but it didn't fully evolve until after I beat Leon. Oops!

If the intro wasn't a giveaway, I want to talk gameplay first. While we'll get to the story issues, I think gameplay matters more to Pokemon, and is the bigger problem that keeps Galar low on my list. To get some small housekeeping out of the way first:

I will not be harping on graphics, I don't care. Yes I know performance isn't good, but it's mildly annoying at worst.

I will not be harping on designs, they're largely fine. The starters are one of the weakest sets, and the box legends might be my least favorite, but there are plenty of good ones to the region as well.

I will not say "game too easy," but I will be discussing factors that led people to that assertion.

I will not be talking about Dexit. While I hated it at first, having calmed from it, I think it's for the best. I liked when Gen 5 forced you to use the new stuff to generate new favorites, and if anything Dexit should go harder by removing Home so they can more severely tweak stats and movesets between generations.

My problem with Gen 8 gameplay my very well be my own preferred means of playing, but I'm going to attempt making my case with three examples.

First: Growth via TM progression. In my Crystal run, I ran a Togetic, and have a pretty rough time of it. Togetic was never particularly strong, but it had an arc, picking up Mud Slap for Morty, Sunny Day/Solarbeam/Flamethrower for several Kanto gyms, and then falling back on Psychic/Zap Cannon when the earlier set wasn't working out. Togetic had an arc of struggle, in which it had to find tools that made it work for each phase of the game, that came down to recently acquired TMs the game provided naturally. Barring Flamethrower, all of these were free acquisitions.

Compare this to Thievul is Galar. It also is pretty bad, despite access to Nasty Plot, because its best attacking move is Snarl. It needs TMs to learn anything else. But in Galar, TMs are no longer infinite, as TRs now cover the really good moves. And the only way to get them is random den drops, and random shop items around the Wild Area for thousands of Watts, when a full den gives only 300. Acquiring the specific TM it wants is next to impossible. Dens aren't guaranteed to be Dark type, and even if they are, you could get other dark moves like Crunch. The shops aren't guaranteed to sell Dark Pulse, and even if they are, how long will it take to farm 5000 Watts? There is no control over what the Wild Area produces, and thus no arc to be had for anything specific.

Second: growth via learnset progression. In Emerald, I ran a Mawile. Caught at level 37 in Victory Road, we needed several levels before it could learn the move that would give it relevance, and the EXP options were scarce. I had to use an EXP All, cutting the entire team's EXP gains just for Mawile to catch up, while trying to find optional areas with trainers left, and at times trying to keep Mawile in to win the fight herself. There's a struggle and a cost to the growth unit perspective.

Compare that to my Butterfree. Until it gained Quiver Dance, Butterfree contributed little beyond the occasional Sleep Powder lockdown. It took off once it learned Quiver Dance, but the means of getting there was just...have it in the team. Even on the back row, it'll be fine and catch up with no real issue. There's not much of a struggle to overcome, or a sense that you're building things. It just kinda happens to you.

Third: Galar's Intent. I do not have a comparison point for this, but Mr. Rime. Probably my MVP! Once it hits Mr. Mime, it has Icy Wind, Psybeam, and Dazzling Gleam. With a Thunderbolt TM I had randomly picked up from an early den, it had excellent coverage that took down a majority of the region past its evolution. This was a fairly fun find.

I think that's the intent of Galar's structure: accidents. Surprises. The Wild Area lacks any sense of control, holding events locked to the day and forcing save commitments that refuse to allow soft resets for different outcomes. If you can roll with the punches, and accept whatever comes at you, this game probably is a lot of fun. That's probably why my wife likes it so much. But if you can't...well, you're like me, and this game is really difficult to appreciate.

I will, however, argue that it's not just me. The Wild Area's structure is awkward, being the sole home of a lot of different Pokemon, who will only show up under specific weather conditions and at very low rates. Look up how to find Dreepy some time. But the dens lack control as well, unless you manipulate the system's clock in the right way. Then, even if you find something you want, you have to hope for the random TM to drop too. I decided to use Rillaboom because I never once ran a starter, and part of Rillaboom was wanting TMs that required time manipulation to find in stock. If you come in wanting literally anything, the Wild Area is very likely to deny you. You have to come in wanting for nothing at all, working only with what's handed to you, to have a good time.

Which feels crazy disingenuous to me? Pokemon is all about the little critters you can find, and growing an attachment to things you want to catch. Not everything even comes from what's randomly found, sometimes you see something in an enemy team and get really excited for that thing. Like, imagine seeing something like Cursola in Allister's team, and going man, that looks cool! Regional Corsola and it gets an evolution, sign me up! So you go out into the world hoping to get it, only to find that it shows up exactly 5% of the time under one (1) specific weather condition in one (1) region of the Wild Area. Better hope that one area has the right weather condition or there is no way in hell you're getting that Corsola!

I just...I get that replaying Pokemon games is a thing, and that each experience can be different, and that having some random outcomes is beneficial. But Galar takes it way too far. I think their intent was to give players technical access to what they want right away, without making it actually available. See, this is something I heard and agree with: Pokemon is most engaging while you're building the team. Postgames have felt difficult for me to appreciate because my team is done, my moveset is done, I don't want to do the volcano in Platinum I just want to finish. You need to have a ladder to climb and a goal to reach for the game to remain engaging. But players are also impatient, and have gotten worse with this series over time. Learned movesets went from situations where Gyarados learns very little of value naturally, to learning its best Water move at like level 21. Players will tell you they want the feeling of being done early, but that provably kills the experience.

Another thing I'd do with hacking as a kid was bring in all TMs. Yeah, let's start HGSS with a Swinub that has Ice Beam, Rock Slide, and Earthquake, what could go wrong? It turns out everything at once, as you just clobber the entire early game with no resistance. There was no real challenge to approaching the game in this way, and the run turns stale fast because oops, Swinub had its best moveset right out the gate. I started a lot of runs in those days but rarely finished, and it's why nowadays I do have some compulsion about the purity of a run. It can actually take away part of the joy. And more than likely, the devs know this too. So if players demand the ability to kill that joy, but you want to sustain it, what's the compromise?

Make it all so random that it's borderline impossible to account for anything. Yeah dude, you can get everything right away! But you can't get anything specific at all. Which solves nothing and creates new problems. Because now there's no progression toward the endgame outside of learnset, and some learnsets in Galar are hilariously bad. You ever looked at Coalossal's moveset? Its best Rock move is Rock Blast at 54. Good luck not using TMs and making that thing work to any enjoyment. It feels like they overshot the mark, and for anyone who plays like I do, thinking about what Pokemon you want to run or trying to chart a course for the game, it's naturally going to be miserable. Galar still ranks really low for me, but I at least feel like I understand what Galar may have wanted to do.

Gameplay aside...it's time to talk about the aspect that got my wife laughing at me, and will probably have @alphakuriboh saying some things too. Story.

Much like XY, Galar is generally considered a low point for story. Doesn't make sense, antagonist is stupid, etc, you know the drill. However, I do think they Galar was cooking to some degree.

Rose is the main sticking point regarding story, because...again, the antagonist's actions are the only story we get in Pokemon. And he kinda pingpongs. Worried about a millenium from now, he refuses to wait 24 of god's own hours for Leon to finish his sports tournament, and unleashes hell. He acts sad about the state of affairs but resolved that he must do it, then after you beat him is back to borderline cheerful about how fun battles could be. You solve the problem, and Rose turns himself in, never to be heard from again. That is. An event, my dude.

Thing is, I think his actions make more sense given his character, and the theme of Galar. Galar's big theme is a sort of "passing the torch," best summarized by Opal. The old need to know when to step out of the way, but we're not done yet. Opal's stance and her actions tell the full picture. It's not that the old blood needs to disappear, but rather that at some point, the young need to take ownership of their future. They're the ones most impacted by the conditions going forward, after all, and it's important they be granted the ability to decide for themselves what they want.

Rose, as a character, denies that entirely. He manipulates the younger generations for his own ends, and his motivation is about maintaining his own view of things and his legacy 1000 years in the future. Yes, it's a far off problem that can be solved a bit later, but that's not the point. This is his problem, and it has to be solved his way. And most importantly, solved how he commands it. His lack of patience isn't about truly being so hasty. It's about forcing Leon back into compliance. Even if Leon didn't strictly say no, it wasn't a yes, and that's not how this goes.

Rose acts kind, propping up Leon as the unbeatable champion and giving Bede his position and mission. But his actions aren't altruistic. Leon now holds the same neuroses as Rose, taking everything on as his own responsibility. Accidents at the power plant? He'll talk to Rose, you all go on. Dynamax Pokemon going out of control? He'll take care of it, don't worry. Eternatus is unleashed? He'll catch it and take care of it. That last one is even what Rose wants! Leon falls completely into his expected role that Rose shaped for him. Bede also falls exactly into the role he expects, even if it results in discarding him and banning him from the competition as a result. Rose controls the youth in order to shape his vision of the future.

While I didn't play it, I imagine this is the intent with Shieldbert and Sordward, too. Control over the truth of the past alters what you think to do in the future, and so they are just another iteration on this idea, albeit less fleshed out.

Rose's future also lacks accounting for everyone's future. Spikemuth is in horrible poverty because they lack a power spot to draw energy from, or to Dynamax for spectacle from. Any future Rose builds will continue this inequality. His vision of preserving the future isn't a net positive for others, but that's not important. What's important is that it's his future. Which is why he lets himself be locked up. If the energy crisis was really the main concern, then your character catching Eternatus and beating Leon should result in another attempt. It never comes because at this point, whatever happens next is no longer his future. He can't care if it's not what he wanted.

The flip flop on his general mood state is a little harder to read with certainty, but I imagine the intent is one of cycles. I doubt he crafted this company from nothing, and his family likely had their own expectations of him that led to him perceiving every little thing as his concern and losing connection with the fun of things. It's a bit messy, but I'd be lying if I said the start of his fight with him gripping the Pokemon wasn't a cool individual scene.

Now before I get too positive, I do think Galar's story is also rife with problems. Primarily, its refusal to engage the player in anything. We feel utterly disconnected from anything going on with Rose or the region, because Leon's taking care of it instead of us. It does hinder the feeling that we're doing anything particularly important or special.

I also feel like some of their decisions were rather...poor, regarding passing the torch. Mostly Magnolia, if I'm honest. I think the decision to not even use your first old female professor to play up her 20-something granddaughter is...telling. God forbid female professors be old, they have to be super young and pretty. I just think it would've been more interesting to have Sonia acting as assistant to Magnolia and piecing together what your player character does instead. It gives Magnolia more spotlight, and gives Sonia like...an actual function beyond turning to you all the time to ask what you think, rather than posit ideas of her own.

Lastly and most vitriolically...what is the point of Marnie? No really, why is she here? Spikemuth's situation is understood, but Piers carries all the interesting stuff. Refusing to Dynamax as a statement about the inequality and the value of its residents is fantastic, and Marnie just throws it out the window. She holds no convictions, and at no point in the story does she really do anything. She's around for the ride until Piers shows up and has an actual emotional stake in things. His own passing the gym leader torch to her doesn't even feel valuable because she's so disconnected from his philosophical stance. I think Marnie should've been the one out here making that statement by refusing Dynamaxing while climbing the League's ladder, and Team Yell benefits from this as their interference can be interpreted as concern that their one chance for a Champion is playing risky by not using Dynamax for some political point. She just feels pointless.

The less said about postgame the better. That entire sequence is just tedious and annoying and completely missed its mark dramatically.

Unlike Kalos, Galar remains low on the list. I'll admit, I have been harsher on the game than was strictly called for, but I maintain it's one of my least favorites. Its entire design is just so functional antithetical to what I like in these games.

Next...I'm gonna be real, I have no idea. I'm kind of in stasis right now. I don't feel like replaying Gen 9, that's too fresh. I considered White 2 but didn't love White 1, so I'm hesitant. I considered ORAS, which...might be next. And for my own console time...it's either BDSP or I pick up one of the games in my backlog. We'll see what I feel like doing tomorrow.

[foxgirltail]

Lets discuss the linear progression of time

In order:

November 15, 2019: Pokemon Sword and Shield are released worldwide. Sw/Sh is the first game to introduce "wild areas", sections of the game where you can see mons approaching rather than having random encounters. In this game, bumping into a mon starts a standard pokemon battle

February 27, 2021: Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Brilliant Diamond/Shining Platinum are announced. The central idea behind PLA expands the "wild areas" to cover the whole game map, and that pokemon battles happen in the overworld in real time. (BD/SP is more traditional, but has some "wild areas" as seen in Sw/Sh, but we won't know about those until release)

June 5, 2021: Palworld is announced. The announcement trailer shows gameplay and designs that are in the current release of the game. Battles work similarly to PLA in that they're in the overworld

November 19, 2021: Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Platinum are released worldwide

January 28, 2022: Pokemon Legends: Arceus releases worldwide

February (presumably 27th, couldn't find a solid day), 2022: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are announced. The starter pokemon are also revealed. Scar/Vio would continue the style of gameplay introduced by PLA

November 18, 2022: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are released worldwide

January 19, 2024: Palworld opens its early access beta

It's easy to say "Palworld was released after these open world pokemon games", but the open worldness of palworld was first seen in the 2021 palworld trailer, only 3 months (plus change) after nintendo itself first announced it would be making an open world game. It seems unlikely to me that palworld could have started development after the announcement trailer of PLA and get announced that soon after with a decent trailer (tbh the Palworld trailer showed more gameplay than the first PLA trailer did). It is much more likely that the concept for openworldness of palworld predates the full openworldness of any pokemon game

[findyourrp]

✨Hello! 23yr female looking for people 18+ who would be interested in roleplaying in some fandoms I've been getting back into. These fandoms include FNaF Security Breach, Danganronpa Ultra Despair Girls, Identity V, Pokemon Sword and Shield, and Genshin Impact. I'll make my rules, preferences, and so on so forth simple to get through. As I have a tendency to type a lot and as of right now I'm quite exhausted from my new job, but if you interested or have any questions feel free to like this post and I will get back to you as soon as I can

My main format can range from semi-limit (3-5 paragraphs long), to literate. It depends on a variety of things, but I do tend to keep my writing in that middle range as to not overwhelm myself and my partner

Looking for more romantic interactions with our characters as I'm a sucker for that topic. Angst, fluff, comfort, ect. Those are always welcomed. If there is something you want to add then feel free to tell me and we can go over it some more

Fandoms that are bolded means I can play both oc/canons (depending on who I'm comfortable with), but in general I'm looking more for oc x oc if possible. Playing canons (again, depending) make me a tad nervous where as using ocs gives you a little more freedom. Though if you are more comfortable playing canon and don't mind going up against ocs then by means go right ahead

While on the topics of shipping I'm mostly comfortable with mxm as that's what I mostly play. I rarely do fxf or mxf due to the lack of female characters I have, or due to my characters preferences. I will only do double ups on the fandoms that are bolded and they will need to be separate rps. Playing too many characters in one single rp will make me overwhelmed and less likely to reply, but if you have any questions we can discuss it some more

Nsfw is welcomed but not needed if it is not your preference (of course we can go over it in dms)

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