#raising magikarp

[astralcurses]

theres exactly enough spaces to name a pokemon john mulaney in pokemon moon

[arvoze]

me when the girl in the woods looks at me and puts a dead fish in my face as her way of saying hi

[castleclysm]

hey remember when I talked about the possibility of AUs with N being raised in other villain teams?

what if I just.....

[theguardianace]

Magikarp Jump is a good game.

"Here is my fish Boat 2. She eats soggy cookies and is best friends with an electric rat, an actual penguin, and a frog that is also a ninja. She trains multiple times daily by chopping trees in the woods with her body. This allows her to jump over 300 feet in the air."

[masonsystem]

WHAT

[twistedwonderlandimaginesblog]

I really liked that one ask from before where the MC paired up with an NRC boy to do the flour baby project, could I ask for a repeat of that but with Silver, Vil, Floyd, Idia, and Ortho?

Floyd Leech:

You cannot leave your flour baby alone with Floyd as it will be in harm's way; he convinced you of this even more when he began talking about survival of the fittest, and his other siblings that never made it through the gauntlet. It practically feels like Floyd is the one you’re really looking after, especially when your attention leaves him for even a second as you tried to focus on the baby. You think the teacher must hold a grudge against you to put you in this situation but you’re determined to turn him into a father figure (and you might die trying).

Idia Shroud:

Idia wished the school would get with the times and just give a game simulation type project rather than making him lug around a flour sack in a diaper all day. It was like a Magikarp holding an Everstone, doomed to stay in its useless state forever. It almost led him to an existential crisis as he had a nightmare of himself turning in a bag of flour, never able to enjoy trolling online or flexing how much smarter he was when it came to technology ever again. You do help ground him (and perhaps add a different stress) by being closer with him, this surprise event giving him the perfect excuse to spend time with you despite the flour sack in the room.

Ortho Shroud:

Ortho doesn’t get the point of the assignment as the sack of flour could never properly simulate taking care of a real child. He’s excited to do this project with you thought, listing off every parenting tip he could find until you practically thought you were in a reality where you were pregnant (regardless of how capable of that you really were). He’s fiercely protective of his flour baby, glaring (and nearly vaporizing) an innocent school chef who mistook his baby as a misplaced bag of flour. Ortho even offered up a tearful goodbye, keeping his fond memories of raising his baby with you locked away somewhere safe where he’d never forget.

Silver:

Silver takes the project seriously, but his sleep prone habits leave you a little worried your sweet flour child may be kidnapped by a group of birds and never seen again. He dutifully keeps it strapped to him while patrolling, sometimes even forgetting it's there as he questions why everyone keeps looking at him. This project is your first glance at the sweeter side of Silver, leaving you enamored with a man who showed genuine kindness and care to even an inanimate object.

Vil Schoenheit:

Vil loathed the thought of lugging flour around all day, not thrilled with the concept it might dirty his uniform at some point. He’s not about to get a failing grade either, showing a determination to glam his baby up. You mostly follow his lead on this one for the sake of his happiness and your sanity, knowing he wouldn’t go too far. You almost found the small dog outfits he put on your flour sack child cute. It’s like they were having their own father/child bonding time, with Vil even showing them his favorite films to share a little moment together (before he felt entirely too stupid and tried to forget about it).

[convito]

Blasting Off To The Past: Chapter 1: The Customers Are Used To This By Now

Finished chapter 1 of my fanfic based on @yamujiburo's Jessie/Delia Pokemon comics. The fact that it's just the first chapter is a development that materialized roughly 5 minutes ago when I realized this thing is getting way too long to write all at once. It's just a fun little day-in-the-life story because I wanted an excuse to write these characters.

Here's the AO3 link.

Below is the full chapter text. Enjoy!

“Meowth, I demand to know why you just kicked me!” James yelled dramatically.

“Don’t flatter yourself, I wouldn’t waste my time kicking you!” Meowth

The lunch rush took its toll on everyone in different ways. For Delia, the strain kept her too busy to notice anything outside the restaurant. For Jessie, it meant Delia wasn’t looking at her.

In the case of James and Meowth, it was dealer’s choice. Today, that meant each blaming the other for the table leg they each routinely tripped over. Meowth’s thimble-sized temper had reached a boiling point. James was mad by association.

Delia had been holding down the kitchen until the commotion piqued her attention, prompting a peek around the corner into the dining area. She saw Meowth seething as his serving tray clattered to the ground, trading leers with James whose serving tray remained pristinely perched atop his fingers.

Then time stood still as she saw Jessie burst in with a face that gave her conflicting feelings, making a Beedrill-line for the bickering duo. How she heard the noise from across town would remain a mystery. The love of Delia’s life was a lit fuse heading straight for a flamboyantly colored powder keg. The focus now needed to be heading off the stormfront before it turned the restaurant into a restauNOT (she took a second to chuckle at that).

“Jessie. Babe. Sweetie.”

The red menace continued undeterred. Delia raised her voice.

“Jessie, stop! Jessie! Honey!”

Still nothing. Delia was desperate.

“STOP, DAMMIT!”

Jessie screeched to a halt, bringing the universe with her. She and her two partners in something or other all turned their heads toward Delia, three identical faces of exaggerated shock. Though Jessie’s sported a tinge of crimson.

“I… buh…” she attempted.

“Delia made a swear,” Meowth whispered.

James simply covered his ears.

But whether through shock or sheer force of Delia’s long-bided power, the situation was defused for now. The residual fallout kept things together until the restaurant finally slowed down. James and Meowth lost their abrasion around each other, more or less back to their regular selves give or take the occasional shared look towards Delia. Granted, not unlike their usual behavior.

Jessie, meanwhile, had stuck around to help however she could. At the moment, she was employing her puppy dog eye technique to try and soften Delia’s mood every time her wife looked her way. Despite coming across more like bewildered Magikarp eyes, which had Delia desperately suppressing a snort laugh at every turn, it probably would have worked even if she actually had been angry.

Eventually, closing time arrived. Jessie had finally released Delia from her fishy look and was taking a break from cleaning to watch James and Meowth. The other two former Rockets were Taurosing around with each other as they took the garbage out back. Delia noticed a wistful look in her wife’s eye. It was one she’d been seeing a lot of lately.

“You miss the adventure, don’t you?” Delia asked warmly.

Jessie gave a slight start at this before nodding. They’d grown to know each other well enough that it was no surprise Delia could read her so intimately.

“I know we weren’t the good guys going after the twe- eh, Ash and Pikachu like that,” Jessie seemed just a bit embarrassed, “but getting out there and traveling around really got my juices moving.”

“Even more than our little battling vacations?”

“W-well, I wouldn’t say…” Jessie hesitated, but she knew she never needed to hide anything from Delia, especially after all this time. “Kinda, yeah.”

Jessie’s regular trips out into the region with Delia to explore and battle gym leaders had very quickly begun to rank among the highlights of her life, and she wouldn’t trade them for anything, no matter how shiny. But…

“I just miss the camaraderie with James and Meowth,” she found herself gushing. “I miss the cartoon-level plans we came up with together, I miss the big Meowth balloon, I miss James’ camp cooking and Meowth’s snoring, not to mention-”

“I’m sorry, what was that about Meowth?”

“Oh, right, you never heard his outdoor snoring. Only happens when he’s camping. Real conker of a wavelength he could belch out, which you wouldn’t expect from a little fart like him. I think he developed it as a defense to make predators think a Snorlax is sleeping nearby or someth-”

“What?” Delia had trouble getting a word in edgewise sometimes, a trait of their relationship she oddly treasured. She liked seeing Jessie excited. “No, why would I ask to hear about…? Never mind, I meant the balloon thing.”

“Ok, yeah, that makes more sense,” Jessie admitted. “It was a thing of genuine beauty. A huge hot air balloon in the shape of Meowth. We even used official Team Rocket funds to commission it. They seemed cool with it.”

“I’d like to point out that they did very much fire you.”

“Oh yeah,” Jessie said with a guttural giggle. “Wow, things are definitely starting to make some more sense now that I say them out loud. But anyway, we used to go everywhere in that balloon. It was our own little home where we never had to deal with property tax. We’d sleep up there, have some fun by spitting off the sides, do… other things off the sides…”

“Honey, I love you but oh my god.”

“Hey, if you can think of other ways to handle being up in the air for days at a time…” Jessie’s old smug nature crept in, which she caught before going any further. “Th-the point is I just miss the balloon. It was sort of a symbol of that complete freedom we used to have. Nothing tying us down, literally. No rules. No responsibilities. No bosses or authori-” she paused, her expression that of a system reboot. “How did we not get fired sooner?”

“I didn’t realize how much you thought about that time,” Delia started to feel just a touch of guilt. Or was it jealousy?

“Not 'all the time' or anything. Some things just remind me of that past life. Like how James and Meowth have been sniping at each other a lot lately,” Jessie said with a look of dawning realization. “They must be feeling homesick too. Or, I mean ‘homesick’ I guess,” she made some halfhearted quotes with her fingers. A glance over at Delia dropped the fingers immediately as Jessie read her wife’s expression, as subtle as it was.

Jessie wordlessly walked over to Delia, not rushing, not holding back, simply going. She took her hands in her own and clasped them.

“I am happier now than I’ve ever been,” Jessie answered a wordless question. There was no need to explore the topic further. This is the most she’d talked about the old days since, she realized, that awkward time when she, James, and Meowth had shown up on Delia’s doorstep completely out of options. It was enough that she got it out.

Delia just smiled. It was a genuine smile, but one that obscured hidden depths. Depths that ironically flew right over Jessie’s head.

Once they finished closing, Jessie and Delia stepped out of the restaurant hand in hand, following James and Meowth who had apparently regained their passion for griping. Jessie paid little attention as they fired quips back and forth, sounding to her like synthesized speech from a Nintendo 64 game. She was content where she was, blissfully strolling home with the love of her life. No thoughts, just vibes.

If she’d only opened her eyes, she’d have seen the poorly-hidden look of sneaky determination emblazoned on Delia’s face.

-the next morning-

“Ash!” Delia burst into her son’s room. “We’re making a balloon!”

[prof-peach]

Hello professor, can you tell us more lore about the lady of the lake? She's my fave and I love her 🥰

The Lady Of The Lake, or 'Tanto' to staff and regulars is a Gyarados with no tail. She was the very first pokemon that inspired Grey to start inventing apparently, as she found her beached as a Magikarp when he was quite young, and something had bitten her back fin clean off. He built her a tail from scrap and slowly adjusted and learnt more as he went, keeping her around as a friend for many years.

His love of creating stems from her fighting spirit to keep living and surviving. She is tough and determined in nature, but because of how shes been raised, is a big softie.

Once evolved she was able to fly around happily, but without her tail as a rudder she was a little clumsy, so her new tail design had to adapt to new movements needed to shift around in the air, on land, and in the water, it was a tough build, but Grey figured it out.

Tanto lives in the lake now, but does move around, sometimes joining the pod of other Gyarados out in the ocean for brief moments, though they seem to recognise she's not a fighter and pick on her a bit.

Guests love her because you can get right up close and pet her, she loves attention, is a real softie, people are encouraged to stand in her mouth to take photos, or get up on her back if swimming out in the lake. its perfectly safe, she's very kind and gentle, and will socialise with any and all.

We actually utilise her softness as exposure therapy for people and pokemon who arent comfortable around the bigger mons, shes one of our star helpers with issues to overcome. Many have fear initially with her but shes proven time and time again that Gyarados arent all rage and nothing else. I can't actually recall the last time she was angry about anything.

Lady loves scratches under the chin, and comes in once or twice a month for check ups, adjustments, and a good clean, as the algae in the lake can start to build up around her joints. We've recently released some more remoraid into her lake with her since the last batch had been adopted out, and they seem to keep her company and far tidier, cleaning up the green off her scales with ease.

She can put on a bit of a show if there is midnight tours, which we do hold from time to time, as she loves the volbeat and illumise that dance on the lakes surface, and comes up to jump through them. Honestly shes an all around darling, and even me, with a water phobia, has waded in many times just to see her. She has a very magnetic, charasmatic personlity.

She leaves the lake about 3-4 times a week to hunt in the oceans for food, making sure not to eat guests or patients, so we're very appreciative, some of the other Pokemon could take a leaf from her book thats for sure! Certainly have to keep an eye on them, but she's hassle free and considerate.

[jadeazora]

A new Message from the Masters Team is out!

New Mysterious Stones Chapter (A Fateful Reunion) coming on May 1, 2024! You'll need to have collected a total of 600 Mysterious Stones to unlock this story's area. Volo and Rei finally meet face-to-face on Pasio. What will Rei do in response to Volo's intentions?

In addition, they've made improvements that will allow you to easily check successful teams when you are unable to win a battle, and also revamped each 5⭐-Guaranteed Sync Pair Scout found in the General tab of the Ticket Scout menu so that you can scout either x5 or x10. (It sounds to me like you would need to have collected 150 to 300 5⭐ Scout Tickets.)

Rika will star in Story Event Good Ol' Rika Here beginning on Apr26, and by teaming up with Rika & Clodsire from their Poké Fair Scout that will be available at the same time as the event, you'll be able to invite Rika as a Guest to the Trainer Lodge! You can also get a Clodsire photo frame for the Photo Creator by teaming up with them. Rika can be invited as a Guest to the Trainer Lodge starting May1.

Rika & Clodsire are a Ground-type Support Sync Pair. Their EX Role is Field. Their Rampant Mud Slap Buddy Move can lower all opponents' accuracy by two stat ranks and leave them poisoned. It can also create a Ground Zone and increase all allies' Physical Moves ↑ Next and Special Moves ↑ Next effects by two ranks each. They can also use their Think Fast! Trainer move to raise all allies' Attack and Sp. Atk by two stat ranks. Plus, they have a Passive Skill that restores all allies' HP when Rika & Clodsire get hit by an attack move, and another Passive Skill that lowers one of the following stats of an opponent that attacked them by two stat ranks at random when hit by an attack move: Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, or Speed.

Three different Triple Feature Poké Fair Scouts will begin on Apr27, featuring Sync Pairs such as Skyla (Anniversary 2022) & Tornadus, Palmer & Regigigas, and Gloria (Dojo Uniform) & Urshifu! For each lineup, there will be a regular Triple Feature Poké Fair Scout, as well as a paid-gems-only Triple Feature Poké Fair Scout that comes with a Roll Cake present. Each featured Fair-Exclusive Sync Pair will have an EX Role added, so we hope you look forward to it. (Note: Palmer & Regigigas already have an EX Role.) Also, looking forward to being able to boost Lysandre 👀

The sequel to the ongoing Costume Event New Heroes Are Born will start on Apr30. Two figures have appeared before our heroes as villains! (Cool how we're getting the PokeStar Studios alts as villains, but pretty predictable. Would have been cool to see some actual villains getting in on the fun, add that sense of urgency/seriousness, but was thinking it might be too much of an ask lol)

The next High Score Event "Water and Fairy Conqueror" will begin on May 7, 2024. This High Score Event will have two recommended types. Taking into account the difference in battle difficulty based on the available Sync Pairs of the recommended types for this High Score Event, the maximum number of points needed to obtain the featured reward will be changed from 180,000 to 200,000. They plan to make more adjustments to this point total based on the difficulty of future events as well.

Also scheduled are returns of Solo Event Pasio Gold Rush, Daily Battle The Golden Magikarp, and Story Event A Golden Future, as well as the addition of an Ultimate Battle and a new Trainer Files.

The next message is scheduled for late May.

Edit, here's the event schedule from Reddit:

[pokemonshelterstories]

I'm a bit lost right now, and thought I could ask for a bit of help. My fourteen year old daughter has expressed that she's very interested in raising a pokémon, so my wife and I are trying to research good beginner pokémon. A lot of the things we can find reccommend starter pokémon, but my daughter isn't interested in being a trainer and a lot of them seem to have pretty high needs as they grow. Most other suggestions are for feline and canine pokémon or bugs, but my wife is allergic and I'm terrified of bugs. I really want my daughter to be able to raise a pokémon, but I'm getting worried that there aren't any options that would be a good fit. Do you have any suggestions?

thanks for helping your daughter research the best fit for her! thankfully, there are plenty of great options for someone looking to keep a relatively easier pokemon to raise. of course, your options are going to depend on what region you're in, but here are some ideas to get you started!

small rodents and lagomorph pokemon are often great pets, though keep in mind that rodent pokemon are pretty universally social and will need at least one companion. these are pokemon like rattata, pawmi, bunnelby, azurill, and pichu.

some first stage bird pokemon also make really lovely companions. i personally have three pidove! other great choices are pidgey, starly, and swablu- but these guys are again very social and need a companion pokemon.

if your daughter is interested and willing to do some extra care prep, there are some fish, amphibian, and reptilian pokemon that can make great pets (magikarp and poliwag come to mind!), but oftentimes they need a specialized enclosure, and the setup can be more expensive.

there are also some traditional starter pokemon that are more suited to home life. i'd never recommend a charmander or totodile as a housepet, but a sobble or turtwig can live quite happily in a home!

your best bet for more specific recommendations is to reach out to a professor in your region, but this will at least give you an idea of where to start!

[triniteevee]

Pacify Him

(arven x reader ficlet)

(notes: kinda crackfic, less romantic, mostly humorous, academy shenanigans, reader and arven are adults, perspective shift but no first person pov lol; warnings: suggestive themes, spoilers re: clavell)

tagging @superstition13 and @wyverndollface96 for requesting and @snartalacarte for sending in that ask about arven content (✧∀✧)/

“It’s not what it looks like!” is quite possibly the worst thing you could have said in this situation.

Fortunately, it was not what you said.

Unfortunately, it was what Arven said.

A loud choking noise that could best be described as a mightyena’s laugh escapes Dendra. The rest of the professors whip their heads in her direction, which gives you a quick second to spare an incredulous look at Arven.

He returns a look that conveys, ‘I panicked.’

Not that what you two were doing goes against academy rules. There may have been some light… brawling, but neither of you really punched or kicked the other. Your little disagreement just escalated a tiny wee bit. It definitely did not require such an audience.

It went like this.

In preparation for midterms, the two of you commandeered the Home Ec room during free period. Arven, in particular, had been anxious to improve on his Meal Points. Within the first five minutes of your session, you had made one too many jokes at your classmate’s expense, and he retaliated by raising your ingredients above his head. In an attempt to secure your precious prosciutto, you may have tickled his surprisingly sensitive sides. With his free hand, he pushes you away in the face, and vision obscured, you wildly flail your arms. You’re not entirely sure with the details, but somehow you found yourself laying with your back flat against the tile floors caged between Arven’s arms.

Nurse Miriam almost sounds innocent, but you’ve hung out with her enough times to detect the twinkle in her eye. “What does it look like?”

Dendra cackles.

With that, Director Clavell ushers out the rest of the staff, save Professor Jacq. An almost strict parental aura emanates from the normally stoic man. Clavell turns his steely gaze at Arven which makes your companion honest-to-Arceus flinch. The gaze you’re given is somehow kinder.

“I know and trust that you two are sensible adults. I respect whatever choices you make regarding pursuing relations…,” he coughs. “Err- relationships.” You stifle a groan, and Arven stiffens in fear beside you. “However!” Clavell’s voice pitches up. “We have to respect that this is an institution for learning. Kindly display some decorum.” Almost like an afterthought, he adds, “Your dorm rooms are yours to use as you please.”

You’re nodding in an attempt to get him to move things quicker, but Arven would not shut his trap as word vomit after word vomit of “That’s not what—,” and “I would never—,” leaves his mouth.

This just serves to further incense Clavell. “Young man, do you see me a fool?”

The poor backtracking from Arven draws a sliver of pity from you, and you decide to put him out of his misery.

“Clive, my man.” Arven looks at you like you had gone absolutely mad, but Clavell stares curiously. “Me and this dude weren’t boning in here. Nor were we planning on boning.” The director has a poker face on, but you can see all his hostility earlier has vanished. “Bro, you know I’m a bit of a rebel — that’s why you and I vibe — but I would never do something so shameless.”

Arven gapes like a magikarp at the two of you. You’re patting the Director’s shoulder like you were best buds. The man is nodding enthusiastically, and whispering, “I see,” over and over again.

He flushes when you look back to send a quick wink, before sharing some (Oh, Arceus) ‘hot goss’ with Clavell— or Clive. He honestly didn’t know anymore.

A tap on his shoulder reminds him of another presence in the room. Professor Jacq is smiling sheepishly, Arven could only offer a grimace in return. The man’s next words slightly tempt Arven to just drop out of the academy forever.

“Misunderstanding aside. If either of you have any questions, remember that I’m not only your thesis advisor, but also a Biology professor.”

Unintentionally going in for the kill, he offhandedly mentions, “Oh, and Miriam texted me to remind you the nurse’s office has protection. Just ask.”

Right on cue, Arven realizes he had just stepped on some ham. Right. A deep sigh leaves him. Somehow, everyone seems to think you and Arven were making more than just sandwiches.

While picking up wasted ingredients, he flushes when he recalls how he had accidentally pinned you on the floor. The white tiles shine mockingly up at him. He focuses his gaze on the occasional pop of color alerting him of scattered bell peppers. He tries not to listen too attentively to your voice as you excitedly swap stories with Clavell and Jacq.

You were always good at that.

Winning over people naturally, that people knew who you were even before you met them. He was, after all, one of those people. Everyone knew who you were, and they all wanted to get to know you. Yet, despite that, you still pay attention to him. You could, by all accounts, have the more powerful and influential classmates eating at the palm of your hand, but here you are in an almost empty classroom essentially wasting time because he asked you to be here.

“Alrighty, y’all. Respectfully, get out! We got sandwiches to make, and a class to pass!”

Who even are you? Speaking to the staff in such a manner would have any other student marched down the steps of the academy, but the two older men simply jovially chuckle. Arven feels himself smile despite attempting to restrain it.

You walk back to your table, just as Arven is getting up. You offer him your hand, which he demurely accepts.

Smiling, you ask him, “What were we making again?”

He snorts. “Well according to the staff groupchat, a scene.”

You let out an even less dignified snort which draws a chuckle from your friend. Soon enough, you’re both deep in belly laughs to the point of tears.

Professor Saguaro doesn’t know what to do with himself upon returning and finding his two students heaving, and a table full of unused ingredients. A lone plated piece of bread sitting pathetically in the middle.

When Arven gets called out in class for not knowing the very thing you were meant to tutor him on, he couldn’t find it in himself to care. He feels you kick him in the side from your seat. Nope. He does not mind at all.

[book-of-legends]

[Response to this reply from @ask-team-misfit]

The Meowstic seemed to stare in confusion momentarily as he attempted to process all of the information Lief was saying. When he finally did, one thing stood out from the rest.

"Um. I'm... not sure what you mean by that. I don't understand how spice tolerance is related… Is this some kind of new-age informal language?" Sirius seemed extremely confused at this.

"I really don't get out that much, Is 'spicy' a common slang term Pokemon use now? ...Maybe I need to catch up with the outside world more..." It appears being stuck in his office constantly was starting to take a toll on his knowledge of current trends.

"But to answer your questions... You're actually the, um. Third or fourth intruder? I've lost count already, it's all quite stressful I just got back from a job a few hours ago." He sighed before, thinking over Lief's other questions, they were good but a little hard to explain in one go.

"I'm sorry but I think you might be mistaken, we do not fabricate the U-gates. We can make parts to repair them, yes. But it's virtually impossible to make a deity U-gate. Every time a U-gate attempt has been made by us mortals, they're limited to in-universe travel only. The U-gates I specialize in fixing are made from god magic, they're a type of Hoopa ring. Mortal-made U-gates are under an entirely different subject." "Asking me to explain those is like trying to ask someone who raises Magikarp to tell you how to take care of a Feebas. They're both fish but they have completely different needs."

"Shutting down a gate is... a complicated subject. I could go into the process of how a gate is 'closed off' but I fear we may be here for a while if I do. I will try my best to sum it up, however." "If we're discontinuing the use of a U-gate we're required to assess why, report back to Earendel and if we're able to, contact the Keeper to discuss the matter further. A common reason U-gates are discontinued is because they're located in either feral universes, extremely dangerous ones or the U-gate is just completely broken." "At that point, it's a matter of removing the core safely, dismantling it and bringing it to Lunala for disposal. After that, we ban or remove the universe from our star maps."

"And yes, we can control the gates. That is what the Keepers are for, they help everyday travellers operate the U-gates and be sent on their merry way to whatever universe they'd like." "We keep star maps updated so Keepers can do their jobs. I hope that satisfied your curiosity!" He gave a smile before nodding. "If you have any more questions I'm happy to get into it further."

[pokemonranch]

hi!! i think my magikarp is gonna evolve soon and i don't have any experience with gyarados, do you have any advice on looking after them? I'm a new trainer and I dont want to mess anything up for her :(

-@seren3grace

Well, Gyarados are notorious for being hard even for experienced trainers, so you're in for a rough learning experience. Even the most mellow Gyarados can have a tough time when they get angry or upset, and they do that... very regularly.

First of, if you don't have it already, Gyarados need big bodies of water to live in. Magikarp do well in tanks, but you'll need at least a pond or a big Water-Type pool (20x20x25m at least!) for her to live in. They can co-exist with small water 'mons, but bigger/stronger ones such as Sharpedo, Wishiwashi (School) and Swampert can fight 'em for dominance. If you do have 'em, try to re-introduce it to the newly evolved Gyarados slowly and always with her 'Ball at hand!

In terms of food, they do well with any type of Water-type food, and they can also eat Dragon-type as well! And you'll need TONS of it, too. Fortunately, they don't need much enrichment, and you even have the risk of her Hyperbeam-ing any of her toys that she decided she didn't like for any reason.

But! On the bright side, they're great fighters, and despite the myths of 'em being "evil", it's been proven they can really bond with their trainers, especially if they've been raised and evolved with 'em. They need a lot of work, but they're worth it in my opinion.

Good luck with your buddy, I wish her the best!

[adobe-outdesign]

Actually, now that I think about it, humans are, no joke, straight-up freaks of nature in the pokemon world. Absolutely nothing about humans makes sense in-universe (why do humans gestate instead of laying eggs? why do rare candies raise a Pokemon's level and stats, but do nothing for a human??). Was humanity just a little joke by Arceus that went too far???

Pokemon lore has indicated that humans are descended from Pokemon (like how IRL humans are descended from apes). My headcanon is that humans were the only Pokemon that were intelligent, fragile, and social enough to form permanent societies (unlike other intelligent Pokemon, which tend to either be stronger or non-social/semi-nomatic). This caused them to gradually lose their ability to convert into energy and use moves (though some psychic humans still exist in the modern day) as they no longer needed them to survive on the daily. After they became even more fragile due to lack of abilities, they eventually teamed up with Pokemon to compensate for effectively being Land Magikarps.

[ask-team-misfit]

@vi-riolu @azurriea-gods Judir and Ytri

The two approach Lief, Judir shoveling some food into his face hole

Ytri: "You seem to be of weak will in this place? Your mind wanders and doesn't seem to appreciate the company?"

Judir: "She means you seem out of place and uncomfortable."

Ytri gave Judir a certain look

Ytri: "Not much is going on though. Thought we could ask to hang out with you?"

Ytri would continue speaking but in some ancient language that only Judir seemed to understand.

[ @vi-riolu ; @azurriea-gods ]

Well that was fast. Perhaps he really did stand out that much.

With a somewhat judgemental glance, he looked at Ytri, then Judir. He slowly took another bite of his snack.

Lief: "Well, yeah? And you aren't? I mean we're both seeing the same thing here, right?"

His gaze briefly shifted towards the humanoid 'mons in the crowd.

[ ID: A grayscale drawing of Lief, a hybrid of Sylveon and Ribombee, with a mono-color background. He is shown from the neck up, with his face slightly angled away from the viewer towards the left. He looks puzzled, or curious. His left eyebrow is noticeably raised, while his right eyelid is lowered somewhat. He is frowning visibly. An angular question mark is floating next to his head at the left. End ID ]

Lief: "Like what is that? I may as well be a Magikarp out of water here. No shit I'm feeling weird about it."

He focused back on the duo in question, swallowing his mouthful. He huffed at the Azelf's last question.

Lief: "Don't know why you want me of all Pokemon, but knock yourself out, I guess. But on one condition; how I feel, or how I don't feel? Not your business."

[ash-imagines]

if you're not too busy, could i request some Guzma x male!rival!reader? preferably one where the reader works at a Pokemon shelter... and despite being a harmless-looking cutie from Unova, the reader can put up a serious fight? team: Leavanny, Steenee, Roserade, Ribombee, Crustle. thanks in advance for this!

People tend to underestimate you.

Your previous job was at a daycare, raising people's Pokémon for them, looking after Pokémon eggs, that sort of thing. At first, it doesn't sound like the kind of job you would need a lot of experience for, but you need to be able to keep Pokémon of any level under control. So yes, you did end up caring for a lot of level 1 Magikarp, but you also occasionally got a level 70 Snorlax or something wild like that. If you didn't have a good chunk of knowledge about Pokémon, you'd be in a bit of trouble. The daycare you worked in was sort of the family business, and you figured you would probably be working there for the rest of your life. After all, you had been helping out there since the day you could string together a full sentence.

And then there was the incident with the Glameow.

A man came rushing in with this injured Glameow. He said he found it in some tall grass, that he wasn't sure what had happened to it. The nearest Pokécenter was too far for him to get to, so he brought the Glameow to your daycare. Seeing the poor injured Pokémon made your heart break, especially because it was a wild Pokémon without a trainer to get it the help it needed. You were, thankfully, able to get her the help she needed, and she was so grateful to the man who brought her in that she ended up becoming his Pokémon, so the story at least had a happy ending... but it stuck with you. Wild Pokémon, Pokémon that have been released by their trainers, Pokémon whose trainers have passed away... what happens to these Pokémon? If they get hurt, they can only rely on themselves and other Pokémon to be healed.

That just felt wrong to you.

So you moved to the Alola region with the goal of creating a Pokémon shelter. People who no longer have the means to take care of their Pokémon can leave them with you, and injured Pokémon without trainers can receive the care they need. Obviously, it's not too dissimilar from your work at the daycare. It's just more fulfilling, in your opinion, because you feel like you're really helping the people and Pokémon in your community.

But you probably should have anticipated that people looking to get ahold of Pokémon without having to actually catch any would come bursting through your door. This "Team Skull" seems to be causing trouble for lots of people in the region. It only takes a couple of battles for them go scurrying back out the door they so rudely burst in, though. You assume that's what made their leader curious enough to case your joint for himself.

He talks a big talk, demanding a battle from you, but there's this look in his eyes that you've seen before. It's the look of someone who's been neglected, abandoned, mistreated, and disillusioned. You've seen it in the eyes of plenty Pokémon by now. You agree to battle him, naturally making quick work of his Pokémon, and you can't help feeling a little sorry for him. You suspect that Team Skull is to him what the shelter is to you. It's his way of taking care of his community, of looking after those individuals that got left behind.

You tell him you hope to see him again. He seems surprised.