#she's......the weirdest Lusamine.........

[gnzma]

[ thinking about. rainbow rocket: sumo edition like i dont THINK the gang goes out of their way to help lusamine ( source: wrostie ended up in kanto ) i still need to think about the BASIS, but i do see them still attacking the aether foundation and guzma joining in specifically for no reason other than "the champion and their girlfriend really want to stop these clowns and since i owe them my life i might as well tag along mind you, this is like. after 3 months of the big depression moment, the few Skulls he met were either having a bad time all on their own, hated his guts or both, most of the time, and even if he worked with Hala to find a way to Be Normal(tm), people rightfully didnt trust him.

this was during guzma's peak sad hour, and yet he's determined to give MC a hand as much as he can. like!! he's strong!!! maybe he can help out in a way or another??? and just like in the game, i can see him stuck at the entrance of the manor, holding back Rocket grunts while the champion and Lillie take care of the BBGEs- but, instead of being comedic like in the game, since we love to see Rockets Being Bastards, there aren't only two grunts Rocket is already a powerful and prideful Team on their own, imagine them in a world where they won. A world where Red, Gold and Lyra actually lost, probably died, and Rocket has a hold on the whole KanJoh region thanks to MewTwo, with influence in the League. The MC wouldve had to deal with a whole army at the entrance... and that's when Guzma comes in, his good ol' anger and wish for destruction finally returning to burn. he still feels like a failure, and knows that if there's someone who can save everyone, as much as he hates it, it's the Champion, so he might as well do what she does best and break some bones, giving them the time to solve the situation.

and, to be fair, for a long while? He managed to keep up with the waves of enemies. His Pokèmon fought alongside him, teeth were punched out of mouths, bones were broken, blood was spilled -- but, as much as he wants to think he could've done it on his own, it was still just one man against a whole Team. His bugs started to fall, and after some minutes his movements started to get sloppy. He began to hit with much less strenght, needing more time to breathe, and in return the punches he recieved seemed much worse.

He found himself in a corner, eventually. Held down, both arms restrained, and as much as he tried to fight back there isn't much one could do at that point... but that's okay, right?

The kid would fix this mess, somehow. And, welp. He always wanted to go down in a battle, it might as well happen during a battle with a whole Team of intergalactic criminals, or something like that.

Wouldn't be the weirdest thing in his life, anyway. He fully expected the finishing blow, keeping his eyes on the Rocket who took the liberty of bringing a gun into a fistfight, smug to the very end--- -----and then, instead of a gunshot, what he heard was the clear sound of Plumeria's fist slamming onto the grunt's face, smacking him out of the way, quickly followed by Dosh'Te's taser, and the battlecry of Skull grunts and their Yungoos and Rattatas coming to the rescue.

there weren't many of them, but that didn't matter. Together, they would win this. This was the moment Guzma fully realized where he truly fitted in, who his people were. That in the same way Skulls were lost without him, he was lost without them. That he needed to bring back the Team.

[balsamina]

// i just found out i stopped watching the SuMo anime right before the episode Lusamine was supposed to debut and i immediately thought of u and ur blog and muse. and also now i'm watching it; bless

THANK GOD…..please tell me what you think of her…i miss her so much already...

[ourobororos]

Guzma? (yes, it's me again sorry)

hi welcome back. love guzma so mauch

NOTP: i know he was into lusamine for a while and im proud of him for coming to his senses. ill get you outta there baby

BROTP: plumeria and the rest of skull is his family theyre so good. he cares abt them so much actually. also piers

OTP: not a pairing per se but i want to see him interact with cyrus like. theyre very different ppl but they come from sort of similar places and guzma is all abt creating a home for those who life has been cruel to. regardless i think it would be inchresting to see so hear me out here

Second choice: i think those who self ship with guzma are the most powerful people on earth.

Fluffy pairing: him and molayne went on their island challenges at the same time right. i fink they should hold hands a little

Angst pairing: guzma and kukui were former friends who also went on the island challenge together right. the potential there is insane but it would have to be before kukui got with burnet i could never dare to interfere with their marriage. theyre so in love-

Poly ship: -but like i mean if both of them won’t him then well. is that a pairing

Weirdest pairing: not romantic but i think him and mina would get along. like theyd run into each other in melemele meadow and talk about cutieflies and ribombees. shed show him how to draw one and other simple bugs he likes. in guzma’s room in shady house theres a painting that she made of his golisopod that hes been meaning to hang on his wall for months now but he loves it

[maxskulline]

❤️💖💝💛💚💙 A L L O F E M

❤️ - 4 romantic headcanons of our muse’s relationship

1. As both Guzma’s and Max’s idea of romance can be a bit warped at times, more often than not they’ll do something others classify as “romantic” while staying naively or purposefully oblivious to it. A late-night walk by the beach under the starlit sky? They’re just bored and like to spend time in each other’s company, and the setting is, uh, coincidence. 

2. Their relationship starts out entirely sexual with no strings attached. Maxy’s never been in love before but she’s definitely the first one to catch feelings, although she doesn’t pursue them for a long time. Both continue sleeping with other people if the other isn’t immediately available. However, unbeknownst to the pair, gradually they begin spending much more quality time together without resorting straight to sex. Be it by training together, making music, hanging out in the city or raid the all-you-can-eat buffet until it gets so late that the staff has to kick them out, dancing together and getting drunk, and generally having so much fun that Max and Guzma find it harder and harder to part from one another. 

3. If they’re spending a lot of time apart, Max and Guzma love to call each other. Sometimes they stay up all night chatting away on the phone. They’d never openly admit how much they miss each other, but it’s very obvious by how neither of them can let go of the call. 

4. Their love is less bumpy in the post-game arc. Being less toxic and harmful for each other, Max and Guzma can openly embrace their relationship this time around. Both are content with never having children and never getting married as it doesn’t fit their beliefs, although they are practically mated for life and love each other like they have never loved before. They’re keen to spend the rest of their chaotic lives together and don’t need no stupid traditions to prove it! 

💖 - 4 fluffy headcanons of our muse’s relationship

1. Guzma is a real cuddlebug and will hog Max until he has had his fill. He loves head- and back scritchies, especially because Maxy’s nails are so nice and long and feel soooo good against his skin. He also loves to pancake Max into the mattress if he needs an extra comfy hug. Max doesn’t mind it because the tighter the cuddle, the safer she feels - it’s a win-win for the both of ‘em. 

2. Sometimes they grab a blanket and head out for the night, claiming a rooftop, a joint, Maxy’s guitar and few bottles of beer for themselves to overview the city. Max likes to sit curled up on Guzma’s lap while his arms hold her warm and safe. Because she’s so light and small in comparison to his large body, she’s like a feather on top of him. He doesn’t mind when she falls asleep against his chest. If both can’t sleep, they’re playing and singing away on her guitar. 

3. Guzma can make Max smile even after she’s had a real shitty day. In return, Maxy’s smile is bright and infectious and has the power to crack Guzma’s grumpiest of attitudes. 

4. Max loves Guzma’s little belly-pouch and makes sure to give it a little kiss at any given chance. 

💝 - 4 nsfw headcanons of our muse’s relationship

1. Their sex is explosive, if not to say downright addictive. Most of the time it’s loud and messy and it never leaves Max or Guzma unsatisfied. Guzma fucks her like no one else ever could and he takes great fucking pride in it. They click on so many levels because they’re both insanely experimental and keen to try anything at least once. One of the many things they love doing is to film themselves fucking and get off to it later.

2. Max doesn’t have a gag reflex - Guzma’s face when this tiny lady first sucked him off and swallowed his dick in one go was something she wishes she had filmed. 

3. There’s a set of pictures on Maxy’s phone taken during a very specific session - first time she’s dommed the fuck out of him and left him both debauched and fucked raw. These pictures are her personal proof that she made big, bad Guzma beg and whimper like a whore. If he decides to act like a little bitch, she sometimes sends him these pictures as a reminder of what happens if he doesn’t behave.

4. In the post-game arc, Guzma and Max have a lot - and I mean a lot - of phone sex long before they first touch each other again. 

💛 - 4 random headcanons of our muse’s relationship

1. Needless to say that Guzma loves Maxy’s Tapu Cocoa more than he likes his own and if she’s around, he will not start his day without it. He’ll even text her at stupid-o’-clock so she won’t forget to prep him one when she wakes up.

2. At times they get into very stupid and childish fights over absolutely nothing. Rumour has it they’re doing it because the make-up sex is so fucking hot. 

3. Guzma’s more than a handful to handle, but Max loves him for all of his dumb and stupid quirks. He can be the grossest, weirdest, manic and most childish fuckboy on Alola at times. To her, it’s all part of his charm. In return, Guzma loves Max for accepting him just as he is. That said, she ain’t blind or naive to his more problematic habits and will tell him off if she has to. 

4. Maxy’s Pokémon - with exception of Kili and Chise, who are a little more wary of him - love him to pieces. Especially Guts. This may or may not have to do with Guzma’s bribery and sharing Tapu Cocoa’s with him. 

💚 - 4 jealousy/insecurity headcanons of our muse’s relationship

1. When they’re out together Guzma always keeps his hand on her ass. Gotta make sure these thirsty dudes know she’s his girl.

2. As their relationship progresses, it pisses them both off to know that there are other lovers out there. Doesn’t stop them from seeing these people, though. Because Guzma’s got a pretty bad case of toxic masculinity, he needs his regular fix of “Max validation”. Is he the best lover she’s ever had? Does she spend more time with him than with other guys? Can he already delete her history of contacts and keep her for himself?

3. Knowing of Guzma’s ‘relationship’ with Lusamine is emotional torture for Max, even though he never rubs it into her face. The more time he spends at Aether Paradise, the more distraught she becomes. Seeing them together during her time during the Aether Paradise arc makes her feel sick to the stomach because of how different he acts around this woman. How he shows a nature around her Max always wished she had met first. This causes Max to fall into a dark hole of insecurities, of ‘never good enough’, of ‘I’m just a stupid grunt to him’, and it’s tearing her apart. 

4. This also plays into the fact that their relationship’s been such a clusterfuck up to this point. The back and forth, the constant hot and cold, it leaves enough room for Max to wonder if Guzma ever returned her feelings or not. 

💙 - 4 “Slice of Life” headcanons of our muse’s relationship 

1. During their post-game reconciliation, Guzma starts spending more days and nights at her place while Max works her shifts at the Café. He keeps the apartment tidy and her Pokémon entertained while she’s gone. 

2. Guzma teaches Max how to ride the Alolan waves. 

3. They’re helping raise Thursday, Rosie’s son, as best as they can. Because of Thursday’s fiery hair and freckles and his love for bugs, he easily passes as their own child. 

4. Eventually they end up renting a spacey little caravan together. 

[sydchan]

Evil team leaders for the ship meme?

What stands out from this is I like villian/protag ships too much and also that I like subordinates pining for their bosses.

Giovanni- My NOTP for themNot a NoTP, but I’ve never understood the appeal of Cyrus/Giovanni.  I honestly can’t even see them getting along as acquaintances. - My BROTP for themI don’t see him as particularly close enough with anyone to consider him having a bro.  Giovanni/Archer years down the line could be interesting if Giovanni came to view him as an equal.  I can at least see them as drinking buddies who commonly meet to exchange information.  - My OTP for them I don’t ship him strongly enough with anyone to consider this an OTP, and it’s certainly not my OTP for Red, but Red/Giovanni is the ship involving Giovanni I’d be most interested in seeing content for (and actually considered for a bad end alternative ship in the omegaverse AU). - My second choice pairing for themDelia/Giovanni is interesting as well, since I like the theory of Giovanni as Ash’s father. - My fluffy pairing for themGiovanni and fluff?  Unlikely.  Maybe Ariana/Giovanni since at least they’re mutually on board with the criminal lifestyle. - My angsty pairing for themAll the ships I like with Giovanni are angsty, but I also dig Archer/Giovanni as Archer forever pining for his boss. - My favorite poly ship for themBad end AU of Lance/Ethan/Giovanni I brought up in a post once.- My weirdest pairing for themHonestly the above is pretty weird, but I’m gonna say Ethan/Giovanni for how Silver would factor in to that.  Not that this one is a serious ship.

Maxie- My NOTP for themNone that come to mind - My BROTP for themI like the idea of Maxie/Tabitha becoming good friends after the events of ORAS.- My OTP for themMaxie/Archie all the way. - My second choice pairing for themI use to kinda like May/Maxie, but only pre-remake Maxie. Maxie is a character where it’s kinda Archie or bust. - My fluffy pairing for themORAS Maxie/Archie.- My angsty pairing for themPre-remake RS Archie/Maxie. Also Maxie/Courtney as one-sided on Courtney’s part, but it’s less angsty than other boss/subordinate ships since she gets over it easily. - My favorite poly ship for themNone?  Unless you count alternant dimension shenanigans with their RS and ORAS versions. - My weirdest pairing for themMay/Maxie by default, since Archie/Maxie is mainstream.

Archie- My NOTP for themNone that come to mind.  - My BROTP for themArchie and both of his admins, but I have a slight preference for Shelly/Archie as true bros over Matt/Archie due to the childhood best friends thing (but really they’re the BroT3).- My OTP for themArchie/Maxie.  - My second choice pairing for themMaybe pre-remake Shelly/Archie?  I’ve seen some cute art for it anyway.  It’s really Maxie or bust though. - My fluffy pairing for themSame as above, ORAS Maxie/Archie- My angsty pairing for themPre-remake RS Archie/Maxie.  I tend to view Archie as having it worse than Maxie in this version of things, since I headcanon RS Maxie as a lot crueler than ORAS Maxie. - My favorite poly ship for themEither version of Archie with both RS Maxie and ORAS Maxie. I’d say living the dream, but it could possibly a nightmare scenario depending. - My weirdest pairing for themNone, I’m very ride or die for Hardenshipping

Cyrus - My NOTP for them Like I mentioned above, I’ve never understood the appeal of Giovanni/Cyrus (and it seems to be the most prominent ship for Cyrus for whatever reason)- My BROTP for themI can’t picture him having a true bro, but post-game in a redemption scenario where he’s managing to recover, I do like the idea of him becoming somewhat friends with both Cynthia and Lucas (more Cynthia)- My OTP for them I’m way too fond of Cyrus/Saturn for the angst- My second choice pairing for themMaybe Cyrus/Dawn with Dawn as the protag?  This pairing is less serious.    - My fluffy pairing for themCyrus and fluff?  Are there any fluffy ships with Cyrus? I was kind of able to make Cyrus/Saturn fluffy in my next gen AU, but only after years of angst. - My angsty pairing for themAs I’ve mentioned, Cyrus/Saturn, but any ship with Cyrus is angst. - My favorite poly ship for themMaybe Cyrus/Saturn/Archer in an AU where I ran with the idea of Cyrus as asexual and borderline aromantic, so Archer is there to fulfill Saturn’s other needs (not that I can see this working long-term, or Archer and Cyrus getting along at all).- My weirdest pairing for themCyrus/anyone, since as much as a part of me feels any ship involving him is doomed to fail, I ignore this and try anyway.

Ghetsis- My NOTP for them  None because I like all the terrible ships involving Ghetsis- My BROTP for themI honestly can’t see him with any friends?  Pre-SuMo, I found him and Colress as an evil duo sort of amusing. SuMo changed my perception of Colress enough that I wonder what that guy was doing teaming up with Ghetsis. - My OTP for them Any awful one-sided angst ship with him. Honorable mention goes to Ghetsis/Cress since it was the one I made canon in my next gen au - My second choice pairing for themI don’t think I’ve ever seen content of it, but Hilbert/Ghetsis is another angst ship I want to see more of, particularly in how N would react to the whole thing. - My fluffy pairing for themMaybe Colress/Ghetsis? If only because it’s the only ship that’s not overwhelmingly awful for the other half.- My angsty pairing for themN/Ghetsis because of all the horrible potential around it- My favorite poly ship for themMaybe Ghetsis with Cress, Chili, and Cilan?  They’re the Shadow Triad in my headcanon, so why not take advantage of all of three at once.  Or Ghetsis/N/Hilbert for maximum angst points in some kind of Team Plasma wins AU. - My weirdest pairing for themGhetsis/Cress since even going with the idea of him as a member of the Shadow Triad, it’s still pretty out there.

Lysandre- My NOTP for themNone.  - My BROTP for themLysandre/Sycamore.  Since in my own hearcanons, Lysandre really did view him as his dear, closest friend. - My OTP for them I’m a weak fool who gets caught up in my own AUs, so Calem/Lysandre. It’s telling that whenever I think of alternative storylines, I pair Calem with Lysandre and not Tierno, despite that being the endgame ship I went with. - My second choice pairing for themLysandre/Sycamore since I do really like this ship as well - My fluffy pairing for themLysandre/Sycamore has the easiest time ending up fluffy. But in general, Lysandre doesn’t go well with fluff. - My angsty pairing for themLysandre/Alain. Alain was a little too eager to please in those anime episodes and it gave me ideas. - My favorite poly ship for themLysandre/Calem/Sycamore.  I’ve actually thought about this one extensively as the route things could have gone had Lysandre lived. - My weirdest pairing for themCalem/Lysandre since I’ve seen a very minimal amount of content for them (and believe me, I’ve searched for it)

Guzma- My NOTP for themNone.  - My BROTP for themGuzma/Plumeria.- My OTP for themDue to pixiv giving me the idea, Elio/Guzma (or Sun/Guzma depending on what you want to call the male protag)- My second choice pairing for themGuzma/Lusamine was my preferred ship when I first played the game due to that angst potential. - My fluffy pairing for themGuzma/Elio actually ends up being pretty fluffy overall, due to the SuMo protags being good at warding off angst- My angsty pairing for themGuzma/Lusamine.  I have a really hard time seeing it ever working out long term (plus I feel it’s very one-sided on Guzma’s part), but the idea of Lusamine reciprocating to play with him is good angst potential. - My favorite poly ship for themThis isn’t a serious ship, but since Sun and Elio end up being two characters in my AU (since one is a Faller from the USUM timeline), Sun/Guzma/Elio as the ultimate hot twin fantasy would be amusing. - My weirdest pairing for themGuzma/Elio because talk about out of nowhere.

Lusamine- My NOTP for themWhile it probably makes me seem like a hypocrite since I was all for it with Ghetsis, I don’t care for her with either of her kids.  - My BROTP for themLusamine/Wicke.  There’s a reason I hearcanon Wicke being the main one to take care of Lillie and Gladion once Lusamine started to deteriorate - My OTP for them Lusamine/Guzma is the ship I like the best involving Lusamine. - My second choice pairing for themLusamine/Mohn is good too and it’s sort of sweet how her going down the wrong path started from her trying to save him. - My fluffy pairing for themLusamine/Mohn (not that they don’t have their share of angst).- My angsty pairing for themLusamine/Guzma (since this pair is nothing but angst).- My favorite poly ship for themMaybe Lusamine/Wicke/Mohn?  None is the real answer.- My weirdest pairing for themNone, mainly since I don’t have many ships for her.

[lunalaapunk]

Okay so here’s what went down and why I couldn’t send Ghetsis home with the same broken nose as Lysandre

So this past Friday some SHIT happened, and having let my brain soak in everything, I think I can tell the whole debacle in one go now?

It was a normal Friday and for once we had the TV on (”we” being me, Hala, and Hau) while doing whatever and Lusamine was giving a speech about how the Aether Foundation is going to clean up its own mess see about stabilizing the Ultra Wormholes that have been popping up, allowing the whole thing with Necrozma to happen and the Ultra Recon duo to be stuck here as much as I am, live broadcast

And then as if someone had hit a switch, a Wormhole opened on live TV and out pops Giovanni, at which point things went to shit and the camera fell over- I think one of the Grunts tagging after him tripped and bumped into it, they’re just stupid enough to manage that

About five minutes later Lillie came barging in asking me to follow her to Aether Paradise and given what I just saw we didn’t even hesitate

Turns out Faba, in his UNENDING BRILLIANCE, was responsible for the Wormhole and for everything that ensued and no his taste in eyewear has not improved dude still looks like a Flygon in a lab coat

We battled, I broke his glasses again, Lillie scalped him with words like a fuckin champ for betraying literally everyone in the name of his career and we pressed on

Turns out Gio’s wicked ambition made other team leaders get pulled in after him but not just the ones I knew, these guys had won. They’d created their perfect worlds and ‘liberated’ all Pokemon and drowned out the land and dried up the sea. 

This was war

Gio had abducted Lusamine and taken her into the back room of her own mansion where I’ve fought with her before... and just casually renovated the entire place while he was at it into the weirdest laser tag arena I’ve ever had the displeasure of being in

This is when Guz shows up and agrees to guard the front door because despite everything he still cares about Lusamine and trusts me to help her... also because Goli was fucking pissed (you don’t get between that big buggy boi and his favourite people) and honestly if a gigantic isopod with claw hands was guarding a mansion I would just turn and walk the fuck away

Cue the worst gauntlet my team has faced yet- I know we all laugh at Papyrus for loving puzzles but goddamn he’s got a point, they eat up time and distract you from otherwise really obvious bad guys hiding behind boxes and Meowth statues

Only to find that the dude they’re guarding just wants to go tf home. Which is understandable honestly. I’m still not completely convinced they battled us out of a desire to do so but that lack of commitment on their part kinda saved our asses 

Rinse and repeat four times. Though I fully admit I didn’t even let Lysandre try and get between me and his dumbass button setup. Nagisa stared Yveltal, Pokedeath, in the face... and Pokedeath blinked first

I would’ve done the same to Cyrus but. I’m pretty sure I saw some remorse from him so there was no need

Having finally, FINALLY gotten access to the back room I tried to go in only to be stopped by Ghetsis, who thought tossing a dragon at a Sylveon was a good idea and lost royally

BUT HE WASN’T HAVING IT OH NO HE TRIED TO TAKE LILLIE HOSTAGE AND I WAS LIKE 0.5 SECONDS FROM JUST BEATING HIS ASS WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS WHEN COLRESS MADE HIS PRESENCE KNOWN AND ZAPPED THAT FUCKER BACK HOME

It turns out Colress has figured out how to control the Wormholes and “correct” spatial fuckups like the presence of these team leaders from other worlds and thank Arceus for that I was a second away from murder

So in we go and Gio has put Lusamine in a coma so he can brainwash her (which is pretty fucked) and this motherfucker thinks he can just ASK ME TO JOIN HIM RIGHT THEN AND THERE LIKE DUDE. NO

I RESPECT THE MOB BUT I DO NOT WANT TO JOIN THE MOB. GO FUCK YOURSELF

This was the only battle I almost lost. Not because my team wasn’t prepared- Lillie and I, together, are a walking Pokemon Centre ready for just about anything- but because he actually WANTED to battle. Like he was just as eager to throw down as we were. And he had HIS WORLD’S MEWTWO WITH HIM, because I couldn’t hate his guts enough

It made his face when Willow blasted through half his team SO. FUCKING. SATISFYING. I feel bad for his Rhyperior, poor boi will forever be traumatized by the sight of leaves

Unlike Ghetsis, however... he lost with the grace his position demands. He agreed to step back and leave. For now. 

Lusamine is fine. A bit shaken, but she’ll be alright eventually. Aether Paradise is back to the painfully bright clean whiteness it always had. Faba got fired. After two days of absolute BULLFUCKERY we once again have peace and I can go back to setting up the rest of my life that isn’t my title as Champ.

Also Mina got me a really nice sketchbook because she caught me doodling on both sides of the pages of my existing one for want of space. Oopth.

[ryttu3k]

From the levels in the trailer and the Mewtwo Giovanni has, I think Rainbow Rocket is post game. So we'd still get Lusamine as the antagonist in the main game, and then RR shows up after she's "redeemed." So still not the best, but she isn't totally shafted? Maybe?

Mm, I’m sort of not a fan of how Lusamine’s story ended in the first place, although no idea if that’s going to be changed for Ultra SM. But yeah, it is looking to be post game. I just wish it wasn’t overshadowing the actual Necrozma plot, because that was what made me think Ultra SM looks rad in the first place!

(Going to answer the other anons I got on the same topic here, to save posts!)

I would love the villain team-up if not for one single thing. *Sighs.* I love ORAS Aqua and ORAS Magma. (RSE versions are okay.) I like Plasma. Flare is kind of ridiculous, but they work as an Evil Team. Aether is TERRIFYING. Skull is also fairly interesting. And I love, love, LOVE Team Galactic. But, well… I don’t like Team Rocket. They just want power for the sake of it, which doesn’t really fit with any of the above. (Granted, Ghetsis did too, but he’s an awful person and can just go die.)  (Contd.) We need more Galactic, not Rocket! Okay, admittedly, that’s my Sinnoh Bias speaking, but Rocket is just. So. Boring! Most of the other bosses are so much more interesting and have better motivations and characters. We need more fleshed out characterizations and motivations for everyone else; especially Flare! (Granted, Rocket is an effective threat in HGSS, but they’re severely lacking in relation to later teams. They’re just… bland, and not really memorable to me.)

Honestly, yeah. The weirdest part of this whole thing is that it’s Rocket and Giovanni in charge, when like. They’re mafia. They’re yakuza. Compared to bosses who tried to bring about the apocalypse, how come they’re the ones running everything? Ghetsis and Giovanni would be in direct opposition with each other, if nothing else; I can’t see Ghetsis taking orders from him.

I love the TRio, but gameverse Rocket is just… ehh. I haven’t played any of the Sinnoh games to completion, so I can’t comment on Galactic, but the contrast between Aqua and Magma is rad (and I fucking love how ORAS Aqua is just this big weird silly family, like I would legit hang out with them), Flare is fascinating if only for exploring the contrast between ideology and the shitty stuff the grunts say, Skull is also one big weird family and legitimately has some of the most endearing grunts in the entire series, Aether was… underused but has a lot of scary scary potential, Plasma actually really interests me, since it does seem like a lot of members initially joined with legitimately good intentions, and the schism between old Plasma and Neo Plasma is really cool to explore. The Rockets? Just really boring in comparison. So why do they get to run the show?

Sorry, Scrawlers ^_^;; They just don’t grab me!

I saw that the RSE bosses would be returning, so I looked at some artwork, and holy shit, the ORAS Bosses are so TINY compared to them! (ORAS Maxie is like five foot four, or about 1.626 meters. Archie is taller than Maxie, but is still only about three inches taller.) So now you know that, if they met their counterparts, the Oras Bosses are the Smols. And the Smols would win. (Power to the Smols.)

Smol but swole. What were you using to compare them? :o

(Also, this does make my mental image of ORAS Archie tackling RSE Archie off a wharf even funnier.)

[kiohmo]

It’s official: I don’t like caves. Not one bit. It’s probably made worse by the news at the moment (did you hear about those kids that got stuck in the cave? Lucky they had their Pokemon to go get them help), but I really, really don’t like caves. Horrible dark things. So you can bet I was in and outta that Diglett Tunnel place as soon as I could be.

I ran into Hau at the end of the tunnel. I can’t ever get over how much energy he has but it always seems so totally misguided. Like, he turned up to help me out with some Team Skull thugs. As though I needed any help! I mean, a few years ago, maybe. If he’d been around when I’d been doin my challenges in Unova, then maybe I’d have appreciated it. Been flattered! But now I just, I can’t deal with it. He gets in the way a lot, and his “enthusiasm” (read: immaturity) just isn’t needed! It’s not welcome.

And he only turns up at the most inopportune times. Like when I’m in the middle of squaring off against my next opponent. He’ll turn up and sweep in as I’m starting to get my team ready and be all like, “I thought you could do with a helping hand! Haha, malasadas!” Or this time, he leapt into a double battle with me, when I was already in my stride. He did nothing! Nothing to help!! I just want to tell him to leave me alone, but he’s so doggedly good-natured. I dunno.

Once he ran off again (in search of more food, no doubt), I headed on to Konikoni City. It looks like a real nice place to do some shopping. I had a quick look in Olivia’s shop for a sun stone, cos I still need to help Belle evolve, but the shop was closed - there was a Probopass there waiting for me with a message, which was pretty weird.

I did what they asked though and made for the Ruins of Life. I had to go by way of another graveyard - wasn’t there already one on another island? I guess it makes sense that they have one for each island but I don’t remember there being that many in Unova. Whatever. Ghost Pokemon weird me out so I tried not to linger there.

Yet again some Aether Foundation people turned up, lookin like they were in trouble. I helped out - cos that’s what a good person does, I guess - and they invited me to Aether Paradise after I’d fought Olivia. Uh, whatever, I guess.

Lillie and Burnet turned up right before I faced off against Olivia. Mort had warned me that Olivia would remind me of Mama - I hadn’t seen it the first time, but then I was looking out for it this time, and really! She does. She had a steely resolve in her eye as we faced each other, but the match was over quick - Mari and Belle made short work of her Rock-types. Both Mari and Teddy evolved as a result of the fight. Apart from Belle, my team feels almost complete.

I hate to say it but that battle really took it outta me, so when I made it to the Hano Grand Resort I booked a room and stayed for the night. It was refreshing to have some time to relax in a luxurious bed - I even treated myself to a massage. I spent an evening with my Pokemon by the poolside, relaxing and drinking delicious berry cocktails. Teddy had to help me back to my room, where I slept better than I have in ages.

The next day, feeling refreshed, I headed back towards the city, only to be intercepted in the lobby by that Aether Foundation guy, Faba. And Hau. Again. Faba bundled us into a boat - an actual, proper boat! - and we headed over to Aether Paradise, which was this weirdly clinical tower island thing. It’s hard to describe: everything about it was so perfect, and clean, and white. Wicke - this purple-haired lady scientist - tried to reassure us that it’s all to conserve Pokemon and keep them safe and rehabilitate them, but the whole thing stinks, to me.

Hau was happy to run around tryna pet all the Pokemon he could. I tried to find the boss lady, Lusamine. I found her at the back of the conservation area, where Hau caught us up, and you could just tell he was besotted with her. All those compliments about how old she looked? She reminded me weirdly of Hivy. The blonde hair, the killer heels, the haughty disposition, lookin much younger than she is...

Then the weirdest thing happened: the sky opened. Like, literally opened. Lusamine was in the middle of this speech about how they care so much for the Pokemon they look after when the sky opened behind her and this ... this thing came out of it. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before - like some kinda jellyfish monstrosity.

Of course, Mari leapt straight to my defense and together we took it on and won. Lusamine apologised, sayin it was something called an Ultra Beast, and that they’re these ultra rare things from a place called Ultra Space. To be honest, I didn’t take a lot of it in. Hau was enraptured; I had to sit down. Wicke helped us downstairs and back to the ferry, but I barely remember any of the walk.

The next thing I know, we’re on Ula’ula Island. I think I must have half-passed out on the ferry, because I do not remember being on it at all. I checked my phone afterwards; it looks like I sent a super-garbled message to Mort, asking if he’d seen this? Did he have a clue??

I got a message back a short while later saying that he couldn’t talk now, he was too busy being in Ultra Space, and now I just don’t... don’t know what to believe. How can he be in this weird dimension?

I think... think I’ll spend a little bit of time sitting on the harbour practicing my deep breathing. I feel quite sick at the moment and I don’t know how to react to all’a this. It’s just.... Too weird.