#Mega Evolution Guru who???

[vuyosiyamba]

Pokemon XY Game Rewrite (what if story) WIP

Disclaimer: this is not meant to flaunt my ideas and say that they're better than the canon pokemon game. it's a fun what-if story.

What if:

The kalos starters got mega evolution forms.

The kanto starters were given kalosian forms (introducing the regional variant forms idea that was used in Pokemon Sun and Moon into Pokemon XY).

Team Flare was a vigilante group who kills criminals in Kalos and they were introduced early in the game?

There was a second evil team in the game. They'll be criminals who want to take over Kalos. they will also be fighting team flare and all of that. Their name will be Team Glacier and Team Flare will be fighting them in the game to reflect their whole "Evil can't be cured. Only killed" mentality and reflect how Lysandre will stop at nothing to kill criminals in the world. He'll still go through with using the Ultimate weapon to kill everyone, even criminals because he thinks it is a necessary sacrifice.

The Rival (Serena/Calem) joined Team Flare because Lysandre manipulated them into joining to get rid of all of the criminals in Kalos and the world but leaves out the part where he'll kill everyone, even innocent people and Pokémon to do so. They also join because team Glacier killed their parents.

Shauna, Tierno, & Trevor had the Kanto starters but the starters have Kalosion forms.

Diantha had a Diancie as her Ace Pokemon that mega evolves.

Diantha plays a role in helping you fight Team Flare in the story

Gurkin dies in the end part of the game and Korrina is left to continue his duties or whatever as a Guru?

Lysandre has Pyroar as their ace pokemon that has a mega evolution form?

Another evil team is introduced in the game that Team Flare fights. You will also be fighting them in some parts of the game.

There were other mega evolution trainers scattered around Kalos that you could battle (similar to Pokemon Let's go Pikachu and Let's go Eevee because that was a cool concept).

Xerneas and Yveltal get mega-evolution forms:

credit: r/pokemon on reddit

credit: Shin Art on Youtube

These are my ideas:

Froakie, Fennekin, & Chespin will still be starters but in this, AU they can mega evolve.

Calem's dream: become kalos champion/policeman.

Trevor's dream: become a Pokemon Professor.

Shauna's dream: Become a Pokemon Photographer.

Tierno's dream: become a Professional Dancer.

Shauna's starter: Kalos Bulbusaur (grass and fairy type).

Credit: HistosAP on Devianart

Trevor's starter: Kalos Charmander (dragon and flying type).

Credit: CriticaLink on Reddit

Tierno's starter: Kalos Squirtle (water and fighting type).

credit: ajkent14z on Devianart

Rivals starter: depending on which starter you choose, they'll pick one with a elemental type that is strong against yours.

Lysandre's ace pokemon will be a Pyroar that will also be given a mega evolution form. Lysandre's ace being a pokemon from a different region didn't feel right, so it'll be Pyroar.

credit: Amazen-megas on Devianart

The things that'll remain the same will be:

Main rival: Calem/Serena (depending on whether you choose to play as a boy/girl. throughout this story, I'll call them Rival for short, just to save time in writing).

Rivals: Trevor, Shauna, Tierno will still be your rivals as well.

Customisation: You still get to choose to be a boy or girl that you can customise and give them a name.

Champion: It'll still be Diantha but she'll be more active in helping you fight team flare in the game. Her ace Pokemon will be Diancie, a rare mythical pokemon from the Kalos region that can mega evolve. it would be cool if she fought with more kalos pokemon and having her ace pokemon be a pokemon from kalos instead of her ace being a pokemon from the Hoenn region. It didn't feel right making her ace be a hoenn pokemon. Also, her Diancie can mega evolve too. I thought it'd be cool to have a champion for the 1st time who has a rare mythical pokemon on their team to fight you in the game or whatever.

Pokemon XY story part 1:

At the beginning, you still meet your new friends as normal who tell you to meet them at Aquacorde Town.

You pick your starter pokemon and Rival picks their starter with the elemental type that's strong against yours. Trevor hands you and Rival a Pokedex.

Once you've picked your starter (Froakie, Fennekin or Chespin), Rival will ask you to fight them. Shauna will also ask you to fight her, too but Rival beats them to it. Rival suggests that they all fight each other (think of it as a triple threat match but insert pokemon instead of people).

You and Shauna lose. Shauna compliments Rival on how good they are at battling and you too since you almost beat Rival.

You tell your mom that you're off on your journey as normal. As you leave you see Shauna waiting by the gate. She asks if you're excited to start your journey. You say yeah and head out.

Rival teaches you how to catch a Pokemon as normal and proceeds further down the route to train or something.

On the route to Santalune forest, Trevor and Tierno will ask Rival to fight them. Rival sees you and asks if you wanna join in and fight Trevor and co in a double battle.

Trevor fights with Kalosian Charmander and Tierno fights with Kalosian Squirtle. You and Rival win. Trevor and Tierno compliment you both on your battle strategy.

They heal your pokemon and proceed further into the forest to catch pokemon to gather data into the Pokedex for Prof.Sycamore.

Tierno will be training his pokemon too and doing a small mini performance with his pokemon in front of the friendly and less violent pokemon in the forest who are interested in seeing him perform more.

credit: r/pokemon on Reddit

He befriends a kalosian Pikachu (electric and fighting type) and adds it to his party (it'll evolve into a kalosian Raichu later on in the game).

Rival fights trainers in the forest to get stronger. catches a Fletchling. Trevor catches a Bunnelby?Shauna takes photos of Pokemon and sees a Scatterbug. She catches it.

All of you leave Santalune Forest. Once you're out, Rival says that they need to do some training so their ready to fight the Santalune City Gym Leader so he leaves. Trevor says that he needs to try catch more Pokemon to fill up the Pokedex.

Tierno says that he'll help Trevor with that and train his team too while he's at it. Shauna says that she'll train after she goes ahead to Santalune City to take pictures of the scenery.

In Santalune city, Shauna fixes Viola's camera. viola thanks her. Shauna shows pics she took in the forest. Viola compliments her pictures (hint at her being a photographer in the postgame stuff).

When you go to train on the route that leads to Santalune City, you'll see Rival training alone on a small patch of tall grass (somewhere on the route) and a small scene starts to unfold.

They play a video recording where 2 people (a man and a woman who resemble Rival) are telling them how to battle (you see that the recording is old like it was recorded years ago).

After Rival wraps up the training session, they see you and ask how much of that you saw. You say everything.

Rival: Those were my parents. They were Pokémon Trainers. I learned everything about battling from them. They were awesome.

You: Were?

Rival says: My parents...passed away.

You: I'm sorry for your loss.

Rival: Sorry, can we change the subject. I really don't want to talk about this.

You agree and chat about something else as the scene ends. Somewhere in Santalune City, you see Tierno dancing with some breakdancers who are impressed by his dance moves and they clap for him.

Tierno sees Rival and greets him. He says that he was just taking a break from training and helping Trevor catch Pokemon. He says dancing is his way of taking a break. You compliment him on his dance moves and he thanks you.

The breakdancers ask him for another dance battle. Tierno asks you if he can excuse himself and has a dance battle with one of the breakdancers (this was just put to foreshadow Tierno becoming a Dancer as the Post-game stuff roles. Also wanted to flesh him out a little).

There will be a Pokemon library in Santalune city... somewhere. You'll find Trevor studying different Pokemon. He says hello to you and says that he was just studying some Pokemon in these books.

He was trying to see if he could find a book on Xerneas and Yveltal: the legendary pokemon of Kalos. Trevor offers some information on them saying that Xerneas is the Pokemon that protects life and Yveltal is the bringer of death (some lore to put early in the game instead of you learning about it from AZ late in the game. If the game does tell you about them early then nevermind).

As you head to the Santalune City Gym, Rival appears and asks you to battle them. Rival battles you with their Fletchling first, then their Starter Pokemon.

You win and Rival thanks you for the battle. Rival gives you the Rollerskates instead to thank you for battling them. When they leave, they get a holo caster message that they read immediately. They say: "What... Understood." Then they leave the scene.

I have to end it. Part 2 will come soon.

[hunty627]

Hunter’s Pokémon journey part 34.

The next morning, my Pokémon and I met a girl named Korrina. She told me to go through the reflection cave. Before I did, I caught more Pokémon such as Hawlucha & Dedenne. We went through the reflection cave and arrived at Shalour City, where she was waiting for us. Korrina was the fighting type gym leader and we had a great battle. Combusken had fun battling Mienfoo, Machoke and Lucario. And during the match, my Skiddo evolved into a Gogoat. I managed to win the rumble badge. After that, she took me to the tower of mastery to meet her grandpa Gurkinn, the mega evolution guru. He taught me everything about a mysterious phenomenon called mega evolution. He was also amazed that I have 2 mega stones. The first one was called Blazikenite, a mega stone for Blaziken. And the second was a Charizardite X, a mega stone for Charizard. I promised Combusken and Charmeleon that they’d someday evolve and they’ll be able to mega evolve. When we reached the top, Korrina gave me a mega ring. It had a key stone in it. And she even gave me a Lucario of my very own, who had a mega stone of his own called Lucarionite. I felt very happy that I was learning more things about Pokémon.

[diantha-of-kalos]

If you don't mind me asking, how come you were the only one in the Kalos League that used a mega?

I was the only member of the Kalos League to be accepted by the Mega Evolution Guru, as he’s the one who allows trainers to use Mega Evolution.

[dispatches-from-the-lorecord]

Rivals? Rivals! (Plus some stuff about Vu)

[February 3, 2023]

{Haji:}

Who are all the prominent Rivals you can think of?

{ARAlpha:}

Do Parker and Dolly/Barbara count since they were each other's rivals?

But also Blue in the original run was seen as a follower of Dome, making him an indirect ally of Bill

{Haji:}

I personally am not counting rival hosts because they have their own long storyline

I know of

- Blue (the last obstacle for Red. Staunch Domeist. May be the same one with Abe.)

- Brendan T. Birch (the survivor / keeps an eye on A-Chan)

- Pearl (Fellow gambler and on the run with Napoleon. May be the same one from R.Plat)

- 4 (The Glitch Hunter after Aoooo)

- N (Gazillion crowns and often shipped with Jimmy)

- Shauna (often shipped with D)

- Wally (some lore about being a Bill clone)

- Greens (Both Moemon and Touhoumon had a Green but Touhoumon's was a girl. Moemon Green was a huge jerk calling Athena rat face and was part of the problem in a system that had Moemon as second-class citizens)

- Raijin (Brendan of Alpha Sapphire. Real music snob who liked classical and dismissive of Nina's DJ-ing. / Possibly onto her about being an Aqua and ready to get her deported if he can catch proof)

- Azure (oh Azure where to begin?)

- Mura (Wizard angry that Paul is a natural talent at magic when he's been studying and Paul would rather go into business)

- Hau (I don't know if Sun got any but Waning Moon had lost host lore as Quips)

- R. Hurt (Fellow doctor with Alek. May or may not be corrupt)

- Trevor (Team Flare Admin), Tierno (Team Flare Grunt) Shauna (Heir to Mega Evolution Guru) Calem (Trying to find who he wants to be, I think he ended up as a Punk)

- Rocket (Still mostly Silver but his ties to Team Rocket are more obvious. Tends to be more ruthless as well)

- Blue (Red0 was always told to keep away from him by the Cult, but he's honestly just worried about him)

- Alaija (baby... Reluctantly ends up helping Dippy and more open about his family issues)

- Cedric Diamond (Glitch on the reader gave us his name, close friend of Izzy / may be a fellow paranormal agent)

- Yang (Reese is ignoring the plot, sees himself as the hero)

- May (Yandere for Ebnert, nearly destroys the world when he rejects her)

- ChereN and Chili (Mars' rivals. Both are concerned about Cilan being head of Plasma)

- Hugh (Glitch Hunter having conflict about hurting Forrest)

{ARAlpha:}

Okay, well you already covered the rivals in way more detail, so I might not be much help here, lol

{Newbie:}

There's also Logan from RTHE, who is the "hero" of the story yet killed one of Quotes's pokemon with self-destruct :Kappa:

I'm not sure if there's any prominent lore surrounding Logan in the original TriHard Emerald

{Haji:}

Oh that's right! He hates her for being a gang member, right ?

{Newbie:}

Yep

Super self-righteous

Had some pretty smothering parents, got the old gym leader before Norman fired when his parents sued the guy for child endangerment. And also Quotes stole his college fund

{Haji:}

I had fun with Rocket in my summary having 🎵 Rocket Man 🎵 come up whenever he showed up but that's just me 😂

{AIpha:}

How could I forget Quotes robbing Logan's house, I had a headcanon that Vu didn't approve, but Quotes stole a bottle of milk from the fridge to bribe the cat

{Newbie:}

bribe the cat

Lmao

{Krizste:}

i remember doing abhiwg (burning red) as kinda a goof. get all up in ya space for the giggles.

worlds makin no sence but the mans just livin wimsy. maybe he keeps bugging kay bc kay is clealy investigating it

{Haji:}

That would make sense ☺️

[santalune-swords-dance]

Yeah, it is...we kinda went our separate ways in Reflection Cave, but for the most part we've been together! Neat! ٩(ˊᗜ��*)و ♡

...Hm. This Mr. Mega Evolution Guru guy sure looks like he knows a lot! I still don't know who that other person is, though...uh...hey, wasn't she the one Cece fought in Geosenge?

It feels like it's been some time since our whole group has been gathered in one place, even though we kind of were this whole trip... Weird.

[smilingperformer]

NS025 - A Battle Festival Exploding With Life! VS Mega Lucario!! Full Summary & VA cast

Satoshi has decided to enter the "Battle Festival", a battle tournament held in the Kalos region. There, he ends up facing Corni, a Gym Leader he's previously battled in the Kalos region! Summary: Satoshi has decided to enter the "Battle Festival", a battle tournament held in the Kalos region. Lots of Pokémon World Championships participants are attending this tournament, so it's a gold opportunity to increase one's rank! After successfully winning his way through several battles, Satoshi ends up having to fight Corni, a Gym Leader he's previously battled in the Kalos region, in the match where his progression to the Super Class is at stake. How is Satoshi planning on taking on Corni's Mega Lucario? Voice Cast: Rica Matsumoto: Satoshi Daiki Yamashita: Go Ikue Ohtani: Pikachu Megumi Hayashibara: Rabbifoot Kenta Miyake: Kairyu Kiyotaka Furushima: Lucario Risa Shimizu: Kofukimushi Kei Shindo: Riolu Yasuhiro Mamiya: Gangar Sayaka Senbongi: Yayakoma Tatsuki Kobe: Kametete Noriaki Kanze: Kametete Toshitsugi Takashina: Mega Evolution Guru Yuka Terasaki: Corni Marina Aicholtz: Go's Smartphone Rotom Maxwell Powers: Drone Rotom Kenyu Horiuchi: Narration

Source: PocketMonsters.Net forums

[a-tale-of-legends]

The progression of Kalos gym leaders ( based on the recommended order)( also based on my au)

Viola: 3 pokemon

Grant: 3 pokemon

Korrina: 4 pokemon

Ramos/ Angelica: 4 pokemon

Clemont: 4 pokemon

Valerie: 5 pokemon

Olympia: 5 pokemon

Wulfric: 5 pokemon

The Elite 4 and Champion will have 6 pokemon each. I am debating whether or not to give the gym leaders a pokemon that can mega evolve. By that I mean after a certain point, if a trainer is going in the recommended order, gym leaders can use mega evolution. If so, the question is when. Korrina is the successor to the mega evolution guru or whatever his name is, so she should be the one who can use it. However she is just the third gym leader. Maybe I should switch Clemont and Korrina then? I saw Clemont only because luminous city is straight in the middle of Kalos. The only reason the player during xy wasn't able to challenge him was because of the blackout. But without it, it would make sense for him to be the third gym leader naturally. Well. Actually the second given location, but the third fits him better. Now that I think about it, the layout of the gym leaders in Kalos, mainly the beginning four, are all based on that blackout. Viola still would be first, but would Grant really be second? Hmmm.

This isn't even taking into the fact that not every trainer is the player character, so they might not even have mega evolution on them. Not that it's needed to fight other mega evolutions, but knowing Kalos, I can totally see trainers calling bullshit.

This was supposed to be a simple post but now I'm beginning to question how gyms are recommended to new trainers ( since in my au, you can start at any gym you want with the exception of the final gym(s), and the gym leader has a team based on the trainers skill level. But there's still a highly recommended route that is given to newbie trainers....which is a lot)

[iruludavare]

{ ooc. 

someone: "but making people go through rigorous training to be legally allowed to use mega evolution will mean less trainers can use it!!" 

serena, who went through said vigorous training because in kalos it's at least regulated by the tower of mastery/mega evolution guru:

Listen... it’s one of the First Things Serena would try to get into place (with diantha + korrina + gurkinn’s agreement/approval of course) }

[poke-mon-amie]

And the Mega Evolution guru, right? The professor wanted us to talk to him.

Finally, someone who actually knows something about it! ♪

SHALOUR CITY! Finally!

I can't wait to check it out! ♪

[sinnohborn-trainer-evan]

Pokémon Trainer clothing in Animal Crossing: New Horizons!#9

Brock's Sweater (HeartGold & SoulSilver)

Sygna Suit Brock Tank Top (Masters EX)

Bugsy's Outdoorsy Shirt and Scarf (HeartGold & SoulSilver)

Morty's Sweater and Scarf (HeartGold & SoulSilver)

Alexa's Shirt (X & Y)

(My first attempt at a female character piece of topwear was of course a basic shirt. If you don't know who Alexa is, she's the sister of the first gym leader Viola, Alexa gives you the EXP share after you beat Viola. She also helps you get around Lumiose City if you find her work station.)

Mega Evolution Guru Dress Shirt (X & Y)

(He's the guy standing at the base of the Tower of Mastery in Shalour City.)

Ace Trainer Sport Jacket (Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire)

(I legit made this one simply because I love the character design of the Ace Trainer in ORAS, definitely one of my favorite NPCs in terms of appearance.)

[ranger-kellyn]

I still just. Love. How in X&Y, the game starts off like, “Mega Evolution?? Never heard of her.”

Then goes to, “Mega Evolution? I’ve heard OF her….but it can’t be real, right?”

To, “I AM THE MEGA EVOLUTION GURU. FIGHT MY MEGA FOR THE CHANCE TO ALSO USE MEGA EVOLUTION….but it’s still Rare. :)”

To Lysandre using mega evolution.

To the literal REGIONAL POKÉMON LEAGUE CHAMPION. WHO IS ALSO. A FAMOUS MOVIE STAR. LITERALLY EVERYONE IN THE REGION PROBABLY KNOWS HER NAME. Having her ace be a Mega Gardevoir.

[askkrenko]

Krenko’s Guide to Pokemon: Abra Line

Some Pokemon ebb and flow through generations, becoming stronger or weaker as the Meta changes, sometimes being powerful sometimes being unusable. Alakazam is not one of those Pokemon. Alakazam has always been strong. And Alakazam will probably always be strong. DESIGN:  I have no idea what these things are supposed to be. It’s sort of rat-ish but not really. Maybe a possum? I have no idea. Is it a mammal? Is it scaly? Is it chitinous? I think it’s chitinous.   But you know what? This is a good thing. It’s such a unique creature that it really stands out among those derived from real and mythological things.  Kadabra looks like a reasonable bigger Abra. It stands upright, it has a moustache, it has psychic symbols on its head and stomach, its chest armor thickens, and it has that huge, meaty tail. It also has a bendy spoon, popularized by famous magical Jew ‘Uri Geller,’ who Kadabra takes his Japanese name, Yungerer, from.  Him suing their asses is why Kadabra tends not to show up much outside of the games. 

Kadabra to Alakazam is less pronounced but still interesting. The moustache becomes huge and majestic, the ‘armor’ adds bracers and kneepads, the feet thicken, and the tail... falls off? Where does its tail go?  It’s a weird design decision, but all three look great and interesting.

And then at the extreme end is Mega Alakazam. Mega Alakazam looks exactly what you’d expect it to look like.  It’s head is spikier, its facial hair is more majestic, and it has so many spoons.  It also gives off a very Hindu vibe, seated in meditation like a classic guru.  EVOLUTIONS:  Abra to Kadabra at level 16 is pretty standard, as both forms are overall about on par with those of starters. Then Kadabra to Alakazam is a trade evolution. I’m of very mixed feelings about Trade Evolutions, because Trade Evolutions don’t really do what the’re supposed to do. Yes, they require a friend to help you, but it’s always trade and trade back, never ‘new owner gets to use the evolved form.’ Back in the early days of Pokemon this was actually a big part of getting people together, but now with online trading it feels a bit outdated.  Still, it’s grandfathered in and I can’t really complain, I just wish there was a way they could rework it to still be ‘you need help from a friend’ without having to do the ‘trade/trade back.’

Mega Alakazam is cool but so viciously unnecesarry. Alakazam was already a very powerful Pokemon, and it really, really didn’t need a Mega Evolution. Sure, Uber Tiers are a thing people want to do, and if you want to fight against Mewtwo and Arceus you need Mega Alakazam, but Legendaries tend to be banned from tournament play anyway. TYPING: Pure psychic is technically a sub-par type, as more things resist it than are weak to it, and it’s weak to more things than it resists. Still, these aren’t major drawbacks. More of a drawback is that Psychic is a very common type, so Alakazam has a lot of competition among its type.

STATS: Alakazam’s stat total is a perfectly average 500... Except it’s stat distribution is amazing.  With garbage HP, Attack, and Defense, Alakazam has 135 Special and 120 Speed, both incredible.  Alakazam is more than capable of one-shotting a lot of pokemon with special attacks, and it’s usually going to go first. It’s special defense is decent, though not enough to make it want to eat an attack with such low HP. Overall, this is a great distribution for an all out attacker. Mega Alakazam’s got 175 Special Attack and 150 speed. Because it totally needed that.

ABILITIES: Synchronize, Alakazam’s first ability, is not helpful. If Alakazam becomes afflicted by a status effect, the opponent gets it, too, but because this only applies to effects inflicted by the opponent and not self-inflicted ones, there’s really no way to take advantage of this. Inner Focus prevents Flinching and Intimidate. As Alakazam has no Attack worth noting, being intimidated doesn’t matter. As Alakazam is hella fast, Flinching only matters against Fake Out. Immunity to Fake Out isn’t nothing, especially in doubles, but this is not Alakazam’s best option. Magic Guard, Alakazam’s hidden ability, prevents Alakazam from taking damage from anything that isn’t an attack. This includes burn, poison, weather, leech seed, Life Orb, Spikes, and any form of recoil. This is just super good, and basically means any Alakazam not planning to go Mega gets Life Orb no questions asked. Mega Alakazam gets Trace, which copies an opponent’s ability at first opportunity. This is a serious downgrade from Alakazam, but +40 Special Attack and +30 Speed so shut up and enjoy your Mega Alakazam.

MOVES: Alakazam has ONE JOB and that’s to spam Psychic with STAB and Life Orb and 135 base special and max Special EVs so everything dies. Steel, Dark, and Psychic types are resistant to Psychic.  Fortunately, Focus Blast is good against both Steel and Dark, and other Psychic types are weak to Shadow Ball.

There, you’ve got an Alakazam. With one slot to spare. You could pick up Psyshock to deal with enemies with high Special Defense, or Energy Ball or Dazzling Gleam for more coverage. 

Nasty Plot’s pretty great. If you manage to get a free turn to use it, it basically guarantees Alakazam’s downing anything in one shot. Thunder Wave is always useful. Encore can trap an opponent in a sub-optimal move choice. In the event of Mega Alakazam (but not so much normal Alakazam), Recover’s a reasonable option. With higher defenses and a lack of Magic Guard, spending a turn to clean up damage can be useful.  General frailty also means it might benefit Alakazam to set up a Substitute if it has a moment. It doesn’t need it to protect from status conditions and such, but having that shield up for if something does outspeed with a physical attack can be very important.  Every Alakazam should have Psychic and Focus Blast. After that, it’s all based on personal strategy. 

OVERALL: Alakazam was one of the best pokemon back in Gen 1 and is still great for all the same reasons. When you’re fast and do a lot of damage, you have a competitive place. Magic Guard is just gravy.  

I still have no idea if its chitinous, mammalian, or what an I love that I don’t know that. 

[super-rising-thunder]

you can't just tease me with the prospect of writing spikedshipping and then not write it 🥺

 OKAY YOU GOT ME THERE HERE’S TO ALL FIVE SPIKEDSHIPPERS OUT THERE WE’RE STARVING

“I’m here in Lumiose City, witnessing the birth of the new guru of Mega Evolution!” Alexa spoke into her microphone, while adjusted her camera to get a better picture. “Many of the chosen Successors are currently here in support of this young boy, including Kanto gym leaders, Green and Blaine, and of course our champion, Diantha!”

Alexa counted herself lucky knowing X first hand and him allowing her to be the closest newspaper to the event, as he trusted her to not twist the story. However, looking around there were countless other reporters. She sighed, at least the Lumiose Press, the most popular and highly respected publication in Kalos, won’t release lies and such.

Still, she knew it was going to happen.

It wasn’t until the following week that Alexa’s hunch was proven true.

Diantha was enjoying tea in Café Soleil, her favorite place to unwind and relax from all her duties of being champion and an actress. It was also an excellent spot to check up on a good chunk of children from Vanille who saved Kalos. 

“Don’t worry,” a voice spoke. Diantha turned to see Green taking a seat across from her. “I already checked on them, they’re all doing well.”

“Am I that predictable?” Diantha laughed softly.

“To me, yes,” Green answered. “We’re one of the few individuals who know the hardships those kids went through, it’s only natural to see how they’re doing.”

“You also went through similar events, correct?” Diantha rhetorically asked. “The exploits of young trainers with a pokedex aren’t well known in Kalos. Learning about your adventures was honestly my favorite memory from training under Master Gurinn.”

“Honestly,” Green started. “I’m glad X and Y aren’t heroes here. My fellow Kanto dex holders and I got pretty famous and that fame eventually became a problem for us.”

Diantha nodded, “I can relate to that. It’s hard to help when your image is out in the open. Not only that it feels like your life is out in the open for everyone see.”

Green leaned back on his chair, “I get that completely. There’s probably not even one part of my life that’s private anymore.” Green’s eyes scanned the other patrons in the cafe. “Just like now.”

Diantha picked up on Green was saying and also looked around. People were staring at them, taking pictures of them, and even seemed to be gossiping about them.

“That is odd.” Diantha frowned. “Sure, we’re both well-known individuals, but we’re just coffee. All this attention seems unwarranted.” 

“Mr. Green! Mrs. Diantha!” The took looked over to see Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor running over to them. “Is it true?” Shauna asked.

Green frowned, “Is what true?”

Trevor sighed, “I guess I was right. It was just a huge misunderstanding.”

“It’s not a misunderstanding if it was intentional,” Tierno said, crossing his arms.

 Diantha and Green looked at each other bewildered, before looking back at the three children. “Can you explain what’s going on?” Diantha asked.

“It’s ManibuzzFeed!” Shauna exclaimed as she grabbed her Holocaster. She pulled up a news article and showed it to the two adults.

Kalos’ new power couple!? Kanto Gym Leader Green and Champion Diantha appear to be more than close!! 

The two blinked and stared at the Holocaster for a moment before Green sighed, “Well that explains the looks.”

“We have to clear this up!” Shauna shouted. “I will not have false media ruining anyone else close to me!”

Shauna ran out of the cafe, with Trevor and Tierno following - pleading with the girl to not do anything rash.

The two were left alone once more but that’s to the ruckus the three children cause, no one was looking at them now. Diantha took a sip of her tea before speaking, “Looks like you can add love live as part of your life the world knows.”

Green scowled, “And we took many precautions too. I skimmed that article from what Shauna showed us and they were clearly just trying to fabricate a story that would sell.”

“Is it really fabricate if they were right?” 

“They were lucky. Nothing else.”

“So....does this mean our plans for later this week are canceled?”

“No. I’ll just change things up. Probably take you some quiet and peaceful.”

“Aw, Green, you’re such a romantic.”

“I am not!”

“Don’t shout too loud we don’t want unwanted eyes on us again.”

“Ugh, remind me to make sure to delay you and Blue meeting for as long as possible.”

“Noted, dear.”

[pen-in-hand]

Pokémon AU - Máire

@dontdowhatisayandnobodygetshurt is my local pokémon guru and the other day I challenged him to find pokémon that matched my ocs

Kangaskhan

“It’s a female-only Pokémon species and the literal Parent Pokémon, that’s its type. It’s a fiercely protective mother, and, to quote the official Dex entry on it: ‘Regardless of how badly injured it becomes, the mother will not cease fighting until its young is safe.’ which is literally Máire. Also, it has a Mega Evolution, which is the mother and the baby fighting together and the baby is apparently very feisty & fierce and it apparently makes its mother sad that it has to fight.”

Nidoqueen

“Nidoqueen is also a fiercely protective mother. It’s actually a super powerful Pokémon, you don’t mess with it. Another interesting thing about it? In-game, it can’t actually breed. All its Dex entries say that it makes a great mother, but it can’t actually have kids.... or, at least it isn’t meant to be allowed to have kids.”

Ninetails

“Ninetails doesn’t have anything to do with motherhood, I don’t know why this one reminds me of her, but it does so I’m mentioning it. It can live for over 1000 years, and if anybody grabs its tails, it can curse them. It is known for its legendary anger and that ‘it holds grudges against those who wrong it for as long as it lives.’ It’s also shown to be very, very loyal, and to have human-level intelligence. It’s a fire type and that matches Máire.”

Zoroark

“It can create illusions and hide itself behind them, but its thing is also that it ‘will go to any lengths to keep its young safe.’ (It’s also known for carrying its babies around in its hair which is just cute.) It will also ‘punish any who try to capture or control it’ which is literally half the plot. The design made me think of Máire and her more angry/wary side.”

[northamptoncouplestherapy]

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it's this - humans need each other. Even those of us who enjoy alone time and appreciate life's current slower-paced version will agree, being confined to a mere handful of face-to-face connections 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is not optimal.

Our prevailing human need to connect during a global crisis has launched the innovative concept of a Pod –– doing life with a select group of people (without masks and social-distancing). The Pod has undoubtedly been a saving grace for many neighborhoods and communities worldwide these past several months.

But with summer's departure and the weather growing colder, we must navigate a myriad of new (and unknown) variables, including flu season, school reopenings, and an increased need to be indoors. Collectively, these challenges have the potential to influence both our health and hearts. How do we measure the risks and gains in each potential scenario? How do we negotiate and have honest communication with friends and family concerning social distancing ––find the sweet spot between connected and safe?

For guidance on how to do the Pod-life well, we'll invite some leading couple therapy models and researchers to be our mentors. As a couples therapist who utilizes these methods regularly, I'm confident we can apply segments of these approaches to foster a viable and indispensable Pod experience. Which may be the exact antidote we need in this ever-changing world.

A Step-by-Step Guide to mastering life within the Pod

1. Create a Contract

Many people fail to explicitly discuss what constitutes the bulk of everyday relational life with friends and family. How often do we do things like getting together for coffee or texting or merely checking-in? How do we best communicate our news or accomplishments or plain-old, regular days - phone, Instagram, or in-person? And, how do we reach out for support when we're really struggling?

Stan Tatkin, a relationship guru, encourages us to get things out in the open by creating a contract or a list of agreements with the people closest to us. This approach ensures clarity, understanding, and genuineness in the exchange if we are honest about what we need and want.

The brilliant result of both making agreements with one another and keeping our end of the bargain is secure functioning ––feeling seen and known in a mutually supportive way. Secure functioning in the Pod characterizes a safe environment - a refuge - where we live as an interdependent system. From this vantage point, the Pod relationships exist within the governance of our agreements with one another.

Examples of making agreements or a contract with fellow Pod members might include:

Who we agree to spend face-to-face time with

How we commit to wearing masks with anyone other than our agreed-upon individuals

When we will distance ourselves from other Pod-members if we are feeling ill or experiencing problematic symptoms.

Beyond COVID safety and protocols, our contracts might also include how often we gather, where we do so, and what we do when that happens - Games? Gossip? Netflix-binging? We might agree to weekly potlucks (Pod-lucks!) or sharing babysitting with fellow Pod-members so that we can get a break from these days of relentless responsibilities.

Lastly, since your agreement(s) are essential, we encourage you to make it formal. Set a date to meet with your pod-to-be, grab some pens and paper, write up your contract, and have everyone sign it ––even the kids!

Getting clear and keeping agreements will begin the necessary and critical process of building trust within the Pod.

2. Build Trust

Couples therapists assess trust from the start because we know how critical it is to human relationships' sustainability and success. This sentiment also rings true for the Pod concept. Without trust, engagement and collaboration quickly disintegrate ––taking the Pod and its inhabitants down with it.

In John Gottman's Sound Relationship House, we encounter two load-bearing walls essential to a relationship's long-term stability. These walls are commitment and trust.

But how do we cultivate trust within the Pod? According to Gottman, we do this with small things often. Small and incremental steps marked by consistently showing up, keeping your word, and displaying genuine interest in other Pod-members are the ticket to ensuring trust's constructive evolution. The result of this will be a deepened sense of togetherness and collective goodwill.

Gottman terms these occasions of trust-building, sliding door moments - seemingly insignificant flashes of time, pivotal to any relationship's well-being. When we make the deliberate choice to connect, understand, and appreciate one another consistently, we encourage and champion an essential ingredient for any authentic community to thrive.

My all-time favorite job was the role of counselor at an overnight camp in magnificent Alaska (yes, it gets warm there in Summertime!). I worked at this camp for three consecutive years during my late adolescence and fell in love with the people and experiences. I was far from home and didn't see my friends or family for the entirety of my summers. But the camaraderie I encountered with my fellow camp counselors was unforgettable.

People I'd never met and would likely never see again became like family in a very brief time. We spent days together and relied on one another because we were all each other had. Being a camp counselor is fun, but it's also exhausting - working with kids all day and night and being responsible for them 24/7 is no small task. Each of us required unwavering support from our fellow counselors.

We did life together. We were there for each other on our good and bad days. Ultimately, we built trust with one another in a million little ways, and it paid off.

I remember a particularly tricky cabin of campers one summer week. These campers were cute, but they were also loud, pranky, and not good listeners - a perfect formula for counselor burnout. What got me through that week was my "camp family" who listened to me, wrote me encouraging notes, and cheered me on (and cheered with me when the parents picked up those little rascals that long-awaited Saturday morning!).

3. Sign up for vulnerability

Bréne Brown, a prominent researcher in gutsy topics like vulnerability, shame, and courage, describes an anatomy of trust that must be recognized and refined for relationships to succeed. With trust in mind, she handily breaks things down into the acronym, BRAVING.

Boundaries: we respect others boundaries and are clear about our own

Reliability: we can count on each other

Accountability: we take responsibility to make things right when things go awry

The Vault: we only communicate our own experiences and feelings and let others speak for themselves; we keep things confidential for others

Integrity: we are who we say we are; we live according to our values

Non-judgment: we honor our needs and the needs of others without judgment

Generosity: we believe that each member of the Pod is doing the best they can; we give one another the benefit of the doubt

If we value BRAVING within the Pod, we have to choose our foxhole inhabitants wisely from the start. Ask yourself if the Pod-members you're considering are BRAVE people who won't back down when Pod-life goes sideways, or someone gets sick or stops keeping their agreements. Read this list - a recipe for trust - and decide if YOU will be that person, too.

BRAVING is not a task for the faint of heart. This type of commitment requires mega buy-in and an ability to see things through when times get tough. Because let's face it, conflict will arise and when it does, we're going to want to know what to do about it.

4. Prepare for bumps in the road

The final step to getting the hang of Pod-life involves understanding the role of conflict, not eradicating or avoiding it, but to manage it in a beneficial and connective way. Brent Atkinson, the founder of the Pragmatic-Experiential Model (PEX) of couple therapy, prescribes a set of skills needed to react effectively when disagreements arise.

He divides these skills into two parts: the "Openness and Flexibility" Skills and the "Standing Up" Skills.

Within the Openness and Flexibility skills, Atkinson invites us to:

Not jump to conclusions,

Look for something in the other's viewpoint that makes sense,

Identify what needs, values, and worries might be lurking under the surface,

And, assure the person you conflict with that you are keeping a flexible and open mind while asking them to do the same.

And, when the Openness and Flexibility skills don't cut the mustard, we can utilize Atkinson's Standing Up skills, which include:

A non-judgmental stance,

Asking for more open-mindedness and flexibility,

Considering other reasons why the person is upset,

Temporarily distancing yourself,

Not making a big deal that you had to,

Trying again later,

And, if all else fails, refusing to continue "business as usual" until the other is willing to find common ground.

I've had lots of experiences with conflict within community life - both successful and disastrous. The time's conflict has been constructive, and generative has always included all parties' willingness to be open, flexible and gracious collectively. I don't think there's a way around this for authentic connection.

*****

In this COVID climate, we live out our values, and our beliefs differ from one another in a myriad of ways. Some of us haven't been inside a restaurant in over eight months or hugged our mom ––not even once. We haven't gone to a single person's house for a visit. Others have attended indoor weddings, traveled to Disneyworld, and continued life as usual.

To do the Pod-life well, we have to find like-minded people with whom we can build trust, create agreements, practice vulnerability, and effectively manage conflict for the long-haul. Because there isn't an end in sight, now might be the perfect time to consider such a venture.

Couple therapy and relationship models teach us a great deal about how to coexist within a community. Knowing how to generate trust and how to cultivate it once you have it are crucial. Taking the time to discern and create agreements will bypass stress down the road. Moreover, choosing vulnerability with one another will produce the qualities needed to face the inevitable trials and experience the sure-fire joys that life within the Pod will provide even when it's tough.

Click Here for your Discussion Guide - How to form a Pod and keep it going strong

Like what you’ve read? Sign up to receive my musings filled with heart, concrete tools, and cutting edge resources via my blog: Loving Well.

[smilingperformer]

Hmm, the preview for Corni ep showed Lucario with mega stone but.... it... showed two different ones I think? Other one has green band, and then Corni’s has red band. Did Gurkinn/Concombre have green band on his Lucario? If he did then... the Mega Evolution Guru from the VA cast list could be the grandpa. Huh. That’s one evidence, thou I’m not sure if it’s just an animation error in the preview. We’ll see.

Sooooooo who’s hyped for the return of best Kalos Gym Leader? *sob*