#and so far the only character i care about is professor sycamore

[possumkingluca]

something i haven't seen like anyone talk about referring to x and y's characters being forgettable is the fact the text boxes are speech bubbles and because of that the names aren't listed like it wouldn't fix the problems about the characters being non existent but i think there'd be a better chance of people actually being able to remember some of their names you cannot tell me a character's name once and then expect me to know who the hell you're talking about like um where are my name tags ????

(i'm certain people have discussed this but i personally haven't seen it so y'know)

[zip-toonz]

if u have ANYTHING to say abt trevor (either your interpretation, anyone else's, or just plain old canon trevs) id LOVE to hear abt it...i care abt him soooo much trevor fans make some noise ‼️

I HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY ABOUT TREVOR WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN!! First and Foremost I have to say I love your interpretations of the characters! I love reading your head canons and Ideas and I'm honored my stuff inspired you like your work inspires me! (Obsessed with Schrödinger's Trevor). I should draw our Trevors hanging out sometime I think that would be a fun art piece! Also the fanart you made for the PLA au still makes me go crazy /pos

ALRIGHT *cracks my knuckles so hard my bones turn to dust* Trevor time! Read more cause I never shut up about Trevor

Trevor is by far my favorite Pokémon character of all time. I use to spend hours scrounging up any fanart I could find back in like 2013-15. I'm pretty sure he did things to my gender identity. Trevor of Trans your Gender.

He reminds me a lot of one of my other big time blorbos Mary Ann

Something about kids with this hairstyle I guess haha. I think they'd get along though they have similar personalities.

My Interpretation of Trevor!!

My interpretation of Trevor is a weird amalgamation of the game, manga, and anime. And sometimes I have multiple interpretations of him depending. But the one that I have a design for is a solid mix of all. He likes photography and wants to complete the pokedex. Gets really excited seeing Pokémon even if its a Pokémon he's already seen before and yet is very shy when meeting new people. He's only really comfortable with his friends, his sister, and Sycamore (who is effectively his father figure). Very smart but kind of clumsy, he tends to get a little beat up because he focuses in on things and forgets his surroundings. He's not big on battling but he loves studying Pokémon and want's to be a professor when he's older just like Sycamore. He takes photos of pokemon and keeps them in a little scrapbook with help from Shauna. Also he thrifts all his clothes and can never find anything that fits him just right.

Canon Trevor HCs

I tend to have sadder head canons for him due to the lack of parents. I don't think he likes Celebrating his birthday because his parents are never there to celebrate it with him. He has a hard time making friends and is always silently worried his friends will leave him one day. He's scared of getting hurt and so he tends to shut himself off from others involuntarily because he's scared of being abandoned again, and most of the time he only meets new people through the others in his friend group. Sycamore is one of the few adults he trusts.

Because of the manga I like to think he has this sixth sense of snuffing out harmful or dangerous people based on their aura. Lysander makes this kid faint his vibes are so bad. But that's really just for fun rather than anything serious or concrete.

I think he's got a wet paper bag for a stomach and gets queasy very easily. Its possible his anxiety has something to contribute to his health. and he should probably be on some kind of medication to manage it.

I love love love how hes handled in the manga. He's not the coward he thinks he is. He's scared but he's willing to fight for what he believes in. He's willing to stand up for his friends even when he struggles to stand up for himself and its so nice watching him grow.

AUS!!

I have a few aus major with Trevor PLA and REVIVAL are my two major ones but there's also Paldea (a spin off following PLA) and Wondar (My fan region that features him minorly)

Despite both major ones having godly deer screwing him over in one way or another I characterized him differently

In PLA is emotionally dead. He's got no fucks left to give and handles Pokémon with his bare hands. He's exhausted and numb. I don't think I've talk a lot about him and his relationships in PLA but he practically adopted by Laventon, and ends up making good friends with Akari and Rei. When he does return home he finds himself missing them a lot. Also he never wants to see another shinx in his life hes got scars for days from shinx alone. Also theres a Yanmask with a mask of him implying he died before returning home. (Paradoxical nonsense but its meant to represent the part of him that lived in paldea and not the part of him that died if that makes any sense? its like the physical manifestation of the impact he had on the past).

In the Revival au (sometimes lovingly called Revival Rival cause its fun to say) he's physically dead. He's practically a walking corpse with a conscious. His heart barely beats, his skin is cold. A medical anomaly. Xerneas splinters a piece of its power off (so to speak) to bring him back because humans are far more complicated than foliage. Because of this he can understand Pokémon, Flowers grow in his wake, and can revive fainted Pokémon. It seems neat but to him it just further alienates him from his peers and is a responsibility he doesn't want to have to handle. Its overwhelming. He can't stray too far from Xerneas who's is practically his life support. I've jokingly compared it to a soul gem from Madoka where if he strays to far he slows down and then eventually loses consciousness/dies again. Theres a grace radius but he can't really explore places like Lumiose anymore because Xerneas can't/won't follow. Meaning he can't go home. He lingers around smaller towns and forest. When emotinally distressed he loses his ability to control these new powers.

anyway!! enough of me rambling!! if you wanna talk about him more or have follow up questions just ask!! My dms are also open!! I can keep talking about this silly lil guy for ever!

[a-tale-of-legends]

( cracks knuckles) okay let's do this in chunks.

1) Shauna's parents do want their daughter to succeed in life. They don't come from a crazy rich family or let alone a family that can at least live comfortably like Jude and Dante. They see their daughters smarts and see her potential and think " this can get her to live her life comfortably", and thus the active pushing for her to focus on science and technology. But again, it's not what she wants. She wants to go around making memories, but that's not " being productive" and she's " just goofing off". Again, they want the best for their daughter, but I don't think they realize they're weighing her down( she took the voyage by professor Sycamore as an escape tbh).

2) Pokemon is an idealistic world so fortunately we don't have to worry about paying for every romantic site. I do think traveling requires some money in general, but I think Kalos would make it way worse if they reaaaally wanted to. Again fortunately that's not the case!

3) Tierno's "problem" is that he's kinda average. Nothing makes him stand out outside of his dancing. He's not boring- far from it - but he's been put in a place of ' oh I guess I can't do much with my dancing? It's not really important....' which SUCKS LET THIS BOY DANCE. I should mention that most of these comments are coming from the few upper classmen/ rich folk he has met in his life. Yes, it's just the few, but it left a mark on him. ( This honestly can be said about all of kalos. I generally think most people aren't suuuuper strict on their culture around beauty, it's just that there's so many corporations and people in power that are. I think lysandre was a much needed wake up call). And yeah, unfortunately, him being a fat kid does okay into this dismissal of his character. Conventional beauty standards are a bitch, and poor Tierno has probably dealt with his fair share of nasty comments ( bc of this Shauna, Dante and Trevor are much more combative when it comes to any insults thrown towards their friend. They WILL fuck someone up- especially Shauna. )

3) Jude is again another person who is really interesting in this context bc yes, their mom is famous, yes, they have the money to live comfortably in the suburbs of Kalos ( does Grace even work now? I don't know-). But here's the thing. Jude was an orphan. Jude was an orphan in a system that did not treat her kindly. He has seen the systems bullshit in Kanto, and can see it in Kalos - and bc of the whole cultural difference it's kinda like. Whiplash after whiplash. Jude and Grace have only been in each other's lives for....two years by then? Yeah that's a decent amount of time for Jude to get used to their new life style ( and to an extent, they do, they like having their own room lol), but like. It's Jude. They're not gonna forget what came before Jude and doesn't exactly completely fall for their new lavish life style. I think what I'm trying to say that in comparison to Dante, Jude is more.....grounded? Privileged, yes, but also not? I don't know if that makes sense. They still experience what Shauna and the others experience at some level.

4)Going into Dante real quick he's funny bc he's not Rich Rich. He's comfortable rich, which is something not a lot of people can say they are. So I can see it where while he is actively reaping the benefits of his status ( without really being aware of it), he's not totally among the elites, you know? And I think his parents want their son to have good principles and not fall back on his money ( thus resulted in a surprisingly practical and stubborn kid who would rather work hard than have things given to him - unfortunately he does not realize that a lot of things are being given to him-). Again it's interesting bc Dante doesn't want to be known for his money, or his looks ( though he does take care of his appearance), or who parents are and their legacy. He wants to build his legacy by his own hands, which is really admirable. It's like. He's seemingly going against Kalos' values in denying the privilege he's gotten, but he's still actively using said privilege without even knowing it. Does that make sense? I hope it does. It's a very interesting juxtaposition.

Do you have headcanons about Kalos in your AU, that affect Jude, Dante, and the rivals? Familar and new ones alike!

Yeah! I have a few hc's that I hopefully remember -

I know that Kalos has a classism problem, if Team Flare is to show off anything. And also this weird beauty problem, whether or not someone is stylish enough is allowed to enter certain stores. That in particular reaaaally bothers Jude n Shauna lol.

I think the rivals sans Dante and Jude ( kinda) aren't suuuuuuper wealthy. Not exactly poor either, but they don't exactly have the same luxury that Dante has. Shauna was always aware of this really - it's why she's so quick to point out the faults of rich folk in my au. Trevor is aware of this too, but was more focused on making his dead beat parents proud.

I think this focus on beauty in Kalos effected them too. I generally go by the principal that the pokemon world is sooooo much better to live in compared to the real world, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have it's issues. I can see Trevor being used for his smarts like Clemont is- something that he doesn't exactly mind, but I can imagine it's kinda taxing. Shauna is also very smart and her parents are often pushing her to "maximize her potential" but. It isn't her passion. She likes puzzles as a hobby, but nothing worth being a career. It doesn't help that it's not just her parents trying to push her in this direction. It's frustrating, being told to uphold a certain standard that you don't want. And Shauna is a bit of a romantic. She likes all the romantic stuff of Kalos, but having to obtain that is frustrating sometimes. Tierno, I feel, is often overlooked in that regard. He doesn't exactly have exceptional abilities like Trevor or Shauna or Dante. He just likes to dance and dreams of making a dance team. Which. Might not even be considered something worth going into by some. Not all, of course, but the few that do kinda always stuck with Tierno. It didn't help that he didn't exactly come from a rich family so. I think these things played a role in Tierno's self worth really. He doesn't feel like he offers much, or has anything to stand out. His dancing is just dancing- it's not as useful as Trevor's smarts, or Shauna's charm or Dante's battle prowess. So what can he really offer?

Jude is kinda funny in all of this bc Jude is an outsider here. She's from Kanto. She's not used to whatever Kalos is about. So there's always a level of slight annoyance with how things operate in Kalos. Though she's also in a position where she does get the perks of "beauty", so it's. Weird. Dante, on the other hand, has always thrived in Kalos' standards, and never had a problem with it because of that. In a way he kinda isolated his friends out because he never really saw the problem. It's only when his ego got hurt was when he started to really see things for how it is- and even then that took a while bc Lysandre got to him first and kinda warped Dante's ego into working for him( though I should stress Dante didn't know Lysandre was part of team flare, let alone leading it. His job was just to collect mega stones and help Lysandre with some data- but Lysandre did present himself as someone who understood Dante at the time, and that's what Dante really wanted )

Aaaaand yeah. I think that's all I want to say. It was fun to compare how the culture around kalos effects the kiddos!

[mephistofowl]

SPOILERS/PREDICTIONS FOR THE POKÉMAS VILLAINS ARC UNDER THE CUT

i'll delete this post and honk my little clown nose if i end up being wrong. but. i'm so excited to see where the villains arc is heading based on my predictions, which are the harebrained and highly wish-fulfilling predictions of someone who's only been loosely following the plot.

has it been confirmed that there are two giovannis on pasio? this is going off the assumption that there are two giovannis on pasio, our giovanni who came from the familiar universe in which he lost to the RGB protagonists, and the rainbow rocket giovanni who came from a universe where he succeeded in his plans.

anyway!!! my prediction is that the rainbow rocket giovanni is going to somehow bring all of the other rainbow rocket villains to pasio, and "we" (as the player) along with the "good guys" are going to have to team up with the familiar-universe-villains on pasio to fight the rainbow rocket villains. this would really give them the chance to explore the rainbow rocket concept much better than in the underwhelming disappointment that was USUM. furthermore!!! i'm really hoping they'll only "redeem" the familiar-universe-villains in varying shades of gray. lusamine basically already came to the island "redeemed," and we all know that archie and maxie are really only a threat due to their own shared stupidity. sooo, those two are on the much lighter end of the grayscale. probably somewhere in the middle, we have cyrus, who's likely going to be "redeemed" in some way shape or form (given all the obvious hinting in the most recent sinnoh chapter), but i doubt he'll ever make a conscious effort to reform to the extent that we see from lusamine. obviously, i'm sure ghetsis will be at the much darker end of the grayscale, since no one is ever REALLY going to trust him, he's the world's shittiest dad, and he's probably the most set in his ways (as far as the villains go). he'll probably end up being cornered into siding with the "good guys", much like how the ghetsis event ended, but he won't be happy about it.

most importantly (to me), i really hope they let lysandre drift somewhere between cyrus and ghetsis. i don't think i'd want to see lysandre "reformed" outside of some kind of detailed plot that fully centers around his character and forces him to deal with the consequences of his actions (thank you fanfic writers), but i absolutely love the thought of professor sycamore temporarily convincing him to ~embrace the power of friendship and smile at the possibility of a brighter future~. oh, sycamore, i hope your magical girl mission to redeem the love of your life one day succeeds. anyway!!! i just really love the idea of all the villains having to work together with the "good guys" but none of the villains really being on the same page. lusamine really wants to be a good mom and cares about the good of humanity b/c (1) it's what a good mom would do, and (2) her kids care, so, naturally, she also must. archie and maxie care about making the world a better place, and maybe they had some really stupid ideas about how to do that, but may and brendan have set them straight. they care about everyone on pasio, except each other. definitely not each other. nope. absolutely not. cyrus will always be melancholy, but i'm guessing his admins and the "good guys" (sophocles especially) will show him the hypocrisy of his ways and he'll be forced to admit that emotions are necessary for humans and pokémon to flourish, etc, etc, etc. lysandre still, SOMEHOW, adamantly believes that blowing up the earth is a good solution to the problem of injustice (???), but sycamore will hopefully convince him to stop working on his next doomsday weapon for long enough to help the others and smile a couple times and maybe even gain a sliver of optimism. it's the little things that count. ghetsis, begrudgingly, will be there, since he needs to fight for his god-given right to make everyone miserable and be the world's shittiest dad, i guess. i honestly have no idea how giovanni will factor into any of this, but i'm excited to see.

[renaissanceduroi-archive]

drabble ; deserving

Hi I accidentally wrote a 5 page drabble(?) where Elysia meets Lysandre for the first time after seeking him out when he doesn’t attend Sycamore’s funeral. It’s relatively sparse and unedited because I am tired and did not intend for this to happen, but I am excited by it nonetheless so here it is: 

---

“You’re weak.” What a way to introduce herself. She should be shocked, or afraid, or heartbroken, but Elysia is angry. It doesn’t matter that a dead man is breathing before her; it only matters what he has done. 

Despite her rancid tone, Elysia gently lets the honchkrow out of its ball, as the poor thing is not responsible for the deeds of its master. It looks so frail. Old. Like Sycamore, but without that undying glint of hope in his eye. What would Lysandre do, without the bird? Would he care enough to check in on her? Or would it have been a relief to him, to not be able to know about her or Sycamore anymore?

“I have always wanted to see what you look like,” is all that Lysandre has to say for himself. He looks rather comfortable, sitting on the ground, himself looking quite frail, but not a day over forty, despite how many years it has been. 

“Shut UP!” Her voice is a screech. They are so isolated, it hardly matters -- and if they are overheard, being found out is what this pathetic excuse for a man deserves. “You have no idea how much you hurt the professor. He hurt, for you. Every. Single. Day. Every single day. You get to run away and disappear, he is left to wonder. Worry himself sick. It’s selfish. It’s disgusting of you.” 

“I knew our royal genes were strong, but you are nearly the spitting image of your grandfather. Though much prettier, of course.”

“We have both known what you’ve been doing. Sending your poor honchkrow all the way out to Lumiose City to watch him. What, did you want to make sure he was still alive? Because clearly you care so much!” 

“I did not intend for it to be secret.”

“Professor Sycamore thought of you every day of his life, and in his final moments. But you did not care enough to show up to his funeral. Not a care in the world. Why? Not worth the potential of being seen? Too much of a hassle? Didn’t want to have to witness how you left the world? How you left him to DIE?! He is-- was… is, the cornerstone of my life. I have loving family and friends, but he was, in a way, a soulmate. Not romantically of course, but beyond that. He taught me everything I know. He taught me how to pour love into something and create something beautiful. He taught me the virtues of balance, patience, forgiveness. He forgave you, Lysandre. And that’s a true testament to his character, because I don’t think I ever will. Not for the destruction and devastation you caused, but for how you betrayed the only person left alive who still loved you.” 

“We can bring him back.” 

“Don’t. Don’t say that to me.” 

“We can.” 

“Don’t SAY THAT TO ME! That is the last thing he would have wanted. Did he teach you nothing? Do you even now move through your life so self-absorbed that you cannot understand that someone may have different desires than you?” 

“I acknowledge peoples desires.” 

“You just do not care.” 

“I dismiss ones that are unproductive, yes.” 

“How could he have spoken so highly of you.” 

“Are you seeing that he perhaps was not always of sound judgement?” 

She freezes for a moment, but only a flash. “Stop. You’re trying to sow seeds of doubt into my mind.” 

“I am merely attempting to show you that all is not as perfect as you want to believe.”

“What do you know of perfection? You are a flawed man who caused ugly destruction, nothing more.” 

“I know more of perfection than any person. I have witnessed it, embodied it, believed in it, created it.” 

“You’re insane.” 

“If I were insane, would your pure Augustine have loved me so?”

She wants to spit on him. To vomit. To scream. She had imagined meeting Lysandre many times, asking him all sorts of questions, wondering what bond they would form. But today was the day she pushed herself to truly discover him, fueled by the sole desire of yelling at him for continuing to be so weak as to betray his only friend in his final moments. 

“Would he?” Lysandre presses. 

“Clearly, he did.” 

She expected Lysandre to smirk at that, to be haughty, but he remains emotionless. “Clearly.” … “Is this all you wanted from me? You came all the way out here to scorn me?” 

“Yes, actually.” 

“Such a distance, fueled by the fire in your heart.” 

“Everything you say is nonsense!” 

“Even when I try to show my appreciation for you? What a shame.” 

“The last thing I want is your appreciation.” 

“Ah, but you are doing so marvelously.” 

She wants to bite back with I haven’t done anything, but her curiosity overrides her. “...How so?” she asks, suspicious. 

“Your beliefs are strong. Your passion consumes you. Your values dominate your every decision. And of course, you have taken wonderful care of the professor for me.” 

“There was nothing stopping you from taking care of him yourself! It’s all he wanted!” 

“But if I had, I would have interfered with the balance of things. Don’t you see? He imparted his value of balance upon you, correct?” He waits for an answer.

“Correct.” 

“I could not have forced myself back into his life. It would have broken the delicate ground upon which he rebuilt his world. I tried to raze and rebuild the world, but the force of destruction was too strong that the force of balance overcame me, and then he, and his force of life, was meant to override that. Life must go on, Elysia.” Hearing her name in his voice sends an indescribable shudder through her body. It’s like, a snake, or an eel, something shocking and wet and cold and wrong. “And now you are the life that must go on. You see it now, don’t you? You have his teachings, but my temperament. His values, but my blood.”

“I wish I had your blood on my hands.” 

“I wish you would stop threatening me, but I suppose neither of us will get what we want.” 

“Speak for yourself.” Elysia slyly pulls her hand out from her pocket and tosses a pokeball in the air. The professor’s charizard -- her charizard, now -- lands on the ground with a hard stomp, shaking the earth. It wears a mega stone around its neck, matching one of the rings she wears on her right hand. The pokemon recognizes Lysandre instantly, and is visibly confused, wary, unsure of how to act. How much does the charizard understand of what Lysandre has done? It surely witnessed its trainer, its original trainer that is, cry from the anguish caused by the man below him. But Lysandre also cared for this pokemon once, too. He gave it pets and treats, looked after it while the professor was away, and looked after the professor itself. Why is it being used to threaten him, now? But the charizard can sense Elysia’s anger. And he must trust the person that Sycamore entrusted him with, rather than the man who has been absent for years.

So as Elysia fumes at him, the charizard growls at a man who once was a friend.

“Do not allow yourself to be overcome by wrath, Elysia. Anger is not becoming on you.” 

“I will not be calm only when you stop inciting my rage. And I will get what I want.” She gestures forward and charizard leans in, snarling in Lysandre’s face, small embers inadvertently flurrying out of its nose as it begins to carry the same wrath as its trainer. “You have caused so much suffering to a wonderful man. And you 

“I admire your determination.” 

“I do not want to be someone you admire.”

“Then stop acting admirably.” 

“...”

“If Augustine saw you right now, what would he say?” 

This makes charizard simmer down, as well. 

“Is this your way of begging for mercy?” 

“I do not need your mercy.” 

“How immortal is immortal, hm? Surely being decapatated by a dragon would be enough to strip the gift of life away from you.” 

“I thought you said Augustine taught you about forgiveness.” 

“You do not DESERVE forgiveness!” 

“Ah, so people are only given what they deserve?” 

“You are hardly people.” 

“Yes, I am a god.” 

“You are a MONSTER!” 

“Do not lose track of your emotions, Elysia. You are angry about nothing.” 

“That’s not true.” 

“Then tell me, what are you angry about? My not attending the ceremony of our friend’s death?” 

“Your remorseless betrayal of a man who would have done anything for you.”

“Would he have? Elysia. He never came looking for me.” 

“...What do you mean.” 

“He never came looking for me. He never contacted me. You perceive my honchkrow as me being too weak to approach, but it was an invitation, open to being responded to. You found me so easily, and that was by design. He didn’t do anything for me.” 

“You’re lying. The professor was passionate, and driven, and--” 

“Weak. He was too weak to confront the fear of what he would find when he looked deep enough. He was like this before I fired the Weapon, and remained as such to his dying day.” 

She’s still angry. She’s still so, so angry at him, a lava still sitting in her stomach and wrists and wanting to explode again. But for the first time so far, the tides change, and water strikes her now. Tears begin to prick in her eyes and warp her vision, and she falls backward, sitting on the ground. She is no longer standing over him, now. 

“Call off your pokemon.” 

“No.” 

Lysandre looks the charizard in the eye and commands, “Dracaufeu. Retourne.” 

The dragon hesitates, unsure of what to do. It continues its locked gaze with Lysandre until it decides… to not listen to him. The charizard snuffs a small ember at him and retains its stance. 

“Don’t speak to the professor’s pokemon like that.” 

“Its allegiance to you is admirable. And isn’t it your pokemon, now?” 

“...Yes. It’s just taking some getting used to.” 

“Adjusting always takes time.” 

“It does.” Elysia wants to rest her head on her knees, give her body a moment’s rest, but for some reason she is afraid of letting her guard down around this man. Rationally, yes he is a threat, but she also does not feel as though he will be violent toward her. And yet, she is still on high guard. The two of them exist in a brief silence, together but separate. The air around Elysia is filled with solid utter grief and warping distorting rage; the air around Lysandre is stagnant nothingness save for the threatening dragon’s head looming above his own. Finally, though, now the calmest she has been this entire time, Elysia asks flatly, “Why didn’t you come to the funeral.” 

Lysandre answers simply. “I have not seen him since before I fired the Weapon. To see him decaying, ravaged by age would have corrupted my memory of him.” 

“You disregarded dignity and respect for a loved one because you did not want to perceive him as something other than perfect.” 

“Yes.” 

“You disgust me.” 

“I know. … What are people to one another if not projections of stylized impressions?” 

“Love is raw, intimate, messy, difficult. Love is not pristine, nor is any person. Relationships are more than distant idealization.”

“Then why did you yell and threaten me when I suggested Augustine was flawed?” 

For the first time, she has no answer to this. 

“Now. Do you have anything else to say, or will you leave me be? This was quite a lot of interaction for someone who has been isolated for as long as I have.” 

“You cannot make me take pity on you.” 

“I do not want your pity. I just want to be alone.” 

In a huff, Elysia plants her feet firmly on the ground and stands up, fists clenched by her sides. “It’s what you deserve.” She begins to mount her charizard, only catching a quick glimpse of Lysandre’s face as she turns. He’s smirking. 

“Exactly.” 

Without another word, she and charizard fly off the mountainside, back toward town. 

[pkmnjesus]

The 2010s Decade of PokéAni (An overview - Part 2 of 2)

← Continuing on from the first half of this PokéAni 2010s overview....

2015: Serena cuts her hair to chase a dream

February 12, 2015 Serena’s character arc had a rocky start with her not really sure what to do after becoming a Pokémon trainer meeting her Fennekin for the first time. I was really excited when her character was first announced, but I wanted to like her more than just being “that pretty girl who has a crush on Ash”. Maybe it’s because I’m not that shippy of a person, nor a romantic type of guy whatsoever but I didn’t want a main character to just be defined as a potential love interest. With her development slowly leaning towards a clear goal on wanting to become a top Pokémon Performer, I was happy she was finally carving her own path. However it was this specific episode that marked a major turning point for her ambitions, and made me truly invest in the new and improved Serena.

It was finally Serena’s debut as a Pokémon performer competing in her first Pokémon Showcase in Coumarine City, along with her friend, rival, and fellow-performer, Shauna. The performers in this showcase are divided into groups, and only one from each group gets to move on to the next round. Going into the first round, Serena was nervous yet confident. It was a Pokémon styling contest, and Serena put a lot of care and effort into making Fennekin look as cute and gorgeous as possible. But maybe it was a bit too much...

As they walk down the runway showcasing Fennekin’s fashion, everything went well and both were having a great experience in their first showcase...until something terribly went wrong. Fennekin accidentally trips over its ribbon while walking the runway which ends up scattering all the decorations Serena had styled over her. She made a crucial mistake in making the ends of the ribbon too long, thus costing them the round and ultimately eliminated her from the competition. Shauna was able to advance from her her group easily, and all Serena could do now was watch the rest of the competition from the stands. Shauna ended up winning the Showcase and her first Princess Key. It was devastating defeat going into your first performance having to lose like that. On the outside, she tried to put up a good face for her friends comforting Fennekin and even congratulating Shauna on her first victory.

But in the inside, she was grieving and blames herself for not realizing the error she made while styling Fennekin. Even Ash knew that she would be alright all along knowing her strength. The following early morning when no once was watching her besides her Pokémon, she decides to let it all out and break down in front of the ocean. It really broke my heart seeing her crying like that knowing that she really did care about pursuing a performer career. Fennekin and Pancham immediately try and cheer her up as they engaged in a lovely group hug. After understanding the disappointment in defeat, she knew that this was a part of every dream. You can’t be successful without making a couple of mistakes and that it’s okay to cry sometimes to let the bad stress out. No one is perfect, and that same goes for some of Ash’s gym battles or what happened to some of May and Dawn’s contests in the past. It was all part of the process of chasing her newly found dream and Serena finally realized that. It was just the beginning, and she wants to keep going until she gets to Aria. She decides that going forward in this new chapter, there needs to be a change. She got her big scissors out and starts trimming her own hair (for her to do that on the spot without a mirror, she was pretty darn impressive to properly cut her hair like wow lol) as Palermo watches in the distance from her limo. She knew that was the same performer with the tripping Fennekin. It’s possible she saw potential in her that early. Serena rejoins her friends and surprises them with a new look!

If you ask me, I like this new outfit of hers way better (and I think girls with shorter hair cuter ^///^). Also you can’t forget about the blue ribbon Ash gave her prior to this, it was a really cute touch knowing that he helped her get stronger through her personal journey as a trainer. Now that’s fitting ;) You know even though it was spoiled early on that she was going to have a redesign, I’m really happy on how they did it and it wasn’t just random day where Serena decides she wanted to cut her hair. I’m no girl, but apparently (I researched this) when a woman cuts her hair shorter, it symbolizes a change or a major life event that has happened. To Serena, it was a major shift in her character after the embarrassing loss. She eventually went on to win future performances evolving her Braxien, and even got to be friends with Aria! Remember, Serena is MORE than just AmourShipping...she is our Kalos Queen <3

Honorable mentions from this year: There’s a lot to talk about when it comes to 2015 PokéAni. Ash had 4 gym battles that year, including his battle with Clemont which I was very hyped about. To the point of him temporarily leaving the group to prepare himself at the Lumiose gym, that’s how much he cared about being in the best battling shape for Ash. There was that infamous “date” episode that Ash & Serena had, Meowth & Bonnie being stuck together, Cosplay Pikachu everywhere, Trevor trying to get a picture of a Moltres, and the debut of Sawyer, the Treeko trainer who was fascinated by Ash. One of my personal favorites too was when Bonnie wanted to ‘keep’ a Tyrunt/Tyrantrum (matched her pajamas too :3) she helped and befriended but unfortunately already had a trainer </3 It was a year of a couple of catches like Ash’s Noibat, Serena’s Eevee, Clemont reminiscing the time he caught a Bunnelby, and of course the lost Goomy. Within months after Ash caring for the Goomy, he was able to evolve it to a Goodra but had to leave it behind when they finally found its homeland it had to watch over with a Floette. We got two more Mega Evolution Specials before it merges with the main anime the following year, but we did get start of the XY&Z arc where Ash’s (then) Frogadier would fulfill a prophecy to save Kalos from a great danger. When they met up with Sanpei in the Ninja Village, Frogadier would finally evolve into Greninja. It would be the year when Team Flare would initiate their plans, attempting to capture all the Zygarde cores. There was one specific Zygarde core that Bonnie was able to befriend and bring it along with them naming it Squishy/Puni-chan. If you thought 2015 was awesome, wait until what PokéAni does in 2016!

2016: Gym Leaders assemble - the last line of defense

September 15, 2016 The fallout following the Kalos League took a dark turn when Lysandre broadcasts Team Flare’s manifesto to create a new world order, where only the “chosen ones” will join them. Alain, feeling betrayed with Lysandre’s true nature, decides to team up with Ash and the others to take down Team Flare. Lysandre’s gone mad, and even Malva thinks that this is too much. On other side of the story, Mairin with Serena, Professor Sycamore, and Hoenn League Champion Steven, rescued Chespie/Hari-san from Lysandre Labs.

While all the chaos is going on outside, Clemont reclaims the Lumiose Gym from Xerosic at the cost of terminating his good ol’ Clembot/Citroid assistant he invented for the Gym. I can’t remember how sad I was on robot’s death and nearly cried on it...they really made this scene heartbreaking for Clemont to push that shut down button. You can see the bot’s loyalty towards him volunteering to sacrifice himself for the greater good. But thanks to their bravery, Team Flare no longer controls one of their Zygarde (Z2). Squishy was also able to show its true form (50% so far) when it called upon the other Zygarde cells under Team Flare’s control, but thanks to Bonnie’s bond with it, she was able to breakthrough that mind control by singing Puni-chan’s song (don’t think the dub has an actual name for their version) she often sings when they’re together. The development Bonnie had with Squishy throughout this whole arc was fantastic, because it gave her more responsibility and sense of friendship even after Squishy was under the control of Team Flare destroying every thing. This was her own trial to prepare her for what’s to come when she eventually becomes an official Pokémon trainer and own an overpowered Zygarde in the future xD. Squishy also trusted Bonnie as a human it can rely on.

With Team Flare looking to be defeated, there was one more threat looming over Kalos. What was that threat? A ROCK. But no ordinary rock, it was The Giant Rock (Meaglith) that Lysandre created based off Primal energy form a beast like creature similar to Zygarde’s 50% forme. It was his last ditch effort in creating a new world, and we have never seen anything this catastrophic from an evil boss since probably Cryus. The Zygarde-like rock beast even absorbed Mairin’s Chespie which makes it even more difficult for them to stop it. It’s destination was the Anistar City Sundial to trigger a massive explosion that could destroy Kalos and the world! Everyone joins up to stop this calamity from happening, but is their strength with Mega Evolution enough to bring it down?

Then, the epic back-up finally arrives! The whole Kalos crew is here with Champion Diantha uniting all the Gym Leaders (minus Clemont/Clembot) within the region. They even got their own solo introductions. This never happened in the previous regions of the anime, where the Gym Leader would just appear once battling with Ash, but in here they interjected themselves to the Zygarde’s story arc. This really reminded me of what happened during the climax of the Black & White games, where the Gym Leaders joined forces to stop Team Plasma. But this isn’t Unova, this is Kalos, and this is their last line of heavy defense against Lysandre! With 2 League Champions, a Blaziken Mask, Ash-Greninja, Z2′s army of cores, and 7 Gym Leaders, this Giant Rock wont stand a chance! When Zygrade finally reached its 100% forme, it uses Core Enforcer to end Lysandre’s evil plot once and for all (RIP him btw). From Steven Stone’s assistance, to Clembot’s sacrifice, to Team Rocket’s aide, and Diantha leading the region’s top gym leaders, this was an epic way to end the XY&Z saga with. For them saving Chespie, and bring back peace to Kalos.

Honorable mentions from this year: The closing year for the Kalos ended in epic fashion before taking flight to Alola. Who could forget the episode where Serena wore or should I say cosplayed as Ash? She even almost got to a dance with him during Monsieur Pierre’s party. She wasn’t able to, but at least got to evolve her Eevee into a Sylveon! Clemont also had a new bride that Bonnie wasn’t too fond of (despite her asking multiple ladies to ‘keep’ for him) when her jealousy kicks in. Ash’s Noibat also evolved into Noivern, and briefly reunited with Goodra. Serena got all her Princess Keys needed to compete in the Pokémon Showcase Master Class, and even went head to head with Kalos Queen Aria for her title! She was unsuccessful, but it still won’t stop her from getting better. It was also the official birth of Ash-Greninja when he had a battle with the Kalos Champion, Diantha! Ash finally meets our Mega Evolution protagonist Alain and gained a new rival for the League. Before the Kalos League, he struggled a bit with getting his final badge from Wulfric eventually perfecting Ash-Greninja. In the Kalos League, he had a great battle with Sawyer (who can now use Mega Evolution), but came up short against Alain in the finals. It was a loss everybody was bummed about, and it would take another 3 years for him to compete in another league...we’ll get to that :> But the farewells were unforgettable. Greninja had to be let go in order to destroy the reappearing roots with Squishy and Z2 protecting Kalos from further calamity. And I know y’all can’t forget about the ‘kiss’ heard around the world when Serena leaned in for her parting gift to Ash <3 Him and Clemont have one final battle (just like how the XY series started) before heading back to Pallet Town...”And to our own way”. But 2016 had to end on a happy note, where we see Ash finding a new home in Alola enrolling in their Pokémon School program. Upon arriving, he was blessed with a Z-ring from Tapu Koko, an Alola deity, because he saw something in our boy. Through his class he made 5 new friends, got a Rotom Dex, a little Rowlet birb chilling in his backpack, and meeting a feisty Litten. WHAT. A. YEAR. !!!

2017: Stoutland’s final days with Litten

April 6, 2017 In possibly one of the most depressing and emotional episodes the Pokémon anime has to offer, the wild Litten that always stole Ash’s food finally gets to be apart of his team. But what made this little kitty finally gave Ash a chance to train it after escaping him so many times when he tried to reach out to it?

Ash tried to help the loyal Stoutland Litten was living with after following it from stealing his groceries, but due to Stoutland’s old age and declining health, there wasn’t much Nurse Joy could do. The tree shots with the falling leaves throughout the episode pretty symbolize the time Stoutland has left.

Litten, bringing back his mentor to their old spot after spending the night at the Pokémon Center, still wanted to spend as much time with Stoutland and master the Fire Fang move it was trying to learn. Then the leaves were out, and the finals days of this Stoutland were up. Litten slept with his friend one last time, and even had a dream of Stoutland attempting to chase after it going off in the distance. This symbolizes Stoutland’s departure from being under its care.

It wasn’t directly shown, nor mentioned, but it is clear to me that the Stoudland had passed away. *sobs* The gloomy rainy weather, and the dark tone shown during this part of the episode signifies the sadness and mourning every character that was involved during Litten’s struggle to find help for its good ol’ friend, not immediately realizing that Stoutland was gone for good. Meowth tried to communicate with his fellow feline to understand what it was feeling, while Ash even spends the entire duration of the rainfall with Litten even though it refused his food offer many times and didn’t want his help. This definitely took me into a feels trip because it is rare for this anime to even do an episode about a death of a Pokémon, even though it was indirect with how they presented it. Not mention, every time I was on my Stoutland ride Pokémon when playing Pokémon Moon (to help detect hidden items), ridding the big doggo always made me think about this particular episode. ;_;

Eventually the rain stopped, and a rainbow bloomed in a distance that made Litten feel better remembering the good memories it had with Stoutland. Finally, Litten decides to give Ash a chance, but didn’t want his pity over what happened. Litten was a tough little cat and wanted Ash to earn its respect through battle. Litten finally joins Ash’s team after battling with Pikachu and successfully catching it. Ash was also able to feed Litten after accepting it as its trainer. This was probably what Stoutland would have wanted for Litten.

Stoutland knew what kind of trainer he was and wanted Litten to go with Ash to finish the training they started. Besides mastering Fire Fang, they did a lot more in the future to come. When Litten saw the rainbow and familiar cloud formation, both smiled in peace. Stoutland knew that Litten was in very good hands. The memories learning and training with Stoutland are never forgotten, as Litten embarks on a new journey with brand new friends and a caring trainer.

Honorable mentions from this year: The first fully fledge year of Alola! Ash owning the first discovered Dusk Lycanroc in the anime verse, Lana getting her own Z-ring and how can I not forget Brock and Misty’s (especially MISTY) big return to the anime when the class went to Kanto! We had new Pokémon caught added to the main cast such as the birth of Lillie’s Snowy/Shiron, James’s touchy Mareanie and Kiawe’s Alolan Marowak. It was Gladion’s debut year becoming Ash’s new rival. Ash’s Z-Crystal collection kept on growing bigger through his adventures in Melemele and Akala Islands, and even clears its respective grand trials. We were also introduced to a little Cosmog turned Solgaleo, Nebby. The bad guy in Faba to steals Nebby however to summon, an Ultra Beast (Nihilego) that would eventually consume Lusamine (just like in the games, only she is less obsessed here). Thus, a Z-Powered ganbaLilie was born to save her mom! With the help of her brother and friends of course. We had family matters like Sophocles thought he was moving a way for good, and fun little fillers like the pancake and Charjabug races, or raving with an Alolan Dugtrio blonde wig. A personal favorite of mine was when Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio had mini-adventure of their own, and outsmarted Team Rocket nasty schemes. Speaking of Team Rocket, we got a short glimpse of them versus a trio of Team Skull members. Kukui’s class activities like the baseball teams, camping outdoors, switching Pokémon partners with fellow classmates for the weekend, and sleeping over at the professor’s house were awesome too! Their field trip seeing the beautiful white-colored Aether Paradise, and traveling through the mysterious Ultra Space were treat as well. We got to see the development of Kukui and Burnet’s pre-married relationship, which wasn’t featured in the games…AND WE GOT A PROPOSAL AND WEDDING OUT OF IT! There’s a reason for the animation change, and to be honest I’m happy that they did! The art style definitely fits the tone and theme of the jolly Alola region. In conclusion, 2017 was a pretty cool year if you ask me!

2018: The People of Alola vs. Necrozma

September 13, 2018 The conclusion to the Poipole/Necrozma arc is probably the biggest highlight for this year. In Japan, this marked a major end of an era because this was also the final episode on a Thursday night (for 20 years!) since the series was officially moving to Sundays starting with the episode after this (~pika ;3). 

From Gladion joining the Ultra Guardians, to Team Rocket’s Matori Matrix attempting catch a fused Necrozma, to Nebby returning to assist with the mission, to rescuing and healing a weakened Lunala, to visiting Poipole’s home world and hear a Naganadel talk in their minds…I’m at the edge of my seat! The Masked Royal’s identity was first exposed here too when Faba fought alongside Kukui to ward off the Matori Matrix. Luckily Faba can keep a secret. The whole time this arc felt like it could be one Pokémon movie. This should probably make-up for why there really isn’t an Alola region based Pokémon movie for this series specifically. But going back on topic, the entire region of Alola was still in crisis as Necrozma absorbs all the Z-Power the Ultra Guardians tried to strike back with. At this point, Nebby was already fused with the Necrozma and they knew that they had to separate them just like what happened with Lunala. So what does everyone do in a time like this? UNITE! Not just the Guardian deities, not just the Ultra Guardians, not just the Aether Foundation, not just the Kahunas participating in the Manalo Festival, but Alola as a whole teamed up in various locations where citizens swarmed together and gave their “light” by doing Tapu Koko’s pose to bring Necrozma back to its original form, The Blinding/Radiant One! Nebby has been freed, and rejoins the Ultra Guardians.

In one last Ultra stand, Nebby (with Ash holding Solganium Z) and Lunala (with Gladion holding Lunalium Z) gave one final blow to Necrozma with some Ultra Aura. After unleashing the combination of Z-moves, Ultra Necrozma rises from the light and uses its power to restore all the damage that has been done to Alola, thus ending the chaos ensuing in the region. The Matori Matrix did try to go to Ultra Space when an Ultra Wormhole opened, but Tapu Koko was like “not so fast!” eventually forcing this Team Rocket unit to retreat.

Not only did they save Alola, but also brings back light to the Poipole home world. Of course the most emotional thing out of all this was saying goodbye to our little sticky Poipole friend who had remain in its home world. It left its home world to find a better home, and it did when Ash gave Poipole a spot in his team and is even an official member of the Ultra Guardians squad. Now that the home world has been restored, Poipole knew it needed to stay and protect its original home from further threats. As the Ultra Wormhole closes with Nebby and Lunala accompanying the Ultra Guardians back to Alola, Poipole painted Ash & Pikachu’s face as a sweet goodbye gesture. The flashback scenes, and the music in the end was absolutely magnificent to top it all off! This teary goodbye even had me tears. We’ll forever “like, like, love” you, Poipole <3 Maybe Ash will see it again one day...oh who am I kidding xD If you’re up to date with the anime, you know already what happens in the future ;]

Honorable mentions from this year: The year of Ultra Guardians! They’ve had multiple missions in bringing back the Ultra Beasts to where they came from.  Anime debuts of Ilima, Mina, and the long-awaited Hau make their respective appearances. We also got to see James “fighting” a Toxapex, Lana & Mallow’s childhood past, Lillie getting her first Z-Crystal and even Rotom Dex joining the set of Detective Laki. There were significant evolutions like Ash’s Litten evolving to Torracat starting its rivalry with Masked Royal’s Incineroar (while Burnet fangirls over them) and Mallow’s Steenee evolving to a Tsareena. And how can I forget Sandy/Nagisa? Those Eevee mini-specials ultimately led it to Alola for our great Lana to catch! The Ula’ula trials were highly significant too when Ash trained with Acerola and tested his strength against Kahuna Nanu. Specials include Mallow’s big brother visiting home, and the 2-parter with Dia and his Zeraora in the mysterious Ultra Ruin. For Team Rocket, they temporarily get an Alolan Meowth, but got a permanent family member with a Stufful later on (Bewear’s child!). I’ve gotta mention the fun ones too like Ash dressing up as a female nurse the class helping Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center, the class making their own school play, and Faba accidentally shrinking Ash, Lillie & Sophocles. Finally, in another emotional themed episode, Molayne showed everyone the beauty and sad reality of the Minior Pokémon at the Hokulani Observatory. Such a strong theme of having precious memories with a sad outcome due to the nature of that certain Pokémon :( Just look at the variety! I could still go on, but in summary was 2018 one heck of an ULTRA year!

2019: Ash wins the Alola Pokémon League 🏆

September 15, 2019 In the last highlight of this 2010s decade, it may probably be the biggest one. Ash vs. Gladion. Pokémon League finals to determine the first ever champion of Alola. I’ve already made several posts about this (maybe one too many) in my blog, so let me quickly reiterate the significance of this special event one last time. First thing I have to mention, is that Ash’s rivalry with Gladion has been amazing from the get-go. From their first meeting at the beach by Kukui’s place with a feisty Rockruff that wanted to battle, to the Manalo Stadium battling for a prestigious championship title with Ash’s Lycanroc fully controlled over its rage with dirt. It wasn’t a traditional full 6-on-6 battle, but the 3-on-3 showdown still gave us one heck of battle! It may not be considered the best battle of all time, but it was still an amazing and fun match between two trainers who promised each other to meet in the finals of the big stage since the start of the League.

The laugh they shared, the flashbacks that was shown to us (with the awesome Type: Wild! music playing in the background), and their storytelling on who wants the W more makes you invested, and cheering for Ash all the way to finally win a major Pokémon League. Ash’s newly evolved Melmetal showcased it’s new strength but still wasn’t able to beat Gladion’s Silvally. Then, when Zoroark and Pikachu knocked each other out, it was the 1v1 Lycanroc battle that really put this friendly and competitive rivalry full circle.

Ash has NEVER defeated Gladion…until this moment. He’s been training for this, and it finally paid off. The two Lycanroc’s took no prisoners and went back and forth with one another. In the final blow of that match, Gladion’s Lycanroc used Counter against Ash’s Lycanroc that was charging towards it, but then our big brained hero fights back with their own Counter attack.

Never have I heard of countering a Counter in the Pokémon universe, but using it in this one moment nobody expected, was a perfect opportunity to swerve fans with Ash almost losing the match but ultimately gave the hypest and sickest counterattack ever that would knock out Gladion’s Lycanroc to the wall. And for the first time since the Orange League, Ash is a Champion. Only this time it is a way bigger deal! Mostly because this is a game-based series which has more meaning when it comes to the Pokémon League. He proved non-believers wrong thinking that the Kalos League was the closest he’ll ever get to victory, but I always knew he would win this one since this League started. If you look at my Twitter, I predicted it since last July and this is speaking from a person that DIDN’T believe he would have won at Kalos (I must be good at League predictions then lol). But even Ash himself couldn’t believe it. The moment his named was announced the victor and everyone cheering him, it took a moment for him to process it all until he realized he won the whole shabang. Old fans, new fans, and casual viewers a like were buzzing within 24 hours after this episode released in Japan that caught mainstream media attention. People who have never seen a Pokémon anime episode in their life (or a subbed episode for that matter) past the original series, wanted to see how this episode went down to see a childhood hero achieve a major trophy. 

This is how big of a pop-culture icon Ash & Pikachu was among many generations of fans since the show’s launch internationally. To me personally, it was the reason why I’ve always watched this anime for years since 1998 as a kid and NEVER stopped watching (took a few breaks here and there growing up but still have been consistent and up to date! Never grew out of it whatsoever ...why would I even made this decade post?). I was waiting all that time for him to win the big one and he finally did it in 2019. The long journey was worth watching all those episodes (NEVER skipped a “filler”). I doubted at times, but deep down I know I always believed. I grew up with Ash and he feels like an imaginary brother. Seeing him hold that trophy felt like my childhood had closure. He became the FIRST EVER champion in the Alola anime-verse and no one can take that away from him. BUT, the journey isn’t over yet. Remember, his dream is to become Pokémon MASTER, NOT a CHAMPION which people often treat the two as the same. He probably still wants to go to more places, so he can get stronger and be friends with even more Pokémon. Finally, I’m glad that it was Gladion who was Ash’s opponent in order to get the title. The boys and the doggos shake hands in the end as sign of respect for one another. Unfortunately, Guzzlord had to ruin the closing ceremony afterparty…but our Alola Champion and his friends were able to take care of that properly :)

Honorable mentions from this year: Another marked an end of an era, but a start of a new one too! From overcoming his final Grand Trial and gathering his Z-Crystals, Ash was ready for the League. If you ask me, this was one of the best Pokémon Leagues ever because of how much importance each competitor played a role in that tournament, and the match-ups were good. It wasn’t just filler characters or last minute rivals. Alola had a lot of great characters! I couldn’t stress that enough. But besides the historic Alola League, we also saw the continuation of Brock & Misty’s trip to Alola, the class’ crash-course golf lessons with none other than Kahili! Ash catching a rare Meltan that appeared out of nowhere, Guzma’s debut that EVERYONE was excited about, Ash challenging Ryuki’s Kantonian Gym, Lana’s fully evolving Primarina (thanks to hooking a Kyogre mind you!), Mallow’s meal for Tapu Koko, and Matori’s unexpected visit to the Team Rocket base in Alola. Ash even time-traveled to the past and met Kukui when he was little. It would ultimately build up to the actual final full 6-on-6 battle between Ash faces Kukui (just like in the original Sun & Moon games), and it was a 5-STAR BATTLE in my book for this 5-PARTER battle. Seriously, they didn’t had to make an exhibition match that good but they did, and Ash WON that too! Ash’s Incineroar evolved and Pikachu finally defeats Tapu Koko in a battle. For the feels portion of this year, Mallow briefly reunited with her mom and getting a Shaymin to care for in the process. The whole side-arc with Lillie, Magearna and a missing Mohn had a huge impact on our young miss. She got a Z-Ring out of it, just like everyone else in the class with their respective focus. And, the final episode of Sun & Moon was probably the most emotional farewell episodes in the anime’s history similar (or even greater) than Brock & Misty’s goodbye in Johto for you nostalgia fans out there. Everyone in the Alola crew knew what to do post-League, but for Ash, he wanted to explore the Pokémon world more, which transitions to the new on-going series today. 2019 of the Pokémon anime will never be forgotten!

LET’S GO to the 2020s and beyond!

We already got a taste of what the new series brought us late 2019, from Pikachu’s pre-series background story to our newly appointed research fellows, Ash & Go. It is was Lugia brought these two together, and are now living under the same roof. And with Go having his newly caught Scorbunny by his side after that Gigantamax Snorlax incident, it shows us a little taste of the cool new adventures await them when traveling in the Galar region. It’s also refreshing to see updated animation within Kanto where they’re home base is at, and I absolutely cannot wait for them to go back to other past regions with this fresh new art style. With Go’s goal to catch every Pokémon there is for him to index, he’s bound to meet Mew again one day! He’s literally every Pokémon games’ protagonist and I’m glad we have a main character like him who actually focuses on catching them all. As for Ash, he’s still our Ash carving his own unique path on his continuing journey to become a Pokémon Master because it’s more than being the strongest trainer and more than just catching Pokémon.

Some people may not be invested in this series yet, but it’s okay as it is still new! Everyone has that “pacing is slow” excuse from EVERY anime series, or it may not just be your cup of tea. But, I’m sure it will definitely pick up the pace sooner or later especially with the upcoming episodes announced (as of this posting) getting a Koharu-focus episode and the debut of Galar Champion Leon facing off against another League Champion...the return of Lance! Now that’s hype...and that’s what I’m looking forward to in this series more returns and cameo appearances hopefully. They gotta make it special of course and not just some fan-service to please series-specific fans. Oh, and Ash competing in the Galar gym challenge too of course! In addition to that, we can look forward to the new movies in the 2020s! We already got a preview of the 23rd PokéAni film, Pokémon the Movie - Coco...so we Tarzan now?! and it looks like they’re still continuing the AU-verse Ash instead of using the canon series’ universe. I mean if The Power of Us was great, you gotta give this movie a watch too! This is what I love about the anime because it separates itself from their game counterparts. The anime is doing its own thing with their original stories to tell.

WOW! What a decade. I’ve put in a lot of time reminiscing my experience watching the anime this past decade on these 2-part posts, and I had a lot of fun. From being a high school student all the way to being a full-time working adult...time truly flies by quickly. If you’ve read everything I had to say (I’m sure there are a few typos I probably missed), then thank you for your time (and sorry for the dash spam lol)! Feel free share your own favorite PokéAni moment decade in the replies if you choose to do so. Also, check out the strawpolls I made for what you think the best Pokémon anime battle and movie is in the 2010s. Now, it’s time for us to GO to 2020 and the next decade of PokéAni to witness multiple generations of new Pokémon series to come (hopefully they’ll still be making them by the end of 2029...and your boy P J will still be watching as a 30+ year old adult, heh). Alrighty, let’s have some fun! ϞϞ(๑⚈ ․̫ ⚈๑)∩

[bulbagarden]

Welcome to the June 2018 edition of Trainers of Fanfiction! For those of you unaware of what this is, Trainers of Fanfiction is a community event that focuses on the characters created by our talented Writers Workshop authors! These characters will be given interviews, offering them a chance to dive into their backgrounds, or look at some of the unexplored lore of the story they’re from. We’ve got a whole host of characters that’ll be featured this month, let’s get to meeting them! Submissions are now closed, but we will be hosting the event again in the future due to all the interest we got. Thanks, all! Mirror Ash and Mirror Serena Protagonists of Mirror Adventures InfiniteBakuphoon (coming soon!)

Interviewer: Both of you are known for having rather rough pasts. How did you escape from your circumstances, and are there any special people in particular who helped you through it? Also, can you say that you've completely broken free from the chains of your past? Mirror Serena: Hmph... going straight for that question, huh? You guys really have no shame, do you... Hey, Ash! Why don't you answer this question first? People don't know that much about you... Mirror Ash: Well... OK, I guess. Um... where should I start? Maybe I'll talk about my mother first. She... wasn't very nice to me, honestly... I think that she had a very stressful life and that she took a lot of her anger out on me... especially because she had expectations for me that I just couldn't meet. I was never the strong boy that she wanted me to be... I was always more of the "sensitive" type, I think Misty called it. Or the "crybaby"... that was what people usually called me. It's true, though... I tend to cry when I'm stressed... sometimes just a little bit, sometimes a lot. I think that I embarrassed my mother a lot whenever I did that... and she would always tell me that the world would eat me alive and that I'd never become a Pokémon Trainer... or anything at all, really. Mirror Serena: Guess you proved her wrong, though, huh? Mirror Ash: Yeah... I guess I did. But I'll never be as strong as you... Mirror Serena: Oh, come on! You're a crybaby and yet you still managed to accomplish so much! That has to count for something, right? Mirror Ash: That's true. Still, I don't think that I'll ever completely forget everything that I went through before I met Pikachu... that was like the turning point of my life for me. Protecting him brought out strength in me that I never knew I had... and I guess it convinced me that I could keep on going... that I could live a life without my mother and actually accomplish things. I was lucky to have tons of people who helped me along the way, though. Where would I be now without Misty... or Gary... or Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie? I don't even want to think about that... That's all I have... I guess it's your turn now, Serena. Mirror Serena: Sigh... I guess it is. Now, I don't think that I need to give you a whole recap of my life as the daughter of a certain famous Rhyhorn racer, since you guys seem to have beaten that Ponyta into the ground already. But in case you were wondering... no, my childhood wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, for lots of reasons. I think that you can guess the first one... or at least you should. Another reason? Well, you know how my mother and I lived in the Johto countryside for years before we moved to Kalos? Well, I took the country accent with me. Which pretty much guaranteed that I would be the laughingstock of the entire school that I went to when I was younger. It took me years to get rid of that accent, but even then people would always find other things to bother me about, like the way I dressed, the fact that my mother was famous, and other stupid stuff like that. Eventually I grew tired of being teased and bullied, so I gave myself a choice: either I was going to lie down and let everyone abuse me, or I was going to fight back... guess which one I chose. As it turns out, bullies leave you alone really quickly when you bully them back... and oh, did I become good at bullying people... it was like a natural talent that I never knew I had! But I only did that to other bullies, or else I would've become just like them. I kind of got a reputation for being the toughest kid in school after that, which meant that people pretty much left me alone. Not that I really cared for the most part, since no one wanted to be friends with me before anyway. Honestly, if there's one thing that I learned from all of those years at school, it's that you can only truly rely on yourself. Although I have to say that traveling with Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie all of this time has made me change my mind about that a little bit... they're like the first real friends that I've ever had! Now, I'm sure that you would love for me tell you how the rest of my childhood went after that, but I think that I've spilled enough beans for you already. Next question! Interviewer: During your travels, you've been to many interesting places. What would you say has been your favorite so far? Mirror Serena: Well, there was this one place that we went to... but you'd probably never believe me if I told you about it... Ah, what the hell... you know about Reflection Cave, right? And how there's a legend that every mirror in there leads to a totally different world? I always thought that it was just some stupid story, but... it's actually real. How do I know? Because we met someone who looked exactly like Ash... but he was like a completely different person! He was brave, he was strong, and he was absolutely crazy at Pokémon battling! I mean, he actually managed to beat me in a battle! And then we saw these weird evil versions of the Heroes of Justice who tried to steal Pikachu... that's right, *Team Rocket* tried to steal a Pokémon! I couldn't believe what I was seeing... there's no way that they could've been Team Rocket from our world! Eventually we got Pikachu back and we had to send Ash back to his world before sundown... and that's when I actually got to see the mirror that brought him here in the first place. Oh, man... if I didn't believe everything before, I definitely did then! It was like this giant dimensional space chasm thing, and I even got to see different versions of me, Clemont, and Bonnie on the other side! I didn't get to talk much to them, but still, it was pretty obvious that me from over there totally had a thing for Ash from over there. She was so worried about him... not that I actually care about sappy romantic stuff like that. Maybe there was actually something real there, though... if so, then she's pretty lucky to have someone brave and strong like him. I wish that my Ash could be more like that sometimes... or at least be less of a crybaby all of the time. But even if Ash never becomes anything like the Ash we met at Reflection Cave, he'll still always be my crybaby Ash... Wait a minute... you actually had me vulnerable there for a while! That won't happen again! C'mon Ash, it's your turn now! What's your favorite place that you've been to so far? Maybe somewhere in Kanto or Johto or something? Mirror Ash: Well, now that you mention Johto... there was this one really great place that I went to... I think it was called Alto Mare? Wow, that place was so beautiful... it was like time stopped there a hundred years ago or something. The food... all of the water... the atmosphere... everything was awesome. I could've stayed there forever... although I think Pikachu got bored there pretty quickly because there weren't a lot of trainers or battles in a place like that. Oh, and it was also there that I met one of my closest friends... she was this photographer who had lived in Alto Mare with her grandfather her entire life. She had pictures of every single place in Alto Mare... they were unbelievable... maybe the best pictures I've ever seen! We actually spent a lot of time together just hanging around and talking about things... and eventually I told her that she could probably sell her pictures to a magazine or something for a lot of money. She told me that she actually wanted to do that and become a professional photographer and explore the world... but the sad thing is that she couldn't, because she's-- actually, she told me to keep that a secret, sorry... Mirror Serena: Hmm... did you seal that secret with a kiss or something? Mirror Ash: It was just-- wait, what!? N-no, it wasn't anything like that! Mirror Serena: Ha ha! Oh, Ash... I'm just messing with you! Gotta have some fun with this stupid interview... next question! Interviewer: To you, what does it mean to be a hero? Do you see yourself as one? Mirror Serena: Heroes? What heroes? You mean like Professor Sycamore, who probably has more skeletons in his lab than any closet could ever fit? Like Aria, the beautiful and talented Kalos Queen... who's oh so talented at getting whatever she wants, whenever she wants? Like Palermo, producer extraordinaire... or should I say: ice queen extraordinaire? Believe me, I've gotten to know them all thanks to my mother's celebrity status, and they've always made me wonder... are these really what people consider heroes? I mean, I still think about my mother and how everyone called her a hero... or an inspiration... or how they wanted to be "just like her". Which is funny, considering that none of them actually knew anything about her at all. And even after everything that's happened with her, people still call her "the world-renowned Rhyhorn racer" or "the famous Kalosian celebrity" instead of... well, I guess you couldn't print what I really want to say here. Could you really call someone a hero just because they can ride a Rhyhorn really well and say the right things at the right time? Should we worship them like they're Arceus and keep telling ourselves that they can do no wrong... until they do? Hmph... I sure don't think so. Now, you wanna know who I think the real heroes are? Team Rocket. Yeah, I said it... because no matter what some people may say about them, they're the only ones who've actually done anything to protect us from evil people like Team Plasma and the Pokémon Rangers. Tell me the last thing that the League has done... yeah, I won't hold my breath for that. And what does Team Rocket get for doing all of this for us? Not a damn thing, that's what. No fame... no support... no "oh, thank you for saving the world over and over again!"... nothing. And yet they keep doing it all anyway, just because they can! You wanna know what being a true hero is? That's it right there. They don't care about the fame, or the recognition, or even the consequences from stupid people like the League... they just do what needs to be done to make things right, no matter what. People like my mother can't compare to that... it's not even close! Now, do I see myself as a hero? Well, nothing I've done compares to what Team Rocket has done... and it's not as though I haven't done some pretty scummy things before... I was a bully once, after all. So yeah, I'm definitely no hero either... but at least I don't pretend like I'm one. Your turn again, Ash... what do you think a real hero is? Mirror Ash: Uh... I guess what you just said, actually... Mirror Serena: Oh, come on, Ash! I'm sure that you've got an opinion of your own! Mirror Ash: I-I... actually agree with most of what you said... but I'll say this, too, I guess... I think that you don't have to be big and powerful like Team Rocket to be a hero... I mean, if you stick up for someone who's being picked on or something, even if it means that they bother you... then that's doing the right thing, too, isn't it? Serena... you said that you... bullied other bullies, right? Made them go away? Mirror Serena: Yeah, that's what I said... Mirror Ash: So I guess that means... that you really are a hero in your own way, Serena... Mirror Serena: Ah... nah, I don't really think so. Last question now, finally... Interviewer: What do you consider your strongest trait? Your weakest? Have these traits helped or hindered your journey in any way? Mirror Serena: The strongest trait I have is... well, that I'm strong. Nothing ever gets in my way... especially not after everything that I've been through when I was younger. The Serena who let people hurt her and take advantage of her over and over again is gone now... and if she hadn't gone away, then I'd still be with my mother doing those stupid Rhyhorn races and Arceus-only-knows-what-else right now, instead of finally fulfilling my dream of becoming a master Pokémon trainer. And then I never would have met Clemont and Bonnie either, and I never would have met Ash again after all of these years. You know, what I've learned is that when you really want to do something, you just have to go out and do it, and then never give up at it no matter what, or no matter how long it takes. And even when you're at your lowest point and there's no chance that you can win, you don't just sit there and *let* them just destroy you like that... you give them hell until your last breath. That's my philosophy in Pokémon battling, and I guess you can say that's become my philosophy in life, too. That said, I can admit that I'm a bit too strong sometimes, and that it's often hard for me to get out of "bully mode", if you know what I mean. This has actually affected me my entire life, all the way back to when I was super-aggressive towards anyone who even thought about bothering me. I ended up scaring everyone away by doing that, not just bullies... and although I said that I didn't care before, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I sometimes felt kind of lonely. And now that I no longer have to deal with surviving school, I don't always have to be aggressive like that anymore... but bad habits are always hard to break. I've scared a lot of potential friends away from me over the years, including someone from not too long ago who could've been a really good friend to me... I still miss her Poké Puffs. I don't want something like that to happen ever again, so I guess I'm gonna have to learn how to... I don't know, let some things go, I guess? I don't really know how I'm actually going to do that, but I'm sure that I'll find a way somehow. And besides, I did manage to get Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie to be my friends, so I guess I've been improving a little bit already, right? Anything you'd like to share, Ash? Mirror Ash: Well, it's true that I'm kind of a crybaby... and that I get flustered about things more than I really should. I mean, I've gotten a lot better about it since I first started on my journey, but I still cry sometimes... and sometimes I cry a whole lot, especially nowadays... because things aren't completely great for me right now, honestly... but I don't think I want to talk a lot about that here. Confidence has always been hard for me to come by... sometimes I'll feel really good after I win a battle or accomplish something that I've never done before... but then I'll screw something else up later and I'll feel like a failure again. Sometimes I wonder how I even made it this far... and then I realize that my friends have done a lot for me that I should've been able to do by myself... it makes me feel like I'd just be nothing without them, and that I'd be running back to Pallet Town the moment that things got too tough for me... Mirror Serena: Um... Ash? Surely you have positive traits that you'd like to share with the world... right? Mirror Ash: No, not really... sniffle Mirror Serena: Sigh... then I guess I'll just have to do it for you. Ash... I know that I say that you're a crybaby a lot... which you kind of are, yeah... but you're also a lot stronger than you think you are. I mean, you wouldn't even be here right now if you weren't, right? And before you say that it's only because your friends helped you... so what? If you have an advantage, use it! That's what friends are there for... to help you and support you! I mean, you're the one who taught me all about that... so why are you so ashamed about it? And besides, having lots of friends means that people obviously really like you... and they should, because you're a really good person! I know that you don't show it all the time because you're super-shy and all, but I know for a fact that you care a lot about people... that you love your Pokémon like family... and that you have a lot of interesting thoughts about things that you always keep to yourself. Now, here's what I think the weakest part of you really is, Ash. It's not that you're a crybaby... it's that you don't believe in yourself. Which is stupid, because the strongest part about you is that you somehow always find a way to get through it all anyway. And that's true even if it's with your friends... or just you and Pikachu... or even just you alone, because you did that when you first rescued Pikachu, remember? And if you got through something like that once, or twice, or practically a hundred times like you have, then you can do it a hundred more times if you have to. So stop crying over yourself all of the time, or at least not as much as you always do. You have a lot to be proud of, so why don't you remind yourself of that every once in a while? Mirror Ash: Sniff I guess you're right... thank you for all of that, Serena... Mirror Serena: No problem, Ash. Well, it looks like this interview ended on a happy note after all, huh? I hope you guys were satisfied with my answers, because you're not getting anything more from me for a very long time... as in never again! Now off to training... and yes, you're going to train with me too, Ash! Mirror Ash: Wait... right now!? Mirror Serena: Oh, yes! We can't get ready for the League by just sitting around here enjoying the sunshine! We've still got a whole half a day left to do some intense training! Come on... don't try to back out of it now! Mirror Ash: Sigh... alright...​

[clefaiiiry]

we know how you feel abt cyrus, but what's your take on the other pokebosses, like ghetsis or giovanni?? if you don't mind sharing

STRAP IN GUYS, GALS, AND NB PALS:

Giovanni:

honestly the strongest villain narrative-wise. The biggest issue I have with villains in Pokemon is that they don’t really tie into the player’s goals and therefore are not true counter-forces to the player. Giovanni, being a Gym Leader and therefore an obstacle to prevent you from finishing your main quest, is the most effective boss as a result.

But I haven’t finished playing Blue on the 3DS port and I barely watched the anime so my only real exposure to Giovanni directly is via Generations and his limited appearances in HGSS and USUM.

Although I love Silver and seeing him try so hard to distance himself from Team Rocket and his father’s legacy is really interesting and creates great drama aha.

Archie:

water dad is best dad. He really feels like a cool science teacher, honestly. He tries to convince you to back off but he knows you’re gonna come after him so just tries to have fun with it.He almost makes me think of McCree from Overwatch; super smart and could totally kick your ass but has mastered the art of pretending to be an idiot so people lower their guard around him.

As much as I love his design in ORAS, he really is over-designed to the point that it’s kinda distracting. I want to stress that I love his character and I personally really like the design but it’s still kinda… yeah…

And honestly his goals are so ridiculous??? “Humans are assholes so I’m gonna fuck over every other Pokemon species that can’t survive in water.” Archie, honey, I know you’re trying, but please think this through a little more.

Maxie:

i aim for maxie’s level of extra. Seriously, he decorates his base with GLOWING DEADLY LAVA TUBES just for aesthetic. He needs to scare off a kid who’s messing with his plans? “I’ll bury you with my bare hands, don’t test me, you little shit.” Also his voice in Generations is really gooooooooooooood………

And his design is really good??? In ORAS at least. Like, his TURTLENECK LEGGINGS + SHORTS COMBO are fucking stupid, but overall it’s pretty decent. In RSE he looks like he’s about fifty and struggling to get through his eighth mid-life crisis.

HIS PLAN IS EQUALLY SILLY. “I’ll make Groudon increase the power of the sun so that the oceans dry up!” That’s… That’s not even slightly how it works, Maxie, for God’s sake, you’re a scientist, you should know this.

not gonna talk about cyrus because i ramble about him enough already lmao

Ghetsis:

FUCK THIS GUY HOLY SHIT I HATE HIM SO MUCH HE’S SUCH A GOOD BADDIE BUT HOLY GOD I HATE HIM. His Hydreigon (which is hacked btw because Hydreigon don’t evolve until level 64) has a full-powered Frustration and is probably the reason he’s missing an arm… or at least it’s so fucked-up that he keeps it under that carpet he calls a cape.

BUT GOD HE’S SUCH A PIECE OF SHIT. The way he talks to N makes me so angry. I legit had to stop playing to calm down when I played through the first time. He reminded me way too much of personal issues that I won’t delve into here but yikes.

He’s also kinda over-designed but that’s more just me trying to find issues with him so I can hate him more lmao. As if the list of reasons wasn’t long enough.

Lysandre:

talk about wasted potential. I have no idea if he’s utilized better in the anime but in the games he’s probably the weakest boss we’ve had so far? He complains about why humanity is making the world ugly but we’re never shown what happened to him to make him think that way??? He’s just some rich asshole who’s mad that things aren’t the way he wants them to be??? You wanna join his squad of people who wanna make the world pretty? Sure! Just pay £1 million or whatever it was…

And he has history with Professor Sycamore??? Why couldn’t we explore that? That would’ve been way more interesting than the 72 extra side characters we had in Kalos who didn’t really do anything??? Why do we have so many side characters when we have barely developed our main antagonist???

I will say this much though, his suit is fucking great, 10/10, who is your tailor? can I hire them? damn son…

Guzma:

IT’S YA BOI. I love him??? So much??? He really cares about his team but showing a soft-side kinda ruins the image he works so hard to maintain so he’s gonna be a grump about it. He’s trying so hard to look cool and tough and gain approval from others that he makes self-destructive decisions and ends up being manipulated into helping with some super shady multi-dimensional bullshit. Honestly same. But seriously, it makes me sad that he wasn’t expanded on as much as he could’ve been in USUM.

HIS DESIGN IS SO GOOD. It really represents him as a character perfectly. Also, any fanart that has him standing up straight to be taller than the other bosses is great, 10/10, I laugh every time.

I just want him to be my best friend, okay? Me, him, and Cyrus can go beat up shitty adults together. Dream Team.

Lusamine:

UUUUUUUUUUUUURGH. I have so many problems with how her character is handled in USUM. Look, obviously I’m not against redemption arcs, y’all know me too well by now, but I’m certainly against bad redemption arcs. Lusamine’s isn’t even an arc! She’s just… suddenly not evil and forgiven for all her shitty actions??? Lillie and Gladion both just forgive her for years of abuse because “it’s okay guys! she was being brainwashed the whole time!” It feels really shitty.

I would’ve been less angry about it if she hadn’t been instantly forgiven by her children and accepted that she may never be able to make it up to them, but she would still work to fix all she had broken and better the world. But nope! She just gets a free pass! With all due respect Game Freak, fuck off.

I like her hair though, I’ll give her that much, her stylist deserves a raise.

[beowulfs-booty-call]

Professor Willow for that character challenge

Me, currently about to go writing another field journal report: Plz don’t judge me Arceus. You MADE him like this.

Sexuality Headcanon: Honestly all professors are gay end of story. waioesjdfi I’m gonna say gay. Simply because there isn’t anything straight about him too like have you seen the way he dressed himself? Literally gay athlete who douses himself with the sports bottle he carries with him.

Gender Headcanon: Male. Just your average guy who dedicated himself to Pokemon and has been traveling the world to stretch his research internationally. (Probably was a Gen 1 fan at first seeing as Oak is his mentor) What an icon™

A ship I have with said character:

Willow and the GO™ trainer (Aka all of us awfesdg)

Willow and his star field researcher! (I have yet to, but I’m gonna be drawing up a series of like one shots between me and him because Y E S)

A BROTP I have with said character:

Oak / Willow = “Wow dad you’re so old.” “Look in the mirror smartass” The two are... Well, one may be the teacher, but both are rivals in the way they’ve studied Pokemon. I’d say Willow is more than eager to surpass his old teacher and learn more, but Oak’s still on the cusp of teaching him that knowledge and wisdom comes with both age and experience, not just talent.

Willow / Sycamore = Sycamore teaches him how to flirt but all he can say in French is Omelette du fromage. Sycamore just gives him a thumbs up and nods. Also likes to talk to Willow about his thoughts on Lysandre and other presumptions of Mega evolution. Currently, the professor has been researching it with me!

Willow / Kukui = Nut Oil 

The two are super super close in terms of being pretty darn compatible! One likes to trek the world, the other likes to TAKE Pokemon moves front and forward. I’d say they’d both pull up at the gym to compare research before getting down to it (Don’t think like that, ya nasties. Unless you DM about it so I can die with you on it.)

I’d say because they’re the most newest professors to be “here”, they’re more than eager to prove their work, but once the Professor told me that he’s worked in Alola for a short while to get a better understanding of Z moves... I wonder if he has a Z ring..? I heard those are WAY special, even for a regular guy like me!

Willow / Juniper = Can you imagine if Willow like, had a past with her / knew her when he was younger and they had a “thing”? Like, maybe not BF / GF but like, openly flirting with each other but neither actually taking a step. They’re close friends regardless and do like to chat when free... But I think internally, Juniper’s greatest “regret” would be similar to Agatha: She never really had time for romance or for being “a simple person” since she’s always gonna be Professor Juniper: Woman extraordinaire. And I don’t mean this in a bad way at all, what I’m getting at is: Juniper is the pillar of stability for Unova as a professor, so, she doesn’t have time devoted to being anything else but that. I like to think that she and willow have that in common; The desire to be unique, yet... Also the desire to be a normal person too. 

In reality, it’s probably Willow who reminds her that everyone can be that too: Self care’s important as if you don’t take care of yourself... How the hell you gonna take care of anybody else can I get an amen?

It’s that reasoning that causes Juniper to take Bianca as her assistant: not just to give her help round the lab but to help Bianca form her identity like she wanted to with the help of the BW protagonist as we see in her Dreamlink battle.

Willow / Elm = He... Doesn’t know Elm much since Elm’s more than happy to take time to simply work on Pokemon breeding and abilities, but the two get along alright. In reality, Elm was the one who gave Willow advice / basics of Pokemon eggs and helps him develop theorems based on what eggs can hatch what Pokemon we have now! TBH, I’d say if given the chance, Willow is literally the “Cool guy” at the party and Elm is the “Hey I’m just here for the dog” dude. They both bond over Candela’s growlithe who was hatched out an egg and had ice fang as a move.

Willow / Masked Royal = Willow keeps a poster of him in his lab! (I had to REALLY get him to get me one too, god, so lucky!) He’s a fave of the professor and even Willow has been “trying” to wrestle! Tho, given how much he’s had to be bandaged afterwards, and Kukui prolly told him how he once got guillotined by a Vikavolt I don’t think it’s a good idea... That said one time the professor showed up to alola to see a match and the Masked Royal invited him to fight against him and boy oh boy I STILL wanna hear what happened! Supposedly the joint said it was one of their biggest events yet! The headliner? 

“Rag-tag wannabe Wrestler sizes up the comp. with the Masked Royal! Blow to blow and and Pokemon to Pokemon, there is no competition without motivation!”

Willow and the other assistants = 

Spark: “Thanks so much for Mcdonalds dad!”

“Dad?”All three, eating a McFlurry in summer ‘17: “Dad.”

Honestly Willow trusts them a great deal and it’s obvious he’s the guiding hand to their exploits and understandings of their own journeys. Blanche learns about the power of emotion and trusting in others, Candela learns about taking things easier and letting go, and Spark understands the essence of both knowledge and power: He still walks the middle path.

He sees aspects of himself in each of them, but I’d say that’s his favorite thing about them: it reminds him he’s still growing and journeying on his own too!

A NOTP I have with said character:

Child characters as a whole

A random headcanon: Willow once tried out to be a Pokemon ranger, but in regions and times where Rangers aren’t “very well used” globally aside from Fiore and certain other places, Willow dedicated himself instead to research as he was more so interested with reading his Styler’s bestiary rather than to simply befriend Pokemon alone.

Because of this, he can still USE a capture styler, and he’s a fairly good ranger, but in spite of the effort to BE a ranger, he’s much more better and tossing curve balls and getting an “Excellent” on a jigglypuff!

General Opinion over said character:

Daddy of my ass

And the coolest professor thus far! There’s a lot of things unsaid about him but man... I’m totally here for him! And not JUST because he’s cute as fuck. He’s always a caring character who watches your trainer grow and motivates you to keep on going forward! 

It’s hard not to like that when you’re playing the game and incorporating that in your daily life! 

I think unconsciously I also still have that big dad issues thing where that when I have a father figure in life, I WANNA do things to make them proud because of the little to no relationship with my own father. I’ve done that with my high school teacher, and I’ve cried when I saw that in Lisa’s Substitute from the Simpsons. It reaches into that for Willow to be so welcoming and a breath of fresh air, it’s turned into a “I wanna do this not JUST to be praised for it. I wanna do it because it’s for ME.” instead. I mean, I’ve grown from the person I was, but there’s still the need for wanting to make someone proud and to see that Willow is pretty big now on measuring your journey now with these daily tasks, I think that sorta makes me idk more grateful for a character like that?

My feelings for the dude as a whole started out as thirst, but it’s become more of a psychoanalysis of my own relationships with men and my “types” as a whole. I quite like that, since he isn’t so “detailed” as it stands. It gives me more of a chance to make him out to be instead something I want to be, rather than what I just find ideal.

Pfftt, sorry, it sounds rather complicated, but really saying? Willow is kinda like the new beginning I wanna start for myself for a long time. I’ve reached it, but it’s the fact that he’s such a cool character that it’s really just me projecting wanting to be that cool on a character that COULD really be amazing. I’d say I’ve reached that coolness now, being myself. So, only thirst remains.

[adventures-in-drabbling]

Lacewoodshipping Week Day 7: Hello/Goodbye

I DID THE ENTIRE WEEK 

the achievement is real omfg. I’ve never managed to keep to one of these before, baha.

This, as per the usual, became both wildly out of control, deviates totally from the prompt, the end is SUPER ABRUPT, and it was written between midnight-3:20am because what is a sleeping pattern.

If anyone wants to actually read something that does kind of stick to the prompt, I did actually do a series of alphabet oneshots, and G and H actually happened to be Goodbye, Hello, and bonus prequel Fight (to  be read in the order Fight , Goodbye, Hello). I haven’t read any of these back because I’m far too tired to deal with my old (awful) writing skills, but if you fancy dealing with my old (awful) writing, go nuts!

I’d like to thank @monsycamour AGAIN for organising this lacewoodshipping week! It’s been amazing to throw myself back into writing for this ship, and in a week I hand in my final project thesis of my masters degree, and I’m free from uni! (at least until I get the PhD position I’m aiming for lmao lmao). Until I figure out what I’m doing with my life, I’m gonna have a load more free time (hopefully), and I 100% intend to finish rewriting my old fics! So, the Sinnoh series rewrite will be completed, Written Words is going to be re-edited, probably rewritten and completed, and I might even finish the alphabet drabbles (because I’m fairly certain I only made it up to like, H or I or something and I have like, half finished oneshots for the rest of the alphabet just hanging out in my hard drive). I also might expand on a couple of these shipping week oneshots! 

HYPE.

Also, for fic clarification, I headcanon Serena as beginning her Pokémon journey around 19/20 (I know there was a little conflict with the ages of the player character ingame and such, but w/e, that was my age when I was playing so there we go lmao), with the main campaign lasting around a year or so, and her eventually becoming Champion around 20/21ish.

enjoy!!

---

The first time they meet, Serena is a strange mix of nervous and excited. It had taken some time, but she had finally made it to Lumiose City – and it was amazing. Even as she entered the city from Route 4, the atmosphere totally overwhelmed her – so many people moving confidently through the streets, the shops and cafes and attractions all begging for her attention. Still she resisted the urge, following Sina through the South Boulevard to the Sycamore Pokémon Lab.

“The professor can’t wait to meet you. You can find him on the third floor, so hop in the elevator!” the research aide grinned at Serena, clapping her hands together in excitement. Serena tried to smile back at her in return, though she’s fairly sure she only managed a slightly sickly looking grimace, before moving to the aforementioned elevator, eyeing the slightly rickety looking mechanics before gingerly stepping inside and pressing the button for the third floor.

She wiped her slightly sweaty hands on her skirt, straightening her clothes as the elevator rose to her destination. Heart jumping in her chest, Serena slid her way through the door before it had fully opened, gazing around the surprisingly bare room. Two desks sat before her, alongside a couple of bookcases overflowing into stacks of books on the ground, and what appeared to be a semi-temporary screen wall partitioning off a portion of the room into a more private area.

Before she could move more than a few steps, however, a figure in a lab coat rounded the partition wall – Professor Sycamore.

“So,” the professor grinned down at her, stopping a small distance ahead of where she stood and propping a hand on one hip. “We finally meet!”

Serena let out a faint laugh, tension ebbing out of her at the relaxed aura that surrounded the man. “It’s about time,” she agreed, remembering her manners and sticking a hand out in front of her. “Hello, Professor Sycamore. I’m Serena.”

“Oui, oui, fantastic!” He closed the space between them to grab her hand, shaking it up and down so enthusiastically, Serena was jostled by the force. “Come this way, won’t you?” He let go of her hand (turning away before he witnessed her shaking it in relief) and motioned toward the wall partition, leading the way around to where a slightly more grandiose desk (absolutely littered with papers) lay.

What followed definitely constituted as one of the more bizarre experiences of Serena’s lifetime. Being told she had a… what did he say? Je ne sais quois? Followed by a battle, being gifted a new Pokémon and some sort of strange stone, the rest of the ‘gang’ showing up, being asked to help with Mega Evolution… By the time Calem and the others had begun to head out, leaving Serena behind with the professor, Serena was more than a little overwhelmed.

“Everything alright, Serena?” the professor asked once he realised she had yet to leave. Serena nodded quickly, rearranging her bag on her shoulder and laughing a little.

“Yes, of course! Sorry professor,” she grinned, raising a hand in a small wave. “Goodbye!” He raised a hand in reply, but just nodded at the new pokeball in her hand.

“Take good care of Squirtle, OK?” A smile spread across his face. “Not that I have any doubt you will do a fine job,” he added. Serena nodded eagerly, before making her escape around the partition to chase after her friends, and maybe convince them to tour the city full of shops and cafes with her.

---

Since their first meeting, Serena and the professor had met a few more times throughout her journey – Courmarine City, Lysandre Café, their slightly heartwrenching conversation in Couriway Town after everything with Lysandre… Sycamore had been visibly shaken during that particular encounter. Even so, he departed with a cheery promise of a surprise (though Serena was convinced his cheer was mostly a façade ), and a hint of a treasure of his to be found in the town.

When she finally located the inscription at the train station, she squinted as she read it out. "To the person reading this,” she began, tracing her fingers over each word. “What are you like now? Did you become who you wanted to be? For starters, what was the person you wanted to become even like? I don't know, but it would be wonderful if you can boast that you're living each day to the fullest. To future Sycamore. From the Sycamore dreaming of the future.”

With a morose sigh, she let herself drop to slump on the bench next to the ‘treasure’, hand still pressed against the inscription as she thought of the conflicting emotions on Sycamore’s face during their last conversation. She was fairly certain the past Sycamore who carved a message into a train station bench certainly couldn’t have predicted the alarming events of the last few days.

“Am I becoming who I wanted to be?” Serena whispered to the ceiling, tipping her head back to stare up at the roof and pressing her fingertips against the words beside her.

She didn’t sleep well that night, plagued by dreams of what had happened within the Team Flare Secret HQ, ending with the image of a younger Sycamore – without the lab coat – staring back at her as the HQ crumbled around him.

---

Despite the questionable quality of Serena’s sleep now that images of the crumbling HQ plagued her at night, she somehow managed to beat Diantha, taking the mantle of Kalos Champion as her own. The parade at Lumiose was beyond unexpected – she might have bothered to actually wear something nice had she known she was going to be thrust into a spotlight the second she arrived in Lumiose as requested by the professor – but she enjoyed it nonetheless, allowing herself to relax at the afterparty at the lab with their closest friends and family.

As the night began to draw to a close, Serena  held her drink close to her chest as she peered around the room for the one person she really wanted to talk to. The professor had presented her with the Honour of Kalos during the public ceremony, dark circles under his eyes that he had clearly at least tried to hide with some concealer. At Serena’s concerned look, he squeezed her hand lightly as he handed the award over with a quiet promise of “We’ll talk later.” However, though he had made another speech at the beginning of the party, Serena hadn’t seen him since.

Slipping away from the main body of the party, she summoned the elevator and stepped in – it still looked rickety, but she was more willing to trust it now she’d been in the lab as many times as she had. She didn’t even have to step out at the second floor, a quick glance around the room after the door opened told her that there was no one there.

Stepping out on the third floor, however, the temperature instantly dropped. Making her way around the partition to Sycamore’s desk, she found the doors behind it flung wide open onto the balcony beyond, the silhouette of Professor Sycamore leaning on the railing illuminated by the bright lights of the city. His lab coat lay abandoned on the desk, and he suddenly seemed smaller without it, less an imposing figure of authority and direction, and instead more… human.

“Professor?” Serena tentatively broke the silence, skirting around the desk and stepping onto the balcony into the brisk air of Lumiose City.

As if broken from a trance, Sycamore jumped at her voice, spinning around to face her.

“Ah, Serena, désolé,” he apologised, the bubbling liquid in the champagne flute clutched in his hand sloshing wildly with his movement. “I just needed some air, I can come back-“

Serena cut him off with a wave of her hand, moving to his side and leaning on the railing to mirror his previous position.

“Don’t worry, Professor. I could use some air too, I just wondered where you were,” she reassured him, letting her own (empty) champagne flute dangle by the rim over the edge of the balcony.

Sycamore reassumed his position, twirling the stem of his glass in his hand with a sigh and let the silence stretch between them.

“Professor…” Serena broke after a few minutes, shifting her gaze to the man beside her as the quiet tension finally became too much. “Are you… alright?”

Sycamore shifted uncomfortably, refusing to turn his gaze to her as he hung his head. “I…” he began, but trailed off, the silence pressing down heavily on the pair.

“I still have nightmares,” Serena blurted, and that made him look up at her. “Lysandre is there. So is the legendary Pokémon, and then… then everything is crumbling, and I’m running but I can still hear him behind me.”

“Serena…”

“You’re there too, sometimes,” she added, and his eyes widened in surprise at that. “You as you are now, or sometimes you when you were my age – or at least,” she glanced to the side, an embarrassed flush rising to her cheeks as she thinks maybe she’s said too much. “How I imagine you probably looked, anyway.” She met his gaze once more. “But I have them. Every. Night.” She hesitated for a moment, then balanced her glass on the railing and moved her hand to lay it on his forearm. “We’re allowed to grieve,” she reminded him softly. “And we’re allowed to hurt.”

Sycamore breathed in deeply, breaking their gaze to tilt his head back and stare at the sky above them, his eyes shiny. “You are wise beyond your years, Serena,” he chuckled, though his voice was tight, threatening to catch in his throat. Another moment of silence before he continued. “I keep replaying our conversations in my head, Lysandre and I,” he admits, his voice soft and quiet, an uncharacteristic change from his usual confident and strong air. “Trying to see if I should have noticed earlier, if I could have saved him from… his own delusions, I suppose.”

Serena tightened her grip on his arm, fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt. “No,” she replied firmly. “There wasn’t anything- if someone had any idea- this isn’t on you, professor.”

“Augustine,” he replied quickly, moving his wet gaze back to her face. “Unless you want me to start calling you Champion, I believe we are past the point of formalities. Especially talking about this.” Serena searched his face for a moment before nodding slowly.

“Okay. Augustine.” The name felt thick and foreign on her tongue, but a thrill of excitement ran through her, her fingers twitching slightly in their grip on his arm. “We can’t keep wondering what might have happened had we acted differently,” she added, her voice hushed.

Augustine sighed again, pressing his hand over hers on his arm. “Oui,” he conceded. “I know. Yet I still can’t help it.”

Serena twisted her hand to press their palms together, twining their fingers. The slight intimacy of the gesture felt strange, but the comfort it offered won over her hesitation.

“We need to support each other,” Serena squeezed his hand. “You, me, the others who were there. We don’t have to suffer alone.” She watched curiously as Sycamore balanced his still full glass beside her empty one, before pulling her into a tight hug, hunching over slightly to rest his chin on her shoulder.

“Thank you,” his voice was close, right beside her ear and she couldn’t help a slight shiver at the proximity even as she wound her arms around his back. “You’re the first… to really say anything. Diantha tried, but it was… too soon.” Serena squeezed him.

“You looked like you needed to talk,” she replied softly.

They both fell quiet, drawing what comfort they could, but neither moved from their position. At least not until a wolf whistle pierced the air from the boulevard below, followed by a chorus of laughs and jeers. Serena whipped back, scowling down at the group of guys stumbling along below them – clearly on their way back from some bar - and jabbing her middle finger up at them. A few more laughs, but they continued on their way without consequence.

“I apologise about that,” Augustine said nervously, his glass back in his hand and a respectable distance put between them once Serena turned back to him.

“Don’t worry about it,” Serena waved it off, jamming her freezing hands into the pockets of her skirt as the chill in the air finally began to register. Augustine still looked slightly uncomfortable, his gaze following the group of lads up the street. “It’s fine, Augustine,” Serena reaffirmed, moving to bump his shoulder with her own. “Though I really should head back to my hotel. It is late, if the bars are turning out, and today has been… exhausting.”

“Of course,” Sycamore grabbed her glass from the railing and motioned inside, moving together to shut and lock the balcony doors behind them as they moved back into the building.

“Thank you for everything, Augustine,” Serena bowed slightly as they waited for the elevator to arrive to take her back downstairs.

“Ah, do not thank me,” Sycamore laid a hand on her shoulder. “I am truly so proud of you.” He chuckled as her cheeks became pink at his praise.

“It’s all because of you!” She argued as the elevator door slid open. She stepped inside, slipping from his grasp and turning to face him, raising a hand to wave farewell. “Goodbye, Augustine!”

“No,” he cut in quickly, half-entering the elevator to grab her hand mid-wave and squeeze it lightly. “Not goodbye. That always seems so… final. And I think we’ve had enough finalities for a while, at least.” Serena grinned, but nodded in agreement.

“You make a fair point,” she conceded. “Not goodbye, then. See you later?” Sycamore smiled and winked, bringing her hand up to press a light kiss to her knuckles.

“Tomorrow, perhaps?” he asked as he released her hand to step back, out of the small elevator. “Allow me to buy you dinner in thanks for… everything. And as a celebration of your achievements, Champion.”

Serena grinned, her cheeks reddening further. “That sounds wonderful,” she agreed. “I’ll message you in the morning?”

“Sounds like a plan, ma chérie,” Sycamore nodded. “I look forward to it.”

“Same here!” Serena laughed, finger hovering above the button for the ground floor. “See you later, Augustine!” At his wave, she pressed the button, waiting for the door to close before clumping against the wall and pressing a hand to her pounding heart.

[sage-nebula]

2, 3, 5 and 14 for pokemon asks!

2.) What in-game battle was the hardest?

Okay, so like everyone else who experienced the original Gen II games, I was also scarred by Whitney’s miltank as a child, because it was way worse in the original GSC than it was in the HGSS remakes. But that said, as much as I do love Whitney, she has been dethroned …

… by fucking Ghetsis and his HACKED AF HYDREIGON.

You have no idea, NO IDEA, how many tries it took me to beat that motherfucking, cheating-ass hydreigon. No idea!!! I actually had to leave the Castle to go train and then come back because that bastard dragon was too much of an issue. I imagine Ghestis and N just sitting there in awkward silence, waiting for me to return, all because Ghetsis’ hydreigon—which shouldn’t even be a hydreigon yet, mind you, that’s why I’m calling it hacked—is too much of a goddamn beast to die, and yet keeps wiping out my team without restraint. It kind of killed how epic the ending was a bit since I had to pause the ending to go train a bit more, but what can you do. 

Lusamine’s clefable was also a little bastard in her final battle in Gen VII, but that just dragged the battle out, I didn’t have to try it again. Ghetsis definitely takes the cake on this one.

3.) Is the idea of catching them all/completing your Pokedex overwhelming?

No, it just doesn’t feel worth it.

I completed the ‘dex back in Gen I, because I thought I was going to get Togepi or something if I did. In my defense, I was eight or nine years old, and the internet wasn’t as prolific yet. Rumors flew everywhere, and while I knew some of them were fake (no matter how hard we tried, we could not move that fucking truck), there were others I still believed, because I wanted to believe them. So I believed that if I completed my ‘dex with all 151 pokémon I would get a ticket to the Grandfather Canyon from the anime to get Togepi, or would just be given a Togepi, or whatever other prize, I didn’t know. I expected something significant nonetheless. So using my brother’s Game Boy and both my Red Version and my Blue Version (along with my brother’s Game Shark for Mew—look, we didn’t have a lot of options back then, my dad laughed in my face when I asked him if he would let me skip school and then drive me to California or New York to attend one of the Mew giveaway events), I completed my PokéDex and proudly took it to Game Freak in-game …

… only to be given a bloody certificate. 

I raged. I raged so hard. And I vowed on that day to never waste my time completing the ‘dex ever again. And to this day I haven’t. I kind of wanted to in AlphaSapphire since the ‘dex nav made capturing pokémon fun once more, but I still didn’t and, in all honesty, I’m just not motivated. I don’t shiny hunt, so the Shiny Charm is useless to me. It’s not proper motivation. Game Freak needs to give me a real reason to want to complete the ‘dex before I’ll do it again. I don’t know what that motivation is yet, but we’ll see. (Probably more story content, but who knows how they’d implement that.)

So yeah, it’s not overwhelming, it’s just not worth it. When Game Freak gives me a reason to care, I’ll do it again. Until then … nah.

5.) The biggest Pokemon-related disappointment

I love Pokémon to the point where I consider it a lifestyle choice rather than a fandom, but honestly, we could be here all day with all the times it has disappointed me. A brief list of examples:

The aforementioned certificate for ‘dex completion in Gen I;

Not giving the U.S. the GS Ball / Celebi event in Gen II (like, we had giveaway events for Celebi in Gen II like the Mew ones, but I don’t think they gave you the GS Ball to take to the shrine—but then again, I could be wrong, because once again they were only in California and New York and thus I, a ten-year-old, couldn’t go);

The U.S. PokéCenter only being in New York (though now it’s a Nintendo World building, rather than a PokéCenter);

The GS Ball not amounting to anything in the anime. Ditto for the Ho-Oh subplot from the OS, and basically all the other subplots the OS introduced and then promptly dropped and forgot about;

Pokémon Origins. Just, the whole thing. The art is ugly, Origins!Red is so incompetent it’s a wonder he knows how to breathe, and so on and so forth;

MOVIE 20. From not actually being a proper anniversary movie, to spitting all over Ash’s and Pikachu’s relationship while simultaneously claiming to champion it (“I wanted Ash to once again be a normal ten-year-old boy who casually says abusive stuff when losing a battle—” HE WOULD NEVER, AND ESPECIALLY NOT TO PIKACHU, HOW DARE YOU—), it’s basically the biggest disappointment to ever exist;

Alan’s trauma being COMPLETELY swept under the rug and forgotten about after XYZ044 (like, XYZ044 and everything that came before it was perfect, but after that? DISOWNED, not canon in my eyes, et cetera);

Gladion having barely any plot involvement in Sun/Moon, and not being included in the climax at all even though it’s his fucking family;

Lusamine’s severe child abuse being handwaved and excused because she’s a woman in both the games and the fandom. The worst abusers in my life have been women, and so the fact that everyone wants to handwave Lusamine’s abuse, give her a happy ending, et cetera really bothers me. The fact that Ghetsis doesn’t get nearly the same apologism (not that he should, he definitely SHOULD NOT) is what tells me that it’s an issue of sexism rather than just abuser apologism / villain apologism, and again, I’m bothered by it;

Ride Pokémon being introduced in Gen VII, but you can’t use your own pokémon, but instead have to use loaner pokémon that you call to you. I already have my own charizard and lapras, so the fact that I have to borrow some strange charizard and lapras to fly around is insulting to the ones I have on my team. Fuck you and your stupid laws, Alola.

I could probably go on, but this is a taster. Like, honestly, again, I love this series more than any other, it’s a lifestyle choice and not just a fandom—but that’s why I’m critical of it. I hold it to certain standards because I love it so much, and I’m not afraid to express when it upsets me. This is a small sampling of the times it has. Trust me, there are more.

14.) Your most and least favorite professors

As far as the games go, my favorite professor is hands down Professor Burnet. She not only has the most interesting field in all of the games (she specializes in multiverse theory, how cool is that?!), but I also love everything about her design. She’s gorgeous. The fact that she also didn’t have a bigger role in the plot, and that we instead had to put up with Kukui’s annoying ass for the entire game, is yet another complaint I have about the Gen VII games.

Least favorite in the games, meanwhile, is prooooobably Cedric Juniper, because I hate the way he overshadowed Professor Juniper all throughout the Gen V games. She is to date our only primary female professor, and yet they just had to say that she inherited her practice from her father. Not only that, but he had to keep showing up and explaining things in lieu of letting her do it, which isn’t something that any other professor had to experience. So while I don’t have anything against Cedric himself, as a character, I am still bitter about the way that Juniper was treated as a result of his inclusion.

As far as the anime goes, Professor Sycamore is obviously hands down my favorite, because he is the best dad, especially for Alan. ♥ Best dad in the best family, I love him.

And least favorite in the anime is … hmm, probably Professor Ivy. She seemed sort of spaced out and not with it the entire time, and plus there was whatever she did to Brock to traumatize him every time her name is brought up … I would assume she just rejected him, but then again, we’re never told, so … :/ Yeah, Professor Ivy is probably my least favorite in the anime thus far.

[fandomverseofanthony]

The Tech Tinkerer From Kanto

I CAN’T TAKE FULL CREDIT FOR THE POKEMON DESIGNS, AS ALL (EXCEPT SNORLAX) USED EITHER OFFICIAL OR FAN POKEMON ART AS REFERENCES!

ALSO, YES, I EDITED MY FALLOUT OC ART FOR THIS, BECAUSE THAT’S THE BEST HUMAN I’M EVER GOING TO DRAW!

Yes, my character is more or less me. I’m an unoriginal bastard that vicariously lives through characters modeled after myself, sometimes. Now, prepare for a wall of text…

Trainer Info

Name: Anthony Profession: Tech Tinkerer/Pokemon Trainer Gender: Male Hair: Short, messy, dirty-blonde Height: 6'0” Age: 28 Personality

Very easy-going, enjoys meeting new people and making friends, loves to mess around with/fix different forms of technology, helps others in need when he can, and can be somewhat competitive at times.

He dreams to not only be a great Pokemon Master one day, but to also invent a device that both people and Pokemon can greatly benefit from. So far he’s managed to create a device that can translate what Pokemon say into English. It is currently still a prototype, however, so it only can translate a Pokemon that it has had a considerable amount of time to analyze. To the untrained eye it looks similar to a small bluetooth headset, but Anthony doesn’t like to wear it too often.

His only real “weakness” is how headstrong and foolhardy he can be when he puts his mind to something

Loves 90’s Rock and Classical Music. His favorite band being “Queens of the Stone Age”.

History Anthony always had a passion for two things, technology and raising Pokemon. He started out as a trainer around the age of 14, which is also around the time he tore apart and put back together his first computer. To Professor Oak’s surprise, Anthony turned down a chance to have a starting Pokemon, instead insisting on catching one on his own. To him, it seemed like much more of a challenge to befriend a wild Pokemon and to have it willingly be caught. Anthony had such a chance when he stumbled upon a wild Munchlax that was alone and injured in the nearby woods. He cautiously approached the Munchlax, trying not to startle it. At first the Munchlax was unsure, but something about the boy seemed sincere. He followed Anthony back to his home, where the Munchlax’s wounds were cleaned and treated. After months of feeding and caring for the Munchlax, it was only when Anthony’s parents asked why he hadn’t captured the Munchlax yet, that Anthony remembered his original goal. It wouldn’t have been much of a challenge to capture the Munchlax in his condition so long ago, which was why Anthony refused to do so in the first place. As attached as Anthony had become to the Munchlax, he still gave the Munchlax the option of joining him on a grand adventure or returning to the freedom of the wilds. Anthony was pleasantly surprised when the Munchlax touched the Pokeball in his hand. After a brief moment, the Munchlax was captured and was officially Anthony’s first Pokemon. He laughed when his parents said that Munchlax was a lot like him, which is why he gave Munchlax the name Antii. Many years later, Anthony saved up enough money from battling other trainers and tech repair jobs (Computers, Pokedexs, Healing Hubs, etc.) to travel the world. He went from region to region capturing and training various kinds of Pokemon. He also continued his trade, helping where he could, while even figuring out ways to improve and optimize existing technologies in his travels. Anthony even came up with a few inventions of his own. Some of his improvements, however, have landed him in hot water with Silph Co., such as hacking HMs/TMs and modifying Pokeballs. With each battle won or lost, Anthony learned from the many trainers and gym leaders that he had come across. It was only after one of those battles that he was told about the International Pokemon League (IPL). The concept greatly interested him, considering he was told that was where the brightest and best were assembled. Anthony couldn’t pass up a chance to get involved, and headed straight for the IPL Headquarters.

The Team

Name: Antii Species: Snorlax Sex: Male Ability: Thick Fat Nature: Hardy Held Item: Expert Belt (Worn around head like a headband) Preferred Move Set

Giga Impact (Normal/Physical)

Ice Punch (Ice/Physical)

Zen Headbutt (Psychic/Physical)

Earthquake (Ground/Physical)

Bio Antii is Anthony’s first Pokemon and the one that he has the strongest bond with. Anthony found Antii in the wild, alone and injured, when he was just a Munchlax. After a long period of time, Anthony gave the option for Antii to join him on a grand adventure or be free in the wilds again. Antii chose to stick with Anthony, only for their strong bond to cause Antii to evolve into a Snorlax not long after. Antii is slightly more active than the average Snorlax. His personality mirrors Anthony’s quite a bit, even to the point where Anthony’s parents stated that they were one in the same. Antii is usually the first Pokemon Anthony sends into a battle.

Name: Samson Species: Electivire Sex: Male Ability: Motor Drive Nature: Jolly Held Item: Magnet Preferred Move Set

Thunder Punch (Electric/Physical)

Earthquake (Ground/Physical)

Ice Punch (Ice/Physical)

Hidden Power Grass (Grass/Special)

Bio Anthony first met Samson when he was still just an Electabuzz within the Kanto Power Plant, single-handedly defending the smaller electric type Pokemon from several members of Team Rocket. Antii and Samson teamed up and cleaned house, and he’s been a part of Anthony’s team ever since. Always up for a good fight, Samson is Anthony’s heavy hitter and is generally thrown into battle when something needs to be hit hard and hit often.

Name: Wukong Species: Infernape Sex: Male Ability: Iron Fist Nature: Adamant Held Item: Charcoal (Long and thin fossilized piece in the shape of a Bo Staff) Preferred Move Set

Power-Up Punch (Fighting/Physical)

Flame Charge (Fire/Physical)

Shadow Claw (Ghost/Physical)

Thunderpunch (Electric/Physical)

Bio Wukong started out as a Chimchar Anthony caught when he had first arrived in the Sinnoh Region. Loving all kinds of mythology and tales, Anthony decided to name the Chimchar after the Great Monkey King. To Anthony, Wukong lived up to that name as he was was playfully mischievous during his battles, but was always adamant about using his full potential. With each evolution, up until Wukong finally became an Infernape, he grew wiser and used more strategy in each fight. Anthony likes to use Wukong when more advanced tactics are needed in a battle.

Name: Bloom Species: Sceptile Sex: Female Ability: Overgrow Nature: Impish Held Item: Miracle Seed (In the middle of a green cloth necklace) Preferred Move Set

Energy Ball (Grass/Special)

Rock Slide (Rock/Physical)

X-Scissor (Bug/Physical)

Dragon Pulse (Dragon/Special)

Bio Bloom was a gift from a breeding trainer in the Hoenn Region, that was impressed with not only Anthony’s skill in battle, but also the strong bond that Anthony had with his Pokemon. Starting out as an Egg, Anthony took very close care of it until the day a young Treecko had hatched. Although Bloom immediately became attached to Anthony, she still acted impish in nature. Bloom liked to play little tricks on Anthony and his other Pokemon from time to time. Over time, Bloom evolved into a Sceptile and found new ways of messing with Anthony. Thankfully none of the little tricks or pranks got too out of hand. Anthony likes to use Bloom when he wants his opponent to be thrown off-guard.

Name: Anapos Species: Blastoise Sex: Male Ability: Torrent Nature: Mild Held Item: Blastoisinite Preferred Move Set

Signal Beam (Bug/Special)

Ice Beam (Ice/Special)

Surf (Water/Special)

Earthquake (Ground/Physical)

Bio Anthony first received Anapos as a Squirtle from Professor Sycamore, as thanks for assisting with research in the Kalos Region and fixing broken equipment within the lab. It didn’t take long for Anthony and Anapos to become friends and take the region by storm. Over time, Anapos evolved into Blastoise before Anthony had even reached the fourth gym. He is also the only Pokemon on Anthony’s team able to Mega Evolve, after finding Blastoisinite and acquiring a Mega Ring during his adventures. Anapos enjoys battling but tries to take it easy on his opponents, at least if it is a friendly battle. Anthony likes to use Anapos in battles that have multiple opponents, or his Mega Evolved form when a lot of special power is needed.

Name: Gooby Species: Goodra Sex: Male Ability: Hydration Nature: Modest Held Item: Dragon Fang (Mouth full of ‘em) Preferred Move Set

Dragon Pulse (Dragon/Special)

Sludge Bomb (Poison/Special)

Rain Dance (Water/Support)

Rest (Normal/Support)

Bio Anthony ran into Gooby as a Sliggoo while drudging through the swamps of Kalos. Unsure of how safe the passage he was taking would be, he had Antii return to his Pokeball out of fear of him sinking straight to the bottom. Unfortunately for Anthony, that’s nearly the fate he had met, if not for a passing Sliggoo pulling him to safety. Since then Anthony has traveled with Gooby in his team. Gooby evolved into a Goodra by the time Anthony had reached the Elite Four of the Kalos region. Anthony enjoys having Gooby around and out of his Pokeball at times, but dreads whenever Gooby insist on hugging him, resulting in Anthony being covered in slime. Anthony uses Gooby whenever he needs a Pokemon that can absorb a lot of damage, while also being able to dish it out.

[stephtastrophe]

I watched the last episode (besides the specials) of Pokemon XYZ today and it blew me away! it was so amazing and beautiful! I loved every minute of it! <3

Wow, I hadn't watched Pokemon really since the original series (although I have watched a lot of the old movies I hadn't seen lately on TV at same time as this series) and I am glad I came back for this series! It was a sheer joy to watch! (something I only did because I saw the 3DS's cheap and got one and the games which I still haven't gotten far on! lol). James - or Oak ... well same voice actor in dub with Ash's mom! lol. She looks like she is aging in reverse lol. It was sad to see everyone say goodbye, especially how upset Bonnie and Dedenne were about it all. I knew she'd take it hard being so young, hanging around them for so long probably seemed like a lifetime for her. But I'm sure with her kind nature she's sure to make new friends easily, I mean she did with Squishy easy enough. And will she ever find Clemont a wife? lol. She kinda stopped that later on in the series though. It was nice when she went on about everyone has dreams to pursue and said her own dreams. It was sad seeing all the gangs Pokemon crying when saying their goodbyes, especially Chespin with Pancham! Then Pancham gave him a leaf and it made him a bit happier, awww bless!~ Seeing Serena off was bittersweet! she was definitely his best female companion he has ever had (now having seen them all even if just some in movies). She was such an amazing person, her Pokemon performances were so beautiful to watch and she became such a great trainer, always wanting to help out when there was trouble. I am so glad that she kissed Ash in the end, after running back up the escalator in the airport, that was such a Hollywood movie ending for her which she deserved. It was always so cute how much she liked him and blushed a lot around him, bless her. I just wished they would have shown it properly, I just checked the sub and it wasn't just the dub cutting it. That's a shame but I guess at least they showed her do it off screen! I only wish they could've gone out. I really did ship them, armourshipping for life! <3 they would have made such an adorable couple and you could see they did care for each other, only Ash didn't quite like her the same way but he cared for her as a very good friend as he does with everyone. He would tbh make a good boyfriend if he got a clue lol, when he's older I'm sure. Not that he'll ever grow up in the show. Ash looked shocked like "what just happened?" straight after she kissed him then smiled as she left, maybe he realised he's a baller lol. Clemont and Bonnie went to red and so did Serena lol. I don't know why Bonnie at least didn't see it coming. And Serena winking at him and saying she'll get like better for him, lol. That's a promise, she's like "we're gonna date later, dude ;)" lol. It would be amazing if they did show Serena again, I'm saddest that she's gone now! I loved her character so much! Definitely best girl <3 At least they showed her land safely in Hoenn lol. Not like anything would happen on the way. They didn't really show Clemont and Bonnie see Ash off after their battle which we'll never know who won. I wish they had really. It was cool that they had one final battle like he did with Serena in the other episode. It was nice to see Team Rocket too and they really did fool Giovanni and went back to Kanto too just like Ash, would've been funny to see them on the plane together or bump in to each other. They got a lot of presents for the boss. Or they could've ran in to them at the airport at least. They were funny in what few scenes they got in this episode and James was so cute as always <3 (I'm glad they showed in the flashback when he dressed as Ash, who he looked hot as but he's hot anyway lol and Jessie as Serena as I loved that episode and when Jessie got that boyfriend). I liked how Team Rocket drops the Solrock and Lunatone keychains from their souvenir bags who are in Sun and Moon. It was good to see Professor Sycamore and Alain and Mairin one last time as well! seems like they are going on an adventure researching the stuff with the sundial and energy. It's a shame Alain no longer has his mega stone and key stone after handing it to the authorities as evidence against Lysandre. No more Mega Charizard X which was so badass, now he needs to find his own. It was cool to see Ash go back to Pallet Town, would've been nice to see him greet his mother in person though. It would've been kinda cool if instead of for Sun & Moon he went to that island if he stayed in Pallet Town and Kanto again like he inferred he would in the other episode when they were talking about what they were going to do next since he said he'd battle people there again. It was nice to see all the flashbacks as well of all the characters through their journeys of Kalos! that was a nice touch I thought. It was nice to see everyone in the beginning and see how much they had all grown!! Oh and the Serena in the haunted house bit, that was still so funny what she said! xD she shouldn't be allowed to talk in haunted houses, she just scared people more xD I'm surprised they didn't also show the bit of her dressed as Ash since they showed the part from that episode when he fainted on her lol. Greninja and all the characters from past episodes, all their friends got a look in too. I am gonna miss Kalos and the gang, it really was the greatest. I loved this series from start to finish and am so very glad I watched it! It really was amazing <3 I liked how in the dub it said "and to our own way" at the end, that was cute :3 I can't believe this is the last series with the original designs! I already saw the first two dubbed of Sun and Moon and much prefer these designs, the XY/XYZ character designs were easily the best in the shows entire history! They were gorgeous <3 Ash looked so badass which he doesn't from now on! instead he looks younger and sillier and not as cool! :( I wondered why it said it was on next week when the gang all broke up and said there was an episode 48, so it's really that there is two special episode left after this, okay then, I was curious and now I know finally lol. I'm gonna miss this series so much!!! ;_____________________________________________; So many feels this episode, it was unreal~ :(

Serena x Ash forever <3333 they will forever be in my heart~ <3 My OTP!

Wait, what are these images on the last page of this about?! They didn’t show these bits after the ending of the dub. Is it kinda meant to be Serena and Ash? or no? do I just want it to be? yes lol.

[kalosstarters]

Phonecalls from the other side of the world, part 1

It’s been 3000 years 2ish months since I last posted my writings but now I finally have something new to share. This is the first part of the fic that consists of several phone calls between Alain and Mairin (who sometimes have various other characters in their company) from the time when Mairin is on her individual journey (when she’s 12-16 years old). Mostly platonic Marisson with possibly some small hints of things to come. Also minor pokeshipping and contestshipping in the future chapters. (I’m afraid these first two phone calls sorta contradict each other because I wrote the first one weeks ago and the second one in a situation in which I couldn’t reread the first one)

1. From Lumiose City, Kalos, to Coumarine City, Kalos (2018)

Alain: Mairin, is everything all right? I haven’t heard of you in a long while, and it’s just not like you to not call…

Mairin (with an uncertain tone): Uhh… not really. Alain, I have to confess you something. I am not traveling currently.

Alain: To be honest, I kinda figured that out already. You are really bad at keeping things to yourself. But what are you doing then?

Mairin: Well… I’m still in Coumarine City.. My aunt.. she’s not treating my half-brother well, and I just.. I just couldn’t leave him alone there.

Alain: Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I could have helped you.

Mairin: That’s exactly why! I can’t have you help me all the time! And this has nothing to do with you, it’s something I just had to do. And don’t tell me that you’ll come here because I don’t want that!

…

Mairin: OK, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. You know I want to see you! But watching you help Sycamore at the lab, I realized I needed to find my own thing too. But I can’t do that if you are around all the time. 

Alain: Oh.

Mairin: So do you see now why I have been hiding this from you?

Alain: I guess. But you do still realize that you can’t be there forever? 

Mairin: Of course I do. I am planning on leaving soon. My brother says he’s gonna get his first Pokemon as soon as he turns 10 and nothing can get him back here again after that. He turns 10 in two weeks so I am already doing my own preparations…

Alain: At least you have a plan now… You know, I was really worried about you for a bit. So, what is your next destination?

Mairin: Hoenn! Steven and Sawyer are now back there, and Steven said I’d always be welcome to visit him. I thought seeing some new places would be good for me and there’s still a lot I haven’t seen there… 

Alain: But aren’t you scared? Remembering those… beasts we faced there the last time?

Mairin: Steven said the megalith won’t disturb them anymore and it’s very unlikely I’d ever see them again… They are called legendaries for a reason. But yes, I am a bit scared. But I will get over it!

Alain (quietly): That’s very brave of you. I’m not sure if I could..

Mairin: Did you say something?

Alain: Ah, nothing. You really have grown quite a bit! I guess Professor Sycamore needs me somewhere, but call me before you leave, please.

Mairin: I will. Bye!

 From Lumiose City, Kalos, to Mossdeep City, Hoenn (2018)

Mairin: Alain? Hi! What’s going on? And how did you find me?*

Alain: Well, Steven thought he should let me know you are there, and called me.

Mairin: That Steven.. You know, you don’t have to babysit me. I’m already 12, remember?

Alain: Yeah, I remember, but he also said… uh, never mind.

Mairin: Yes? You can tell me.

Alain: Fine. He said you don’t seem quite as.. emotionally stable as you should be… And despite your latest call, he had understood that you don’t really have a plan for your future, do you?

Mairin: Ehh.. He’s wrong! I don’t know what emotionally stable means, but I’m fine. I’m feeling much better than I felt back in Kalos. I do have a plan too! I’m going to challenge gym leaders and participate in the Hoenn League. I’m also gonna participate in Contests. Serena said they were great.

Alain: Really? Don’t you think that’s quite a lot to do? Do you even know where the closest gym is?

Mairin: Of course I do! It’s right here in Mossdeep City. Psychic type Pokemon, Steven told me. Once I and my Pokemon have rested a bit, we are going to challenge it.

Alain: Mairin, that’s not how gym battles work. Only if your Pokemon are strong enough from the beginning, like my Charizard was when I collected my Kalos gym battles, you can challenge any gym leader basically in any order. There are certain recommendations on in which order you should take on the gyms. From what I’ve heard from Professor Sycamore and Steven, Hoenn’s easiest gym is in Rustboro City, far from Mossdeep.

Mairin: Oh. I did not know that… But I’ve been training with Chespie and Bébé a lot, I’m sure they could beat any gy…

Alain: Another thing: so far you only have two Pokemon, right? The gym battles are often three on three battles, and sometimes even four on four, which means you need to have more than two Pokemon on your team.

Mairin: I was going to catch… OK, maybe I haven’t thought this quite through. But I can do this. Steven and Wallace will help me, and I’ll meet a lot of new people on my journey who will help too…

Alain: That’s the thing I was afraid you’d say. I’m sorry, Mairin, but you are leaning onto other people a bit too much. To some extend it’s fine, but you are expecting us to tell you answers to basically everything. You can’t do that all the time. Remember how you said you wanted to become more independent? This is not how you do it. You are not only responsible for yourself, but also for Chespie and Bébé!

Mairin: ….

Alain: I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have gotten angry like that. But please, consider my words. I’m just trying to help because I care.

Mairin: … I will. I think I heard Steven call for me. I’m going to tell him I’m going to travel to Rustboro City next!

Alain: Do that... And Mairin… Please remember to call me and tell me how you are doing every now and then. Even if we both want you do become more independent, that doesn’t mean you should keep everything to yourself. I do want to know.

Mairin: Right! I should go now, but I.. ugh, never mind. I’ll call you soon!

*she hadn’t informed Alain about her whereabouts which is why it was surprising to her she received a video call at Steven’s

[clefaiiiry]

Title: Peace

Fandom: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions

Word Count: 1,714

Characters: Akagi | Cyrus, Hikari | Dawn, Jun | Barry, Kouki | Lucas, Dr. Nanakamado | Professor Rowan, Kurotsugu | Palmer, Barry's Mother, Lucas' Little Sister

Additional Tags: Found Family, Fluff, Christmas, Hanukkah, Sign Language, Selectively Mute Dawn, Mentions of PerfectWorldShipping, Jewish Characters

AO3 Version

When Dawn had suggested that Cyrus join her, Lucas, Barry, and their families for Christmas dinner of all things, he was sure that she was just messing with him. Even Lucas seemed taken aback.

“I thought he wasn’t into stuff like that,” Lucas said with a frown.

[I felt bad just ditching him for a week while we’re in Sandgem so I just... Sorry it was a dumb idea...] Dawn’s hands fell to her sides.

“Is there even enough space in the lab?”

“It’s you, me, Barry, his parents, the professor, and April so with Cyrus that’s... Eight?”

Perhaps it was pity, maybe it was just some deep-rooted self-hate forcing its way to the surface, but Cyrus agreed to join them.

And now he was stood outside the lab, trying to hide his face in the scarf Cynthia bought him just a week ago. Dawn had told him he didn’t need to bring anything, but he still hovered awkwardly outside with a heavy suspicion that he’d forgotten something.

Cyrus had never actually celebrated Christmas, or any holiday around the December period. His parents certainly wouldn’t have allowed it. He just knew that December meant more people out on the streets, the same few songs playing on repeat for a month, and more bright lights that gave him headaches.

The commanders at Team Galactic had been awfully fond of it. He’d at least allowed them a day of rest on the 25th which they seemed to appreciate. He never joined them in their day off, but they always came back cheerier. Even Charon seemed to enjoy the holiday.

He suddenly realised he’d been standing in front of the lab for half an hour and almost considered leaving when the door swung open. He was doomed to his fate of socialising.

A little girl, no older than twelve, stared up at him for a full minute before she turned back and shouted into the lab, “Dawn’s weird friend is here!”

The voice of a woman Cyrus wasn’t familiar with called back, “Well don’t leave him out there!”

“You’re letting the heat out!” Barry’s voice joined in.

“Sorry!” The girl glanced back to Cyrus. “I’m April. Lucas probably told you about me.”

“He did not,” Cyrus said slowly. The girl pouted.

“Ass,” she grumbled, “well, I’m April, his little sister.”

April was shorter than Dawn was at that age, her long dark hair tied up in a bright red bow. Freckles dotted her nose and her face was the spitting image of Lucas. Even if he hadn’t been told, it would’ve been easy to guess that they were related.

April led him through the lab. All the lights downstairs were switched off, but chatter and heat radiated from the floor above.

“Just ditch your coat and stuff down here,” April said, pointing to the pile of coats and shoes stacked up by the base of the stairs, “I have to keep Houndour in his Poké Ball until we go back outside so he won’t chew on any of it.”

It took him a little longer than he would’ve cared to admit to give up his scarf and coat, but April didn’t comment on it. He immediately shoved his hands in his trouser pockets.

He had been in the apartment above Rowan’s lab once before, to grab a file that Lucas had misplaced, but had barely processed his surroundings at the time.

The apartment was small, made to look even smaller with how many people were bustling around. Two tables had been shoved together in the living room, with every chair in the apartment awkwardly crammed along each side. Barry and Palmer, the Tower Tycoon from the Battle Frontier, were setting the table while Lucas struggled with Dawn to fit the last few chairs into place.

Dawn glanced up as April reached the top of the stairs and waved to Cyrus.

[Glad you could make it,] she signed, still wearing that scarf and hat even though the room temperature was reaching Stark Mountain levels, [Food’s almost ready so where do you wanna sit?]

“I think Barry’s mom has a seating plan,” Lucas said, leaning over the table to check the name tags. “Yeah, you’re over here.”

“Everyone stand back!”

A small, round woman came hurtling from the kitchen carrying a huge dish of vegetables and plonking them down on the table with a loud thud. She took a moment to push unruly blonde curls from her face and let out an overdramatic huff.

“Right, everyone sit down! Hot dishes coming through!”

Professor Rowan followed behind her, wearing soft pink oven mitts and carrying a tray of meat.

She noticed Cyrus out of the corner of her eye and offered him a smile.

“Ah, are you Dawn’s friend? I’m Sadie, Barry’s mother. I hope you like Tauros.”

Cyrus just shrugged. She let out a soft gasp and then her hands started moving in familiar patterns,

[Do you only sign?]

It took him a second to process before he responded, [I prefer to sign, but I am not mute.]

“Ah, just like Dawn,” she said, though it was more musing to herself. She reminded him of his own mother; a warmer, kinder version who loved her family and every moment she spent with them. Cyrus pushed such thoughts from his mind. He wouldn’t allow the memory of his parents to bother him.

The simple action of bringing out food was enough to send the room into chaos. April ended up somehow kicking Palmer in the face as she scrambled into her seat between Lucas and Rowan. Barry tried not to laugh too hard, claiming the seat next to Dawn.

Cyrus found himself between Dawn and Palmer. He found himself edging slightly closer to Dawn.

She looked up at him and signed, [You okay?]

He nodded, though she didn’t seem convinced.

“Oh, Dawn!” Palmer said, leaning across Cyrus and getting far too deep into his personal space, “I got Barry to teach me some signs!” He held up both hands in front of his chest and spoke aloud as he moved them, “Hello, my name is P-A-L-M-E-R.” He looked up with an expectant smile.

Dawn nodded, reaching over to correct the positioning of his hands.

“Ah! Okay, I think I got it!” He glanced to Cyrus. “Do you sign?”

All he could do was nod, wanting nothing more than to sink into the chair. Dawn took note of his expression and tried to sign to Palmer.

“Sorry, Dawn, can you go slower?”

“Dad!” Barry piped up from across the table, “Back up! Cy is getting crushed over there.”

“Huh?” Palmer blinked slowly, then it suddenly clicked, and he sat back. “Sorry! Didn’t notice!”

Cyrus mumbled something that sounded vaguely like, ‘it’s fine,’ but it was ignored in favour of Rowan and Sadie bringing out the last of the food.

“Lucas, April,” Sadie began, looking awfully sheepish, “they won’t be as good as your mother’s, but the professor and I tried to make latkes.” She held up the plate, stacked high with potato latkes. “I’m not sure when they’re supposed to be eaten but-”

“You made latkes?!” April yelped, taking one from the plate before it could touch the table and shoving it in her mouth, “These are so good!” she said through a mouthful.

Relief flooded Sadie’s expression as she placed them on the table and took her seat next to Rowan, across from Palmer.

“Let’s take a moment to think of the people who aren’t here with us,” she said, her smile warm.

[Cynthia says she hopes dinner is better than her’s. She burnt the pudding,] Dawn signed, pulling her scarf down further so it wouldn’t get in the way of her eating.

“Mom and dad say hi from Alola!” Lucas said as he slipped his Holo Caster into his back pocket. “They’re sorry they couldn’t make it.”

Sadie waved her hand. “Don’t be silly, dearie. Did they get their presents?”

Lucas nodded, starting to dish up his plate with vegetables. “Yeah, mom loved hers. Dad said you were being a little optimistic about Alolan weather.”

When Cyrus showed visible confusion, Palmer explained, “We have a tradition of making ugly sweaters every year.”

Sadie clasped her hands together with a smile. “Dawn, remind me to make one for your friend next year!”

“Oh, that’s not necessary-” Cyrus tried to say, but Dawn stamped on his foot under the table.

[Accept the sweater,] she signed, her expression deadly serious.

Cyrus decided he would be accepting the sweater whether he wanted to or not.

“Augustine said he’s spending the day in Lumiose City with his fiancé,” Rowan said without looking up from his food. Cyrus had almost forgotten the professor was even there.

“Awh, we could’ve invited them both over!” April piped up. “We have the space!”

“We barely have enough chairs as it is!” Lucas said.

“Have you seen Professor Sycamore’s fiancé? The guy is taller than a Dragonite and an Abomasnow stacked on top of each other,” Barry said through a full mouth. His mother leaded over to pinch him and he yelped.

“Don’t speak with your mouth full, dear.”

He groaned, but swallowed his food before continuing. “My point is, I don’t even think he’d be able to get through the door, let alone fit around the table.”

Dawn tugged at Cyrus’ sleeve to get his attention. [You and Lysandre would get along, I think.]

Cyrus hoped that the statement wasn’t an insult. He knew of Lysandre Labs but knew nothing about their CEO.

“I will ask Augustine to bring him along next time he visits. We will be able to test your theory,” Rowan said.

The food was, for lack of a better word, amazing, and everyone took the time to mention it at least five times to Sadie and Rowan. Cyrus didn’t mind the repetition too much.

In fact, he found himself tolerating a lot of things that would otherwise be unacceptable. Palmer and Barry were far too loud, April kept leaning across the table instead of asking for things to be passed to her, Sadie kept asking if anyone wanted more of this or that, Rowan was cracking bad jokes that made everyone groan.

Cyrus still found himself oddly at peace.

Like he finally belonged.

[sage-nebula]

PKMN - You’ll Get There in Time

Notes: Okay, so I’m an hour and ten minutes overdue, but nonetheless, here is this, it is here, I STILL GOT IT DONE MOSTLY ON TIME, AS I PROMISED.

I would say this takes place quite a few months post-canon---almost a year, maybe ten months? For some reason I have the impression that canon ended near the beginning of summer (and therefore within a month of Alan’s sixteenth birthday), and so Alan is sixteen (nearing seventeen) here. This also works off my usual canon divergence of “Alan stayed in Lumiose at the end of canon and no one can tell me otherwise”, as well as the premise of “Sycamore and Meyer started dating after XY068″, so please be aware of both of those things moving forward, thank you.

And with that said? Here’s this, and HAPPY (belated) FATHER’S DAY.

- - -

Not for the first time, Augustine had no idea what movie he and Meyer were watching. It was late; the sun had set hours ago, Clemont and Bonnie were home and (in Bonnie’s case at the least) likely getting ready for bed, and the last Augustine was aware Alan had gone out for a night flight on Lizardon. Augustine and Meyer were curled up on the couch in Augustine’s living room, Meyer relaxing back against the cushions with his arm around Augustine’s shoulders, Augustine himself leaning into Meyer’s embrace. They found this movie while flipping through the channels; it had already started, and since this channel was one that didn’t interrupt its movies with commercial breaks and loud, intrusive announcements about what movie they were returning to when the break ended, Augustine wasn’t sure which one it was. It didn’t particularly matter; the movie was entertaining enough, even if it was several decades old and riddled with cheese because of it. It was fine enough for a relaxing night in, and Augustine smiled a little as he shifted his position just enough so that he could settle back against Meyer a bit more comfortably, both of his legs brought up and stretched across the sofa cushions.

And that was when Meyer popped the question.

“I meant to ask---you didn’t ever adopt Alan, did you?”

“What?”

Augustine sat up, and pulled away from Meyer’s embrace just enough so that he could turn to look at him. With the warm, serene comfort of their evening broken, Meyer plucked the television remote from the armrest beside him, and dialed the volume down enough so that they could talk comfortably.

“You didn’t adopt Alan, did you?” Meyer repeated. “Officially, I mean. On record.”

“I---no,” Augustine said, and he glanced away for only a second before he caught himself and looked back to meet Meyer’s eyes again. “I didn’t. Why do you ask?”

Meyer frowned. He set the remote back on the armrest, stared at it for a moment, and then transferred it to the coffee table instead. When he finally spoke, it was more slowly than usual---more careful, deliberate.

“Things are getting kind of---well, I’d like to think things are getting pretty serious between us. Between you and me. I like you a lot---love you, actually.” His cheeks flushed red, and Augustine couldn’t help but smile as he took Meyer’s hand in his own. Meyer smiled back, and squeezed Augustine’s hand as he ran his thumb along the side of it. “But the thing is, things are getting serious between us and that’s great---but it’s not just us we have to think about. It’s the kids, too.”

“Of course,” Augustine said. It wasn’t as if there had ever been a doubt in his mind that that was the case. He had ended a relationship in the past with someone who had taken issue with Alan being around, and while the thought of that being a problem that he’d have to face again now boggled his mind, he felt his heart give an unpleasant lurch as he said, “But why are you concerned about Alan? I thought you two were getting along.”

“We are,” Meyer said. “He’s not---it’s not that I’m worried about him disapproving, or causing problems or anything. He and I don’t talk much, but he’s a good kid and I can tell he loves you an awful lot. I think he wants you to be happy, so I can’t see him . . . disapproving of us, or anything like that.”

“For someone who doesn’t talk much with him, you’ve got a good read on him.”

Meyer smiled, though it was fleeting. “The thing is, Gus, is I want him to be happy, too. I don’t know him very well, but like I said, he’s a good kid. I care about him. And I don’t want to hurt him, even by accident.”

Relief made the small seed of stress that had taken root in Augustine’s chest loosen, and he felt the tension leave his shoulders. Meyer was fine with Alan, just as Augustine thought he was---there was nothing to worry about there. He gave Meyer’s hand a grateful squeeze. 

“I appreciate that, especially since if you didn’t care about him, that would cause problems for us,” he said, and Meyer nodded once in perfect understanding. “But I can’t really say I’m following your train of thought here. Alan is fine with us---he won’t be hurt by us being together, so why---?”

“If we---if things continue as they are now---I’ll---we could probably get married, someday, maybe,” Meyer said, and Augustine felt his heart skip in his chest, sudden heat breaking out over his skin. They had never actually discussed marriage before, and while Augustine had certainly thought about it, he wasn’t aware that Meyer had done the same, particularly given his history. “And if we do---or even if we don’t, and things just get more serious---I know that Bonnie at least will want to call you ‘Dad,’ or something like that. And you will be---you would be her stepdad. She’d be thrilled. Clemont would probably warm up to the idea quickly enough, too, though I’m not sure he’d jump on the ‘Dad’ train as easily as Bonnie would.”

“I’d be fine either way,” Augustine said. “I wouldn’t mind if either one of them wanted to call me ‘Dad’.”

“I know,” Meyer said. “But the thing is, I’ve noticed that Alan still calls you ‘Professor.’”

The pieces clicked, then, with such immediacy that Augustine felt a little frustrated with himself for not seeing where the conversation was headed when it first started. 

“You’ve taken care of him for years now,” Meyer went on. “I still remember when he was running around here as a six-year-old in a lab coat. I always just assumed that you had adopted him, but it struck me as strange that he still calls you ‘Professor’ if that was the case. I don’t think there’s any question that he’s your kid, but---have you ever talked about this with him? What’s the story there?”

“No, we never discussed it,” Augustine said. He sat back against the couch cushions and turned his eyes to the television again. The two main characters were arguing on screen; he had no idea what they were talking about anymore. “There was never really a chance to. Or at least, it never came up.” He combed his fingers through his hair. “I never really thought about it---there was never really a reason to. Everything was fine the way it was.”

“I see,” Meyer said. Augustine looked over to see that Meyer had frowned again, his brow pinched in concern. “And what about now? Think you might talk to him about it any time soon?”

“I didn’t think there was really a need to,” Augustine said. “And he’s a bit old to be adopted now, don’t you think?”

“Not necessarily,” Meyer said. “Legally he might be old enough to be on his own, but you could still go through the adoption process to give him an official last name on public record and his License if nothing else. Plus it’d give him legal ties to you and the lab here, so in the event that anything ever happens, you two would have ties to each other in the eyes of the law.”

For all his supposed brilliance, Augustine had to admit that he had never thought of it that way. “That’s true . . .”

“Plus . . .” Meyer hesitated, and only when Augustine looked back at him did he seem to muster the will to carry on. “Like I said, Bonnie will definitely want to see you as her new dad. Clemont will probably see you that way too, even if he doesn’t say as much right off the bat. But from an outsider’s perspective, even if it’s clear that Alan’s your kid, I’m not sure he necessarily knows that if it’s never been said---if you two’ve never discussed it. And I don’t want him to feel uncomfortable or hurt if Clemont and Bonnie do become your stepkids, when he’s been here for eleven years and is still just your assistant.”

“He’s not just---”

“I know that, and you know that, but does he?” Meyer asked, and Augustine closed his mouth. “I don’t want to push either of you to do something you’re not comfortable with as far as adoption goes, if either of you don’t want, but I also don’t want to run the risk of making Alan feel like he’s not---or like he can’t be---part of this family, too.”

Warmth spread through Augustine, from his chest down to his fingertips, and he squeezed Meyer’s hand again. He was at a loss for how to convey exactly what he was feeling (thought part of him was tempted to kiss Meyer, right then and there), but he settled for a smile as he said, “Thank you. For considering him.”

“No need,” Meyer said, and he smiled back. “Just---think about it, okay? And talk to him, maybe sometime soon. And let me know how it goes, if or when you do.”

Augustine nodded, and looked down at their clasped hands as he said, “Yes. I will.”

He certainly would.

- - -

All things considered, it should have been an easy talk. Augustine didn’t know, then, why it felt so hard.

He had planned, originally, to have the talk with Alan at breakfast the next morning. They usually ate breakfast together after they fed the pokémon at the lab (which itself usually took place after Alan and Lizardon had gone for a morning flight at daybreak, provided Alan was up early enough), and it was the perfect time for casual conversation. But although that had been Augustine’s plan, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to do it. They had eaten quietly, and though the silence had been mostly comfortable (though Alan, at least, hadn’t seemed to pick up on anything out of the ordinary), every time Augustine thought about bringing the subject of adoption up, he felt his throat catch, and found it suddenly difficult to swallow his cereal. Near the end of breakfast, Alan had actually asked him if he was all right, evidently thinking Augustine was sick. Augustine had assured him that everything was fine---and it was---but he still hadn’t been able to bring up the adoption talk. Next time, then, he reasoned. He would find a better time to bring it up.

But as the days went on, he wasn’t entirely sure when that ‘better time’ was. He had thought that perhaps they could talk about it while completing their work throughout the morning, but then he reasoned that no, that was impossible---they were working, and their research was important. They had to focus on that. He thought about perhaps bringing it up before Alan left to train (he had finally reached the decision to take the Champion challenge, and was set to take it the following month; he and his pokémon were undergoing multiple training sessions a day as a result to prepare), but Alan---well, he needed to concentrate, didn’t he? Training was important, and it required focus. Augustine didn’t need to break that focus by springing a conversation like that on him out of the blue. It wouldn’t be right.

So then, maybe dinner was a better time, but Augustine was met by the same inability to spit the words out during dinner that evening as he had been during breakfast in the morning. They could have perhaps talked before bed, after Alan returned from his evening flight on Lizardon, but Alan was only up for a little while before he went to bed for the evening, and they had decided to continue watching a new show they had discovered on NetTix. It was something they hadn’t seen before, so it really wasn’t a show that could be interrupted by talking. Alan didn’t like it when people talked through movies or shows, anyway, and Augustine couldn’t say that he blamed him. It was rude.

And so it continued for at least a week after. The problem, Augustine thought, was that they more or less had a routine. Although Alan’s sleep schedule could still be a bit unpredictable at times, he still kept more or less to the same routine each day, pushing himself even if he was exhausted from staying up the night before (something Augustine chastised him for, but that never seemed to stick). He took Lizardon out for regular flights, he underwent rigorous training sessions with his pokémon three times a day for several hours at a time, and he tended to work around the lab. There were breaks here or there, and he wasn’t averse to changing tracks if something came up, but he had a routine, and it was a busy one. Alan’s days were not idle, and neither were Augustine’s, and that made it impossible to find a time to talk.

“I don’t really know what I’m going to do,” Augustine mused to Gabrielle on the eighth day, as they sat just outside the door to the garden. He was massaging some dry shampoo onto one of the combee while Gabrielle sat nearby, spinning a flower crown a bellossom they had recently taken in had made for her around one of her wrists. “There isn’t really a good time to talk about this. I’m not sure I’ll get a chance to talk to him.”

“Gar?”

“Alan.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Augustine saw Gabrielle stop twirling the flower crown, and when he looked up, he saw that she was staring at him with a perplexed look. Wordlessly, she lifted the arm still bearing the flower crown to point across the yard, and he followed her gesture to see that she was pointing at Alan, who was sitting on the far side of the yard with Lizardon and a lounge of baby salandit. Lizardon was holding a box of poképuffs, and as Augustine watched, Alan plucked one of the poképuffs from the box and broke off pieces that were small enough so that the salandit wouldn’t choke on them.

Augustine shook his head. “No, he’s busy right now. It isn’t a good time.”

Gabrielle made a disbelieving sound in her throat, and pushed herself to her feet. Augustine felt his heart jump in his chest, as if he had walked face first into a jump scare.

“Gabrielle! No, don’t---don’t do that,” he said, and he put his hand on her leg to force her to pause and look back at him. She did (and the combee Augustine had been bathing turned to look at him in alarm, too), and Augustine took a breath to try and steady his heart as he said, “I’ll---I’ll find the time, but now isn’t it. So please don’t go get him, all right? Why don’t you . . . go play with Sophie or Cosette instead? Cosette went to pick up a new box of poképuffs earlier. I’m sure she got some of the sweet kind you like.”

For once, the mention of sweet poképuffs didn’t immediately derail Gabrielle’s train of thought. She continued to give him a dubious stare, and she looked over in Alan’s direction once more. Thankfully, Alan hadn’t noticed what had occurred between them; he was too distracted by the six baby salandit that were scampering all over him, trying to climb up his chest so they could pounce on Lizardon to get the poképuffs. But though Gabrielle still looked as if she wanted to go get his attention, she turned her eyes back to Augustine instead, nodded once, and then returned to the lab.

Augustine stared after her, flummoxed. As far as he knew, she didn’t even know what he wanted to talk to Alan about. Why did she look so put-out with him?

Probably, said a little intrusive thought in the back of his mind, because you’re making excuses to avoid talking to your own son.

Augustine shook his head as he looked back down at the combee, and murmured an apology for getting distracted in the middle of bath time. The combee buzzed---a little annoyed, but not overly so---and Augustine resumed massaging the dry shampoo in, trying to focus so that he didn’t miss a single spot.

- - -

Neither Gabrielle nor the intrusive thought had been exactly wrong, a thought that had plagued him for the rest of the day. The morning of the next day---the ninth day---he decided that it was more than high time he mustered up the courage to do something about it.

The first part of their morning followed the same routine as always. When Alan and Lizardon returned from their morning flight they fed the pokémon at the lab, and then sat down to breakfast themselves. Augustine took their dishes into the kitchen and placed them in the sink, and once that was done (and he told himself, in the firmest internal voice that he could manage, that he had to do this, that he needed to do this, that it needed to be done now and there was no turning back), he said, “Hey, Alan---before we get started today, there’s something we need to talk about.”

Alan was still standing over by the table, having just gotten up from his seat after checking something on his PokéNav Plus while Augustine put their dishes in the sink, but the moment the words ‘there’s something we need to talk about’ left Augustine’s mouth, he froze. His eyes were wide, and every muscle in his body looked tense; he was so suddenly still that it looked like he had stopped breathing altogether, and perhaps he had. 

Augustine wanted to kick himself.

“It’s not anything bad,” he said, and Alan relaxed, though only marginally. He was still frowning, his brow knitted together. “Or---it’s not anything you’ve done, exactly. It isn’t anything like that.”

“Okay . . .” Alan said. “Then . . . what is it about?”

Augustine opened his mouth to answer, but just like all the other times, the words felt caught in his chest. It was the kitchen, he thought. The kitchen was not a good place to have this talk, not with the sink and kitchen table standing between them.

“Let’s go out in the garden,” he said. “There’s that place out in the trees where you like to sit---that little secluded spot---isn’t there? Let’s go there.”

Alan nodded, and led the way to the door that led out to the garden. He held it open for Augustine, who stepped through and waited for Alan to follow. When he did, and the door shut behind them (no turning back), Augustine stared to lead the way toward the trees in the back of the garden.

For their part, the pokémon out in the garden didn’t seem to notice that anything was up. The marill were playing with the oddish and psyduck, and the baby salandit that Alan had been feeding the day before were clamoring around both Lizardon and Gabrielle, who seemed to be having fun entertaining them. As Augustine and Alan passed their little group, both Lizardon and Gabrielle looked up. Augustine smiled at them and held up one hand, and though Lizardon tilted his head in apparent confusion, Gabrielle waved one claw and gave him a happy smile, reassuring him in their own language. Whatever she said seemed to be enough to pacify Lizardon; he nodded, and went back to playing with the baby salandit.

Most of their walk across the yard and through the trees was made in silence. Augustine didn’t really know what to say; he knew what he needed to say, what it was that they needed to talk about, but he wasn’t sure how to begin. As they walked, he stole a glance over at Alan to see that Alan was staring at the ground, his hands in the pockets of his lab coat. He still looked tense, and once again Augustine felt the urge to kick himself. Whatever his own nerves were, there was no reason to pass that onto Alan. Alan had been doing much better over the past couple of months; he had seemed much less stressed, much happier. The last thing Augustine wanted to do was undo all the progress he had made, much less over something that shouldn’t have been stressful in the first place.

But it was, as much as Augustine didn’t understand why. He had no idea why he felt his own hands shaking a bit as he balled them into fists in his own lab coat, or why part of him felt like fumbling for an excuse to end this conversation before it began. It was a good thing---really, it was. There was nothing bad, or even surprising, about what they needed to talk about. Even if the question of adoption was new, the fact that Alan was his son in all but blood . . . that was a truth Augustine had felt for years now. But he still felt the urge to scrounge for an excuse for why this wasn’t a good time to talk either bubbling in his chest, and he knew that they needed to start talking before that urge became overpowering. And so, in the absence of having anything prepared (and why hadn’t he prepared? He could have written something beforehand, could have used notecards---), Augustine decided to employ the same tried-and-true method that had gotten him through numerous assignments in university.

“It’s, ah . . . it’s been a long time since you’ve come to live here, hasn’t it? Since I brought you home, I mean. All those years ago.”

He was going to wing it.

Alan cast him a furtive glance out of the corner of his eye, not turning to look at Augustine fully, and nodded. His lips were pressed tightly together as he cast his eyes back to the grass beneath their feet, and---seemingly feeling that a nod wasn’t enough---mumbled, “Yeah.”

“Time really flies,” Augustine said. “I still remember---you were so little. I could carry you around on my shoulders so easily.” He laughed awkwardly. “That would . . . probably be impossible now. We might be able to manage a piggyback ride, if the situation called for it, but . . . not so much a shoulder ride.”

“Mm.” 

Augustine wasn’t sure if Alan’s little hum was an agreement or acknowledgement, but they had finally reached the little clearing. Without preamble, Alan headed over toward a large boulder that had sat in the clearing for as long as Augustine could remember, and hopped up onto it. He pulled one knee up to his chest and wrapped his arms around it (his other leg dangling off the rock), and it was only after he did that he started, eyes widening as he looked over at Augustine.

“Sorry,” he said. “Did you want . . . ?”

“No, no. I’m fine just like this,” Augustine said, and he smiled for Alan’s benefit. It was true; it always felt easier to stand when he was nervous. It made him feel more ready to take action, if there was action to take. 

Alan nodded, and rested his chin on his knee as he watched Augustine, waiting. And that, too, was familiar; Augustine liked to stand when he was nervous, but Alan had a tendency to close in on himself. He always had. Even if he was standing, it wasn’t strange for his fists to be clenched, shoulders hunched, or perhaps even arms crossed if he felt uncomfortable. The same was true now, but there was no reason for it, and Augustine knew that. There was no reason, and yet . . . he . . .

“Professor?” Alan said, and Augustine tore his eyes away from the fletchling nest he had been looking at to instead look back at Alan. “What . . . did you want to talk abo---?”

“That,” Augustine said, and it certainly wasn’t the smoothest way to launch into the conversation, but when Alan gave him a confused stare, he elaborated, “You called me ‘Professor’. That’s what I want to talk about. In a sense, anyway.”

Alan looked no less confused, though Augustine saw him hug his knee a little tighter against his chest. “O-Oh . . . um, okay. Is that . . . is something wrong with that?”

Yes was the answer that buzzed in anticipation on the tip of Augustine’s tongue, so suddenly vibrant and powerful that he wasn’t sure how he had never noticed it before, how the thought had never occurred to him before Meyer had brought it up. But he knew, too, that saying so wouldn’t be fair to Alan, who had never been made aware that there was a problem until this very moment. So instead Augustine said, “Not exactly. Alan . . . I brought you home eleven years ago. Twelve years this September. Isn’t that right?”

Alan nodded.

“I brought you home, but . . . I don’t think we’ve ever discussed why I brought you home, or . . . what happened after. Why, and what you’re doing, here.”

“I’m working,” Alan said. “I’m your assistant. That’s what you said. You offered me a job, and I took it.” 

“Well, yes,” Augustine said. “But also no. You were a bit too young to really accept a job as a research assistant, and in all honesty that was more of an excuse for me to get you out of that village. Not that you didn’t help me that day,” he added quickly, “but more that, well, I’m not really the one to look for child labor when I’m in need of more research assistants. I just needed a plausible reason to take you with me, and that was the easiest one on hand.”

“Oh.” Alan didn’t look upset---or at least, not any more upset than he had ever since Augustine had said they needed to talk---but he didn’t look relieved or necessarily pleased, either. “But I’m your assistant now, aren’t I?”

"Not . . . exactly,” Augustine said. “You help me out quite a lot, of course, but I wouldn’t say you’re my assistant in the same way Sophie and Cosette are.”

Alan had looked down at the grass midway through Augustine’s words, and he was silent for a moment before he said quietly, “I don’t understand. Are you . . . firing me?”

“What?” Augustine stared at Alan, aghast, but when Alan didn’t look up, hastily said, “No! No, no, that’s not . . .” He put his face in his hands for only a moment before he combed one hand up through his hair, and huffed a mirthless laugh. “I’m really making a mess of this, aren’t I? I can never find the right words to say for conversations like these.”

Finally Alan looked back up, question in his eyes even though he didn’t speak. Augustine sighed, and paced a few steps closer to the boulder Alan sat on, though he kept some distance between them. He knew Alan liked his space whenever he was upset or nervous.

“Alan, the reason why I’m bringing this up is because you aren’t my assistant in the usual sense. You assist me, yes---we’ve worked on a great deal of research over the years, and there is so much I feel I couldn’t have done had you not helped me with it.”

“That’s not true,” Alan said. “You can do any---”

Augustine held up one finger, and Alan fell silent.

“What I’m trying to say,” Augustine continued, “is not that you don’t help me, or that we don’t research together, because you do---we do. We have quite a number of projects that have both of our names attached to them. You’re every bit the researcher I am, and twice the trainer.”

Alan looked dubious, and Augustine could tell by the look in his eyes and the frown on his lips that he was a half second away from open disagreement. Augustine hurried on before Alan had the chance.

“But even with that said, you still aren’t---our relationship isn’t like what I have with Sophie, or Cosette. Sophie, Cosette, and I are friends, but we’re also colleagues. Our relationship is, first and foremost, professional. But the relationship that you and I have is not like that. Or at least . . . I feel that it isn’t.”

Augustine turned and paced back toward the other side of the little clearing, his hands still in the pocket of his lab coat. 

“When I brought you home all those years ago, I didn’t bring you back as my assistant. Not really. That was the excuse on paper, and you did help me out, but that wasn’t really . . . I’ve never really thought of you as my assistant, or as just my assistant. As far as I’m concerned, ever since I brought you home . . . I’ve always thought of you as my son.”

Silence. Utter silence, broken only by the distant sounds of pokémon rustling through the tree branches or skirting along the grass elsewhere in the little wooden area, fell over them. Augustine waited for only a minute before he turned back to look at Alan, who was staring at him. Alan’s arms had fallen from around his knee; his hands were limp against the boulder he was sitting on, and he was staring at Augustine with wide eyes.

“Alan?” Augustine said, gently, but also with a bit of trepidation. That Alan was his son was never in question for him, but he wondered---for Alan--- “Are you . . . okay?”

Alan blinked once---twice---as if trying to bring Augustine into focus. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. And then, blinking once again as if he was really having difficulty processing what was in front of him, he brought his hands up and scratched roughly across the back of his left hand.

“H-Hey!” Augustine said, alarmed, and he took a step forward, raising his hands to try and stop Alan from doing any more damage. Alan didn’t; he merely stared at the scratches he had made, as if he was trying to discern some kind of answer from them. “Don’t---what are you doing?”

“Checking something,” Alan said, though he sounded distracted. He was still frowning, even as he looked back toward the direction of the lab. “Maybe if Lizardon . . .”

“Alan?” Augustine said, and Alan finally looked back at him. He looked lucid, at least, and didn’t seem upset, per se---but that did little to quell the anxiety Augustine was currently feeling. “Are you---why did you do that? What’s wrong?”

“I needed to see . . .” Alan chewed the inside of his lip and glanced back in the direction of the lab again. Lizardon was probably too far away to hear Alan’s call, and seeming to reach the same conclusion, Alan looked back. “You said . . . could you . . . say that again? I want to make sure I heard you correctly.”

Augustine furrowed his brow. “Which part?”

“What you said before I . . .” Alan rubbed his fingers along the scratches on the back of his hand.

“I said that I’ve always thought of you as my son,” Augustine said, and he was standing close enough now that he could see Alan’s breath hitch, and he squeezed his injured hand. “And it’s true, I have---Alan, are you okay? Is this . . . okay with you?”

Alan swallowed hard, and he nodded, but his breathing didn’t look less shallow. He wrapped his arms around his leg again, and Augustine could tell that he was chewing on his tongue.

Augustine’s heart sank.

“Alan,” he said again, and he made his voice as gentle as possible, “if you’re not okay, it’s . . . it’s all right to say so. I won’t---”

“No, I’m . . . I’m just . . .” Alan shook his head a little. “. . . confused.”

“Confused?” Augustine blinked as Alan nodded. “About what?”

“I . . .” Alan looked back at him for only a moment before he averted his eyes again. “You said . . . just now, you said that you’ve always thought of me as---as your son.”

“That’s right. I have.”

“But . . . when you first brought me here . . . that night, I asked you if---I asked you what I should call you. And you said . . . you said that I should call you ‘Professor.’ Back then, you didn’t want . . .”

It took a great deal of self-restraint for Augustine to stop himself from putting his face in his hands again. He couldn’t believe---after all these years--- “Oh no---no, no, no. That’s not what happened.”

Alan looked back at him, his gaze sharp. “Yes it is.”

“No, it’s---it wasn’t like that. I understand that must have been how it seemed, but that wasn’t my intention. I didn’t say that because I was averse to the idea of you calling me your father, even back then.”

Alan said nothing; he merely continued to watch Augustine. Augustine put his hands back into the pockets of his lab coat.

“The reason---and I’m eleven years too late in telling you this, but---the reason why I told you to call me ‘Professor’ that night wasn’t because I was averse to you calling me ‘Dad.’ It was because---do you remember the night we spent in Cyllage City, at the hotel? The first night after I took you with me?”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember when Fulbert and I went to talk on the balcony, after I put you to bed?”

“Yes. He was upset you had brought me along.”

“In a sense,” Augustine said, and he combed his hand through his hair. Even now, eleven years later, he felt that was still probably one of the worst fights he had ever had with his old college friend. “We ended up reaching an agreement that, when we returned home to Lumiose, we would search for your birth parents. Fulbert thought that perhaps they had lost you in the woods; he felt that if they had, they might have filed a missing child report, and we could find them that way. I thought it best for you to not call me your father just then because I was afraid that if we found your biological parents, you would be hurt or confused about leaving with them after I had already told you that I was going to be your father from then on. I knew you were disappointed . . . but I felt it was best for you at the time, just in case.” He put his hand back in his lab coat pocket, and smiled ruefully. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about how that must have sounded, beyond the obvious. I probably should have told you this years ago, but since neither Fulbert nor myself ever found any information on your biological parents, I never thought to bring it up. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Alan said. He had relaxed a little, though he still looked a little dazed, as if he had been smacked particularly hard in the head or was recovering from a concussion. Augustine cleared his throat, more to force himself to speak than anything.

“But that said, I brought this up today because that can . . .” It should. “. . . change, if you want it to.”

Alan met his eyes, and squeezed his arms a little tighter around his leg again, though he said nothing.

“I don’t want to force you into anything, or pressure you,” Augustine said. He could feel his own heartbeat pick up speed in his chest. “I know this is sudden---well.” He huffed a laugh. “Sudden for you---I’ve been trying to muster up the courage to broach this subject for a week now.”

Alan furrowed his brow. “Why? Were you nervous, I mean.”

“I’m not entirely sure,” Augustine said, though he had a fair idea now, and it had everything to do with the state of apparent shell-shock Alan had been in ever since Augustine had said that he thought of Alan as his son, much less the question of actual adoption. Meyer had been right---Alan really hadn’t realized. And Augustine had half a mind to jettison himself to the moon. “But that isn’t important. What I’m trying to say is, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. If you want to continue on as we have been, that’s fine; I’ll love you just the same either way. But if you want . . . I’d like to adopt you. Formally. Officially.”

Once again, Alan was at a loss for words. The tension left him so that his arms fell limply by his sides, and though his mouth had dropped open, no sound came out. After a moment he seemed to collect himself, for he closed his mouth, swallowed, and then croaked, “Are you . . . serious?”

“Yes.”

“. . . Really?”

“Yes,” Augustine repeated. “I promise you, this is not something I would joke about.”

Alan continued to stare at him; his eyes were very bright. “Even after everything I did? After---after everything I did over the past two years, with Lysandre---”

“None of that was your fault,” Augustine said firmly. “But even if it was, my feelings wouldn’t change. I should have adopted you years ago, and in my heart, I already did. Nothing Lysandre did---or could have done---changes how I feel about that.”

Alan looked back down at the grass again. He was trembling a little, and Augustine saw him scrape his nails against the boulder. He had never been one to think aloud, and Augustine could only guess what was going on in his head, but---

“The choice is yours,” Augustine said. “As I said, I consider you to be my son either way. I’ll love you just the same either way. And I would love to adopt you, if you’d be comfortable with tha---”

“Yes.”

“---bu---oh.” Augustine blinked, and as his brain processed what Alan had said, he felt a smile spread his cheeks. “Really?”

“Yes,” Alan repeated, and he was beaming as he looked up, his eyes shining along with his smile. “It’s what I’ve always wanted, ever since that first night back in Cyllage. I never wanted to say, because I didn’t want to pressure you or make you feel bad when I hadn’t . . .” He swallowed thickly, and huffed a small laugh as he blinked a few times to keep the tears in his eyes from spilling over. “But I’ve always wanted this. Always.”

“Oh. Well. That’s settled then, isn’t it?” Augustine said, and he couldn’t help but return Alan’s smile. It was strange---nothing had changed, really, because Alan was his son, and always had been---but for some reason, right in that moment, Augustine felt light enough to bounce, as if the steps he took back to the lab were going to be in zero gravity. “What do you say we head back and start looking into this process, hm? It might take some time, but if we start now we should be able to speed it along.”

Alan nodded. “Yeah.” He took another second to collect himself before he hopped off the boulder. Augustine turned to start back toward the lab, but he hadn’t so much as lifted his foot to take the first step before Alan said, “Hey, um---”

Augustine looked back. “What is it?”

Alan hesitated for a second, but only a second. In the next beat he pushed himself forward to throw his arms around Augustine’s shoulders in a tight embrace. Augustine hugged Alan back just as securely, and smiled as he felt Alan tighten the hug for just a moment before he pulled back.

“Thank you,” Alan said, and his voice shook a little as he said it.

Augustine’s smile didn’t fade, and he squeezed Alan’s shoulder. “I’m only doing what we should have done years ago,” he said. “Come on. Let’s go get started.”

Alan laughed again, the sound soft but elated, and was beaming again as he said, “Yeah. Let’s do it.”