#because Galar and Paldea do not have the same systems

[quibbs126]

Actually, thinking about the Pokémon timeline a bit more, I feel like Gens 8 and 9 have to take place way after the other games, because like, the world feels very different in those games

For starters, the technology's vastly improved in these two games compared to the others. The Rotom Dex was like, a very new thing in Gen 7, but by Gen 8, Rotom phones are just a part of the typical experience, and they're used to do things like power bikes and such; Rotom tech has become far more advanced. Portable PC boxes are now a standard thing. There's far more expansion in things like sponsors, at least with how it pertains to the average starting Trainer

Not only that, but the Leagues feel completely different, like they've gone through a massive overhaul. The Gyms feel like a far bigger thing than in previous games, with the Galar one basically being a popular sporting event, with massive stadiums and crowds. Heck, you need a sponsor to join the Gym Challenge in the first place, and getting more sponsors is a thing normal for top tier League trainers like Leon. And while I'm not as familiar with Paldea's League (nor do I remember the entry process), it again feels far bigger and more elaborate than previous iterations, and "Champion" not simply being the strongest Trainer in the region, but a title one achieves by beating the Elite four and the Top Champion. I also wouldn't be surprised if paperwork and application was necessary to compete in Paldea's League either, I just don't remember

In Galar and Paldea, you can't just wake up one day and decide to do the Gyms, and you're going to be far more known for taking the challenge than in any other region, where the most recognition for it is in your badges themselves

Alola was the only one semi close to how the League is in the new games, but the Trial Challenge system was not invented by the Pokémon League, it's a long established Alolan tradition with their customs. The League was only just formed in Sun/Moon, and from what I can gather, it's only the Elite Four and Champion, and for people who've completed the Trial Challenge

So like, how far in the future from Sun/Moon, which mind you are themselves 20 years after Gens 1 and 3, and 17 years after Gens 2 and 4, are Sword/Shield and Scarlet/Violet? How has technology in the Pokémon world expanded so much? And what caused this restructuring of the Pokémon League and Gym Challenge system?

I mean I know IRL it's just because the developers wanted to expand the world of Pokémon from what they had before, and good on them for that. But I just want to know, what caused all these changes in-universe?

[nyaagolor]

Paldean League Worldbuilding

aka how Geeta is reshaping the poke-economy and making herself the most hated woman ever in the process

I generally try to keep any sort of real world analogues out of my HCs for Pokemon bc I think it's more of a utopian society and doesn't need to operate on the same logic of economics or politics as irl, but swsh and sv seem more grounded in our reality so I've been thinking about them (especially sv) a LOT. Decided I would just dump all my musings and HCs about the paldean league here if only to organize it all. Also disclaimer that I am not an economist and will never pretend to be so it’s more than likely this system would never work irl but it’s pokemon so it’s fine

The Galarian and Paldean Leagues always struck me as relatively recent, at least in terms of their current operation, and mostly spearheaded by a super ambitious head of operations who restructured the entire place as soon as they got there. I'll talk about Galar in another post, but atm Paldea has my brain in a chokehold so this is all about them

My main HC about the Paldean League is that up until extremely recently (20 years ago give or take I'm not doing specific timelines here) the Paldean League was extremely corrupt and poorly run. When the Paldean empire collapsed, the League was formed as a way to try and maintain the status quo and keep power in the hands of those who previously held it. It was, and continued to be for the next few centuries, an oligarchy. No one in the system was elected, and those in lower positions had to be personally selected and approved by their superiors. There were no checks and balances, so the people at the top could and did maintain power indefinitely. By the time we reached 20~ years before the main story, the structure was as follows:

Chairman: The leader of the entire thing. Has absolute power over everyone else in the system. Does all the boring stuff Top Champion: A battler and figurehead for the public. The "face" of the League, but generally not in charge of anything and has no political power. Their battle with up and coming trainers determines whether they get champion rank ^ If ur thinking this is similar to the Galar League, you'd be correct. They were based off the same model for a while Elite Four: Originally called the Council of Four, they act as a council that makes decisions along with the Chairman and test trainers' worthiness. Typically in charge of a handful of gym leaders Gym Leaders: Local political leaders that operate under the Council of Four and ensure things don't get too rowdy on the town level. In charge of testing trainers, protecting the town from wild threats, keeping up appearances, and union busting (they mostly did that last one) Everyone else: Salary workers. They have not yet unionized

The system, ultimately, was corrupt as hell. There was no job security, and the hierarchical nature of the league ensured you had to suck up to and do the dirty work for your boss if you wanted to get paid at all. Unions? Idk her. Corruption and embezzlement was the name of the game, and Paldea was basically flat broke because of it, with infrastructure decades behind neighboring regions and a bevvy of shitty trainers. The champion, unlike other regions, was not decided by who unseated the current champion. It didn't matter how good someone was, they had to be selected by the chairman to be Top Champion, and the Chairman would only select someone who would work with them without question. Paldea was basically the laughingstock of the world because of their complete and utter incompetence in any and all battle tournaments and lack of advancements in literally every sector. Then shit hit the fan and we moved onto the system we see in-game

I'm not sure what the event was (a recession, investigative journalism, doesn't really matter) but the newfound understanding of just HOW corrupt the league was and the resulting scandal made the Chairman resign and shook the very foundation of the League. Luckily or unluckily, a young upstart politician named Geeta was quick to fill that void, and through a few political loopholes and charisma, she managed to secure herself as Chairwoman. She had long since hated the current Paldean system, thinking that it held her beloved region back from greatness. She had always been gunning for higher and higher positions, a dark horse of Paldean politics with undetermined motives, extreme intelligence, and frightening levels of ambition. The Chairman had always had their eye on her, personally keeping her in check, but when they were gone Geeta immediately seized the opportunity to grab as much power as physically possible. Getting the position made her effectively untouchable, and that was the ultimate goal, because her plan for Paldea was about to make her the single most hated woman in the region's history

Geeta, upon gaining a position where they legally could not get rid of her, decided to fire every single person in the upper echelons of the league. Every gym leader, elite four, and the top champion were all fired, and she withdrew Paldea from every battling tournament and public appearance until she could workshop the league into something servicable. It was the boldest move since the dissolving of the Paldean Monarchy and it did NOT make her any friends

Though her ultimate goal was to reform the entire Paldean league, her early changes were only possible because of the old system. She could and did reform the system to her liking without consequence only because of the old hierarchy system already in place. Her ability to hand select her coworkers and fire people indiscriminately was one of the greatest abuses of power Paldea had ever seen, whether for noble reasons or not, and the people she fired tried to smear her as much as they could. Though these radical steps were necessary to undo and reshape the corruption hellscape the League had become, it wasn't exactly a good look for the new chairwoman (not that she cared)

Geeta also combined the top champion position and chairwoman position, which was so shockingly unpopular and suspicious-looking that she effectively cemented her godawful reputation. She saw the top champion as an unnecessary expense and decided to take on the responsibilities herself so she could funnel the top champion salary into public projects. This is part of the reason why she’s so Bad at being champion: she’s doing it to save the league money and only needs to the absolute bare minimum. Most of her job for the first decade was analyzing the current hierarchy, finding trainers to fill positions, and trying to figure out how to fix things so that would be sustainable after she left and wouldn't fall back into old corruption. She took on a job in the academy schoolboard to keep an eye out for younger trainers, put as much money into research and economic opportunities as possible, then got to work shaping the League to her vision

Her main vision for the league was to make as many parts of the system economically self-sustaining as possible, which was vital for her gym leader choices. She picked people who had *enough* skill in battling, but who all had other careers that would generate interest in and revenue for the gym. Paldea didn't have the pure battling talent yet to make a name for itself on any kind of world stage so Geeta was completely unconcerned about the actual battling skill of her picks as long as they were good enough and making cash. In terms of gym challenges, she mandated that they had to be free or extremely cheap and somehow tied to the town itself-- the giant contraptions of other regions were NOT in the budget. She wanted the gym system to be a celebration of the towns they were in and to inspire people to visit in the same way Galar's stadiums did, all in the hopes that gyms wouldn't need money from the league itself

The gyms would maintain a similar system as before, with each town and gym operating like a smaller independent organization. Most day to day operations and decisions like numbers of workers and salaries would be handled by the gyms themselves, but with all details publicly available so interventions could take place if things got fishy. All revenue generated by the gym would stay within the town-- it would be used to pay salaries, do upkeep, etc, and anything left over could be used to make renovations / add more stuff to gym challenges / support local businesses. If the revenue generated wasn't enough to cover upkeep and salary, the league would fill in the rest

The reason the gym buildings Look Like That is because the old league funneled most of the money into the pockets of the higher-ups and very little was allocated for building gyms. Geeta kept the design bc it's cheap, Paldea is broke, and the uniformity of the gyms allows trainers to find it more easily. it's also convenient if there's a turnover of the position-- no need to build a new gym! It's mostly an administrative office anyway, only there for paperwork and to house office staff, and Geeta is under the (correct) impression that most gym leaders prefer having stages at their favorite places instead of a specific building. Only two gym leaders have strong negative opinions about the building itself: Grusha, who can't have an outdoor reception area because of the snow and hates sitting in the lobby all the time, and Brassius, who thinks it's ugly as shit (he's right) and wants to paint a mural on it

The gym system is actually run much better than it was before-- it's still hitting its stride at the time of the game but is shaping up into a system that will work long after Geeta retires. The gym leaders also like how things are run quite a bit-- they just hate Geeta as a person (but that's smth I plan on exploring in another post)

The Elite Four is something Geeta admittedly hasn't put much thought into: her main focus was on redoing the administrative side of the league and ensuring the gyms were generating enough money to function + helping the towns they were in. The Elite Four, in her mind, were an afterthought, especially since she stripped them of their political power and distributed that power amongst regular office staff. She uncoupled politics from battling in the upper spheres of the league, allowing for more concentrated and specialized attention to issues so the Elite Four could just battle

In the new league, the Elite Four isn't a council of politicians, just people who test the strength of trainers looking to be champion-- every current Elite Four member is an employee in another sector working the job for a bonus (except for Poppy-- her parents are accountants and she ended up in the position as a joke that went a liiiiittle too far). In the future, the Elite Four and Top Champion might be dedicated battlers rather than a side hustle, but Paldea doesn't have the talent nor money for that at the moment

In terms of economics, Geeta decided to set an inflation-adjusted salary rate for each position that was viewable by the public and that couldn't be changed without a public vote in the hopes this would limit corruption. She also redid the League Points system— it used to be how employees were paid, but now it’s mostly for trainers, allowing the league to subsidize common trainer goods and make things easier to buy (all employees are paid with regular money). Paldea doesn’t have designated trainer routes like other regions and cash is far easier to mug than digital currency, so trainers are encouraged to use LP as a precaution so they don’t get robbed while in the Paldean wilds. However because the LP system isn’t very popular and NOT secure, Geeta is debating phasing it out

In the new system, gyms operate mostly on their own, so the central administrative stuff (aka everything that happens in the league building by the academy as well as E4 salaries and whatnot) gets their money from returns on investments— mostly from Tera Orbs. Fees from defeating trainers also helps, but Geeta made sure not to tie it to anyone’s salaries so that they wouldn’t thrash trainers for money, as encouraging them is the whole point of the challenge. Side note about Tera Orbs: once the league got the patent, Geeta didn’t think twice about the professors, being far too busy with Everything Else to think about her old business partner. Not keeping an eye on them is one of her greatest regrets

In terms of future plans, Geeta has already implemented checks and balances on every position but her own. When she’s confident in how the League is progressing and is sure the system won’t fall back into corruption, she plans on turning her own position to an elected one. Geeta isn’t stupid, she knows that everyone hates her and will lose her position as soon as she puts proper checks and balances on it, so she’s waiting until she’s confident in the League’s system to let the rest of the league get rid of her. By that point, she hopes that the League will be organized, financially stable, and balanced enough so that it can run smoothly long after she’s gone. Also, the league is likely to enter back into international batting conferences by the end of the decade, since there’s a LOT of up and coming battling talent that can make Paldea proud (and hopefully bring enough positive attention and money back to the region so they can actually make the league profitable)

To me Paldea’s league always felt like it was in a transition period, building itself from the ground up again. We happen to see it right at the middle, just before it’s really up to a properly functioning and self-sustaining entity. I don’t really have a closer for this but if u read all the way here I’m very flattered and apologize for being a lil delusional about this :)

[crystalelemental]

Going on anon because I’ll get flamed for my opinions but replaying Gen 5 sucks

The story drags, pokemon locations are stupid (seriously why is deino only in VICTORY ROAD), you’ll be underleveled for the most part unless you want to Audino grind, and (my most controversial take) I really don’t like BW Bianca and Cheren. N’s alright but since everyone goes “we have different viewpoints :)” anytime N tries to challenge the status quo it’s grating after a while

Somehow I had more fun replaying X than Black, and I’m sure if I said that on Twitter I’d be killed on sight

Also why did the shadow triad walk us across that straight line bridge in chargestone cave and not instead walk us towards the exit, I was so lost and on low hp trying to get out

It's alright anon, you're safe here.

On the point of Cheren and Bianca...I liked them well enough because of when I first played, but replaying they are a lot less compelling. A lot of their dialogue is repetitive and focused on the same beats. Cheren is just "What is the meaning of my strength?" over and over, while Bianca does absolutely nothing but hang back wondering about what she should be doing. It takes the second game for them to truly complete their arc. I can't say they're my favorite. My hot take is I don't think N is that compelling. My wife and I talk a lot about modern games (Galar and Paldea) doing this annoying thing where you're a special person who just shitstomps everyone else's dreams for your personal whims (Hop, Marnie, Kieran), and I feel like Gen 5 is where that really started happening thanks to N. The player is instantly imbued with a sense of being special and superior, because only your Pokemon seems to be super happy enough for N to question what he believes. His response to this is then to seek you out but also act like any refusal you have to his call is a personal affront. He gets kinda nasty about you saying No to any of his questions and probes. And again, the whole situation could be an interesting ethical dilemma, but the game doesn't want to contend with it so anyone who believes the system could have a flaw is just completely out of their minds.

That said, I actually want to talk about the Deino thing because that touches on a fun mechanical thing within the games.

Deino, as a pseudo-legend, is interesting to the point of being downright unique. Its appearance isn't atypical; fully half of pseudo-legends are post-game exclusive. Larvitar is supremely late game, and Beldum only shows up in time for the superboss fight with Steven in Emerald, otherwise it has nothing to do. Bagon shows up only after you've cleared the gyms, it's later than your Legendary. Dratini and Gible are the odd ones out. Dratini can be found halfway through your gym challenge in the Safari Zone if you know where to look and are willing to deal with Safari Zone catch rates. It's earlier access, but harder to complete. Gible can be found after only two gyms, but in a missable location that is visually impossible to identify, but comes with Gabite in Victory Road as compensation if you missed it.

Deino continues the general trend of being just a late availability Pokemon, but loses Gible's early access opportunity. This in itself isn't too atypical. No, what makes Deino fascinating is that it sucks.

Take a look at the performance of the prior pseudo-legends. The the early RBY days, if you found Dratini, you had access to a Pokemon that gets its first evolution kinda early, and can learn Fire, Water, Ice, and Electric coverage, giving it tools that let it handle the majority of the League just fine. In GSC, Larvitar shows up super late, but if you get one and put in the work to evolve (and better, learn Crunch and Earthquake as Larvitar first), Tyranitar blanks fully half of Red's team. In RSE, Bagon shows up late, but if you stall evolution a bit for Crunch and teach it Brick Break, a level 50 final stage is perfectly achievable, and has options to beat the entire E4. With Earthquake you beat Steven, although Wallace is a lot more of a problem. Metagross only shows up post-game, but in Emerald its Steel typing does make it a good response to much of Steven's own team, because he can't really hurt it. In DPPt, Gible's early access room comes with the Earthquake TM, allowing you to set up a monster right away that never really slows down, and with Flamethrower and access to Crunch, answers 3 members of the League independently.

Then there's Hydreigon. As Deino, it offers only Crunch. Dragon Rush is too inaccurate with Hustle to hit anything, and Body Slam offers nothing for coverage. Reusable TMs mean all the cool options aren't available, not that Zweilous can learn any of it. And Zweilous evolves at 50, a level where it wouldn't be unexpected that your team can already beat the League before it evolves once. If you do put in that work, Zweilous...actually goes through the best part of its life, because it can take down Caitlin and Shauntal, provided attacks actually connect. Then you have the long haul of postgame level scaling, trying to get it to beat things way bigger than it through low speed, poor bulk, and Hustle, to arrive at Hydreigon. Who doesn't even learn Dark Pulse naturally, and whose coverage options do not substantially change its matchups. And also because Caitlin and Shauntal are bulky it can't OHKO anything and their coverage is actually good (Golurk will one-shot with Hammer Arm, Musharna has Reflect and Reuniclus can obliterate with Focus Blast). Hydreigon, uniquely, does not contribute much.

I find this interesting as a pivot in game structure. I do think the games are designed with intent for the most part, and Gen 5 feels like a step away from the idea that the big statistical monsters are the most important. I assume this was intentional because Volcarona suffers the same fate, getting a useful Quiver Dance and Heat Wave by 60, but having the same "pre-evo is functionally useless all its life, and doesn't get the other good moves it wants until way later if at all." Bug Buzz at 70 is like GSC Heracross: yeah it's a great move, too bad I'll never reach that level to get it. And despite having Psychic, Marshal has so much Rock coverage it won't get anywhere. Caitlin and Shauntal were handled better by Beheeyem's bulky Calm Mind set, and Marshal was handled best by a +Def nature Rocky Helmet Durant. Which is weird compared to the usual pseudo-legend approach. It makes them feel like a lot more work for a lot less reward.

[a-tale-of-legends]

Assuming that 1) Paldea's weather is mostly warm ( suspending my disbelief here) even in the colder season ( not including the mountain areas of course) and 2) that the first semester in game is the fall semester, here's a general idea of how I see things going so far.

Luca and Ramona both arrive at the school around the same time.

3 days pass from the beginning of the school year to the treasure hunt. I might extend this longer, but for now it's three days. During those three days Luca is pretty much asked to do the three main plotlines. Ramona is likely getting involved with the team Star stuff only because Clavell probably asked her to, and she rather not run the risk of some sort of punishment is she didn't ( Clavell wouldn't do that to her, but Ramona doesn't trust the system at all).

Then he treasure hunt begins. Luca goes for the gym challenge first, since that was her dream back in Galar. Given how close Cortondo is to the academy, I think the trip to there takes about a few days. 2-3 in my eyes. Ramona is most likely at school, going to classes. Luca is too, but Ramona isn't really into the whole gym challenge thing, and she's definitely not getting involved with whatever Arven is up to. She's waiting for Luca to head to the first Star Boss, Giacomo. This might be a good time to get some ( unwanted) interaction between her and Arven , and Penny ( who is probably avoiding her and the other students in general, but I digress).

Luca gets his first badge and then calls Arven to get ready for the first Titan. Though they still have classes, so I'm gonna say that between the first gym and the first Titan, it's about 7 days. Gotta get that education I guess. But also! More time for interacting between the main cast! This is probably where Luca and Ramona bond, since after the first Titan, she gets involved in the Titans quest.

After those 7 days, Luca goes with Arven to the Stony Cliff titan, and defeats it( Luca has some lingering trauma pop up,which isn't great). Now. Originally the plan was to face Giacomo, but the gym and Mela are close by so Luca decides to take those on as well. Arven doesn't join him since, you know, Mabosstiff.

The trip doesn't take long, barely a day, but I think Luca needs some time to unwind after that titan, so he stays in Artazon for an extra day to enjoy the art. After that he faces Brassius, his soon to be adopted grandpa. But before he does that, he encounters Nemona and R.B ( who was dragged here against her will by Nemona).

The with Mela near by, he and Ramona both go to meet with Clive. However because Luca just fought Brassius, even when he healed, his pokemon still needs a rest. That, plus the fact that Mela is a really good all rounder, Luca gets his butt kicked. Which only leaves Ramona, who...is not a good trainer at the moment.

Ramona has to drag Luca out of there. After some back and forth, they both agreed to come back later.

Another 7 days pass, with school, exploring Paldea and of course character interaction. The training is for Luca and Ramona ( Ramona having to take extra battle classes now rip)

Okay, with the Mela loss, and back at school, Ramona convinces Luca to follow the original plan and head to Giacomo. Flying Taxi + Koraidon/Cyclizar makes the trip very easy, no less than a day.

They( Luca) beat Giacomo on their first try and then head to the Sky Titan, which is nearby.

Now. I actually am trying to assign dates to these events, and low and behold. I am nowhere near the mid term point. I have the midterms in October 18th or so. Luca and Ramona best Giacomo and the third titan on September 14th. The only thing left is for Luca is the Levincia gym, then Mela again, and then the midterms. So I am going to stretch this out as long as I can lmao.

First things first, character drama. R.B was off after the second titan, and probably was avoidant of both Luca and Arven got a couple of days. Maybe even a week.

Secondly, exploration. Again, the treasure hunt is mostly about exploration and doing your own thing. The plot doesn't exactly have to happen. Luca, after the second titan, may also be pretty shaken on how things went, and just explored the surrounding area.

Finally, character interaction. Cause duh. I want to build relationships with the characters here.

What I'm saying is that it takes a while for Luca to go head to Levincia for his third gym badge. But eventually he does, and he soon feels ready to take on Mela. And this times wins! After that, midterm tests are starting, so Luca and Ramona focuses on that.

And that's it for now. It got sloppy in the end, but what can you do.

[samolocikzpapieru]

[TW: AU, mention of death/f*scism]

I was not allowed to go outside because of the severe snowstorm, which means that it is time for another long post about the inner workings of Team Magma.

Today's theme is "Why do we have grunts from other teams in our HQ".

Let me start with the explanation of what happened to different teams in our universe (I know that this app sometimes connects people from different universes, so this will make sense). The information below cannot be full because this is what I know.

Team Rocket. They are TOO tenacious. I think even the nuclear bomb will not end their existence. But we do not want to have any relationships with them because they are jerks.

Team Aqua. Well, they just equipped their ship and now are chilling somewhere in the ocean. That is what the Leader said to us. I think it sounds like the truth.

Team Galactic. This one is very interesting.

If you will be attentive enough, you will notice that several Galactic grunts, still wearing their uniform, are walking around our HQ. These grunts are here to maintain and operate different electronic systems, especially weather-control or, for example, navigation systems of our vehicles. In return, a few Magma grunts were sent in Sinnoh. The reason is cooperation between two teams shortly after Saturn became a new leader of Team Galactic. Honestly, I do not know how these relationships began, but now they are close enough to Saturn's people being sent here as additional workers.

Team Plasma. Oh, this one is quite... Strange. We do not know a lot about their fate, but it looks like they decided to isolate themselves from others as soon as The Calamity began. And, despite one specific scientist with a huge list of war crimes being recruited, no one of them has not tried to communicate with us or any other team. Maybe all of them just died, I do not know.

Team Flare. Let's be honest - no one wants to cooperate with this f*scistic garbage. Yes, Etienne was a member of this team. No, he was kicked out of the team long before The Calamity because he was "too kind" to people. No, he is not a low-rank grunt - he is a dentist (which is worse).

I cannot tell you something about the Aether Foundation and those punks from Alola/Galar/Paldea because I do not know what happened to them.

Macro Cosmos. Same situation as with Team Galactic: chairman Rose has close relationships with Maxie, so MC employees are here too. They do a huge variety of work, from maintaining our vehicles to working with different support systems.

All other teams and organisations - Dim Sun, Unitas, Cipher - are either our enemies or nothing is known about them.

That is all. Stay tuned, probably I will write another "very-very interesting and absolutely not boring" post soon c:

[cosmic-espero]

Okay, you know what? Some of you are way too harsh towards HMs.

YES poké ride systems are incredibly handy at times and they also don't fill one spot in your team with an "HM slave", but they cannot always be built from the ground up all that easily.

For example Hoenn and Alola are both tropical regions but the latter has like. One sixth of Hoenn's inhabitants and significantly less terrain?

In Alola you can get away with having at most three hundred charizards on active duty at any time because what most people use them for is inter-island transportation, and most of the people who travel frequently from one island to the other are kids undergoing the Trials, who usually take the (FREE) ferries anyway.

Meanwhile Hoenn relies far more heavily on artificial and personal transportation because catching/breeding and training three thousand of those same charizards (or another relatively sturdy mon that can support a wide array of body types and potential disabilities) with Fly HMs (what, did you think they didn't still use those?), along with mantaining them and the relative infrastructures, would be SIGNIFICANTLY more resource intensive and likely unfeasible than just allowing everyone to fly around on their personal flying type and/or just getting there on bike/ferry.

Galar and Paldea have their taxi services but not only is that the only ride service provided in those regions, you will NEVER guess how they train those corviknights and squawkabillies. Hint: it's with HMs again! Do you really think the point of those things is to teach a pokémon with wings how to fly, or a marine one how to swim? Obviously not! It's to teach them how to do so while SAFELY carrying a human being, which isn't exactly an instinctual skill in most species.

They tried implementing a sort of system in Sinnoh but it's ridiculously situational in that it hinges on compelling a wild pokémon with the associated skill into helping the trainer. Now, I'm no technician but this raises so many questions. What if an hostile pokémon is attracted by the signal? What if no pokémon is available nearby and you're entirely isolated (a real risk in some parts of Sinnoh)?

And, actually, how come there are all these bibarels and staraptors around with Strenght and Cut and Fly and what have you when most of those aren't exactly common level up moves? Either this is using unregulated moves (highly dangerous for reasons I have already stated) or the gov released a high number of HM-trained pokémon into the wild. Which would be really fucking weird.

Also to be honest I think the term "HM slave" is kinda gross? Like, that's not your slave, that's an integral part of your team.

Most people don't even need them because they just take public transportation and don't go into the wilderness, but if you're going on your pokémon journey you already knew you were going to find yourself in front of some trees or rocks in oddly specific positions, it's part of the experience.

And instead of being grateful to the buddy who is helping you move forward you call it a slave and resent it for "taking a spot in your team"? Alrighty Boss Trainer Benga, guess we know why that golbat of yours ain't evolving anytime soon.

Though yeah, what was that idiot thinking going on Mount Coronet during machoke breeding season...

[wevelocityteampresents-blog]

Exciting Developments In Paldea!

The air quality this week was completely UNBEARABLE. I don’t think anyone could have survived it without going through some pain. (Either physically or mentally.) And because the air was unbreathable, I was stuck playing Pokémon Violet Version.

Thankfully, I managed to have a lot of fun in the game world!

JULY 5TH

I’ve finally got my mojo back!

I know I said that I wouldn’t take on Ranked Battles anymore. But this seemed like the easiest way to get into battles without having to deal with players who don’t want to play by the new rules.

And it’s not like it’s a bad thing. The more I battle, the more League Points I get to spend on items that can improve my Pokémon!

After I got my LP, I went back to the academy to hand my report to Geeta.

If only I had the time to read everything here...

And it only took you until NOW to think that?

In all honesty, I barely sleep here. There’s already a few Pokémon Centers across town I have more access to. (Not to mention, I’ve been slacking off on my classes...)

I guess this could be useful.

Once she left, I was forced to go to sleep. After a full week (or a good night’s sleep), the day of the Academy Ace Tournament finally arrived.

It’s been a while since I’ve done anything big. This tournament isn’t a Battle Tower, but it’ll have to do.

Good. That’s too bad...

That’s it? I was hoping for something more strict like, “No two Pokémon can be of the same species or hold the same items.” Or “Special Pokémon are banned from entry.”

After all this time, the Academy Ace Tournament has finally arrived! You can see all of the matches on the Web Stadium.

You’ll get used to parenthood eventually.

Also, I guess this counts as the mandatory “Battle with the country’s researchers.”

Trust me, if I were a teacher, art and character design would be my profession.

Hopefully, he doesn’t get fired.

How is she supposed to be a special guest? Standing around in the academy’s main hall must’ve given her SOME attention.

Was there ever any doubt?

That’s probably because I had more powerful Pokémon on me this time.

How thoughtful! A hat that I’ll never wear.

At least we managed to win another more notable prize. (I love how the trailers for the Galar and Paldea Champion Ribbons are colored after the versions they appear in.)

Even with the new fighting experience and prizes, not all went well that night...

So it only took until after that tournament for them to start appearing in my cartridge?

That’s why you should ALWAYS use the buddy system and go into these raids with a team that can ACTUALLY stand a chance.

[mariopokemonuniverse]

Sneasel and Weavile Biology

Range and Habitat

Sneasel and Weavile are native to subarctic, mountainous, and some temperate areas in the Northern Hemisphere south of the flat Arctic tundra, including the Johto, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Galar, Paldea, and Kitakami regions; with an introduced population in Alola. They mainly inhabit coniferous forests and rocky alpine zones, wherever they have sufficient cover for hunting.

Historically, a Fighting/Poison form of Sneasel which evolved into Sneasler was found in the Sinnoh region, which was then known as Hisui. This population is believed to have gone extinct sometime over the past two centuries, with Sinnoh’s current population of Sneasel and Weavile from the standard stock having been reintroduced.

Social Behavior

Sneasel and Weavile live together in large clans that contain many breeding pairs. In the Johto region, these clans only consist of Sneasel, as no wild Weavile have been found there. Clans in other regions are led by a single Weavile, which is usually male, but sometimes female. Weavile battle one another for the position of leader if a newcomer decides to challenge the current one, or when the previous leader dies. Weavile use a system of over 500 signs made by their claws on trees, rocks, and ice to communicate with one another. Four or five Weavile will go out hunting for large prey while other clan members stay behind to protect young Sneasel. Members of the evolutionary line mark their territories using urine, scent glands in their faces and paws, as well as claw marks. Occasionally, violent territorial battles between neighboring clans occur.

Hisuian Sneasel and Sneasler were solitary, unlike their standard counterparts from other regions.

Reproduction and Life History

While Sneasel can breed, they often do not until evolving into Weavile, except in the Johto region where Weavile have not been found in the wild. Both evolutionary stages mate for life, generally with another individual of the same stage. Breeding takes place year-round. Sneasel or Weavile pairs dig a den in which the mother gives birth to up to four kittens after a roughly three-month gestation, and remains with them until they are able to venture out. During this time, she hunts for herself near the den, or her mate and other clan members bring prey to her.

Newborn Sneasel kittens are fully furred, but lack teeth, are largely immobile, their eyes are closed, and they cannot regulate their own body temperature. While they are still in the den, their only food source is their mother’s milk. Their eyes open between the age of one to two weeks, but their eyesight is still not fully developed. Their mobility begins to develop a few days after their eyes open. Once they are able to walk and their first set of teeth begins erupting, they leave the den, join other young of a similar age, and are cared for by all clan members. At the age of two months, they begin to eat meat and Eggs, and are fully weaned by the age of six months. When they are 10 months old, they have their permanent teeth and are almost at full size. Sneasel kittens are dependent on their parents and other clan members for a full two years as they learn to hunt, so parents do not breed again until their newest offspring have achieved independence. Eventually, Sneasel disperse from their natal clan to join another or form a new one, sometimes accompanied by their younger siblings.

Because Hisuian Sneasel and Sneasler were solitary, it is thought that only the mothers cared for their young except in rare cases, and hunted close to the den site themselves.

Longevity

Sneasel and Weavile may live to be 40 years old in the wild. Common causes of death include old age, conflicts with conspecifics, and persecution by Pokémon Breeders for eating Eggs of other species.

Feeding Behavior

Sneasel and Weavile are primarily carnivorous, and hunt prey alone; in pairs; or in packs of up to five. They prefer to hunt at night, when their black fur allows them to blend in with their surroundings, and most prey cannot easily see them. Sneasel are only capable of catching small prey up to their own size, while Weavile frequently team up to bring down prey large enough to share with other clan members. In their native range, Sneasel and Weavile hunt a great variety of mammal and bird Pokémon. Prey species for Sneasel include Pidgey, Rattata, Spearow, Sentret, Natu, Mareep, Murkrow, Delibird, Taillow, Zigzagoon, Swablu, Starly, Bidoof, Buneary, Patrat, Pidove, Minccino, Cinccino, Deerling, Bunnelby, Fletchling, Skwovet, Rookidee, Nickit, Wooloo, Lechonk, and Flittle. Either alone or in pairs, Weavile hunt Pidgeotto, Pidgeot, Raticate, Galarian Ponyta (but avoid Galarian Rapidash due to its type advantage), Furret, Mareep, Flaaffy, Teddiursa, Zigzagoon, Altaria, Staravia, Bibarel, Watchog, Tranquill, Unfezant, Deerling, Diggersby, Skiddo, Greedent, Corvisquire, Nickit, Wooloo, Lechonk, and Bombirdier. Packs of Weavile work closely to hunt Tauros (except all three Paldean Tauros forms, due to their compound type advantage), Piloswine,  Stantler, Mamoswine, Sawsbuck, Bouffalant, Gogoat, Dubwool, Oinkologne, and Espathra. The introduced Alolan population of Sneasel and Weavile primarily hunts Alolan Vulpix and Alolan Sandshrew, but also Alolan Rattata/Raticate and Tauros. Sneasel and Weavile cache uneaten prey for the following days, especially in winter or on mountains that have snow year-round, as the freezing temperatures preserve it.

When hunting small to medium-sized prey, Sneasel and Weavile ambush it while running at full speed, grabbing it with their claws and then ripping open its throat or body. Packs of Weavile use their scribed signs to coordinate their attack when the group leader has spotted large prey. They remain out of the prey’s sight until they are all within striking distance, then run towards it at full speed and inflict deep slashing wounds. The lead Weavile will follow up with an attack to the throat if the initial onslaught doesn’t kill the prey within a minute. Weavile hunt Alolan Sandshrew in pairs, as one of them is needed to expose its soft underbelly. Hisuian Sneasel and Sneasler hunted alone, using the venom in their claws to subdue prey. The evolutionary line feeds by biting off small chunks of their prey, although Weavile break down prey into smaller portions using their claws while sharing with others.

In addition, Sneasel love to eat the Eggs of other Pokémon such as Pidgey whenever they are available. Pairs of Sneasel work together to distract the parents and steal the Eggs, but then fight over which one gets to eat them. Sneasel and Weavile also occasionally eat Berries.

Predators

A lone Sneasel, especially a young one, may occasionally become prey for larger predators such as Arcanine, Houndour, Houndoom, Mightyena, Luxray, Pyroar, Lycanroc, or Mabostiff. Weavile are apex predators and no other Pokémon are currently known to hunt them, but the greatest danger to them is Weavile from other clans.

Ecosystem Roles

Sneasel and Weavile are important for regulating prey populations, as their diet is made up of a great variety of mammals and birds. Other Pokémon often steal their caches, which is especially beneficial to those that are not as successful at catching their own prey.

[crystalelemental]

"moonenvoy: i have a soft spot for xy. it kinda marked the turning point in my life of becoming an adult but still being able to enjoy my interests, i guess? i was 20 when it came out and it was right after i got my first job, so it was the first game i ever preordered. i have high, but cautious hopes for ZA. was xy great? no, probably not. but ya know what? who gives a fuck. as long as you enjoy it, it's worth it."

I think that's fair. I would have been...hold on a minute, when did this game come out again? In my mid-20s somewhere, still around the time of grad school. So like. Definitely older. But I do remember it as the last game where I was engaged with some kind of community, and yet everyone felt excited. Every single generation after felt worse and worse with fans around, and only Paldea managed to go into things with a positive vibe, because like the only person I talked to about it was my wife. And I feel like it came out in that era where video game critic pessimism peaked. You know the kind. So popular reception was "game bad," and a lot of that rubs off on you when your entire friend group seems to believe the same. But I dunno, replaying it was a lot of fun, I had a genuinely great time. I still prefer my gens 2-4, but it...might have cleared everything else.

I'm personally really excited for ZA. Moreso now. I think Kalos has a lot of potential and it'll be great to see what they do, but also the Legends system is just wholesale superior to the main series so I feel like this is going to be hard to mess up.

"i just hope the character customization in ZA is more along the lines of XY and less. almost any of the others. sumo and l:a were pretty mid and fuck all the school/challenege uniform shit lmao GIVE ME MORE CUTE CLOTHES LIKE XY HAD-"

Okay fun fact. I never really change outfits. XY had the best options, but gave the least money for it, and hilariously had the best default outfits. The rest I just never bothered with. Actually wait, I think I did change outfits in Galar one time. Some of the dresses looked cute. But yeah, ScarVi not really having outfits was disappointing. I think it would overall be an insignificant thing to me, if it wasn't for how young your characters have to look despite the academy having people in their sixties among the student body. If you can customize outfit, at least let me customize old trainer. Or like. Older teen/college age trainer, which seems closer to the other three than your apparent ten-year-old self.