#so he can come up with different strategies for different pokemon

[just-absolutely-super]

Pokemon crack

(we can make our own frontier brains if you like?)

Lan reaches the 21st battle, and almost loses. But thanks to Sneasel's speed they were able to win

Mega: "thank god you won, it would be a pain to go through that again!"

Lan: the frontier brain is up next, this will be tougher

Mega: "don't lose!"

Lan: I am not trying to

Mega: "I was talking to the Pokemons"

Lan: gee, thanks

(I think I have an idea of how I want to do the Brains)

Lan: Alright, battle 21. Let's go!

Referee: Introducing the Frontier Brain of the Battle Factory: Factory Head Tora

Tora: Sup? So you're the next challenger huh?

Lan: ......

Tora: What? So impressed by seeing the Factory Head himself you're speechless?

Lan: WHAT THE HELL?! YOU'RE A TEEN LIKE ME!

Tora, Mega, and the Referee: *falls forward*

Tora: OI! WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN, YOU BRAT?!

Lan: BRAT?! WHO YOU CALLING A BRAT, YOU BRAT?!

Tora: FOR YOUR INFORMATION I'M 16! HOW OLD ARE YOU?!

Lan: 14!

Tora: SEE?! I'M OLDER YOU, BRAT!

Mega: HIS AGE DOESN'T MATTER LAN, JUST BATTLE HIM!

[moonxpalace]

Oliver Ketchum

After graduating from a Pokemon Academy in Viridian City at age 10, Oliver doesn't hesitate to start on his journey. He did mostly good at school, as he is book-smart and naturally independent. He has also paid close attention to his parents' battles all his life, so he decides to rely on strategy and logic rather than figuring things out along the way.

Oliver hates that other people consider him a pokemon-prodigy because of his legendary parents, because that couldn't be farther from the truth. Because of this, he tends to shy away from other kids at school, and spends most of his time alone. He prefers playing with the Academy's pokemon during recess, something that worries Ash and Iris. Rosa, May and Drew's daughter, is the only one Oliver feels 100% comfortable with.

Shortly after graduating from the Academy, Oliver befriends a wild Eevee. This particular Eevee is quite clumsy and indecisive, which Oliver finds relatable. They quickly become friends. Oliver and Eevee's journey is all about finding their own path.

Iris takes Oliver and Eevee to visit the Dragon village before they can start on their journey. After talking with the Village Elder, Oliver decides to travel around Unova and collect gym badges. Rosa quickly joins him (because Unova still doesn't have any contests. Rosa does not want to give coordinating a chance). Oliver's goal is to win the Unova League and meet Reshiram and Zekrom. Rosa wants to become a Pokemon Connoisseur (Cilan is her biggest idol.)

Oliver's first pokemon he catches in Unova is Vanillite. His motivation to catch an ice type is strong because of Iris' fear of ice types (Oliver wants to prove that he is completely different from his parents, after all). Vanillite is a sweetie and quite calm, but can be quite scary when angry

Scraggy is Oliver's second catch. He is competitive and quite possessive of Oliver (tends to quarrel with Eevee because of this). Scraggy is determined to evolve soon and loves to challenge other pokemon to battle.

Lillian Ketchum

Being 3 years younger than Oliver, Lillian is still a student. She does well at school and has many friends (other students and pokemon) She looks up to Oliver a lot, so she becomes quite depressed when he leaves to travel around Unova.

Ash feels bad for her, so he takes Lillian out of school for a few days after Iris and Oliver travel to the Village of Dragons. Ash has a meeting with the Elite Four of Kalos, and Lillian is allowed to tag along.

Lillian meets Espurr when she is playing outside with Pikachu. Pikachu is wary of Espurr, but Lillian takes a quick liking to him, and lets him play with her and Pikachu.

Ash is also hesitant to bring Espurr into the hotel when he comes to pick her and Pikachu up. He knows Espurr's powers are quite strong and not necessarily fitting as a 7 year old's first pokemon. He realizes he had nothing to be worried about when he gets to know Espurr better. Or has he ...?

Espurr is harmonious and shares Lillian's love of flowers. Although Espurr can't replace Oliver, Lillian mood improves as she has yet another friend to play with.

[ruiyuki]

“Then, why don't you claim your own skies?”

The words ring in his head that morning of the ceremony. Thinking on this was unusual, really— the Drayster never mulled over things for long. In the days leading up however, Drayton couldn't help being reminded of the words said to him by that guy many months ago.

— —

Cyrano introduced him as a gym leader of the Galar region, visiting Blueberry Academy to train for a while in the Terarium.

“Yo, name's Raihan. Heard you're a dragon trainer too— care for a battle?”

A fellow dragon specialist, and Duraludon trainer too. They clicked instantly; having so much in common and being so similar in personality, it made League Club members do a double take. It wasn't before long that Drayton spent most of his class-skipping days hanging with Raihan in the Terarium during those few weeks.

They battled, they trained, and sometimes they just chatted over grub. Most of the time it was light-hearted: trading tips on dragon training, or stories of the strong trainers they've encountered. Other times, Raihan ranted off about the online beef he had with that Iono chick

(“The streamer girl? Yeah, we've met; she was invited here from Paldea last year. Girl's a whacky cuckoolander.” “Ugh, got that straight.”)

or jived Drayton about his League Club juniors.

(“Your girl Lacey is real cute.” “Yeah, that's her thing. Don't you think about trying anything though; her old man's Clay.” “The cowboy man? Damn.”)

It was only when the topic of rivals drifted along the daily conversation mill that vibes turned dour. A topic that Drayton avoided taking too seriously. There were feelings that never left him, never spoken aloud at Blueberry Academy. He wanted to keep it away, leave it on the shores of Unova miles from his small ocean sanctuary.

But Raihan never disparaged it. To Drayton's surprise, the other dragon tamer even had his own struggles to share, despite already reaching the status of 8th gym leader. He candidly described the child prodigy in his home region— the undefeated champion ever so popular and praised in the public eye.

It was a story Drayton knew all too well; he could recognize it in the undertone of Raihan's voice as he hit note for note the same emotions Drayton had felt too. So for the very first time since stepping foot upon Blueberry Academy, Drayton shared his own story— of his family, of the Opelucid Gym, of the Unova Champion.

Leon. Drayden. Iris.

These were the names that, although both Raihan and Drayton had much respect for them as pokemon trainers, never really made their smiles reach their eyes. The brighter big lights shine, the larger the shadows are cast behind them they say. Drayton's never found peace in that darkness, but it did make him feel better finding a kindred spirit in Raihan.

That is, until Raihan dropped the most mind-blowing take the Drayster's ever heard.

“It’s the same for you innit?— with Iris, I mean. There's always that someone you can't reach up to no matter how much you give your all— the ultimate rival. 'cept don't you think it could be that way 'cause you're playing the game with different rules?”

“Huh?”

“Leon was the strongest because his Pokemon are strong. Even if he's in a tight spot, he'd always manage to eek out a win because of that insane raw power of his pokemon. Battle instincts just come naturally to him y'know? But if you ask the man about how he uses his pokemon's abilities or setting up his next move? My mate gets lost quicker than Sonia can put a tracker on him, haha!”

“The Pokemon League's standard for single battles is great and all, but doubles is a whole different ball game. Singles is all about strength and endurance; double battles actually uses tactics. Just because a trainer is good at raising Pokemon to be strong doesn't always mean they'll be good at strategy. Honestly, it’s amazing how Leon stayed at the top for a decade 'til the new champ beat him.”

No matter how good Drayton was as Blueberry League Champion, at a school specialized in double battles, beating Iris was always a separate issue. The battle skills he was taught as a child, from his training by his grandfather at Opelucid Gym was all he had ever known when battling her. But truth be told, it never even occurred to him to level the playing field. It never occurred to him to think that he could.

“That's why I choose doubles in my gym. There are different ways to be strong as a trainer, it's just a matter of finding your own. 'sides, this school already specializes in double battles, why not put that to your advantage?”

Challenging Iris in a double battle… might just be the craziest idea Drayton has ever considered.

“The skies are big enough for all of us to fly— you just have to claim your territory, mate.”

— —

“Drayton, there you are!” Lacey's voice snaps him out of his reverie.

They've just finished the graduation ceremony. Long and arduous, the graduating students all decked out in Blueberry's cap and gown stood in the Terarium's Central Plaza waiting to be called up one by one to recieve a fancy sealed up paper. After the final speeches were said, cheers shouted and caps tossed, it was finally time for students to freely mill about in the celebratory energy.

“Yo. Congratulations, Miss Valedictorian.”

“Oh please, not you too. Crispin and the other League Club members have already said enough.” She pauses, lightly laughs as she approaches him. “And besides, I came here to congratulate you! Congratulations on graduating, Drayton.”

“Thanks, been a long time coming.”

“Yes… To be honest, I'm kinda surprised you made it this year…”

“Heh heh, aren't we all?” He took no offense to that, really. “Guess I just got my muse back this time 'round.”

Indeed, Drayton's change of pace didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the BB Elite Four. Perhaps it was the influence of the whole Kieran drama last year… or after that had cleared up, the subsequent sister school exchange event where the top BB League Club members got invited to Paldea to participate in a team competition. Lacey certainly noticed Drayton went back to skipping class when the Galarian gym leader was here, but at least he was motivated somewhat regularly after.

“I see… well I'm glad to hear that, Drayton. What are you planning to do after graduation?”

“Who knows… but I might have something in mind…”

“Something?”

“Don't worry about it.” He waves it off and ushers her ahead. “C'mon, lets take some photos with the club. It'll be our last ones here afterall.”

.

.

.

“By the way Drayster— if you ever find yourself in Galar, feel free to drop by Hammerlocke Stadium any time. We'll be happy to have ya.”

[crystalelemental]

What do you wanna see the postgame in Pokemon you want? I feel like it's kinda tricky to figure out myself when I replay the postgame content in numerous times.

Okay this might go for a while, because the short answer is "I don't think I know anymore."

Part of the issue is defining what count as "postgame." Like, is Kanto Redux in Gen 2 postgame because the League is the finish point, and Red is optional superboss content, or is that part of main game? Is the second half of Unova optional postgame content, or is it main game because you technically never finished your League quest? Some situations, like the Emma and Anabel quests in Gens 6 and 7, feel pretty decisively postgame, as do things like Delta Episode. But what counts and what doesn't is up for some debate, and I'm...not really sure where I draw the line. I've referred to everything in the second half of Unova as postgame, but now I question that decision.

More to the point, postgame runs into two specific problems in both story and gameplay areas.

Gameplay is probably best explained by Bopper's Gen 2 video. In it, he expresses that a major selling point of Pokemon is the emphasis on continued growth and development, talking about how moves being learned late or late appearing Pokemon give players something to work toward, and keep the game fresh and interesting. And to be honest, this tracks. As someone who's owned cheat devices most of his Pokemon career, you do try to hack in final teams right at the start and they get stale really fast. Having something to work toward is part of the fun.

Postgames tend to run into the problem of not having anything left to specifically work toward. The difference between Crystal's Kanto Redux and Platinum's battle island is that in Platinum, my team is done and has learned everything. As a result, that island doesn't really offer anything particularly fun. While I've been a proponent of Gym Leader and League rematches in the past, they also have the issue of...not doing anything different. Red as a new final conflict requires a different approach from facing off against Lance and the League, but Cynthia 1 and Cynthia 2 go down to exactly the same strategy. There's less to work toward, so the island feels entirely boring to me. It's a complete slog.

While there are opportunities to switch up the team, sometimes that comes a bit late, and isn't exactly...engaging. It works in a game like Crystal because of how type matchups work, where Misdreavus can be caught and immediately blank Red's Snorlax, or Tyranitar countering half of Red's team. Or in Emerald, Mawile can hard counter Steven's entire team with careful play. But later games don't have that opportunity. It's just lower level stuff, sometimes weaker stuff, with no real gameplay benefit.

Which leads to the main thing. This is a Monster Collecting game. Its postgame is effectively completion of the dex. Which is something Pokemon is uniquely terrible at. A game like Nexomon (which is excellent and should be played) lets your postgame be hunting down everything, which is all available in that one playthrough. But Pokemon has version exclusives that demand two games, and internet connection, and with Switch paying for online connectivity. In addition, while Nexomon has a ton of Legendary status mons, it also gives a ton of Golden Nexotraps for assured captures to simplify the process. Meanwhile, Pokemon gives you one (1) Master Ball, then gives you a gauntlet of like a dozen Legendary Pokemon that are wretched to catch because of how annoying their systems are. Monster collecting in the most popular Monster Collecting Videogame is terrible by design. It's never been good, and they're never going to make it good. Though I guess they tried with Galar's Dynamax Adventures and Paldea's fights with main legends. Though they both still do the stupid catching thing in other ways, like the Galar birds and Treasures of Ruin.

I think ideal gameplay actually gives you something to work toward, but also Pokemon really just needs to improve how it operates with catching everything. Which I think it has. To its credit, Galar and Paldea do make it easier to complete the dex by making near everything available. But that's also predicated on dealing with the awful raids and dens, which is somehow worse.

The other element, story, is where things get dicey, and I'll use a comparison to explain. In Nexomon, your postgame events are...honestly the most story intensive segments. They're really good, and my personal favorite parts. More critically, they're continuations. Nexomon 1 follows up the main story of defeating Omnicron with your story of destroying his soul so he can't regenerate (spoilers I guess). Neoxmon 2 follows up all the heavy stuff that happens with a bit of a departure, but only in the sense of setting up the connection between things that happened and things that are about to happen. It's all excellent, and the postgame story is the hook. Granted, alongside new boss fights and challenges and developments that are engaging too. Shame about how the hunt for Tyrants goes, but I digress.

Gen 2 and Gen 5, while they offer postgame, tends to be very light and disconnected on story. There's not as much relevance. Even with things like XY and SuMo and the Paldea DLC, which are much heavier on story, they have...literally no significance to the main event. Like okay, you can argue the thematic relevance of Emma as a character, or that the UB hunt is related to Lusamine's actions, but like...it's really not that connected to what was going on before. Teal Mask is just 100% disconnected, and when they do connect in the Mochi Madness thing, it kinda sucks ass and they wrote Carmine out of it entirely like assholes. I will never forgive that.

I can't say Pokemon's ever really had a great story-centric postgame. It completely lacks in that area, and tells the story it wants to tell centrally. Not that Pokemon's ever been that intense on story. So this is an area it can't really work for. But the ones that do stand out...also run into issues. XY and SuMo have great events with Looker, Emma, and Anabel...but the actual playing of those segments isn't great. And going back to the initial question, does Teal Mask count as postgame if you can do it, entirely, from nearly the start of the game?

The final issue is one of...well, the Battle Facilities. I hate them, personally. I have no investment in playing literal cheating AI at reading minds. Gimmick frontier stuff like in Emerald and Platinum can be fun, but stuff like the normal Battle Tower sucks. Add to it that legendary Pokemon don't count, and there's also very little benefit to gathering legends. You don't really get to do much but stomp the League with the box legends, and...then what? Do a bunch of extra stuff? Run battles that don't allow them? What's the point of having the postgame without those benefits? Galar fixes this a bit by letting anything into Tower, but it's a small concession more than a proper fix.

Honestly, I don't really know what this all adds up to. Part of it is desperately wishing Pokemon had better capture mechanics, because god do the current ones suck. Part of it is thinking that postgame should be a little quick, because usually my complaint is it goes on too long. But I really don't even know what I'd expect anymore. I think that, to some degree, postgame in Pokemon works while the generation is current, but falls off in importance on replays. It's why Daybreak made Legends Arceus worse.

[k4ijynxx]

𐙚₊˚⊹ 𝑲𝑰𝒀𝑶𝑺𝑯𝑰 𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑬𝑮𝑰𝑽𝑬𝑹 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑪𝑨𝑵𝑶𝑵𝑺 ꒱ ₊˚⊹ ᰔ.

[pt: kiyoshi caregiver headcanons]

Note: character uses he/him and is canonically transgender :3 please dont use feminine terminology when talking about him! I will also switch between him and his puppets since they are a part of his identity :3

- he LOVES to make puppet shows with you!

- he even has a puppet for you! Although its not a part of the main 3, he still tries to use it as much as he can!

- his puppets love you as well! Although they all have different caregiving styles:

* Molly is a very motherly caregiver! She is sweet, kind, and overall what most people think of when the word caregiver comes around!

* Kat is a very boastful caregiver! They might make themselves first priority, but they make sure they share that priority with you as well!

* Jack isn’t the best at caregiving due to his abrasive personality, but he is a very good last resort! He might be strict, but he’s strict in a fun way!

- he’s incredibly sweet!

- he is mainly a caregiver due to past trauma, he didnt grow up in a safe environment so he tries to make sure you can have a safe space <3

- he loves to build pillow forts with you! He especially likes to use it as a puppet play!

- he loves playing! No matter the game, as long as it is safe he tries to be a part of it!

- hes very gentle and patient, which is why he is great with more sensitive regressors :3

- he REALLY doesn’t like punishments due to childhood experiences. He doesn’t consider them to be a way to learn but more of a way of hurt, so he tries to talk it out instead! Even with bratty regressors, he is good with talking and his puppets help him out!

- he likes any masculine term that isnt “Daddy” related. Also things like “Uncle” dont make him comfortable either. He is ok with being called brother, bro, or any other masculine name that you would give a caregiver!

- can overthink at times, but he doesn’t ever mean harm!

- he loves giving piggy back rides!

- he trusts you to hang out with most of the cast, however he is a bit protective around Takeshi (not like takeshi would really want to caregive anyway)

- he ESPECIALLY trusts you around Otome though! Bani, Akira, Tomoya, and even Chiemi are also options if he cant caregive :3

- loves coloring! He always puts your art on the kitchen fridge!

- he LOVES to play sports with you, mainly soccer (or football if you are a non-American) he believes its a good way of work out (but he mainly just uses it to have an excuse to play soccer :3)

- he also really likes pokemon! He tries to save up money for pokemon games and cards for you, and likes to shiny hunt your favorite pokemon with you!

- he has a collection of drawing you made in a little bin he keeps under his bed, he likes to look at them in the mean time :3

- bluey! You both love to watch it, although he can get emotional at times

- hes a impure caregiver, he caregives mainly as a trauma strategy due to not living in a loving household and he has a huge fear that he will do something wrong because of that. He can breakdown at times over small wholesome things so sometimes he needs a break

- likes to caregive with Otome at times!

- hes actually a flip!

- he likes to make little notes in your lunchbox, although most of them are by his puppets

- he gets really happy and proud of you over the smallest of things! You can do anything and he will be saying you did a good job and give you a high five!

- he knows what to do with nightmares because he has them quite often

- hes fine with calling you anything, although he likes to call you kiddo, little one, button, sweetheart, or sugar!

- he loves to take you to playgrounds! He especially likes to help you on the monkey bars since he can reach and is very strong!

- he doesn’t care what gear you need, and he always makes sure you feel comfortable with your gear!

- he isnt the best with religious regressors (mainly christian or abrahamic religions related) due to his past, but he tries to toughen it out even if he can be anxious about it at times. He is always scared he will do something wrong and get in trouble, even if there is no one to punish him

- he loves cuddles and hugs!

- he loves board games! Especially shoots and ladders!

- he loves to get you plushies! Especially the more traditional kind

- he also likes movie theaters! Hes ok with most movies so he loves going!

- great with younger regressors! He doesnt really know what to do with older ones though

- he struggles with more independent regressors since he feels the need to caregive 24/7, but he can be comforted into it when he isnt stressed

- hes actually a pretty good singer! He sings you to sleep or when you are hurt

- hes good with regressors of any minority, although religion can be a struggle for him

Extra! :

🖍️⚽️🖍️

⚽️🎨⚽️

🖍️⚽️🖍️

[cantsomeoneelsedoit]

Ch 60: Truth

BUT WHYYYYYY?

Why go to all that trouble?

To protect their friends

For personal glory

For the sake of the martial art itself

To ascend toward Godhood

To see how far they can go/because they're destined to be the best

To befriend all the Pokemon

Others want to be the best because strength will bring them the freedom to live however they want:

Some are just crazy for martial arts:

It's already been established that Shen wanted to be the best from a young age, but it turns out that there's something else that's been driving him to push himself, no matter how many times he experiences defeat along the way...

SPOILERS ABOUND!

Shen's expression is so unexpected. It's not a snarl or a tear-jerking frown--it doesn't match the emotional weight of what he's saying. He looks determined and self-confident, like he's waaay past the grieving stage and has turned that grief into fuel for training.

And he just says it so matter-of-factly! A lot of shonen series would have shown him shaking with rage or billowing black smoke or something while he said that line, but instead he just has this alert, "Any further questions?" kind of look about him.

Another common feature of Xianxia/Spirit Cultivation works is the pursuit for immortality. Looks like Feng has that part already figured out!

"I had my youth restored! And friends, I couldn't be more excited to share this special offer with you! If you sign up using my code, we will both receive a 5% discount on all future subscriptions!" --Feng, selling infrared light masks or something.

Not even Victor had Shen struggling like this! But then again, Shen liked Victor and so he could use his ability on him. He still lost, but it wasn't as bad as this. That middle panel of Shen is just wonderfully horrible!

Feng doesn't know what Shen's ability is called, but he's putting the pieces together to figure out how it works.

Most of the characters who've gone through this battle process of trying to figure out someone's ability are doing it so they can have a strategy to defeat their opponent. But Feng just wants to use the info to taunt Shen into fighting harder. He's vicious.

HOLY SHIT

His awakening tragedy is a lot like Chikara's.

Ugh-- the chapter title is Truth, and we expect that it'll be about Shen and his ability and how great he is, but here comes Feng just throwing words like "truth" around and using them to hurt people.

Up until now, we've had lots of examples of how Shen can put emotions aside while he's fighting, but Feng knows exactly how to hurt him and stun him into silence. Luckily, Mui comes in strong with the two-sword style!

Unfortunately, Feng reverse kicks Mui and snaps the swords in half.

Feng finally says what we've all been thinking: aren't there an awful lot of similarities between Mui and Mei?

They look alike. They both look up to Shen. Their names are different pronunciations/transliterations of the same name. They even have the same favorite food: dumplings they make together with Shen.

Mui and Mei aren't carbon copies, but they're similar enough to make you wonder if Mui was added by "God"/the author as a way to both take Shen's little sister away and give him a new companion. It also reminds me of Zoro, Kuina, and Tashigi from One Piece. We'll learn some more about Mui and Mei later in the story.

Now Feng exposes his teaching philosophy, which boils down to:

1. Traumatize your students until they go Super Saiyan.

Even worse, he also has a magic cloud that does his bidding, and he takes Mui hostage on it while Shen suffers below. He has a magic cloud and a magic staff, just like Shen!

Feng is using the same line Victor used when he asked Andy if Fuuko's death would break Andy's spirit. The difference is that Feng wants to hurt Shen not to make him weaker, but to make him stronger!

Meanwhile, Andy and Fuuko are still fighting the Juniors with the help of Kinto'un. Andy slices one of them in half, but the core (and Feng) are still ready to fight.

Feng helpfully outlines his goal, his process, and how Life Is Strange works, but Andy tells him to can it.

Latla hugging little Rip is the heartwarming panel we needed in the middle of this chapter!

Andy doesn't care if he's 150 years old because Andy's also pretty old lol.

Feng is a blood knight who's only interested in cultivating strong opponents. Whether it's Shen, Summer, or God themselves, he doesn't really care. You see some of those traits in Shen, too, but Shen's not as criminally insane as Feng.

And as much as Andy enjoys a good fight, he's all about PRIORITIES. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of logical arguments that could convince Feng to change his ways (though Fuuko tries to make him see reason!)

Right? Feng's like some asshole who mistreats an animal so he can kill it and say he fought it at its strongest. But with Shen, you literally can't fight him at his strongest unless he likes you. It's a self-defeating strategy.

Like Billy, Feng doesn't realize that WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! Personal ambitions aren't really something we can afford to focus on right now!

Andy winds up for a punch and Feng gives him an unsure side-eye.

In his arrogance, he dismisses Andy right away. But--

He spoke too soon! Andy's Ten-Twist Vortex Fist sends him spinning and bloodies his lip. I love Fuuko's face in the top panel.

At the end, both Fuuko and Andy say that they're fighting for other people, but Feng is still just fighting for his own amusement. How can they take down a wildcard like him?

Masterpost

[phantomguild]

Chapter 3: Nil

The Porygon2 slowly woke from their unintended slumber, staring at the Azurill smiling over them, while a Deerling was looking over a stack of papers. Taking brief look around the room, they quickly figured out that it was an infirmary of some sort.

"Oh hey! You're finally awake!" Clover said cheerfully to the half-conscious Pokemon. Silas looked over her shoulder at them as well. "You had us worried when you came through and just fell unconscious! Are you alright?"

They vaguely remembered it, the events leading up to now playing back in their mind. Stowing away, the Magi retreat, Mint showing off, meeting her friends, coming through the portal and... oh.

"Yes... yes." They answered, shaking their head. "I'm alright. I wasn't expecting my body to be disrupted by that." They hopped off the infirmary bed and focused. A rainbow light consumed their body, engulfing the room in white before it faded, their Vulpix form recreated. They stepped forward and stumbled on their way to the door, Silas and Clover moving to support them.

"Hey, take it easy!" Silas spoke up, helping to hold them on their paws. "You just woke up after being out for a few months. You need time to recover!"

"I'll be fine. I just need a bit of fresh air." The pair of Pokemon nodded and helped them up a flight of stairs and to a ladder. Silas used Grass Knot to create a few of extra footholds for the Vulpix, and to grab onto them when they nearly fell back down. Leaving out the back door of the Phantom Guild's base, they looked around, seeing the six trapezoid-shaped mini biomes that surrounded the base, forming a hexagonal shaped perimeter both inside and out.

Mint and Ashen stood across from each other in one of the six biomes that surrounded the perimeter of the stronghold, specifically one that looked most like a forest. Either one was idly stretching, before they both took a battle stance. The foliage around the two of them gently swayed in the breeze, the pair of yellow hyacinth near Mint's paws gently brushing against her.

"Guess they're sparring again. Clover, can you pull up the barrier? We don't need their battle destroying any of the walls of the base again." The Azurill ran off, towards a metal wall, hidden in a corner, decorated with seven levers. Clover leapt up, wrapping her tail around a lever, on the control panel, hopping on it to push it down. A series of blue hexagonal plates manifested around the perimeter of the forest, gently glowing as they reached into the sky, isolating the biome. And with the barrier raised, the pair could cut loose and go all out.

The two dashed at each other, with Mint swinging her tail around, a green glow covering it, while Ashen's claw coated itself in a toxin. Their attacks collided, Mint's Dragon Tail attack countered with a strong Poison Jab, launching her backwards. A solid start for either one, with both sustaining some damage in countering each others initial attacks.

She used her momentum to enter the treetops, dashing around randomly in an attempt to throw Ashen off. Though he kept his defenses up, already knowing this trick. As if on cue, he whirled around just as Mint dashed at him with her fangs bared, and sent her hurtling to the ground with a Dragon Claw.

"Come on Mint!" Ashen taunted, tightening his bandana over his brow as he approached. The hybrid on the ground growled, glaring up at him. Though she couldn't hide the playful smirk on her face, already cooking up a different strategy. "You can't rely on cheap tricks to go up against the master of underhanded tactics!"

A series of blue flames surrounded her body as she used Embers of Life on herself. She couldn't hide the sudden wave of exhaustion as she engulfed herself in the healing inferno, as was the price for using this move. The whirlwind restored her wound and obscured her from sight, and when it vanished, so had she. Ashen kept his guard up, knowing she had something planned. He heard the grass and foliage move as she dashed around the biome, bouncing from wall to wall, tree to tree, gradually increasing in speed.

When she dashed at him, he swiped at her with a Dragon Claw again, only for her to dodge with a midair twirl. There was a flash in her eyes, and the draconic energy faded, with Ashen's access to the move being completely disabled. He looked at her, as she smiled and hopped up to balance on his outstretched claw. She briefly danced on one paw, twirling and slapping him with a Dragon Tail, and while he fell to the ground, she hopped off his arm, landing back in front of him with a grin.

Though it did give her a considerable advantage, the trick also wiped out a good bit of her stamina, especially using Embers of Life to the extent she did.

[imfluentinfangirlandgay]

A Father's Resolve - Ch 7

Ingo returns after a decade - with two extra cars in tow. Years later, his kids are swallowed up by time in the same way he was. Will he be able to find them? Will they be able to make it out alive?

Word Count: ~2300

"Come on, Rei, we should battle! See what our new teams can do!" Akari begged. 

"Isn't there a request from someone in the Diamond Clan that Laventon mentioned?" Rei asked. 

"Yeah but this won't take long! Promise!" 

"Fine," he relented, "but I'm bringing Spark Plug with me. I know you'll just spam some new water move on Campfire." 

"Telling me your losing strategy already?" his sister teased as he gathered up the pokeballs. 

They trekked to the pastures to make a better team for themselves as they considered what they would bring. It was so odd to see their captured, but not in use, pokemon playing together in the fields. The townsfolk avoided this area. 

Then they set off for the dojo that Laventon had pointed out the night before. It was caged in by a half-wall, with a dirt patch set up like a fighting arena. It was small, but it would definitely work. 

"Let's do this," Rei breathed. They hadn't properly battled in weeks. 

They both sent out their starter first, Rei with Campfire and Akari with Riptide. Unfortunately, Rei knew exactly where this was going. “Campfire, return!” He threw out Spark Plug, the little Shinx meowing in challenge. Akari smirked. As Rei fired off a Thunder Shock, she sent out Bonnie the Ponyta, who took it like a champ. Rei gritted his teeth. 

“Bonnie, Stomp!” Akari called. Rei flicked his wrist. The horse stomped onto thin air as Spark Plug dodged with blinding speed, setting off in a Quick Attack, which hit the horse square in the chest, sending it skidding back a few paces. It still stood its ground. 

“Spark Plug, one more Quick Attack!” The cat responded with a speedy headbutt that the horse did not have time to respond to. It fell to its knees with a mournful whinny as Akari recalled it, sending out Riptide once again. She gritted her teeth. 

“Tackle! Now!” Oshawott screwed its eyes in a glare and ran at Spark Plug, throwing its entire body into its opponent. It was a critical hit. Spark Plug fell quickly. Rei hurriedly sent out a different pokemon as Akari smirked- and then her face fell. It was not Campfire that Rei had sent out. 

An Eevee stood on the field, it's body in a battle stance. He was hoping for the best with this. He watched as Akari scanned the field. “Swift!” Five white stars shot from Eevee, locking onto Riptide and following it even as it tried to run. The water pokemon tripped as it took the brunt of the attack, but it still stood back up. It managed to shoot off an Aqua Jet and took out the fragile Eevee. Rei recalled it and sent out his final pokemon. He needed to end this. “Quick Attack!”

“Aqua Jet!” 

Both twins watched with bated breath as the wounded Oshawott and the disadvantaged fire type both carried out their commands, both colliding a with each other and bouncing back, residual ocean spray and dust kicking up and blocking out any vision and making Rei blink away debris until-

Only one pokemon still stood. Cyndaquil, its body coated with mud as it's back flames flickered for a moment before glowing brightly once more in triumph. Riptide was laying in the mud on its back, unconscious. 

Rei whooped and ran over to his little pokemon, lifting it up by the armpits. “You did amazingly, Campfire! I'm so proud of you!” The fire-type smiled at him and whistled in excitement as the swung it around in the air. He set the baby back down as his sister was approaching her pokemon, bringing the Oshawott back to consciousness. “You did really well, too, Riptide.”

“You sure did, bud. Get some rest now.” It disappeared into the pokeball in a flash of light. Akari turned to Campfire and patted him on the head. “And good job to you! It's impressive that you could bring down a pokemon of a type that has an advantage over you!” It hummed at her as Rei recalled it and helped her to her feet, brushing off her pants. 

"Oh, so you're the rookies everyone's been talking about!" Rei jumped at the booming voice and turned, his smug expression wiped clear off his face. Before him stood a tall, muscular woman. She was broad, with a red tunic emblazoned with the Galaxy Team logo. Her fiery red hair was pulled up into a flowing curly mane on top of her head. "Name's Zisu. You two have some fight in you. I wanted to stop by and give what advice I could." She grinned and slapped his back, making him see stars. 

How was she this tall? She had to be at least 7 feet tall. She towered over Rei, her hands relaxing on her hips. "You know, if your pokemon masters a move, you can use it in different styles!" Rei tried to listen, he really did, but his ears were ringing. He remembered something his father had mentioned a long time ago. 

"Daddy?" Rei picked up his Lillipup plush and stared at it, making it hop up and down. 

"What is it, little cub?" Dad had asked, turning his head to gaze at his son over the paperwork he was filling out. 

"What was Mommy like?" The boy's silver eyes had laid upon his father's as he awaited an answer. His sister had looked up from her playing as well, her small hands that gripped her dolls pausing in their actions. 

"Well," he had said, sitting up and pushing away the paper, "she was a fighter, for one thing. Loved pokemon battles, almost as much as your uncle," he chuckled. He stared out the window, his eyes misty. "I wouldn't be surprised if you both grew up taller than me." 

"Why?" Rei had asked, hugging his plush to his chest and cocking his head. 

"Your mother was very, very tall," his father said. "Towered over me and just about everyone else. She was good at pokemon battles and wrestling." He looked between his twin children. "I do wish one of you had gotten her red hair," he lamented, ruffling Rei’s hair and making him giggle, "but this way you two get to match!"

"She's the one who wanted to name us, right Daddy?" Akari had joined them at the table, her small hands grabbing the edge and standing on her tiptoes to see them. 

Ingo had taken her into his lap. "That's right, cub. The heros were the only ones to ever beat her in a pokemon battle." 

"Wow," Akari said in wonder, her silver eyes sparkling, "she must have been really good." 

"She was very good," their father had said. "Very very good." 

Rei locked eyes with his sister, who looked just as shocked as he did. She'd figured it out, too. 

"... and if you need any cool new moves for your pokemon, just let me know!" Zisu boomed, her grin wide. 

"Y-yeah, we will," Akari stammered. "We should probably go, uh, check with Laventon about the Diamond Clan stuff now." Rei nodded in agreement, his wits slowly returning to him. 

"I'll see you two around, then," she waved as they made their escape. 

"I didn't think she'd be here!" Rei whispered in Unovan to his sister. 

"I thought she'd be someone from the Pearl Clan!" 

"I did too!" 

"What do we do?" she whispered to him, her hands shaking. "Our dead mom is just living in the village! With us!"

"She doesn't know yet," he pointed out, "we haven't been born yet. And she's not dead. Here. Yet. Has she even met Dad?" 

"I have no idea," Akari whispered. 

"I say we just pretend everything's normal. Maybe we can get to know her a bit," Rei said. 

"How? She might figure it out!"

"That we're her kids from the future that she had with a member of a different Clan? I don't think that's the first conclusion she'd jump to," he retorted. "Look, it's weird, yeah, but if we pretend everything's fine, then everything's fine. We're essentially strangers to her. We don't even really look like her." 

Akari sighed. "It just feels so weird." 

"Oh I agree," he remarked, "but I mean, what do we say? We need to do our jobs and she has things we can use, like training. I think that's gonna be a rare thing out here. We can't just say we refuse to see her just because." 

"Yeah," his sister sighed. "You're right."

"I know I am," he smirked. "Now let's go see what this mission entails." 

They met up with Laventon, who informed them that they should go meet with Mai, a Warden from the Diamond Clan, in the Obsidian Fieldlands. That was easy enough, Rei thought. The sun was up and out, the sky almost unbroken blue. There was a light breeze, but not much to complain about. They trekked to the Fieldlands, the now-familiar tents beginning to come into view as they came over the hill.

“Boo!” Rei jumped at the voice suddenly behind him and whirled around. A head of blonde hair bobbed in laughter. “Did I get you? I bet I did. Just wanted to come by and wish you guys luck. You know about the Back Strike Technique? It's a bit of a secret.” Rei breathed a sigh of relief. It was just that merchant from the other day. 

“Oh- uh, yeah, thanks, Volo,” Akari stammered. “We best be on our way…”

“Of course, don't let me keep you up!” He waved at them jovially and set off in the opposite direction down the path. The twins looked at each other and shrugged. They kept walking. 

Laventon waved to them from the camp and pointed to the bridge. “Down there is where Mai is waiting. She said she needed help with something important. I'm sure you'll be the perfect folks for the job!” 

The twins bobbed their heads and immediately set off, making sure to give any Shinx a wide berth lest they get a repeat of yesterday. 

—-----

After their spat, Elesa had insisted on taking the trio out for dinner. And in order to do so, showers were in order. Emmet had gone first, allowing Ingo and Elesa some time to themselves as he scrubbed himself clean. His hair regained its light silver hue. He shaved and scrubbed and cleaned for well over half an hour before finally emerging, a towel over the bottom half of his body and wet hair dripping into his eyes. 

“You'd better not be dripping water all over the carpet!” Elesa shouted from the kitchen. 

“You don't even pay the mortgage here!” Emmet cursed to himself as he shivered.

Arceus. It was cold out here. He hurried to his bedroom to get clothes on. 

He heard Elesa arguing with his brother and a few short minutes later, the shower turned on again. Emmet rolled his eyes as he threw on a t-shirt and some pants and ruffled his hair with the towel. He'd left his hairbrush in the bathroom. 

“Who's in the bathroom?” he asked as he approached the door. 

“S'not me,” came Elesa's reply from the kitchen. Emmet opened the door without any hesitation. The steam was the first thing to hit him square in the face, warm and humid. Then Ingo's shout as his gaunt face poked out of the shower curtain, his hair in his eyes, still with shampoo in it. 

“Hey! I'm showering here!”

“As if we don't have literally the same junk. I'm grabbing my hairbrush, ya big baby.”

“I've heard of this fantastic new phenomenon called knocking!” 

“Oh! You'll have to show me sometime, I must not have gotten the memo.” Emmet stood stubbornly in the bathroom, the door still half open as he brushed his hair in the foggy mirror, smirking. 

“Oh my Arc, get out. You're letting in the cold air.” Ingo flung water at him, forcing him to make a tactical retreat as he sniggered. 

Emmet brushed his hair and made himself presentable as the shower shut off. Elesa was scrolling her phone on the couch as she waited for the twins to finish up. “How do you feel about Carthey's?” 

“That sounds fine to me.” He knew Ingo also like Carthey's well enough. Emmet adjusted his button-up, popping the collar and making sure the buttons were all fastened. Before long, his brother appeared in the front room as well, looking identical to Emmet. “One of us is going to have to change,” Emmet grinned. 

“You've been recycling that joke for over thirty years.” 

“And it's funny every single time!” 

“I beg to differ.”

“Then beg.” Ingo squinted at Emmet, who was grinning like an idiot. He scoffed, but Emmet could see the twinkle returning to his eyes. Good. 

“Ig? Carthey's? Yay or nay?” Elesa cut in. 

“That sounds lovely tonight. Been awhile since we had it.” Ingo was popping his own collar and smoothing out his shirt. He looked worlds better than he had the night before. He was still struggling, that much was obvious; the bags under his eyes were still there and his fingers still shook slightly with exhaustion. But the shadows were not as consuming, his shaking had reduced to tremors, the lights in his eyes had somewhat returned. Emmet knew from firsthand experience that he would not be okay until he got his babies back, but in the meantime, Emmet was happy to see his brother back from being a walking corpse. 

“I'm willing to bet it's been awhile since you had anything. I'm ready to go whenever you dorks are.” The trio crowded out the door and Emmet locked it behind them, telling Haxorus to watch over the house while they were gone.

[First] - [Previous] - [Next]

[startgamc]

Headcanon - Blueberry Academy And The Pressure to Succeed

Uva/Naranja Academy and Blueberry Academy could not be more different from one another. This may seem like a pretty surface level observation, but the fact of the matter is that the culture surrounding battling and achievement in particular is much more intense than it is in Paldea.

To expound upon this, when we first arrive at Uva/Naranja, we're greeted with the concept of the Treasure Hunt. Yes, classes are still imperative but the truth is, where you choose to focus your studies ultimately is up to you. There is a lot of freedom within Uva/Naranja to follow one's passions, and that is reinforced by the faculty that are proactively involved in the lives of their students. That's not to say that Uva/Naranja is perfect by any means, as evidenced by how they handled Team Star. However, your education and what you do with it is much more in your own hands.

By contrast... Blueberry Academy seems to put an intense focus on battling and competition among its students. There do appear to be plenty of extracurricular activities available to the students, but battling appears to be the main focus of this academy. Between the exclusive use of double-battling, the competitive strategies that we see in Pokemon battles from non-E4 members, and the reactions of onlookers when their Champion loses a single match, it's pretty clear that the students hold themselves and each other to a higher level of battling.

Where does this culture come from? Likely it stems from the faculty first, but perhaps paints a broader picture of Unova's views on battling. We don't get the opportunity to see more than just one class during our introduction to the academy, but the class itself is very much hands on, practical experience. This may not be the case for every class, but it certainly lends itself to the impression that faculty expect you to be of a certain skill level when going into their assignments and to achieve the expected results.

And of course there are the random trainer encounters throughout the Terrarium. Each student seems to be focusing on their teams and trying to competitively improve so that they can move up or impress other trainers.

This all culminates in the Champion Battle against Kieran. All of these students gather together to watch, and the moment that Kieran loses, all of them turn their backs and walk away as if it was never worth their time to begin with. This is in stark contrast to the way the final battle against Nemona is perceived in Mesagoza. And while yes, Kieran certainly did not help the matter with how he behaved prior to the match, there's still no celebration or fanfare in this battle, even for the victor. It feels more like the students watching went well that Champion was short-lived. Anyway...

I would not be remotely surprised if Drayton's loss to Kieran had a similar energy.

Let's take a moment and move back to the Teal Mask too. Yes, there are other factors that do contribute to Kieran slowly losing it, but each battle does become more personal for him. That loss streak really gets to him over the course of the trip, perhaps because it's happening so consistently against someone he assumes to be a peer. And if the academy he attends already has a very intense curriculum when it comes to battling, this shouldn't come as a surprise.

We don't know how well Kieran was doing at Blueberry Academy before the Kitakami trip, but we can at least infer from Drayton that he had a lot more fun battling prior to those events. My guess is that Kieran was having his fair share of wins and losses.

And what of the faculty when it comes to Kieran's mental health? No one appears to have stepped in or tried to talk with him. The only faculty member directly involved in his battling is far more absorbed in the knowledge she can glean from him, rather than listening to and understanding a teenager's desperate cry for help. To me this implies the teaching staff do not have nearly as much care when it comes to how their students are faring if they're getting results in battles.

The academy is failing at checking the mental and emotional well-being at all levels if they're fine with allowing a troubled kid to no only run himself physically ragged, but inflict this same kind of punishment on other students for being weak in battle.

So what is the result of this? Bleuberry Academy is fostering highly competitive young trainers who will absolutely take on Unova, more than ready for all of its challenges and battles, but it appears to have a negative impact on the socialization of its students as well, where winning becomes a priority for everyone involved. Of course, not all of the students fall into this mental trap, but those that do may end up drowning due to the pressure and expectations of Blueberry Academy's ever lofty expectations.

[sunstone-smiles]

Tell me the Secret!

Original request: Hi! I saw your request guidelines and was wondering if you do only Pokémon? If you do, could you do a gardevoir and a gallade for tickletober day 1, secret?

Like Gallade has a surprise for Gardevoir but she somehow gets word abt it and wrecks him to tell her what it is?

Just a thought but it’s okay if you don’t do primarily Pokémon in your fics :3

Author’s note: @leefl00f Hello! (I hope it’s okay to tag you for your request)! It was a different experience writing for only pokemon for the first time! I decided to make them siblings for this fic (and I also wrote it broadly so Gardevoir and Gallade can be read as humans or pokemon!) As said before, I switched around the prompt for this scenario, so hope you all enjoy Day 17 of Tickletober: Interrogation! (From August’s Tickletober 2023 list!)

Series: Pokemon

Characters: Gallade and Gardevoir

Word count: 831

Summary: Gardevoir uses a giggly strategy of persuasion to get Gallade to tell her a secret that he’s keeping from her.

—

“Tell me!”

“No.”

“Come on! Tell me!” Gardevoir whines and leans over her older brother’s shoulder to sneak a peek at what he's doing. Gallade places a palm to his sister’s face and shoves her away.

“I said no,” Gallade states as he organizes types of berries into piles of blues, yellows, and reds on the grass. “It’s not much of a secret if I go telling everyone, is it?”

“But I already know part of the secret.” Gardevoir peeks to his side again. “You’re clearly picking more berries for someone other than yourself. So now I just need you to fill me in on the rest.”

“Nice try Gardevoir, but I’m not saying anything.” Gallade goes back to his work, trying to avoid his sister’s observant gaze. Gardevoir huffs at his stubbornness. She struts over to his side and stands over him with her arms on her hips, like she’s about to scold him.

“Alright Gallade, one last time,” Gardevior says like she means business. “Will you, or will you not tell me the secret?”

Gallade looks up at his sister, narrowing his eyes in a way that represents the competitive gaze of sibling rivalry.

“The answer is no.” He returns to organizing without another word.

Gardevoir shifts in her spot. “Well then, it seems an interrogation is in order.”

With that, Gardevoir quickly snatches Gallade’s upper arm and effortlessly drags him backwards, like a jump rope trailing on the ground, from his multiple piles of berries. Gardevoir might want to get her way, but she’s nice enough to do it from a distance from her brother’s hard work so she doesn’t mess it up. Because things are about to get chaotic.

“Hey!” Gallade tries to free his arm from his sister’s hold. Gardevoir releases him and he flops to the grassy floor. Gallade lifts himself up on his arms.

“What was that for?!” he questions. What he doesn’t expect, however, is for his sister to spring at him, knocking him right onto his back, followed up by her hands scratching across his sides.

“W-Wahahait! Hehehey!” Gallade suddenly bursts into laughter, taken by surprise by his sister’s tickly method of persuasion. He squeezes his arms to his sides and kicks his legs in the air.

“Don’t ‘Hey’ me! I tried to warn you,” Gardevoir teases above him. “Now, tell me what the secret is!” She scribbles her fingers against his ribs and belly, easily following his squirmy movements. 

“Thihihis is cheheheating!” Gallade exclaims. He should have seen this coming. Of course his sister knows how ticklish he is, and of course she would use it to her advantage.

“Yes, it is,” Gardevoir admits with a grin. “Now tell me already!” Gardevoir digs her fingers into his torso a little harder, causing a ticklish jolt to surge through Gallade and a yelp to proceed after it. 

Maybe he should just let her in on the secret. It's not that big of a deal. 

No, but it’s supposed to be a surprise. He’s got to keep it concealed.

Gallade snorts. “Nehehehever!” he says with a hint of playful sibling banter.

“Fine then. If that’s how you want to play it,” Gardevoir smirks. She lifts one of her hands in the air and a pink aura swirls around it.

As if by magic, or in this case Gardevoir’s physic abilities, Gallade’s arms are yanked above his head by the same pink aura.

Gallade whips his head upwards to see his trapped arms, then darts his head back to his sister with rounded eyes of terror. He’s done for.

Before he can even utter a single word, Gardevor has already pounced at him, scribbling into his underarms. Gallade screeches with laughter, like metal plates being scratched together. He throws his head from side to side and kicks his legs in the ground. Gardevoir laughs along with her brother. She knew this would get him.

“Ohohohokay! Okahahahay!!!” Gallade calls out. “I’ll tehehehell yohohohu the sehehehecret!!!”

Immediately, Gardevoir lifts her hands and makes the pink aura holding Gallade’s wrists disappear. Gallade shoots his arms down and plops to the grass. His chest heaves up and down as if he’s just fought an intense battle.

Gardevoir leans above him and smiles, “Now spill it.”

Gallade sits himself up with his arms behind him. “I found a bunch of these berries in this part of the forest and started collecting them. I wanted to see how many different kinds I found before I surprised you so that we could share them together. That’s the secret. So, surprise.”

“Aww, Gallade!” Gardevoir’s heart swells with happiness. “You didn’t have to do that. I would have helped you if I knew. I’m sorry that I spoiled the surprise.”

Gallade chuckles. “Don’t worry about it. I wanted to do this. You are my sister after all.”

Gardevior smiles and gives her brother a big, appreciative hug by throwing her hands around his neck. “And I’m lucky to have you as my brother.”

[amelikos]

Some character notes and episode notes for HZ059, writing them down for future reference.

First part of the ep had Dot and the others heading to Aoki's gym so Dot could take her implementation test only to find out that he wasn't there and that he was coming back later. Dot was feeling impatient and wanted to take her test quickly and even said she studied Aoki's videos a lot and came up with strategies taking into account her two Pokemon. Kuwassu eventually wanders away from the group after hearing some music and the group follows him to look for him. Kuwassu was watching a dance performance by an Odoridori and its trainer. He eventually joins in and Odoridori's trainer, upon finding out that Dot and the others were looking for Aoki, tells Dot that she'll tell her where Aoki is after they get acquainted with a dance. Ensues a dance session with Kuwassu and Odoridori. Kuwassu learns to improve his steps and even incorporates new ones in his routine, which impresses the crowd who is watching and Odoridori's trainer. After the performance ends, Dot and the others head to the Treasure Eatery, which is where they find Aoki. They introduce themselves to each other. Roy was surprised to learn that Aoki was both part of the Elite Four and a Gym Leader. The restaurant's dining area is then transformed into a battlefield so Aoki and Dot can have their battle.

Second part of the ep featured the actual battle. Dot says that Kanuchan has no battle experience (as in, official battle) so she decides to send out Kuwassu first. Aoki sends Nonokotchi. Kuwassu is soon paralyzed by Nonokotchi so Dot returns him and sends Kanuchan (and there was a cute moment of Kuwassu coming out of his Pokeball to cheer on Kanuchan because she was scared of Nonokotchi at first). Kanuchan does a good job against Nonokotchi all things considered, but Aoki returns his Pokemon and sends out Mukuhawk who soon defeats Kanuchan. So the end the battle comes down to Mukuhawk and Kuwassu. Dot loses her composure a bit because Aoki is always one step ahead of her and counters all her plans, so he asks her if plans are something she executes by herself. So Dot understands that she needs to take into account Kuwassu more and is more in sync with him afterwards. Kuwassu eventually evolves into Welcamo during the battle and Dot uses Terastal. Aoki does as well, and eventually defeats her. Dot is frustrated about losing and was surprised about passing her test. Aoki explained the reasons for passing her and considered that she did great work in implementing what she learned in her basics test. Liko and Roy congratulate Dot for passing her test, and they end up eating special onigiri at the Treasure Eatery (paid by Aoki, he was nice for offering them all onigiri).

Anyway, this was overall a nice episode. The battle was fine. Ep was written by Naohiro Fukushima (he wrote lots of Dot-centric eps at this point, he was also the one who wrote Dot's basics test with Nanjamo).

I loved seeing Dot's many different sides in display this ep. The way she comforted Kanuchan at the beginning by hugging her after Kanuchan fell on the ground and cried was adorable (back in HZ044, she didn't how to handle her crying so she called her back in her Pokeball). I loved how the previous ep and this one shows that Dot is more comfortable handling Kanuchan now, and how her tender side always comes out with her. She also showed that she could be impatient (she wanted to take her test quickly). Dot can also be smug and prideful (the way she bragged about Kuwassu being a hardworker was cute, that's her partner she is proud of!). She also can be goofy (the way she danced and moved around during her battle was fun), or shy and embarassed around strangers (she didn't know what to say to the staff at the Treasure Eatery.. and the way Liko naturally talked for her was a nice touch, Liko probably saw that Dot couldn't handle the situation and took over). I just like that Dot is a full person who has all these sides to her. Dot's arc with food will never get old either (she keeps trying lots of new stuff this chapter, like the onigiri at the end, and isn't scared of eating new things).

I also liked the way her relationship with Kuwassu (and eventually Welcamo) was showcased (seeing more of Kuwassu's playful side at the beginning was great too, he is usually more serious so seeing him excited over things he likes was a change of pace). Dot said that she thought they were both growing together but he passed her on again and she wants to catch up to him. It reminded me of the way she didn't want to stay on the sidelines anymore back in HZ045 and wanted to get actively involved with Liko and Roy and stand by their side as an equal. Dot was afraid that she had missed on a lot of things (when she admitted her fears to Liko in HZ027) but she is still trying either way and even though she admits that even her Pokemon can be ahead of her sometimes, it just motivates her to catch up. I also think it's interesting to have a trainer and Pokemon relationship like Dot and Welcamo in the anime. Kuwassu was always generally more put together than Dot and encouraged her multiple times in times of doubt (I remember reading that Dot feels like the middle child in her own team and it's kinda true w). Dot admits that too. In general, I just like the way the trio's relationships with their partners are depicted because they all feel distinct and varied. I keep enjoying the way Pokemon evolutions in Horizons are linked to the growth of both the trainers and Pokemon and showcase the emotional growth too (and that you know they will evolve, there is no doubt about that either).

I also thought that Dot being surprised that she passed her test was reminiscent of other instances in which Dot couldn't see the good that she did. Similar to the way she had a bit of difficult time acknwoledging Liko's compliments in HZ027 (Liko reassured her that she was doing lots of good things for everyone on the ship, but Dot had only focused on how she had been tricked by Spinel). This time too, she focused on the battle outcome (her loss) and couldn't initially see that she had learned a lot of things and applied them during her battle. Anyway, I really like the way the Terastal course is set because of this. I wonder how Dot will grow in terms of battles. She tends to prepare in advance a lot and studies her opponents (just like Spinel by the way), but I think she'll need to adapt on the fly against the Explorers for example (she doesn't know the way all of them battle etc…).

[noveratus]

Alright, so after finishing playing through the pokemon DLC, here are my thoughts:

For the good parts: the DLC is fun to play and pleasantly challenging, which is new for a pokemon game. It feels great to just walk around catching pokemon to fill the pokedex. The characters are a mix bag with Kieran and Drayton being the highlights but still not quite meeting the greatness of Nemona and some of the Gym trainers. The other ones just disappear in the back as nothing but obstacles. I think that they lack a bit of the soul the gym trainers have even with less screen time. I also found Nemona to be a far more interesting rival than Kieran since you always get this sense she is better than you, even though you beat her. It feels like an older sibling letting their younger sib play with them and getting down on their level. Kieran is still pretty good and quite a plot twist considering the leaks and trailers. He never goes full villain, just kind of an ass out of jealousy, which I think is a pretty interesting concept. Kieran feels like what Hop should have been in Sword and Shield.

The environments are also really great and fun to explore, I love how much personality different pokemon have. I also prefer double battles over single battles as I found out. They do require more strategy.

The story also fits with the story of a DLC, that being you, the player, meet this shy kid who becomes filled with jealousy and tries to become the best by making things very unfun for everyone else only to be demonlished by the player. His desperation leads to him seeking an even more powerful pokemon that ends up being a threat and has to team up with the player to stop them (the pokemon should have been peacharunt, but alas.)

Now for the bad

While teal disk is really, really good, it also increases my disappointment when it comes to the actual main game.

Let's start with the features. Why is flying locked behind a pay wall? It doesn't even make any sense when you take into consideration the story of the game. One of the main missions is all about making the cover legendary better until it reaches its maximum power, and yet there it is, gaining another 'form.' The return of throwing balls and even BBQs are things that I think should have been in the base game. Also, couldn't they have added at least a few more clothing options to the main game?

I can understand the legendaries being behind the pay wall, that's fine. The new areas, new pokemon, all of that is alright. That is what you put in a DLC, but a whole mechanical gimmick in the form of the stellar type, it only goes to show just how unfinished the core games were at launch. At this point, it feels less like the DLCs are extra content and more so that they are what the actual game was meant to be, but due to time constraints, they were half assed and, instead, if you want to play the actual game you have to pay another 30 bucks on top of the 60 that you paid for the unfinished, unpolished mess of a half game that was the core games. Ironically, this almost makes me miss the 3rd games in the franchise because, if you waited a year, you could just pay for the game once.

The last hour of the DLC feels like it was the hour that was missing from the central story of the game. Just replace Kieran with Arven being upset that his parents cared more about the pokemon than him, replace Briar with Nemona, and be excited to meet a new pokemon and Carmine with Penny and you can have the exact same story. Hell, it would make more sense for Geeta to trust the player and trainers from paldea with the investigation of the crystals instead of complete strangers. What was Nemona up to in Indigo Disco anyway? Are you telling me that Geeta would ask for the help of Carmine instead of Nemona? Nemona, whose original team we have yet to see? Don't get me wrong, I like the plotline in the DLC. I just don't think that that last part deserves to be DLC. It simply feels incredibly unfair and greedy. The least you can do is put out one complete main story instead of half assing 3 of them.

That's my rant, anyway. Expect a rewrite of these games soon. For the record, I really, really like the dlc. I would give it a solid 8.5/10. However, seeing it and what the base game could have been makes the core games drop down quite a bit, from a 6.5/10 to a 4/10.

[moonxpalace]

This isn't an art request, just something fun I'd thought about saying to you.

If I could think of three people who Ash battled that Iris may want to battle as well, this is what I came up with:

Alain: He's the one rival we have never seen Ash beat, so this would be a fun challenge for Iris. Plus, when he Mega Evolves his Charizard, it replaces its Flying type with a Dragon, finally making Charizard a Fire and Dragon type Mega Pokémon! Iris always wanted to catch a Charmander and raise it to a strong Charizard, until she learned from Ash that Charizard was a Flying type! When she learns about the fact that Charizard can become a Dragon type with the right methods, she'll beg Alain to battle her!

Gladion: He's very strategic when it comes to battling, and strategy battling versus wild battling is a fun thing to watch, as that's what we saw in Ash's battle against Gladion in the Alolan League finals! Iris takes after Ash's wild battling skills, but with a different Dragon twist to it. So, Gladion would be interested in battling someone who learns from Ash, as well as a regional Champion!

Sawyer: Okay, this boy from Hoenn is the ultimate strategizer, and he's exceedingly strong, as well! He whooped Ash once, and he's got a Mega Sceptile, which happens to be a Grass and Dragon type Mega Pokémon! Like I said with Gladion, strategy vs wild battles are a lot of fun to watch, and Iris takes after Ash's wild battling skills with a Dragon twist to it!

What do you think of this? If you have any better candidates, let me know! 😊

I see your vision - and I agree!

I WISH Iris and Alain battled :( The two of them left the M8 together and I imagine them having a battle before parting ways.

Iris definitely would like to battle Drasna as well. I think she'd look up to her and learn a trick or two.

Korrina is another character I'd like to see Iris battle. As a bonus I can see them becoming close friends, since Korrina is just as energetic as Iris plus has a strong bond with her pokemon.

I'd love to see a battle between Hapu and Iris, too

[malamiteltd]

Raichu Day

So for those who aren't aware, Raichu is one of, if not my favorite Pokemon of all time. Everyone had known Pikachu when the series was introduced to America, but when I saw a series of mini strategy guides that featured artwork of Ken Sugimori, I learned of its evolution, and comparing the art of the two, I liked Raichu more.

Naturally, over the years I had drawn the critter a number of times. In some instances, however, I decided to play with the name and present Raichu in different costumes. All with questionably punny names.

This was one of the first: the Legendary Warrior Raigar. Based on the game series "Rygar" from Tecmo.

And then there was Raiden, God of Thunder from Mortal Kombat. I learned later that the pronunciation was more like "Rayden" (and that very spelling was used for some home versions, maybe to differentiate from the Raiden shmup series?), but it was still an opportunity I didn't want to pass up.

Nathan "Rai" Spencer, the Raionic Commando. The design is a mix of old and new, taking some cues from both the NES game and the Rearmed remake. On that note, music was made in FamiTracker to coincide with the concept: a mixing of two Bionic Commando series' songs, intended to sound like a Pokemon enounter.

After a few years I ended up making something else punny via a newly acquired Android tablet. It's less of a costume and more of a fusion:

Raiolu.

Finally, this year I made a Raichu wear the outfit of one of my own characters. The character in question is known as Tetsuba Qailan; he's pretty cool, but I hadn't made much use of him for quite a while.

Plus he was in need of a few tweaks in design.

So I ended up with this:

Tetsuba Rai-lan, complete with his own Chou Kagaku (known to some as the "Black Butcher"). Hmm, one of these days I need to finalize the design of his bike Gekizou too.

But yeah, I don't know how many other outfits I'll end up giving Raichu over the years to come, but it's always kinda fun to think some up, even if things can end up a bit of a stretch.

I think the little guy is worth it.

[carrionsong]

🎧🌒 and ❤️for ingo? :]

thank u anon ;3;!!! rosario uses they/she/he interchangeably, i forgot to mention earlier :]

🎧 - a song that reminds me of us: touch by daft punk! we have no idea how long ingo has been in hisui... how long hes been trying to find answers for why he's here, his constant visions and dreams of the people he's unknowingly left behind plaguing him? who can he talk to about it?

after meeting rosa, so relieved to meet another person like him in this time, and being inexplicably drawn to them... something as simple as his gentle, shy smile and firm handshake as they introduced themself shook ingo. was he really so touch starved that he'd fall for another at the first (warm, reassuring, solid...) touch? as if he knew he would be able to depend on them in the highlands soon enough, without a second thought? theyd just met!... hadn't they?

little did he know that rosa was as awestruck as he was; ingo made one hell of a first impression with that get up, And he was easy on the eyes?? a powerful and respected trainer who didnt need to be showoff-y and brash to show their strength... ingo already had rosa swooning a bit, shes immediately wanting to battle him already, but waits until ingo asked for one :3

but all that to say one touch opened up the flood of thoughts and memories for the both of them, as well as make them realize how incredibly lonely theyve been and how Good it feels to hold and be held, to be reunited even if they dont know it yet ;3; (aside from the obvious, *youre both in love and happy but cant shake the feeling of a part of you Missing. there is a hole in your heart that you cant seem to fill and youre mourning it, but have no idea what it is.* lol. (EMMET BABY IM SOWWY WE'RE IN FUCKIN MEIJI ERA HOKKAIDO AND UR NOT HEREEEE AUGHHHHH)

🌒 - something f/o loves about me: ingo can be real a workaholic, and trying to get him to finish for the day when theres always something to do is like pulling teeth at times😭 hes simply a responsible guy! who has been overworking himself for. arceus knows how long... as much as he wants to keep chugging along with his tasks, he loves that rosa is as stubborn as he is and is determined to get him to stop working as hard and take breaks, often having to resort to bribing him with a favorite sweet or snack for a break in which he Still insists, he can enjoy with them once hes done... . if he insists on staying put, they get hands on and start working alongside him so they can either get to battling or get their asses to Sleep (with rest being as precious a resource as it gets in this time period, naps double count as dates to rosa hehe)

❤️ - a fact about our relationship: its a lot of work, literally! ingo trains rosa with battles when she comes back from field research, coming up with different strategies and movesets to prepare them for alpha pokemon and catching legendaries, which doesnt leave very much down time for them at all ;;; rosa likes to show off both their skills in a battle for the villagers to watch, and may be a Little flirty when tossing out a command n give him a kissy face and a wink bc theyre cheeky, and throw him off for a second kshvbjks :3

[thesketchyheartist]

01/31

Tomino- Mobile Suit Gundam Episodes 1, 2, 8; Lamarre- Introduction My reactions immediately after the episode:

Post episode 1: The characters' eyes instantly remind me of that Korean YouTube video "Guess who?". I can't remember the creator, but the way the eyes have those reflection orbs in a solid color eyes (no pupils). I did not have subtitles, but looking at the fandom's wiki, I am displeased to find out the female lead's real name is not a playful nickname, insult name, or a name to play with words; It's Fraw Bow but I thought it said "frow brow" or "frow bow" which sounds awfully loke "frown brow" to imply her nagging attitude. Something inside me can't help but cringe when she cried and the main character and male lead has to literally slap her out of her trauma. Like, okay man, if you had your parents and grandparents killed in front of you, just a nice little b**ch slap is what you need. Overall, nice way to introduce the characters and their background. Although the enemies' reason for war sounds too similar to America's (actually any colony's) war for independence. The narrator said people were shocked, but it was not like America did not have a lot of street fights and actual battles, too. Not to justify the violence and the need to make battle suits, but they put too much praise for Amoro to step up and fight at a young age. I should say, I would not be surprised if someone else had a different reaction.

Post episode 2: So, another small detail I noticed is the shape or rather the rendition of noses. The shading underneath the nostrils is like a shading in manga or in comics. As these are animated faces, the details are simple, and the younger characters have a rounder face. Also, I don't think they blink, which is funny considering how detailed their eyes are. An important thing I noticed: a side character, wiki calls "Kai", runs back to the White Base by himself. Sayla criticizes him for being a "coward". While I know there must be more to the story, I can't help but wonder is it truly a cowardly move to escape with your life or a clever strategy to survive. At the same time, this is the first time we also meet Sayla, so perhaps it speaks more about her own character than Kai's.

Post episode 8; We were not assigned episodes 3-7, so my reaction may lack context. Spoilers permitted at your own expense: Kai in the span of 4 episodes became part of the military. I think it's because of the low supply of personnel as mentioned in episode 2. Also, you notice how his eyes are more of the "cunning" type to imply he is like Amaro's foil. In the WWI/WWII times, Kai would be the opposite of the ideal soldier, but during this episode he comes out as someone who is brave. I hope he does get some character development (when he goes into puberty and/or trauma, his eye shape might change). Also, Char calling Garma as someone who is too privileged makes fun of past Japanese leaderships during WWII.

These episodes altogether reflect the post-WWII sentiments Japan had. While weapons of unsurmountable force can and does tip the balance of a stalemate in their favor, the sheer power of these weapons compare to the power the atomic bomb had when it was first used. Japan recognized that if Japan ever came up with a power that outranks even Western weapons, they will use it for good because they were once the victims of a power that was used for the greater good...of America. While some may see this as humiliation, and they would not be wrong to frustrated veterans and civilians, it is also important to see this as equally humbling as humility for the silenced and hidden.

The animation and art style reminds me of the first Pokemon anime. While fictional creatures and fictional mechs are not alike at all, the animation reminds me of stopmotion, smooth but patterned to make a fluid-like movement.

also yesterday my birthday. this anime older than my parents.

-01/30/2024