#SE Pokemon Challenge

[catboybiologist]

Pokemon Sword/Shield was good, actually

Hm.

I don't think they're good as GAMES per se. I think they introduced a lot of cool concepts, pokemon, and mechanics that people don't want to admit that they're fond of.

But as an actual game? It does nothing to present challenge, interesting worlds or routes, or give you a sense for what it's own world can do.

Pokemon is a frustrating franchise, because there's still so much at its core that is legitimately good. Not nostalgic, not rose colored glasses- legit GOOD. But the core games themselves fail so hard on delivering actual games recently. It's why there's so much community driven love and development- romhacks, competitive scenes, etc- that, at this point, game freak is almost acting as an introduction for.

[kooldewd123]

Back in August, we had the anniversary of Ash’s famous Kalos League loss. It's a battle you see talked about time and time again. It's often held up by fans as the one big stain on XY, a disgraceful way for the writers to end Ash’s Kalos journey.

I beg to differ.

I want to offer a different perspective on this loss, because I don't really agree with most of the criticisms levied against it. I don't think it portrays Ash in a negative light, or goes against his development, or anything like that. In fact, I think it’s quite the opposite. I planned to make a post talking about why I feel the loss fits Ash’s character arc back when I started seeing posts commemorating its anniversary, but I had so much to say about Ash’s characterization in this series that it took me until now to write it all down (also i procrastinated).

First of all, I want to address one of the most common critiques of the loss, since it leads nicely into the main point I want to make. This take essentially boils down to "XY had an Ash that was stronger than ever before. Losing goes against that." It's not a wrong reading of the series per se, but it does feel a bit… reductive to me. Yes, XY is about Ash getting stronger. But so are DP, SM, BW, and all the others. Ash becoming stronger over the course of the series is just something we can expect by default. A good Ash story needs to do something else on top of that, and XY especially needed to find an extra angle to his character since he starts the series already near the top of his game. It's actually a similar situation to DP: he came into that series fresh off his victories in the Battle Frontier, and so rather than simply coasting with a story about how strong he is, the writers brought in Paul to challenge him not just in battle, but in terms of philosophy as well.

So with all that said, what is Ash's story in XY actually about, then? Well, the comparison is often made that Ash is the "Brock" of the XY gang, and it's not an unfounded one. He's the most experienced member of the group, as well as the most well put together. The others look to him for leadership, guidance, and inspiration even more than Ash ever did for Brock. More than in any other series, XY Ash is defined by the way he interacts with his friends, and the reverse is also true for them. Let's take a detour and try to quickly run down their character arcs so you can really see what I mean:

Serena starts the series aimless. She’s discontent with her life, wanting something more. Recognizing Ash on TV and remembering his words to "never give up" is what gives her the push to finally take the first steps of her own story. However, those first steps are all she takes. She wants to get away from her mother, but is once again adrift as soon as she meets Ash. She bounces from activity to activity for a while, only deciding to become a Performer after meeting Shauna and having the sudden realization that she doesn't have a long-term goal like Ash. Wanting to be as determined as Ash is, she finally has something to actively work for and even confronts her mother with her newfound passion. She thinks of Ash to give her strength as she starts her first Showcase, and after she messes up, she remembers his advice to "never give up" and continues onward, even incorporating a ribbon she had received from Ash into her outfit to signify her resolve. Ash is at the center of every stage of Serena's journey. Nearly everything she does can be somehow traced back to Ash in one way or another.

That's all well and good, but it's just one example, and Serena's a bit of an extreme case, anyway. For more evidence, let's look at Clemont. The first time he meets Ash, Ash gets thrown out of Prism Tower, immediately brushes himself off and challenges Clemont to a battle, fights off a group of Pokemon thieves (which is apparently a regular occurrence for him), goes after a rampaging Garchomp with his bare hands, and ends the day off by jumping off the top of the fucking Prism Tower with literally zero hesitation. Following that buck wild first impression, Clemont harbors an immense amount of both admiration and intellectual curiosity for Ash. He constantly praises Ash for his unique battle style, and wants to study it so he can become an even better Gym Leader. He begins taking cues from Ash's style as early as his confrontation with Clembot, as he has to think of unorthodox ways to outsmart the robot programmed to act like him. Following this battle, he and Ash agree to have their Gym battle once Ash has obtained his fourth badge. Ash becomes Clemont's goalpost: having seen what Ash is capable of, he wants to be a Gym Leader worthy of fighting him. And when we finally reach this battle, he proves that he has absolutely succeeded, incorporating everything he's learned from Ash and more into their climactic showdown. 

While Ash’s companions in other series generally have stories that run parallel to his, XY stands out by placing Ash right at the center of both Serena and Clemont’s personal journeys. Ash permeates XY in a deeper way than any series before or since. This might be a weird thing to say, but XY isn't really about Ash per se. It's about the idea of Ash. To Serena, Ash is the representation of all the personal qualities she desires, yet lacks. To Clemont, Ash is a new way of battling, something that can help him improve his own abilities even further. So then, what is Ash… to Ash?

I know I just set that up as a big question, but the answer’s actually fairly simple. It's pretty clear that Ash recognizes the effect he has on his friends, and so he leans into it for their benefit. He's constantly trying to improve both himself and Clemont for their eventual battle, and is incredibly encouraging towards Serena every time she takes another step towards her goal (in fact, Serena is possibly the female companion that Ash is least sassy towards, although he’s also just less sassy than usual in this series anyway). Even with his Pokemon, this trait shines through. Froakie was a trouble child for every Trainer that Sycamore had given it to before, yet it respects Ash nearly instantly after seeing him in action. Ash’s encouragement and support is what gives Goomy the strength to grow and take back its home. He acts more parental towards Noibat than any baby Pokemon he had before, but also steps back enough to let Hawlucha take the lead raising it since he sees how strongly the two of them bond.

So here in XY we have a strong, self-assured, mature Ash who takes on a leadership role among the main cast. It’s an Ash that truly feels like he’s been through years of journeys and growth. But if he starts out the series so well-developed, where can his character arc take him?

Enter Sawyer. Not long after Ash has his battle with Clemont, he’s introduced to Sawyer, a rookie Trainer who had lost to Clemont shortly before. On the surface, this doesn’t immediately seem like the makings of a particularly compelling rivalry: an experienced veteran Ash versus a novice with only a single Gym badge to his name. Ash is undeniably the superior one in this dynamic. But once the two of them begin interacting, it becomes immediately clear how much heart there is to their relationship. Ash, ever the older brother figure, sees how much potential Sawyer has and wants to watch him unlock it. Sawyer, the analytical battler, takes notes from Ash’s battles and studies him in a manner not unlike Clemont to learn how to improve himself. Sawyer’s notes pay off in a big way, as he improves at an astronomical pace, winning four more badges in the time it takes Ash to earn just one, and even reaching his eighth before Ash does. Ash and Sawyer have one last battle before Ash heads to win his eight Gym badge, but for the first time, Sawyer manages to surpass and beat Ash. Although he’s glad to have won, his victory shakes both of them. Although they don’t say it directly, they can tell that something’s wrong. Sawyer decides to follow Ash to Snowbelle City to watch him beat Wulfric, but again, Ash loses. Between these two losses, as well as his struggle to master the Bond phenomenon, Ash begins to spiral, and it’s the first time we truly see him grapple with self-doubt in this series. Sawyer looks up to Ash, yet he had failed to live up to Sawyer’s vision of him. And if he’s failed Sawyer, who else has he failed? His companions? His Pokemon? With the image of himself as a mentor and an inspiration thrown into jeopardy, he begins to act uncharacteristically, running off into the woods alone and lashing out at Serena when she tries to help him. After cooling off a bit, he helps some Spewpa trapped in a tree and is saved by Greninja when the branch breaks. One of the Spewpa is blown off a nearby cliff, and when Ash and Greninja both jump into action to save it, they perfect the Ash-Greninja form for the very first time. The entire experience causes Ash to realize that the image of himself as someone everyone could count on had been weighing down on him much more heavily than he had thought. Because of it, he had been placing too much responsibility on himself. He needed to master the Bond phenomenon to become stronger for his team. He needed to beat Wulfric to prove himself to Sawyer. But in the end, he couldn’t do it alone, and ultimately ended up caving under the pressure without even realizing it. It’s only with the help of his friends and Pokemon that he’ll be able to move forward and actually accomplish what he’s set out to do. With that in mind, he’s finally able to reach synchronicity with Greninja, beat Wulfric, and make his way to the Kalos League.

In the semifinals, Ash finally comes face-to-face with Sawyer once again. As the two of them clash, Sawyer recognizes Ash once again. The cloud that had covered him in Snowbelle is gone, and the two of them can have a proper battle. Sawyer can truly show Ash just how far he’s come (and maybe even surpass him for real), and Ash can prove that he won’t falter again. That he really is the person everyone thinks he is. And with Ash-Greninja’s final Water Shuriken, Ash does just that. This battle, not the finals match against Alain, is the conclusion of Ash’s arc in XY. The Trainer that everyone looks up buckling under the weight of those expectations, and yet still managing to prove them right by coming out the other side stronger. I feel it can often get sadly overlooked in favor of the finals, but it’s a satisfying way to encapsulate what XY Ash is all about.

So what’s the deal with the finals, then? Why go through all of this just to have him lose in the end? Doesn’t that undermine the whole message? Well, no, actually. In a vacuum, it might seem that way, but I feel that removing it from the context surrounding it (as you often see in discourse about it) is doing it a disservice. The most important thing about the finals match is that it isn’t really Ash’s battle in the way the semifinals were. Ash’s arc is finished. This is Alain’s battle. Alain’s arc throughout the series effectively boils down to the idea that he wants to gain power in order to protect the people he cares about, first to defend Professor Sycamore’s research, and later to heal Chespie. He’s drawn to the Kalos League by the promise of many strong opponents to train himself against, Ash chief among them. This relentless drive for power, while good-intentioned, leads him to work for Lysandre, blinded to his true motivations. Alain’s victory in the Kalos League is the tipping point of his arc. He’s won the League, proving himself to be among the strongest Trainers in the entire region. And yet, at his moment of victory, when he’s achieved the strength he desired, Team Flare attacks, threatening the entire region. Key to Team Flare’s plans are Z2, whom Alain had helped capture, and the Mega Evolution energy he had helped them study. I often see people upset about Ash’s League loss trying to spin it into a story about Ash learning that winning isn’t everything, but it’s actually the opposite. Alain is the one learning that winning isn’t everything. In his quest for power, he had inadvertently brought danger to the very people he was trying to protect, with Sycamore and Chespie both being directly in Lysandre’s crosshairs.

And all of this eventually leads us to a scene where Lysandre, Alain, and Ash are on Prism Tower together. Alain is paralyzed by his emotions, distraught at what he had unwittingly brought about. Lysandre imprisons Ash and tries to force him to work for him like Alain had, but Ash refuses and breaks free using the Bond phenomenon. And for one final time, we see Ash inspiring people to be better. Seeing Ash act without hesitation, never for a second even considering forsaking his morals and working with Lysandre the way he did, Alain snaps out of his stupor and finally confronts Lysandre. Alain may be the stronger Trainer, but Ash is the better Trainer. Captured, outmatched, and weary from the League, Ash still chose to fight. Win or lose, Ash is still the best, like no one ever was.

[golisopod-mutual]

that post has me thinking about Guzma. The themes of the game are so clearly familial in nature, right? The obvious one being Lusamine/Lillie/Gladion, but there are others. Hau and Hala, and smaller instances, like Sophocles and Molayne. At it's core, gen 7 (particularly sun/moon not usum, but that's a different issue) is a game about familial relationships. I think there's a lot to talk about in reference to those themes and Guzma.

First is obv his biological family. His father outright says Guzma ran away (the phrasing implies Guzma was a kid, though that could mean actual child, preteen, or even teenager, when this occurred.) He says he 'tried to set [Guzma] straight, but ended up getting beat instead' and look. You can say he means he got beat in a pokemon battle or whatever. But I think it's ignorant to choose to interpret it that way. This is a parent talking about disciplining their runaway child. The implication is NOT a pokemon battle. And like I said in my tags on that post, you can interpret the bent and broken golf clubs in a few ways: 1) they were used to hit someone (Guzma) 2) They were collateral in someone's fit of rage, destroyed but not used to hit someone with. You can assume Guzma destroyed them, but I genuinely do not think that is the intended message. If you choose to interpret them as having been destroyed in a fit of rage but not as having been used to hit someone with, the abuse reading of Guzma's family still holds water. It points to a father figure being prone to outbursts of anger and violence (and doesn't negate the connotation of physical abuse from his father's dialogue, anyways.)

And in Guzma's childhood bedroom, there's all those bronze trophies, and one silver. Not a single gold. He was good. But not enough. When he loses to the player in battle, he instantly begins to berate himself. This all betrays a sense of inadequacy. He was never good enough as a child, a message reinforced from both his abusive father and society at large. He failed again to become a trial captain, or to get whatever meaning everyone else seemed to get from the island challenge. His talent in pokemon battling didn't amount to anything, leaving him directionless in young adulthood. He acts big and talks tough, but it's a facade. Deep down he feels lesser than his peers - a feeling reinforced further by Kukui. He says he and Kukui are the same, neither one could become a captain. But that's not true. Kukui could have, but didn't want to. Kukui says so himself. Guzma didn't make the cut for trial captain, but Kukui could have if he'd wanted - more proof that Guzma is less than his peers.

Every experience has left him with the same message - he's not good enough. His abusive father, the first place trophies he could never win, the island challenge and trial captains, Kukui and the protagonist. It's all the same. And then there's Lusamine, someone else who fails him. Another abusive parent who takes advantage of him; who he follows because she makes him feel like he is good and strong enough. At her direction he has team skull kidnap Lillie. He goes into Ultra Space, risking his own safety. And in the end it's him who takes the blowback for much of these actions - team skull is not feared by the Alolan public. It seems they're mostly nuisances who try to steal bus stop signs and not much else. They're not bad, per se. Under Lusamine's thumb, however, they do hurt people and pokemon. And because it's team skull doing the dirty work, it's team skull who takes the fall for those actions - which reflects his relationship with Lusamine imo . He's a pawn to her, manipulated and used as a scapegoat to keep her own hands from getting dirty.

He wants to prove he's strong and carve out a place for himself in a society that doesn't seem to have any space for him in it, so of course his attitude is that the traditions should go away - he says as much to Kukui ('We got all these moldy old traditions in Alola [...] It's about time we cut out all that silly garbage and make something new for ourselves.') and implies it when he speaks to the player about why they're doing the island challenge. Why are they bothering? Do they think it will make them strong? It won't, he claims. Implied is that he knows this, because he tried it, too. It didn't make him strong enough to become a captain or to protect himself from his dad or to make a place for himself in Alola.

He was an abused kid who ran away from home, who fell through the cracks of the island challenge and wasted his youth chasing a dream he was unable to realize. He got left aside, directionless and hurt, and Alola as a whole was uncaring. The only person who's ever made him feel adequate was using him for her own gain. Everyone, at every turn, has failed him - the people and the systems in Alola. Of course team skull is made up of other island challenge failures and vagabond kids - he was them; he is them. Hurt and directionless and fallen to the sidelines; clawing and fighting to make a place for himself.

Golisopod is a very reflective pokemon to be his main, too. There's something to be said about Lillie and cosmog in this way, as well, in that Lillie is a character that struggles with powerlessness in her own way. She's never been able to make her own choices or be free of her mother's tyranny, even down to not choosing her own clothes or hairstyle; she's a character defined by her inability to take action - much like cosmog can't battle; it's only moves are splash and teleport. Coincidentally, Lillie begins to be grow from this character the most right before Cosmog evolves and thus also becomes free from it's powerlessness. But this isn't about Lillie, back to Guzma. Wimpod is characterized by fear, that's it's whole thing. And even when it evolves, it's still the same fearful wimpod deep down - it still turns tail and runs when things get bad. Golisopod looks scary, and it certainly can be, but that wimpod is still there deep inside. Guzma's the same way, right? He acts big and talks tough and says he's the strongest guy around. But when he loses a battle he reverts right back to berating himself for it - those feelings of inadequacy didn't go away, they're waiting just beneath his facade. His actions are still informed and motivated by those feelings. Golisopod is still that scared little wimpod deep down inside, and Guzma is still that powerless, hurt kid deep down, too.

This isn't even getting into post-game or the whole familal-game-themes in relation to team skull lmao but I've said enough. I love him, you honor.

[cristal-night]

Rita: parece que mi Raichu esta interesada en tener una batalla contigo, que dices? ¿aceptas el reto?

así se vería Rita si fuera una entrenadora pokemon, en este universo ella seguiría siendo una mecánica, la magearna que ella tiene es una replica creada por sus padres, los cuales fallecieron, el como fue creada esta magearna es un misterio incluso para ella, rita quiere averiguar los misterios de esta magearna así que viaja por el mundo para aprender mas acerca de magearna y mejorar sus habilidades como mecanica

(usualmente no me gusta la idea de darle pokemones singulares a mis personajes, pero a veces combinan tan bien con el concepto del personaje que es algo inevitable)

Rita no esta interesada en batallas o concursos Pokémon, la única razón por la que suele participar en estos es por el gusto de sus pokemon

ella conoció a su Raichu cuando era una niña y la pokemon apenas era una pequeña Pichu, fueron amigas por mucho tiempo pero ella solo la atrapo cuando estaba apunto de iniciar su viaje, el resto de sus pokemones los atrapo durante su viaje

(english)

Rita: It seems that my Raichu is interested in having a battle with you, what do you say? do you accept the challenge?

This is what Rita would look like if she were a Pokémon trainer, in this universe she would still be a mechanic, the magearna she has is a replica created by her parents, who died, how this magearna was created is a mystery even to her, Rita wants to find out the mysteries of this magearna so she travels the world to learn more about magearna and improve her skills as a mechanic.

(I usually don't like the idea of giving unique pokemon to my characters, but sometimes they combine so well with the character's concept that it's inevitable)

Rita is not interested in Pokémon battles or contests, the only reason she usually participates in these is because of her Pokémon's wishes

She met her Raichu when she was a kid and the Pokémon was just a small Pichu. They were friends for a long time but she only caught her when she was about to start her journey. She caught the rest of her Pokémons during her trip

[poyoofthestars]

I’mma explian a lot of sibling dynamics (aka me info dumping about Kieran, Carmine, Stanley, Stanford, Eda, and Lilith and their parallels to each other) will contain spoilers for Pokemon SV The Teal Mask & The Indigo Disk )and Mochi M, Gravity Falls, and The Owl House.

Lilith, Stan and Kieran

All three have something in common, and that being desperation.

Lilith curses her sister, Eda, with the Owl Beast curse.

Stan (accidentally) broke Ford’s project that could have gotten him in the fancy college.

Kieran steals the Teal Mask out of desperation to not be seen as a weak person.

How do their siblings react? One word, mad.

Carmine, Kieran’s sister, asks him madly, “What are you doing, Kiki?!” While this may look like a simple sibling argument, it is not. Carmine and the player lie to him about Ogerpon, Kieran’s idol. He only finds out about Ogerpon (and her real story [another whole story sometime I’ll ramble about]) by overhearing the conversation behind the gates of their house. And the worst part? You are forced to lie to him. Carmine doesn’t tell him nor plans to (not a Carmine hate post btw) because she only wanted to protect Kieran. If, according to her, they tell Kieran about the fact that they saw the ogre, he’ll head into Oni Mountain just to see Ogerpon. Which leads to Kieran’s desperate decision at the Loyalty Plaza.

Now, let’s look at this from Kieran’s perspective. You, his only real friend aside from Carmine, tells you about how he idolizes Ogerpon. Hell, he brings the player to Oni Mountain just to show you where Ogerpon lives. Then later that night, your friend sees said ogre. Of course when Carmine shuts the player up, it doesn’t help his already poor self esteem. Then the next day, you hear that the ogre that you idolize was a victim, even worse, your friend lies to you when you meet up with them. Then the next day, your sister snags your friend and goes off to the mountain. (How would you feel?)That was it. Kieran decides to steal the mask just to get answers out of his secretive sister and friend. Kieran then confronts them both about the truth. After he challenges the player, ultimately losing, he goes on in a full breakdown, punching the shrine out of anger, leaves the mask with player. The next time the player battles him, it was to prove himself to Ogerpon, that he could be a better partner to her. Obviously, he loses. After the battle (with Ogerpon), his parting words were “Why? Why can’t I be like you?” Then he runs off. Kieran did this just so he coul be with Ogerpon, regardless of her choice. But during the Loyal Three hunt, he had a choice to go, and he refused. Speaking of decisions, let’s head to Lilith.

In “Young Blood, Old Souls” Lilith states this during her duel with Eda, “Then why were you so easy to curse?!” Then immediately regrets letting it out. Luz and Eda are shocked by this. Just like Kieran, she chose to follow through with her idea to ensure her path to the Emperor’s Coven. She had a choice, whether she would do it or not. And she chose to curse Eda. And this curse not only ruined one relationship (Lilith and Eda’s sibling relationship), it ruined two (with Stan and Raine). So it justified that Eda is mad. It was never the beast’s fault. I mean why would you blame the Owl Beast if it was the one trapped? It didn’t choose Eda. Lilith was the one who did it. And honestly to me? She got off a bit lightly than Kieran or Stanley.

And now, Stanley. Like I said earlier, desperation led Stan to break his brother’s chance to be successful. Kind of like Lilith, but what drove him to that decision was fear of being left behind and jealousy, which also is like Kieran who was always never praised, Carmine always says ‘just as strong as me’ never ‘better than me’ and this always happens with Stan, who is constantly being compared with Ford. Ford is smart, per se, but Stan is also smart in his own way. No one just tells him that directly. After meeting up with Ford in years, losing him immediately afterwards, he put together the portal, with only a third of the blueprints. And when Ford returns, the first thing he does is punch Stan in the face. Ouch. You spend thirty years to bring your twin back and he still has a grudge on what you’ve done years ago.

And this is what I meant by Lilith getting off the hook more lightly than than the other two. She lost a large amount of magic sure, but the other two had almost lost their lives and along with others. In The Indigo Disk, Kieran’s desperation to be stronger (getting Terapagos) almost kills them all in the Underdepths (and Briar was so goddamn unhelpful by encouraging Kieran instead of stopping him). Stanley took a risk and opened the portal (could’ve started Weirdmaggedon) to bring Ford back.

Eda, Ford and Carmine

All three may look like they don’t care about their siblings from outside perspective but inside, they really do. But they don’t know how far they need go just to be adequate enough for their siblings.

Eda and Carmine’s growth are a full on growth. Unlike Ford, who was forced to confront his own problems and mistakes, these two took it head on.

In “Eda’s Requiem” she wanted to run away because she was worried about King leaving. But Raine pushed her to the choice she ultimately made and was surprised by the decision King made: to be adopted by her. She could’ve helped Raine escape from Darius and Eberwolf, but she didn’t and instead heeded and respected Raine’s (which was actually her own) advice. To go and face her fear directly, fear of being alone.

Carmine, when player meets her again, has completely changed. She’s more sweet and nicer than when you first met her in The Teal Mask. And she’s nicer with Ogerpon too. Of course the snark will not go, but all in all she’s grown. And this is proven by the invitation to go to the Underdepths of Area Zero. She explicitly shows worry for Kieran when he wants go without a doubt. She only comes because she’s worried for Kieran and his health. And during the Terapagos fight, she is genuinely worried about Kieran because he won’t battle. And Carmine is willing to go far just for her brother, she’s the one whom is player’s first teammate in the fight. Kieran doesn’t go in immediately because guilt had crept in to his heart. Guilt that he nearly killed everyone. And once again, Briar is not helping him. She didn’t even mind what exactly was Kieran saying while struggling to pull out the sleeping Terapagos.

Stanford Pines is like Kieran in a way, he summons Bill Cipher because he hit a roadblock in his research. Kieran, quite obviously, didn’t sleep or eat during his rise to become stronger after feeling betrayed. And when Bill betrays Ford, he becomes a lot paranoid. He almost shot Stanley when he arrived at his home. Going so far to check his eyes for Bill’s possession. Betrayal can change a person for the worse. Kieran becomes more aggressive and impulsive, while Ford becomes paranoid and untrusting. But unlike Kieran, this changes carried on for years. Ford doesn’t even thank or acknowledge Stan, for Titan’s sake. “Dungeons, Dungeons, and more Dungeons” episode basically bullies Stan for not being smart. But I want to get this point across, STANLEY PINES IS SMART. He’s just neglected over Ford.

Parallels

Kieran and Ford

Was betrayed by someone they thought a friend

Got worse but eventually got better

Trying their best to make it up to everyone they hurt (Ford and Stan living the dream, and Kieran goes off to Kitakami with Carmine to heal)

Eda and Carmine

Snarky and foxy but cares about their family

Blunt and straight to the point

Will stay with their siblings through and through

Will do anything to stay with their siblings

Lilith and Stan

Willing to do anything for their family even sacrifice something important

Can keep a facade around everyone

Eda and Stan

Will scam you

Has countless exes including each other

Mess with them and you won’t go home unscathed

Carmine and Lilith

Calm, least likely to panic

Will not hesitate to call you out if you threaten their siblings

Willingly tries amending their mistakes

Ford and Lilith

Intellectual smart

Loves their family

Likes research

Is aro/ace

Carmine and Stan

Doesn’t show their real feelings all the time

Is the one that stands up for their siblings

Easily pissed off

Will do anything to help their siblings

Kieran and Eda

Stronger than their siblings

Impulsive

Has a horrible crush situation

Can apologize for everything

Dat’s all folks! Byyyeee!

[amelikos]

Some character notes and episode notes for HZ066, writing them down for future reference.

The episode starts with the trio at school. The Terastal course is over, so Clavell announces that the students will have a final friendly tournament, which will be the last opportunity for those who failed the course to use Terastal before giving back their orb. Afterwards, Liko, Roy and Dot watch the tournament before Nemo joins them. Dot is contacted by Botan who tells her to meet up with her at the infirmary. Botan tells Dot that something is happening and Dot catches on that the school is being hacked. Botan suspects Agate because she looked into her and found out that she is from an organization called the Explorers. Dot tells her everything she knows about the Explorers and they decide to look for Agate to stop her (Agate is stealing data from the principal's computer and connects to it from a different place). Dot calls Liko and Roy to ask for their help, and they split to look for Agate. Roy eventually finds Sango. Liko comes across a security guard and his Pokemon who have been affected by a salt move, so she suspects that Onyx is on the move too and follows her hunch (and lets Tebrim heal the guard and his Pokemon).

Afterwards, Liko, Roy and Dot all deal with an Explorers character. Dot eventually finds Agate and tries to stop her from stealing the data and have Kanuchan break the computer that Agate was using, but to no avail since Agate managed to transfer the data she needed. She eventually escaped using her Natio's Teleport.

Meanwhile, Roy battles Sango (Hogator vs Onigohri). They were going to battle in an art class room but Roy stopped himself from using Flamethrower since he didn't want to burn up the students' art (which reminded me of HZ011 when he was about to use Flamethrower in Oliva's forest but Liko stopped him from doing so.. now Roy is paying attention to his surroundings enough to stop himself etc). Roy brings the battle outside so both him and Sango can battle to their hearts' content. He eventually wins the battle btw, and Sango didn't want to end on a loss and wanted to keep battling.

On the other hand, Liko faces Onyx (Nyarote vs Kyojiohn). Grusha was in the surroundings and also came across the man who was hurt by Salt Cure and follows Tebrim afterwards so he got to watch Liko's battle. Onyx just wanted to do his job at first, but saw an opportunity to steal Terapagos, so he asked Liko to hand him over. Liko challenged him to a battle to protect Terapagos. Onyx uses Terastal and gains the upper hand for a moment. Grusha almost intervened at that moment, but Tebrim reacted (and almost looked like she was saying that he should watch over Liko..) and Grusha stopped himself and kept on watching Liko. Liko decided to use Terastal to protect the school and Terapagos and eventually won against Onyx. He accepted his defeat and told her his name before leaving.

Tebrim and Arukujira meet up with Liko after her battle, and Grusha follows. Liko gets nervous because she knew that Grusha saw her break the rules and use Terastal. He told her to meet her in the principal's office, and she thinks she is going to get in trouble. Liko apologizes for her actions at the principal's office, but Grusha tells her he is the one who should apologize and admits that he misjudged her strength. He got to see that when she fights on someone's behalf, her true strength shines through. She produced results, so he tells her that she passed her implementation test. Liko asks if it's okay, and Clavell has no issue with it since Grusha acknowledged her and Omodaka says her skills are worthy of a Terastal Orb. Liko thanks them all.

Afterwards, Dot is shown on the phone with Botan. She tells her that the Explorers escaped and took the info on Terapagos with them. Botan says that they got proof that Agate was the intruder, and that they kept the school damage to a minimum, and that the tournament didn't get called off, so she thanks Dot (and seems shy doing so, and Dot is also a bit embarassed accepting her gratitude).

At the end, Liko joins Roy and Dot who congratulate her for passing her test. They are happy they are all going to be able to use Terastal from now on. Kihada comes across them and tells Liko and Roy about the matchups for the upcoming battles in the tournament, and Liko and Roy learn that they are going to be each other's opponent.

--

Overall, loved this episode. I liked that Liko's implementation test was intertwined with the overarching plot and built up on it. Failing her test against Grusha, meeting Amethio and wavering against him when he used Terastal which Amethio noticed and pointed out, resolving not to give up after her talk with Amethio, which led to her fully accepting her loss and deciding that she was not going to let it stop her, which strengthened her desire to protect even more, which led to her knowingly breaking the rule (because she did what she had to do), which made Grusha and Onyx acknowledge her (and even Amethio prior to that episode acknowledged her!), etc. It's just neat writing all around, and I love it all.

I also love that Liko's implementation test showed in full display that Liko growing stronger is linked, narratively, to the Explorers. Which is something I kept writing about for a while now, but this chapter showed it even more. Sango was there when Liko was about to pass her basics test. They made a point to have Sango around to compete with Liko before having her battle with Kaede. And the implementation test, as well. Amethio was there to encourage Liko after her loss and Liko took his words to heart. And Onyx was the one to push her to break the rules, which is ultimately what made Grusha acknowledge Liko and make her pass, etc etc.

I also like that they kept the nuance about Liko's implementation test with Grusha. I'm glad that this didn't necessitate a rematch with him, but rather Grusha acknowledging her in another setting (which showed Liko's true strength, as she shines more when she protects those she loves) and showed that Liko was able to meet his criteria too.. I'm satisfied with it and these whole string of recent episodes gave me something to think about. Grusha definitely grew into one of my favorite game characters that was implemented into the anime. He is strict but not a bad guy, and I liked that he apologized to Liko. He was definitely smiling when he said "you pass" at the end, but we didn't get to see his smile... tragic.

Liko was absolutely the coolest when she battled (Onyx was very cool too, loved the scene when he told Liko his name and told her to remember it), she is so resourceful and Nyarote is so great too... something I like about Liko's battles is that I really feel like she is into it? I liked the scene when she was shown out of breath after the battle ended, like she really gave it her all and it really feels like battles are not something that only the Pokemon participates in, but the trainer does too... I think this shows a lot through Liko's battles because she feels wholly invested in them.

Anyway, I loved everything else too. Dot and Botan's friendship, the way Dot immediately relies on her friends, etc. Seeing more of Agate in action is so nice too (and her personality shines through too, she has a kind of taunting side when she has the upper hand which is so cool to see since she is so composed usually), her having a Natio is certainly curious because that's a Pokemon said to be able to see both the past and future. With the whole focus on the past with Lucius's story (and the SV games deal with past/future too...)... The PR account posted about Agate having a Natio and hinted that she might be a Psychic type user, so I'm looking forward to knowing who is her third Pokemon (here).

Also thought it was neat that while Liko and Roy won their battles against Onyx and Sango, Agate managed to successfuly steal the data so the Explorers still get something on their side and they are not coming back empty-handed. They are competent!

Sango was also a delight as usual in this episode, and I really feel like her VA is getting more expressive through her acting... I love when Sango gets angry and her line deliveries are great. (And I lost it when Onyx casually came to pick her up at the end before leaving, like okay man we get it you care about her and will never leave her behind, and you'll always be willing to put up with her complaining etc. Idk how they manage to be the cutest, but somehow they are.)

Anyway, this was just a great ep all around and it didn't feel crowded. Ep written by Naruki Nagakawa btw, who was also the one who wrote ep 56 (Chili vs Liko). Liko's growth as a character and how it gets expressed through battles as a vehicle being handled by very specific writers, etc.

[ishkrisq]

Rude

Shubman knew he had fucked up the moment the words left his mouth .

"Teri himmat kaise hui mujhse itni rudely baat karne ki," Ishan said , his tone dripping with sarcasm. The air grew thick with tension as his words hung in the air, the others exchanging glances and trying to hide their amusement. 

"Haan, tune Chotu se aise baat kyu ki?" Virat chimed in from the background, unable to contain his laughter at the situation. 

"Beta abh toh tu gaya" KL added, smirking at Shubman. 

Rolling his eyes at all the drama unfolding, Shubman couldn't help but retaliate . "Toh tu bhi toh karta hai na," . 

He then turned to Virat, "Aur Virat bhai, aap uski side kyu le rahe ho?" 

Virat simply snickered in response, thoroughly enjoying the banter between the lovebirds .

"Mai toh kar sakta hu, par tune kyu ki?" Ishan crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes at Shubman in challenge. 

"Haan chotu kar sakta hai," Virat repeated again.

Shubman let out a sigh of defeat , "Achha baba agli baar se nahi Karunga." 

Ishan smirked triumphantly, satisfied with Shubman's concession. "Whipped," Virat mumbled under his breath.

Looking back at Virat, Ishan playfully protested, "Aur bhai aap mujhe chotu chotu mat bulao." 

"Par tu toh apna chotu hai na," Virat retorted with a mischievous grin. 

"But Shubman is younger than me," Ishan shot back.

"I'm taller than you, you dwarf," Shubman teased (who clearly still hadn't learned his lesson)

"Meine na tereko do lagane hai " If looks could kill , Shubman would have been 6 feet underground .

"Shub tu kyu pitne wale kaam karta hai" Virat shook his head in disbelief.

Feeling outnumbered by the rest of the group taking lshan’s side, Shubman let out a sigh. 'Yeh sab ke sab mere against hai,' he thought to himself. 

He looked towards KL, hoping for some support, but KL simply shrugged and said, "Sorry Shubman but you know how it is. I'm on Ishan's side."

Just when he thought all hope was lost, Shreyas , who wasn't even listening to the conversation , finally spoke up , "It's okay Shubi, I'm on your side," 

Before Shubman could even thank him , Ishan had already given Shreyas his puppy eyes "But bhaiya shubi ne mujhse itni rudely baat kari " 

"Yeah sorry I'm not on your side anymore Shubman " 

"Collect kar liye tune apne saare Pokemon ? Tu ruk ja tujhe toh mein baad mein bata ta hu" Shubman remarked looking at Ishan who had a smirk on his face . 

—---------

The only sound audible in the room were Ishan's soft moans, his voice breathy and filled with pleasure

"What were you saying earlier baby?" Shubman asked as he trailed kisses along Ishan's jawline . Ishan's eyes were half-lidded with desire, his cheeks flushed and his lips swollen from their kisses. His body was arched towards Shubman, fingers tangled in the sheets as he squirmed with longing.

"I hate you right now," he managed to whisper between gasps of pleasure

Shubman laughed softly, a smirk playing on his lips. "Oh is that it ? Should I stop then?," he teased, his fingers gently tracing the curve of Ishan's hips.

Ishan shook his head, his eyes fluttering shut. "No, don't stop please," he pleaded, his voice tinged with desire. Shubman's eyes sparked with mischief as he continued his touch, slowly moving lower. 

Shubman loved watching Ishan squirm under his touch. He loved having this power over him, the power to make him lose control and forget about everything else. 

Every inch of Ishan's body felt like it was on fire, every nerve ending tingling with desire as Shubman's lips traced down his chest.

"Shubi," he whimpered , his voice filled with need when Shubman's teeth grazed against his nipple. His fingers tangled in Shubman's hair as he pulled him closer, wanting more.

"Am I being rude to you, Ishu ?" 

"Shut up," Ishan muttered, his cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. "Just shut up and do something already."

Shubman chuckled and leaned in to capture Ishan's lips in a heated kiss. His hands roamed over Ishan's body, making him moan and arch into his touch. He loved the way Ishan responded to him, so eagerly and passionately.

"What's the matter, baby?" Shubman whispered , lips brushing against Ishan's ear. " You were acting so bossy earlier and now fucking look at you ". His eyes scanned Ishan's body ,  lingering on Ishan's flushed cheeks and parted lips. " Like putty in my hands, begging me to touch you."

Ishan groaned , his breathing heavy  " Don't do that ," he murmured.

" Do what ? " Shubman asked innocently, but they both knew what he was talking about.

" Tease me," Ishan replied with a pout.

"But you love it," Shubman said with a smirk before he dove in for another kiss, proving his point without uttering a single word. 

Ishan couldn't deny it . He did love it . He loved everything about Shubman - his touch, his scent, his voice . Being with him made him feel alive and complete.

[sinnohelitefourlore]

Sinnoh Elite Four Headcanons Pt 2 since you guys liked my Pt 1 post so much:

Aaron:

- is the youngest of the elites, only eighteen, and because he is a Teenage Boy he’ll literally go from “shut the fuck up you have no idea what’ve been through” to “sometimes i still sleep with a night light on.”

- didn’t get diagnosed with ADHD until he was 20. he actually realized this because of flint whom we’ll get to in a minute.

- went to jublife city’s trainer’s school and was mentored by one of the best bug-type specialist’s in sinnoh.

- cries. a lot. he’s actually extremely sensitive (rumors spread that he was whitney’s long lost brother). but he also has moments of impulsiveness because again - Teenage Boy.

- rambles about bug types a lot, and is a typical bug geeky nerd. one day when he was seven his father yelled at him to be quiet, and for the longest time, aaron didn’t speak much until he was accepted into the elite four where they let him talk as much as he wants about bugs.

Bertha:

- has a connection with all of the future elites in some way before they became elites. she’s known lucian when he was a teenager because he challenged the elite four multiple times and constantly lost to bertha. she goes way back with flint’s parents, being apart of an organization with them before she joined the e4 in their 20s. in fact, bertha had held flint three days after he was born around her 30s. after she became an elite, she hardly saw him as much. when visiting the trainer’s school in jublife city, though she didn’t interact with him directly, she took note of the little boy with green hair in a corner playing with his bug pokemon. (in later years, she affectionately refers to all three of them as her boys)

- bertha has never been so happy when cynthia became the first female champion, because when bertha started as a league member she was the only woman. no gym leaders… no elites… none. she was the first female league member in that region. sinnoh has come a long way from her early years. she’s also thankful for cynthia because though she loves her boys sometimes they’re a bit much when they bicker.

- has planted a garden that makes all the other leagues jealous.

- single handedly took down one of the sickest, nastiest criminals in sinnoh in her younger years, which resulted in her being considered for an elite position which she got.

- like yes she is definitely a Mom but DO NOT FUCK WITH HER she can be just as menacing as agatha (no relation) however it's presented entirely different. the kanto elite is known for having an explosive uncontrollable temper with screams that will rival a teapot kettle, but if bertha's voice is low, cool, and even that's a sign for you to run - unlike agatha, bertha's anger is completely collected and controlled, and she doesn't have to raise her voice once.

flint:

- had been diagnosed with ADHD at seven. his family is wonderful about it, because his mother, twin sister, and little brother also have it as it runs in the family. he takes medication for it. later he sees similarities between himself and aaron, and he helps aaron out with coping techniques he uses (which usually involves aaron stealing one of his fidgeting toys, but flint doesn’t mind)

- is superstitious about his hair. if he’s having a bad hair day, he’ll assume that challengers will pass by him easier. he is mostly right.

- flint has made many stupid decisions in his life, but adding lava lamps in his chamber room has got one of the stupidest. when he told his fellow colleagues he wanted this, lucian walked out of the room.

- when he was a teenager, he wasn’t a bad kid, per se (definitely not one of those sunyshore hoodlums) but trying to get a fake ID to purchase alcohol was not one of his fine and dandy moments. especially considering it was the worst fake ID that sunyshore has ever seen. (“chester nutballs? really?”) volkner laughs at him about it to this day.

- is a regular customer of morty’s hemp business that is sold overseas. as long as flint wasn’t high on the clock, cynthia would look the other way.

Lucian:

- has undiagnosed autism. his parents didn’t believe in autism, so they assumed that any issues he had only had to do with him being a psychic. nevermind that he didn’t speak until he was three, was hyperlexic, and often spent time in solitude and genuinely didn’t understand social cues.

- he could finish a six hundred page novel in a single setting. on days off from the league, sometimes he would lock himself on his wing of the castle and would read for hours.

- has the natural gift of stringing up the most eloquent, versatile, majestic sounding insults you’ll ever hear in your life. the fact that he could do this without yelling or using a single swear was borderline criminal.

- he doesn’t mean to be cruel - most of the time. sometimes he genuinely doesn’t know when he’s being insulting until bertha/cynthia flashes him a look. some days he cares, some days he doesn’t - because really, he gets overstimulated easily.

- butts heads with flint frequently and thinks he’s annoying, but if anyone outside of the league insulted him lucian would be one of the first people to jump to his defense. he has a soft spot for aaron, because aaron sometimes does things that reminds him of his younger brother will (yes, that one) and he’s off in johto so he doesn’t see him as much. bertha was more of a mother to him than his own mother was, and cynthia… well 😉

cynthia:

- is autistic and i’ll fucking die on this hill. infodumps about mythology any chance she gets. her first birthday at the league, bertha gave her a weighted blanket.

- she actually came into the league a little bit after lucian did. entering his chamber room, she spotted a book he was reading and marveled it was one of her favorites. they talked for seven fucking minutes until the champion at the time yelled at them to start battling already. as you know, she won.

- really gets into the christmas spirit. loves christmas. will not shut up about christmas. will spend hours decorating the league from head-to-toe in christmas ornaments.

- maybe she can’t read as fast as lucian, but no one in sinnoh can match her in terms of contextualize a book like she could, especially if it’s mythology.

- her grandmother is the only person cynthia can’t say no to.

[praazlwurm]

Magpie’s design is SO good oh my gosh! I’m curious, what would their Pokemon battle quotes be? Things like victory, defeat, their Pokemon landing a super effective hit, their Pokemon taking a super effective hit, Pokemon on low HP, Pokemon fainting, low HP victory, stuff like that?

Oh! Thank you so much for asking (❁´◡`❁) I haven't thought about this in a hot minute but wayyy back when I first developed her I actually did have some things in mind!

You would first encounter Magpie w/ just Irony the unown on some mid-level route and like I pitched in a post a while back she'd be an eldenring-style Vigor Test with a guaranteed super-effective hit (afaik Hidden Power doesn't work like it does in PLA but lets play in the space asdlkfjsdfl)

In that battle she has limited responses, but she's supposed to be an isekai/Aware™ kind of character she would have a jarring intro and hints toward her unown-ties and abilities: First challenged: "You look like protagonist material." (Lands Super Effective) "Let me spell this out for you!" (Hit w S.E.) "I knew that spelled trouble!" (Win) "Hold your goal in your minds eye and keep working towards it!" (Loss) "You'll be one to keep an eye on." *taps eye pin on lapel* After defeat she'd only say something along the lines of this before walking off: "There's no such thing as a perfect world, but by working together we can improve the one we have."

And while I haven't put much thought into plot, here are some of the specific phrases you would trigger in battle:

On second encounter: Greets with "I had a feeling I'd be seeing you again!" (Otto is her ace but her toughest mon so she doesn't send him out first, but when she does) "Do you like little Otto? I made him myself!" (Otto the golurk defeated) "I thought I had accounted for that when I built him…" (Last Pokemon low health) "I suppose I can see the writing on the wall. But let's see if I can carve a new fate!" (With any/each subsequent enemy KO) "Didn't see that coming?" / "Oof you hate to see it." / "That's rough, buddy." (sick tumblr references, magpie you weeaboo shit) (Win) "Don't take it too hard kid, I've had a lot of experience through the cen… let's just say over the years. Try again later and I'll give you something to help in your travels." (Loss) "I'll be happy to let someone as strong as you handle the hero-ing for a while - but I'll be around if you need any, let's say, unconventional help."

And this is the part I had thought up before; in the future she carves charms the way Lucille in jubilife village did in PLA, but for modern games they'd be tweeked. So after defeating her, she'd become a static npc who gave you these charms for rewards on the pokedex. She'd start with, "Understanding Pokemon is the key to helping this world thrive - if you've been working hard at that, I'll help you out with some handy items. Made them myself ;) "

(20% dex filled) "Take this - it will keep you safe for a while." (Charm that reduces the damage of SE hits, runs out after 10 battles, can be replaced 2x)

(50% dex) "You're doing great work! Here, this might help you." (Catching charm)

(100% dex) "Incredible! You know, I hate to steal the professor's thunder, but you've helped save me time here so I'll save you some time - your choice of charm, and I'll make it up right now." (Choice of Oval/exp./mark charm) (After choice) "Great! Now, watch the Carver work!"

Also I ran to picrew to do up a sprite using this creator. With this she looks so much like anabel tho rip i miiight try to do one of my own down the line 😅

Again tysm for asking! Magpie is silly and gamebreaking but she's fun to put in Situations and I really appreciate everyone who shows interest!

[pokemon-ringside]

i’m the smiling face on your tv !!

cw: flashing lights.

(( sorry for the very, very long intro post! admin notes at the end. xo ))

hello hello, rotumblr (rotomblr?)!! this is a blog wrestlers-forwrd-slash-pokemon-trainers, because… why not, i guess? i don’t know, it… seemed fun.

my name is rory, i suppose i’m the primary holder of this account. i’m from galar (spikemuth, specifically), & i specialize in mostly dark-type pokemon! i completed my gym challenge as a kid with raihan, sonia, and leon and that kinda set me on this path. since then i’ve kinda found a home in unova but i travel a lot back and forth so i’m hardly there. i’ve been with my partners, umbreon and obstagoon, since my gym challenge.

alola, i’m xiomara! i’m originally from the paldea region & i left to go to alola when i was 16 to do the island challenge! since then, i’ve made my home there. i absolutely fell in love with pokémon battling while doing my island challenge & i’ve been training since then! i don’t have a specialty, per se, but i do use a lot of fire- and fairy- types alongside my starter, incineroar!

hey, i’m callum. originally from unova (castelia city if we want to be as specific as rory was), i’m a ground-type guy (i know, not the best, sue me) and i’ve been in the whole wrestlinf thing for a while. i don’t have much to say about myself, really.

we hope to meet a lot of you here! have a good day mates :)

hi it’s me @look-at-wiley or @challengedbywiley & i’ve fucken done it again. welcome to my absolute mess of my two biggest hyperfixations and my autistic brain deciding to fuse them both into one. ummmmm yeah!! if u don’t follow my challengedbywiley blog that’s my main rotumblr one so go check me out and ya!!! ty :)

[kokorowoutsu]

-- RP: @skullboneandunown

skullboneandunown:

"Yeah, you got it. Kimonos." Donovan gently ruffles her hair, and pinches her cheek playfully. "The Kimono Girls are in the family, in fact. On my mom's side. When I showed up to challenge them when I was a kid, they kinda embarrassed me..." He vividly remembers them pinching his cheek and cooing that their nephew was there to face them. Xavier thinks about Leon's offer, making a mental note to look into this Ms. Hemsworth on his own time. ".... I'll consider the idea. I'll bring it up in the next staff meeting, see how the others think of the idea." He smiles brightly when Willow decides ti attend, and he nods at the little girl. "Excellent! I'm certain you'll like it here, Young Willow." He got an idea, and motions to the door. "Perhaps a tour of the school before we begin the paperwork? It'll help Willow familiarize herself with the school, and perhaps some lunch? We have our food prepared here in house, and our menu changes every week." Donovan stands up, with Willow in his arms and he casually squeezes her like a teddy bear. "A look around sounds like fun. I'm curious if anything has changed since I was here." He places Willow on his shoulders and spins around a few times slowly. "Weeeee!"

Willow grinned but his story had her tilting her head. "Ch'l... l'ng--" "A battle, Willow." Leon offered a smile to which she let out a long 'Ohhhh!' at. "I wan' se' y'u bat'le, Unkwool Don'ie!" Her attention is then turned sharply to Xavier, clapping her hands together once, only to be picked up and spun around on her godfather's shoulders, leaving the girl dizzy. Luckily she didn't have her mother's problems of vertigo yet. "Diz'y!" She cries out, now fully holding onto her godfather's head to keep herself calm.

Leon got up quickly to help the two out while Ashe looked on with worry for a moment before turning to nod to Xavier. "Lunch would be nice as well as a tour--" She pauses. "-- I have vertigo issues and I just worry she might develop them. I had frequent earaches as a kid. Suffer from TMJ in my jaw now after I got deathly ill -- results of the illness." She pauses. "Luckily she was born healthy, but... she does have ADHD in the least. Gets it from Leon, I imagine." Her husband managed it well enough with the help of his pokemon and people to remind him of things as well as some help from the doctor now and then, but Willow's had only just started manifesting.

"If she's anything like me, she'll hyperfixate on something and won't stop until it's done. Suppose that's a good thing." With that, Ashe gets up and moves over to Donovan, giving him a flick in the forehead once Willow is balanced on his shoulders now. "Oi. She can handle heights but spinning is new. Take it slow." Moving her hands in motions, Willow tilted her head, mimicking her mother a bit before laying her hands on her godfather's head.

It wasn't long before Bahamut and Lucky were on their feet and joining their trainers, both checking Donovan and Willow over respectively before moving to their trainers. "Well, you're the experts here." Ashe offered an amused look at her friend despite the pink mark now on his forehead from where she had flicked him.

[deadandbeautiful]

have yall ever thought about how guzma met plumeria...like, i know they never talk about it in canon, like ever, but i have(?) a small take i think that makes sense on how they met in the first place !! pls excuse my shitty writing k thx cw: ab/se, ab/se mentions, both plumes and guz came from horrible homes, uhm references to thievery/mugging, some background all and all on how team skull's leaders came to be, uhm this isn't proof read or corrected mb

So basically, I think Plumeria found Guzma just after he ran away from home. Both were teenagers at the time, coming from stingy homes and bouncing place to place in order to survive. It was raining, and Guzma's wimpod just got attacked by some island challenger who was determined to let him know "bug types are weak!"

He runs Guzma through the mud, and leaves his Wimpod in critical condition. Guzma can't afford to go to the pokemon center without being ID’ed.

Second option was to go home, and by Arceus there was NO WAY in hell would he go back to that shithole.

He's walking through tall grass, afraid, wet, and fearing for his partner, when a young Plumeria calls out to him.

She's wearing a baggy hoodie, and is clearly out of sorts herself. She looks like she just got the snot beaten out of her, and originally she was planning to mug Guzma for everything he's got- my hc is that Plumeria was originally a thief to get by-

but then she can see Wimpod in his jacket, deathly critical, and literally she stops herself and drops whatever shes doing

Turns out Plumeria's Mom was a pokemon nurse

And you can imagine the two finding Po Town, this abandoned, walled off place that is full of crooks of all shapes and sizes

But they duck into the nearest place, the really old mansion, and Plumeria ransacks the pokemon centre next door

She does whatever she can to save Wimpod, without making conversation, and Guzma tries to thank her, when finally she shuts him up

"I didn't do this fer' ya. Yer' partner was in peril. If I EVA' see you with them like this again, I will find ya and BURY ya in the sand. Got it?"

anyway i just think they're neat!!! :) enjoy my dumb headcanon take lol

[teamsunfluff]

@askthestrykers (Dexter): Sky Peak? What happened there? What's making it a fearful challenge in your world?

In our home it's a lot more abandoned, a lot of the Pokemon don't really visit unless they have some other purposes for visiting, like an exploration or religious venture.

If it's super dangerous... do you believe your small bag will be enough?

Avin mused on the question for a moment before answering, "I don't think I'd label Sky Peak as particularly dangerous, per se. No more than any other normal dungeon. We Shaymin guides were required for the journey both ways and we're trained extensively for it.

"But we have had a few incidents and accidents over the years. Someone wanders off because they see something pretty or guests don't want to wait for an escort so they try to sneak up themselves and get lost. I can count on one paw the amount of times it has happened but... in all those instances we didn't find the victims until after the blights got to them unfortunately," Avin said quietly. "Never happened to me personally, but especially for the former, it really impacts the guides and usually the one who was "responsible" ends up retiring, out of guilt or for other reasons."

“Shame to hear your world’s Sky Peak has been abandoned,” Avin said with a slight frown. “Did all of the Shaymin there end up leaving? Or was it a pollution problem? I’ve heard from other visitors that in some worlds Sky Peak got wiped out because of things like that. One Shaymin I met mentioned that their homeworld’s version of Sky Peak got covered in snow, so all the Shaymin there are now ice types! Fascinating stuff really.”

Avin glanced at the bag they were carrying. “Ah I can see why you might think this is rather small. Explorer’s bags are very deceiving like that. This is holding a lot more supplies than it looks though. It’s very similar to the bag I used to use when scaling Sky Peak.”

Avin looked back up at Dexter and opened the bag to reveal the assortment of berries and other supplies inside. “Most bags like this are augmented using Psychic Gem powder that allows them to hold more items than one would think feasible. There’s still a limit, but if you keep to the limit, they won’t add any additional weight to the bag itself and will remain pretty easy to access. I normally like to have more say in what supplies I bring but Prisca and Nox know more about the Lost Forest than I do, so I’ll trust their judgement here.”

[estoog]

MOONTON NOVO ALDOUS PERFEITO BUILD E EMBLEMA 2023 YS

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[amelikos]

Some character notes and episode notes for HZ061, writing them down for future reference.

The episode starts with the trio heading to Fridge Town. Roy and Hogator are singing and Roy reaffirms his bond with Hogator, stating that he feels like they were destined to be partners. The trio also talks a bit about Roy and Hogator's song, and how it feels like they're growing stronger when they sing. After reaching the town, they come across two people who tell them a bit about the history of the town and the events happening (such as concerts). Roy asks them where the gym is, so the trio heads to the gym only to find out that Rhyme isn't there. As the trio heads to the stage plaza to look for her, they come across Ghost Pokemon (Bochi) who sap their life essence. They go to a restaurant to eat to replenish their strength (Liko is worried about Roy being too tired to take on his test but he assures her he'll be fine after eating). Terapagos gets distracted by Fuwante and gets taken away by two of them, so the trio has to run after them to save him. Nemo happened to be there so she manages to catch Liko's bag before it's too late.

Afterwards, they head to the stage plaza again with Nemo who explains that Rhyme will be performing and that her concerts include battles sometimes so Nemo came for this. As they reach the stage, Roy calls out for the MC and introduces himself, explaining that he is there for his implementation test. The MC suggests they both have a battle so Roy accepts. Rhyme was watching their battle, and Nemo also paid attention to how Roy was battling (and she didn't know Roy sings during battles). The battle ends in Roy's victory. Afterwards, Rhyme shows up and sings for the crowd. Roy was surprised to find out who Rhyme truly was since he met her in HZ052 (and he brings it up to Liko and Dot). Once Rhyme finishes her song, she asks the crowd who feels ready to bring heat to the stage and Roy volunteers.

Second part of the ep is about the battle between Roy and Rhyme. Before they begin, Roy and Rhyme talk a bit and mention past events. Roy says he ended up meeting Konoyozaru (in HZ053). Rhyme says she'll be okay battling him if they have a rap battle first. Roy accepts and they "battle" using words (really felt like Hypnosis Mic tbh ww). Roy was able to come up with lyrics and Rhyme took on his challenge. As they get ready to battle, Rhyme asks Roy what Terastal means to him. Roy says that it's something he needs to get closer to his dream, the black Rayquaza. Rhyme says she'll test his guts.

The battle starts with Hakadog VS Taikaiden. Rhyme seems satisfied that Kaiden evolved into Taikaiden. This confrontation was a bit short and Taikaiden was quickly defeated but gave Roy a hint as to how to handle Hakadog. He does eventually manage to defeat Hakadog with Hogator and feels unbeatable with Hogator. Rhyme feels that Roy really seems confident and asks him another question. She wants to know what singing means to him, why him and Hogator sing and what brings them to sing during battle. Roy says that it helps them get stronger, and help them win. Rhyme sends out Strinder after hearing his answer. Roy was overwhelmed by Rhyme during this battle, as Strinder reduces damage taken from sound moves and could block most of Roy's attacks. Roy and Hogator's song didn't help them either. In a fit of desperation, Roy uses Terastal but it doesn't help him either since Rhyme quickly defeats him after that. Rhyme tells Roy that he can't make use of Hogator's fiery vibes and that he is a failure of a partner. Roy didn't pass his test either. Rhyme tells Roy to come back once he's washed his soul. At the end, Roy joins Liko, Dot and Nemo. He apologizes to Hogator for not making him live up to his potential and ponders on the words Rhyme said to him, that he is a failure of a partner.

Overall, good episode. Good continuity, nice interactions between the characters and set up next ep well. This was the kind of conflict I wanted to see for Roy. This ep made me think back about the Corni and Lucario arc in XY. Corni took her bond with Lucario for granted and thought they were always in sync so she didn't deem it necessary to communicate properly with him, when she should have. I'm bringing this up because Corni has the same VA as Roy and I think there are a few similarities. I think Roy is taking his bond with Hogator for granted on some level (they don't really have the same glaring communication issues that Liko and Nyarote have sometimes for example). He thinks that they are in sync but maybe they need to make sure they are on the same wavelength.

I think Roy's answer to "why do you and Hogator sing" was a bit lacking. He only talked about his own dream and getting stronger/winning when answering Rhyme's questions. He didn't talk about Hogator's dream or about Hogator's pure love for singing. In a way, it feels like singing became a means to an end to getting stronger instead of helping him bond more deeply with Hogator. Singing is what brought them together in HZ004 and they sing together because they love it. I think Rhyme was expecting an answer more along these lines. In the first place, Roy set on a journey intent on fulfilling both his and Hogator's dreams back in HZ006. Roy's dream is to chase after Rayquaza and catch him, while Hogator's dream is to become strong and cool like Lizardon. Roy's grandfather made sure that Roy valued Hogator's dream before giving him his blessing to go on a journey in HZ006 and he pointed out that it was a good thing that Roy talked about his partner's dream and not only his own dream.

Either way, it was nice having Rhyme ask those kinds of questions. Made me think a bit about Chili asking Liko questions back in HZ056. Having characters think about these things is important. I didn't expect Rhyme to be so harsh and strict but I like that she is taking the tough love approach to teach Roy. It works well with a character like him too, since he doesn't easily give up and we know he'll train before facing her again.

I also liked that they showed that there is a reason the rule "using Terastal at the right timing" exists. Roy used Terastal hastily and didn't think too much before doing it. So this rule feels meaningful knowing that they do pay attention to the timing of Terastal use and will point out whether the character properly thought the situation through or not. And that it cost Roy's implementation test to not pay attention to this. He didn't use his Terastal phrase this episode either, so it showed that he was hasty and his heart wasn't fully into it.

Also, I enjoyed the rap battle between Rhyme and Roy. The lyrics were really good and flowed well. I think Fuma no KTR worked on the rap in this episode. He is a Japanese rapper and musician and he also worked on the Rising Volt Tacklers Rap endings.

Overall, I liked it. Previous episode reaffirmed Roy and Hogator's bond and that singing is important to them. This episode showed that sometimes, singing isn't enough and deconstructed it a bit. So I guess next ep will truly answer the question "why do you and Hogator sing", which I'm looking forward to. Part of me is expecting Hogator to evolve next episode because it really feels like they set up an appropriate situation and timing here. Though now I'm starting to doubt it a bit because the preview didn't really tease it, and they hinted at it for Nyahoja and Kuwassu's evolution scenes (the whole glowing light, etc). Though maybe they just want to hide it longer. If Hogator doesn't evolve now, I guess they have another situation in mind which would feel appropriate for it. When Nyahoja evolved, it was during the climax of chapter 2 and Friede, Amethio, Rayquaza were around (among others). So assuming Hogator's evolution doesn't happen next episode, maybe it'd be to save it for such a setting. I guess we'll see.

[ribarukirikaindenial]

just random thoughts that i’m writing but sometimes i wonder if the daipa writers hit a wall or reached a point of non return by making nozomi win the grand festival thus making her a top coordinator and perhaps putting a halt in the rivalry between her and hikari

these are just musings about the nozohika rivalry and me wondering what nozomi has been up to ever since dp ended 

i understand why nzhk rivalry was written the way it was, nozomi being a kind of stand in for hikari’s mom (she is a prodigy, takes on a mentor approach with hikari, she even has the cat pokemon whose name i forgot like hikari’s mom), hikari’s development being about growing out of her goal and the pressure she put on herself because of her legacy since her perfectionism held her down so she had to learn to be relaxed, learn that losing is okay, etc etc. so hikari never winning against nozomi was part of that and they probably wanted to make the finals be about two characters we’re invested in, rather than having nozomi win against some random or another side character. 

the thing is, i’m wondering if the nozohika rivalry still had grounds to grow further post canon, since hikari never caught up to nozomi once and nozomi already being a top coordinator kind of feels like she is in a unreachable place, plus again hikari’s development isn’t about becoming a top coordinator per se (again, i understand why things are written the way they are but when i compare to snst or even shhr rivalries, the latters seem much more equal, haruka eventually caught up to shuu and we got to see how the ag rivals were doing during the mikuri cup in dp, plus we knew they intended to keep challenging each other in johto)

i guess it’s because we don’t know much about the kind of roles there could be in contests, i guess a top coordinator can eventually become a judge during contests?? but even there, it feels onesided in terms of making a rivalry out of that if the nzhk rivalry had to go further. 

also, i’m realizing that if nozomi takes a route of mentoring new coordinators by being a contest judge, it would parallel shinji becoming a gym leader lol (the snst and nzhk rivalries have interesting contrasts, after all).

i guess i’m just really curious about nozomi post dp. we never got news on her after all. i wonder if she is a prodigy that hit the jackpot too fast by becoming a top coordinator so young, and after her very first grand festival (i think she never competed in a grand festival before the one in sinnoh). she kind of reminds me of dande, in that way (he felt like he had no room to grow further and was scared because of it).  

what else could she do now? of course she can keep competing contests, but i wonder if she can find a rival that keeps challenging her. plus her already being a top coordinator means she has the upper hand in a way if her opponent is still beginning (her rivalry with hikari started with her already having a ribbon for example, so she was already a step ahead and kept being a step ahead until the very end, on the other hand shinji and satoshi started on an equal footing). 

anyway, i had to check nozomi and hikari’s last interaction in dp and i think they just say goodbye to each other and there wasn’t a promise to see each other in a contest again (i think). nozomi said she was going to kissaki city because suzuna wanted to throw a party to congratulate her for becoming a top coordinator and she asked hikari if she wanted to come. hikari refused because she wants to support satoshi for his last gym battle and for the league. and that’s how it ends, and in retrospect, it’s kind of sad :( i don’t really get “hints for the future” from their last interaction. in comparison with shinji and satoshi (and again, i know they are different dynamics and i’m not pitting one against the other etc etc), dp ended with a big hint for their future which was unlike anything else we’ve gotten at the time tbh. shirona talking about how they’ll climb up the ranks of the champion league, which is eventually what happened with shinji helping satoshi for the m8 etc, and satoshi promised to battle each other again. even in their reunion, i still got “hints for the future” vibes from the whole setting since the writers always keep their possibilities very open (satoshi could always challenge shinji’s gym in the future and get his badge, they promised to battle each other again, we know shinji is always welcome in masara town since ookido hakase told him so, so even outside battles, there is potential for many things). so the possibilities are endless there (good for me, and good for them!).

just a bit sad for nozomi. i don’t doubt that her and hikari are keeping in touch with each other, but i just wonder how their rivalry could grow further. my imagination is kind of limited, so i don’t have many ideas for how it could turn out after dp.