#sometimes decidueye

[astearisms]

🏹 ❄️

[periwinkla]

AU where everything is the same but all animals are replaced by Pokémon. So Phoenix cross-examines a Chatot, defends a Wailord (I know Finizen would fit better but it's funnier) and Missile is a Growlithe that probably sets something on fire at some point, maybe Miles' jabot somehow, which probably leads to Gumshoe not being able to afford anything but noodles for a month or two. Pess is probably a Dachsbun? Miles' main partner would be a Gardevoir (little Miles with a Ralts would be adorable), possibly a Kingambit as well in adulthood? It would kinda fit him in a weird way (chess theme, literal steel samurai theme, general color scheme). Honestly there are many mons that could fit him but these are the main ones I thought about.

I can really see Trucy somehow having a Hoopa and screwing with everyone. Phoenix is a tad bit more difficult to pinpoint. Any mon I thought about is a flying type but he's afraid of heights and it wouldn't fit. The most interesting would probably be a shiny Decidueye because it would fit with his colors and the fact that it's not really a flying type. His hair too, kinda. Also can you imagine little Rowlet with his faux bowtie next to little Miles? Gosh. Phoenix would be like 'see, you're like twins!' would take a thousand photos. (and then when Miles moves away and Phoenix looks at Rowlet he's always reminded of his long-lost friend...cries) Maybe I'll sketch something about it sometime. Also Trucy somehow involving a Decidueye in her magic tricks would be hilarious tbh. A Decidueye with a top hat. Imagine. Athena would probably have a Rotom in her Widget and a Pawmot and/or a Medicham. Apollo would have a Scorbunny or a Whismur. Klavier obviously a Toxtricity. Maya a Munchlax because I like the idea of them both driving Phoenix penniless with burger orders. I want to draw some sketches about this sometime, although I'm still pretty unsure about Phoenix. Other mons I thought about were Appletun (since he likes apples and he's also a dragon type, but maybe it's way too goofy for him even), or even a Goodra (esp in his crybaby days, but also from a pokedex entry: 'It loathes solitude and is extremely clingy—it will fume and run riot if those dearest to it ever leave its side.' so kiiinda similar nature). Maybe a Wobbuffet for funzies because he's a punching bag that always bounces back somehow. Maybe I spent a bit too much thought on this. Oops.

[pokemonshelterstories]

do… do ghost types ever have to be euthanized??? They are (with exceptions like frillish and dragapult) already dead, right? What happens if a ghastly or yamask is gravely ill or cannot live in peace due to health conditions?

dead vs. not-dead isn't really a helpful category when talking about pokemon that are sometimes spirits haunting something that isn't really alive- an in fact, the dreepy line do fall into the category of beings that were once alive, died, and are now spirits!

keep in mind that euthanasia means "good death" and is our way of providing a painless end to pokemon who no longer have good quality of life. this is relatively rare on a physical level for ghost type pokemon- though it does happen- and tends to be more for ghost types that are so stressed, fearful, and reactive that being put to rest is the kind thing to do.

for pokemon like decidueye and skeledirge, we euthanize like we would most other pokemon by ceasing brain function, usually through injection. but with pokemon like duskull, gastly, or shuppet, which are spirits, euthanasia takes the form of helping to soothe their spirit enough to move on. it's not unusual for veterniarians to call upon the outside help of ghost-type experts to assist in instances of spiritual euthanasia! this is a really tricky process, so thankfully it's not super common to need it. i've personally observed it once with a yamask whose trainer had passed away, and it was honestly a really beautiful experience to watch, but it took a long time and involved a lot of complicated spiritual techniques.

[rottenraccoons]

Ok! In a Pokemon Au of Obscura, what would be the main 3 Pokemon the LIs would use on their team? Who would most likely be a Gym Leader or a Master?

(Bless you for this question and for putting this idea into my head, nonnie. I, Tobi, am a big old pokémon nerd and if it weren't for time constraints, I would create full competitive spreads for each and every LI) Francesco I think Fran could fill different kinds of roles in this universe, either as a rival or an easy-going breeder type of trainer. His focus would be on smaller pokémon that he would slowly evolve over time without a rush. His team would look something like this: - Togepi (eventually evolves into Togekiss) - Yamask - Pawmi (- He might pick up a Drampa on the way, too)

Keir Keir's team and mentality is heavily focused on community, so I think he'd make for a great gym leader. He'd have a preference for hard-working, tough pokémon, leaning towards normal and fighting types. His team would look somewhat like this: - Conkeldurr - Hisuian Decidueye - Kangaskhan

Oleander A master of dark types! Oleander would be a trainer that comes and goes as he pleases, without taking sides. He's probably the most likely trainer to become a member of the elite 4. I imagine he'd sometimes disappear off somewhere, though. Some of his team picks: - Sableye - Liepard - Drapion

Cirrus I think he'd be more of a high-level admin of one of the enemy teams, to be honest 🙈 I imagine he'd be a pretty skilled trainer with a lot of patience, someone who wouldn't shy away from traditionally harder to raise pokémon. Part of his team might look like this: - Milotic - Hydreigon - Steelix (- Cresselia, if legendaries are allowed)

[kyoroju]

Hashiras as Pokémon Gym Leaders!

what better first post than combining two of my greatest loves together? i felt that giving the hashiras 1 type to work with would be too cliché, so i gave them a second one that would work with them as well! maybe i spent too much time putting together their parties...but ultimately it was worth it. i really enjoyed writing for them, and i want to hear how you feel about them being gym leaders in a pokémon game! (i'd never stop replaying that version if it were real...)

Kyojuro Rengoku - fire, obviously; steel, less obviously ❥ so obviously, he would be a fire gym leader, right? probably chose a Charmander as his starter years ago and never strayed from the cute fire-breathing baby since they were the same. the rengoku's probably raise all the fire starters as a family tradition anyways ❥ he's got a lot of other pokémon that he adores, but he always gravitates towards the ones that can benefit from his training and vice versa ❥ his full party: Litleo, Fletchinder, Magmortar, Arcanine, Chandelure, Charizard ❥ kyojuro is 100% a steel type gym in disguise. his personality says it all. his determination, his drive, everything he stands for is as unbendable and unwavering as steel. (let's not get started about his body...) ❥ yeah, yeah, steel is super weak to fire, but in kyojuro's case? they make each other stronger in any other way that they can. they solidify wishes and goals and go for it ❥ his full party: Mawile, Klefki, Metagross, Corviknight, Steelix, Aegislash

Giyu Tomioka - water, obviously; ghost, less obviously ❥ as a water hashira, he'd be a water type gym leader. he chose little Oshawott as his starter and loves him greatly, they're quite literally inseparable. ❥ giyu doesn't pay much attention to his pokémon nor does he go out with the intention of training and capturing more, but this one bidoof has been by his side...even after it evolved into a bibarel... ❥ his full party: Shellder, Seadra, Sharpedo, Wailord, Walrein, Samurott ❥ he's distant and cold sometimes, but he ultimately means well, or at least he tries to convey that. people like him, right? shinobu is just teasing him any chance she gets, right? ❥ did i say sometimes? his ghost pokémon rat his real emotions out to people if he isn't watching, they just want the best for him! ❥ his full party: Corsola, Mimikyu, Gengar, Dragapult, Mismagius, Froslass

Obanai Iguro - poison, obviously; ground, less obviously ❥ kaburamaru picked his starter when he was younger, sobble. though throughout obanai's teen years, he trained closely with a bulbasaur instead. ❥ obanai likes to pretend that he doesn't care what happens to his companions, but the second the battle is over, he's hovering over each pokémon, ensuring that each feels cared for. ❥ his full party: Skrelp, Croagunk, Arbok, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Venusaur ❥ obanai is a hardened soul but is still a softy after you get past kaburamaru and his own tough, rough skin. hold him gently and he'll melt without realising, like eroding ground. ❥ he gets mad when he does find out that his pokemon have been meddling in his life, though, so be careful! he's not easy to win back at alI. ❥ his full party: Drilbur, Krokorok, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Sandaconda, Garchomp

Sanemi Shinazugawa - flying, obviously; fighting, less obviously ❥ sanemi is pretty reserved when it comes to his pokémon, but there's no denying that he has a soft spot for the bird species. he trained with a grass/flying type starter but later realised it was no longer flying. ❥ his pokémon may be free-spirited from time to time, but whenever he calls for them, they're by his side within seconds. his pokémon automatically give him tailwind whether he needs it or not. ❥ his full party: Rookidee, Drifloon, Gliscor, Archeops, Toucannon, Decidueye ❥ he isn't so much as a "go with the flow" guy as much as he just appreciates the ebb and flow of the air currents and he expects the same of his winged companions. ❥ he enjoys the rush of the wind, whether it's on the back of his pokémon or he's running right alongside them, though he loves the confrontation on the ground and will never pass a one-on-one fight ❥ his full party: Hawlucha, Kommo-o, Bewear, Scrafty, Machamp, Decidueye

Tengen Uzui - psychic, obviously; dark, less obviously ❥ his exceptional hearing doesn't discriminate when it comes to pokemon that he's raising. the louder, the better, he says...to everyone, though his wives would disagree... ❥ in another life he could've been a conductor but he wouldn't trade his life for another anyways. between him and his wives, he's got enough to deal with ❥ his full party: Bruxish, Gothita, Malamar, Rapidash, Alakazam, Delphox ❥ alongside his wives and him was a lone froakie, which later became his own cherished pokémon, as well as his wives' ❥ tengen may be very good at distinguishing sounds, but he lets his pokémon make as much white noise as want, even if he needs to concentrate on a mission ❥ his full party: Absol, Deino, Grimmsnarl, Honchkrow, Malamar, Greninja

Mitsuri Kanroji - fairy, obviously; dragon, less obviously ❥ she starts every battle by sending out her pokémon with a kiss. it's fitting that every pokemon she has is in a love ball since she's the love hashira. ❥ her pokemon are as graceful and tough as she is, both in appearance and battle. she's always making treats for every one of them, and especially herself! ❥ her full party: Togetic, Kirlia, Hatterene, Grimmsnarl, Alcremie, Altaria ❥ she’s one of two women who’ve become hashira, so she must be strong, right? in another life she could’ve been a ballerina of sorts, or any other profession that let her express her strength equally to her beauty. in this one, it means she harbors dragon types under her wing. ❥ don’t underestimate mitsuri and her cute stature or you’ll be sorry. she may be looking to marry, but you’ve got to show you love her dragons as much as she does… ❥ her full party: Dreepy, Dragonair, Goodra, Salamence, Garchomp, Altaria

Shinobu Kocho - bug, obviously; ice, less obviously ❥ her butterfly attire gives her typing away just like the original gym leaders. it’s only fitting that the butterfly mansion is home to bug types as well as the injured. ❥ she’d never admit that her favorite is her butterfree, but there’s a reason her haori matches the wing patterns near perfectly. confront her about it and you’ll likely be poisoned one way or another ❥ her full party: Skorupi, Whirlipede, Accelgor, Butterfree, Yanmega, Frosmoth ❥ have you seen the look in her eyes? or heard the way she talks to Giyu? she can be cold when she needs to (or wants to) so it only makes sense that the chilly Pokémon have flocked around her ❥ if you let her warm up to you she might show you some tricks her ice types have picked up, like how to beat rengoku’s fire types or how to make nifty potions for battle ❥ her full party: Sneasel, Lapras, Ninetales, Dewgong, Avalugg, Frosmoth

Gyomei Himejima - rock, obviously; grass, less obviously ❥ as the stone hashira, he has strong connection with rock types that are resilient as he is. they love joining him during training sessions and will often practice when he is ❥ his party's defense is so high, you'll likely have to whittle them down little by little. you'll be lucky to take a chip out of them before they trap you in a tomb ❥ his full party: Rockruff, Lairon, Bastiodon, Tyrantrum, Omastar, Cradily ❥ the rock types he works with are tough and hardened, but the grass types he works with a flowy and flexible. they may look super tough on the outside, but they're soft on the inside ❥ his grass types love practicing with him, especially when he's water training. show up with a water type of any kind and they'll show you who's boss ❥ his full party: Gossifleur, Skiddo, Ferrothorn, Shiftry, Torterra, Cradily

Muichiro Tokito - normal, obviously; electric, less obviously ❥ his aloofness definitely takes a part in what Pokémon stay by him throughout his journey. normal types are unaffected by his amnesiac tendencies and care for him all the same. ❥ he might forget who is in his lineup, but he’ll always put on a worthy battle even if it takes him until halfway through to realize he might lose. don’t let him remember there’s a badge on the line and he might spare your party of Pokémon… ❥ his full party: Spinda, Minccino, Wigglytuff, Snorlax, Slaking, Heliolisk ❥ the blankness in his eyes can be fierce like a storm. if you get on his nerves, he might just lash out with everything he's got. you won't want to get caught in the spark. ❥ while his party is sparky and electrifying, he can still be pretty absent-minded and forget to pay attention to them. they remind him with a little spark and sometimes you'll even see him play with them. ❥ his full party: Pincurchin, Magnemite, Toxtricity, Ampharos, Electrode, Heliolisk

[aisy15-chan]

You challenged pokemon trainer Danny!!

Alright guys I have a update for Poke AU but can't draw all of them so here they are!! Starting from Danny's main team :]!

Cosmic♂️ Zoroark (normal/Hisuian) Nature: Timid characteristic: Somewhat stubborn Item: Expert Belt Ability: Illusion Move:

-Bitter Malice -Brick Break -Night Daze -Hyper Voice

First met as a present on Danny's 10th birthday while still Zorua (level 5)

Spooky ♀️ Decidueye Nature: Relaxed characteristic: Often dozes off Item: Leftovers Ability: Overgrow Move:

-Leaf Blade -Feather Dance -Spirit Shackle -Tailwind

Meet the first time as a starter pokemon that was gifted with another Alola starter when he was still a rowlet (level 5)

Plasma Rotom Nuture: Naive characteristic: Impetuous and silly Item: Scope Lens Ability: Levitate Move:

-Discharge -Hex -Thunder Wave -Helping Hand

Meet the first time in the Fenton Works laboratory (level 15)

Marsal Marshadow Nature: Quirky characteristic: Highly curious Item: Black Belt Ability: Technician Move:

-Aura Sphere -Bulk Up -Counter -Phantom Force

First met while hiding in Danny's shadow (level 28)

[nameless :( ]♂️ Ceruledge Nature: Jolly characteristic: Very finicky Item: shell Bell Ability: Flash Fire Move:

-Bitter Blade -Dragon Claw -Swords Dance -Phantom Force

Met the first time at casper high school when he was still a Charcadet (level 1 & hatched egg found by Danny)

[nameless :( ]♂️ Aegislash Nature: Careful characteristic: Likes to relax Item: Bright Powder Ability: Stance Change Move:

-Flash Cannon -King's Shield -Shadow Ball -Psycho Cut

First met at ghost zone when he still a Honedge (level 40)

Danny has lot more pokemons!: Bisharp, Mimikyu, all Hisui starter, Gengar, Froslass, husuian Lilligant & more! If you great can you help me name for them ;w;???

Things to watch out for in Poke AU:

This AU is based on the timeline game play not anime. There's no Ash in this AU sorry guys

AU settings in Unova!

I decided that the pokemon owned here (unless they are from outside Unova or gifted/thrown away by their trainers sad i know) in AU are only pokemon in Unova's national pokedex (BW2)

no Danny can't go on Pokemon adventures officially yet because the protagonist Unova is technically the oldest of all the protagonists in all main timeline games (15-16 years old!) So Danny officially becomes a trainer when he's 15/16 years old :')

AU's main plot:

Very simple 11 12 with series but with pokemon! :]

Plot Hisui:

Let's just say Clockwork wanted Danny to take a vacation from his daily life as a super hero, so here Danny Hisui… Disguised as Danko joined the Galaxy Expedition Team, explored Hisui, researched Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark and met people and new pokemon!

Danny learned a lot about making pokeballs and other equipment. He was taught by Volo and Cyllene very often praised him & She also liked the performance as a member who was very active. He studied more closely about Zoroark & Zorua's abilities so that They could avoid conflicts between humans and Pokemon. in a few moments Danny & Volo were nicknamed "crime boy" by people because sometimes they made lot trouble, on how many occasions Danny found that Volo & Cyllene had a fight and stupidly thought they were kissing, for Danny Volo was a 'big brother' figure because of his nature who is confident and smart sometimes reminds him of Jazz sometimes but Volo is more of an asshole than Jazz and Volo gave him the Zoroark Mask on week 3 at Hisui as a reward for his promotion in Galaxy Expedition Team.

When Danny was going back to his timeline, he said goodbye to everyone and… Should he leave the pokemon he caught here? Clockwork says that he can keep and bring them to his timeline! What a relief! Danny comes back and he realizes he was only gone for 3 days… But he actually spent 3 months at hisui and realized he lost his Zoroark mask! Damn- he can't go back to Clockwork just to take that trivial thing… At the same time Volo who wants to return Danny's zoroark mask only finds snowy land with Danny's footprints.

Meeting Volo's (again):

Danny was exploring the ghost zone to make a map, he didn't invite Sam or Tucker because they were busy so well he was alone exploring the Ghost Zone until suddenly his ship's engine broke down and dropped him to the bottom of the Ghost Zone… When he realized Danny found himself in a place that had very different aura from Ghost zone… The place is full of mirrors and just then Danny is greeted by Giratina who seems quite impressed about Danny species, then Giratina and Danny actively talk a lot they have a lot in common! And Giratina took him somewhere and Danny saw someone familiar… Volo.

Danny & Volo were surprised to see each other… And at the end, after the preamble, Volo told him that he had wanted to destroy the world with Giratina but failed and he was cursed to spend his eternal cursed life, he angry with consuming hatred and obsession with Arcues to survive in the deepest part of the ghost zone… The distorted world, he only interacts with his Pokemon who are also eternally cursed and also Giratina… Sometimes Volo misses a lot of people from his past mass but he realizes he will never meet them again because they are most likely dead sometimes he laments the mask he made for Danny to relieve his boredom… Then he returns Danny's mask to Danny… "I thought I would never return this to you Danko but I'm lucky to be able to return it to you! I will never forget my pather in crime hahahaha!"

In short: Volo Danny escapes from the world of distortion → Volo applies for a job at Fenton Work → Volo becomes the best employee and gets Maddie & Jack's sympathy → VOLO IS ADOPT BY THE FENTON!!!

I forgot to mention that Volo grew Fenton Works business very fast and became the best employee ever!

What next for Poke AU?:

I want add Shauntal in this AU… She a Ghost type elite four… and a writer… fits this au perfectly— & you can ask more if you sent me ask to my ask box pls 👉👈

Oh yeah... Give me your pokemon x dp fanfic i want read it.

[pokemon-card-of-the-day]

Pokemon Card of the Day #3020: Suicune-GX (Lost Thunder)

Suicune-GX was one of those Pokemon-GX with a solid attack and solid Ability to work with. Neither really jumped out as amazing at a time where amazing was generally the entire top of the game, but having both together was at least a perk. Its type didn't have as much help with Energy acceleration as it did in a lot of past formats, making it a bit harder to use. Everything was still technically solid here, so it still had a chance to find a good landing spot if things turned just right.

180 HP was the standard Basic Pokemon-GX number, in which it usually took attacks with damage boosts to actually get through it in one shot. A lot of the Tag Team Pokemon and Pokemon V managed to get there, so Suicune-GX's best chance at surviving was back in the earlier SUM-On format which still had Rayquaza-GX and Blacephalon-GX but the rate of running into tough spots was certainly lower. It should also be noted that Cure Stream made it quite a bit harder to get the clean KO on, since an attack functionally had to do 210 damage if that had been used immediately beforehand. The Grass Weakness, awkwardly enough, only mattered in that same early phase, as Decidueye-GX was still somewhat relevant there. Not amazing, but it showed up sometimes. The Retreat Cost was 2, so if you weren't using your GX attack you'd probably be paying to retreat.

Phantom Winds was an Ability that could be used of Suicune-GX was on your Bench. If it was, you could shuffle it and all cards attached to it into your deck. This was quite useful after Suicune took a hit that didn't quite KO it, meaning that a full health Suicune-GX, if it got the Energy it needed quickly, was a bit of a pain to deal with sometimes.

Cure Stream did 120 damage for 2 Water and a Colorless Energy, which was fine but also not amazing when Pokemon were sometimes doing this for 2 Energy. The extra effect was that, during your opponent's next turn, any damage done by the Defending Pokemon's attacks would be reduced by 30. This could be ignored if the opponent switched out, so if they had a second attacker it was far less useful than if they only managed to build one up or if they couldn't switch. It did put some extra pressure on, at least, as good damage with the threat of Suicune just going back to the Bench and hiding in the deck to erase an attack was always there.

Brinicles GX was meant to work with Phantom Winds. 3 Energy got 150 damage, which was a very good chunk. It also switched Suicune-GX out with 1 of your Benched Pokemon. A use of Guzma, Custom Catcher, or Boss's Orders (depending on the format) did mess this up a bit if done by a weakened Suicune-GX, so it had less impact than you'd think.

Suicune-GX wasn't too common, probably since the Naganadel/Quagsire decks it would fit best in early often went for as much consistency as possible due to the need to build up a ton of Stage 1's and the later Frosmoth having Lapras V to work with. Everything here worked reasonably well despite this, and Suicune-GX was a solid choice for especially SUM-On Water decks. Its main downside was that it really didn't want to be sitting on the Bench and manually charging up since it just had average bulk without the Cure Stream protection. Since Water wasn't that amazing of a type at the time, Suicune-GX simply didn't have many chances to try to slip into a list.

[theultimateultimateweapon]

Finally... they're all mine... After numerous months of Masuda breeding, outbreak hunting, and Hisui searching, I have one of all shiny starters and their final evolution!!!

This was a really fun (and sometimes tedious) project, but I've been super eager to do something like this for a long time. I can't wait to play with them more in the game!

More info/pics under the cut VVV

I spent a lot of time naming and ev training the final evos so here's a little info dump about who they are and how I got them:

Venasuar - M - Clover - Masuda bred in Sword

Charizard - M - Crowley - Raid den in Sword

Blastoise - M - Canon - Outbreak in Scarlet

Meganium - M - August - Outbreak in Scarlet

Typhlosion - M - Tephra - Masuda bred in Scarlet

Feraligatr - M - Monty - Outbreak in Scarlet

Sceptile - M - Virgil - Outbreak in Scarlet

Blaziken - M - Friday - Outbreak in Scarlet

Marshtomp - M - Finley - Randomly found in Scarlet

Torterra - F - Gaia - Outbreak in PLA

Infernape - M - Asher - Masuda bred in Scarlet

Empoleon - M - Kingston - Randomly found in PLA

Serperior - M - Levi - Outbreak in Scarlet

Emboar - M - Iroh - Outbreak in Scarlet

Samurott - M - Kazu - Masuda bred in Scarlet

Chesnaught - M - Rowan - Masuda bred in Scarlet

Delphox - M - Parade - Masuda bred in Scarlet

Greninja - M - Zero - Masuda bred in Scarlet

Decidueye - M - Simon - Masuda bred in Scarlet

Incineroar - M - Oscar - Outbreak in Scarlet

Primarina - M - Percy - Outbreak in Scarlet

Rillaboom - M - Theo - Masuda bred in Scarlet

Cinderace - F - Harper - Masuda bred in Scarlet

Inteleon - M - Noah - Masuda bred in Sword

H Decidueye - M - Seiji - Masuda bred in Scarlet

H Typhlosion - M - Jasper - Outbreak in PLA

H Samurott - F - Nya - Outbreak in PLA

Meowscarada - M - Saffron - Masuda bred in Scarlet

Skeledirge - M - Frankie - Masuda bred in Scarlet

Quaquaval - M - Felix - Masuda bred in Scarlet

Clearly you can tell I got most of them from Scarlet, when I truly started this project up 😅. Some of my all time favorite starters however, like Venasaur and Inteleon, came from previous games. I never fully started shiny breeding starters until the switch!

Only some of the baby starters have names so I won't list them...

Some thoughts about the project

Some of the Masuda bred ones took almost 2000 eggs to get OTL (I'm looking at you Chimchar and Quaxly...). And then, of course I had to breed a second one to keep uneveolved (Chimchar was so difficult, I stopped breeding and went back to PLA to mass outbreak hunt it)

Masuda bred eggs were bred with hidden abilities and 5+ IVs. The mightiest mark raids and Home HA starter gifts were a big help with this. If I'm gonna breed em, I'm gonna breed em right!

The outbreak ones from Scarlet and PLA were given HAs from ability patches. I skipped a few whose HA I didn't like (for example, Charizard's solar power or Serperior's contrary). I couldn't get a Sprigatito with hidden ability from it's parent despite breeding three shiny ones, but I decided not to give it a patch since I like the grass/dark typing better than mono typing via protean.

PLA was a great help for the Sinnoh Starters! I have... So many shiny piplups... Including an alpha Empoleon named Triton (he's my favorite!)

Speaking of which... I spent so long on shiny Cyndaquil and Turtwig that I accidentally found their final evos in mass outbreaks instead of the baby starter. Whoops?

[mickmundy]

Fondly recalling my gf and I's bushmedicine pokemon au! We've been thinking about how Medic and Sniper would likely run a pokemon breeding sanctuary/infirmary together! Sniper is a quiet herbalist and husbandry specialist and Medic is a charismatic learn-on-the-fly doctor that is fascinated by pokemon genetics!

Medic and Sniper aren't pokemon trainers, preferring to use their pokemon for help during their day-to-day duties. This doesn't include some of their other companion pokemon that roam the property, either! A special thank you to my own pidovey @momentomoried for picking the teams eheh! ^v^

Medic's pidoves love sitting on top of Sniper's krookodile while it basks... "You wouldn't dream of eating one of my pidoves, would you, you big lummox!” And krookodile chuffs happily... "Jaa, you're a big rough softie, just like your father! Hoo!" And krookodile "wags" its tail...

Sniper's komala won't ever pass up a nap, but one of its favored spots is on Medic's shoulder while he does lab work! Medic will idly rub his cheek against komala's as he thinks, and talks to it, even though its always asleep. It reminds him to remind Sniper to get some rest too!

Their chansey and kangaskhan are of course very protective. Their pouches can help Medic and Sniper carry their field tools, or found eggs during mating season! Chansey has a bit of a devious side, but kangaskhan (mostly) keeps it on the right track with an occasional stern look.

Decidueye and unfezant are among Medic and Sniper's oldest pokemon. They can typically be seen together. Unfezant is sometimes able to persuade decidueye to abandon its "duties" and relax with a personal preening session!

As the player, you'd go talk to Medic first and he'd Very Enthusiastically give you fetch quests and would offer reward the player with some Strange Potions Or Accessories for helping him!

But if you'd go to Sniper, he'd be one of those characters that would only reply with "...." for the first like... 10 times you talked to him until you did a certain amount of tasks for medic. LOL

Eventually, you could ask Medic about pokemon breeding, and he'd say something like "Hoo! If you want to know more about that, I invite you to go out on the reserve and find my dear Sniper. He would certainly be glad to help; nobody is more knowledgeable about this than he is!"

After doing some more tasks for them (probably involving finding Medic after he got lost in a cave looking for genetic samples or something similar), Sniper would finally be like "... Thanks for helping Medic. My pidovey gets a little feather-brained sometimes... heh..."

After completing all tasks by them, Sniper eventually comes in from the sanctuary into Medic's lab where he's talking to Your Character and sniper's like ".... Should probably let them get going. Reckon we've bothered them enough..." He'd turn to the player character, "But before you do, maybe we can give 'em something... as a thank you." And Medic's like "Hoo! that is a wonderful idea, krookodile!" and you can pick from a pidove egg or a sandile egg! (Cue pokemon key item music)

[spacefinch]

Pokemon headcanons!

(these are about the Pokemon themselves!)

Oshawott/Dewott/Samurott

Samurott's helmet-like shell has nerves inside it, much like a sea turtle's shell. Most domesticated Samurott enjoy the sensation of being petted or brushed on the head.

They will also need a scratching post to rub their horn on, since it grows constantly. In the wild, Samurott sharpen their horns againt rocks or driftwood.

Males and females look similar, but females have smaller mustaches.

Most Oshawott and Dewott have a favorite rock, which they carry in a natural "pocket" under their arm. This rock is used as both a tool and a comfort item.

Fletchling/Fletchinder/Talonflame

Female Talonflame are significantly larger than males, but have a shorter crest. Both genders help take care of the young.

During the summer, members of the Fletchling line are extremely territorial, but they become more social during the winter. In especially cold areas, they will all huddle together to keep warm.

In the wild, Talonflames prey on smaller Pokemon such as Zubat, Pidove, Pidgey, and Spearow.

In some places, airports hire Trainers who own Talonflames to patrol the runways and landing fields, in order to scare off any smaller birds. This prevents both plane accidents and bird injuries.

Deerling/Sawsbuck

Sawsbuck changes its appearance with the seasons, but it's gradual. Not "poof different antlers."

Late fall is leaf-shedding season for Sawsbuck, since it's transitioning into its winter form. During this time, it's recommended that Trainers keep their Sawsbucks outdoors.

The flowers and leaves on Sawsbuck's antlers vary between regions and individuals. Cherry blossoms are the most common.

Tynamo/Eelektrik/Eelektross

The bioluminescent markings on Eelektross and Eelektrik's bodies are used for communicating with one another, startling predators, and luring prey.

Tynamo are also bioluminescent, and can synchronize their flash patterns. They live in large schools, much like sardines.

When Tynamo are ready to evolve into Eelektrik, they leave their school to live in coral reefs and kelp forests.

Eelektross are mostly deep-sea Pokemon, but will often come ashore at night to hunt for prey. It's thought that their arm-like fins developed for better mobility on land.

Other headcanons:

Krookodile are very protective of their young. The female incubates her eggs underground, and when the baby Sandiles hatch, she carries them wherever they need to go.

It is possible for Unfezant to be gynandromorphic, or exhibit both male and female traits. Since their pre-evolutions don't have any visible gender differences, you won't be able to tell if a Pidove or Tranquill has this condtion until it evolves.

Decidueye use their enormous wings to protect their young. Sometimes they also allow other small Pokemon to take shelter under their wings. In some instances. they have even been documented doing this with human children as well.

With most bird Pokemon, either the female alone raises the young or both parents contribute equally. However, with the Dodrio and Empoleon lines, it is the male who does most of the caring for the chicks.

[askthepaldeanpassenger]

Pokéask Star Sending - Wishlists

The time of year for Star Sending. A time for giving, love and appreciation, and for Pokémon to come together and celebrate their communities.

Somewhere in the Paldea region, a Sprigatito and Espeon read notice about their first Star Sending Celebration. The latter declines making their own list, whereas the young kitten appears ecstatic to write out such a list. Cyrus offers to help him write his Wishlist, but he declines. Prince tries to keep his excited smile, but does a poor job hiding a bit of nervousness.

Prince: "I, um, wanna write it for myself...! Just to keep it a surprise, that's all!"

Prince's list of "gifts" he would like:

To be able to talk with my siblings and cousins more.

To see Mx. Cyrus and Miss Maria smile together again.

Another super special crown I can give to someone important to me.

For my parents to take a break and talk to me more.

To have someone I can play games with whenever I want.

Elsewhere in Paldea, another pair sit down to write a list- an elder Decidueye and a younger Vaporeon...

Decidueye: "Come dear, doesn't this sound like a wonderful idea?"

The Vaporeon peers over at the list of instructions for a moment. She smiles after bit, before finally shaking her head.

Vaporeon: "Grandma...! I do not have time for something like this. We need to make sure everything is in order..."

D: "That's quite alright! We may spend but a few minutes. Surely there is something you would want, or perhaps-"

The Vaporeon shakes her head again, adjusting a pair of glasses on her face.

V: "N-no. Strangers need not spend time finding something for me. Besides, there is not anything I want. Maybe we can ask the others when they arrive. In the meantime, you should just write your own."

She huffs and storms off. The Decidueye sighs. Grabbing a piece of parchment paper, the elder bird begins writing:

"Dear Sending Spirit, I hope this letter finds you well! I was very thrilled to hear about this celebration. My granddaughter seemed excited at first as well, but the idea of writing to you seemed a bit too daunting. I think she would absolutely adore this, though. To whomever receives this letter, please consider this our Wishlist. One thing I think my granddaughter would love is to receive a new tea set (1)! She enjoys serving us tea, but our current set is a bit old. A new set and a few tea samples to go with it for us to try would go a long way in her heart. Another thing that may make my granddaughter happy is a set of Evolutionary Stones (2). She sometimes talks about wanting such a collection. I know that might be a bit of a tall ask, but finding one of every stone that exists (I think there are ten?) would be exciting for her. Or even just a few! I believe she wishes to collect them all! Or study them. I'm not too certain what she would like them for, but she would enjoy them. Finally, I think one of the most important things she would want is a friend she can have whenever she likes (3). I don't mean to ask such a thing from you directly, sender, but something she could have with her and play with like a friend- a plush or similar toy, for example. She would absolutely love such a thing. To the Sending Spirit, thank you so much for this chance of celebration! And to the receiver of this list, all I ask is that you help my granddaughter have a wonderful Star Sending this year. Thank you very much! Sincerely, Madame S."

As the Decidueye sends off the letter with a smile, she glances back at the Vaporeon, who looks between several different selections of tea. She seems to struggle selecting one. As a portal opens to take the letter, the Decidueye joins her granddaughter in selecting their choice of tea.

[cheemken]

Glad you enjoyed the angst

Anyways,

I imagine the champions get bullied by their Pokémon sometimes

Like Hau bought a Malasada for himself but Decidueye keeps bothering him for some, and Hau is refusing to give him a piece cause, he’s a big bird, a piece isn’t big enough and Hau wants some for himself. So Decidueye does the only logical thing, and spirit shackles Hau to the his chair and walks away with the half eaten Malasada

Even Diantha and Gardevoir being pissed at each other all day for some reason. So when Diantha finally got home from a long day at the Kalos League, Gardevoir gets out her pokeball and just fucking, teleports both her and Diantha back to the League and then teleports herself back home. Leaving Diantha alone

Or imagine if Cynthia is letting her Pokémon run around in the snow and when it’s time to go home they all go into their pokeballs except for Lucario. And like the dog Pokémon it is, starts barking and runs off further in the distance. Completely ignoring Cynthia and making her chase him through the snow

Steven may be rich and definitely bought everything his Pokémon could need and more. But imagine how many bed frames Steven had to buy in his lifetime cause Metagross, despite having a custom made bed made for his size, decided Stevens bed was the best one to sleep on. Bro never moves despite how much Steven pleads with him

And I know for a fact Iris’ Lapras had used sing on her to put her to sleep, so she and the rest of Iris’ Pokémon could raid the snack cupboard. Girly really just told the other Pokémon to leave the room, put Iris to sleep, and then called them back in. Druddigon at least had the decency to carry Iris to her bed

The fucking whiplash from angst to this lmfaoooo😭🤣

But anyways

My guy, Diantha's bit would be my villain origin story I shit you not💀 if my pkmn did that to me I'll start summoning Giratina lmaooo

Lapras tho😭😭 homegirl really just put their trainer to sleep to get snacks what an icon🤣 bet tho she and Haxorus would conspire together, like Haxorus not only making Iris real ass tired during their training, but also telling Lapras to sing during training too so Iris would be drowsy and the others could slowly make their way back to the kitchen to get all the snacks, next thing they know Iris is fast asleep face first on the ground lol

Pfft Hau's and Iris' mons teaming up, Lapras just sings both of them to sleep while the other mons get all their snacks hahaha

Imagine Cynthia just having a leash for Lucario now tho, but that still wasn't enough imagine that doggo still running through the snow dragging Cynthia with him, and Cynthia's there like holding on tight to the leash, just fucking vibing as her body gets dragged through the snow. I'm p fckin sure homegirl ate like, a ton of snow at this point chdmdb hahaha then again w all the ice cream this mfer eats I'm sure she's immune to brain freezes

Imagine w the others tho😭🤣 imagine Charizard having so fed up with Leon not knowing where to go he legit refused to fly Leon anywhere until he finds someone who actually knows where they're going. Like, Leon already seated at Charizard's back but Zard just fucking refuses and lies on top of him, huffing out and staying like that until Leon calls in Sonia or Raihan

W Lance tho, imagine Dragonite wearing Lance's cape bcmdnd idk I always found this cute, cause in my pmd au Lance as a Dragonite kept his cape hahah but like, Dragonite also impersonating Lance when he's wearing the cape tho, it keeps kids entertained hahaha

Milotic and Wallace man I'm sure for a damn fact that fish would roll around the mud to spite Wallace, I just know it, just staring right at Wallace as she rolls around the dirt, if she feels even more petty, she'd throw mud at Wallace too lmfao

Kingambit would poke holes on Geeta's clothes fr, like at the back of her coat or smth, she won't even notice, no one even tells her😭 the kids see this slash across the back of her coat once, Nemona was abt to tell her, Penny shut her up saying let Geeta figure out by herself. Geeta did not in fact figure it out by herself. One of the Gym Leaders finally told her when Geeta was starting to question why people were looking at her weird hahaha

[alexandersimpleton]

In the CPC Pokemon au, what Pokemon do you think everyone would have? And I'm talking like, really Pokemon au. Like, they'd have themes and stuff like the Pokemon trainers.

Like, Frederick would have all the fairy tale themed Pokemon, specifically heros and mythical creatures. Like Armarouge, Decidueye (like robin hood), Primarina, etc. The only exception would be his ace, Mimiku. Frederick knows what it's like to be lonely and ignored, so he saw this Pokemon trying to be loved like Pikachu, and just had to catch it. He also had a pet wooloo when he was a kid that evolves into dubwool at some point while he's at military school. He doesn't have dubwool on his team though. Sometimes, when Frederick was a kid, he'd rest his head in wooloo's wool when he was sad. His father said it was too childish though, so he stopped doing it as much.

At some point the CPC catch him doing it and all just saw "awwwwww" in unison.

The CPC would "awwwwww" a lot at my headcannon Frederick. He tries not to do it in front of people, but the cuteness he had in childhood never quite went away.

[head-explode]

Haha, welcome to my blog, I guess!

🎉funny party cracker sound🎉 :D

Hi there, I’m Firecracker, and I’m just a guy.

Okay, maybe I’m not just a guy. maybe i’m an extraterrestrial life form who doesn’t have his head attached to his shoulders and whose head is actually part bomb with the explosion strength of a charged electrode. And a guy who loves being funny! But sometimes I’m not so funny and my jokes end up flopping like me after I blow my head up two times. But hey, I’m trying!

I would be delighted to perform for you, whether it be fireworks (my most proud specialty) or just plain clownin’ around! Just drop me an ask and I’ll be right there, senor or senorita~

I know I’m like, big and scary and 6 feet tall and everything, but I promise i won’t steal your soul or eat your dreams or blow you into a million little smithereens unless you’re an absolute, 100%, arrant jerk. You’re not a jerk, are you? :)

Goodbye, I hope we meet again someday as I travel the universe in search of whatever I fancy!

OOC under the cut:

hi!! yes, robin here, i’ve opened yet another blog because i love this oc and want to show him off to rotomblr. his name is Firecracker, or you can just call him Cracker or Crack for short! actually crack doesn’t seem like such a good idea now that i think of it, but you can call him that just to be funny-

mod info!

mod is a minor (under 18), so please please no nsfw asks

mod’s main account is @robin-the-wanderer

mod loves the ultra beasts!

you may call me robin the decidueye, cause that’s my pokesona heehee

ask info!

you may send asks that:

ask about lore and backstory stuff

are of a memey nature/stuff you just wanna see him react to

any other miscellaneous questions (favourite food, color, etc etc.)

are pelipper mail/malice!

are mean or just plain hate, they’re actually fun to respond to! be as mean as you want muahahaha

you MAY NOT ask stuff that:

is of a sexual nature

are nsfw asks

contains gore / extreme violence

blog info!

please keep in mind that this blog will contain:

a LOT of mentions of clowns!! please this blog’s muse is literally a semi-headless alien clown so if you have a fear of clowns do not interact with this blog

mentions and descriptions of explosions and fireworks!

loud, bright colors that may cause eye strain!

occasional posts about violence or fighting

mild to moderate flirtatious language, because cracker’s a funny guy and part of his “funny” is failed flirting jokes. if you don’t like this then dni!

cracker’s pronouns are he/they!

tags!

firecracker the clown - any and all posts regarding cracker.

cracker.png - any photos or art of him!

cracker.exe - shitposts/shenanigans/antics he gets up to.

cracker.wav - anything he comments on / responds to! this includes asks :)

that’s all! i hope this absolute circus of a pokémon entertains you as much as he does me! :D

[deadcactuswalking]

My top 10 favourite Pokémon

It’s really easy to get attached to something you have nostalgia for. You’ll get to lush and reminiscence about things you hold dear, memories you’ve made, people you connected with. It’s also really easy to detach from those things, and that’s why my favourite Pokémon is Garbodor. This is not a pop music review, this is my side gig. I’m cactus and today I’m explaining my 10 favourite Pokémon.

My top 10 favourite Pokémon of all time

Now I want to bring something up that relates to that introduction: a lot of my favourite Pokémon are ones I’ve never used in a playthrough. There’s a lot more to the Pokémon experience - the anime, the card game, the manga, but also just the culture, especially online, surrounding it. These Pokémon are on this list for many reasons, from aesthetic to nostalgic, and I’ve wanted to make this list for a long time so things have changed since, sometimes based on playthroughs, sometimes not. Also some disclaimers: this is not the most solid list of all time, in that my top seven is set in stone but the rest could change wildly and the order is not very rigid. Additionally, the positions I’m using cover whoever I want it to: sometimes it’ll be one Pokémon, an entire evolutionary line, only certain members of a line, or in some cases, pretty much a specific version of that Pokémon I played through a game with. It’s also not a balanced or sensible list, based largely on instinct, and because of that, I do feel like I need to list some honourable mentions.

Honourable Mentions

I don’t need to explain or analyse any of my picks outside of my top 10… though you know I would. Therefore, this is just going to be a simple list of Pokémon that just barely missed the cut - try and see if you can see any trends? I really don’t know if you could, I don’t make much sense. Anyway, narrowly missing out in no particular order are Shuckle, Haunter, Marill, Relicanth, Swalot, Wailord, Magcargo, Cubchoo and Beartic, Litwick and Chandelure, Sableye, Feraligatr, Genesect, Spiritomb, Squirtle, Carnivine, Palossand, Cofagrigus, Rayquaza, Cryogonal, Arbok, Snorlax, Tyranitar, Venusaur, Pelipper, Rowlet and Decidueye, Alolan Exeggutor, Tropius, Darkrai, Wobbuffett, Shedinja, Phantump, Gliscor, Victreebel, Drifloon and Drifblim, Turtwig and Torterra, Ferrothorn, Obstagoon, Ludicolo, Carracosta, Tsaraeena (would), Mismagius, Alolan Vulpix and Ninetales, Guzzlord but basically all those ugly Ultra Beasts, Staraptor, Slowking, Zygarde, Scizor, Magneton, Octillery, Greninja (yes, because of Smash), Gardevoir and Gallade, Oshawott, Snover and Abomasnow, Probopass - I’m not joking, and finally, in terms of the Pokémon who were literally in my top 10 but got kicked out as I was writing this: Bronzong, Sandile and Rotom, who got the boot mostly because I was unsure if it counted as a Legendary and I didn’t want any Legendaries on the list. My deepest, sincerest apologies to those three species, they could be in this list proper on another day. Also, assume that all members of an evolutionary line I discuss from #10 to #1 are also honourable mentions if not basically on the list.

Now I don’t think I’ll be able to write as much about these Pokémon as I write about songs: I’m a music reviewer, not a video game reviewer and I simply don’t know enough about the game lore or art and design rules to evaluate these guys beyond vibes and my personal experience. This is a dumb, out-of-specialty list, just bear with me on these. In addition, I’ll attach my favourite Pokédex entry and TCG art piece with each entry in the list just to spice it up a little, and I also have visual accompaniment from my good friend Yvonne @sheenzys for a few of the top entries - thank you very much indeed to her for agreeing to lend their talents to this little side project. Additional special thanks to the fantastic archives and databases of Serebii and Bulbapedia for helping with all this, and of course the programmers, designers, artists and writers at Game Freak, Nintendo and the Pokémon Company for making the games and designing these characters I love.

#10 - CLODSIRE

“It lives at the bottom of ponds and swamps. It will carry Wooper on its back and ferry them across water from one shore to the other.”

Clodsire is a Poison/Ground-type Pokémon from Paldea and yes, this list is affected ever so slightly by recency bias because I just started playing through Scarlet and this guy is already my absolute favourite on my team. It’s an adorable, unbothered little fish that just lies flat on the ground and takes up a tad too much space but you don’t mind because it’s adorable doing it. I always loved Wooper and Quagsire too, specifically their Johto versions, because of how peaceful and empty their minds always appeared to me, they’re just little guys, but they don’t stand out as much when water-blue as when they’re poisonous little desert creatures. I think you’ll find on this list that I tend to like Pokémon that cut a fine line between adorable and just downright ugly, and with Clodsire’s awkward retracting toxic spikes, derpy face and the fact that during the first Team Star raid against the fire-type gang, he just sat there and stalled this woman’s massive car, which I’m told is a Pokémon but to me, that just looked like a fancy car. I don’t know whether in a year Clodsire will be off this list entirely or within the top five but for now, I like him here, and I think he’d be okay with that.

#9 - EMPOLEON

“It avoids unnecessary disputes, but it will decimate anything that threatens its pride.”

Empoleon is a Water/Steel-type Pokémon from Sinnoh - that’s a unique typing too - and the final evolution to Piplup and Prinplup. This is mostly a nostalgia pick: Sinnoh’s my favourite region, and Piplup was my starter when I first played Pearl. That cute little penguin who couldn’t hurt a fly (canonically it can, does and will hurt flies - sorry, Ninjask) eventually turns into this noble knight of esteem and order, and listen, I’m not particularly masculine of a person but I still want to be him. My Empoleon was over-levelled to shit the entire game but I loved him all the same because I rarely ever needed a second member of my party to step up to the plate, and even outside of just looking cool, many formative Pokémemories were made with this line and they’ve stuck with me since. Also, come on, just look at him. Dawn’s Piplup in the anime is adorable too. Next up, we have another uniquely-typed early-game Water-type Pokémon from Sinnoh…

#8 - BIBAREL

“A river dammed by Bibarel will never overflow its banks, which is appreciated by people nearby.”

Bibarel is a Normal/Water-type Pokémon from Sinnoh and come on, just look at this dumbass beaver. I had a Bibarel, I used it for HMs like any good Gen IV player should… but it’s on this list purely because look at this dumbass beaver. It’s got the buck-tooth, it never looks quite right in any pose it takes, but it’s loving life and it’ll learn all these HMs and do whatever you want it to do. It’s a loyal dumbass beaver, a loveable companion there primarily for comic relief but I mean, you love it just the same. I know people parade around Bidoof as a meme God like Omastar but its evolution is my favourite in the line. He’s silly, he’s goofy, but he’s got a kind heart and I feel like he’s a family man. He works a blue-collar job building dams but he provides for his family and he loves his wife dearly. Also his wife is a Roselia, normalise inter-species breeding… in video games, not anywhere else (they cannot breed, they do not share an egg group). The little goof even got an ability banned in competitive play for a while due to people abusing his unpredictable hidden ability, and then people ended up using Bidoof instead using the same methods. Keep it stupid, Bibarel. We love you for it.

#7 - DITTO

“Ditto rearranges its cell structure to transform itself into other shapes. However, if it tries to transform itself into something by relying on its memory, this Pokémon manages to get details wrong.”

I mean…Ditto is a Normal-type Pokémon from Kanto but really, it’s anything. It can be anything but it doesn’t retain its HP or level, and in the anime, everything Ditto copies has that dumb little head-empty smirk on its face. There’s something resonant to me that this Pokémon can replicate everything, down to less surface-level occasions like stat boosts and EV yields but it can never fully be a perfect replica due to Ditto’s own “shortcomings”, not that those shortcomings matter when you can be absolutely anything you want. I don’t know, I know they often play the angle that this was a failed science experiment, and the lore with Mew can be compelling, but I think it just speaks to humans and how it’s in our nature to implement parts of other people into ourselves but we can’t escape from our real identity that is much deeper than just appearance, type and even stat modifiers. Yes, that’s right, I like this stupid pink blob for philosophical reasons. Zoroark sucks, by the way.

#6 - SYLVEON

“Its ribbonlike feelers give off an aura that weakens hostility in its prey, causing them to let down their guard. Then it attacks.”

Sylveon is a Fairy-type Pokémon from Kalos and you just know an Eeveelution had to be on here. Now like most Pokémon fans, I love all forms of Eevee but if I had to rank them… Sylveon’s on top, then it’s Leafeon, Vaporeon, Glaceon, Espeon, Umbreon, Jolteon and Flareon. This is the objectively correct best-to-worst ranking of the ‘lutions and I will hear nothing to the contrary. So why’s Sylveon making the list? Well, Glaceon was close, but ultimately, Sylveon is just a girly fashionista with way too many ribbons and tassels and that’s why I love her. She’s a hyper-feminine dragon-slayer coated in pastel colours that dazzles and sparkles but still packs a decent punch against some of the strongest Pokémon in the game. This is basically just me putting “women” at #6 instead of Sylveon, but I did use Sylveon in Ultra Moon and it was the Pokémon I attached closest to. Why? I don’t know, it’s girly, sometimes I want to be a teenage girl with Backstreet Boys posters on my wall and the pink “Ulterior Motives” boombox. Is that too much to ask?

#5 - CYNDAQUIL AND TYPHLOSION

“When heat from its body causes the air around it to shimmer, this is a sign that it is ready to battle.” (Typhlosion)

Alright, so here’s where it gets a bit confusing: I couldn’t pick between the Fire-type starter of Johto and its final evolution so both are here. I prefer Cyndaquil a tiny bit but mostly because I have had a plush of Cyndaquil since I was a child that’s not really the same material as other plushes, it feels a bit firmer and more special in that regard. This is also a very personal one - whilst I personally picked Totodile in SoulSilver, my sister, who I often bonded with over Pokémon, has always been a big fan of Typhlosion and I remember battling and trading over that Pokémon God knows how many times, it might still be in my box in Pearl. Johto has some of the most consistently fun designs to me - I love Cyndaquil’s perpetually closed eyes and little anteater snout, and Typhlosion’s mane of fire running down its back when it’s fighting is just badass, especially in the sprite era, which by the way, has an aura that can never be replicated with 3D models and hurts the games tremendously. This hit Typhlosion pretty hard as he now looks kind of inert in resting form, but it’s not like you can’t go back to those old games and see him in his pixellated glory. I really don’t care for its Hisuian form though, probably knocks it down a couple points to be honest.

#4 - GOODRA

“Sometimes it misunderstands instructions and appears dazed or bewildered. Many Trainers don't mind, finding this behaviour to be adorable.”

Okay, so… I like slimy Pokémon. If there’s any coherent theme other than ignoring Galar entirely, it’s that I like blobs and goops. Goomy is the cutest slime in the game, and I love its grey cheeks, the lavender colour scheme and seeing it open its little mouth. Sliggoo is fine, it’s still cute but Goodra… I just want to hug it so badly. I never used a Goodra ever, but this Dragon-type Pokémon from Kalos won my heart anyway through its bubbly design, chubby belly and just generally peaceful vibe, one curated out of formless goo into a beautiful little psuedo-legendary dragon. I like how it’s pure Dragon type despite it just being goop, I like how its Hisuian form looks like it’s carrying something slightly too heavy for it to handle in its tail and whilst I was too old to be watching the anime religiously, whenever I saw clips of Ash’s Goodra I grew fond of that too, especially the honestly kind of touching arc of him having to release it. The anime does very few things all that well and that was one of them, at least to me, so, yeah, Goodra makes the list. Goomy in spirit also.

#3 - GRIMER AND MUK

“Muk's colouration becomes increasingly vivid the more it feasts on its favourite dish - trash.” (Alolan Muk)

Yes, all four versions of this line’s species are making the list. Grimer and Muk are Poison-type Pokémon from Kanto with regional counterparts in Alola that gain the Dark-type and again, what did I say about slime? I love how you can find Grimer in the ponds of Celadon City because it’s so polluted and whilst I doubt they’re making a statement with any of this and more just an observation, it’s really interesting to see something so inhuman as a formless blob of slime as a way of representing the very human act and consequence of pollution, and I love how Grimer is just a silly little nuisance but once it evolves, it essentially just gets bigger and meaner instead of any meaningful developments. Muk is a downright villainous blob of slime, and his Alolan form makes him an even more charming antagonist with the genius idea of colouring him like graffiti. It’s almost like a tie-dye blob of toxic goop, I love it. I had a Muk when I played Ultra Moon and even though it was disgusting, rubbing that little vile sludge with my 3DS stylus always felt so satisfying. That… that’s gross, cactus, let’s move onto the next one.

#2 - PORYGON-Z

“Some say an additional program made this Pokémon evolve, but even academics can't agree on whether Porygon-Z is really an evolution.”

This is basically a spot that represents the entire Porygon line but Porygon-Z is ultimately my favourite due to its design. I find it fascinating that this artificial, obscure Pokémon - a Normal-type from Kanto that got evolutions in Johto and Sinnoh - keeps popping up and having upgrades, or malfunctions, but is basically banished in both the regions it appears in, where it is incredibly rare or relegated to trading or… gambling, and real life due to the “Cyber Soldier Porygon” controversy. You have a line that could hypothetically be fully-evolved at level one but it’s also unwise to really call Porygon-Z a final evolution: it’s actually just a broken Porygon2, which in itself is an almost cynical attempt to recreate the blocky cyber duck in a sleeker, Y2K form. It doesn’t know or comprehend love in the same way that damn near every other Pokémon can: it almost feels wrong to have it outside of a PC box. Those making the anime seem to want to avoid it like the plague despite the fact that it was really Pikachu who caused the flashing lights and really, the episode had a positive impact on epileptic seizure prevention in exported anime anyway. By all means, Porygon is a bit of an unsung hero, with the blame deflected onto it because it was a scapegoat, and its “evolutions” are barely different in size or stats, they evolve not through experience but through humans trading it with other humans, to the point where both of its evolutions actually weigh less than the original. It’s fascinating to me that this unnatural and unloved Pokémon seems to carry the same reputation in the real world as it does in the games. Why do I like Porygon-Z the most? Well, it’s from my favourite generation, I had one in Pearl, and it has some of the saddest entries in the entire Pokédex, constantly referring it to it being an unstable, out-casted failure. There are very few Pokémon, if any others, that are created purely to be as charmless as this one. Except maybe…

#1

I never used this Pokémon for more than 10 minutes - I caught one on a whim when playing White, briefly evolved it much later. I don’t own any merchandise about it, I don’t really care for its pre-evolution, I haven’t seen an episode of the anime with it in. So why is it my favourite Pokémon? …I genuinely don’t know.

#1 - GARBODOR

“For a time, their numbers increased explosively in Alola. Since the arrival of Grimer, their population has decreased dramatically.”

When there’s thousands of these little things to choose from, I think my mind immediately wants to go to the obscure, rejected and unloved, but I can’t say that really applies fully to the Unova Poison-type Garbodor. There’s plenty of Trubbish merch I’ve seen around, nearly every Gen V Pokémon got some love at least briefly in the anime, manga and events because of how they basically did a summary execution of everything that wasn’t Unova for a while, and it even got a Gigantamax form in that game no-one likes. For a couple of years now, it’s been my favourite Pokémon, it’s been my profile picture on several websites, it’s what I have identified myself with. It’s not as classic as Grimer and Muk, which it was unfairly and pejoratively compared to back in 2010. It’s not the Pokémon I have the most nostalgia for - that’s probably Cyndaquil or really, Pikachu - it’s not my favourite design, that’s far-and-beyond Porygon-Z. It’s the sworn enemy of my #3 pick according to Alolan Pokédex entries. Sadly, I can’t really put it into words other than… there’s just something about Garbodor. The pink and blue remnants of plastic in its otherwise indistinguishable splodge of brown, the ripped-up bin bag masquerading as a face that makes it look like it wants to be freed from prison, cardboard keeping its arms together, floofs of garbage that acts as impromptu ears, all a product of its surroundings. I guess, at my worst, I feel like Garbodor? I don’t know if I want to treat it that personally. I love the design, Trubbish is cute enough, and I think its entries make it fit well within the lore of its region. It’s deathly, but it doesn’t look like it wants to be. I don’t know, maybe above all, it’s just… consistent? Porygon-Z should probably be here but I’ve drawn too many MS Paint sketches of Garbodor, saved too many anime images of it making a funny face, just thought about it too much, for me not to put Garbodor at #1. The Unova games aren’t even my favourite generation, Poison - despite it appearing thrice on this list - is not my favourite type - thinking about it, I always say it’s Ghost but it’s probably Normal. I just really like this heap of garbage. What can I say?

Well, that was a lot of rambling about video game characters. Thanks to @sheenzys once again for the art and thank you for reading if you got this far! What are your favourite Pokémon? Don’t tell me, I don’t care. This is way too long. I’ll see you next Friday for some actual music reviewing.

[eev583]

My Akari’s Pokémon Team is made up of Decidueye, Staraptor, Luxray, Zoroark, Lucario and Sylveon. :3 I gave each of her Pokémon personalities and kinda feel like sharing them with you guys. I’ll start with her first Pokémon.

Decidueye is a very timid, shy and nervous Pokémon. That usually likes to hide behind her trainer. She doesn’t like getting out of her comfort zone, and being put into situations she’s not comfortable in. Unlike most Pokémon, she’s actually pretty scared of battles. Sometimes freezes stiff due to fear while in one. I like to head canon that Akari actually lost the first battle by the gate with Volo because of this. Decidueye isn’t very confident in her abilities, since she’s the weakest in the team, but Akari likes to encourage her.

Staraptor has a very quirky, reckless and confident personality. Unlike Decidueye, he LOVES Pokémon battles and wants to take part in each one. Sometimes doesn’t listen to Akari’s orders when he thinks another move would work better. He can also be a little reckless, and try to pull off a move to impress everyone. If it works, he often brags about it. Would literally charge at a legendary Pokémon without giving it much thought. He hasn’t attempted it yet, but everyone knows he would. He also likes to make jokes occasionally to brighten everyone’s mood if he can.

Luxray is very lax and carefree, though she can also be a little lazy. Her favorite hobby is sleeping, and she’ll sleep whenever she gets the chance. Pokémon battling isn’t her favorite thing, but she’ll do it if she has to and can be surprisingly fast and sharp then. Luxray has a way with calming other members of the team down whenever situations look grim. Since she can remain calm even if everyone else isn’t. It’s hard to provoke her, but if anyone succeeds she can be pretty fierce.

Zoroark has a mischievous, sly and trouble-making personality. He loves to either scare or prank the members of the team. He even does pranks on Akari and her friends. His pranks are harmless, but Lucario would scold him if she thinks he went a little to far with one. When that happens he’d apologize but it wouldn’t be long till he does another prank like it. When he’s not pulling pranks on people or Pokémon, he usually seen hanging out with Luxray (she one of the only ones that isn’t to bothered or annoyed by his jokes).

Lucario is the strongest member of Akari’s team. She’s very protective, responsible, and kind of acts like the mother to the team. She’s very mature, and likes to keep the team together and solve conflicts between them. One of the reasons why she’s so good at Pokémon battles is because she usually always strategizes and changes her technique depending on what she can read from her opponent. Another fun fact about her is that she is actually the sibling to Volo’s Lucario (Volo actually gave her to Akari when she was a Riolu. I have a little backstory for that).

Sylveon is actually a boy (which is ironic for the evolution he evolved into). Usually very sarcastic and grumpy. Wearing a little scowl on his face most of the time unless if something makes him feel another stronger emotion. He gets annoyed easily, and tends to snap at whatever provoked him. But despite being a little cold and unfriendly, he actually does care about the other members of the team. He just wouldn’t show it outwardly. If something happened, he would fight to keep his friends safe from harm.