#% AND IF SO: WILL GUZMA SUCCEED?

[mimikinyuu]

[RO-TO-TO! AN AUDIO FILE HAS BEEN UPLOADED!]

[LISTEN?]

the sheets rustle softly before a litten mews. the litten begins to purr softly. there are noticeable absol chitters in the background throughout the recording.

“well, did you like canalave?”

“yeah. it was really cool.”

“sounds like you’re really passionate about that.”

a soft sigh. the microphone presses into some fabric.

“i just don’t feel good, honestly.”

“why? what’s up?”

“it just feels like something’s wrong. my phone keeps acting weird, and willow is really worrying me.”

“the doctors said she’s-“

“i know what the doctors said!”

a moment of silence. a moment of guilt.

“sorry.”

“‘s fine.”

“i didn’t mean to yell.”

“i know you didn’t.”

“i’m so worried about her, guz. if she’s already picking up on something… i don’t know what it could be. when we had that big storm last year, she only got worried the day before. she doesn’t even get like this over those wormholes.”

“well… whatever it is, i’m gonna keep you safe.”

“mhm…”

“no, i’m being for real. if shit goes down, i’ll keep you safe.”

“well… thanks.”

the sheets rustle a bit more. absol continues to make noise as the recording ends.

[puella-1n-somn10]

☀️What your favorite parent from the Sun and Moon anime says about you🌙

CW: SUGGESTIVE JOKES AHEAD. THIS IS ALL MADE IN THE SPIRIT OF FUN AND IS IN NO WAY THERE TO MAKE JABS AT OTHERS.

Kukui: There is a 70% chance that you are a gay man, and I mean this not out of a place of judgement, but experience with the fans. The cause tends to differ between his game and anime incarnations, but, in the latter's case, not only are you happy about his character being developed there, but also are happy to see Ash having that father figure he craved so badly.

Burnet: You've probably popped the BIGGEST bottles when you've recognized her all the way back from Dream Radar, and have managed to get even bigger bottles when she and Kukui got married. Honestly, most of the Burnet fans I saw were real chill people. So long as you're not one of those Gen 5 fans, I have no mean words. The chillest group.

Guzma: Oh, hello, LGBTQ+ community. Either that, or you relate to him and Team Skull on levels that may be deemed as unhealthy. You're a bit on the feral side; chaotic gremlins who will not only listen to whatever combination between Breakcore and Metal there is, but would also make it your neighbors' problem. You understand the pressure of having to succeed in life and inevitably breaking under it, only to receive no compassion nor any form of apology from your elders. Also, def neurodivergent.

Plumeria: Two possibilities; either you're definitely a lesbian and/or trans gal, or are a hardcore Guzmeria shipper- though, it is more than likely that you're both. You love a good ol' girlboss who is not necessarily a villain; someone who was hardened up by experience, but is still, at the day's end, a human. Either you were the one who needed protecting back in the day, or were that protector; either way, you, too, deserved better in life.

Lusamine: Just like Professor Kukui, the reason as to why she's your favorite depends HEAVILY on which Lusamine from which canon we're talking about. Maybe you like the overzealous Lusamine who is presented as a person with actual flaws that hurt everyone around her - including herself - without her knowledge. Maybe you like the prospect of a morally ambiguous Lusamine who is ready to do everything for "the greater good" even at the cost of hurting others, including her own family. Orrrrrrr maybe you have had a parent like Lusamine in the Sun/Moon games, a classic narcissistic parent, and want to hold out to the hopes that, just like her, your own folks would see the error of their ways; that they would actually apologize to you and finally start improving on themselves rather than drag everyone else around them through the mud of their own misery.

Mohn: There is a high chance that you just want the family back together; you reminisce on the old days where they were complete, before they incident with the ultra wormhole, before Lusamine inevitably lost her marbles, but such is the way of life, right? The ultra games were your golden era, and his anime debut? Let's just say that your wishes FINALLY came true after so long. You love fix-fics and those surrounding the pain of amnesia a bit too much.

Abe/Mallow's dad: Him being a hunk - a himbo - aside, the trauma, the potential, the raw emotion; all there as garnishes for this fine steak of a man and you love each and every one of them. His incompetence and portrayal as a neglectful parent in Mallow and the Forest Teacher forever gives you the ick, but you either tend to ignore it or use that as another source of angst potential.

Mallow's mom: I just know your ass is either suffering from trauma, sudden loss, anxiety, fear of death, or a combination of the above. Yes, you wish she could have been developed a little more, but at least we got a huge chunk of her personality and even development in one episode, which is nothing short of impressive. Also, you like hurt/comfort fics.

Sima/Kiawe's mom: You're right.

Rango/Kiawe's dad: Autism rep? In MY Pokémon anime?! Sorry, but it is so frustrating to see that ya'll are few and far between - just as shy and anxious as your husbando -, but I know you guys exist! Please, let yourselves be known! I would kill just to see some more content regarding him! Also, I just know you love meganes, and, of course, there's nothing wrong with that.

Sophocles' dad: Traumatized. You probably crave the very affection he's giving his wife and kid, and seeing an honest, brash, funny man like him who isn't an abusive rat gave you whiplash initially, but eventually you wanted more. Crafting and/or gardening lover, and maybe a lore fanatic as well because how the FUCK do you know about all the things he's done for Sophocles' happiness from scattered dialogue alone? Also, like Kukui fans, there's a high chance you're neither straight nor cis.

Sophocles' mom: Also traumatized. Maybe a little bit on the autism spectrum, too. Back when the anime first aired, you were scared that maybe the dynamic between and her hubby was imbalanced, until later episodes began to showcase that she is more in charge than he is. You're probably a quiet person irl who is hiding nothing but the most chaotic of thoughts. You wanna try the malasadas she makes at least once.

Lana's mom: I'm saying this right now; if you are well over the age of 20, you are not seeing the pearly gates after the Day of Resurrection.

Lana's dad: Nothing but respect. A man with a design that irradiates potential having less dialogue than Sophocles' mother is infuriating, and the lack of content being made around him by both canon and the fans is even worse, but you don't let that bother you. Either you're the less degenerate version of the fans of his wife, or just like him because he looks way too much like Archie for it to be a coincidence.

[burgundy-twice]

this is tybalt! future for the ask game :3

// hey GUZMA KISSER hey TYBITCH. Hi brothjer ok ✅ so this is very interesting bc there are so many routes burgundy can go down….most of them awful /lh but largely the worst outcome for now…………is repeating the same shit @eclater-de-lys did . And you know this! YOU. You.

Whether Burgundy succeeds in that goal eclater first set…they’re both horrid outcomes.

It’s mostly about the fact that to come to this point burgundy has to fall down so unimaginably hard into a point of no return, from when burgundy’s core ideas become so twisted from what they once were, to a point where burgundy cannot recognize himself, but burgundy has to keep going, anyway. Burgundy has to keep going. HES going to save everyone . This is what he was MEANT to always do

I will persevere because I’m a superhero 💯 /lyr

Continuing I don’t think…burgundy has considered this might happen, that he could ever turn in this way…Burgundy believes that if he becomes a monster, it will be something like the ones that have wronged him. Xe cannot fathom the knocking coming from inside the house

Idk this is kinda nonsensical to those who don’t know exclusive burgundy lore but it is . Ok /lh

[pokemon-card-of-the-day]

Pokemon Card of the Day #3001: Celebi Prism Star (Lost Thunder)

Celebi was certainly on brand flavor-wise, going for the whole time manipulation thing to devolve Pokemon. The catch was that it was your own Pokemon, in attack form, on a weak Basic Prism Star. There was at least a little interest here to pair with Abilities that worked when evolving to let them happen multiple times, which was the one place you'd ever imagine using this. The negatives gave a lot to overcome to make that worthwhile.

90 HP wasn't going to hold up too well against any deck that had even decently set up. You really needed to slow the opponent down in a deck that used this, and there was a bit of a combo to be tried in SUM-On format but it was harder to find elsewhere. The Fire Weakness could sort of matter against Volcanion, maybe, but it wasn't like you'd be using Celebi Prism Star without its best pairing around or in any format where Reset Stamp or Marnie was available at all. The Retreat Cost was 1, so it was nice to be able to get out of there if you did succeed at keeping your Celebi alive.

Time Distortion was the only reason to use Celebi. Very few decks would even want its effect. It cost a single Colorless Energy to devolve any number of your Benched Pokemon as many times as you wanted. Each evolution card removed this way was put into your hand. This also made any deck with this extremely weak to hand disruption. It was at its worst once the Unified Minds set was released, making Reset Stamp available, and Marnie coming in Sword & Shield didn't help either. But really, any format was risky as Judge was always available, and used in at least a few decks. The best partner for this was probably Burning Shadows Raichu, in which you could set Paralysis and then use Celebi to devolve, going for a lock like that. Switching cards were pretty common so it wasn't super reliable, but if you got it in place and had the lead in number of cards left in deck it could end very nicely.

Leech Seed needed a Grass Energy to do just 20 damage while healing 20 damage from Celebi Prism Star. Not really worth it.

In theory, Celebi Prism Star was pretty cool, mostly to play in the SUM-On format to keep re-applying Raichu's effect. In reality, it was messed up by any hand disruption card as well as any switching card that got to a Pokemon that could deal at least 90 damage combined with a way to force Celebi into the Active Spot, since Celebi was indeed a Prism Star. This meant Guzma was also a good way around it, and with all of these counters and no room for error, this was one of the worst Prism Star Pokemon to be printed.

[thestalkerbunny]

Oh you already know most of the story of team star then, what do you think of them all?

-I had to get up out from under my blankets to get my laptop cause I didn't wanna type this all out on my phone, that was a mistake. it's so cold now, I'm so cold-

TLDR: I love them some of the best Bosses.

Spoilers below

I feel like with Team Star-they learned from Sun and Moon what angle tugs at the players heart strings. Like Team Skull was sympathetic because it was a bunch of displaced teens and young adults. Guzma obviously had a shit home life he managed to get out of, and Plumeria's probably wasn't much better. To me-the whole thing with a bunch of kids just sort of dropping out would have been a sort of head nod on the fact how in the actual Hawaiian Islands-a lot of people can't AFFORD to escape the area because it's too expensive. Too Expensive to live there and too broke to try and escape. Teens who have long since accepted that Alola would be just as much their doom and their grave as well as the place of their birth.

Team Star succeeds in that angle of a strong commentary on how bullying and abuse of authority powers within a boarding school setting can occur. The Team Star members were demonized for fighting back, their leader shoulder the entire blame for it to protect all of them-only for the VP of the School to pull a whole coverup scandal leading to a mass WALK OUT of not only the Headmaster but also all the teachers at the time.

I could go on-but jumping back on focus

Just taking a hot look at the cast of Team Star-these are obviously gay kids. Are you kidding me. Just the way Mela WALKS alone-Gay. Atticus's pretty boy face and interest in fashion? GAY. Ortega's just.....everything? Well there's a reason why being gay in the 1920s was called being a fairy. This is a gay friend group that had enough, fought back and were declared unruly for it.

And I adore them.

They were some of the most fun bosses I've fought in a while-and I greatly enjoyed Pokemon Legends Arceus Warden Fights and the Sun and Moon Kahuna and Trial Fights. Team Star is bright colorful and fun-they all have their own very strong personalities and sense of style and they stand out. You can tell just by looking at them what their vibes are. Even their logo-a Star, has a point of the star to represent each of them. And all of them bring something special and unique to the team from mechanic skills to music to clothing designs, etc.

Personally Atticus is my favorite; but Ortega is running a HARD CLOSE SECOND-we love a little fop of a gent

[bellafragolina]

Can I get Giant / Tiny headcanons for the Subway twins and Guzma? Them being about Barbie doll sized and indestructible because I do not care for any scenarios in which tinies suffer from accidents. Please and thank you

A certain candy themed member of the discord who feels like they just came into your inbox wearing sunglasses and a trench coat because they are so obvious.:P 🍬

lolol hi haz <3

i've never written a giant/tiny thing before, but the idea is cute! i'll do my best for you! that said, parts of this are inspired by rainyfroggy's cute tiny au!!

🍓🍓🍓

Ingo:

Ingo enjoys being somewhere on your being, whether in a loose pocket, on your shoulder, your head, in your hands, or what have you. He's small and tends to grow cold rather easily, and to him, you're so very warm. And, wherever he sits, he has access to the steady beat of your heart. He can lean into and listen to it whenever he wants, and it always succeeds in calming him down in the face of the scary world

Ingo does his best to be helpful to you, whether it be fetching you items that are close by, or by being your personal alarm clock. He sleeps on the pillow in your bed (though most nights he curls himself into your neck), and wakes you up with tiny kisses and a booming little voice exclaiming that there are new tracks to lay today, so time to shove off into the day! He'll even make you breakfast, if you have the day off to sleep in, but the portion sizes. . . Well, it's the thought that counts.

He enjoys giving you small gifts. He manages to pluck small flowers for you, and he rushes to you with them full of delight of his find. He'll search around for lost objects in hard to reach spaces, and also gift you random items he finds doing this in other places. He saves the coins he finds, and eagerly awaits the day he can present the money to you, with the express purpose to use it to buy yourself a gift. He'll tag along, to make sure you do it

Emmet:

Emmet is a bit of a biter, only in fun, though. He'll nip at your ear, fingers, whatever he can reach, because he thinks it's funny and cute whenever you jump or yelp. He always kisses his bites better, though, snuggling against you with a happy smile as you cover him with your hand. He likes cuddling into you, feeling your weight securing him against you. It makes him feel safe, not that he'll ever admit it aloud, but you can feel the way he relaxes against you

Emmet hates being apart. He always tries to sit on your shoulder, no matter what it is your doing. If you're trying to relax, he might let out some Pokémon to wrestle with, but he always comes back to you. He brags about his wins or he wants comfort and praise after he loses. He wants you to scoop him up and smother him in kisses. He may bite your nose, but it's an affectionate gesture

Despite his clinginess, Emmet is actually very independent. He likes to be a provider, in what ways he can. He wants to cook for you, to do work and get money, though his size makes it difficult. He wants to follow you to work and do tasks to earn pay, and then spend that money to take care of you and himself and the Pokémon. Or he'll find a job elsewhere, and work hard to provide for you both

Guzma:

A little shit. He's fond of pranks and tricks and scaring you. He'll hide and jump out at you. Teach your Pokémon creepy tricks to scare you. He'll bring bug Pokémon into the house because he thinks they'll make you squeal (they don't, which he pouts and sulks over for a while before growing a little warm at the fact his favorite type doesn't scare you). He doesn't mean anything harmful, he's just a little shit, and means everything in good fun. Prank him back, and he'll shout at you between barely suppressed cackles

Guzma likes resting on your chest, plush or otherwise. He'll lay over your heart and take a nap, snoring away. Rub his stomach or his head and watch him smile all sweet in his sleep. He'll get embarrassed if you bring it up while he's awake, though, and deny everything you claim. While you sleep, however, Guzma is surprisingly soft. He lies near your face, listening to you breathe as he watches your eyelashes flutter. He touches your cheek, kisses your nose, and lies as close as he can, grateful to be here with you

Rides your Pokémon around. Doesn't matter if you're home or out in public, he's a modern day cowboy wreaking havoc wherever he goes. He prefers riding Ariados, because she can climb walls and such, but he'll also ride Masquerain because she can fly. Don't let him get away though he will disappear into the clouds never to be seen again (until night falls and he gets nervous over the Zubats and Murkrows

🍓🍓🍓

i hope you enjoy these! i tried to make them all different and unique to each character, though i think there would be a lot of overlap with tinies

but yeah! have a great day!!

~Renee

[teamgalacticpropaganda]

Long post, but. I've gotta talk about it

Cynthia, especially in Masters, seems to take "if I can't see it, the problem isn't there" as gospel

Always her focus is pushing the problem out of view, instead of fixing it. You'd think she would've learned from what Team Galactic did the last time, that leaving them unchecked is exactly how they get away with everything, but by Masters she just does it again. Cyrus already has one legendary, it wouldn't be hard to get a second using it, and what does she do? Waste a ton of time getting a new outfit and Pokémon, wastes even more time giving a friendship speech, then tells him to just leave again.

As though he hasn't already expressed willingness to destroy Pasio as well, and Cynthia should know that he's capable of it. He comes extremely close in all of the games. He has Palkia, he has a plan, and the drive to go through with it too. He has four highly capable commanders that could all be summoned to Pasio that would assist him in a heartbeat, no questions asked. She should've learnt from the last experience she had with Cyrus that just letting him run free is an incoming catastrophe, but clearly not. All of the progress Sophocles had made whilst talking to Cyrus was thrown out the window in seconds because Cynthia has a grudge she can't let go of.

This is where Cynthia fails, and Nate succeeds. Ghetsis literally attempted to murder Nate, but he's still willing to try. He's told that his experiences aren't universal, and we actually see him grow from then on! Cynthia sees someone who clearly hasn't been able to grow attached to anyone in his whole life, and decides that is the perfect time to explain why she's so happy with all of her friends. Just. Think about that. We see Nate openly admit his hatred towards Ghetsis, but doesn't let it control his entire decision making process! Did Ghetsis turn out to be the same old bastard he always has been? Yes, but the point is that Nate had set aside his own feelings towards him to help N achieve what he believed was the best option. If Cynthia had been that way with Sophocles, what do you think would've happened? Would we now have a missing Cyrus, definitely plotting to destroy the universe, still? We wouldn't, that's for sure.

Cynthia isn't going to genuinely try until her life is directly threatened. Even her saying that she needs to get serious now- so the near end of the world last time wasn't serious to you? The captures of the lake guardians, the tons of thefts they committed, all of their destruction, everything Team Galactic did? That was nothing she needed to get serious for?

When you compare her to other champions and how they handled these situations, even Diantha ends up better. It's better to do nothing at all than make it evidently worse, which Cynthia has consistently done.

This was a long rant, sorry about that, but oh my god, please keep her away from Cyrus in the Sinnoh arc. Basically every other Sinnoh character would be able to handle it better than she does, and other characters outside of Sinnoh are pretty much perfectly suited to help him. N, the aforementioned Nate, Sophocles, honestly Guzma would too, the list goes on! We could get so many sweet interactions with him. They're extremely rare, and normally end badly because of someone else, so I'm not really expecting anything since they're obviously going to have Cynthia come in and "save the day" again for the Sinnoh arc. But he's the one villain that we are absolutely certain of is capable of redemption or just, no longer trying to achieve his main goal, and she keeps setting any progress made with him back to zero.

[crystalelemental]

The Spring alts from last year are being rerun, and man oh man, is the teatime aesthetic just so much better.  Still, the old Spring alts are worth talking about just based on being limited availability, and maybe you've heard some stuff.  So we'll start off with May and Lopunny.

General Overview I really like Lopunny, so I was eagerly awaiting this particular alt.   And then Lillie and train bros decided to annihilate me this month, and Sonia's over there with Tsareena who's a top favorite, and while I don't love the shiny form I like Sonia a lot better than Mallow so it's like I gotta?  Ugh.  The whole situation's a disaster, please help.

Anyway, May has Lopunny and Mega Lopunny.  Which I like!  Unfortunately, everything about her kit is fucking insane, and not in the fun way like Guzma, or the good way like SS Dawn.  Lopunny starts as a Normal type Striker, a notoriously difficult type/role combination to be in.  Her objective is to transform into Mega Lopunny, where she becomes Fighting Type, and gets High Jump Kick.  Which is good damage overall, but comes with the same nightmarish condition as the main series: 90% accuracy, and if you miss, you eat 50% of your max HP in recoil.  Two misses and you're dead.  So right off the bat, she needs accuracy.  Her buff capabilities are bizarre, having Defense All in base form, and a trainer move that buffs speed and evasion +2.  The speed is nice for Ramming Speed on High Jump Kick, setting up the clear "three trainer moves, then sync."  When mega evolved, it gives +1 accuracy and +3 evasion.  So okay, I guess you need four uses of this trainer move.  MPR is bad enough at 30% when you need it once, and May needs it twice. ��"But support-" no, listen.  She needs to do this herself.  Because she cannot buff her own crit.  And there is not a single unit in the entire game that can buff accuracy and crit at the same time.  In fact I'm trying to think of options that buff speed and crit at the same time.  I think Kiawe does it?  So there you go, one (1) unit who's able to partner with her and take that MPR pressure off.

But like...man, even that's really bad.  She gets one 30% multiplier on her move damage for speed, one 30% for having max HP, and no sync multipliers.  Not that it matters, her first sync is always off-type.   Only then can you start belting out High Jump Kicks left and right, and hopefully in the FOUR ACTIONS YOU TOOK TO GET HERE, the foe isn't going to just sync nuke your ass to oblivion. Which they will in CS.

I cannot emphasize this enough: Spring May sucks.  Despite her base form and Anniversary form being pretty meta defining, Lopunny is just as bad in Masters as it is in the base games.  Which sucks.  I really, really wanted to see Lopunny succeed here, and instead it's just this awkward, painfully long setup phase for way too little payoff.  I imagine there was value in how many of her own stats she could buff independently in the past, but in the modern meta, she just moves too slowly, and the traits she needs support with are not easy to produce.  If you really need Fighting-type damage, Bruno is right there.  Sure, Cross Chop isn't quite as powerful as High Jump Kick, but at least he's perfectly accurate instantly with Pinpoint Entry, and only needs support from Hop.  I hate to say it but yes, May is that bad.

Team 1: Spring May, Sonia, Lisia If it's not obvious that I'm grasping at straws on the first team, I don't know what would tip you off.  I'm recommending Lisia for god's sake.   Anyway, the game plan is stupid, but potentially effective.  Sonia has the ability to buff crit, attack, and defense, all useful traits for survival.  She can later debuff defense, making May's attacks connect much harder.  Lisia is recommended because fuck dude, listen.  CS is bad enough going full offensive parameters, and you need points somewhere, right?  Lisia may not be great, but she offers two things: Twister with the flinch rate alongside Headbutt to earn turns toward High Jump Kick, and Defog to remove the Crit Shield condition and netting you a free 150 points.  Defog also debuffs evasion of the foe, which circumvents May's need to buff accuracy with her trainer move after first sync.  But oh my god, this just feels so stupid.  If this works I think I'd be upset.

Team 2: Spring May, Spring Burgh, Kukui/Nanu/Bugsy&Scyther Like most seasonal pairs, they operate well together.  In this scenario, Burgh provides great defensive buffs to the team, alongside the crit rate that May desperately needs.  She's free to use her own trainer move as needed, while the last slot is for defense drops.  This does run a bit slower, and is more focused on defense, so a CS stage would need to apply HP parameters rather than full offense.  I...do not know if they'd survive full offense parameters, even with Burgh's defensive buffs.

Final Thoughts Look, maybe it's kind of shitty to just give up here, but like...honestly, you tell me what works out about this unit.  It's so bad!  Like sure, Halloween Caitlin can buff for her, but she doesn't have move damage until after first sync!  There's exactly no one in the game who can sufficiently break through an entire round of setup for faster sync access, so it's dead in the water.  There are no Fighting-weak Legendary Arena stages, and none of her tools are especially good for the team.  X Def All and Potion are like...okay at best, but she's a striker for god's sake.  She doesn't have defensive ability, and she's supposed to be doing damage.  But even that runs the risk of killing her instantly if you ever miss.  Maybe this is a bit of a cop-out, but holy shit she seems terrible.

[oasisofgalaxies]

Reminder! Pls talk about Mars’ and Pluto’s relationships with canon characters, I wish to know the ✨Dynamics✨

YO THANK YOU!!! OK SO ill just split this between Mars n Pluto respectively- also this is going to be a long one so strap in SLDKFJ

Mars:

In Alola: So heres the thing with Mars. She was a former team skull grunt before it disbanded. So she knows a lot of the folks from there. Besides being close with Guzma and Plumeria she didn't really interact with any of the main cast from Alola. She got her starter from Hala and has talked to Kukui before but thats about it.

She knows Pluto of course and tagged along with him when he wasn't busy with trials. She didn't succeed in the island challenge but it didnt bother her too much, she just likes hanging out with Pluto cause its fun! And it was cool to battle him every now and then to test their strength. Pluto was always the better battler, mainly cause he actually thought stuff out and didnt act on impulse like Mars.

In Hisui: So out of everyone shes probably the closest to Volo and Ingo. Volo because she thinks hes fun and he appreciates her interest in the mythology of the land. I imagine that the plot of this timeline probably carries out through several months cause PLA moves pretty quick- Anyways she probably grows to consider Volo an almost brother figure which. WOO BOY. Poor thing.

She originally bonded with Ingo over the fact they can't remember jack shit. But Mars saw he looked kinda lonely and went "lol not on my watch" and hung around him in her freetime. Mars is still a kid so having an adult she can trust really helped her a lot. And I think Mars's presence would help Ingo a lot since he mainly just stares into space at the training ground until he has to do Warden Stuff. Anyways congrats to Mars for having the talent of gathering guardian figures like cool rocks.

As for the Galaxy Team I think shes on good terms with Kamado and Cyllene. Shes a hard worker and really does not like to disappoint so that certainly aided their view on her. She isn't close to any of them, mainly just views them as her bosses. Still hurt really bad when she and Pluto were banished from Jubilife.

As for Rei and Akari she is definitely friends with them!! She enjoys their company on research expeditions and they're really fun to battle and talk with. Pluto is still her best friend, of course, but shes grown pretty friendly with the two.

And as for everyone else, I think she has a super positive outlook on both clans, especially their leaders. The wardens are all nice too! Again she isnt particularly close to any of them but she still considers them friends.

Pluto:

In Alola: So his relationships with other characters are pretty similar to the MC in USUM's relationships as he fills that role. Despite being pretty quiet and antisocial he still managed to befriend Hau, Lillie, and Gladion. He liked talking pokemon with Kukui but due to how loud and excitable Kukui is he can't really handle him for too long. No fault of the professor, Pluto just has a social battery to look out for.

He probably maintains a more respectful outlook on the Kahunas and the trial leaders, but not much more than that. Not that he doesn't like them, but all of them have their duties and their lives. He was just another challenger who got lucky.

Regarding team skull, he probably doesn't think much of them. A very neutral outlook. He is more concerned about Mars' safety than anything. He doesn't trust Guzma or Plumeria, any of the grunts either, but as long as Mars isnt in danger, he can tolerate them.

In Hisui: So Pluto is VASTLY more closed off in Hisui. He barely trusts anyone. He especially doesn't trust Kamado or the clan leaders. Pluto is just very concerned and while he doesn't want to think about it, slightly scared. So having these strangers all so suddenly in his life is putting him very high on alert.

The only people he trusts are Mars of course, Cyllene, and Ingo. Mars because he's been friends with her forever and would trust her with everything. Cyllene is an odd one but he managed to befriend her. Somehow. Even he doesn't know. But he knows she isn't like Kamado and that was confirmed after she offered her help post-banishment. He appreciates how seriously she takes the research and talks about technical things with her when he isnt working.

He didn't trust Ingo at first but through Mars he began to trust him more. He slowly began to hang around him when Mars wasn't there, listening to Ingo talk. Pluto knew he probably needed someone to just talk to and he was more than willing to listen. Besides he had some interesting things to say. Eventually he trusted him enough to actually talk in front of him without Mars. It was a nice moment :]

As for Rei and Akari, he sees them as coworkers. He isn't friends with them but its not like he actively dislikes their presence. Hes a tad wary but they're kids. Kids wrapped around Kamado's finger, but still kids. Good kids. He does, however, appreciate how seriously Rei takes his job as a researcher and how much hes managed to learn. He also appreciates Akari's tenacity and how passionate she is.

He doesnt trust Irida and Adaman. Appreciates their help, but hes just wary of them. He doesnt like how Kamado and the two have basically put the weight of the world on his and Mars' shoulders.

OK SO thats it!! i covered a lot but if theres any questions please ask !!! sorry for the text dump i just really had a lot to say LSKDJF

[bubblytarts]

Protagonist vs Champion Challenger  - Emissary AU

In the emissary au, all the player characters exist in some way. Some of them have no interest in beating the gyms/becoming the champion, but many do have an interest. Before I get into revealing who you should root for, I do want to address the difference between being the protagonist and being the champion challenger. 

The protagonist is the main character of that region’s story. They are the one who defeats the evil team, and carries most of the emotional weight of that chapter. 

The Champion Challenger is the character trying to beat the gyms and become the champion. They don’t always succeed, and some give up along the way, but they are the one trying to follow the game’s path of becoming champion.

Now, then, the kids trying to be the very best:

Kanto: Red is the protagonist and the Champion Challenger. He is the one to defeat Giovanni, and is also the one to challenge the Elite Four and Blue for the title of Champion. 

Johto: Ethan is the Champion Challenger, but he and Lyra both are protagonists. Ethan wants to beat Lance and become Champion, and he is also the one to challenge the Team Rocket admins. However, Lyra also fights Team Rocket extensively - but Ethan is the one to truly defeat them.

Hoenn: Brendan is the Champion Challenger, but he and May share the protagonist role. Brendan wants to go through the gyms to defeat his father, Norman. When it comes to defeating Teams Aqua and Magma, Brendan fights off Maxie, while May plays a more important part in defeating Archie. However, Brendan is the one to use Rayquaza to fight off Deoxys. 

Sinnoh: Dawn is both the protagonist and the Champion Challenger. Dawn has a lot of insecurities and frustrations, and wants to use the gyms as a way to cope. Along the way, she becomes friends with Cynthia, and starts taking on the gyms as a way to prove herself. She also is the one to help fight Cyrus in the Distortion World.

Unova (Part 1): Hilbert is the protagonist and Champion Challenger. He is the first one to realize Team Plasma and Ghetsis are manipulating N, and also the one to challenge Alder. 

Unova (Part 2): Rosa is the protagonist and Champion Challenger. She originally has no real interest in completing the gyms, but Nate convinces her to try. She finds that she loves battling, and decides to take on the gyms for real and battle Iris. When she finds out about Hilbert’s tragic fate, she bands together Team Plasma’s enemies to fight Ghetsis and save Hilbert. She’s also the only one to believe that Colress could be a good guy if he tried, but that’s a story for another day.

Kalos: Calem is the protagonist, but Serena is the Champion Challenger. They travel together, and both take on the gyms, but Serena is the one truly dedicated to challenging Diantha. Calem has amnesia, and so he’s trying to remember what happened to him, and defeating Team Flare is much higher on his priority list than becoming Champion.

Alola: Selene is the Champion Challenger, but she and Elio share the protagonist role - albeit with Selene still a bit more important in that category. Selene is the one trying to complete the island challenge. Elio is much more interested in beating Gladion in a battle and getting Nanu to finally arrest Team Skull. Selene is more involved with Lillie, Lusamine, and Guzma. She doesn’t let Guzma get away with anything stupid. 

Galar: Gloria is both the protagonist and the Champion Challenger. She sets off on her journey the same time as Hop, and so she’s also the one to help Hop and Leon counter Eternatus. Victor is an important character, just not really to the SwSh plot.

[defeatedbyamerechild]

To all poke bosses (excluding Piers, Rose, Lusamine, N and Colress.) What quality do you want to see in the next regional team boss? Their motivation, team, pokemon, type, appearance, personality, etc.

Interviewer:  What quality do you want to see in the next regional team boss?

Giovanni: Well, if some new person were to arrive in the crime scene, I’d like to see a potential partner in them. Someone reliable, who would care to make an alliance that benefitted both sides... I don’t need more enemies, and it’s always goot to keep a good network of trustworthy people. I don’t care why or how they want to cause trouble in their region, that’s none of my business. As long as it’s not affecting me, I have nothing to do with it.

Archie: A new team boss? Like, some new folk that decides to make a group of folks like we did? Hm... Oh, well, I hope they are nice and fun! And that they treat their grunts well, you know... It’s a lot of work, being a grunt. You have to treat them nicely, specially becasue they always help so much! It would be cool if they trained some water types because, you know, I like water... But well, it would also be nice if they had another type that none of us uses! Imagine a team boss that has many ghosts! Or dragons! Or fairies! That would be cool! About their motivation... Hm, it would be nice if they helped people or Pokémon! You know, trying to make something good for everyone! Like me! But... uh... Maybe not let it all go wrong like I did hehe.

Maxie: Well, there’s always people around the globe founding large teams like we did... Some are just nice people with no mean objectives, like Piers, but some... well... become too radical and end up endangering others. Like me and Archie... And of course, some are just mean from the beginning, like Ghetsis. I just hope that the next team boss that shows up is a good person with good intentions... and that they don’t lose their common sense and commit the same mistakes I did. 

Cyrus: I just hope they are an intelligent person.

Ghetsis: I hope that this individual is as cruel and cold as me! We need more people dedicated to sheer evil! Oh, it would be so interesting to see another person how up on the crime scene and maybe even succeed! I hope that their motivation is simply to bring chaos upon the land and that they don’t regret it or change their minds like some of these fools here did! I would love to make an alliance with them... help them! And then, after they succeeded... I would stab them from behind! Hahahaha! And then all of their efforts would be in vain, and everything they thought they achieved would become mine! Their grunts would now obey me! Their Pokémon would be mine! I would take control over their region!!! Muahahahahahhaha!!!!!

Lysandre: Oh, darling, I hope they are beautiful! They could wear a black and red coat with some orange and gray flowers... They could have some wonderful flowery Pokémon, like Lilligant or Tsareena! Oh, and they could have a short blue hair... Maybe purple or red... Maybe all three colors!!! Why not? Oh and glasses! Beautiful glasses! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they had a leather purse too? So elegant... It could be black or gray... Oh I just hope they have an amazing sense of fashion like me, honestly!! Ohohoho!

Guzma: Yo, could be a nice girl who liked cool guys like me, eh? A nice cool girl with a strong personality and colorful hair, that can rap like a queen! And that trains bug types like me, that’d be cool! And man, it would be cool if she were rich too... I mean, if she liked me and all, we’d get together and you know... Anyway. She could have a Galvantula! It’s a cool Pokémon, I wish I had one! Her team? Ah, I don’t know man... They could all be rappers, like... they wanna take on the industry of music and make a boom! You know? All they want is to win all them prizes! They could be... Team Rhyme. Nah, wait... That name sucks...

[whimsicottonnee]

The Thesis of Pokemon Games : Why The Galar Region and SWSH Games Offers a Complete Reworking of the Series’ Central Thesis

 Pokémon as a plot-driven series can, first and foremost, be characterized by its insistence on the dual concepts of nostalgia and locality : particularly when combined as ‘local nostalgia.’

I’m not really going to go into my whole argument of how this is pulled off by the game developers and which aspects best contribute and remind us of ‘local nostalgia’ because most of us already know. All it takes is one listen of the ost for Twinleaf Town or Aspertia Town for players to become intensely nostalgic for older games. The running theme of the player’s mother, in my opinion, is one of the major keys to achieving this, as well.

So, the theses of pokémon games (or at least a good number of them!!) deal with the player’s local sphere and the expansion of it. It’s a game about going off to college or just simply moving away from home. It doesn’t have to be the player’s lifelong home, necessarily. Shadows of Almia, the Hoenn games, and the Alola games are the best examples I can think of where expanding your local sphere does not necessarily mean that the player’s never been outside of the in-game residence before. But despite being from another region, Chicole Village is undoubtedly the player’s home in Shadows of Almia. Partner Farm is the bedrock to which the player returns, repeatedly, to meet old friends and family before embarking off again to an adventure even further away. In the Alola games, the player has recently moved from Kanto, yet it’s clear through gameplay and character interactions that the player considers Hau’oli Outskirts to be their home. The player’s mother, equally key to constructing a hometown as the score partnered with it, is another symbol of nostalgia. The game’s storytelling, in most if not every game, is designed so that the player only knows their mother as a kind, warm, supportive, and ever welcoming presence : home is where the heart lies or “east or west, home is best.” So, in embarking from these cozy, nostalgic areas with the warm wishes of your mother, the innocent aspiration of moving out is well-portrayed in the series.

Here is where ‘backyard theory,’ as I like to call it, begins. The player (save for the Galar player, who routinely has the secret of meeting characters and locations spoiled by Hop) has very little, if any, knowledge of the region that surrounds their cozy hometown. The player must gain their first pokémon and travel down unfamiliar routes catching more and more unfamiliar pokémon. There is guidance to the story, of course. Roadblocks are constructed to prevent entering “too-difficult” levels, and a combination of the professor, rivals, and enemies provide incremental story, but there’s room to explore. Some games leave enough room that players get lost their first run-through (@ the Sinnoh and Johto games). Each town is new, and the player is welcome to aimlessly explore these areas : speak with the locals, peek into apartment buildings and chat with the occupants, accept items from kind npcs who reinvigorate the optimistic worldview of the series, etc. In time, the player expects theme songs to play at certain areas, expects the sounds that the pokémon make, and expects dialogue. Previously unfamiliar buildings become “oh that’s Guzma’s dad’s house” or “that’s where the boy who plays Unwavering Emotions lives.” And while this is a mechanic of most games (after all, exploration is a fundamental aspect to rpg), the pokémon games take it further.

Certain symbols become emblematic. The Pokecenter, in particular, becomes a bedrock of nostalgia. It certainly helps that the theme is only altered, never rewritten, between every iteration of the series. Soon, the player’s backyard and local sphere is no longer confined to their hometown but encompasses the entire region. Every player has a ‘first time’ entering Undella Town, but the music becomes hauntingly nostalgic once players have become familiar with it. There’s a reason why, despite only being a route theme, DPPT’s Route 209 got a remix in the latest Smash rather than, say, Sycamore’s Theme.

So, once the climax occurs (be it capturing Giratina or saving N from the actions of his abusive father or helping Lusamine’s loved ones save her from her own derangement), it’s not the Champion-to-Be but instead the local girl from Twinleaf Town with the Eterna Roserade and the Snowbelle Snover and is friends with the swimmer kids down by the resort. The varying plots of the various pokémon games aside, the climax of the series is when the local sphere become the entire region. And it’s at this point that you’ve earned being the Champion, regardless of your team’s coverage and levels.

Alola, in a sense, did one of the best jobs in capitalizing on this universal thesis in making the Champion theme, the player’s theme, an extraordinary remix of the entire game’s theme, but that’s another meal altogether.

 Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield turn all of this on its head. There are so many npcs that the player cannot speak to, and, in most of the larger cities, there are more npcs that the player cannot interact with than there are npcs the player can interact with. Motostoke struck me significantly in the beginning of the game because I ran around the city wondering why there were so many public areas, like shops and boutiques and plot-related venues, that I could explore but only three or four private residences that I could enter. Most npcs are found in passing along the street. As they pass the player, a small speech bubble pops over their head as if they’re mumbling to themself or merely speaking to the player in passing. Fundamentally, the player cannot interact with the locals. Most places that the player does explore is also heavily driven by the plot with either Leon or Hop telling the player to go to them in order to advance the… ‘story.’

The ‘story’ is going gym to gym with repeated encouragement or roadblock without being allowed to consider the weight of heavier concerns : i.e. the chairman killing the entire region through a weirdly futuristic pokémon that supposedly is thousands of years old. Everyone the player can speak with in the towns already knows the player, since the ‘Gym Challenge’ is broadcasted on regional telly for private enjoyment (another mesh of public and private spheres that simply feels jarring for such a private-based series). Many npcs will tell the player “I’m routing for you, you know!” or “You’re my favorite Gym Challenger!” without giving any information about themself. The player no longer expands their local spheres ; they simply allow locals to get to know the regional superstar.

The climax of the game is the player saving Leon after he has already significantly weakened the legendary pokémon on the player’s behalf so that the player may succeed in finishing Eternatus off and capturing it like any other Dynamax pokémon. Thus, the three who ultimately save the region from being sucked of its life by the Darkest Day are the three superstars who have had their entire careers broadcasted regionally on television.

The player’s mom never calls or shows up throughout the game once the player leaves their hometown, and she’s never given a personality. She’s cute, alright. milf rights. But one of the wonders to many other pokémon games is the knowledge that your mother had something similar once. I’ve been referencing the Sinnoh, Unova, and Alola games a lot, but I truly think these games understood ‘local nostalgia’ the best of the main series games. In the Sinnoh games, the player’s mother shows up in Hearthome and speaks of old days in the Contest Hall. In Unova, the player’s mom seems well-acquainted with cleaning up the mess left after pokémon battles. In Kalos, once of the more shallow games in the series for local nostalgia, the player’s mom was a famous Rhyhorn racer with a story of her own. In Alola, the player’s mom’s Meowth and her friendship with Kukui paint her character vibrantly ; it also certainly helps that one of the end cutscenes to the game is the reiteration of the first cutscene with her on the deck relishing the Alolan sea breeze. In Galar, however, there is none of that characterization. Her own pokémon, a Kanto Munchlax, says nothing of her character ; why not give her something that lets the player understand that she is a Galarian village mom? Give her a Skwovel or a cute Chewtle to characterize her. She never encourages the player to come home for a nap if the player ever gets tired. And, so, despite the hometown theme being really lovely and charming (and the Budews in the front yard being a heartwrench), the idea of nostalgia is almost nonexistent in the game.

My personal take on the nostalgia of Postwick is not within the game itself. It’s more the idea of Postwick, for me. The hype of the game and the humor behind the starter release and the lovely lofi remixes that came out for the trailer themes before the Debates began is what is nostalgic for me. Driving through the desert around the town I live in with the windows down in the one-hundred-degree heat listening to SWSH lofi remixes is what makes me nostalgic for Postwick : not the narrative of the game.

And, while that’s a personal experience, all of the other above reasons are why Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield simply feel hollow. There was a sacrifice of local nostalgia for the sake of how ‘cool’ superstars can be.

[sunglasses-kitaro]

Hey, here’s a fact on regards to Rowlet falling asleep in the middle of the fight in SM133: Sleeping does not count as being unable to battle, the only exception to this was in Kanto series and it was stupid and I’m so glad the writers thought so too. A Pokémon should only be considered unable to battle if they faint, if they’re sleeping, they still have a chance to wake up, plus there are also moves that can be use while a Pokémon is asleep, moves that make Pokémon sleep and so on.

Hau was not robbed of a win, Rowlet was still capable of battle, plus you people all seem to be forgetting one of the most important set ups for the Alola Leauge: If the writers did make the dumb choice to count Rowlet sleeping as “it can no longer battle”, it means Ash would not get to go against Guzma and that entire build up to Ash wanting to defeat Guzma in the Alola Leauge so to prevent him from ruining everyone’s enjoyment would have been a complete waste of time.

Basically, Hala did nothing wrong, he wasn’t being cruel to Hau, Hala wants his grandson to succeed, but this would not be the right way. Allowing Hau to enjoy a false victory and letting Ash believe he lost would have not been fair on them.

[pokemon-card-of-the-day]

Pokemon Card of the Day #2877: Swampert (Celestial Storm)

Swampert was given an interesting mix of traits. Its Ability provided card drawing while its attack could get really strong if you stacked Energy onto it. This was all put on a single Prize Stage 2 Pokemon, which was the least likely sort of card to succeed at the time. Stage 2's like this needed to either be really special or share an evolution line with a 2 Prize Pokemon that was already good. Since Swampert didn't have the shared line, its traits were going to have to find the perfect spot to work in, which was not easy.

160 HP was a good start, as that number was even enough to take a hit from the likes of Zoroark-GX and often even the Fighting-types at least once, though Rayquaza-GX and some Malamar partners were still problems, as was Garbodor later in the game. The Grass Weakness wasn't the worst thing, though Decidueye-GX did show up occasionally in the SUM-On format so it wasn't completely safe from getting targeted there. Swampert also needed 3 Energy to retreat, which could be a real problem. Switching cards were also very hard to fit into decks using Swampert since they almost always ran multiple Stage 2 lines, so sometimes you'd have to burn a Guzma just for that.

Power Draw was the main reason Swampert was used at all. The Ability worked once per turn and let you discard a card from your hand to draw 3 cards. This was very nice to help draw through the deck, with the obvious note that you were using a Stage 2. Modern players can think of this like a Silver Tempest Kirlia that really wanted a Rare Candy to get slightly more draw power, except Swampert didn't have a Gardevoir to work with. Not bad, but you needed a reason to have an extra Stage 2 to really want this.

Hydro Pump could work in Water decks. 80 damage for 3 Colorless Energy was, of course, not good. Each Water Energy attached to Swampert added 20 more, so 3 Water meant 140 damage and you could build from there. Oddly enough, the attack saw little use, as Water acceleration was pretty limited and you probably just wanted to go with the Quagsire/Naganadel combo for that because you'd probably need that sort of thing to get Swampert going. Aqua Patch could only do so much.

Swampert was not the most common Pokemon, yet a deck using it did win a regional and got a few more results. The goal of that deck was to use Fairy-type attackers, with Gardevoir-GX and Alolan Ninetales-GX being the stars, and if you managed to get a total of 3 of Gardevoir-GX and Swampert in play you could access Super Boost Energy Prism Star to get off a really big attack. Swampert being a Stage 2 helped in this one spot, and the draw power was nice to get the other Energy you needed, so it had a notable niche there. Most other decks would skip it due to the deck space required.

[themattress]

Pokemon villainous plans from the games (core series + Masters) tiered.

E Tier: Team Flare - As dark and heinous as this plan was, there was literally no chance of it ever succeeding. Lysandre announcing it on a public livestream, AZ stupidly going toward Team Flare rather than away from them, Lysandre allowing you a chance to stop the Ultimate Weapon from being awoken, Xerosic having the choice to be a dick even if you chose correctly, the Ultimate Weapon taking a ridiculously long amount of time to power up, Lysandre telling you where the Ultimate Weapon is and letting you go down there to see it for yourself (upon which you stop it by rescuing the Legendary Pokemon powering it, causing Lysandre to remark “What a startling development! I never would've thought you were really a chosen one!"...even though he’d called you a chosen one on several earlier occasions!), Lysandre battling you with a lackluster team even when you now have a Legendary Pokemon on your side...there were so many variables where things could have gone wrong that even if things hadn’t played out the way they did, Team Flare’s plan would’ve been stopped some other way. It just wasn’t thought through very well at all, by them or by the game’s writers.

D Tier: Team Rocket (II) - Well, they did succeed in mastering a special kind of radio broadcast to create more powerfully evolved Pokemon and took over Goldenrod Radio Tower in order to contact Giovanni. But they never get around to using any of those powerfully evolved Pokemon for themselves, and Giovanni never comes. It’s made worse in HG/SS, when we find out there was never any chance of Giovanni coming because a time-traveling you is currently defeating him in battle and breaking his spirit! The Rocket Executives’ pathological reliance on Giovanni to tell them what to do single-handedly ruins this plan

C Tier: Team Rocket - The plan to take control of Silph Co. and gain their tech (to capture Mewtwo, according to Let’s GO!) was successful up to a certain point: Saffron City was overrun with Rockets and Giovanni was right at the point where he was threatening the company’s president into conceding control over to him. But not accounting for a single powerful Pokemon Trainer coming in and beating them up was a pretty big miscalculation.

B Tier: Team Aqua & Team Magma - Their plans to awaken Kyogre (Aqua) or Groudon (Magma) were completely successful...the problem is that the end result was not at all what was intended, so the whole plan and the team that made it are rendered idiotic in retrospect. 

Aether Foundation, Team Skull, & Ultra Recon Squad - This was a highly dysfunctional alliance between forces more competent on their own, as Lusamine was on a completely different wavelength about how to handle Necrozma than the Ultra Recon Squad, and Guzma just blindly followed her without thinking of the consequences, and the exact opposite outcome of what they were trying to achieve happens: Necrozma nearly destroys Alola. The execution of the plan had been strong up to this point, so if only they had worked together more cohesively and Lusamine not had such a huge ego, things would’ve been different.

A Tier: Team Galactic - In D/P, the plan reaches the point where Dialga or Palkia is chained by Cyrus and about to destroy and remake the universe, but Cyrus ends up having shot himself in the foot by letting you release the Lake Trio and telling you exactly where he’ll be enacting his ritual, and as a result his plan falls apart when you arrive with the Lake Trio bonded to your heart. The plan is closer to success in Platinum thanks to Cyrus actually thinking ahead, and it’s only thwarted by something he couldn’t possibly have accounted for.

Team Plasma (II) - Much like Team Galactic in D/P, the plan is almost successful, but the leader shoots himself in the foot badly: giving his endgame away in a mad speech and then allowing you a fair fight with Kyurem just for his own amusement...and Kyruem’s not as tough as he seems to think it is, making you question if it even could have frozen all of Unova.

Team Break - Already this evil plan and the evil team executing it is shaping up to be very clever: made up of any random class of trainer wearing a mask which makes it exceedingly difficult to trace back to Lear even when he’s obviously behind it. But given Lear’s personality, you just know he’s gonna shoot himself in the foot by the end just like Cyrus and Ghetsis did.

S Tier: Team Plasma - Back when Ghetsis was more lucid, he crafted one Hell of a plan, and it was at the closest level of success to date before getting thwarted: N learning differently from how he was raised only pushed him to go even further to prove his way right, he had made Reshiram his partner, he had beaten Alder, Team Plasma had taken over the Unova League, and if the legend of the two Heroes ended in N’s victory there would be a mass releasing of Pokemon and Unova would change forever, with the world to follow. Your own convictions being stronger than N or Ghetsis’ was the only thing stopping it from succeeding.

Aether Foundation & Team Skull - This plan actually DID succeed. Lusamine ended up getting exactly what she wanted. Sure, it didn’t last, but it’s still impressive all the same.

Team Rainbow Rocket - Again, this plan was arguably a success, since even though Giovanni couldn’t take over the Aether Foundation even when right on the cusp of doing so, he backed off after being defeated because he’d stolen an Ultra Wormhole machine already, and thus can still amass an army of Pokemon from different dimensions just as he intended.

[illustrious-rocket]

So what comes next after the Necrozma arc ends next week? I already posted my thoughts on what would immediately follow before, but I think I’ll expand on them and add some new ones.

I think that during the two-week break, we’ll get a a new poster and confirmation of a new opening to replace Future Connection, even if it is merely a new mix of the same song with new footage. I think what we’re going to get in the next arc will cover Hapu, Poni Island, Team Skull and the remaining UBs.

Let’s expand on that. While the Poni Island/Hapu part is simple enough, what I think will happen with Team Skull is that Viren/Bourgain will hire them to both capture UBs for him and generally menace the Ultra Guardians; the latter would be simply for revenge over his previous defeats but the former will be because he wishes to use the UBs for his business. Team Skull also wants revenge, the grunts on Ash for constantly humiliating them and Guzma against the Island Challenge because he failed it. The three remaining UBs can serve purposes for him - Pheromosa’s beauty makes it useful for promotions for his resorts, while Kartana and Guzzlord could be used in clearing land for construction. Obviously, he doesn’t know which three remain, but viewers do and the three remaining line up with purposes he could use them for. At the end of the arc, I think Team Skull will try to capture the last UB - Guzzlord - only to be easily overwhelmed. This experience will serve to be the first time Guzma feels fear in the anime (instead of being possessed by Nihilego like in the games.) The Ultra Guardians and Aether Foundation help save Team Skull, causing them to have a change of heart and decide to reform, and Lusamine enlists Guzma by giving him a job with the Foundation to redeem himself. That ends up making him loyal to her, like he was in the games.

After that, the final major arc of Sun and Moon is the Alola League and the equivalent of Episode RR. In this version, Giovanni takes over Aether Paradise with Matori Matrix standing in as the anime equivalent of Team Rainbow Rocket. His goal is to locate and capture Ultra Necrozma and use its light to summon and control an army of Ultra Beasts, and he actually succeeds as far as opening the Ultra Wormholes and bringing forth all of the Ultra Beasts into Alola at once, forcing the Ultra Guardians into their toughest mission. Guzma helps them because of Team Rocket taking over the Aether Foundation and harming Lusamine, like in the games.

Once that’s done, there might be time for a short Da!-esque filler arc in Kanto, or there might not.