#but Pokémon takes precedence

[spittyfishy]

Some Pokémon Journeys doodles from class, I love these goofballs

[spookygibberish]

If I was a throne, (previously an unbodied and of course without the societal grooming and power imbalances) I would want to be totally devoted to my literal other half.

The one that supports me literally and symbolically, why would I be interested in anyone else

I'm very sorry, but you can't just cut those things out, as nasty as they are. Part of the core concept of Thrones is exploring the structure, context, and implications of this particular relationship, why it came to exist, what it takes to maintain, and how the lives of the people involved are effected.

Thrones are heavily inspired by media that centers around people using the bodies of powerful, beautiful, noble, etc. creatures in order to elevate or enhance theirselves, (dragon-rider stuff, but also things like NGE and Pokémon, (all of which is media I love)), digging deeper, and trying to take things to their logical conclusions. To that end I've created a fairly specific project with fairly specific themes, ie. a setting where a similar result is achieved via bodily fusion between the "human" and "other" elements, which is precedented on an ancient system of slave-making, exists to uphold a theocratic empire, and is at its core exploitative. Headless have no place in society outside of the option to become the Lower Half of a Throne, and that's still a thing inherent to Throning, and no amount of doting would change that fact. If you bought a slave and then dressed them only in velvet and jewels, bought them the moon, it wouldn't really change or absolve the fact that this person is a possession, even if a treasure.

A scenario where Headless exist stripped of the horror of their social context and the violation they undergo is just. Not a version of this setting that exists, or that I'm interested in making, because exploring these things emotionally, thematically, sociologically etc. is part of the point.

[edgy-ella]

Idk if this is a hot take but I’m glad Palworld is getting sued by Nintendo. This is one of the only lawsuits I feel Nintendo is totally in the right about. Not only do the “Pals” in Palworld look like AI generated Pokémon, there’s also evidence that several models in Palworld are straight up plagiarized from existing Pokémon models. No matter how big Nintendo is, plagiarism is still plagiarism. Even most high-effort Pokémon fangames/ROM hacks go out of their way to do original sprite art from the ground up. Palworld couldn’t even do that. It’s really ironic that defenders of the game see this as a “wake up call” for Game Freak and the Pokémon Company that should inspire them to “innovate,” because Palworld is one of the most derivative games of the 2020s on art direction alone.

Also, and this is totally a personal thing, but I really don’t like the precedent that Palworld potentially sets. I really don’t want “Nintendo knockoff with realistic guns” to be the next Thing™ in gaming. It gives me the same vibe as those slasher films of child friendly public domain characters. The entire premise and appeal is “hey, what if this thing you liked as a kid was MATURE and KILLED PEOPLE.” At least something like Blood and Honey uses stuff that’s public domain and didn’t steal assets for a commercially released product.

It’s really not that hard to make a “mon” game with its own visual identity. Digimon has been doing that for years, and at this point, so has Yokai Watch. Atlus games like SMT and Persona have some similar mechanics to Pokémon but vastly different character design and art direction. I can name a bunch of Pokémon fangames that have their own Fakemon designs, none of which feel copied from any existing Pokémon, and one of them is the fucking 4chan game where the grass starter is named Grasshole. A fucking 4chan themed Pokémon game did what Palworld was evidently too lazy to do.

There is absolutely no reason that Palworld shouldn’t get sued by Nintendo and the Pokémon Company. They’ve sued for less. And honestly? Good riddance.

[sylver-drawer]

The Writing of Pandora Hearts and its Depiction of Human Ego or an essay I wrote for class because I love PH so much (mainly spoiler free except for a small tangent on Lottie’s character)

When you think about aspects of the Shonen Demographic, what tends to come to mind? Usually it’s something along the lines of fluid yet repetitive action, a lovable cast of characters who get down but quickly move on, and a protagonist who can handle anything. But when you ask a fan of renowned and well-liked shonen such as Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan or Hiromu Arakawa’s Full-Metal Alchemist, what’s most reminiscent is how the characters are written and their depth. That’s why when anyone asks me what shonen I’d recommend, I always immediately recommend Jun Mochizuki’s Pandora Hearts. Jun Mochizuki is a master at her craft, be it with her beautiful watercolor illustrations, the fantastical and fairytale-like world building, or what I associate with her most—how bitterly human she writes her characters and how it hits the reader. The way Pandora Hearts’ ornate writing twists from this alice-in-wonderland inspired gothic adventure, to a story about the beautiful yet ugly depths of human will and ego, genuinely makes me believe that it deserves one of the top places in the Shonen Demographic.

It’s a relatively standard set up. Pandora Hearts follows a young boy by the name of Oz Vesalius on the brink of his fifteenth birthday. During his coming of age ceremony a sinister group called the Baskervilles condemns him for his sin of living, and casts him into the Abyss—a hellish nightmare dimension resembling a broken toy box filled with grotesque monsters called ‘Chains’. With the help via contract of an amnesiac girl who calls herself Alice, her identity being the chain “Bloody-Rabbit” that strangely takes an alternative human form, he escapes the Abyss only to find himself ten years in the future. The first few chapters set up our boyish protagonist’s temperament and desire, as well as the dangers he will encounter with sprinkles of what the world of Pandora Hearts is like. I relate this to the beginning of Attack on Titan, introducing Eren and his friends’ personalities and values before getting thrust into the harsh reality of their apocalyptic world.

The story begins in a cliche, yet familiar way. It starts off relatively light and almost whimsical as it makes you think it’ll follow the monster(chains)-of-the-week format; Oz seeking out the Baskervilles for the reason of his ‘sin’, and Alice seeking out her fragmented memories. Preceding the Shonen Demographic, kids grow up with something like Pokémon or Digimon where there’s a new ‘monster’ to ‘defeat’ quickly each week. It’s a way to progress the story for the very young child viewer in a fun and easy way, even if they miss an episode or two. The main purpose of presenting the idea of this familiarity, is to rope the reader into a false sense of security.

This format is abandoned just as quickly as it was proposed as the story gets more convoluted, pulling the reader in. All the characters seem to be hiding something, the enemies are closer than you think, and at some point you genuinely question yourself if they’re truly the enemies here. You begin to realize that despite all the secrets everyone has—no one actually knows anything. The protagonists, their comrades, and even their enemies; everyone is in the dark in regards to the truth of the catalyst event a hundred years prior, The Tragedy of Sablier, except for the main villain of the story. The fact that the reader is on the same level of knowledge the vast majority of characters are on allows the reader to empathize with them almost as actual comrades, instead of seeing them as simply characters in a story.

Usually in shonen, the reader is given scenes of the antagonist’s side so that the reader has information the protagonists do not, such as displayed in Full-Metal Alchemist where the reader is exposed to multiple scenes of the Homunculi and their plans before Ed and Al are. Shonen villains tend to be bastards after all, pure and irredeemable evil in support of an evil system. This is meant to build a sense of foreboding for the reader, as well as anticipation for how the main characters deal with this danger. It’s because of this storytelling method that separates the readers from the characters, driving almost a wedge between them. Readers' thoughts go from, “I wonder why this happened” (solving a ‘mystery’ in the moment alongside the characters), to “I wonder how the characters will deal with this” (an event the reader already knows will happen soon).

Particularly what sets Pandora Hearts apart from this, is that Jun Mochizuki allows us to empathize with the villains due to their similar level of ignorance as the heroes. We are shown scenes of the villains, but not so much that we gain any major insider plot knowledge. Rather, the most important insider information the reader receives are the bonds between the villains almost paralleling the bonds between the hero cast we’ve already fallen for. Charlotte, who is somewhat one of the Baskervilles’ ringleaders, presents herself uniquely. She is very devote to the Baskervilles’ cause of obeying their leader, and kills and torments without a second thought. Yet, Lottie is as desperate for answers as Oz’s crew. You can see it on her face, where she contemplates as she stands beside her fellow Baskervilles whom she loves like family, “Is what we’re doing truly right?”. It is a very subtle writing strategy, one that acclimates the reader to feel for and humanize the ‘inhuman’ enemy, gradually building up to Pandora Hearts’ crescendo.

This intricately planned writing Jun Mochizuki has drip fed the reader pays off during the story’s climax. By the time the truth is revealed to all, the reader is left in an array of chaos alongside the cast, questioning everything. One of these, being the protagonist himself. Everything we associate with our dear hero, Oz; his classic young yet burdened hero demeanor with a high moral compass, his complicated emotionally charged relationship with his estranged family, his immortalized friendships with Alice and his childhood friend Gilbert that feel as if they could stick through everything—at some point, all of those threads that make up ‘Oz Vessalius’ fall apart. His connection to the antagonist and how it affects the story and narrative still shakes me to the core to this very day, and you’re left wondering what exactly is left and where we can go from here. Everything Oz knows, everything we the reader knows about him and the cast we’ve come to love, suddenly becomes false. You can’t help but feel played, yet when you read back desperately to validate your feelings, there’s the cruel realization that you were never lied to. All the signs were there in your face and it was you, the reader’s, choice to misinterpret them. It’s difficult to manipulate the reader using the reader’s own assumptions and prejudice, and yet Jun Mochizuki has done it in Pandora Hearts.

How Pandora Hearts takes everything the reader knows and destroys it is such a transformative experience that transcends the expectation of a normal shonen. The layers in which Jun Mochizuki had written are so deep, that the characters' roles we tend to reduce to tropes and generalizations have so much meaning to them. Oz, our heroic protagonist, maybe isn’t the strong willed boy he’s supposed to be; and maybe the Baskervilles, despite the atrocities they’ve committed, maybe aren’t wishing for world destruction. Our lovable cast of characters are hypocrites, sometimes betraying themselves or people they’ve sworn to, and reasons we expect to be grandiose turn out to be simple selfish, raw human desires. Those that selflessly fight for ‘love’ are simply fighting for self preservation, and those that do everything for their ‘ego’ crumble so easily in face of their love. Pandora Hearts is just like other shonen, but also not. There’s action, characters who get down but sometimes need time to move on, and a protagonist who tries his best to handle anything. Most of all, they’re all so painfully human, and I think that’s what is at the heart of shonen. Jun Mochizuki’s Pandora Hearts’ intricately written story, with its raw portrayals of the human will as well as the world crashing twists and cast you can’t help but love, is exactly what the shonen demographic deserves.

[marshmallowprotection]

Saeyoung is very talented. I think if his s/o liked Pokémon, he would make them a robot of their favorite Pokémon.

Imagine a tiny bulbasaur!

It canonically exists in the universe since you can invite a Pikachu knockoff. Considering the fact that he can make a fire breathing dog, he's already there.

He just needs to know what Pokemon is your favorite. Give him two weeks, remind him to take breaks, and you will have what you need. I think he would be partial to the cat Pokemon more than anything, but your favorite comes first, that takes precedent above making a really really long Meowth.

He's making the Gigantamax Meowth, though. We can't stop that from happening.

[mountmortar]

i have never been quiet about my absolute hatred of ultra sun/ultra moon and i still think they're the worst games in the pokémon franchise but even i will admit that the ultra ruin timeline was a really cool concept and i would've loved to see a game about that timeline instead of the bullshit that was the usum timeline. i love nightmare apocalyptic settings in games i just don't love when good games (sun/moon) are replaced by worse games and the worse games are the ones that take precedence in the franchise

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

Okay so Pokémon Legends Z-A!  What the fuck!  Wow!

One big concern I want to get out of the way first: apparently the game is going to take place entirely within Lumiose City.  And I mean, Lumiose is the biggest city in Pokémon, but what about the whole rest of Kalos?  Also how will we encounter Pokémon?  Surely they’re not all city-dwellers.  I have to wonder if this was a miscommunication, but I guess we’ll see.

Anyway: YES!!  Not only are we getting a new Legends game (PLA was immediately one of my favorite games in the series), but it’s set in the woefully under-utilized Kalos region!  Kalos is a well of untapped potential, and this has the chance to be a very striking way to finally draw it out.  They knew exactly what they were doing when they let that Z linger on-screen.  AND, not only THAT, but the franchise is taking 24 off and saving this game for NEXT YEAR!  Thank God, this is great news for GameFreak’s employees, and if Pokémon of all things sets this precedent it could have a HUGE impact on the industry.

As for why it’s “Z-A”…who knows?  I’m sure at least part of it is the creators wanting to come up with a more unique name, which is fair.  The hyphen makes it seem like a range covering the entire alphabet, which could signify something all-encompassing, and reversing it to go from end to beginning likely plays into the cycle of life and death represented by Xerneas and Yveltal (in this case, death must occur for new life to take its place, or something along those lines).

I’m glad (and amused) that they specifically showed Furfrou in the teaser, as it’s currently one of the last few Pokémon yet to be available in a mainline Switch game.  After this, I believe it’s just Patrat/Watchog and the Elemental Monkeys?  Maybe they’ll toss them all in to finish rounding things out.

Part of me does wonder if the prevalence of Unown in the Presents could be significant…but probably not.  As the world’s biggest Unown fan I adored their sidequest in PLA, but Unown haven’t appeared in Kalos previously and it would make more sense to revisit Zygarde Cells for this sort of quest.

And Mega Evolution!  Honestly it feels a bit weird to say it’s “back” when it’s remained prevalent in everything but the mainline games, but I’ll get over it, I’m still thrilled!  Mega Evolutions in a Legends game!  I have to imagine we’ll get some additional information on it; there’s a good chance the game will feature Kalos’s first discovery of Mega Evolution, too.  On the chance of getting new Megas…I don’t want to get my hopes up, but it would make a lot of sense!  Though I definitely still want new regional forms too.  Maybe I’m being greedy.  But speaking of forms, if the do give new forms to Xerneas and Yveltal, I hope they look better than Dialga and Palkia’s Origin Formes, those still bother me.

I’m personally hoping this one won’t be an isekai.  PLA did end up utilizing it well enough, but I’d still prefer to stay as grounded in this particular time period as possible.  Something about giving you a magic smartphone in ye olde past just feels…I dunno, patronizing?  But since Arceus probably won’t be involved this time and I don’t see any of the XYZ trio opening time portals, I think there’s a good chance of avoiding the isekai angle.  One related thing that brings to my attention is space-time distortions; they’d probably be a poor fit here on a thematic level, so I hope they’re able to come up with a good stand-in.  Maybe Mega energy suddenly flares up in a region and affects the Pokémon?  Will we encounter wild Megas?  Wait, Alphas are still a thing, right…?

Come to think of it, how will the Pokédex be handled?  I really liked the approach of creating the region’s first Dex; perhaps it could be an element of this “redevelopment” process?  I hope so.  Anyway I could list things I want to see for hours but I think this is sufficient to communicate what sort of headspace I’m in regarding this announcement.  Hon hon hon baguette Prism Tower, everyone!

[lumenflowered]

[A third video file is attached. This one, again, picks up where the preceding video left off. Maria has just won a Pokémon battle against her doppelganger, and as such remains Champion. Though it is dubious whether Dee had any real desire to become Champion in the first place.

"...You did well," Maria says at last. "Very well."

"Thank you," Dee replies, an awkward sort of half-smile tugging at her features. "I knew better than to seriously think I would win against you of all people, I really am not much for battling..."

"You made it here," Maria interrupts. "Didn't you?"

"Well, yes," she admits. "...The first few badges were because I was not permitted into certain areas without first proving I could protect myself. Then... to meet you. I... I needed to meet you. To know who you were, not from what others said but from you. Does that make... any sense?"

Slowly, Maria nods. "What do you know of me, then?"

"I know that you could kill me within a matter of seconds if you set your mind to doing so and that there would be nothing I could do to prevent this." Dee winces. "I... from what else I know of you, I do not believe that you would. But I know very well that you could."

"...This is likely true," Maria admits. "Is that all?"

She shakes her head. "I know that Gehrman... he cared for you, greatly, in his own way. Far more than he ever did for me, when it became clear that I... that I was not you."

"If you know only of me from him," Maria says tightly, "I would advise you to assume everything you know of me is incorrect."

Dee shakes her head again, more emphatically this time. "No, I... there is a Hunter I once knew. A Hunter I still know, in a manner of speaking, though she no longer considers herself one any more than you do. She freed you from the Nightmare your soul haunted, and she was curious enough to look deeper into your past than she might have otherwise when she took note of your appearance being... very much like mine."

"She used an axe," Maria says. It isn't a question.

"She did indeed." Dee pauses, before something resolute passes into her expression. "You should meet her, when we are done here. I believe she will be able to answer more of your questions than I... and she does owe you an apology."

"I would not hold her actions within the Nightmare against her," Maria says unconvincingly. "In that place... I do not know that I was entirely myself."

"I was not," Dee says, "necessarily referring to that. But very well. I suppose... would you like to meet her now?"

"I." Maria looks genuinely daunted at this prospect. "I would not be averse to that at some point in the future, but... I would prefer not to quite yet."

"Ah. I see. Then I suppose—"

"You and I have far more to discuss than that," Maria clarifies. "But I would like to know who you are as well, Dee. I know that you care greatly for your Pokémon, that you have spent much of the time since your arrival researching Pokémon for Professor Oak. I know that you do not enjoy combat in any capacity."

"...It is so obvious?"

"Yes. You rather clearly do not enjoy it, but you were willing to learn how to do it rather well in spite of this. And you have directly aided me on at least one occasion that I am aware of, in spite of the fact that you outright admitted that you were afraid of me."

Dee does not quite conceal her wince. "Yes..."

"You... weren't meant to be your own person at all, were you?" Maria says softly. "You were meant to be me."

"I am not you."

"No," Maria agrees, "and I am glad of it."

She walks forward to take Dee's still-gloved hands in her own.

"Please," she continues, "tell me about you."

Maria is not much for smiling, not even when she is truly happy. It is apparent, after a few moments of quiet shock, that this is one of the places where she and Dee differ.

Dee smiles faintly, with what looks suspiciously like tears in her eyes, and the video ends.]

[yellow-anonymous]

Ok so I've got this Pokémon fanfic idea that's been consuming my brain thoughts for the past hour or so and I want to get it out there so it doesn't just drift off into the void

Basic Plot Blurb: Main Character travels through the Orre Region, currently going through a tumultuous period of change on an ecological and social scale, and deals with their three Rivals along the way.

Why Orre? Well if I recall correctly, Orre is essentially Pseudo-Lawless Pokémon Australia, and therefore I can use the whole pseudolawless bit to justify Orre having a wide Pokémon variety and differences in locals with the same plot point: uncontrolled Pokémon emigration. This directly leads to the nearest Pokémon league stepping in to lay down some law and order.

I guess the theme for this whole story would be "dealing with change"? Or maybe rather "how people deal with change". There's no evil team (or at least, no focus on an evil team), no real focus on the Pokémon League because they're still getting set up in Orre, this is primarily character drama between the Main Character and their three rivals. It's also dealing with content that's a bit darker/more heavy than what Pokémon usual fare is. Not full on creepypasta or edgy dark fic fare, but something heavier than "Football Hooligans Applaud for Marnie Too Hard and Are Annoying" and yet more grounded than "Hey, Let's Release the Embodiment of Anti-Matter So I can Rewrite Reality" or "What if I glassed my entire country except for the people who join my fire themed rich person playhouse"

Who're the three rivals? Well, we've got:

Tyson Michaels, a macho, energetic young man who focuses on the Fighting Type. He fulfills the "Friendly Rival" archetype, challenging the Main Character to test how dedicated you are to strengthening your team and yourself.

John/Jane Doe (if this were a fan game/actual Pokémon game their gender would change to be the opposite of the player's), someone with a rather smug attitude and immense skill at Pokémon battling and training. They have a large roster of Pokémon. (Again, if this were a fan game, J-D's Pokémon would usually be of a higher level than expected for this point in the game, and also their roster would depend on what Pokémon are in the area preceding their fight and what you've used against them beforehand, representing them "predicting" you.) They represent the "Mean Rival" archetype.

And finally, Ashley Salems, a morose young woman who seems... out of sorts, or on a different wavelength. She's out of tune with the social norms of the Pokémon world. She focuses on the Ghost and Dark types (they're seemingly drawn to her; by "end game" her roster would be a pretty even split of Ghost and Dark, with whatever other types the Pokémon would happen to have), and represents a sort of in-between between the "Friendly" and "Mean" rival archetypes. She's not snobbish or haughty, nor is she relentlessly cheery; occasionally she'll have bouts of snapping or lashing out if she loses her cool, but otherwise she's friendly if rather asocial.

So the deeper(ish) aspects to this little group of four are kinda spoilery (can an idea that hasn't even been written down yet have spoilers? I dunno), so I'm gonna put them under a "read more".

Okay, so. Two out of four of this cast of three plus the MC are actually reincarnated from the human world. It's like a weird Isekai scenario where the Main Character is a born-and-raised resident of the world and some of the major characters are newcomers. This is meant to tie into the whole "How people deal with change" thing.

Ashley Salems and John/Jane Doe are the reincarnates.

J-D is meant to be a take on the "Pokémon power fantasy fic", where the self-insert/OC-MC is cool and an awesome trainer and they've got it all figured out the instant they start training their first Pokémon. And yeah, J-D's got all of that... but J-D, unlike some of the power fantasy MCs they're pastiche-ing, has trouble seeing the people around them as... actual people. They're not an emotionless monster unable to connect with their fellow man and Pokémon, but they've got this aura of condescension underneath their confidence, like they believe, subconsciously or otherwise, that they're the only one who's actions really matter or that they know what to do and everybody just needs to get behind them and it'll all work out. They look like they've got it all, but the one thing they've got trouble getting is social connections and anchors, something that starts to really stress them out as the story goes on.

Ashley, meanwhile, is struggling to adjust. Even after growing up to teenager-dom, she still struggles to adapt to the Pokémon world's social mores and hidden rules (and eventually she just sort of... stopped trying to adapt), and she's become something of an outsider because of that. (Some jackass being a snobbish dick? Just punch him in the face! Why are you all looking at me like that, he deserved it! No, I will not engage in a Pokémon battle with you, get over yourself!) On a deeper level, she's also kind of upset (and dealing with some self-loathing) because... where is her family? Why was she the only one to get isekaied into the comparative paradise that is the Pokémon world? What the actual f***, Arceus?? She starts out already something of a mess and she only gets worse over time until it all finally boils over near the end.

In regards to how they tie into the central "theme" of the idea, J-D is meant to represent someone who takes "going with the flow" to something of an unhealthy degree. They adapted to their change in circumstance, certainly, but can it really be said they did so successfully, or in a healthy way?

Ashley, on the other hand, represents somebody who can't/couldn't/wouldn't adjust. Not necessarily from lack of trying, but at some point, Ashley threw up her hands and said "f*** it, I can't deal with this anymore" and tried to retreat as far back into her comfort zone as she possibly could, content to keep to her own little bubble even as she slips more and more without anchors to grab onto.

Honestly I'm also considering having Tyson also be a reincarnate, but contrasting J-D and Ashley by someone who successfully "went native". Like, you would not be able to tell this gym bro living his best life was originally a slightly-tubby nobody from a throughly middle-class American family unless he told you. If he could do it, surely the others could as well?

What do you guys think? Sometimes I worry whenever I think of darker-than-Game-Canon Pokémon ideas because I feel like people are going to take one look at a major character being sad or mopey and then writing the whole thing off as being edgy cringe, but hopefully this whole thing doesn't come across as being too pointy-pokey-stabby if you catch my drift.

[realm-sweet-realm]

One For All, chapter four

In an AU where the protagonist never fell from the sky, the Survey Corps will have to pull together and make use of every resource at their disposal to face the challenges present in Pokemon: Legends Arceus. There will be surveyshipping.

Sorry for the long wait between chapters- the next one should be up in about a week.

---

The Survey Corps members moved aside for Laventon as he approached the pastures, each understanding that the quest of the lake guardians would take precedence. Laventon didn't have many Pokémon that were trained as anything but research subjects, but he gathered his typhlosion and beautifly nonetheless, along with some particularly mysterious specimens he hoped would come in handy. He then stuffed his backpack with healing items, food, and crafting materials and met the others at the gate. It wasn't long before the six were gathered.

"According to Cogita, the materials we need to forge the red chain can be obtained from beings in the three lakes," Cyllene reiterated once everyone was present. "Splitting up seems inadvisable until we know what exactly the trials will entail. We'll start at Lake Acuity, as it's the furthest from any route Kamado is likely to be taking. I've gathered enough flying Pokémon from the pastures to transport those of you who do not have your own. My staraptor is fit to carry two. Laventon?"

"Alright, you'll ride with me. Let us be off." Cyllene took out the staraptor and mounted it. Laventon got on behind her as the other four got onto various flying creatures themselves.

With that, the staraptor took off into the air, the other four following. Afraid of falling, Laventon grabbed onto Cyllene's waist. If she minded, there was no sign of it. Everything looked so small from the sky, and the air rushed past them as though they were going a thousand miles an hour.

In less dire circumstances, this might be very pleasant, Laventon thought. Then he took a closer look at the world below.

From the up high, the disarray caused by the bleeding sky was already apparent. Grasses were beginning to wilt and turn brown, and normally docile Pokémon were running about, agitated and confused. Worse was that in the distance, Kamado's army could be seen marching up the trails of the Coronet Highlands. Laventon looked up at the hole in the sky, two massive shining creatures seeming to peer through it, and it dawned on him that he might not live to take a recreational flight.

The group landed on the island in Lake Acuity, returned their birds, and entered the small cavern without much thought, only to be faced with a ghostly maned fox that was larger than an ursaluna.

"Is that- the vengeful fox?" Irida exclaimed, terrified. It was so much bigger than the legends had said.

Whatever it was, it charged towards the group, teeth bared.

Volo ran to the front of the group and threw out a Pokémon- a strange, ghostly thing Laventon didn't recognize. "Dark pulse," Volo ordered. The second the dark beam caught up to the charging zoroark, it went down. That was another disturbing thing about Volo- he always seemed to have just enough power to handle any given task, and no one quite knew how he'd acquired it.

In a flash of light, a small, blue figure appeared in the center of the cave. Though the creature was small, power could be felt emanating off of it in waves. Cogita had described the being with a yellow hood as being the representation of knowledge. Was this it?

R e i came a voice. It was like a horrible vibration in Laventon's skull, but somehow he could tell that it had come from the lake guardian. S t e p  f o r w a r d.  M y  t r i a l  i s  y o u r s.

Rei stepped forward.

S h o w  m e  h o w  y o u  h a v e  u s e d  y o u r  c a p a c i t y  t o  l e a r n.  I  w i l l  j u d g e  i t s  w o r t h i n e s s.

Rei hesitated, trying to work out what exactly he'd learned that might impress the being. It wasn't though he was terribly intellectual- wouldn't Laventon be a better choice for this? But he had to try.

"Well... I learned how to make a pokéball," Rei said. "I guess I could show you."

Rei knelt down and took out his crafting kit. "Basically, you just have to make something hollow. The nuts are already hollow, and I take the ores to a smith to make the top half. You just put the two parts into the seal belt, and that’s all they need to be functional,” Rei explained as he cobbled together a basic ball. “There's other stuff you can add, though. One thing that’s a really good idea is the spark release on top, so you know when a catch has been successful. Without that, you might think you’ve caught something only to have it burst out in your face when you go to pick up the ball. Aside from that, there’s different types of ore for different weights, and iron for better quality. And that's pretty much all I know."

The strange pixie twirled in the air and then lowered itself down to Rei's level, presenting him with something in its tiny hands: what looked like a fragment of claw.

T a k e  t h i s  p i e c e  o f  t h e  s p i r i t  a n d  b i n d  t h e  s k y  o n c e  m o r e.

"Is this... for the chain?" Rei asked. But before he even finished speaking, the Pokémon was lifting into the air and was already fading away- perhaps teleporting, or simply destroying what had always been a mere representation of itself controlled from elsewhere.

"Wait! I have so much to ask you! We need your knowledge to fix the sky!" Rei called out, chasing after the form. A few steps into the chase, the creature had faded entirely, and Rei stopped.

"You did well, Rei," Cyllene assured him.

"Indeed you did," Laventon added. "I'm sure it has its reasons for not granting us its knowledge."

The trip to Lake Valor was uneventful, and this time the group had a better idea of what to expect. Cyllene led the group in, on alert for a Pokémon standing guard. No sooner did she poke her head into Valor Cavern then were a barrage of poisoned quills shot at her. She scrambled out and took out her alakazam, which put up a forcefield.

"Laventon, can you identify what Pokémon these barbs are from? I didn't get a good look at the Pokémon that shot them."

Careful not to exit the safety of alakazam's forcefield, Laventon picked up a barb from the ground. He squinted as he looked at the quill, trying to place where he'd seen anything similar.

"Those are definitely from an overqwil," Adaman cut in. "Looks like a big one, too. Their only weakness is ground."

"Then I know something that might help," Irida said, taking out her Celestica flute. With a few notes, an ursaluna came running over the hill. It swam through the lake and shook itself off once it washed up on the island, soaking the six humans.

"Hey, big guy," Irida said, giving the bear a stroke on the cheek and ignoring the grime she was now coated with. "I know you're usually a finder, but would you mind fighting something for us today?"

The ursaluna grunted in acknowledgment and shuffled into the cave. After taking out a few additional psychic-types to bolster Alakazam's forcefield, the others followed in and watched as the bear charged the enormous pufferfish. The overqwil expelled its quills, but most of them bounced off the bear's thick hide as easily as they bounced off the forcefield, and those that did prick it didn't seem to bother the ursaluna in the slightest. The ursaluna roared, reared up, and took the giant fish in its mouth, shaking it around as it deflated. It threw the fish against a wall and then ran to it and slashed with its claws until it was satisfied that the job was done.

No sooner had the bear returned to Irida's side did a light begin to shine in the middle of the cave. From the light, another sprite appeared- the one Cogita had called "Azelf."

L a v e n t o n, came the spirit's voice, s t e p  f o r w a r d.  M y  t r i a l  i s  y o u r s.

Laventon glanced nervously at the others and then stepped forward.

Y o u  m u s t  c a t c h  m e, Azelf stated. A large bag of ultra balls appeared in Laventon's arms. Then, Azelf turned into a shiny zubat and flew out of the cavern.

Laventon continued to cast nervous looks at his companions. He probably seemed on the brink of panic. "This is much more suited to any of you, I mean-"

"Laventon," Cyllene said, "We will help you however we can, but Azelf wanted you. It must have its reasons. You can do this."

Rei gave a nod of agreement. "I had the same thought with my trial. If I could do mine, you can do yours." Behind Rei, the clan members were nodding as well.

“Jolly good,” Laventon said, straightening up. “Irida, I’ll need use of Ursaluna’s nose.”

"You have my blessing," Irida said.

Laventon mounted the bear. Ursaluna didn't wait for orders. As soon as Laventon was securely upon it, it took off back into the lake and began swimming across. Laventon had to pray it knew what it was doing. As the bear neared the opposite shore, Laventon looked back at his companions, following him on various flying Pokémon. Ursaluna ascended over the hills, and that's when Laventon caught sight of a glimmer of hope: to their left was a colony of zubat flying about in the shade of a forested area.

The bear took an aggressive right.

"No!" Laventon told it. "Ursaluna, you have to turn around!"

Then, Laventon saw it. A shiny stantler in the fields was looking at him with a competitive gleam in its eye.

"Oh my, Azelf has taken a new form! Ursaluna, you're a genius!"

The stantler took off at a run. It was faster than Ursaluna.

"Stop," Laventon ordered. The bear skidded to a stop. Moments later, the other five landed. "I need something swift enough to catch up to Azelf. Cyllene, may I borrow your alakazam?"

Cyllene handed him the pokéball. Wasting no time, Laventon released it and used the creature's teleportation to catch up with the stantler just as it transformed into a buizel and scurried into a thick, wooded area. The woods were too dense for a riding Pokémon, so Laventon took chase on foot. He was hardly the fastest runner, but the weasel stayed within his sights, looking back at him periodically as though to mock him. Laventon fumbled for an ultra ball, took aim at the creature as it watched him from atop a log, and then promptly tripped over a tree root.

Laventon laid in the dirt, trying to catch his breath as Azelf scampered away and his companions caught up to him, none of them half as tired as he was. He really was terrible at this, wasn't he?

G i v e  u p.  Y o u r  s t r u g g l e  i s  i n  v a i n.  R u n  f r o m  t h e  g r o u p  y o u  a r e  o n l y  a  b u r d e n  t o  s o  t h a t  a n o t h e r  m a y  s u c c e e d  i n  y o u r  p l a c e.

If it was the only way for them to pass the trial and save Hisui then perhaps that was for the best...

Cyllene offered Laventon a hand up. He took it.

"You know, individual strengths are often less important than the ability to use the strengths of others," Cyllene said. "Kamado has issued commands while injured that led the Galaxy Team to success. You are a field researcher. How have you caught slippery Pokémon in other regions?"

Laventon thought on that. "Well, there have been other species that I've had to flush out of their hidey-holes, and this isn't a big bush," Laventon mused. "If the five of you surround it with your Pokémon and move inwards, we can force Azelf out no matter what form it takes. I'll stand outside the bush, you get it to come towards me. Does that sound like a plan?"

"That sounds like an excellent plan," Cyllene said.

Laventon stood at the edge of the bush and waited as the other five and their Pokémon marched inwards. Bugs, birds, bats, rodents, and the occasional stantler were flushed out, and Laventon watched for any that showed signs of being Azelf, ultra ball at the ready. Azelf wanted to test him on willpower- on not giving up- so surely this was the correct course of action. Yes, he was sure of it.

Finally, a shiny buizel emerged from the bush, grinning at Laventon with pleased determination. Laventon hucked a ball at it. It bounced out of the way. He hucked another. It wasn't even close. Then, a number of other buizel emerged from the woods, scampering about as though Azelf had ordered them to make this trial even harder. Laventon trained his eyes on the white collar of the shiny and kept throwing.

Ten balls later, one hit. The ball shook once and then sparked.

Laventon let out a sigh of relief. Blood was coursing through him, and he felt more alive and keyed up than he could ever remember being.

The buizels dispersed, leaving behind only one- a second shiny. To Laventon's horror, the creature turned into Azelf. But then it picked up Laventon's ultra ball and handed it to him, along with a small horn.

T a k e  t h i s  p i e c e  o f  t h e  s p i r i t  a n d  b i n d  t h e  s k y  o n c e  m o r e, said the spirit before it vanished.

"That was some leadership, professor!" Rei explained.

Laventon was stunned silent. "I caught a swift and slippery little buizel all by myself," he mused. "A shiny one! My God, that was... I don't even know what that was!"

"It was a fine performance," Cyllene said.

Before long, the group was on the move again, and not long after that, they were on the island of Verity Cavern. Before heading in, the group took a moment to heal their Pokémon.

"So, if Uxie's trial was showing knowledge, and Azelf's trial was showing willpower, Mesprit's will be showing emotion? That sounds like a really lame trial," Adaman stated.

"Maybe it'll go to someone who struggles to control their emotions, and they'll have to do something frustrating," Irida suggested.

"In that case, it's definitely your trial."

"Oh, please. You're the drama queen. And anyhow, I fought overqwil, so I had my turn."

"Ursaluna isn't your Pokémon, and you didn't give it orders," Adaman countered.

"Hmph! well-"

"Now is not the time," Cyllene said, leading the group in.

Within the cave was an alpha goodra. Rei took out his decidueye, but Cyllene stepped in front of him. "Allow me," she said, taking out her staraptor. "Close-combat."

The bird struck at the armoured dragon, denting its shell, but the goodra struck back, hitting Cyllene's staraptor with its massive tail and knocking it into a nearby wall.

Cyllene gave her bird a stiff nod to let it know to continue, and took out her samourott. "Ice beam," she commanded.

Between the two attackers, the Goodra was giving out far less damage than it was receiving, but Laventon found Cyllene's choice to step in baffling nonetheless. With the amount of office work they had to do while the other members were in the fields, he and Cyllene were among the weakest of the Survey Corps when it came to their Pokémon's levels, and Rei had long surpassed them. It wasn't like Cyllene to fail to delegate when it was for the better.

Is she trying to make sure she won't have to face the trial? Laventon wondered as the Goodra finally hit the ground and Cyllene's Pokémon returned to her for healing.

Just as had happened in the previous two caves, Mesprit appeared to the six in a flash of light.

C y l l e n e, Mesprit said telepathically. M y  t r i a l  i s  y o u r s.

[spaceflower07]

Name: Ivan Braginsky Specialty: Ice/Dark Place of Origin: Snowpoint, Sinnoh Team: Absol, Abomasnow, Kyurem, Beartic, Glalie, Mamoswine, Bewear, Mimikyu, Glastrier Not used for battle: N/A

Ivan had been training the moment his hands could hold a Pokeball, and had been perfecting his skills ever since. The moment he joined the Leagues, he rose up the ranks quite quickly, earning a formidable reputation for his chillingly efficient team. His strategy was to attack second and attack last, as it let him read the opponent's attack style before exploiting their weaknesses and leaving no opportunity for retaliation. He beat the Pokemon up quite badly—if they were still moving, then he hadn't won yet. With his meticulous study of opponents and ruthless tactics, Ivan becomes the most feared opponent in the Leagues and the one everyone is eyeing to beat.

Ivan's motivation is clear: he aims to become the strongest in the region to rescue his sisters from their father's grasp. Despite his reluctance to return to Sinnoh, he recognizes that winning the Pokémon League championship is his only way to achieve this goal. With no means to reach Sinnoh alone at fifteen, he sees the Pokémon League as his ticket back since the final match will take place in that region. Being raised by the stern Winter, Ivan adopted a serious and independent nature, thinking of others as nothing but weights dragging him down. However, after traveling with Alfred as partners for the League, he has learned that it's okay to depend on others.

Hailing all the way from snowy Sinnoh, Ivan's past is shrouded in tragedy and misery. Because of his weakness, he was kicked out of an infamous organization his family owned and chased out of Snowpoint. A mysterious dragon legendary picked him up and dropped him off in Alola, where a Gym Leader named Winter took him in and raised him as his own until he was fifteen. Having been chased out for weakness, Ivan became obsessed over strength and power, causing him to adopt brutal and merciless tactics in battles. His reputation as a fearsome opponent precedes him, with many competitors withdrawing upon seeing his name on the contestant list. Despite Alfred's objections to Ivan's harsh treatment of Pokémon, Ivan justifies his actions as necessary to achieve victory. But now, in his pursuit of strength, he had scared everyone away and was now alone. When Ivan noticed this, he felt even worse, and it made him bitter enough to start being cruel to others.

[goldensunset]

there is another pokemon rival who gets worn down by the player constantly defeating them! Hop from gen 8 gets all sad and discouraged after losing over and over and it doesn’t help that his brother is the champion, so he has this whole arc where he ditches all his usual pokemon (including his childhood bff wooloo 😔) and tries using stronger ones. it doesn’t work and eventually he learns the power of friendship is more important than winning or something idk I never played the game. Kieran’s live joker arc is still way more compelling but I thought you’d like to know about this guy too

yeah!!! i know and love hop. i’ve only played the first 40 minutes of gen 8 myself (everything else i’ve learned through osmosis) but that was more than enough for me to feel bad for this guy tbh. constantly living in his brother’s shadow and all that. i don’t think there’s a single photo of him in his family home it’s like all covered in leon’s stuff like sheesh. what i’ve heard about hop is that he just gives up eventually and aims to be a professor even though apparently that came out of nowhere. that for sure qualifies as ‘getting worn down by the player’, and i was thinking about him while typing that, but like. getting worn down and giving up is just sad. it would be cool if it’s bc he realized he really did have a secondary dream that took precedence but otherwise it’s just the short end of the stick for him. i wish hop had been treated better by the story :(

way more compelling is kieran stubbornly refusing to let go of his dreams even if they seem out of reach and potentially destructive, then probably taking drastic measures towards them. and wow is that so in line with the overarching theme of sv- having a dream, chasing a dream, then having to reevaluate what it’s worth to you once it gets to a dangerous point. others have said this better than me. but the primary and most drastic example: blindly pursuing a reckless dream is what got sada/turo killed, isn’t it?

but liiiike. doubt anything that bad will happen for kieran unless he gets involved with the (/a) new legendary in the indigo disc that has crazy powers or something. i mean regardless they’re not gonna kill off a child character of course but i mean like i don’t know if i think kieran will get himself into any material danger on his quest to become stronger. but at the bare minimum he’s probably going to ruin some relationships. but then again wouldn’t it be so good if he actually did get manipulated by some insane higher power and did something drastic in exchange for strength. ok that’s besides the point but i would like to see it

the point is yeah chasing his dream might lead him off the deep end and i hope it does. i hope they don’t chicken out on this. especially given that his desire is, frankly, not very noble. my personal takeaway is that by the end it’s not even about ogerpon but it’s about revenge on the player. like he just has a vendetta now. that is suuuper interesting. idk if even your typical real official pokémon villain has ever had such a personal reason to hate the protagonist. ‘darn meddling kid!’ vs ‘you lured me in with the promise of friendship and then lied to me took everything from me and stomped on me’. like dude…

[team-heavenly]

Drumroll‚ please! 🥁

It’s been some time, and I managed to slip on my promised deadline once again (thank you for your patience)... But finally‚ we return to the story of Teresa and Andrea in our Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky Randomizer!

A few items of note before we get started (and yeah sorry this is overly detailed and lengthy because idk what it means to be concise, just scroll down if you're not interested):

Please be aware: updates to Team Heavenly’s story will not be as frequent as they were during main. I now work a full-time job in a field where my schedule is somewhat contingent on unanticipated emergencies. And in general‚ I’m just a very busy adult! So I unfortunately can’t give you an exact (or even rough) timeline of when posts will be released— It basically comes down to whenever I have the time to do it. But rest assured‚ the entirety of this tale will be told… eventually!

I’ve gotten my hands on a newer tablet since last year, so my camera quality is much better now! …However. While snapping pics for this post‚ a seemingly unavoidable digital blue glare persisted‚ no matter how I adjusted my screen brightness. When I subsequently ran these photos through the auto function‚ they didn’t really… improve? So I had to do a lot of manual tweaking… Anyway‚ all of that to say if one shot doesn’t look visually consistent with another, it’s because each image got edited a little bit differently.

I will link multiple posts for a single "chapter" (see last bullet) in the same manner as before, with preceding and succeeding parts linked at the beginning and end, respectively. I’ll also update the table of contents in the pinned post for continued ease of navigation.

Also, please note... last year, my older iPad somehow managed to circumvent any sort of (consistent) image limit. But that is not the case this time! There is a strict hard limit of 30 images per post. It's therefore likely that post-game chapters will have more parts than the main-story chapters ever did. (Though whether that actually equates to a "lengthier" chapter is up for debate.)

As the post-game content does not get separated into official chapters‚ I will be partitioning the story based on subject matter! For example, this first act will focus on the guild’s graduation exam, the next will include Sky Peak, and so on. I also intend to use a random number generator to select chapter names from this list. (I mean, c’mon, that's part of the fun of a randomizer!) But for the sake of clarity, I will be including the actual subject matter after the chosen title in (parentheses). Thus‚ this first unofficial post-game chapter is known as…

Chapter 21: Would you like to eat moss?

(AKA: The Guild’s Graduation Exam)

As a result of Teresa and Andrea’s heroic actions… The destruction of time was stopped and peace returned to the world of Pokémon. They went back to Totodile’s Guild and fell back into their daily routine of vigorous training.

One morning‚ several months later…

Pineco: “:/ Hey hey, why can Teresa and Andrea take the graduation exam before we do? We’ve been around a lot longer…”

Tropius: “…They literally saved the world and have proven themselves to be worthy many times over. Also skill issue lol.”

Don’t feel bad for Pineco though; he’s not the only one getting roasted.

Lol rip.

Anyway‚ Andrea asks the very sensible question of what exactly this exam entails…

Dark Chasm? Evil MANSION?!

Are you— are you sending us back to the future‚ Totodile?! WTF??

Oh! That’s easy enough though. I mean‚ compared to scaling a collapsing tower while Time itself crumbled at our feet? Pshaw! This will be a cakewalk!

...You know, this is really the first thing that should have tipped me off as a kid 🤦‍♀️

🤨 How convenient.

Okay, so he's not gonna be any help, unfortunately. Looks like we're going in blind. (Haha unintentional pun...unless?)

But for real, anything that makes Mewtwo cry out in fear and run away is a force to be reckoned with indeed.

As we enter Nautical Cottage to begin our preparations, we run into our stand-ins for Teddiursa and Ursaring! After a quick chat, Horsea reveals they are also headed to the Dark Chasm...

*seen (sorry).

Also, at the risk of beating a dead Horsea (aHA! TWO FOR TWO ON THE PUNS!), y'all go play WHERE? *gets hit immediately by a Snipe Shot*

Andrea immediately suspects something is sus. Unfortunately, this is the smartest she's ever gonna get about it.

Anyway, it's been a hot minute, so I go to check my storage and evaluate what I have to work with...

BRUH?? I do NOT remember picking this up omg 😳

So my plan is to equip this for the exam, right? But then I totally forgot to do that 😅

Also I don't have a picture for this but I was able to buy 3 Poké from the Finnkecleon shop for free lol

✅Mission: set ✅Destination: arrived ✅Chance of success: 💯😎🎆

Oh my god, this really is the future of darkness!! I guess our efforts to save the world weren't enough, damn 😓

🎶I'm starting with the man in the mirror I'm asking him to change his ways🎶

A couple of Gummis later, Teresa learns the Lava Evader IQ Skill! Neat!

Me when Ivysaur used Fly:

Believe it or not, this actually almost killed Andrea at 96 damage. But the stairs were nearby and I wasn't too worried about it until...

Go figure, amirite?

Then Andrea reminded me of the awesome power of Blizzard and we knocked out everyone except Combusken and the Kabuto on the first turn <3 And she got right back up again in no time with the Fast Healer skill!

Does anyone remember that one time when I had the foolish idea to forget Quick Attack in favor of Helping Hand? Yeah, not one of my smartest moves. But I managed to find a TM in this dungeon that does the same thing as Quick Attack but better!

Here's the info for Quick Attack:

And here's the info for Mach Punch:

Higher power and hit ratio? Yes please! (Yes, I'm aware both are only one star stronger. But hey, every bit counts.)

I teeechnically have enough room for three more images, but this feels like a natural transition point so click here to advance to Part 2!

[the-starry-lycan]

Gym Leader: Monk

Which Gym?: The Fighting-Type Gym

Personality: Fierce and competitive when defending (some call her the Queen of Quills with how prickly she can get right before, during, and right after the gym challenges). Gentle, caring, and amiable outside of battle.

Team: Breloom, Pangoro, Blaziken, Chesnaught, Hitmonlee. Her team is especially feared because she has beaten many many capable, strong trainers with just five Pokémon, as she doesn't let her Riolu fight in the Gym Challenge.

Favourite Curry: Dry Salad Curry.

Item of Choice: Soothe Bell.

Notable Info: She is the penultimate to the Gym Leaders, and precedes the actual Champion. It's stated that she would have been the Champion herself, though was injured badly a long time ago in a rogue encounter with an Absol, leaving her unable to defeat the Champion and take the title. She attributes her (very real) horns to being 'cursed' by this Absol (more like affected by its extremely powerful dark energy aura).

[cwbuggo]

hi i’m back to document / boost the work my latest project, and maybe also reach out a hand to the pokémon community if anyone is interested in asking questions, giving criticism, or helping me out with world-building 

Academy Aces AU

“The Perfect Sandwich” | Arven Character Study 

“The Toughest Trainer” | Nemona Character Study

“The Rising Star” | Penny Character Study

[TITLE TBA] | Main Story

The Academy Aces AU is a parallel re-writing of the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet versions, where the player character (Florian/Juliana) doesn’t appear, and instead focuses on the other Academy Aces: Arven, Nemona, and Penny. The three unite to achieve their respective objectives, balancing each other throughout the story rather than being united by the player character.

Read More

Thus far, content of the AU is planned to consist of three pre-canon one-shot character studies establishing key characteristics of the characters; and one multi-chapter story aligning with the respective events of the Path of Legends, Victory Road, and Starfall Street.

As it takes place in a middle ground between the Scarlet and Violet, certain details have been modified to allow a logical setting. Thus far, this parallel version of Paldea is modified to:

Combine the Uva and Naranja Academies into a single entity, formally known as “Academy Frutífera.” It is commonly referred to as simply “the Academy.”

Include both Legendary beasts. Rather than two Miraidon or two Koraidon, the Koraidon that accompanies the trio had been cast out by the Miraidon that still occupies Area Zero. Area Zero is also home to both kinds of Paradox Pokémon, who engage in a pointless and seemingly endless war that slowly becomes more threatening as they occasionally damage the surrounding region.

Depict both Professors as Arven’s parents. The relationship between the two is explored in the story.

The AU serves to focus on the individual development of the three characters, and thus includes certain interpretations and details to fill in the blanks left by the game. These assumptions are made solely based on their relevance and convenience to their characters, and as of the first three one-shots, include:

Speculations on the exact and relative ages of the characters. For the purpose of reference, Penny is 14, Nemona is 16, and Arven is 16. The former are in their 11th year, and the latter is in his 12th.

Arven’s hair covers a scar on his face, thus rendering him half-blind. 

Arven was taught English by his father; he would pick up basic words and phrases from his mother in Spanish, and eventually would become fluent in Spanish a few years into school.

Rika (“Paprika”) is the elder sister of Nemona, preceding her by seven years.

Nemona’s first language is Spanish. She was “corrected” to speak English from a young age as part of her grooming to inherit the company. Occasionally, a Spanish word or phrase will slip out, as she almost exclusively uses the language with her sister.

Having grown up in Galar, Penny has a Welsh accent. She is also fluent in Cymraeg and struggles with Spanish, only picking up a few phrases here and there.

Penny skipped her 8th year and as a result was bullied for being smaller/younger than her classmates.

Additionally, some lesser details are modified to fit the character’s goals. So far, these include:

Nemona has not yet achieved the rank of Champion; during her battle against the Chairman, she backed down for reasons elaborated on by the story.

Nemona’s dialogue in Area Zero states that “My big sister’ll probably take over the [Rotom Phone] business…” The likely interpretation of this has been changed; with her sister joining the Pokémon League, Nemona was raised to be her father’s successor. However, as the second child, she was also allowed to pursue her personal interests. 

This list will be updated as I continue working and releasing new works!!

[fakerobotrealblog]

Title: Unveiling the Ethical Dilemma: Pokémon Battling in Reality vs. Fantasy

Introduction:

The allure of the Pokémon universe has captivated millions, inviting fans to embark on journeys filled with discovery, friendship, and the thrill of Pokémon battles. Yet, beneath the fantastical façade lies a profound ethical question: What if Pokémon battling were a reality? This blog post delves into the moral quandaries surrounding the concept of capturing Pokémon and making them fight, drawing comparisons between this hypothetical scenario and the themes presented in the Pokémon TV shows and video games.

**The Reality of Pokémon Battling:**

In the realm of Pokémon, trainers set forth on a quest to capture and train these mythical creatures for friendly competition and, at times, intense battles. Translating this concept into reality raises ethical concerns regarding the treatment of these creatures. How would capturing and battling Pokémon align with principles of animal welfare and respect for living beings?

**Comparisons with Pokémon Media Themes:**

1. **Friendship and Companionship:**

- In Pokémon media, the bond between trainers and their Pokémon is central. The ethical challenge of capturing Pokémon for battling in reality is amplified by the emphasis on friendship in the series. Would the dynamics of this relationship change when the battles take place in the real world?

2. **Consent and Autonomy:**

- Pokémon are portrayed as sentient beings with unique personalities and abilities. The issue of consent and autonomy becomes central when considering real-world battles. How would the ethical landscape change if Pokémon had a say in participating in battles or if their well-being were prioritized over competitive ambitions?

3. **Moral Responsibility of Trainers:**

- The Pokémon TV shows and games often showcase trainers as responsible caretakers of their Pokémon. Transposing this responsibility to reality raises questions about the ethical treatment of creatures capable of experiencing pain and distress. How would society ensure the well-being of Pokémon in a world where battles were a tangible reality?

**Addressing Ethical Concerns:**

As we grapple with the ethical implications, it is crucial to consider potential safeguards and regulations that could mitigate harm to Pokémon. Implementing guidelines for ethical treatment, mandatory training for trainers, and the establishment of Pokémon welfare organizations could be crucial steps in fostering a responsible environment.

**Educational Narratives:**

The Pokémon franchise has the opportunity to use its influence to shape ethical discussions. By incorporating narratives that explore the responsibilities of trainers and the ethical treatment of Pokémon, the franchise can contribute to a cultural shift toward mindfulness and empathy, both in the fantasy realm and in real-world conversations.

**Conclusion:**

The notion of Pokémon battling in reality introduces a complex ethical landscape, challenging us to ponder the consequences of our actions and the treatment of sentient beings. The Pokémon franchise, with its rich history of storytelling, has the potential to guide discussions on ethical responsibility, consent, and compassion. As fans continue to immerse themselves in the Pokémon universe, it is essential to engage in meaningful conversations about the intersection of fantasy and reality, seeking to foster a world where ethical considerations take precedence in our interactions with both imaginary creatures and the living beings that share our planet.