#rocket leades giovanni

[trustymikh]

something something cramps and kissing it better

[marchsage]

aftermath

[helmarok]

makes me cry when james' response to any sort of praise even the smallest bit is fucking exploding into hysterical sobbing or having the biggest most goofy pink faced grin like this poor thing never even got told "good work" once in their entire childhood

[badmusejail]

Why did the author kill you off?

Morals=Mortality

Every story has themes, with lessons within those themes. Your death was in service of one (or more) of these, your life made forfeit in favor of imparting wisdom... or what the author presented as wisdom. Were you too kind? Too trusting? Too forgiving? Did a cruel author kill you to prove that happy endings do not exist? Or were you too proud to ask for help? Too angry to let the past go? Did the author hold a mirror up to the protagonist, showing them your death where the reflection was supposed to go? On one hand, your death is pitiable, for it does not belong to you. On the other, you have been granted a gift many spend their whole lives searching for: A purpose. May you find comfort and truth within the circumstances of your demise (and may we all).

tagged by: @the27percent​

[xxtc-96xx]

(Sorry if this has been asked before- but) what are your thoughts on Hanamusa? Jessie x ash’s mom? (My all time favorite ongoing Pokémon fan things are your mewtwo comics and the Hanamusa comics from @yamujiburo— and now I’ve been going insane all day, wondering what would happen if mewtwo saw Delia hanging out with Jessie like that- would there be a fight, considering everything team rocket has put mewtwo through? Would there be solidarity, since Jessie quit— leading to them blowing up Giovanni’s house together or something??? I DONT KNOW!! *slightly deranged laughter*/POS)

they're cutely drawn but it's not my thing personally XD but I can see why they draw it. Jesse and James are more involved in Ash's life than his own mother is

[jadeazora]

(Archie and Maxie, Rose, Guzma, etc. not included since they were much more mild imo.)

A more detailed list of their crimes:

RR Giovanni specifically since he's always has some kinda scheme going and seems among the most competent of the lot, extremely manipulative and charismatic, was able to force all the past villains to band together to fight off Team Rocket on Pasio (or somehow lead them in the RR storyline)

Cyrus in Platinum was really only foiled thanks to Giratina, otherwise, he was the closest to actually winning imo. Literally, what could the player have done in that situation? The Lake guardians could only balance one dragon, and while we have the Master Ball, he's the one that gave it to us in the first place. Do you think he'd really let us just chuck it at one of the Dragons? That he couldn't just warp it away or freeze it in time?

Ghetsis. Groomed his (adopted) son in order to be the perfect little puppet king, with apparent intention to dispose of him after he outlived his usefulness, first villain to actually try to murder us, possibly implied to have killed N in Ultra (I said this before: I do not like that he has N's Dragon. Not one bit!), and then he physically assaults and threatens to kill Lillie if the player doesn't stand down.

Lysandre. Attempted genocide with a WMD. His organization has strong secret police traits, even tho those aren't developed too well in the original XY games. Haven't looked at him in the same way since he executed a couple of Team Rocket grunts by boiling them alive. (That's just really gruesome for Pokémon. And then it's heavily hinted he was stalking a Team Break grunt with that same intent, just waiting for the guy to push his luck.)

SM Lusamine. Emotionally abusive and controlling to her own daughter, might strike a bit closer to home than with Ghetsis. Froze potentially dozens of Pokémon, going by those cryo tanks all over her room, and then flips out as the Motherbeast and tries to attack Lillie.

Volo. The way the game builds us having a bond with him before he reveals that he was just using us all along, and then orders Giratina to kill us all with a smile on his face was so brutal, and I never saw it coming. Adding to it, we're alone with this man with likely no one else around for miles at several points in the game, one of these being our literal most helpless moment when we've been banished and the clans can't help us under threat of war.

[kob131]

Pokemon Team Symbolism in Pokemon

You would think a series that emphasizes a colorful cast of creatures would try to use them to symbolize a character and their journey.

They have. Just not as often as you would think. It's damn good when they do though.

What Symbolism?

The symbolism I am talking about is using a Trainer's Pokemon to demonstrate aspects of the Trainer's personality and/or journey. For example, a Pokemon evolving after the Trainer has reached a turning point in their story or a Pokemon's move or Ability to demonstrate a personality trait that isn't so obvious.

Gen 1

Now normally I would begin off by talking about how a Pokemon represents a character and how they change alongside the Trainer...but Gen 1 doesn't really...have this.

This isn't an insult or anything- Gen 1 simply doesn't have the variety to pull this off. For example, what Pokemon can you use to represent Misty within Gen 1? Maybe Seaking or Gyardos but there's a reason why, in her Heartgold/Soulsilver rematch, she uses a Milotic due to it's heavy association with the fluidity and grace of water alongside being a counterpart to perhaps Gen 1's most famous Water-Gyardos. It's because no other Water type can really symbolize who Misty is, especially since there are no rematches to give her a more expansive team. And Misty's one of the EASIER people to make a more symbolic team with.

I guess of particular note is Blaine's use of Arcanine as his ace, due to how supplementary material implies he helped make Mewtwo and how Arcanine is referred to as the 'Legendary' Pokemon. Or Alakazam's immense power and almost alien appearence fitting with Sabrina's creepy vibe. And Giovanni using Nidoking and Nidoqueen, Ground/Poison types, can symbolize his leadership of Team Rocket and his status as the Ground Gym Leader. It's all cool... But not really anything special.

Gen 2

Ah here's the good shit.

This is where Game Freak started experimenting with more...expressive uses of Pokemon. Before we get to the big example, I want to try and talk about some of the other trainers.

In particular, I want to make a special mention of Clair and Lance's teams. With Clair, her team consists of three Dragonairs and a Kingdra. Now this doesn't look all that special aside from the Dragon-Type's status as being uber powerful in earlier gens but it does gain quite a bit of significance if you consider her relationship with Lance (him being her stronger and older cousin that she's implied to feel inferior to) and his own team. Namely that her Dragonairs all only have one move seperating them (Surf/Thunderbolt/Ice Beam) which is very similar to three Pokemon from Lance's team...except that the moves chosen (Thunder/Blizzard/Fire Blast) all have higher BP and the Pokemon in question are his Dragonites, the fnal stage of Dragonair. Meaning that Lance's team is basically an upgraded version of Clair's, showing why she feels so inferior to him.

And this chink in her armor is further emphasized through her ace, Kingdra. Kingdra's typing of Water/Dragon actually removes the signature Ice weakness that Dragons have (as well as giving it a STAB against the Swinub line the player will likely try to use against her) but it leaves it weak to Dragon-Types still. Meaning Lance's mastery will lead to Clair facing a harder battle. And for extra points- Lance's Gen 3 rematch team even gives him a Kingdra, further connecting them.

Now to move on- Silver.

I've come to the realization that Silver might be one of the most important characters in Pokemon. Not story wise mind you- he basically falls off outside of his Gen and it's remakes. But rather, in his writing. Because Silver's team actually includes the first notable use of Evolution to symbolize a Trainer's personal development. In his own story, Silver begins as your average edgy teen with an obsession with power and being a badass, even though you keep whooping his ass. However unlike Blue, Silver actually reacts to being beaten by you as he grows more and more frustrated. This coincideces with everyone he fights telling about how cruel and abusive he is acting towards his Pokemon. And by the time you beat him in Victory Road- he accepts what he did wrong and works to improve himself, not just his Pokemon. And this is shown as his Mt. Moon fight (...Really Game Freak?), his Kadabra and Haunter have evolved, meaning that Silver had to have become more personable to get someone to trade with him and his Golbat evolves in Crobat in his finale fight, a friendship based evolution. (Bonus points- Zubat/Golbat are commonly used by Team Rocket members, with Giovanni their leader being Silver's dad.)

This really shows how a Trainer's team can be used to symbolize their growth as a person. I can't wait to see what the next Gen accompli-

Gen 3

... God damn it.

So Gen 3 kind of falls back a bit in turns of using Pokemon teams for characterization. You have the usual basic symbology- like Brawly the martial artist using martial arts focused Fighting types, Norman being an everyman and a mundane but everpresent presence in your life being the master of powerful Normal types and the sea surrounded Sootopolius having a Water Gym. But nothing like the interplay between Lance and Clair or the subtly of Silver.

Best I have is the quite and sensitive Wally using the sensitive and shy Ralts evolving into the powerful Gardevoir/Gallade. But poor Walley doesn't get much time. The rivals...aren't really characters in Gen 3 and I've never played the Gen 6 remakes. For fuck's sake- they didn't even fully evolve her starter in the original games!

At least the Gym Leader aces do a better job of portraying them. Like Tate and Liza's Double Battle makes them like souped-up versions of the twins you've encountered in the game, their teamwork is shown through their Claydol always having access to Earthquake while their other Pokemon have some way of mitigating its team hitting function. Steven's love of rare stones and minerals is shown through him using the fossil Pokemon and Metagross. Or Winnoa's love of the sky being shown through her cloud-shaped Altaria. And Wallace's love of elegance being echoed in Milotic.

... Let's move on.

Gen 4

Okay, we're getting better.

Specifically, I'm talking about Barry. Specifically, his second to and last fights alongside his general team composition.

In his second to last fight, Barry fights you in Calvacade City, right before the sixth. By this point, most players will have evolved their starter. After all, Byron's team is edging Level 40 and the starter's evolve at Level 36 (Infernape/Empoleon) or 32 (Torterra). This is because Barry hasn't hit his turning point yet, in his loss to Jupiter at Lake Acuity which results in Uxie's capture. This causes Barry to become more serious and focused in his later appearances, as shown by his team battle with the player and his final fight at the Pokemon League having his starter fully evolved.

There's also the fact that Barry's team is actually rather well balanced, better than even Blue's team. As it turns out, Barry's family has a history of being tough trainers as his Dad, Palmer, is a Battle Frontier member. The Battle Tower, in fact. Which is basically the Pokemon location for 'ultra tough battles.'

Of course, there's also Cynthia. Her team is where Game Freak really go out of their way to try and capture the feeling of a 'Pokemon Master'. She begins with Spiritomb, a VERY rare Pokemon that the player likely knows nothing about. She also wields Milotic, a former Champion's ACE; Lucario, another rare Pokemon that you can only get from being gifted an Egg; Togekiss, a Pokemon that involves evolution through friendship and a Gen 4 stone; Roserade, a similar Pokemon to Togekiss through it's evolution line as well as being Gardena's ace and Garchomp, a Pokemon that takes advantage of Gen 4's more varied BST distribution to be a kind of Master of All pseudo-legendary. All of this together showcases Cynthia's power as a Champion- the varied methods of evolution display her wide range, the rarity of her Pokemon show her extensive travels, her use of former aces show her higher rank and her own ace being almost specifically stated to take advantage of every single advantage possible show her sheer strength.

Of smaller note is also Volkner and Flint, friends as shown in game, having similar kinds of teams whose aces are Electrivire/Magmortar, two evolutions of Gen 1 counterparts Electibuzz/Magmar with Gen 2 baby pre-evolutions. And Rorak and Byron's Aces, being Ramphardos and Bastidon, showing them to both be miners and having Byron be a Steel Gym Leader, when Steel is essentially an upgraded version of Rock, to show them being father and son.

Gen 5

Oh this is the good shit.

Gen 5 is famous for the MASSIVE leap in story quality and it really shows. Ignoring the two green elephants in the room for right now, let's start with the rivals.

With Bianca, her story is all about wanting to go out into the world with her childhood friends to live out her dreams, like them. However, she comes to learn that she might not be suited for being a Trainer since even with her strong resistance to her father's demands- she can't really keep up with the other two. And this shows in her battles- Namely that she fights you less frequently than Cheren (five vs. his seven) and with Cheren having better strategies.

Speaking of, Cheren is someone heavily focused on becoming a stronger Trainer and being determined to overcome the Player, which is reflected in his team. He not only fights you more often but his team is at a higher level before the post game than Bianca and he's one of the Trainers in the series to use extensive use of held items. It also demonstrates a knowledge of Pokemon battling than most Trainers in the series, showing why he'd qualify for being a Gym Leader in the sequels.

Then we have perhaps the two who stand as the standards, if not pinnacles for great team symbolism- N and Ghetsis. With N, it's already noted that for each battle he partakes in, he catches nearby Pokemon and uses them for his battles. And it's already said that he does this because he thinks capturing Pokemon is wrong and that humans and Pokemon can't coexist. But the interesting thing comes from his teams in the original games and the sequels.

In the first game, N is unique in that he sends out his ace, Zekrom/Reshiram, first. While on a gameplay level it makes sense as your own dragon will be sent to the first slot, it works on a story level too as N sees this fight as the big, determining battle to see whose side is right with your dragons representing your sides of the conflict. I even think N will always start the fight with the Fusion attack of his dragon, showcasing how you have affected him and his view of Pokemon and humans. You also have his other Pokemon- like how he has Carracosta and Archeops, the fossil Pokemon, and Klinklang and Vanillux, a futuristic Pokemon and a Pokemon inspired by a modern beverage, showcasing Black and White's duality and focus on the past and future while also showing N's deep connection to Pokemon old and new. And finally we have his Zoroark, a Pokemon shown in the opening of the game as a Zoura to have been with him his whole life, likely feeding into his beliefs through its experiences...and how said beliefs were based on lies.

Then we have his sequel teams, themed after each different type of weather for each season (Rain for Spring, Sun for Summer, Sand for Autumn and Hail for Winter)- implying that not only is N such a masterful trainer that he has mastered multiple kinds of teams but also showing that he's unwilling to force himself onto nature and Pokemon, instead working with them to achieve the best they can.

Very much unlike his father, Ghetsis. With him, he starts with the defensive and stalling Cofagrigus which uses Toxic and Protect to slowly whittle away at the player with his Mummy ability representing the way he infected and controlled N; Boffluant with Reckless demonstrating his wild emotions and how he views his Pokemon as expendable; Seismitoad and its sweeping power to demonstrate his threat; Bisharp with Defiant to show his status as the final boss as well as how he truly commands Team Plasma much like how a Bisharp commands Pawniards; Eelktross and it's almost leech like appearence to show how he used N and his Hydrigeon, Gen 5's Pseudo-Legendary and known for its violent disposition to show what Ghetsis is really like.

This gets especially blatant with his sequel team, which is far less effective with his Sesimitoad losing Swift Swim for Poison Touch, losing his Bisharp and Boffulant for Draipon and Toxicroak and finally his Hydriegon losing its Special set for an inferior Physical set (the only upside being a maxed out Frustration. Which...yeah, three guesses why). All to show how far he has fallen, how he has lost his ability to lead by this point, how corroded his mind actually is now and how he's lost his effectiveness.

We even have some interesting symbolism in the Gym Leaders, like with Clay's ace, Excadrill, not only being based on a mining tool but also seems to be perfectly designed to defeat the ore-based Roggnerola line (with Ground/Steel attacks to it's Rock, Mold Breaker to ignore Sturdy and Sand Rush/Sand Force to take advantage of the line's future Sand Stream ability). Things are looking up once aga-

Gen 6

... I need to stop pissing in the face of fate.

So...Gen 6, probably the worst Generation of Pokemon, has next to no interesting Pokemon symbolism. Cool, the dancing rival has Pokemon that use dance moves. ... That's it. Trevor wants to travel Kalos because his parents left him behind but his team is a Raichu, a Aerodyctal and a Florges. Shanua is aimless and has a crush on the player character, gets the type-weak starter and fights you twice. Calem and Serena are the kids of famous Pokemon battlers...but their teams aren't very well put together.

The Gym Leaders have nothing. Best is Wulfric, a bulky guy, uses the iceberg Pokemon Avalugg.

The villain leader Lysander does use a Pyroar in his matches, matching team Flare's colors and showing their obssession with beauty. And Malva also uses a Pyroar to show she was a supporter of Team Flare.

That's it.

.... Moving on.

Gen 7

Getting back on track. Again.

First up is Hau. In the Sun and Moon games, Hau is a very laid back and generally easy going guy who doesn't put much stock into the battles he gets into. While this would normally be seen as a good thing, a few characters call him out for his easy going attitude which ends up affecting his performance in battle. The culminates in his loss in Aether House, hammering home that he cannot continue this path. And so, he works harder to become stronger for the sake of his friends. It's around this time the games visibly have his starter, previous stuck in its middle or 'teen' evolution, grow into it's final stage. There's also quite a bit of Fighting Type hate in his team, from his Pichu knowing Charm and it evolving into a part Psychic type, his Eeveeloution also having Charm and Baby-Doll Eyes as well as having a Noivern on his team. Showing that he's still focused on beating his grandpa, Hala. And yet, he's still proud of his heritage, as shown with his Tauros (commonly found on Melemene island as a Ride Pokemon) and his Crabmomible (the ace of his grandpa).

Things don't end there, since there's also Gladion and his ace, Type: Null. Gladion is a runaway young team having recently lost his dad and basically his mom (since she goes either coocoo from neurotoxins in the original games or goes all Count of Monte Cristo on aliens in the Ultra games). Much like his ace, Gladion is bound and chained by his past, driven to either stop his mother or protect who he has left but can't really take advantage of his strengths because of it too. So instead he's kind of stuck seeking power even when we know he's way in over his head. That is until he meets the player and Hau, whom he learns to trust and put his faith into. And by the end- he's free as his family is safe and he can pursue the life he wants. A story neatly packed into Type: Null's own evolution, going from a rampaging beast bound and restricted to a freed and kinder creature. For bonus points, out of Gladion's other six Pokemon- three of them are friendship evolutions with one being a Lucario, a Pokemon that only follows those who have justice in their hearts.

Oh and you get a nice dose of N with his Zororark imitating his Silvally, showing that his threatening demeanor is just a really complicated version of teen angst and coping.

Speaking of coping- Guzma. A tough looking leader of Team Skull...whose actually a man who grew up abused by his dad before beating him up and running away, took up the Island Challenge and is now a washed up leader of bitter people desperately trying to make something of themselves. And wouldn't you know it- He uses the Bug Type, a type that gets shit on both in universe and out for its weak members and generally being outclassed. This shows Guzma's inner weakness and connection to the weak and discarded Team Skull. They're also some of the more threatening Bug Types, including his rather strong ace Golisopod. This Pokemon in particular represents Guzma, as it begins as a weak and scared Wimpod before evolving after a lot of hard work into the threatening and determined Golisopod. Rather fitting for a man who once jumped into an interdimensional portal to fight aliens and also got involved in the downfall of the Super Interdimensional Gay Mafia. Awesome.

Moving back to the blondes- Lusamine. Said mother who went coocoo over her husbands death. A woman obsessed with the beauty of Pokemon, herself deceptively beautiful for a violent and destructive person. Her team consists of Pokemon commonly considered beautiful or cute...while also being rather strong. Those being- Clefairy, a kind hearted and helpful Pokemon showing her loving nature that is either hidden or wrecked; Lilligant, a Pokemon heavily associated with beauty and grace that requires skillful care to ensure its flower blossoms to show her geniune love for Pokemon; Lopunny, a cautious and active Pokemon that also displays Lusamine's kinder side; Mismagius, an eerie witch-like Pokemon known for its cries harming but sometimes helping others, showing Lusamine's violent mood in the earlier games before being switched with the kinder Lopunny; Milotic...we've already talked about it and Bewear, a giant fluffy Pokemon that loves to give hugs...that smooths and crushes those it hugs due to not understanding its own strength. ... Take a guess as to what this Pokemon represents.

And finally we have Lillie. A girl who starts off scared, indecisive and unable to do anything until events force her to help out or lose everything. WIth the likes of Hop and the player's actions, she's inspired to take a more proactive role in battles...while still not being the best and acting as support. As shown with her team being support based Fairy types. A type that just so happens to be heavily connected to feminine beauty. And her signature Pokemon is a Friend Guard Clefairy. ... Did I mention Lusamine's first Pokemon in all her fights is an offensive Magic Guard Clefable?

Sadly can't say too much about the Kahunas- they aren't really focused on. It's more the Totem Pokemon...and those aren't teams. So...moving on.

Gen 8

Okay, get a snack and a drink. We're going to be here for a while.

Let's try something simple- Marnie. One of the more static trainers, this isn't to say she doesn't have any symbolism on her team. It kind of seems odd for someone like Marnie, who isn't even really aggressive in her rivalry with the player, to be using a Dark type team, since Dark types are known for their underhanded tactics and propensity for malicious behavior. But it does make sense when you see that she hails from Spikemuth, which is the hometown of Team Yell. Said team is, in actuality, her brother's Gym Trainers having gone off to support her. This is shown by her team being made up, while perhaps not fully moral Pokemon, are the more beign Pokemon of their types. Like her Liepard, Morpeko and Grimmsnarl are all more akin to tricksters rather than the malicious Pokemon usually associated with the Dark Type. Even her Poison type is a Toxicroak, a Pokemon known for its toxicity but not for any underhanded tactics. This is also a Pokemon that appears frequently on villain teams, hinting at her connection to Team Yell. Further connecting her to them is Scrafty, a Dark/Fighting type she shares with her brother Piers. Over half her team also has a type ADVANTAGE over Team Yell, indicating how she not only controls them but also takes over for her brother in the end.

Yeah, that was one of the more...easy examples. Bede is a bit more complex. He starts off as your typical example of a 'jackass rival', being smug and condescending to you and your friend Hop. As he seems to be a call back to the likes of Blue, Bede uses the Psychic type, which was infamously overpowered in Gen 1. However, Bede is..not good. His team entirely consists of Psychic, Normal and Fairy attacks which sounds good...until you remember that A. this leaves Bede with no means of answering Steel types which resist Psychic, Normal and Fairy and B. Half his moves use his Pokemon's inferior attacking stats (like Gothorilla used Rock Tomb and Galarian Pontya uses Special moves). These kind of leave him as an ill fitting opponent despite his arrogance. And that weakness to Steel types likely isn't a coincidence- his benefactor is Chairman Rose, a Steel type specialist who helped Bede become a Gym Challenger before revoking his right later. Around this time, the Fairy Gym Leader Opal takes a liking to him and proceeds to drag him off. Next time he appears, he shows up as Opal's apprentice and successor, becoming a Fairy type trainer. From here, we see that he has learned a bit of humility and understanding on where he went wrong. This nicely coinsides with his team having far more diverse type coverage, being fully evolved and even having a coverage move against Steels. Coolest part is that Bede retains half his team, with his formerly pure Psychic Ponyta and Hattrem evolving into Psychic/Fairy Rapidash and Hattrene, which is now able to stand against Rose. Even so, he still cares for him, as shown by his Mawille, a Steel/Fairy Pokemon, being his lead. It's part Steel typing and Intimidate ability summing up Bede before his encounter with Opal and displaying Rose's permanent impact in his life.

And yet they both pale in comparison to your main rival- Hop. Hop is the childhood friend of the player character and brother to the current Champion, Leon. An energetic boy with high hopes for his travels, he starts his adventure with his Wooloo (this game's first Normal type) and the starter weak to yours. SO naturally you beat the crap out of him. Simple as always. .... Except. Hop...doesn't just take it. When you beat him after obtaining your first badge, he briefy bemoans how he's weaker than you before admitting he need sto keep his guard up. And this isn't a one and done deal. He later loses to Bede who proceeds to insult him, telling him that he's dragging his brother's name through the mud. Which he later admits to really affecting him. And so...Hop does something that no other trainer in the series has ever done. He does a near full revamp of his old team. He benches his Wooloo and Corvisquare he had been using up until then for various different Pokemon in not just his next fight but the one after that. And after each loss, Hops becomes more and more despondent. After all, if he can't beat you even after overhauling his team twice then does he really stand a chance of beating his brother? However, upon hearing about the Galar legend about the Darkest Day, Hop resolves himself to stop doubting himself and simply focus on getting better, as shown by him returning his old Pokemon (now fully evolved), including a Pinurchin and adding the Snorlax he had been using before. So alls well that ends well.

Until you beat Hop in the semifinals before proceeding to beat his brother, the so-called unbeatable Champion. The man whom he looked up to. The man he dreamed about beating and surpassing. The man YOU just beat after beating him multiple times. ... Yeah. After the credits roll, you and him are called back to the resting place of the Legendaries where Hop asks to fight you once again. And here's the return of one the Pokemon from his 'doubt' period. And once again, Hop loses to an asshole insulting him (Sorward or Shieldbert) and even run off with the Legendaries' items, causing a huge hit to his confidence. It even makes him question whether or not he can even help you as you try to catch the brothers, even though Hop had done as much in the plot as you had. Even though he kept one of the items the Legendaries used to fight Eternatus. Even though he helped you BEAT Eternatus. Which is far more than can be said of most rivals. But Hop proves himself once more- he helps quell the raging Dynamax Pokemon, helps defend you as you chase after the brothers and even risks his life to go quell one of the Legendaries as it runs wild. All culminating in an honor that no other rival in the series has gotten: Hop catches the opposing Legendary and adds it to his team. Proof that he is just as much a hero as you are.

And he deserved it.

But this section is going on long enough by this point so we really need to move on. Because Hop sets a standard for the next Gen of Pokemon.

Gen 9

We're FINALLY at the last Gen as of this post's making (Gen 9 Teal Mask DLC). And...fuck my arm is tired.

So, let's try to get the Gym Leaders out of the way quick. Because yes- The Gym Leaders all have some kind of symbolism, rivaling their Gen 5 counterparts. Like Katy bemoaning that she's forced to go easy on Trainers is neatly symbolized by her cute ace Teddiursa becoming the fierce and violent Ursaring; Brassius' signature artwork being a stone statue of a Grass Type with his ace being a Tera Grass Sudowoodo, a Rock Type that emulates a tree; Kofu being a seafood chief using a team themed around seafood (including the self fillieting Veneluza); Larry's ordinary profession belying effectiveness shown through his Tera Pokemon sharing it's type with it meaning it gets extra damage; Rhyme being a rap artist connected with the dead through her Tera Ghost Low Key Toxicricity ect. I can't speak too much about them cuz shit's gonna be long.

Let's start with Arven. A boy who isn't much of Trainer, closed off and hostile because of his parent(s?)'s neglect- Arven doesn't really have any Pokemon to speak of at the beginning. He has a Skwot...and that's it. He even admits he just caught the damn thing. But as he travels with the player, slowly opening up to them and becoming friend with them, he catches nearby Pokemon and uses them to fight off the Titans. And he does a pretty damn good job- His Pokemon will always have a type advantage to be advantageous and each are fairly decent Pokemon in their own right (Cloyster, Scovillain, Garganacl and Toedscruel) along with his previously caught Greedent and his old friend Mabosstiff, an intimidating but loving and loyal Pokemon. Much like Arven. And like Mabosstiff, Arven gains friends and allies in his efforts through his adventure with the player.

One of said allies is Penny. An unassuming girl who the player saves from being harrassed by a group of deliquents called Team Star...who ends up being a skilled hacker and also the LEADER of Team Star under the pseudonym of 'Cassiopea'. And Penny's team is...entirely standardized with six Eeveelutions that share the moves Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick-Attack, a STAB move and a single coverage moves. A rather...underwhelming team of Pokemon, especially for the climax of a storyline. ... But that's intentional. Penny maybe the leader of Team Star but, as you could probably guess, no one had ever even SEEN Penny face to face before. While Team Star have formidable Trainers in their upper ranks, Penny never took to the battlefield personally. Penny is not a fighter and her team reflects this. Her Eeveelutions are not specially trained Pokemon- they're effectively pets. This is why they all have low-level moves in their movesets: they're hold overs from when they were Eevees that were never removed because Penny never had a reason for it. In fact, Quick Attack and Baby Doll Eyes arguable work better for a pet (being able to zoom around quickly to release energy and beg for food) than a battler. Hell, her Pokemon all provide some kind of utility and two of which are friendship evolutions- they really ARE pets.

Next we have Nemona, the rival character of the game. Unlike the other rivals, Nemona is in fact a more accomplished trainer than the player at first. In fact, she's so strong that this combined with her obssession lead her to becoming isolated from her peers. And for a peak at her strength: she beat the Top Champion of Paldea while still holding back. And it shows in the contrast between her fights with the player throughout the Victory Road story. She constantly talks about holding back, carefully considering her team to match what you should be at that point. And her teams are, consequently, nothing special. Just some basic level up moves. Right up until the very last fight of the storyline. Nemona, having changed her class from 'Pokemon Trainer' to 'Champion', is not only using a full team but is now packing STAB for each of her Pokemon AND coverage moves to smack your Pokemon hard no matter the matchup. Even with her choosing the starter weak to yours- her team is made up of rare and powerful Pokemon like a Goodra (pseudo-Legendary), Orthworm (a Pokemon previously fought as a TITAN), Lycanrock (a speedy Rock type), Pawimot (a Pokemon with the rare Electric/Fighting type) and a three segment Dundunsparce (a bulk and strong Normal Type that's also a 1/100 evolution, showing her sheer talent). Unless you overlevel your team, Nemona will be knocking out some of your team. As befitting a Champion. Moreso than fucking Geeta...

And if that's not enough, we also have the Professor stand in- Director Clavell. Introduced as the well meaning, attentive, kind and reasonable principal of the Academy, you would be forgiven for thinking that he might just be okay fight. ... He has more strategy to his team than 90% of Trainers in the series. No really.

He starts with an Oragnuru, a Pokemon noted for its intelligence and ability to use tools. FIttingly, it's a support Pokemon that lacks the usual weakness to Ghost types that Psychics have (important as SV is lousy with absurdly strong Ghosts), Oranguru will debilitate your team with Yawn to smack you with Dream Eater, Foul Play any cheeky Physical Attackers and use Reflect to shore up his team's Physical weakness. He then uses an Abomasnow, which sets up snow to further boost its defense. He then uses it to smack your team hard with STAB, perfect accuracy Blizzards, Wood Hammers and priority Ice Shard. And you want to kill it quick because it setting up snow means it can use Auorua Veil, effectively Reflect AND Light Screen in one. Which is bad because his next Pokemon is a Shell Smash using Poltigeust that spams Shadow Ball for STAB and Sucker Punch to punish priority and revenge killers. And it ALSO has Will-O-Wisp to weaken Physical attackers, which is bad because one of his next two Pokemon can be a Hex-spamming Amoongus which also has the lovely combination of Toxic and Spore to fuck with your team. And it has Giga Drain for recovery. Literally the only thing separating this Pokemon from its competitive counterpart is lacking Regenerator and Leftovers. He can also have a Gyardos, an almost evergreen Water type with a ton of coverage. Telling that his easiest Pokemon is a possible Houndoom. Oh and he uses the starter not picked in the beginning. The one strongest against you.

Really goes to show that Clavell really did earn his spot as the Director.

And if this was just about the base game, I could end it here. But even with all this and more- this wasn't what inspired me to make this post.

No, that would be the Teal Mask DLC and its two key players- Carmine and Kieran.

Starting with Carmine, a basic overview of her story here- she's a dickhead who has a more caring side but is basically covered by her being utterly awful at expressing herself and not being the best sister. She doesn't like outsiders due to people treating her hometown of Kitakami as a tourist trap but grows more open as she befriends the player. Why am I saying all this?

Because her team is a perfect representation of this.

She will always start her fights with a Poocheyna that evolves into Mightynea. A threatening Dark type that excels in pack tactics and is known to follow strong Trainers. Showcasing that despite Carmine's dickish attitude- she's most certainly a skilled trainer while also demonstrating how she bosses around her little brother.

Next is her Morpeko. An Electric/Dark type that wildly switches mood based on hunger, from friendly to aggressive. This duality is a summation of Carmine's character- how she switches from arrogant and standoffish to kinder and sweeter.

Then comes her Swadloon that evolves into Leavanny, a kind and nuturing Pokemon known for taking care of small Pokemon by weaving clothes for them. This showcases Carmine's real feelings for Kieran as despite acting like a bully towards Kieran- she geniunely loves and treasures him. Hell, the Pokedex in Scarlet even deviates a bit from its usual depiction of Leavanny to mention its protective instincts, similar to Carmine's own protectiveness.

Next comes her Ninetails, a Pokemon based off a kitsune and known for its mystical power but vengeful nature. A rather apt summation of how Carmine usually acts- a strong trainer but very easy to set off.

Finally comes her Poltchageist that evolves into Sinistcha- a Pokemon exclusive to her hometown of Kitakami, a Grass/Ghost type that tries to trick people into drinking it in order to drain them of their lifeforce...but failing most of the time. Whereas Morpeko is an overview of Carmine and Ninetails is the usual side of her, Sinistcha is what Carmine really is at the end of the day- a harmless fool. While she can burn people much like her Sinistcha can through its signature move and Scald, she means no ill will and can't do much to hurt anyone. And she can help as much as she can harm, just like how Sinistcha can aid others through its ability, Hospitality.

And what makes this interesting is the effectiveness of the team. As her Mightyena has one of the most useful lead abilities in Pokemon along with Howl to boost it's Sucker Punch and Play Rough; her Morpeko taking advantage of Aura Wheel's Speed boost through a held Focus Slash; Leavanny being a setup sweep through Swords Dance and Fell Stinger; Ninetails supporting the team through Disable and Will-o-Wisp and Sinistcha negating Grass' Fire Weakness through a Berry- it communicates that Carmine is an effective trainer. Fitting as her school is said to be specifically focused on Poke Battles.

But even this pales in comparison to her brother, Kieran. A shy boy who starts out looking up to and befriending the player character, neatly shown through his first two fights being simple 2-3 Pokemon fights. And as the story progresses, we learn a bit about him. That he expresses an admiration for the ogre in the village myth, having defeated three strong Pokemon by itself. He admires that strength and the seeming independence it has, since he himself wants to be strong and relied on due to his sister's unwitting damage to his ego through taking over his tasks. He even comes across having a crush on the player character to add to his likeability.

Then you meet the mascot of the Teal Mask DLC and the ogre from the legend, Ogerpon. Through a series of events involving Carmine making you swear not to tell Kieran about this to preserve his feelings and Kieran evasdropping- he learns that we met Ogerpon and we unknowingly keep lying to him. Which, considering we met the Pokemon he had been admiring for so long and being his first friend...he takes it hard. Things spiral out of control as his mental state burrows down, with him lashing out at the player character and Carmine for percieved injustices, eventually resulting in Kieran challenging the player for the right to be Ogerpon's partner...even though she had already chosen the player character. Even Kieran admits this is selfish but still pushes for it.

It's around this time that his team starts changing for real. Before his team consisted of a Yanma, Furret and Poliwhirl; all with unremarkable moves. Now his Yanma is a dedicated Special Attacker, his Furret is a setup Pokemon using a breeding move to clean hazards and get a Dragon Dance boost; his Poliwhirl evolves into Poliwrath with Haze to clear boosts and he adds a Applin evolution, Dipplin, based off of the candy apples he likes. His next battle has him shelve the Furret for a Cramorant, he adds a Gilgar to his team and his Yanma has evolved into a Tinted Lens Yanmega. ANd then there's his final team.

A Shiftry with a Focus Sash and the new Wind Rider ability with tailwind to boost Speed and Attack at once; the afromentioned Tinted Tens Yanmega so resistances are less effective than ever; Dipplin for more speed control and Leftovers for recovery; Probopass with Sturdy and pinch berry to become a cannon of a Special Attacker; Poliwhirl is now a Belly Drum-Sitrus Berry user to be a massive sweeper and now a fucking Yache Berry holding Gliscor. ... This is one of the most well put together teams in Pokemon history. Which, again, makes sense since Kieran is ALSO a student at Carmine's school. And not only that- he is actively trying to prove himself worthy of Ogerpon. He will obviously put out ALL the stops to beat you.

And the symbolism isn't just limited to movesets. Each Pokemon have...eerie undertones. Yanma, despite its looks, is a rather big Bug Type known for moving very fast and keeping a close eye on prey with Yanmega capable of crippling foes with its wingbeats and BITING the heads off prey. Shiftry can level houses and its Violet entry posits that it's based off a bird Pokemon that recieved divine punishment. Both representing Kierian's radical change. Poliwhirl goes from a dopy sleep inducing Pokemon to powerful swimmer, reflecting his desire for strength. Probopass manipulates the little mini-units to catch prey and Gliscor is a terrifyingly effective predator, reflecting Kierian's sheer hostility by this point. And Dipplin, the last remainder of the child-like innocence his team once had after Furret gets benched? Its apple is hollowed out and filled with two dragons, unlike Flapple and Appletun who coexist with the apple. Much like how Kieran's childlike demeanor has been hollowed out into a shell.

And just like how Kieran's story isn't done with the Teal Mask- datamines and experimentation with Eviolite has revealed Dipplin will be getting an evolution in the Indigo Disk.

Conclusion

You would think a series that has a core gameplay mechanic like Evolution, basically the symbolic progression from childhood to adulthood, would use these aspects for characterization more. But the history of this is rather bumpy, since the games have prioritized gameplay over story for so long. But good god damn, I would say that Pokemon beats out its contemporary in SMT for using its Mons cast for symbolism when it does.

I mean, you don't write an essay of THIS length over nothing. And I would like to remind people- I glossed over a few things. As in depth as this is: it's not all encompassing.

So I do think Game Freak deserves credit for this.

[reiketsui]

yeah i really wanna make a verse where archer takes over rocket after giovanni retires (or really all the execs co-lead). i wanna design him a cool boss uniform.

[gehtsis]

honestly i wish masters ex made silver and red interact more because when you think about it they have a rather interesting history (even if they never met face to face but shhhhhhh). red is constantly referred to as this "tough champion" by everyone around him but for silver red is basically the cataclysm of his early childhood and for a good reason too.

after red took out team rocket on his own in the rbg/frlg games and giovanni decided that he could really use a permanent vacation in Who Knows Where, silver was basically left without a home. maybe he had one before everything that transpired, but he's certainly not living there anymore.

and while he never saw red himself, i think the word about a certain boy from pallet town taking down an evil mafia on his own would spread like wildfire in the good ol j-o-toh and silver would have a solid grasp on just who knocked his daddy-o down a peg, and how he could become stronger so that he can take a shot at the so-called 'powerful trainer' on his own. and while it IS true that giovanni's defeat would eventually lead to silver understanding that he needs to treat his pokemon with love and respect, but holy shit. silver didn't need to go through all of That at such an age and red certainly didn't need to do a champion's job at the age of 11 and deal with the consequences later. poor kids.

[tachvintlogic]

Girl...

I was looking up quotes by Team Rocket executive Ariana and found this gem as one of the random conversations you can have in Pokémon Masters.

"I'm letting Archer take the number-two spot in Team Rocket right now, but I haven't given up. One day, I'll take that spot next to Giovanni! There would be no greater joy than working for Giovanni as his highest-ranking executive!" If spoken to again "Team Rocket's ideals are Giovanni's ideals. I'm prepared to devote everything I have to Giovanni."

Girl... I mean... she's not okay with being the number 2 lackey, but she's acting more okay with it than I imagine a woman in her position would be. There's being #2 because Giovanni's known and worked with the #1 guy longer and has more confidence in him, and then there's being the mother of Giovanni's child and still being #2.

I feel like she should angrier about it.

(And on her being Silver's mother, she was given a name and a unique design in the same set of games that revealed Silver is Giovanni's son. They have the same hair color and similar hair styles. She's the only female executive. There are no other candidates for Silver's mother. IT'S A REVEAL THAT'S BEEN STARING US IN THE FACE SINCE GEN IV AND GAMEFREAK WON'T COME OUT AND SAY IT)

More quotes. These ones aren't on Bulbapedia.

"Arbok and I are both tools that should be useful to Giovanni. We don't need a bond or feelings for one another." [...] "If we can be useful for Giovanni and it leads to his happiness... It doesn't matter if I'm seen as a convenient tool."

Is Team Rocket a cult? Because these are the words of a cult member.

A lot of the executives show a similar devotion to Giovanni.

Man, Silver's childhood must've been weird.

[shellys-apprentice]

What if Giovanni was too sick for Celebi to cure? What would he say to Silver?

I'm sorry, this really ran away with me~

Three days, five hours, and twenty-ish minutes.

That’s how long Silver’s had Usaring back.

How long he’s had the house key he’s silently fiddling with as he walks through the forest.

And how long Giovanni Sakaki has been dead.

If Silver lets his mind wander too much, he can still feel the moment his hand had gone unnaturally still against his cheek in Sinjoh.

(He’s trying not to think too hard about everything else that happened in the ruins. Like the fact that Giovanni didn’t need to be there. That he’d probably be fine if he’d stayed in Ilex. That if Silver wanted to be cruel and unreasonable, he could blame everything on Lance. But he won’t.)

There’s a funeral tomorrow. Arranged by someone Silver doesn’t know. Who might not even know he exists. He’d only found out because he’d happened to take the train back through Saffron. Happened to run into Sabrina in the station.

He doesn’t know if he’s going to go. Or if he should. He can show up later, when it’s over, on his own. That’s probably better, right?

What he does know is that Giovanni had pressed the key to what should have been his home into Silver’s hand before he died, while quietly telling him that Ursaring could take him home if he went to Viridian.

That everything went to him.

That he would be fine.

That all he had to do was go back to Viridian, and everything would be fine.

He can’t really find it in him to be happy about any of that.

Up ahead of him, Ursaring pushes through the undergrowth and out into a clearing, then, when Silver follows, is revealed to be the yard of the house.

She keeps plodding on through the yard, but Silver slows, taking in the building.

He feels like an intruder. Like he’s breaking in, even as he slips the key into the lock.

Ursaring nudges him towards the stairs once they’re in, and he lets her lead him to a room that looks like an office.

The rest of the house had felt too tidy, with nothing out of place, and this room is the exception; there are two boxes sitting neatly on the desk, and, on the chair behind it, a green sweater that had been forgotten over the arm of the chair.

He walks over to that first, snatching it up to hold close.

It smells like freshly turned earth, and he keeps his arms wrapped tightly around it as he turns to the desk.

One of the boxes contains papers that have to do with Team Rocket, with a note on top, simply telling him to do what he wants with them.

The other, smaller, box contains the pokeballs for Giovanni’s team, and Silver stares at them, his chest aching all over again.

Because all of this seems to make it clear that Giovanni had never actually thought that going to Celebi would work.

Clinging tighter to the sweater, Silver turns to the two pieces of paper sitting between the boxes.

One has a phone number, for someone named Nanu, with an assurance that he wasn’t connected to Rocket, and would be able to help him with anything, and a few more details he doesn’t read because he’s distracted by the other, longer, note.

Silver-

I would like nothing more than for you to never read this. To have been able to come back and burn this, and pretend I never had to lay out all this for you.

But if you are reading this, then that means I am dead, and I need you know that I am sorry to be leaving you like this. I tore this region to shreds trying to find you, and I’ll freely admit that I would do it again if I thought it would buy me even just another hour with you, but I suspect at this point nothing will.

I’m leaving you my team. Your ursaring is an excellently trained pokemon, and I only wish I had been the one to help you accomplish that. I know you’ll do well with the rest of them.

And I know this may ring hollow coming from me, but I am proud of where you’ve ended up. When I first heard of a red-haired boy with a  sneasel tearing through Rocket in Johto, I wanted it to be you. Both to know you were alive, and because it would mean you had gotten that strong and capable.

I wish I had been able to help you reach that point, but I’m glad you did nevertheless.

I hope I am at least able to see you to send you here, but if I’m not, know that nothing I’ve done is your fault. And that anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is not your friend.

I love you.

Your father,

Giovanni

[bluemoondust]

How do you think the pokevillains would handle having a famous darling? I’m thinking she could be a singer songwriter or something with a bunch of fans.

✧Famous!Darling✧ — Pokevillains

cw: fem!reader (no pronouns)

Warning(s): Hints of Fake Death, Stalking, Blackmail, Abuse of Power, Possessive Behavior, Obsessive Behavior, Kidnapping, Slight Infantilization/Belittling

Giovanni: Uh... You kinda died. Sorry folks, your precious little idol has been wiped off the census. Oops. Though, that's only a thought put into the back burner until he goes back to it. Beforehand, the Team Rocket boss gives generous tips to your performances, while grunts attend them to keep a close eye on you. At some point in time, Giovanni will offer more to you (anonymous to the public), just as long as you comply to him fully. If you don't, well, the people will certainly mourn the loss of an important figure as they're none the wiser to your kidnapping. It wouldn't come as a surprise if he decides to ruin your career a bit in between that time so he can make sure you come crawling back to him. However, that last resort comes up if you're extremely stubborn and still refuse.

Maxie: Like Giovanni, he offers you wondrous tips. It's his way of letting you know that he can provide you with so much. It'd be foolish not to accept his offers, especially with how easy one's reputation can be tainted with such fame. Maxie has planned this all out carefully, not wanting to come off too strong yet, but his eyebrow twitches when you reject his offer. You aren't rude about it, but he still finds it... Unappealing. The next best thing it is then. Courtney is better at these thing than he is, especially so with her knack for analysis on people. You'll definitely come back.

Archie: There's a game of tug of war going on in this man's head. On one hand, he's supportive of you since he loves you so much, but on the other he is extremely possessive with how many people fawn over you. Sure, they have absolutely no idea who you are behind closed doors, but he doesn't like the idea of one of them getting too comfortable. Archie can sometimes be impulsive and that leads to him making choices without thinking too much on the consequences. However, it's reassuring to know he has a whole crew to assist in cleaning up the mess.

Cyrus: He cannot fathom why he would fall for you of all people (it can be said for any type of career/position you're in, honestly). You bring out too much unnecessary emotions from people which annoys, but even more so when he catches sight of how much those people adore you. Cyrus assumes at first that you're putting up a front, mostly so he can crush his obsession towards you. Noticing that this method wasn't working, he just goes for kidnapping you. As mentioned in his general hcs, it would mostly be to make sure you take responsibility for what you've done.

Ghetsis: Anger boils within him. He's already had every bit of knowledge he has on you thanks to the Shadow Triad, but ugh, does it greatly piss him off to see the unworthy adore you. It has been mentioned before that Ghetsis will not take too long in kidnapping you, but the amount of time is much shorter with the occupation you have. Given he is a very possessive and selfish yandere who completely believes you are made for him, it is no surprise. The kicker is that when you go missing, he gives a speech to the people about how unfortunate that is; commenting on how you were such a wonderful figure in the industry. The sympathetic words he shares as he gives his condolences are utterly empty.

Lysandre: He basically now provides assets for your career now. Problem solved. All your staff are people from Team Flare, but you wouldn't know unless you looked deeper into it. Your manager? They report everything to Malva. It's so bizarre that all this happened after some frequent meetings with Lysandre, who had always admired your talents. He gives you praise for your work and is always there to greet you when a performance is done. All the grunts make sure none of the fans get too suffocating when speaking to you.

Lusamine: Oh, aren't you the cutest thing she'd ever laid her eyes on! Lusamine adores the work you do and even helps out with your sponsors. She may seem like she's completely okay with all the attention you receive, but deep down she wishes for only her to be able to look at you. It's a shame to watch as you share your radiance to others, but Lusamine is a patient woman. She eventually will have control over everything in your life, including your work. Why would you question her? You really do need to understand that listening to her is more beneficial. Let someone more experienced take the wheel, for you are only just a stumbling Deerling trying to make it in the world.

Guzma: It's a bit of a hassle. One that gets on Guzma's nerves sometimes. Don't get him wrong, he does enjoy seeing your performances—some of the grunts are even fans of you. However, with the rep he has, it will be difficult to get close to you, but it certainly does make the reward all the more sweeter in the end. That is only if he works up the nerve to do anything. Besides his rep, there are more pressing reasons why he hasn't done anything yet. It's even worse when you are a person under the limelight while he stays in the shadows, watching. You always get this feeling you're being watched when you're going home.

Chairman Rose: Similar to Lysandre, except his grunts are constantly checking up on you while the Chairman tries to make time to have dinner with you any chance he can get. It's not that hard with his position. There's some blackmail towards your staff and manager sprinkled in here and there. Oleana can be quite the negotiator as they all comply to the Chairman's "proposition". Now he knows where you'll be and constantly voices out his support for you. After all, he would do so much for you... And you'd give back as much in return, yes? Of course you would, darling.

[am-i-the-asshole-rotomblr]

Am I the Asshole for overthrowing the Kanto and Johto governments?

I (16f) am the leader of Team Rocket in my universe after kicking Giovanni out. I decided that just a mafia was too boring and there were plenty of systemic issues in the Kanto and Johto governments. I gathered and strengthens our forces and we lead a coup d’état and successfully ousted those in control and put myself as the leader. From there we dismantled the government and put in a temporary replacement one until we figure out a way to ensure that the government will keep people safe and not make the mistakes of the capitalist governments before it. Many people including former members of the old government and civilians are outraged by this change and demand we reinstate the former government and release Lance from prison despite the fact he’s killed rocket grunts before.

Am I the asshole?

[a-tale-of-legends]

Okay one thing I wanted to touch upon yesterday was how I'm noticing that a lot of pokemon villains do what they do out of love. And when I say love I mean love towards something. I dunno if that explains it well but here me out:

Volo is the most recent case, he loves Hisui and wants to end it's suffering, leading him to do what he did.

Rose loves Galar ( also it's clear that Oleana loves Rose. Romantically? Platonically? Who cares, she loves him)

Lusamine, at least in usum, cared for Alola to try and protect it

Guzma freaking loves his crew and will protect them.

Lysandre loved Kalos and the world and thus was disgusted when it became "filthy"

Maxie and Archie, despite their differences, loved Hoenn and wanted to see it grow into what they thought was fit ( Archie wanted pokemon of the sea to have a better place to live, and vice versa with Maxie and humans)

N clearly loves pokemon and everything he has done was for them.

Hell, the team rocket executives in hgss/gsc loved their boss so much to try and get him back.

The only villains that don't really share this love are Ghetsis , Giovanni and Colress imo. Okay. Well. I think Giovanni does care for his grunts, but it's not what's motivating him, I mean.

Edit: So I've been given some points about Colress and Giovanni! Colress loves his science, which drives him to do a lot of questionable things. The reason why I didn't include him at first was because unlike the others science is....science. I really don't know how to explain it, but the love I had in mind was more... personal? Emotional? Though, again, when you really think about it, science is what drives Colress, so I guess I'll give it to him here.

I will fully admit that I don't see Giovanni's love for anything that influences what he does, with the exception of money and power. That being said, Giovanni in the games has shown to care for Silver in his goodbye, promising to come back when he can revive the team rocket. That ...never happened, but the thought at the moment was clear. Again, I really don't think Giovanni's love for his son was what caused him to build a team rocket. He wants to show his son the fruits from his endeavors, sure, but Silver being the motivation seems far fetched in my opinion ( also this is referring to Giovanni). This applies to Mewtwo ( I've always seen the two having more of a mutual agreement than a powerful friendship, though a bond is a bond). What motivates Giovanni that isn't money or power? It's not Silver ( I think) , so is it his team? Maybe! I don't know much about Giovanni, so please know all of this is pretty biased.

Edit #2: IMPORTANT I FORGOT CYRUS. Cyrus is very complicated. Cause compared to Volo, who effectively tried to do the same thing, Cyrus seems more inherently selfish with a destain for humanity, while Volo's seems more just and out of love. In a very very simplified way of saying it, Cyrus is a man who wants to be alone. Him wanting to erase the world of emotion is very much for himself and no one else. However, there's that conversation in Platinum that begins to put a crack in this. Cynthia rightfully says that Cyrus could just fuck off to who knows where and be alone. Cyrus refutes this, saying he can't leave the world in such a state with spirit and emotion. Let's be real here. Cyrus could have very well just isolated himself. But he didn't! Why? Because of humanity. I think this is him showing that he cares, even if it's very twisted and comes from a place of supposed hatred( or Cyrus would just say he feels nothing. Boy, if you really felt nothing, why are you doing this? Dork)

I also didn't mention SM Lusamine! Mainly because I don't have the game anymore ( I lost my cartridge:( ), so I was only going off the memory of her just. Being an asshole to her kids and being obsessed with the UB. Which is still present in USUM, but I didn't consider why she was obsessed with the UB. Mohn. Lusamine loves Mohn so much that it drives her insane. She latched onto the Ultra Beasts, the thing that was last is connected to her husband. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but this goal of finding her husband eventually got lost as she became more and more obsessed with the ultra beast. I could be wrong on that, but that's how I remember it. But I still think it counts because Lusamine's whole thing is "love" so to speak. A mother's love, love for your family, finding people that will "love" you, etc.

The only person who doesn't have any type of love is Ghetsis. He only cares about himself really, but that's not the theme I was going for here so. Yeah.

[lumenflowered]

⚙️

Ariana never wanted kids. They were just one more expectation that society had for her, for any woman considered vaguely attractive in the eyes of the general populace. And, for better or for worse, even as one of the most important people in Team Rocket, she never could fully shake that particular expectation.

Giovanni wanted kids. Giovanni was... charming and charismatic, always had been, and he wanted someone who could take over Team Rocket when the current leadership got too old. Even Proton, the youngest and newest of the executive cohort, won't be around forever.

And so Silver happened.

As always, Giovanni barreled ahead, leaving Ariana and the others to pick up the slack for him. Ariana never wanted kids, never wanted to be a mother—for better or for worse, Giovanni at least respected that. Silver never knew who his mother was, because Executive Ariana never told him and the others who must have suspected kept their damn mouths shut.

Ariana never wanted to be a mother. But she went looking for Silver in the wake of his father's disappearance anyway. She found that he ran away from school, that he picked up the trail gone cold, then—dropped it again. Vanished again.

She's not sure what she would have done if she found him. Told him who his other parent was, probably not—but she could have at least kept an eye on him. But eventually, she had to choose between getting caught and finding Silver.

He wasn't far from journeying age. He'd be fine, or so she hoped. Maybe he'd even grow up normal outside of Rocket, if such a thing was even possible.

She wouldn't see him again until what was supposed to be the crowning achievement of Rocket's operations in Johto. Until he turned up beside that irritating woman with no documentation, dressed in an unmistakably similar outfit, to help ruin them.

(To help try to. When Giovanni came for her, she made sure to tell him all about how his son had turned against Rocket. She'd meant it as a condemnation of the parenting he'd barely done. She had no way of knowing what it would lead to him doing.)

She had to find out about him murdering his own son from Archer; Giovanni hadn't even bothered to tell her. But Archer had camera footage of Silver fighting his way into the short-lived Tohjo base, of confronting his father with principles he certainly hadn't gotten from Giovanni or Ariana—

Of losing.

(The footage also showed the woman in black dropping everything, including her opportunity to take Giovanni down, to try and save the child that wasn't hers. But that injury would have been hard to survive had they been close to a hospital, and the nearest one was over an hour away as the Honchkrow flies. He never would have made it.)

She knows that she gave up any right to call herself Silver's mother long ago. That she never wanted the title in the first place. That she had no say in the boy's fate, not really.

But how long has it been since she had any say in how Rocket was run?

Giovanni has a new plan, now. One that he's sure will bring that pesky hero from another world to her knees, and based on what little Rocket does know about the trainer Maria... Ariana's inclined to think that it might just work. After all, Giovanni's true strength has never lain in brute force (though brute force never hurts.) It's in planning, in outsmarting those who would spell their team's doom.

And so Ariana has reconnaissance to do. Rocket hasn't had a presence in Celadon City in three years, and while the main entrance to the hideout is well known, it doesn't seem that anyone has found the back way in, and Rocket's reputation is still enough that few save idle delinquents are willing to tempt fate by entering it.

(Said delinquents are... surprised, to say the least, by meeting her. But while she lacks Giovanni's charisma, she didn't make executive for her looks alone, and Rocket's ranks are hurting for members. Even the strings Giovanni could pull weren't enough to get all of the grunts arrested out of prison in Johto, and some of those who escaped just didn't come back.)

All in all, though, it's safe to say that Celadon City will be a decent hideout—provided no one tells Maria about the secret way in. But who could, after all, but a member of Rocket?

...Silver could have. If he was still alive. If Giovanni hadn't crossed a line few in Rocket would be willing to cross.

Determined as she is not to think about him, Ariana walks right past a girl with red hair without so much as noticing the uncanny resemblance that girl bears to her.

[taskforcedistortion]

Hi, um... I heard that you guys protect the multiverse...?

I think I need your help. I've gotten involved in something dangerous, and now I'm trapped. There's this organization that's obsessed with kidnapping me. The last time they tried, my arm got paralyzed. I nearly lost the use of it forever. These people are extremely powerful. Their agents are far more skilled than those of Team Rocket or any other criminal organization. Even me and my Mew were overpowered by them. Whoever they are... the experiments that they performed on me, for two years... it really messed me up. I'm so scared, that I won't be able to protect anyone that I care about, and that they'll end up winning ultimately. This organization has already taken one person from me. If you have any idea how to help me, that would mean everything to me.

I think I may be running out of time, because they seem to be following me everywhere lately... please help me.

@agirlandhermew

Okay. I think I am best able to answer this, however considering your involvement with Team Rocket, I hope me being the one to respond doesn't... alarm you. Considering what I lead in most of the multiverse...

If you seem to be followed everywhere then I suggest that we temperately house you here until things calm down, as I do not know fully how to stop someone who seems to be that dead set on ruining you.

But another option is that we attempt to take out who is after you at the source, however that will take time, something you clearly do not have-

If neither option catches your interest, then, I would try and find refuge with a strong trainer or someone similar. Something that could scare them off, make you seem like too much trouble, but I have my doubts with that option.

I just... dear Giratina... I hope you can stay safe... this situation worries me...

-G [Red G for Giovanni]