#BOY do I need to decide on names for the rest of Rika’s team

[trainerkyanite]

Man yknow i always knew there was a difference between oc askblogs and canon character ask blogs but

Dang

[protezioni]

★ for Celes and Ace, ☯ for Akira and Rika, ☕ for Sepheir and Ko, ✿ for Asuka and Ko -w- !

Of course!! This waa really fun to do!! I loved doing all of it!! I hope you like it, Mama!! Also you'll see how Ko and Seph are around each other so that'a fun (they are different when around each other rjjfjd)

ALSO HI STAN ZETA, ASUKA AND AKIRA BELONGS TO THE WONDERFUL CREATOR AND @zetacomic IS THE BEST BOY COMIC also a lot of people from Zeta show up in one part !!

Ace/Celes

…being called a pet name by your muse for the first time = ★

An airplane ride before the mission started... It was normal for the Protezioni to go through that. Missions sometimes happened abroad, after all... But today was a bit special where Crew Tre and Crew Quattro had to team up for a high ranked mission in France... How funny, it even happened in the City of Love. Ironic that such crimes would happen in such an endearing city. "Pilot, how far are we from the location?" Someone brought up the question as he took off his headphones. A bit dozy, the members have guessed. He was asleep for almost the whole trip. Silence. "Pilot?" He stood up from his chair before stretching. "It bothers me that you're not answering! Have I done anything wrong to you?"

Finally, a response from the person who controlled the whole airplane. "Not as of today, but please stay on your seat, Ace."

What a tragedy! His question remained unanswered... How rude. "Sure, sure..." Instead of arguing, he sat back down on his chair, slicking his hair back as he gave another sigh. "I dislike being bored... I would have preferred to sit beside someone other than Bernando." He laughed slightly at his own joke and the male he was referring to closed the book he was reading. "Oh, I did not mean to offend you, Mister Bernando... It was a mere joke." He grinned to prove it was only a tease but he noticed that he only squinted. "Ah..."

Only a second later, he felt a book spine on his throat--- only Allen was the one who was relatively happy from the siblings... But now, Ace dropped his playful attitude and felt a lump on his throat... "I am sorry that you only want to sit beside my sister and allow your filthy hands to have a touch of her virgin skin." He pressed the book deeper on his throat and now Ace was sweating. God, just because he was a gang leader didn't mean he had any intention! "If you touch my precious little sister, I will make sure you'll have a blade pass through your neck."

"I wouldn't do such things to my beloved."

"BELOVED?!"

"Or if you prefer," Ace raised his index finger. "My darling."

"Now, where did that come from?" A female blinked nonchalantly, her voice still being rather soft, yet showing no hint of embarrassment or anger. "You have never called me by that before, and I would prefer if you do not piss off my brother. He could literally feed you to the farm's pigs." She remarked before patting the shoulder of Bernando, who instantly stood up and whispered to her ear--- Her only reaction was a nod before he went to another seat. "I asked something, hooligan. Should I repeat my words?" She raised an eyebrow before Ace only brought her hand close to his lips- leaving a little kiss on her knuckles.

"Would you want to hear the truth, Miss Celes?" He pulled her closer to him before gesturing her to sit down beside him. After a few hesitations, she only sat silently. Her body getting more relaxed as he decided to play with her hair- twirling it around his fingers and just humming to a tune which sounded much too familiar. "I take that as a yes. You really do value honesty, don't you?" He chuckled, but it had no evil intent. Instead, it sounded like genuine happiness. "Excellent! I hope you know that I am a gentelman who never lies." He bows his head slightly. "Hope you can believe me on that, my beloved."

"Before you call me that... Care to explain why?" She sighed, a bit frustrated with all his gestures of flirting, yet he hasn't admitted a thing. "You have never told me the reasons behind that sudden pet name." She would admitel that she was in shock, but she had mixed feelings about it. It was not because she was disgusted by him, if she were to describe how she felt... Conflicted was the best word for it. She did not know whether to like it or not, but that was probably because it was too sudden, maybe even out of nowhere... There was a possibility he only did it to rile up Bernando, who cared about his siblings more than anything in the world.

"You really are curious, Princess." He began to laugh, but he soon leaned back to the window side of the airplane. "But to tell you the truth, maybe it is because I want you to know that I've fallen for you, and I wish you'd accept my feelings. So it brings me satisfaction when I call you that, even if it is a fantasy that can never be achieved. I'd rather deal with a happy imagination, instead of a sad reality." He placed his hands away from her, but now it was crossed. "It may be too much to wish for, but as I said... Calling you that somehow makes me feel... happy. But if you prefer me not to do so, I can stop." An awkward silence between the two before she turned her head away from him.

"I would prefer if you call me Miss Celes." She stands up from her chair and he only respected her decision. Even if there was no hint of her saying anything else, she suddenly stopped ln her tracks while she was walking. "Not because I harbor no feelings towards you, I will let you decide." She glanced back for only 5 seconds before she began to brisk walk to her original seat. "But Miss Celes is a rather special name to me now." Her words faded away, and it was hardly audible in the current place he was sitting on... But with those words alone, he turned deaf to everything but her voice.

"Hm... You're really making my heart's condition worse than it is, Miss Celes."

AkiRi

…waking up in bed next to your muse = ☯

Early morning, where no member was awake... was the hours where Rika felt she didn't need to hide a thing. It was early morning, it was barely 4 o'clock. Her hands reached for her phone before dismissing the alarm clock... She always woke up at 3 or 4 so she could prepare for anything her members needed for the day... Before she could actully stand up, she rolled to the other side--- but to her surprise, someone was there. Her eyes fluttered open, but her face instantly went red when she noticed that it was her lover... Wasn't he on a mission? It must have ended late night... Her face was still red, but she slapped herself a couple of times, to make sure she wasn't dreaming... And she wasn't.

"I should have expected you'll be out for long... Hopefully you at least saw the ramen I've cooked..." She whispered, even if she knew that he wouldn't hear it. While he was on a mission, she would always cook something for dinner in hopes that he'd come back and have a meal to eat, whether it was cold or not... The only thing she wanted was for him to have at least a proper meal... Even if she ate the cold noodles from the previous day for breakfast, she would always prepare a new one just so it would be at least somewhat fresh when he came back. It was part of her daily routine by now.

She carefully reached for his head to ruffle his hair, a smile never leaving her face. "I love you, Akira. You did well during that mission. I am proud of you and the entire gang..." Pointless whispers, she believed... He wasn't even awake. She laughed at her own actions, thinking it was funny that she was talking to a sleeping man. She brought herself closer to give a kiss on his forehead, his nose, his cheeks then his lips. She made sure it was only little pecks, so she wouldn't wake him up. This was her way of showing love when she wakes up first. She always did this when she did, and she may admit it was cheesy--- but she did hope he would enjoy it if he knew.

She finally sat up properly, her body stretching before she ended up yawning. Today was going to be a good day... She promised herself that it would! She should probably prepare herself first, then she could make breakfast and then--- Oh? Her face felt hot all of a sudden, her eyes travelling around until she spotted an arm around her. Did he actually place an arm around her while he was asleep? She held his arm with her hands, a giggle coming out of her lips. "Fine, I'll stay for a little while longer." She closed her eyes before placing his arm away so she could find the perfect spot to lie down again--- but now, her lover's arms were wrapped around her. "Better?"

Grumbles and mumbles, but still gibberish... That was his only verbal response, but his hug got tighter. She rested her head on his chest before smiling against it. Her heart always raised when she was around him. Now, then and forever--- it would always be like that. She nuzzled to him, her arms going around him, returning the affection he gave. "Mmm..." Was he sleep talking? "I love you..." Her heart stopped, but she only formed a response on the top of her head. Of course, she said it back. "Thank you..." And with that, she only said her usual "Of course" and a thank you back. With no other words from him, she only decided to close her eyes before singing a song which she made for him...

A song which became his favorite.

But what she didn't expect was to sleep again, while she sang the song he loved so much. Maybe it was because she felt so calm and relaxed when he was around her? She couldn't tell for sure. All she knew was she actually slept in his arms... But the moment he opened his eyes, he instantly turned red. Wait... What happened? How did they get into this position? The last thing he remembered was he ate what she prepared for him and came to this room to pet her head and--- God, did he actually fall asleep by accident? Holy shit, he had no idea on what to do. What should he do? He did not want to get out of this postion, he loved it but what mattered most was she looked way too comfortable-! He felt like he was dying in the inside, and he only died more the moment she snuggled to him more.

Instead of saying any words, he only let the whole scenario sink in... It was so peaceful, and he didn't mind her being so close to him... In fact, he was relieved that she was so close to him. She was there... and that was all that matters. Akira finally calmed down, realizing that no one was there but the two of them. He tucked her hair behinder her ear before he gave a tiny smile... She really was asleep. Even when she hasn't fixed herself for the day, she still looked amazing as ever. She always looked so perfect... No matter where and when, she always looked so wonderful... He was too busy admiring her beauty, that he didn't notice that she began clutching his shirt. "A-Akira..."

Akira's eyes widened as he let her go. "I-I'm sorry... I didn't realize you were awake. I apologize for disturbing your sleep." He immediately asked for forgiveness, his face getting redder each second. "I did not expect to wake up earlier than you and I-" Before he could think of any explanation, he felt her face bury on his chest, hiding her flustered face from her. "I-!" Now, he was speaking in an unknown language... Not even Rika could understand what he was saying and this only ended up with him just letting every detail of the scenario settle in.

"Yo, get a room you two." A person kicked the door opened, his face forming a grin as he noticed what was happening.

"ZURO, DROP DOWN AND GIVE ME 50!"

"ZURO DEAR, THIS IS A ROOM-!"

Ko/Sepheir

…accidentally spilling something on your muse = ☕

A silent moment between the whole famiglia... This is one of the only times where no member dared to speak up to one another. Of course they wouldn't talk! The most well known famiglia member in the building just had coffee spilled on his suit... HIS SUIT! Yarohe began going behind Aki, and Aki only blinked a couple of times while Romano instantly ran to Ko to apologize for Sepheir's part... They surely did wish that Rika would come back from the boss meeting soon... This didn't look like the best scene, and god knows how Ko would feel that there was coffee stains all over his clothes, and the coffee was surely hot... He even jumped from his chair after it was spilled.

"I am so sorry, Ko! I am so sorry, Sepheir did not mean to do that! She might have not looked at your direction because she was talking to someone or something and-" Romano spoke so quickly that it was hard to catch up, his body was shaking in fear and he began sweating because his entire being was showing off signs of a panic attack. He really hated any kind of conflicts inside the famiglia, but if it were two leaders... Things wouldn't be all good. They rarely fought in a serious way unless it is sparring, but he was able to see how bad things can go if it was between his sister and Ko... They were rivals who were in a constant competition, after all.

"Romano, that's enough." Ko placed his hand on top of his head, causing Romano to freeze, but still breathing heavily due to the way he was feeling. "Please go to Crew Sei, let them help you calm you down." Ko turned his head to Romano before smiling politely. "I wouldn't want you to be too stressed than you already are." His words seemed kind, but if someone knew Ko well enough, there was something hidden under that sweet smile if something like this happens. Once Romano was pulled away by Mitsuki, Ko only laughed darkly before eyeing Sepheir. "I don't want to hear your brother apologize to me in your behalf. Why don't you do it yourself with that pretty mouth of yours?" He finally spoke to her and the rest of the members began to back away.

Sepheir sighed, not looking amused at all. "Apologize? You were in the way. Who sits in the middle of nowhere? You do know the chairs are placed in specific places for reasons." She countered and the next thing she did was shrug. "You can't stay anywhere you want in an improper place. Quit being so entitled, because no matter what, you're still at the same rank as me. If someone should be apologizing, it should be you for making your own "seat plan" while Miss Rika is gone." She did not want to apologize for what she did, but it might have been because of how much she hated defeat when it came to Ko. If it weren't him, she might have apologized... Added to that, who's brilliant idea was to drag a chair to a whole new location just to sit there?

He only laughed once again at her response. Entitled? Well, she might be right, but he did believe he deserved it. "Sepheir, I hope you know that you have two eyes, you could have used it." He snickered. "Unless your eyes are just for your job and nothing else matters to you." Was he serious? Probably not. But he was probably trying to rile her up. "My dear Omi has only one functioning eye, Soffrire closes hers, and yet here you are, being more blind than the two of them. What caught your attention, huh? Were you too busy talking to your sweetheart that you were blinded?" He began questioning her and she twitched a bit before eyeing him... It wasn't exactly anger, but she did look annoyed. "Did I hit something specific?"

"You're annoying." She spun to another direction before flipping her hair. "I don't need to answer such stupid questions from a man who has nothing but money and power... You lack so much and I could make a list from basic empathy to shitty leadership." Before she could get away so she could focus on things more important, she felt a hand hold her shoulder. "Oh, may I have pulled the trigger?" She glared. "And you thought you were the one to hit something." She pointed out and he only released her, controlling whatever he felt for that moment. "What is it now? Why did you suddenly release me?"

"I don't know, probably because I pitied you for your pained expression. Is your skin that sensitive?" He placed his hands in his pocket, his expression looking a bit bland- he did not smile nor did he look angry- he only looked like he was frowning. "You winced when I did that, did not expect that from you... Oh wait, you aren't the leader of strength, just independence. I shouldn't have forgotten that you could still get hurt so easily." He didn't mean those offending words, he truly didn't. But somehow, to him, pissing off Sepheir was certainly a fun thing to do. It would be fun to see the calmest person snap.

Before anything could commence, Aki stood between them before pinching both of their cheeks--- which was to their surprise. "You two always make the biggest arguements over the littles things! That was just coffee!" Before there was further complaining on who started it, she only pinched their cheeks harder which actually felt really painful... Was she digging her nails on their cheeks?! "You two should stop fighting, Mom Rika wouldn't want you to fight over coffee spilling, now would she? Just apologize at the same time, and that would do the trick! Or if not, I could report this arguement to her!"

"... Fine."

"... Whatever."

"That's the spirit!"

Ko/Asuka

…receiving a bouquet of flowers from your muse = ✿

A couple of months ever since the collision happened, and Zygos Academy and Protezioni only became closer as the months passed. They were friends with one another, and there were some duos who considered each other as close friends! Who knew that something unrealistic happening could actually make people bond? It might have been weird or awkward at first, but this changed over time! Sometimes, the people in Zygos would visit the Protezioni house, while the Protezioni visited Zygos academy! It was really funny that the one of the reasons is because a certain pair of people... exploded the buildings. So they sometimes switched to each other's locations, but sometimes a visit was done for fun.

Now, one of the reasons why someone visited was not because of any explosions---No, no! It was something much more special. "Good morning." A male held a bouquet of flowers in his arms as he grinned. "I came here to give this to someone." Of course he was was smiling! He was very excited to give this to the person he refers to as his closest friend from Zygos. The person who was at the door was Yuuki, who was only quiet as a familiar face was in front of him. He didn't talk at all, but he nodded his head and went inside the room... Was that a signal he could come in? "Thank you very much, Yuuki! I appreciate you for allowing me inside." He bowed and the moment he lifted up his head, he took note about how two people of the team was playing... Mario Kart?

"SHO, STOP FUCKING CHEATING!" Junko placed the controller down as she screamed at the person who was playing with her. He only grinned, showing his sharp teeth and he proceeded to laugh at her reaction. "I FUCKING SWEAR TO GOD! QUIT ACTING LIKE YOU DON'T DO SHIT! YOU'RE DEFINITELY CHEATING!" She raised her voice even louder and one of the members only scratched his head as he tapped his pencil against his clipboard. "BITCH, LET'S DO A REMATCH AND I WILL PROVE TO YOU THAT I CAN WIN AGAINST YOU!"

"I don't know, Jun! It seems like your talent in video games is as great as your height." He finger gunned at her before grinning even wider. "Fucking small!" Once he said those words, Junko threw the controller at the side. "Awww, did I end up pissing the baby?" He only joked around further and Maemi finally released his clipboard to tirn his head to the two... Can't they just be quiet for once? He was making the perfect strategy for--- Oh. Someone actually came inside... That wasn't someone from Zeta. Even if the room was ruled by the noise made by Shoya and Junko, it wasn't hard to notice someone who was standing just... there. Watching them.

"Are you here for Su, Ko?" Maemi asked bluntly, eyebags obvious and this only made Ko nod. He sometimes pitied Maemi because he seemed that he overworked himself. At first- he should admit a good majority of the Protezioni had a rocky relationship with him, but at least their relationship improved after the whole talk happened between him and their commander. He was glad that their relationship got better... "Well, you have to wait for a while because Su went out to get something herself. You can wait here, I guess." He shrugged as he went back to what he was doing. "But you have to deal with Sho and Mi playing that game."

"I can deal with that. Thank you, Maemi." He sat down on a chair as he placed the bouquet on the table. For a few moments, he only observed the other team members... Zeta was really a great team, and he would have to attest to anyone who says otherwise and- Oh! She finally came! He fixed himself up, as he grabbed the bouquet again, watching as the door opened. First, she was greeted by all her teammates and they began to talk to her, asking if everything went well... He didn't interrupt the moment, he only watched with a smile on his face. Once it was done, she took a glance at Ko and she tilted her head a bit once she saw the flowers. "Flowers for the Queen! I hope you do not mind."

Asuka went closer and he handed her the bouquet. "Oh my~ Thank you for this wonderful gift. You didn't have to." She appreciated his little gesture and he only shook his head.

"I believe I should, today is a special occasion." He disagreed and only looked at his watch for a split second. "Today marks a year when I first called you Queen. I wanted to get you a gift just for this special occasion."

"How flattering." She did love his small gifts here and there, but sometimes she believed that he was giving her too much... But the Protezioni did tell her that it was a normal thing for him to do. "I really do admire you for being such a kind person." She held the flowers closer to herself and she began looking at each of them, seeing it was a mix of different species. "You truly are a sweet king."

Ko laughed slightly before shaking his head. "No, not exactly. But I do believe that a queen only deserves the best treatment... and you certainly are one of the most talented queens out there, Asuka." He began to thinking of a possible thing to do for the day to celebrate such a day. "Would you want to go out to celebrate? We could have a couple of drinks, if you wish." He brought out an option and she nodded her head.

"Certainly sounds like a plan after a good day of work!"

[sfw-rfa-imagines]

Mystic Messenger Pokemon AU!

I’m so glad you guys seem interested in the Pokemon crossover! I’ve been sitting on it since last July and it’ll be nice to write it all down! Since the MC is a self insert, they're the only one without a team ^^

I’ll put it under the cut because it got to be a little long @.@

Saeyoung:

Seven is still a hacker in this AU. He has a special affinity for fire types for some reason, and Chimchar was both a gift from V and his starter. Instead of his father being Prime Minister, he was the champion. His mother used her Ghost and Psychic types to hide him and Saeran away, and his backstory parallels his regular one, with V getting him out and into the agency where he works. However, in this AU he works with Looker and Vanderwood, which makes for some interesting missions.

Along with his main team, he also has a rotom that lives in his cellphone and isn't normally used for battle. He's not above pulling out his secret 7th party member when needed. It may be “cheating” but he doesn’t really care.

Despite Emboar being his strongest Pokemon, he is rarely used bc he prefers to trick his way out of situations, and leave less of a trail back to himself. This is something Chimchar and Gliscor are pros at. All his pokemon are high energy like him except for emboar actually, he prefers to laze about and nap whenever possible.

Yoosung:

Both Shinx and Electrike have been with him since he was really really little! It’s part of the reason why he acts like such a puppy, haha. Electrike was a gift from Rika. He was a puppy from Rikas Maniktrike and, just like Yoosung, adores her. Duckett was also the offspring of Rikas Swanna, and Yoosung had to deliver her himself bc Rika was gone. When she got back, she was impressed and Rika let him keep her. 

That's when Yoosung decided to go to school to become a Nurse Joy! (bc he wants to be a vet in mm i thought it fit). Audino acts like a mom to Yoosung and keeps him on track. Bosley’s most used move is fake tears bc yoosung cries so often. Dewgong he actually caught on a whim. He’s very sweet, good natured, and surprisingly lazy.

Instead of LOLOL, Yoosung loves going to the game corner and gets caught up playing games there for hours.  

Zen:

Zens a contest coordinator and participates in pokemon musicals as well as regular musicals, like My Fair Ledian. Feebas was his starter bc his parents are horrible people and thought "an ugly boy should have an ugly pokemon!" 

Well he showed them!! He gave her all the love in the world and didn't even know she could evolve, but as soon as she did, he ran away with her to do musicals. Soon after, Absol was drawn to him bc Zen has the ability to see into the future (he keeps his ESP from the game, but it’s even more pronounced in this AU). Also his ninetails is shiny. He is basically a mini Zen. They share a spiritual connection, haha. Scizor likes to dance and Glade is a perfect gentlemen. 

All his Pokemon minus Alteria (whos acts nuts bc i thought it'd be funny) are amazingly well behaved but get a little too ruthless in battle (Since Zen was in a street gang when he was a kid in the actual game, I’m gonna say he was in team rocket for a while and his pokemon picked it up from there)

Jaehee:

Mienfoo was her starter pokemon whom she loves dearly. They're both very detail oriented and Mienfoo is very patient as well, as the two of them understand each other very well. Onix she has just because I just love the idea of Jaehee having an onix. Like, people see she has her Cinccino sitting in her shoulder and challenge her for easy cash. Then she just sighs, and has onix crush them bc she is a very busy women with many errands to run, thank you very much. 

Cinccino she has bc she gets stressed if there are messes. Cinccino was actually a gift from Jumin bc he's not as cold as he seems and feels guilty when his pokemon shed all over her house when he leaves them with her~~ Cinccino is very thoughtful and makes sure Jaehees work station and house is clean so she doesn't have to stress out about it. She caught alolan ninetails thinking it was a shiny (like Zens) and she was excited bc Zens her hero (its rly cute, she's still his biggest fan). When she found out it wasn't she was a little disappointed but kicked herself in the butt and took responsibility, and now ninetails is her most doting pokemon. She also is a big fan of Zen’s ninetails lol. 

Sawk she received as a sparring partner for her martial arts (Jaehee can and will murder you). He's very driven and stoic but also very mom like  (funny enough) and has told Jumin off more then once (not that Jumin understands or cares tho). She very recently obtained stufful bc she's been feeling lonely and she heard they were popular with single women. Her only regret is the increase in her weekly food budget.

Jumin:

So Empoleon was his starter pokemon and, like him, is very formal. His name is Sir Rupert Esquire, or just Sir Rupert. The two aren't very touchy feely but that's only bc Jumin has a steel wall up around him and whenever hes feeling extremely vulnerable he tends to stand extremely close to him, and Empoleon gets it.

Serperior is named Ribbons and he caught her when she was a Snivy on a business trip. He's very fond of her and likes to watch her lounge around in his penthouse. Scolipede just seemed right somehow? Idk, it just fit. Staraptor is another of his childhood pokemon. Sometimes Staraptor gets a little ruffled tho bc Jumin doesn't like letting him roam to far. Jumin is a clingy baby, at least with his pokemon bc he feels like no one else was ever there for him fully besides V and Rika, and with Rika’s "death" V has been distant. Jumin’s a mess man, he just doesn't want to admit it. 

V gives him Lilligant as a gift to make him feel better about V being gone so often. Jumin kinda projects onto her alot and tries his hardest to make sure she's safe and well cared for since he cant to the same for V. Lilligant loves him so much it's not even funny though. Jaehee can tell how he's feeling based on whether or not she can smell aroma therapy on him, as Lilligant tend to spam it to try and help when he's upset. 

The pokemon Jumin most dotes on is Elizabeth the 3rd (Persian) tho bc just like with Lilligant, he projects Rika onto her. Elizabeth was a gift from Rika afterall. Jumin feels the most connected with Elizabeth as well because she doesn't respect his boundaries like the rest of his team. She likes to coddle and groom him and all in all is a sweet, spoiled girl who loves her dad very much. Jumin's the son of his regions pokemon mart branch owner, making him super freaking rich.

V:

Okay, so I made V's team really cutise looking but I swear it has good reasoning. Okay, so his starter pokemon was Primarina and they are very close. He takes amazing care of her and she sings to him and gets him to open up a bit when he’s closing everyone out. She is very fond of Zen and mother’s him often bc motherly pokemon are #the best. Also V becomes a musician in one of his endings so I thought it was fitting. 

Solrock helps him with lighting for indoor photos and also on bad days for his depression, it likes to light up his room. Espeon is not only an empath who helps him through emotional stuff, but after he goes blind she helps him around and makes sure he doesnt hurt himself by tripping over things by letting him grab onto her tail. Vivallion he caught in a different pokemon (it’s a sun form but you know the team builder only has the generic art so shrug). V just thought he was pretty and photogenic. Chimecho was his mother's pokemon and after she died he took good care of her. And as for Maractus? V likes cacti and I just couldn't see him w a Cacturne.

Saeran:

Saeran built up his team to counter anything that could be thrown at him. Lucario, as a Riolu, was both his starter and a gift from Rika when she recruited him into Mint Eye. He is her most trusted admin, and can usually take out a threat before it has time to get serious. He’s intense in battle, but is also very doting on his pokemon and can’t stand it when they’re hurt. He also dotes on Rika’s pokemon when they let him. 

Porygon is meant to directly counter Seven’s Rotom, and Vileplume is fitted with multiple different powder moves for any situation. In this AU, Saeran’s mental breakdown in the secret ending is directly pareled by his attempt to use mega evolution with Lucario, who isn’t at a high enough level to keep himself under control while using it. Incineroar was another gift from Rika, and she likes to walk around outside her ball too keep an eye on her trainer. Everyone of his pokemon has cutesy nicknames that he only uses outside of battle.

Rika:

This is Rikas team. In this AU, she runs the Villain team, Mint Eye, like in the actual game. She had a Maneiktrike on her team till it died, which actually is what started her on her quest to catch the lake trio, which is Mint Eyes goal in this AU. She, like in the game, wants to get rid of all sadness in the world by getting rid of bad emotions and memories, as well as taking away will power that you could use to hurt other people. 

And until she can use the lake trio for that, she's using her trusty hypno and musharna to do it in their place. They’re a deadly duo. Swanna is pretty but also brutal so I thought it fit her well enough, plus it gave me a good reason to give Yoosung a duckett, haha. I gave her volcarona because it fit well, and also my own personal love for Volcarona. 

Sunflora is a pokemon that looks soft, but Rika’s has Leech Seed, Toxic, Worry Seed, and Attract. Rikas favorite is worry seed since she finds it easier to manipulate people after inducing an insomnia based paranoia. It helps with conversion. Alolan persian is her spoiled baby boy whom she loves. Imagine Garfield, but also with the alignment of John Arbuckle.

[furederiko]

A School of Stars!!! Time to go back to class... or in Kyuranger's case, HALF of its members actually attends one! NOTE: This recap-view could have been released much sooner. In fact, I had planned to publish it several days earlier, since the show didn't air last Sunday. But as always, my health got in the way that I simply couldn't finish this piece until... just now. My body and bad weathers are definitely at odds with each other... T_T

- "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger: High School Wars" is a spin-off from the recently released "Episode of Stinger" V-Cinema bluray. This web-series is made available on TOEI Tokusatsu Fan Club app on September 9th, 2017, and will be concluded by a special 5th episode to be released on DVD. Technically, both "High School Wars" and "Episode of Stinger" CAN be regarded as unofficial 49th and 50th episode (though the latter alone has the duration of more). - If we put all currently available "High School Wars" episodes into one, it serves as a full 22.42 minutes feature, which is the average length of a weekly broadcast. Episode 1 (including opening, excluding credits and preview) is 5.12 minutes, Episode 2 is 05.40, Episode 3 is 6.20, and Episode 4 is 5.30 minutes. - Each episodes for "High School Wars" is called 'Period'. In chronological order, they can be generally translated as "Morning Assembly" (Chourei) , "Art Class" (Bijutsu), "Science Class" (Rika), "Physical Education" (Taiiku), and "Suplementary Exam" (Suishi). - For the record, this recap-view does not cover the last one, because as far as I know, it's not released yet (nor has an official release date). It might however, plays out in parallel to the "Episode of Stinger" storyline. FYI, the plot of its first 4 episodes bleeds directly to that V-Cinema story. A direct prologue, if you will. Anyway, I'll be recap-viewing these 4 available episodes separately below (in the style of my take on "Kamen Rider Build"). Read on...

01 - "Commander's Mischief"

- Rebellions sans Tsurugi, receive an undercover mission by Commander Xiao. Their destination is Planet 3B (TV-Nihon, to which this review is based, fansubbed it as such, eventhough other outlets called it as 'Sleeby' or 'Sleevy') of the Norma System. Jark Matter has installed their largest education facility, obviously using one to brainwash people to be their minions. Our Away Team is sent to inflitrate and defeat its Malistrate. - The name of this planet is clearly a shoutout to actor Tetsuya Takeda's popular drama series "3-nen B-gumi Kinpachi-sensei". Raptor even mimics the gesture of Takeda's character when she utters its name. This is a well-known and popularly used gag in Japanese entertainment. Pretty much most if not all parody shows have included nods to this long-running show. - Best part of this episode, is when an unusually giddy Xiao practically spills the bean about one important thing: that the Kyulette system is rigged. As it turns out, he's been hiding the Kyu Globes of several members to ensure the outcome for the rest! And Raptor says, that it's NOT the first time. LOL. Even better, he claims that it's due to "conditions to production", a statement that sounds 'odd' to the others, but works so darn well as a brilliant joke to us audience. I've said before, how Xiao is parroting like a TOEI executive or producer. This is yet another very meta-joke that reinforces that notion! Also, do you notice that the first selected Away Team consists of all suit-characters and not the human ones? There's this unconfirmed fact that it's considerably cheaper to use voice + suit actors instead of the young talents. Hence... productional conditions. LOL. - As much as I would love to see the entire cast wearing school uniforms (Raptor has prepared for ALL of them, Garu's in particular looks Yankee-cool), Kyulette actually ends up choosing all the human cast. Human-looking one of course, if we factor the case of Stinger. All dressed up to portray different kind of student stereotypes, the Away Team heads to Planet 3B. While at the same time, Xiao needs to do some explaining to Champ, Garu, and Balance. - By the way, Raptor's comment that it would be nice to wear uniform, could be a neat callback to when her voice actress dressed up as a maid in one of Go-kaiger's episode. Notice that she's wearing Spada's chef-hat while saying this? So sweet. And Balance's concern about Naga and brainwashing is certainly a jab to his Dark-Naga arc. Lucky's outfit and the high school angle in general, in a way serves as a homage to "Denji Sentai Megaranger" as well. Don't forget, it was the first season/series that aired on 07.30 JST, while Kyuranger is the last to air on the schedule.

Comment: This was undeniably my favorite episode of these web-series. Not just because every members are onboard, but the jokes were simply spot-on, and I just love all those the minor details included here. Especially that brilliant nod to "Kinpachi-sensei" that I didn't catch on my first viewing.

02 - "How Great Thou Art"

- Our Away Team arrives on the facility, and the web-series' face-slapping running gag starts here. Each time the school bell rings, the boys instantly get brainwashed. Lucky becomes lazy, Stinger is all smiley and giggly, Naga is twitching, Spada mopes like a fish, and Kotarou looks... high. Yikes! That's disturbing to see. Hammy is luckily wearing a headset (appropriately in green), most likely listening to Hoshi Minato's song. Thus she gets the privilege to... ugh, slap the others back to their senses. - Their first 'enemy' is Student Council President Indaver, voiced by... *drumrolls* Yousuke Itou, who is none other than Deka Green Sen-chan himself! This is his second participation in Kyuranger, following that minor guest appearance in the "Space Squad" crossover episode. The Indaver points out Naga's silver hair and Hammy as violation to the all-boys school. He challenges the team for a three-rounds duel. - Subject is... ART. Lucky wins the first, eventhough his painting doesn't resemble like the model. Spada loses the second, but he most definitely wins the joke of the day by drawing a delectable fruit parfait as his rendition of a basket of fruits. His chef jokes, smooth catchy foreign phrases, and dandy mannerism never ceases to amaze me. "Originality is vital in cooking!", he says. LOL. Naga is up to do the last task, and it has the most challenging model: the idol Hoshi Minato! Turning this episode into a small "Magiranger vs Dekaranger" flick. - Of course, the final duel's result plays for laughs, as Minato chooses Naga's more gorgeous shoujo-manga rendition as the result, compared to Council President's more realistic one. Angry about this, Council President tries to attack Naga, but Minato hands him the #59 Pictor Kyu Globe to... paint the Indaver's defeat. Ouch! Minato then leaves the room by repeatedly saying "THANK YOU"... or "SAN-KYU" in Japanese. Get it? 3-9? :D - Minato's appearance is nice and all, considering he's underused in the TV series. Unfortunately, it also serves as the most problematic aspect of this web-series. Particularly, in 'WHEN' this series take place. As I said on the extra note for episode 35, Hoshi still has the creepy puppet on his shoulder here. The general assumption is that he's still under the influence of Don Armage. Am I right? But why does he hand out a Kyu Globe then? It does NOT make sense. This action implies that Minato's already a supporter for the Kyuranger, because he's been rallying against Jark Matter since episode 36. Then again, it contradicts the fact that he can even walk freely into this school! Why would Jark Matter let him in if he's supporting the Rebellion, right? - The easiest way to address this, is by ignoring two things: First, the puppet's significance. Hoshi clearly has ditched it ever since he was freed from control, so let's just assume he put it back in as... I don't know, random accessory? Second, Hammy's odd reaction, as if she hasn't met Hoshi before inspite of the aftermath of Pavo's Got Talent. Let's just assume she's fangirling or something. These two measures will allow this spin-off to take place AFTER episode 35, so it makes more sense. Probably not BEFORE episode 36 though... because well, let's just say, the ending of "Episode of Stinger" will contradict this even further. Does that sound confusing? Oh well, let's just proceed to the next period for now...

Comment: In general, it's a fun episode with both Spada and Naga being the episode's MVP. Not to mention, that brief yaoi slur between Magi Yellow and Ophiucus Silver would make their respective fans glee in fangasmic joy. Unfortunately, as I've pointed out above, it's also a major flaw in design. Placing this web-series in the continuity have become... conflicting, all thanks to this one episode. Such a big shame, because the show has been VERY good at keeping things in check prior to this.

03 - "The 88 Quiz"

- Spada and Kotarou discover that they are all trapped inside the classroom. The only way to get out, is by defeating the next 'enemy' that comes walking in. Oh, yes... there's that face-slapping bit again. Yeesh, this gag gets tired REALLY FAST. - Next subject that our Away Team needs to overcome... is Science. In charge of this subject, is the female Vice Principal Indaver, who apparently is the mother of the Student Council President. This one isn't voiced by a Super Sentai alumn, but by Sakura Miyajima from Project R. who... is also a Super Sentai Super-Fan. Duh? - And the new task involves... massive information dump! This is the infamous episode that basically confirms ALL entries of the 88 Kyu Globes. Yes, the listing has been kept wrapped as a tight mystery ever since the show started, yet this one decides to blatantly ignore that restriction and unveils all of them in one strike. Thus, we get a detail Constellation Systems shoutout from #01 Leo until #88 Puppis (Argo Navis and the special ones are not included). LOL. By the way, did you know that the naming is deliberately done in Japanese and not Latin, to avoid similarity to "Saint Seiya"? Tom Constantine of The Tokusatsu Network recently shared this enlightening fact. - What strikes me as peculiar here... is that Tsurugi hasn't been around or even mentioned thus far. Even during this Constellation quiz, Phoenix isn't referenced to him, eventhough Hammy clearly points out the Argo components. It gives off another conflicting impression, that this web-series takes place before Tsurugi's debut in episode 21. I might be reading too much on this, but what if... the web-series was filmed before Tsurugi's actor join the team? On the other hand, Naga's emotion clearly indicates that it at least takes place after episode 31. See? Contradictory indeed! - Anyway, Kotarou gets to be the focus of this episode, because the final 4 missing Constellations relies heavily on his educational background. As in, only those who goes to school SHOULD know them. Hmmmm... really? I'd argue that's not entirely accurate (you'll see why... on the next part), but... let's just play along. - Vice Principal is defeated, hence the big baddie shows up to confront our team. Not only Principal Indaver is the wife of Vice Principal and naturally father of Student Council, and the Malistrate of Planet 3B, but he's also voiced by Yousuke Itou. "There are logistical reasons for why our faces are the same", he says, practically screaming "budgetary limitations" to our ears. His spotlight is saved for the next episode, as a seventh Kyuranger member joins in... simply because his inclusion will be necessary. How so? Read on...

Comment: Biggest highlight from this episode, is undeniably the complete listing to EVERY Kyu Globes. Whether the ones that have been used, or haven't in any form of the series (TV, V-Cinemas, Summer Movie, and/or random sweepstakes). Sadly, it came bringing another continuity issue, though not as massive as the previous one. It's enough to bother me to the bones though...

04 - "Useless Kyu Globes"

- We have arrived in the final part... considering the 5th episode is called 'Suplementary'. And things get... physical this time around. A Super Sentai episode needs to contain a fully-suited action sequence, as well as giant mecha battle. This is where we get both for "High School Wars". Well, one half of it, to be precise. - That 7th Kyuranger I mentioned above? Who else but Champ. But why is his inclusion (and not any other members) necessary? Because... he's the lead supporting character in "Episode of Stinger", being its lead protagonist's partner and all. For your information, this episode directly cuts to the V-Cinema, so Champ's presence is urgently required. So nope, he's not just there because Chamaeleon Green's slap-fest no longer in effect to cure the pesky brainwashing gag. - By the way, Champ arrives wearing a delinquent-style costume. Similar to the one worn by Gentarou of "Kamen Rider Fourze", or Jousuke in "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable". If only we can see the others in their cosplays too. - Those 4 supposedly school-related Constellations? The Kyurangers actually utilize their Kyu Globes in the battle against a kendo-based Principal Indaver, so it's time to talk about... why I have issues with them. I can give #49 Circinus and #46 Norma a pass, because compass (the mathematical tool, NOT one used for navigation... that's assigned to Pyxis) and ruler are used at school, eventhough Norma is specifically a Carpenter's Level. But #79 Sextans and #80 Octans? Both Sextant and Octant are navigational tools generally used for NAVAL exploration. How on Earth would Kotarou knew or even used them both at school?! He must have gone to a VERY advanced school if that's the case. Because even a guys as old as me have NEVER seen neither one directly with my own pair of eyes. - Apart from Norma, these Kyu Globes are practically... useless. The Away Team can't even use most of them. Norma somehow works because Leo Red is miraculously able to use it as a finishing move. I'd argue that being in the Norma System is the sole reason, hence it gets a spontaneous power up. But let's not be bothered by such useless details... - Our final special cameo appears, this time in person. Kouta!!! I mean... Kouhei Yamamoto a.k.a. Hurricane Yellow himself appears as the school's Chairman. Like most if not all cast members of "Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger" (and also "Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger", hence Sen-chan's participation), Yamamoto is well-known for his loyalty to Super Sentai franchise. He's one of the reason why we even had that "Hurricaneger 10 Years After" V-Cinema. So seeing him here doesn't feel remotely like a surprise. - This episode still has one final scene before it ends. Principal Indaver escapes the 'Ruler Attack', and jumps aboard his Consumarz to attack the Away Team. Kyuren-Oh is summoned, and... "TO BE CONTINUED". Wait, for real? Yep. The conclusion to this mecha battle *spoiler alert*, will be available as the opening scene for "Episode of Stinger". We even get an extended preview (featuring that amazing new song by Stinger's actor) for the V-Cinema as a quick reminder...

Comment: This final episode ended VERY annoyingly. That's the general complaints resonating throughout Kyuranger's fanbase. Along with one more thing: useless Kyu Globes. How could I counter that, when those arguments were mostly accurate? Strangely, this was an OKAY episode for me, and not as problematic as the 2nd and 3rd. That's why I'm giving it a mediocre score...

Overall: Overall, "High School Wars" has been a light, mostly clausthrophobic and/or secluded academic-themed gag, that gave the human actors the chance to cosplay as students. Of course, being a highly comedic distraction was not all that bad. Unfortunately, it also served the weakest link among Kyuranger's canon. That slapping-face gag was rather violent, especially when a minor such as Kotarou had to endure the same treatment. That's downright child abuse, right? And then there's that overlaying continuity problem, that made the writing felt... weak and sloppy in general. I'm not sure who wrote this, but if it's the same writer who worked on "Episode of Stinger"... then it sort of make sense (Kento Shimoyama's portofolio includes... "Shuriken Sentai Ninninger"! No wonder...). Sadly, as you would find out soon, this issue also affected that V-Cinema. It will make anyone to question whether both features actually connects to the TV series or not at all. An alternate universe take? As of writing, I'm STILL waiting anxiously for the official answer to this. There's a speculation that we'll be getting some actual closure and proper timeline explanation in that exclusive 5th episode. Tell you the truth though, I'm NOT so sure about that... Next: "Episode of Stinger"... what else? *grins* PS: Assuming I can get it done without any external (unexpected situations) nor internal (my health is still not in full prime) interferences, expect recap-view for Stinger's V-Cinema to arrive tomorrow. Or the day after. Also, this recap-view will not include the Overall Score for "High School Wars". That will be posted alongside review for Episode 5... IF and only IF I can see one, of course.

Episode 01 Score: 8 out of 10 Episode 02 Score: 6 out of 10 Episode 03 Score: 6,5 out of 10 Episode 04 Score: 7 out of 10

Visit THIS LINK to view a continuously updated listing of the Kyutama / Kyu Globes. Last Updated: October 31st, 2017 - Version 3.04. (WARNING: It might contain spoilers for future episodes)

Trailer used above is officially available through MaiDigiTV Youtube Channel. "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" is produced by TOEI, and airs every Sunday on TV-Asahi. Credits and copyrights belong to their respective owners.

[jolteonjordansh]

Thoughts on The Digital World Arc

Well, I at least only have one college class left on my to-do list, making writing and gushing about Digimon a lot easier than it would have been in the last three weeks. Nevertheless, I should have tackled this much earlier and I have (as always) been putting it off for long enough. Let’s talk about the biggest arc that Digimon Tamers has to offer below the break, because oh boy, there is a lot to talk about.

With the Digimon Tamers cast moving into a whole new environment along with new focal characters like Jeri, her partner Leomon, Kazu and Kenta as well as the introduction of new characters and substantial development of older ones, there is so much to discuss about the Digital World arc that I almost have no idea where to start. But we can make that easy by starting from... well, where else but the start? And while I will definitely say the Digital World arc is a strong arc with strong moments, I would definitely not say it starts off the strongest. To be blunt, it starts off a little awkward and has some slow moments and it does have to take some time to not only establish new characters but establish the new world. For me personally, it by no means ever got bad, but I could completely understand why some people don’t like or even hate Kazu and Kenta as tagalongs, and I’d be lying if I were to deny most of their purpose is to be the comic relief. 

Let me cover most of the “new” characters first before talking about specific episodes and moments. Kazu and Kenta, while definitely being distracting at times, I never really hated. They were never knee-slappingly hilarious, but I never found them obnoxious. They do add some sense of normalcy to the group and did sort of help stabilize things in a group of Tamers, eventually becoming Tamers themselves. Kazu ends up with Guardromon who isn’t particularly interesting, though I do like that he is kind of funny and has whistling Bullet Bills for attacks. He’s quirky enough to fit someone as confident and fun-loving as Kazu. Kenta doesn’t get his partner until the very end of the arc so I won’t get into that just yet, but Kenta is among the most normal yet the one I like the most of the duo--simple yet funny... sometimes anyway. Jeri is someone I should also talk about but I’m only going to go into very specific moments in this post and only talk about her character in-full in the post of my thoughts on the last arc. But to talk about the all-new character Ryo... I’m gonna need a new paragraph.

To say Ryo is complicated is a huge understatement. He was technically present in Digimon Adventure 02, but I could go on about how much of a mess Adventure 02 is plot-wise all day. The Japan-exclusive Digimon WonderSwan games only make this more complicated, and even then there’s no real connection made back to the Adventure universe with this (despite Battle of Adventurers doing this). If these materials didn’t exist, I would just say this Ryo is not the one from the WonderSwan games and is his own guy, but this isn’t the case and because of this his whole existence is extremely weird. Supposedly in the Tamers universe, he’s basically the best Digimon player ever and went missing for some time--being trapped in the Digital World--which makes him a huge idol for Kazu and Kenta (and thus a big running joke). 

But his presence is still very... spaced out, and said presence really doesn’t bring much to the table other than Rika hating his guts. Random excuses will come up for him to leave like his Cyberdramon running off to chase “his enemy” like an upset puppy, so if he comes across as shoehorned... that’s because he is, as his whole involvement in the show was a case of executive meddling. Just by his presence and only really use as being a sort of back-up I can tell the writers wanted as little to do with the character as possible. And considering he’s about as interesting as XY!Ash Ketchum, I’m glad that they barely bothered with him. He’s very much a sort of Digimon Marty Stu character, and it bothers me because from what I read about the WonderSwan games, they do try some interesting things. They just should have never put him in this show because he clearly doesn’t belong here, and the writers made no attempt to make him feel that way.

But if Ryo is pretty much the worst thing about Digimon Tamers and is mostly bad by just being plain and shoehorned into the story, I don’t think that’s really so bad or terrible considering how much worse it could have been. Though the fact that his introduction episode title in the dub is named “Blame it on Ryo” is pretty hilarious in hindsight. A couple of the first few episodes in this arc are odd too, with Kazu and Kenta teaming up with a Jijimon and Babamon, a killer motorcycle attacking a village and some Gekomon having to constantly brew saké to keep an Orochimon drunk (obviously not kept in the dub). But despite this, there are small interesting complexities lying throughout some of these episodes. There’s little bits like how the motorcycle is compared to “The Red Shoes” fairytale (a pretty dark fairytale at that) and Jeri being confident dealing with Orochimon when kidnapped by him because she claims she’s “dealt with drunks before” does give a bit of insight that her life at home might not exactly be so nice. This is also around the time where Beelzemon gets introduced, who is Impmon having basically made a deal with the devil with one of the Devas (Caturamon) to achieve Digivolution.

The search for Calumon also becomes a sort of running fetch quest mixed with a game of Hot Potato (if that makes sense), which does make the pace feel a little slow as well, but it’s nowhere near as bothersome as Digimon Adventure’s search for the very obvious Eighth Child, Kari--being more of a running series of unfortunate events rather than a stream of people’s stupidity. During this however, Henry, Terriermon and Takato get separated from the rest of the group, leaving Guilmon and Takato distressed for each other as they become torn apart. But at the same time, this develops an inner conflict with Takato as he discovers Guilmon’s origins.

Things also get a tad muddy here plot-wise, and I’m not sure if it was a change of plot as the writers went on or something they changed very early on. Shibumi, the last missing member of the Wild Bunch, appears in the Digital World. He’s somehow here due to being in a coma, and I guess it’s because he’s technically attached to a machine that he’s essentially there in a spiritual way, but it’s still pretty odd. Apparently, he was originally going to die at the end of the Devas arc, but this never happened (and was replaced with that odd pseudo-ending I mentioned in the last post) and he’s instead put here. When Takato and Henry get to meet him here, they learn about the DigiGnomes that have been occasionally appearing in the arc. They’re digital data like Digimon, but just... not Digimon I guess. But these guys are capable of granting wishes, which in turn was how Guilmon was created--through Takato’s wish and a collection of data put together.

This is where I admittedly got confused and it took a while for the whole concept to sink in for me. Takato is borderline devastated by this, learning that Guilmon is more or less just data. In my mind, this confused me because my mind process was along the lines of: “Well, DUH he’s data. He’s a DIGImon. DIGITAL monster.” But I guess I wasn’t quite thinking of this through a kid’s perspective. For Takato, Guilmon is truly real, like a fantasy he imagined having become real in a way that a lot of kids look at their toys and wish they were real--we’ve all done it, and we’ve all seen shows where it actually happens. When Takato learns that Guilmon was simply formed out of data rather than magic however, it’s a mental shock for him. Guilmon is potentially no longer unique in his eyes in the same way you could write a program, but it can easily be replicated and has nothing to distinguish it afterwards. It’s not anything like how no human being or animal is alike no matter how similar the genes may be.

Before I go into probably the biggest and most important parts of this arc, I want to discuss a couple of other things. First, some of the involvement of side characters and others like the Devas. Takato is able to communicate with Yamaki from the Digital World with a device he gives him, but only during certain grace periods. I really like how Yamaki becomes far more of an ally and manages to get over his extremism from the first two arcs--it does make him a sort of enigmatic badass who is out to help for some form of redemption for his own mistakes. Henry’s dad also starts to become more involved here too and is also a pretty cool smart guy (being voiced by Jamieson Price in the dub is also a plus). But around the time we start seeing these two together a bit more, things start to get a little weird and sudden.

Out of nowhere, the writers decide to drag Henry's younger sister Suzie into the Digital World and give her a Digimon partner. In fact, they give her a Deva of all things: the rabbit Deva Antylamon who, after becoming Suzie's partner, de-Digivolves to Lopmon. Supposedly from what I understand, Suzie was never meant to be a Tamer and “The Biggest Dreamer” opening animation is to blame by mistakenly showing Suzie holding a Digivice. By the time this error was noticed, it was already too late, so the writers had to work with forcing her into the story. I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel somewhat forced in how she sort of inexplicably gets dragged into the Digital World on top of befriending a Deva, but to be fair Antylamon is shown to be the most gentle of the Devas and it does lead to a kind of funny episode as the two befriend each other. Plus, Lopmon ended up working rather well for Suzie considering her affinity for Terriermon in the first place. For something they did have to force, Suzie still works out miles over the hamfisted Ryo.

Unfortunately for the Devas, I do have to say they are downplayed in this. This isn't necessarily bad, but considering how huge of a role they played in their own arc, it's pretty sad to see most of them treated as jokes. While Makuramon makes sense in he was kind of a joke to begin with (and if you know the episode he dies in, let's face it--the creepy fucker deserved it), to see a freaking dragon Deva like Majiramon go out so easily and barely have a presence is seriously disappointing, especially when he's treated more as Makuramon's steed than anything. Caturamon gets the most attention out of any, being the one to convince Impmon to go against the Tamers and their Digimon and he is a pretty despicable Digimon that gets what he deserves. Other than that though, the other two just feel like sort of leftovers from the Devas arc that just had to be dealt with.

Finally though, I really have to give Digimon Tamers some heavy criticism on one of its bigger problems. This isn't necessarily a problem with the writing or the plot itself, but it is a problem with some of its presentation. This show has no boundaries for spoiler alert whatsoever, and it's actually a huge problem as someone just wanting to enjoy the damn show and its surprises. Not only does the opening from the start of the Digital World arc outright spoil the main three Digimons’ Mega forms, it spoils Beelzemon as well. I was thankfully warned of these ahead of time and kept my eyes closed every time I watched the opening (which kinda sucked), but the fact that they made this decision and don't even show the first Mega form for ten episodes is honestly really aggravating from a story-telling standpoint. The episode previews are no better either. Not only do they also go out of their way to spoil things like the Mega forms and evolutions of Digimon, but they don't even hide the fact that Leomon is meant to outright die in the episode preview for the episode. I mean, not only does the first line of the preview literally yell "Leomon is dead!", the freaking episode title is "The Kind-Hearted Hero, Leomon Dies". Talk about no freaking subtlety! It kills any build-up towards his death in the episode, which would have been a pretty shocking moment had they said nothing. I get that Leomon dying is a sort of cruel running joke in Digimon, but if any series started this trend of doing so, it was undeniably Digimon Tamers. Once again, I was warned not to look at certain episode previews by a friend so from my personal experience, I still got a handful of nice surprises.

Okay, most details out of the way, NOW let me talk about the really important parts of the Digital World arc, where the arc really starts to move fast and for the better. While yes, Leomon dying does become a running joke from here on out in pretty much every Digimon series, as of now I have to say that Digimon Tamers treats it the best (other than, you know, outright spoiling it). While Digimon Adventure still made Leomon's death a sad event and he was a good character, the effects of the death of Leomon in Digimon Tamers are much greater and heavier than Adventure's ever was. Jeri is traumatized to watch Leomon--her Digimon partner she wanted so badly--not only get killed but killed by Beelzemon, who was once a friend. This is also the absolute breaking point for Takato, having reunited with the rest of the group and still dealing with the inner conflict of Guilmon's existence. And this, ultimately breaks to the Dark Digivolution of the series--Guilmon ultimately Dark Digivolving to Megidramon, probably one of the most terrifying monstrosities in Digimon. If people thought SkullGreymon was terrifying, they haven't seen the hellish undead dragon that is Megidramon--a being so rage-filled and powerful that it threatened to destroy the very existence of the Digital World.

This Dark Digivolution is really well-developed, not only with the lead-up of Takato reuniting with Guilmon while still struggling to accept his existence, but also with Takato losing his own self-control after seeing Leomon killed and seeing the girl he adores being broken to pieces. While Tai's Dark Digivolution for Agumon to SkullGreymon was not bad and had its impact, it was a little on the forced side (something the dub made even worse to the point of writing Tai out of character) and didn't have much build-up. Takato's is not only well-developed and by no means forced, it actually works extremely well. A child's wrath is frightening, as they still have much to learn about the concepts of empathy and have not learned to control their emotions well--part of why he outright wants to do everything to kill Beelzemon, even at the risk of Guilmon. But the emotion of anger alone is especially frightening. Anger can be a driving force--it can run our adrenaline and empower us, but it can be a driving force to a terrifying level as well. When we're angry, we lose all rationale and have no idea when to stop. Megidramon is essentially Takato and Guilmon's intertwined emotions personified, with the power to destroy everything if not stopped. And being such an ugly creature, with Jeri even crying to Takato about what he’s done to Guilmon’s original adorable form, Megidramon truly is a physical manifestation of Takato's ugliest emotions, the ones that make him still human nonetheless.

But it's after this traumatizing chain of events where I think the show leads to some of its best moments. After Megidramon gets beaten down by Beelzemon, Takato’s self-reflection (which is pretty abstract and drug-induced) helps him achieve the self-realization that despite Guilmon's existence as data, Guilmon is his true friend and everything they experienced together was and is truly real. With Takato finally reconciling with himself and Guilmon, they just barely dodge probably the slowest bullet ever from Beelzemon (Well, more like Guilmon somehow uses his leftover Megidramon tail to slap it away) and Takato is invigorated to fight along with Guilmon, but he truly wants to actually fight with Guilmon, something that has been established as just impossible with Digimon... until now.

Just as Takato wished for Guilmon, Takato earns his wish to be able to fight with Guilmon by achieving his true Mega form through Matrix Digivolution--Gallantmon--literally becoming one being and fighting together against Beelzemon. On a side note, the dub decided to call this specific Digivolution "Biomerge Digivolution", which I admit I kind of like because just reusing the term "Matrix Evolution" in Japanese doesn't make this type of Digivolution feel unique when it's probably one of the most unique methods of Digivolution that Digimon has done. Regardless, I still don't think I would call it Biomerge Digivolution myself personally. So from here, I'm just going to continue saying Matrix Digivolution because I enjoy being confusing as hell to dub and/or sub watchers (I'm not sorry).

But before I can go in-depth about the Gallantmon VS Beelzemon fight, I need to talk about Gallantmon himself; because my God, I freaking love Gallantmon. I was told the moment I started this series "Guilmon's Mega form is going to be your favorite Mega ever." While I didn't really doubt it, I wasn't really sure how that was going to happen. But the moment I watched the Matrix Digivolution animation and heard One Vision for the first time, I was jumping-off-the-couch-excited (but also extremely emotional because I was still being assaulted with feels from several angles at once). Gallantmon's design isn't just awesome, but the concept of him as Takato's partner and Guilmon's Mega form is just perfect. Absolutely perfect.

Remember how I was just going on about Megidramon as the physical manifestation of Takato's negative emotions? Gallantmon is the exact opposite of this--a physical manifestation of Takato's positive emotions and of his true convictions. Not only that, but the idea of Gallantmon is a perfect example of something a kid like Takato would come up with. Takato created Guilmon, went through a long process of designing the idea of Growlmon, and Megidramon was subconsciously created by Takato's worst feelings and emotions (WarGrowlmon is kind of the exception and just sort of happened, but let's ignore that for now). In the same vein as Megidramon, Gallantmon was subconsciously created by Takato's strongest feelings. Think from the perspective of a kid like Takato--he thought of Guilmon as a sort of lizard/dragon, even often using the White Wings card on him. Dragons are awesome, right? Dragons fight knights all the time in fairy tales, and it's awesome. But what would be the coolest thing ever? An actual dragon knight, a dragon that is actually an armored warrior capable of wielding a sword and shield. Not only that, but knights are symbols of justice and chivalry--exactly what Takato is fighting for against Beelzemon. It's all of these combined elements that make Gallantmon not only an awesome Mega form, but literally the perfect choice for Takato and Guilmon. Their thoughts and feelings are truly one here, which just makes One Vision all the more perfect insert song for this. And it also downright nails and proves my previous point in the Devas arc that Matrix Digivolution is a million times better than Pokéani's Ash-Greninja nonsense.

In the Devas arc, I stated that the Indramon fight was my favorite thus far. But my freaking God. From this point on, I have so many favorite fights in this series that I don't even know if I have an actual favorite. They're all that awesome, but Gallantmon VS Beelzemon begins to set that standard with a really good, evenly matched fight. Who possesses the upper hand is always changing, from powerful attacks from Gallantmon like Royal Saber and Final Elysion, to Beelzemon aiming one of his guns at contact range at Gallantmon (which naturally got censored in the dub), only for Kazu and Guardromon to drive Beelzemon away with Destruction Grenade and finally putting Gallantmon in a position to finish off Beelzemon. It's so action-filled and such a melee combat-heavy battle that it's definitely high up in one of my favorite Digimon fights. But this fight is stopped when Jeri begs Gallantmon not to kill Beelzemon because doing so won't bring Leomon back. And, well... she's right. This actually gets Beelzemon's attention as he retreats, now beginning to lose his own conviction. This arguably makes it an unfinished battle, but regardless of that it's too damn good not to love, and sparing Beelzemon proves to be the better choice as we see later in the series.

Now I know I gushed on and on about why Gallantmon is the perfect Mega Digimon and how he's perfect for Takato and Guilmon, but... unfortunately I can't quite do the same for Henry and Terriermon as well as Rika and Renamon when they achieve their Mega forms. Now, I'm by no means saying they get no development and that it doesn't work at all. But Takato and Guilmon were definitely better thought-out, being the main character of the series. It's the same way how Tai more or less got several episodes to develop activating his Crest of Courage while most characters got a few episodes at best or had a lot of it develop in the background. Still, this doesn't mean Henry and Rika don't get their good bits of writing and development with their Digimon. After defeating all of the Devas barring Lopmon (because of course Caturamon would also get an underwhelming death during the Gallantmon VS Beelzemon episode of all times, but to be fair it's because Beelzemon absorbs his data that the tides of the battle keep changing), Lopmon is to take the group to the "god" the Devas have gone on and on about--Zhuqiaomon, one of the Four Sovereigns. While these Four Sovereigns are different from the ones in the Adventure universe, let me just scream finally and thank you that Digimon Tamers actually brought the Four Sovereigns into a more prominent role than Adventure 02's lone plot-dumping Azulongmon.

Knowing they're about to face a god however, Henry begins to become overprotective of his sister Suzie, and I mean really overprotective. This is to the point that he acts out of his character (but naturally, not because of bad writing) by yelling and even almost hitting Suzie when she cries about not being able to come with Henry to confront Zhuqiaomon. I'd be lying if I said Suzie didn't annoy me here a bit too, but I think that was kind of the point for the audience to understand that Henry was becoming frustrated with the struggle of fighting in the Digital World but having to protect his younger sister at the same time. But because of this, Henry fails to notice Terriermon hiding a bad injury from the last fight with Caturamon. After Henry is forced to watch Zhuqiaomon break Rapidmon to literal pieces in a fight, he realizes this all happened because he worried about Suzie too much, and this basically brings Henry back to when he first saw Terriermon get injured through the Digimon video game, and it does nearly break him. But seeing Suzie sneak in leads both Henry and Terriermon to become protective of her--their convictions lining up just like Takato and Guilmon and leading them to Matrix Digivolve to MegaGargomon, and temporarily defeat Zhuqiaomon with a combination of Terriermon's missiles and Henry's martial arts techniques we saw him practice in previous episodes. Again, there's a sense of unity here in the Matrix Digivolutions that makes them work so well, even if Henry and Rika's aren't as deeply thought-out as Takato's. But I just need to ask: Am I the only one who finds it hilarious that the smallest Digimon of the main three evolves into a gargantuan dog mech?

But as I said before, Zhuqiaomon is just temporarily defeated--or more like it's just a fake-out defeat, but it's clear regardless that the Tamers and their Digimon are no match for a god... until another god shows up, our good old friend Azulongmon. Contrary to my initial belief while watching, he actually defends the Tamers and argues against Zhuqiaomon for taking Calumon in the first place. So it's here that once again, Azulongmon serves the purpose of giving plot dumps to the protagonists about what's going on and who the true enemy is for the show (the dub title for the episode is even called “Azulongmon Explains It All”). But the problem in that is... they don't even know who their true enemy is. Yeah, kinda hard to fight something you don't even know about isn't it? But I will say Azulongmon is definitely not as much of a plot device as he is in Digimon Adventure 02, nor does he have as much exposition. He actually does things and on top of that, we do get to see the other Four Sovereigns like the jolly Ebonwumon and... unfortunately very little presence of Baihumon. It's a shame because I do like how each of the Sovereigns are sort of tropes of old men--Zhuqiaomon is the grumpy old man, Azulongmon is the wise old man, and Ebonwumon is the jolly old man. Baihumon pretty much gets no personality or development, but I still give Tamers way more credit for including them and making most of them do things. Still, if we're going along with the old man tropes, should Baihumon be the senile old man a la Game Grumps' Dr. Hoffman? Not to mention, how do these old guys ever work together or get anything done in the Digital World? Maybe that explains why Azulongmon took forever to actually do something about Zuqiaomon being an asshole.

I should quickly go over Calumon now--revealed by Azulongmon and Zhuqiaomon to be not really a Digimon but a personification (Digification? Digimonification?) of the power to Digivolve Digimon, the "Digi-entelecheia". The term alone had my attention as a big nerd for Tales of Vesperia, but the short of it is that Calumon really is and truly just a plot device. But regardless? I don't care, because he's just too freaking adorable for me to hate and it's not complete BS, being brought forth to grant Digivolution to Digimon in the Digital World to address the real Big Bad of our show. I still have to commend Digimon Tamers for keeping me guessing about who I was supposed to see as the "villain" for the show, until finally giving us one. As for how I feel about our new villain we get to know as the D-Reaper, this is another thing I'll go into with my post of the last arc.

On that note though, Calumon does get in serious danger because he comes in contact with our villain. Something so threatening that just by touching anything in the Digital World, it deletes it. This includes any Digimon or even any human in the Digital World. So yeah, it's kind of no wonder that this thing is a big threat. And considering Calumon is in close range of it, in a cavern where it's basically taken the form of a lava lamp with dangerous blobs constantly floating up, the Tamers need to save him. This leads up to Renamon and Rika's inevitable Matrix Digivolution, which I should finally talk about. I would say it's simultaneously one of the most and least developed of the bunch. On one end, Rika's bond with Renamon has probably grown the most, having originally treated Renamon as nothing more than a servant but now treating her more as a true companion. But on the other end, the way it comes together is that after Rika and Renamon save Calumon and hand him off to Ryo (who just... showed up like he always does), Rika ultimately decides that even if they risk their lives to contain the D-Reaper from the others, they will still ultimately decide their fates together of whether they live or die and they make this life-risking decision together. It does still work, and I do like how Rika has gone through subtle but noticeable development, but the lead-up to the Matrix Digivolution to Mega form isn't quite as impactful to me as Takato and Guilmon's or Henry and Terriermon's. Still, I wouldn't call it bad by any means; I still do like it and I like seeing just how much Rika herself has changed. My personal opinion on Sakuyamon is that it's probably my second least favorite Mega form in this show (we'll get to the least favorite in the last arc fellas, I promise), but I certainly don't dislike her. Considering it's a human and Digimon merged design, I still find it more sensible than something like Nefertimon (whose random cleavage still bothers the crap out of me design-wise).

Having discussed all of the Matrix Evolutions here, I have to say that one detail I really love about them is that all three of them have their own variants for One Vision. Gallantmon's starts with a rocking guitar, MegaGargomon’s has a strong bass, and Sakuyamon's has a beautiful set of vocals with oriental instruments that fit her whole aesthetic. If you guys have read this post and know my personal tastes, you'll already know which variant is my favorite, but I do love all three.

With Calumon finally saved, the Four Sovereigns finally decide to utilize his power and he mass Digivolves many Digimon across the Digital World into their Mega forms, giving a lot of fun cameos of some great Mega forms like Hououmon, Plesiomon, MetalSeadramon, Gryphonmon and even a tiny little guy known as MarineAngemon, who ultimately ends up becoming Kenta's partner. And my God, MY GOD. MARINEANGEMON. IS. ADORABLE. I should be saving this bit for the next arc where MarineAngemon gets a tad more attention, but I may as well go on about it now. MarineAngemon is probably--no, IS the most adorable Mega form Digimon in existence. He has tiny little wings, he's small enough to fit in your pocket (exactly how he sneaks in along with Kenta), and he doesn't talk--he just makes little sounds of gibberish. But they're the most adorable sounds of gibberish ever. Seriously, I'm not sure what it is about Digimon Tamers having extremely adorable Digimon capable of being extremely powerful, but I am all for it and completely adore it. MarineAngemon is so adorable and precious that it's almost like if Gomamon and Patamon Jogress Digivolved into the cutest, most powerful thing in existence. It's that adorable. And normally, I will admit I should be annoyed when in the past I've been bothered by things like Kari ending up with a Champion level Gatomon and Meiko having the Champion level Meicoomon. But I guess I can excuse it for a few reasons:

Kenta is a much more minor character, and he and MarineAngemon are very downplayed (fortunately and unfortunately).

MarineAngemon, while by no means should be underestimated, isn't some sort of behemoth like Armageddemon.

MarineAngemon comes towards the very end of the show (with 10 episodes left), so he isn't relied on as a crutch or Deux ex Machina.

HE’S TOO GOSH DARN CUTE TO GET MAD ABOUT.

But enough gushing about this literal angel. After Calumon mass Digivolves a majority of the Digital World population, Takato receives a message from Yamaki that they have 40 minutes to reach a machine known as the Ark, something he and the Wild Bunch have been working on in the background all of this time to help the kids and their Digimon return home. But Rika and Renamon decide to go search for Impmon, wishing not to leave him behind but vowing to return in time. When they do come across him, they don't find Beelzemon but indeed Impmon, who has become a shadow of his former self in power and is even picked out by hordes of Chrysalismon like a flock of vultures--ironic in that he was once taking them out as target practice early in the arc. Rika and Renamon then rush back towards the Ark with him, but it has already begun leaving to the real world, even beginning to leave Takato behind who stays waiting for Rika. Out of desperation, Guilmon begs for the Ark to stop, and somehow... it does. This gives just enough time for Rika and Renamon to arrive with Impmon, and everyone manages to board the Ark safely and begin to make their way home. The D-Reaper tries to stop this of course, but Takato also begs for the Ark to take them home, actually leading it to respond through Yamaki's PDA with an "OK". It's a good bit of foreshadowing for the next arc, and honestly it was kind of cute to watch Guilmon try to converse with the Ark as if it were a friend.

And thus, everyone finally arrives back in the real world and reunites with their parents (even Ryo, who somehow has parents who knew exactly where he would show up) with the exception of Jeri, who has become ominously quiet since they discovered the D-Reaper. The reason she's alone however is because supposedly Jeri has an asshole dad who is so angry with her leaving that he'd rather her just find her way home by herself. Yeesh dude, she's been in a completely unknown world with her life constantly in danger. She may have made that choice, but show some damn hint of concern. Overhearing this however, Takato vows that he'll guide Jeri home, unable to shake off how much he cares for her. But he's pained to see her as nothing but a shell and even bursts out crying to her as he tries to confess his own feelings. And I have to admit, it's pretty painful to see. I know sometimes I'm annoyed by crushes in shows or that it's easy to get annoyed when a show tries to push a certain couple, but Takato's childish yet truly caring crush on Jeri is genuine enough for me to feel for. Not to mention, it's not often played for laughs too much and when it is, it's simple and charming. Here, there's some actual emotional development going on and it really does not only make you feel for Takato, but feel just as concerned for Jeri as he does.

When Takato manages to actually escort Jeri to her father, you can honestly feel how much of a mystery and how intimidating he is. I was just waiting for the moment he would slap her, and I wouldn't be surprised if he had done it off-screen. The whole thing, as minor as it is to the rest of the story, is pretty heartbreaking regardless.

And finally we reach the end of the Digital World arc, arguably the longest of any Digimon arc while remaining really eventful nonetheless, avoiding being dragged out too much for the most part. And all seems well in the end... until SURPRISE! Takato and Guilmon look on the news to see that the D-Reaper has found its way into the real world! What, were you actually expecting a happy or peaceful conclusion for this arc? Pfft, this is Digimon Tamers! We ain't got time for that!

Overall, the Digital Arc was a really exciting and extremely fun and heartbreaking arc to watch. While a little slow in the beginning and having a few odd episodes, once it picks up, it really picks up. There's so many amazing moments in this arc, from emotional to fun to just downright awesome. I really loved some of the developments that came from here, and there's just so many good fights in this arc alone. It definitely captured some of that Digimon Adventure feel of exploring the Digital World, but also in its own way and I really enjoyed it for that. Lots of characters got some nice development, we got a few random additions--some good and... then there's Ryo--and we got some much-needed insight on things like the origins of Guilmon and Calumon, as well as world-building for the Digital World. It was just really fun. If there's anything else I really had to complain about... it'd be how much it took to write about it. It took me not only a few weeks of putting off due to school work, but several days of actually writing this damned thing. And if it kind of shows in the sloppiness, I do apologize for that.

But now hopefully the D-Reaper arc won't be so hard on me. I mean, it's 10 episodes. How much could they really do in that time for me to talk about, right? ... Right?