#custom shiny pokemon online

[thepokefactory]

Exploring the Top Secrets of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Trading

But, as with any Pokémon game, there’s much more to the trading card game than meets the eye. So, if you’re looking to uncover the top secrets of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet trading, you’ve come to the right place.

[kafus]

i just went on a 2 hour long adventure to find out obscure pokemon information. again. normal tuesday for me at this point

one of the secondhand japanese emeralds i purchased, i noticed had the MysticTicket and Eon Ticket in the bag, the items to go to navel rock for ho-oh/lugia and to southern island to get one of the latis, latias or latios, respectively. i went to go check the wonder card on the save (gen 3 can only hold one at a time) and it's for the mysticticket (しんぴのチケット)!

of course i was curious about the event that distributed this mysticticket so i looked up the japanese title and managed to find an archive.org link for the event from the original, official pokemon website. but i was surprised to see the eon ticket and latias/latios prominently also displayed on the page, and with emerald listed as a possible game for it to be distributed to, no less!

it's relatively common knowledge that international versions of emerald can't receive the eon ticket because they don't have the original mystery event system in ruby/sapphire which allow it to be received, simply replaced by the new wireless mystery gift system. the only way to get the eon ticket in international emerald is through record mixing with a ruby or sapphire game with the ticket. i assumed this is how the eon ticket on this emerald was received, if it wasn't straight up hacked, but now i wasn't sure since if the previous owner truly went to this japanese event in 2006/2007, they could have also picked up the eon ticket according to the webpage...?

well i talked to some folk over at project pokemon and it turns out the mystery event system is still present in japanese emerald specifically, and not only that, they likely had a custom ROM they used in store to distribute the eon ticket to both RS and emerald! there's no photos and certainly no dump of it online, but it's likely there was a menu where they could pick what kind of game they were distributing to, similar to the custom ROM used for international RS eon ticket distributions that had language selection, which we DO surprisingly have a picture of, from a 2004 event in germany:

this event is really obscure for some reason? i had to talk to experts on the subject for more information on it, the serebii eventdex page for the eon ticket doesn't list it, and the bulbapedia page for the eon ticket doesn't mention it either, which may be remedied now that i've talked to some people about it in the near future. but yeah this was a fun deep dive

it should be noted that even though it would make a whole lot of sense through environmental storytelling that the events are fully legitimate, considering the rest of the file is fully legitimate (checked through multiple softwares), well-played and well-loved, and if they went to this event they would have gotten both tickets at the same time, but i have no way of knowing for sure since i wasn't there! however miraculously they never actually traveled to either island and all the legendaries are still up for grabs... so just for the sake of my own fun i'm going to believe these are real and not injected onto the cart, and go and catch navel rock ho-oh/lugia and one of the southern island latis for myself! :]

thank you Z.Z whoever you are!! you have a really cool file by the way, the random shiny zubat from granite cave and the ev trained alakazam that you obviously put a shitton of time into breeding considering the numerous boxes of abra and dittos in your PC are super cool!

[levemetal]

Custom plushies I made so far: Pokemon edition. Actually most that I made are pokemon, but oh well lol. Some of these were commissions, others just me needing a plush to hold. Can you tell the Zubat line is my favourite? The Crobats are called Bubbles and Hyperbean :) More under the cut cause there's way too many!

Shiny DX pokedoll Raikou! Commission.

Corphish pokedoll, Dialga DX pokedoll (shiny even if no picture captures the greenish tint of the fabric), Mimidoof based on an online pattern, some oldies, Pidgeot and shiny Spheals!

Slither Wing and Zubat and Crobat my beloved. Also Furfrou commission!

[somethingwittyandweird]

Dawn of a New Year- 2024

Getting a bit of a later start on this one than last year's, which went out day of. But, there's a few days yet before the fresh shiny coating falls off this new year completely. Plenty of time to do some reflection on the last one and looking forward to this one. So, with that said...

It's been another year that passed for certain. Again, it's been pretty devoid of watershed moments or drastic living situation shifts for me. When I made this post this time last year, I said that I knew a change would happen, but it hadn't happened then and it didn't look as though it would anytime soon. In that, at least, the projection didn't change. And this is good! Like it was last year, it says a lot that I'm in a comfortable and secure environment on nobody's timetable to change but my own. That's a blessing of a sort that I wouldn't take for granted.

But, if there's anything that does differ from last year to this, I get the impress I'm closer to that change. Literally, in the broad sense that time is constantly moving me closer to every future point. But, it's also in a more specific sense- the things that I know are going to change haven't changed yet, but I feel like they're closer to it than they were last time this post rolled by. If nothing else, this year I'll have to get my own health insurance, so that's the first sign that the times of change are rolling in. That's why I intend to look into that over the coming months, and in the process, potentially look into other things too. It's finally time for part of that uncertain change to come at me for certain, so I'd better meet it head on.

But, before we get there, that's not to say I did nothing this year at all. It was another good year of time spent with friends, in online communities familiar and new- being in tabletop sessions, sitting in voice calls, chilling in plenty of livestreams, and much more. I'm lucky again to be part of so many communities of people from all over the world, and I'm lucky to be finding more such communities to join all the time. It means the world to me whenever a friend or mutual decides I'd be a good addition to an undiscovered circle of theirs.

I posted all my swordtember art to Tumblr this year, realizing that I had as much audience here as any other site, and I intend to keep that going as long as I'm around. I could resolve to try and draw more things outside of that month, but conjuring creative inspiration on command remains a difficult prospect. That said, I think it would be wonderful if the year ahead had a big project in store that I could really get the gears turning with. I'm optimistic about the possibility.

I already made my post about the games that I enjoyed in 2023, and I'm delighted here at the end of the year to report that here at the end of the year I'm within sight of the endings to a few more backlog titles (Just to name one, in between now and then I've beaten the main story of Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia and I'm working on the postgame). Along with these, this year had me flipping out when The Owl House's final episodes aired, and the wry, informative humor of Well There's Your Problem began accompanying my work commute. For 2024, I don't know if there's any particular media I'm anticipating (most of my home franchises chose this past year for their new entry) but even so I'm certain I'll find something new to check out. Perhaps it'll be a good year to get into one or more of the series my friends have long raved about...

As I write all this up, I would like to give a special shoutout to one of the aforementioned new friends/friend circles that I came into in 2023: @skysometric. Aside from being funny, a great friend, and just a general boon to know, something I really have enjoyed about coming into her space is seeing how intentional her online presence is. From her custom website to her commentary posts on her projects to the way she uses her blog as, of all things, a blog in the original and traditional sense, she puts herself out there very visibly, creating and urging others to create by example. And I've come to really appreciate that.

That's the thing about existing online: you have to be speaking up for your presence to be felt. Being around is one thing, but if you never say a word, it can be easy to just be one username of many. And as someone who trends towards simply lurking and being around myself, there's nothing wrong with that. But, for as much as I enjoy seeing the things my friends get up to, I think I could be a little more visible in talking about my own activities- give them more of a chance to enjoy seeing what I'm up to. I want to be present in other people's lives as much as they are in mine.

I said it last year, but it bears repeating: I don't get to know how long someone's in my life for. Websites can close, friend groups can drift apart, people can leave this life for the next. Perhaps I think too much about the fact that someday that change will come. But since I don't get to know that and can't do anything about that, the only thing I really can do is cherish others now, and let the future be its own concern. And I intend to.

Thank you, all of my dear friends and beloved mutuals. I hope I can keep sharing this online space with you for a long time to come. You brighten my days with your presence. I hope 2024 has good things in store for you, be that strength, love, reassurance, a much-needed sea change, or whatever you've been needing in your life. Once again, the best year I can wish for is one where every day is better than the last, and every evening we all go to bed just a little more improved than the evening before.

Happy 2024.

[priconstella]

Scvi thoughts! Negatives and positives.

Tldr; I like the game despite its flaws

Things I like

The world feels alive, there's pokémon everywhere

Theres so many new pokémon I've yet to get near to finding them all

So far it seems that most of them don't have ridiculous evolution methods (unlike legends arceus)

The facial customization is so in depth it's great

Arven

The characters have nice designs, even the generic NPCs look nice

Raids have been massively improved, both with the timers, the lack of a turn system, the cheers, and the internet menu! I don't have to wade through other unrelated posts to find raids to join anymore

The map is so much better than swsh's map

Multi-player is massively improved now you can only see the few people you choose to connect with, not a random group of laggy strangers

Most things you can see others doing in multi-player. Battling, terastalizing, setting up picnics, and using the let's go feature can all be seen. I haven't had an evolution while on multi-player yet, but I'm pretty sure that can be seen too.

Multiple storylines give you many options

There's so many areas

I really love the general vibe of the world. I kept running off to fill up my pokedex and only progressed to the first titan because a friend told me I'd get a speed boost and I'd run quicker. Other than that and one gym, I haven't progressed the story at all and there's still plenty for me to explore.

The camera feature!

Being able to change your phone case is a really tiny detail that I like

You can go to classes! And actually learn lore tidbits! (I don't wanna put this in the negative section even tho it is but fuck that math teacher with the rigged question)

Exploring the huge school

And reading all the books in the library

And I've been told there's both midterms and finals so you actually have a reason to pay attention

Mystery (wtf are these stakes I keep finding.)

Things I don't like

No clothing customization

Still can't choose your pronouns, despite supposedly having no gender and only styles, whatever style you choose at the start locks in your pronouns

Shinies don't have noise

The lock on is very unintuitive and often doesn't work

Can't throw pokeballs to catch without battling like in L:A

Can't lock the minimap to north like you can the map

On that note. What the hell is up with the pokemon icons on the minimap. When you look different directions the map moves and so do the pokemon icons and it's clear they're supposed to rotate with it but they *don't.* They rotate strangely and end up in different spots on the map, so it's hard to find their actual point when they could be at any of them. Why don't they rotate normally.

While I honestly haven't had the game breaking glitches I've seen people online have, I have had lots of lag in the menus. The PC and clothing stores don't load models, so when I'm trying to look at things I have to wait for them to load in.

Speaking of, the PC is accessible a movement before it loads. You click box, it loads on top your current and you can move around, and *then* the screen fades to black and opens in the box with proper backgrounds.

And again, nothing gamebreaking or anything constantly or consistently happening, but why did all of the lighting give out and the background severely drop in quality when I choose my starter. I did the opening 3 times and all 3 times or did that. Why.

Sometimes when you start a battle the opposing Pokémon will be a low polygon model. It looks like they were taken from Pokémon rumble.

The camera feature. I can't move while it's open and I can't zoom in. Also, the menus I have to go through to change my profile picture is ridiculous when it should've been built into the camera as an option. Because you have to go to profile before changing your picture, you can't get a picture with all your pokémon in the picnic, because you literally can't open that menu during picnics. You can use the camera and take pictures, you just can't use them as profile pictures.

I hate convergent evolution so much or whatever it's called. I hate wiglett with a burning passion. Just because they have a real life excuse doesn't mean it's not just bad game design that they copy and pasted a Diglett and took away its spine and color

Everytime I leave a shop the camera moves causing me to reenter the shop

You can't use rare candies to evolve unevolved pokémon at Lvl 100 anymore, which seems like a pointless/backwards decision to take that away when they only implemented it last generation

Conclusion: I honesty really like the game. The performance issues are what's most glaring for most people, but I'm just questioning the many tiny decisions to made to include or not include. Why no set mode? Why can't rare candies evolve at 100? Why no shiny noise? So many why's. But I honestly so like the game so far, and I've barely progressed at all.

They removed set mode

There is no more pokerus, supposedly. I'll have to recheck that but I did read it somewhere that it's not attainable in the same anymore

[protagonistheavy]

Since I cant trust Gamefreak to make a full and fulfilling Pokemon game anymore, I've been looking forward to spinoffs and the potential those might have. Legends Arceus had some bumps but it was ultimately a satisfying experience, so I think there's still hope that the non-mainline games can occasionally get the love and attention they deserve.

A game I'd really like to see at this point is a Pokemon Stadium 3, with an emphasis on customizing your dream Pokemon teams and battles. Importantly, I'd want to see every possible mechanic brought into one, consolidated game -- mega evolutions, Z-moves, dynamaxing, everything. Let people tweak and adjust any pokemon to their liking, up to their legal limits; pick out the exact nature, ability, EV distribution, etc. Add every holdable item, add every variation of pokemon, let the player pick out every move from their movelist. Yeah I know that this is basically that online Pokemon game but what I'm obviously looking for here is a proper gaming experience, with full graphics, polish, and in-game reasons to grind and keep coming back.

Not everything would have to be frontloaded to the player either. In fact I think a really cool idea would be unlocking these features through a straightforward campaign. That campaign could have the player going through tournaments or facing line-ups of trainers, and with each circuit you beat, you unlock new eras of pokemon to pick from, gradually unlocking their different forms, abilities, etc. Specific customizations for pokemon could even be locked behind challenges or achievements specific to that pokemon -- so you might be able to initially pick between its two normal abilities, but after using that pokemon to get a KO or something, you unlock the choice to use its hidden ability. Sort of like a prestige system, with the endgame reward for each specific pokemon being that you unlock their shiny variant.

Campaigns and other in-game events could also encourage all sorts of different playstyles and combinations. The main campaign can see rules being added, like only allowing certain types of pokemon, prohibiting certain moves or special attacks, etc. so that players have to think about battles differently. Special events could get even wackier and bend the rules, maybe giving every pokemon a specific ability or moveset, or doubling the effectiveness of stat boots, whatever. Ultimately the fun comes from seeing these different rulesets and finding your own way to approach them, while also grinding out different goals to keep expanding your options.

The cherry on top would be making battles themselves more efficient, faster. Text boxes should be minimalized and quick; animations and pop-ups for effects should be simultaneous; buffs/debuffs should all happen at the same time rather than one stat at a time. Add the right polish to battles, give players free camera movement, have the pokemon approach each other for physical attacks, etc. etc. etc.

A game like this could ideally be made on a tighter budget too. Yeah thered be a lot of pokemon and effects to put in but there wouldn't be any elaborate overworlds, bare minimum new characters, almost no need for any human models except maybe the ability to customize your own trainer, no epic plots or involved storylines. Just encourage players to build up their dream team and then play against each other in fast, fresh matches.

[firedragon1321]

Because I'm a huge Pokemon fan and didn't know assholes were behind the distribution of American Pokemon toys- here's the link from the above document to the Pokemon Center.

Easy way to tell if you're out in the wild and not sure about something- an American plastic tag or package will be printed primarily in English and will list several other languages (Spanish and French?) below it.

Japanese tags will be mostly in Japanese, with Pokemon Center in English. The exact appearance of the tag may vary depending on the exact toy, but the JP tags all tend to follow this theme.

And also you can look on JP websites. Japanese merch is often better quality than American equivalents. But it can be more expensive. Also, you can't straight up use a credit card to pay as they don't like to ship outside Japan. I tried to do it once for Tales of merch and only remember it was difficult. But there are tutorials online.

Also, there's secondhand/junk stores! They often have retro Pokemon merch. The Jazwares collaboration officially began in 2019. If you buy a 2000-era plush from a flea market, it may not be the best quality. But it won't cross wires with Jazwares. Collecting retro Poke-stuff is fun, too!

You can also commission artists. I've never done this so I don't know the process. But this is your ticket to custom mons like shinies, Mimikyu costumes, etc.

Finally, there's eBay and other secondhand sites. But those are bootleg central. So unless you ARE looking for a bootleg, there's more detailed guides for spotting fakes.

~ Signed an autistic Pokemon freak who spent way too long on this

A reminder that Jazwares CEO - the company behind toy brands like Kellytoy, Squishmallows, Bum Bumz, Hello Kitty, Pokemon (in North America), Nerf, and many others - is a staunch supporter of Israel, with half of their recent intern cohort from Reichman University being called back to fight in the IOF. Not only this, but he and his wife Laura are working with the organization known as Brothers For Life that gives aid to Israeli soldiers, as well as supporting the infamous Canary Mission, which is responsible for doxxing pro-Palestinian students.

Buying new Jazwares products is going towards a CEO who supports genocide, please continue to boycott Jazwares brands and seek out alternative brands or strictly buy from secondhand sources when looking for new gifts for yourself or your loved ones. Do not continue to put money in Jazwares's pockets.

Source

[comingyourlugubriousness]

My hot take for Idia's pokemon team for my AU!

Info and reason why under the cut!

Rotom (Ortho): A ghost pokemon that inhabits Idia's custom made pokedex. It's very lively, upbeat, caring and protective of Idia. Unlike some other pokemon, its speech pattern is more akin to a human and talks about past experiences as if it was alive only a few years ago... Even more strange it refers to its trainer as "Big bro"...

Chandelure (DPS): A pokemon given to Idia at a young age by his parents, raised since it was a litwick. He has some misgivings about receiving it...but tries to not to blame the pokemon. It is very attached to him.

"The flame on its head keeps its body slightly warm. This Pokémon takes lost children by the hand to guide them to the spirit world."

Klink (Defense): What Idia considers his true, first pokemon. As it's the first one he caught on his own! It's a pokemon that doesn't much prefer battle. As such it has no plans on evolving any time soon. (This is a pokemon I felt fit Idia's vibe while also giving a nod to the idea of fate and a predetermined life. It also reminds me of how close Idia and Ortho are. Inseparable!)

"Interlocking two bodies and spinning around generates the energy they need to live."

"The two mini gears that mesh together are predetermined. Each will rebound from other minigears without meshing.

"The two minigears that compose this Pokémon are closer than twins. They mesh well only with each other."

Haunter (Support): Despite its look it is one of Idia most caring pokemon. It often tries to take care of other pokemon and people in a big brother fashion, but due to its "scary" appearance others don't often respond well to it. As such he gets discouraged easily and sulks to itself. (This is kind of a nod to Idia's labwear personal story!)

Golurk (Tank): An automaton pokemon that Idia discovered in old ruins on his travels. He spent a lot of time researching it and along the way got attached to the little Golett. It's now kind of a Pseudo research partner that does heavy lifting on his travels. After all that heavy lifting and protecting Idia it eventually evolved! It's his tank! Though it still mostly just wants to be useful and help Idia with his research. (Idia is especially interested in its source of energy as he is looking into making a body for Ortho to inhabit.)

"It is said that Golurk were ordered to protect people and Pokémon by the ancient people who made them."

Shiny Bisharp(All-arounder): Along his travels Idia ran into a shiny blue Pawniard in trouble. After helping it out, Idia tried to leave it only for it to continuously follow him for days, never straying too close to his camp. The whole ordeal made him really anxious because he knew that pokemon species can hold grudges and get territorial. It was only when a group Mightyean's tried to attack him, that the Pawniard jumped into action trying to protect him. Then he realized: Was it trying to return the favor? After handling the situation the Pawniard realized that Idia already had a pretty capable team and that he didn't need much help, but still tried to secretly continue to follow him. It took a few days but Idia finally got the nerve to ask if the pokemon just wanted to join him. To which it jumped for joy and ran to hug him (almost stabbing him in the process.)  Throughout the AUs story I imagine it evolves. Becoming a reliable pokemon partner...but also still keeping its goofy fanboyish admiration for Idia.

(This is kind of a nod to the Samurai theme Idia's online persona is associated with, I also think it would be cute to give Ortho a Pawniard and Idia a Bisharp! And I love a serious looking pokemon having a fanboyish nature like Idia.)

Hydreigon(BANNED): A pokemon Idia caught through a series of unfortunate and unlikely events. It is extremely powerful and rash, as such he cannont control it in or out of battle. He is training to be more assertive so he can control it. It is used as a last resort.

"It responds to movement by attacking. This scary, three-headed Pokémon devours everything in its path!"

(This pokemon is kind of a nod to Cerberus, with its three heads, and also the Hydra from Hercules)

Here's other pokemon that I feel also fit for him, I'm a firm believe that ppl have more than just their main team:

[inkabelledesigns]

So my brother came up for his morning break from online school, and we talked about Pokemon, because he has goals of completing the Pokedex in my copy of Sword. Well, we got to talking about breeding and shinies, and he brought up international Pokemon and how they're better for breeding shinies, and I have to giggle. I used to collect international Pokemon when I was playing Y. I had boxes of Pokemon from Wonder Trading from all over the world, and they were my treasure. We ended up chatting about Vivillion, the only Pokemon I know of that has a different form depending on what region of the world your 3DS is set to, and so I opened up my game to show him. And then I went down memory lane, so I'm gonna drag you with me for a second.

Meet Vivian, my trainer for the Kalos region! I had her nicknamed as Viridi, so she's two references in one (Vivian from Paper Mario TTYD and Viridi from Kid Icarus Uprising). I always donned a fedora, this yellow one was my favorite and the first one I got on my journey.

I completed my first run of the Elite 4 and Champion back in 2014. Sylvia was my favorite, she's my Gardevoir! The rest of my team consists of Poinsettia (Roserade), Poseidon (Blastoise), Cleopatra (Scrafty), Persephone (Absol), and Damien (Delphox). I always name my team members, and I think you can tell what my interests were back in middle school. XD I took a moment to play a game with Cleo before going to update my system.

But back to that international Pokemon thing, you see my Honedge there? Not only are they Japanese, but they also have Pokerus. Does anyone remember Pokerus? It was this "virus" your Pokemon could get, but I remember it was actually beneficial. That's so weird to think about now in 2021, but hey, it's interesting.

Gosh, I'd forgotten just how much I love this game. I played it obsessively, loved the characters, the story, the environments, and my berry garden. I remember back when Lumiose City had that game breaking glitch that everyone feared, the excitement over character customization and fairy types, the obnoxious people online who only traded for shinies, it was quite the time. You know it's funny, back when this game released, Club Nintendo had this deal where if you submitted your codes for a select number of other 3DS games, you could get X or Y digitally for free. My sister very kindly let us use her codes, since she had those games, so I have a digital copy of X and she has one of Y, since we had the opposites for game chips. I haven't completed that copy yet, maybe I should go revisit it one day. It makes me wonder if the Pokemon Bank still works. I also used to collect event Pokemon whenever GameStop was running their codes, so I have a few cool ones like Shiny Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, regular Meloetta, Jirachi, just all the cool kids. Haven't done that in a while, but I did collect all of Ash's Pikachu's for Sword, even though I barely play it. XD Gosh, if you guys ever wanna geek out about Pokemon, hit me up, I low-key miss it.

[thepokefactory]

ThePokeFactory - Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Store

There are many excellent options for travelling through the Paldea region. With the advent of new equipment and new skills, some of the old popular games have become fashionable too. Players should consider some fantastic options regarding the competitive Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. thepokefactory.com is a professional pokemon trading service site.

[nikibogwater]

(Long post incoming. You have been warned)

Reasons Niki is Excited for the Diamond/Pearl Remakes:

Diamond was Baby Niki’s first Pokémon game and I don’t think I could even begin to express the impact that game had on me. My gaming life was practically dominated by Pokémon from age 10 to 18, and it all began in the Sinnoh region. So yes, Nostalgia is a big factor in this.

I have wanted a 3D Sinnoh remake ever since I played Pokémon X for the first time. Being able to see the Pokémon actually move and emote brought so much immersion to the Pokémon experience for me, and pairing that with the deep, expansive lore that the Sinnoh games offered is the perfect union of my two favorite elements from the series. 

Like a lot of people, I was initially put off by the oddly-proportioned chibi overworld sprites, but it is already beginning to grow on me. I think the idea was to capture the look and feel of the original DS games as much as possible, and to that effect, I think this art style does really well. Everything else about the game looks very crisp and nice to me. The environments are lovely, the backgrounds are interesting, and most importantly, the Pokémon are heckin’ cute. 

I didn’t have access to the wireless functions in the original game as a kid. I didn’t get to experience connecting with others online until X and Y. And with the confirmation that the Underground will be returning in the remakes, I am so excited to finally be able to have the full D/P experience that I missed as a kid.

I’ve been really disenchanted with the mainline Pokémon games for the past few years. I think Sun/Moon is where I began to feel disconnected from the series, like it wasn’t bringing me the sense of childlike wonder and excitement that it used to. I initially chalked this up to my simply becoming an adult, but then I played Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee, and found myself sucked into that little game almost as much as the games of my childhood. Looking back on it now, I think maybe it was an issue of immersion for me. With the demands of both fans and whoever is forcing Game Freak to produce a new main series title every flipping year, a lot of immersion had to be sacrificed for the sake of getting the game out on time. Because Pokémon Let’s Go was a comparatively smaller game that only featured 152 Pokémon, the developers were able to spend more time making the environments and the Pokémon feel more alive. We got Pokémon following you, Shinies appearing in the overworld, Pokémon you could ride, dynamic backgrounds for battles, clean lines and lag-free rendering...none of which were carried over into Sword/Shield, because that game was simply way too big for the amount of time they gave themselves to make it. For me, if you simply cannot give yourself the amount of time needed to make a massive game feel polished and immersive, you should stick to creating a smaller game with less content, and more polish. I’ve always been a Quality over Quantity person, I guess, and Pokémon main series games were not delivering on that front for me anymore. 

BUT with the D/P remakes, I am already beginning to see that a great deal of the Quality I want is going to be delivered; Pleasant scenery with clean lines and nice colors (instead of the strangely blurry mess that was Sword/Shield’s environments), a significantly high chance that there will be far fewer lag/rendering issues, and a faithful adaptation of one of the few Pokémon main series games with a story and world that I can legitimately lose myself in. (Oh I dearly hope they’ve kept the Legendaries as terrifying as they were in the originals...). 

I guess for me, I do not need a Pokémon game to blow me away with something new. Simply having them improve on what has already worked in the past is enough of a reason for me to come back and buy the newer titles. I wouldn’t mind having the series go in a completely new direction, create something that we’ve never seen before, give us the ultimate Pokémon experience with insanely good graphics and mind-blowing story--but given how much they struggled with Sword/Shield, I’m beginning to think that that is just too much to ask for when Game Freak absolutely refuses to let a year pass without cranking out a new title (this is why I’m still a little skeptical about Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and am withholding any excitement over that one until we have more information). Big games take time to be made well, and since Game Freak has made it clear they do not want to give themselves that time, I’m more interested in seeing them use what time they do give themselves in the most efficient and beneficial way possible. 

In keeping with the above point, the trailer explicitly said that the only Pokémon available in the D/P remakes will be the ones that were present in the original games. Again, I think this is a smart move on their part, because it means they can devote more time to making the Pokémon they do have feel more alive and full of personality, rather than having to pour all their time into programming in the literal 1,000+ Pokémon there are now. I know this kind of thing will upset a lot of people, but again, I’m more about the Quality over the Quantity.  But we'll see if Game Freak was able to deliver on that front like I’m hoping.

THE MUSIC. ‘Nuff said. 

While the trailer made it clear that they are trying to stick as close to the original games as possible, I am holding on to the hope that they will have made the necessary quality of life changes: the return of the optional Exp Share that lets all the Pokémon in your party gain xp from a battle, the elimination of HM moves that take up a battle slot, and an easier way to customize Pokémon EVs, such as candies or the Super Training feature from Gen VI (seriously why did they take that out in Gen VII???). Game Freak has slowly been inching forward with the series these last few years, introducing small changes that greatly improve the gameplay as a whole, and I think there’s good enough reason to hope that they will be smart enough to incorporate those changes into D/P remakes. 

I’m a little mystified that the general response to the remake announcements is already so overwhelmingly apathetic and even negative. I can understand not liking the art style, but for me, art direction is only one small component to a game, and even if it isn’t done perfectly, it can still be made up for in other areas. The fandom has been pestering for Sinnoh remakes for years, and now that Game Freak is trying to give us what we want, I would have thought more of us would be making a more positive fuss about it. Then again, the original game is 15 years old now. Most of us who played it have probably already moved on from the franchise as a whole. But for me, I know I’m going to buy this remake and enjoy it, even if it has imperfections. Because really, that’s all I want from a Pokémon game--to feel like a kid again and have a good time. Maybe it’s simplistic and naïve, but that’s just Niki in a nutshell for you. ✨

[kafus]

random infodump about the various pokemon related shit i do online and beyond (this is about fandom/community stuff and not my actual in-game accomplishments):

i'm a moderator for the ribbon master discord, which is a community dedicated to getting as many ribbons as possible on individual pokemon (i have many ribbon masters myself!) technically i'm also a mod on the community reddit but uh i just let the other mods handle the reddit lol. i've been in the rm community for 4 years now

not me specifically but ayano who i share a brain with runs the pokemon fansite blue moon falls which has a lot of comprehensive articles and custom coded tools pertaining to RBY/GSC and the rest of gens 1 and 2 (she's the reason that the internet has all those nice gifs of stadium 2's idle animations now btw)

in speaking of ayano, she's also a full odds shiny hunter and is a decently well known name in that community due to her resources and general friendliness lmao

i'm not as active /w it atm because my art focus has been more on human characters but for the majority of my life i was what people would call a "pokefurry" and i have a metric fuckton of pokemon artwork under my belt

on that note i've written pokemon fanfiction on occasion too though nothing major

i'm a casual VGC competitor - i ladder in-game relatively often, keep up to date with the meta, and i attended my first regionals this year and met up with a lot of pokemon folk in the process! i hope to attend more events in the future

i'm planning on getting involved with a local pokemon convention near me to distribute mystery gifts for old pokemon games the same way a toys r us would in the early-mid 2000s

i have been a part of and donated money to a few indie pokemon sites and projects, including pokemmo, gpx plus, and pokemon eclipse (previously known as pokemon the moon rpg when i was a kid and played it for the first time!). in speaking of eclipse even though i don't play it anymore i'm the reason that a 3d model for shadowobliveon exists lol

i know a tiny bit about romhacking and made a romhack of firered that lets me play the entire game as kafu once, with kaf as my rival. i also have a bunch of personal lost media of "story" videos i made as a young child by stitching together recordings of fake cutscenes i romhacked into pokemon ruby

i made all these really shitty pokemon fangames when i was around 10 years old and i'm kind of obsessed with them

apparently i'm a pokemon horizons fan now and people keep acting like im the second coming of christ in terms of likodot on twitter so maybe that means something (LIGHTHEARTED I AM JUST SHOCKED BY THE POSITIVE ATTENTION)

i own more pokemon plushies than what's healthy and i wish i could show them here but a lot of them are in a storage bag rn

my pokemon game collection is also fucking ridiculous but i'm too lazy to put all that together for a photo. for what it's worth i own at least one copy of every single mainline pokemon game before the 3ds era including all alternate versions (diamond pearl AND platinum instead of just one for example) and almost all spinoffs aside from like, 3 of them

i'm probably forgetting shit tbh the 2010s are like a blackout void to me sorry

i've been a pokemon fan since 2004 though when i was 4 years old i am in hell

[imjeralee]

Comfort in Despair: Chapter 11 - It’s a TRAP!

Leon x F!Reader

Disclaimer: Do not own Pokemon

Summary:

Galar is rich in folklore and tales of the supernatural.

As a Pokemon Researcher who specialises in ghost types, this is a great opportunity for you to investigate and learn more about the paranormal.

Along the way, you meet Leon (in the most awkward way possible) who becomes embroiled in your adventures.

^ Basically this story is about ghosts :/

Rating: General/Teen

Extra Note: this is really my attempt in writing a big case, so shout out to the awesome @crikeygatormate, @alisakagi​ and @elisanice for their suggestions :) @marydragneell​ - here is the latest update

It's a TRAP!

…

…

[It is proposed that poltergeists are actually the emotions of troubled individuals – built up during times of stress. This theory, known as Spontaneous Recurring Psychokinesis suggests that this built-up stress then unconsciously projects outwards in the form of mental energy, which effects the physical environment and produces the phenomena attributed to poltergeists.] … …

The next day, you head to Wyndon Police Station to meet Graves.

You enter the busy establishment, glancing around. Inside, various policemen and women are seated at desks, busily serving people. You tell reception you’re here to see the Chief Inspector and they let you enter and you pass a young male officer of average height standing near the vending machine with a Grapploct, Growlithe and a Herdier in police hats and corresponding uniforms. He glances at you with a grin, chewing on a Lumiose Galette.

"Back again, kooky girl?" he says with a thick brogue, “Heard you solved the Giant’s Seat case. What kinda weird hoodoo did you do this time?”

You ignore him, heading to the Chief Inspector’s office and rap lightly on the door with your knuckles.

“Come in,” says a gruff and stern voice, and you subsequently enter the room.

Manectric sleeps in his basket near the coat stand whilst Arcanine sits in another corner, biting on a chew toy, and a disgruntled-looking Graves sits at his desk, going through some files. He swerves his eyes up to you when you step in and then returns to rifle through the papers before settling them down.

Graves' office is very bland but messy and as Chief Inspector, he is neck-deep with all sorts of cases so you are quite thankful he has made time for you this afternoon. You take the black leather seat opposite him and look at his desk, glancing at the Newton’s Cradle beside a small berry planter where all the leaves are dead and the soil is dried up. There is also a shiny gold plaque with his name and job title on it which thoroughly reminds you again of the authority he holds here.

He scans your face briefly before he says, “You okay, kid?” His mouth keeps moving as you nod in response. He must be chewing gum. “Did you bring it?”

“Yeah,” you delve a hand into your bag and lift out the Dusk ball with Froslass inside; you look at her capsule in your hands before hesitantly placing it on the desk. You are parting ways with her, and you wished you had more time to study and keep her. “...Promise me she won’t get hurt.”

Graves sighs as he takes the capsule and swivels round in his seat, dragging it over to a metal cabinet and pulling out one of the drawers in the middle, dropping it inside. “You know I can’t. There are rules for pokemon that kill, it's out of my jurisdiction.”

“Tell them it’s not her fault,” you protest and he slams the drawer shut, causing you to wince at the loud noise.

“We are not going to debate about this,” Graves grunts as he returns to his desk, the wheels rolling loudly, “You know the drill; the top’s asking for an explanation for the official report. I’m gonna say Leon got taken by a Froslass, you were in the vicinity and since you’re buddies with Leon, you and Charizard followed his trail, leading you to the den. That sound ‘bout right?”

“Yeah.”

Graves nods, picks up his pen and begins signing the forms one by one. “You are aware that you’re not going to get any credit for this, aren’t you?”

“I don’t want any credit.”

With eyebrows raised, Graves then says, “Magnolia gave me an earful the other day. And I should’ve known better too; I shouldn’t have given you that information. She doesn’t want you to work on these cases anymore and neither do I. And stop talking to that homeless guy.”

“That homeless guy is my mentor.”

“That homeless guy is an ex-convict who was charged with the murder of his wife and kid.”

“He didn’t kill anyone, a demon possessed-”

With that, Graves groans audibly with frustration, rubbing his temples, “Arceus, enough with this mumbo jumbo supernatural talk about ghosts and demons, you’re giving me a helluva headache.”

“You’re the one who let me help out with this case.”

“I know, and I bloody well regret it now. What was I thinking? Things are different, you could’ve died back there - both you and Leon, and then I’d have ten dead bodies on my hands, not eight. I’m serious. Just promise me you ain’t gonna do this anymore. Nobody asked you to and nobody expects you to. You’re just a kid. You should be doing the gym challenge or doing something young people are doing these days. Like doing makeup tutorial videos and posting them online. Anything but this.”

“But-"

He interrupts you hastily. “You ain’t one of us so stop acting like one of us. Stop pretending. You ain’t some private investigator and you ain’t some homicide detective. You don’t have the shiny badge, the gun or the right qualifications. If you really wanted to, you’d do it officially, sign up and take some exams or something. You'd get paid a hell lot more too.”

“Graves, I know what I’m doing and I know what I’m getting myself into. I don’t want to join the force and I don’t need to. ”

“Don’t you get it? One day you’re gonna end up dead. The next body we find is gonna be yours and I don’t want that.”

You sit in your seat with a frown, crossing your arms, “If you believed me those years ago, you and I won’t be sitting here having this conversation.”

“Don’t talk to me like that, I’m your goddamn godfather,” Graves barks, his thick brows knitting tightly, his annoyed gaze pinned on your weary form.

“If you had just listened to me all those years ago when I came to the police station then my mum and dad-“

“Goddamnit! How many times do I have to tell you? They’re dead!” he snaps at you, slamming his fist on the table and the papers fly and his pokemon look up.

Upon realization of his harsh tone and his acute frown, he stops, his expression clearing up and dissolving into a remorseful one. Graves plops backwards in his seat with an agitated sigh, fists loosening and his face becoming flushed as he sweeps a large palm through his messy hair before he emits an exhausted groan.

“Look, kid, I…I’m sorry, I ain’t good at these things…and I-I didn’t mean…you’re a good kid, I know you mean well but…this is dangerous, you know?”

“….They’re not dead,” you say quietly before you get up from your seat and head to the door.

As Graves lets out a helpless, exasperated sigh in response, your mind is hazy, filled with unspoken rage and before you know it, you have left Wyndon Police Station.

You’re in a foul mood yet you still have a meeting with Rose in an hour. Taking deep breaths, you head to Wyndon Café to buy an extra large coffee and attempt to cool off by sitting at the fountain and drowning yourself with copious amounts of caffeine.

It’s not often you have an argument with Graves but when you do, it’s usually about the questionable existence of your family.

Your wristwatch blips, indicating that it’s almost the time of the meeting so you quickly finish the rest of your drink and head to the Rose of the Rondelands, the glamorous five-star hotel to the left of Wyndon Stadium.

“This better be worth my time,” you grunt under your breath as you tiredly scrub your face with your hand.

You wonder what this meeting would encompass when you speak to reception and are directed to the tea lounge. Leon has said something to Rose about you. Couldn’t this have been done over email? Your mood improves after you're seated down on one of the plush, cosy red settees whilst being served an array of fancy tea and scones by the well-dressed waiting staff. A pianist plays the Wyndon City theme in an eloquent and tranquil pace whilst regular customers chat over their fancy three-tiered cake trays. The ambience is disturbed as footsteps approach you and you look up.

It’s Chairman Rose and Oleana.

“Good afternoon,” says Rose, who promptly looks at you from head to toe. He’s assessing you already, masquerading whatever opinion he’s already formed in his mind about you with a light smile on his face. He holds his hand out and you stand up and firmly shake hands, “Thank you for coming.”

You have only seen Rose on TV or when he’s in his civilian disguise so seeing him in person and so close is quite the surreal experience. He's shorter than you thought. His assistant is tall and beautiful, and commands an equally empowering presence with her slender frame, complete with a disciplined quietness you haven’t seen elsewhere. In fact, she seems almost…robotic.

They seat themselves down on the couch opposite yours after the formalities are over; Oleana has a designer briefcase with her, which she nestles behind her back. A waiter arrives shortly with a tray carrying a wine glass which he settles in front of Rose on the low coffee table.

Chairman Rose thanks him, picks up the glass and the meeting starts, “Leon’s told me so much about you, I had to meet you myself. First of all, I want to thank you for everything you have done.”

“You’re welcome, sir,” you reply, as Rose takes a sip whilst Oleana sits rigidly in her seat whilst keeping her monotone gaze pinned on your form. Her lips are tightly pursed together, so tiny, that they look like red dots on her face; she resembles those porcelain dolls.

“The work that you do has come to my attention, so I’ve asked you to meet me here today. I’d like to hear more about your experiences. I’m fully aware that you study ghost type pokemon and you deal with the paranormal.”

“Yes, that’s correct,” you reply, and you proceed to tell him briefly about yourself and what you do.

Rose nods as he listens, seemingly pleased with everything you’re saying, and his smile widens, “Wonderful, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear for I have a request. I’m about to open a brand new art gallery soon. The grand unveiling was delayed as it’s come to my attention that it may be ‘haunted’. The staff complain incessantly of hearing odd noises and seeing objects moving at night…I’d like you to investigate. Ghost or not, I want to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible."

This sounds right up your alley so you nod, “Of course.”

“Thank you, you will be rewarded handsomely. Oleana will handle this initial consulting fee, your remuneration and paperwork.”

“Paperwork?”

“Yes, we’ll need you to sign some papers.”

“Oh…okay.”

“Take all the time you need and you’re welcome to bring along any assistants as long as they sign the papers too.”

“No problem,” you reply, “I should be able to get it done in one night. When would you like me to start?”

“Today, if possible. I can’t afford to delay the deadline any further.”

“Understood.”

Rose smiles widely and you continue to engage in small talk such as The Pokemon League, the Giant's Seat Incidence, Leon, Macro Cosmos, before Rose checks his silver, expensive wristwatch for the current time. “I have another meeting at half four so I’ll take you to the gallery right now. Unfortunately I won’t be able to show you around for long."

“That’s fine,” you say and with a plan in mind, Rose and Oleana rise from their seats, gesturing and allowing you to exit first. You’re somewhat nervous and just before you leave the hotel, Oleana fishes out a white tracksuit, cap and sunglasses from the briefcase which Rose puts on quickly.

She nods after he thanks her but remains silent as Rose treks outside in his half-civilian disguise with you beside him. Regardless, the Chairman takes you around the back of the hotel that leads to a dirty and smelly alleyway which consists of a linear path straight ahead that connects to various buildings on the same street. There are a few smokers lurking outside but they don’t pay attention to you.

“This is the quickest route. Please excuse the smell,” Rose says with a chuckle; you’re stunned a man of his calibre is happy to walk through this trashy street in his expensive shoes.

The walk to the art gallery is relatively quick; it’s a few blocks from the hotel and once you have arrived at the steel door of a building that resembles the hotel, with the same red-brick exterior, Oleana takes over, fishes for the key in the briefcase and proceeds to unlock the huge door which opens with a low creak.

A long and narrow corridor with linoleum flooring lies ahead. It's a fire exit, you realise. Your group enters and Rose abandons his disguise and sweeps his fingers through his hair. “This way.”

He leads you through the corridor that splits off to another branching corridor that leads to various staffrooms and the basement, but Rose leads you directly up the stairs and finally, pushes another set of doors and you appear at the visitor’s hall which is a large and spacious, brightly-lit room. The windows are massive and the walls stretch high above your heads. It resembles the typical museum format and layout with many long and huge posters with Pikachus and pictures of legendary Pokemon outlining the various exhibits and a giant plastic Wailord hanging from the ceiling.

“Wow, this is amazing,” you say as you gawk at the Wailored display and Rose chuckles. The art gallery is beautiful...how could it be haunted?

“Thank you,” he says, and your group make their way towards the direction of the visitor’s desk where you see a member of staff manning the desk alongside a familiar figure who glances over at your direction.

You’re stunned to see that this familiar person is none other than Leon; you were getting used to seeing him in casual wear, in a thick woolly jumper or his black sweats. Donned in the tight Champion's shirt, white leggings and the majestic cape, Leon has turned into an entirely different person...

Whilst the receptionist bows her head at Rose, the Chairman looks surprised to see the Champion. “Leon? What are you doing here?”

Leon’s honey-coloured eyes settles on you briefly and you freeze on the spot, your heart begins thumping hard all over again and you inwardly kick yourself in a vain effort to stop. Luckily, Leon quickly averts his gaze to the Chairman and smiles warmly, “Hello Chairman Rose, I just wanted to stop by and make sure everything’s okay.”

“Thank you, Leon, that’s very generous of you. Everything’s fine, your friend here has agreed to help so I’m going to quickly show her around,” Rose says jovially in response; he's scrapped the introductions since he's aware you are both well-acquainted. “Well then, let’s begin, shall we?”

You wonder if Leon’s listening because he returns to stare at you and your heartbeat soars to an astronomical rate as you sneak a peek at him from the corner of your eye and you see that he has not stopped; your cheeks grows warm as you contemplate the fact that he is staring at you continuously but Rose and Oleana appear oblivious to this tension between you and the Champion.

Rose heads over to a set of double doors with the sign ‘Right Wing’ above them. You muster the bravery to fully glance at Leon briefly and when your gazes meet, his mouth moves a fraction but ultimately, he is silent, deciding it's best not to say much in the Chairman's presence especially because this is essentially, business. You cannot help but feel Leon is different once he dons the Champion cape and uniform.

He’s distant, painfully so.

Nevertheless, you follow Rose and Oleana inside the right wing with Leon trailing behind and Rose throws open the doors and it’s then you see the true extent of the art gallery’s size and the many treasures he has gathered over the years.

“We have an insect emporium, butterfly exhibit, gems display, antiques section and modern art exhibit,” Rose says proudly, and he continues rambling, going on about the other exhibits in the left wing but as you stare at your new surroundings, your chest clenches and your breathing grows laboured.

A darkness has settled within this very building.

Hoping no-one had noticed your change in demeanour (except Leon, because suddenly he appears worried for you), you turn to Rose and ask, “This is a brand new building?”

You’re aware Leon is watching you and your nerves soar through the roof, but you try your best to focus on the task at hand.

“Yes, but it’s actually smaller compared to other galleries such as the museum in Pewter City. It's only one floor."

“Did you have any problems during construction? For example, any accidents onsite?"

"Nothing that I'm aware of."

"And did you receive any warnings beforehand about the land you were building on?”

“None whatsoever. It went swimmingly,” Rose replies and you slide your gaze to the ground, to your feet.

At least Rose was smart and didn't build anything on top of ancient burial grounds. But that means there's nothing wrong with the building itself and it's to do with something inside. What is this...feeling? There's something...

Leon observes your reaction until you look up and spot a sign in the corner that says: ‘Dedicated to Edward Rose’.

“Who’s Edward Rose?”

“Excellent question, Edward Rose was one of my ancestors,” Rose says, “He was a lover of art and an avid treasure hunter himself, so the majority of these extravagant items on display were curated by him and I've decided to release them on display to the public. He was a great man."

You lift Rotom out to do an online search on Edward Rose to see what else comes up but there is limited information available.

Rose snaps his fingers and on cue, Oleana hands you several documents from the briefcase which you unfurl properly to study them carefully. It’s a map of the art gallery and several marketing leaflets containing all the exhibits. “Sir,” she says, “Your meeting will begin in fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you, Oleana. I’m afraid I’ll have to take my leave now,” Rose says, “I look forward to the results of your investigation.”

“Leave it to me," you assure them.

Rose and Oleana exit after you exchange goodbyes, leaving yourself and Leon in the right wing. Leon, having maintained a distance from you since you had arrived, finally walks up to you and stops by your side as you let your eyes wander over the papers before you fold them back up.

“What do you think?” Leon asks.

You wish he wouldn't ask you this question because you're actually not too sure. For certain, a distinct dark and foreboding presence lingers somewhere in the art gallery but you're not entirely sure where.

"Give me a minute," is all you say, before you begin to wander through the various displays and exhibits and Leon joins your side, falling in line with you, step by step. “The guards are right. There’s something here,” you utter as you glance around and he follows where you are looking but you are moving too fast for him so he has a hard time catching up.

You are purposely attempting not to look at him and he ends up following you through the right wing and all the way to the left wing, and back.

Unfortunately, you come to one drastic conclusion: “I can't tell right now. Entities are more active at night so I will need to come back when it's dark.”

Your brief investigation is over, so you and Leon exit the art gallery and onto the large stone steps. Once you’re outside with the Champion, you see that the art gallery is stationed on a cosy-looking street of Wyndon, far from the crowds. It’s more of a suburban area that is filled with quaint cafes and souvenir shops.

Glancing behind you to the building, the art gallery is very normal; it is a large and extravagant building in plain sight. A billboard stands to the left, just before the grand staircase, outlining the unveiling date and where to sign up for RSVP.

“How are you anyway?” you ask, as you stuff Rose's papers into your bag.

“I’m fine,” he murmurs, “How are you?”

“I’m good, thanks for asking.”

You don’t think it is wise to ask him why he didn’t reply to your message which you think he is aware of, because he looks sheepish all of a sudden.

“I met Ezra at the soup kitchen,” he adds and you quirk a brow, “he wanted me to give you this. He said it needs one more spirit and that you'll understand.”

He takes out the Odd Keystone from his pockets and hands you the smooth stone.

"Thanks.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” Leon asks quietly, but you shake your head and deposit the stone in your bag then scoop Rotom out, typing a quick message.

“There’s no need, I’ll ask Jace for help,” you utter under your breath.

“Jace…?” Leon murmurs, and he throws his gaze to the side.

He sounds hurt.

“Yeah, so…I better get ready for tonight. I don’t want to take up any more of your precious time either. Bye Leon,” you say quickly, before you hop down the stairs and towards the Corviknight taxi ranks.

“Ah, right…goodbye,” he says, but you didn’t hear.

You wonder if you had unintentionally made Leon feel bad.

…

It’s almost night-time and much preparation is needed for the case.

Although preparation in your books, is getting as much sleep as possible before you woke up later on in the evening to get ready and head out.

Along with the leaflets, Rose has sent you an extremely confidential pdf file that contains the list of all the displays and exhibits inside the gallery so you have an electronic copy. Overall, it’s a lot to go through, so you move onto the transcripts of the hauntings taken down by the terrified staff.

It’s the usual: doors opening and closing, knocking on the walls, grunting, growling and to top it all off, moving pieces of furniture.

Sounds like poltergeist activity which isn’t unusual in your books, and you finish packing your bag with your essentials.

You go through the papers Rose wants you to sign and it’s all legal affairs. If you are injured on premises, Rose and Macro Cosmos bear no liability. If you break anything in the art gallery, you’re also fully liable. No pokemon battles are allowed. If you steal, you will be prosecuted.

After skimming through the main points, you sign them and then send a copy to Jace to sign.

You’re meeting him at Wyndon at the agreed time and you’ve briefed him on the investigation. He is eager to accompany you and when you arrive, he hastily waves you over.

He insisted on matching outfits to make a statement, so here you are both dressed from head to toe in all manners of black clothing.

“Jace, thanks for doing this. What have you brought with you?” you ask, gawping at the black rucksack that’s hanging off his shoulders. He’s also got Joltik’s capsule stuck to his belt.

“Glad you asked!” he exclaims as he loops the bag off himself and unzips it after settling it on the ground. Jace reveals that he has packed a headlight, night vision and heat vision goggles, a tripod camera, heat detecting monocular, digital voice recorder and EMF recorder.

It's basically everything you don’t need and don’t use.

“At least take the headlight,” he moans when you tell him this.

“No thanks, I’m fine with my trusty torch. But you should definitely use those," you say, gesturing to all his equipment.

"Alright..." Jace pouts and packs his bag back up; he keeps his headlight on and EMF recorder in hand.

You’re supposed to meet Rose’s delegate at the ticketing booth, so you both head up the stairs, arriving at the main entrance where you and Leon stood a few hours ago in the daylight.

A security guard can be seen sitting in the booth along with a Clefki hanging from one of the hooks on the wall. You knock on the window and he looks up from his magazine.

“Oh, are you the pokemon researcher?”

“Yep, that’s me. And this is my assistant, Jace.”

“Hi.”

“Great,” says the security guard, “the more the merrier. Thanks for coming, I'll be your guide.”

“No problem.”

The security man leaves the booth along with Clefki before he grabs a flashlight from his pocket and switches it on. “Come with me.”

You and Jace trail after the man as he wanders to the front door with Clefki who promptly sticks one key inside and unlocks it.

The lights are switched off inside and you realise it’s worse when it’s dark, and as the man shuts the doors behind you, he beckons you to follow him once again.

“My name is Horace,” he says, “I called Ms. Oleana the other day and I didn’t think they would take me seriously, but it turns out I wasn’t the only one. The cleaners, the other security guards, they all came forth and said the same thing.”

“Which is what?” Jace asks.

“I’m pretty sure Mr Rose was warned, but there’s something evil in there,” Horace says with a slight shiver, and you’re aware that he is incredibly uncomfortable speaking about it, “He has a hell lotta old stuff and it’s all in there on display….I’m certain some of them are cursed or something so that’s where we need your help along with…uh, these guys.”

You see two young men standing at the visitor’s desk; the brunette is holding a camera whilst the blonde is tapping away on his phone.

“Rose wanted a second opinion so you’re not gonna be alone in this. He’s asked these guys for help too.”

You and Jace exchange incredulous glances before you settle your gazes on the two men.  You weren’t aware of this arrangement at all.

The blonde has a tattoo of a Machamp on his neck and the brunette has a thick beard and bandanna. Both are donned in warm coats and they’re both carrying rucksacks that rattles noisily with equipment.

“Oh, if it isn't the Witch of Wedgehurst,” says Machamp-tattoo man as he looks up and eyes you head to toe. You spot a red and black checkered shirt underneath his coat and a gold necklace around his neck.

"The what?" you say, stunned.

"You know that's what people call you, right? I know who you are, I recognise you; you're the ghost-type researcher."

"Yes, but I've never heard people calling me the Witch-"

"Oh, well, you have now," he says, and as you do a double take he adds, “I’m Tanner. This is my camera man, Cole.”

“Hi,” says the bearded one, as he balances the large and hulking, black camera on one shoulder as though it weighs nothing.

“We’re the Ghostbunkers,” Tanner says with a grin.

“Ghost…bunkers??”

“Yeah, have you heard of us?” he asks, and you shake your head. His eyes bulges with disbelief. “Have you been living under a rock?”

“Um…”

“Okay, okay, to fill you in, we visit allegedly haunted places and debunk it, okay? Ghosts? No, it’s just a pokemon or something,” Tanner says, “Most of the time, it’s ninety-nine per cent nothing to do with ghosts at all.”

“So what about the remaining one per cent?” Jace asks, and it’s a perfectly logical question but Tanner merely laughs.

“Well, that’s not our forte.”

“Fair enough.”

Tanner’s focus averts to you. “Well, this is the first time I’ve had to collaborate with someone without being told,” he then grumbles sourly. “Cole, remind me to double Rose’s rate.”

“Got it, T.”

“Rose didn’t tell you guys that we were coming either?” you ask, brow raised and Tanner nods. Pondering to yourself, you slip in a quick and polite, “Please excuse us.”

Whilst Horace the security guard and the duo look at you with unamused looks, you and Jace hurry to a corner.

"Jace, people call me a 'witch' behind my back," you murmur. You have to admit; you're not too surprised about this. You already get called a kook, what else? “This can’t be happening. Have we been played?”

“What do you mean?” Jace whispers back.

“I thought we would be the only ones here,” you reply, “And these guys? The Ghostbunkers??? What the hell?”

“He said his name was Tanner, right? And his BFF is Cole…” Jace says, before he pulls out his phone and begins searching online. “Aha! Found them…”

You both huddle over Rotom’s tiny screen where Jace has found Tanner’s ‘Ghostbunkers’ website. It appears they are also from Galar. The brief description mentions he has ten years of extensive experience of the supernatural and hunting ghosts but he created this channel one year ago.

“Arceus, ten years. That’s more than me,” you croak out whilst Jace rolls his eyes, “and he has his own channel... he has a theme song. He even gets fanart.”

Next, you see dozens and dozens of comments from his fans, declaring their support and love for him and his work.

Your blog hardly has any views, you only have a sparse number of followers, you rarely get comments and you've never received fanart. Your face falls with gloom at this thought; your esteem has being whittled away into nothingness in an instant.

“So what?” Jace is quick to cheer you up, but you give him an exasperated look and continue to look at the information provided.

Tanner’s videos channel received fifty thousand views on average. His most popular upload is a video with one million views where he spent one entire night in Lavender Tower. The next most popular upload is a video where he traversed through the Old Chateau in Eterna Forest. He’s debunked a lot of allegedly haunted places all over the world, attributing it to ghost-type pokemon.

“You gotta be kidding…he’s a skeptic, which is the last thing we need,” you grunt under your breath. “Damn, I should’ve known. I had this weird feeling about Rose, like it was too good to be true. This isn’t surprising of him at all.”

“Now what do we do?”

“Well, we’re already here…let’s see this through.”

Jace gulps. “Okay.”

You return to the men and the security guard briefs you on the recent happenings but the dynamic duo decide to set the camera rolling and before Horace can say anything, the camera is focusing on you.

“Hey, do you mind if we collaborate?” Tanner asks.

“I don’t really collaborate…”

“Suit yourself then,” Tanner looks mildly displeased with the rejection. “Well, we’re going to be filming anyway. You don’t mind, do you?”

“No.”

“Great!” Turning to Cole, he says, “Let’s begin.”

“Got it,” Cole replies, and he fixes the camera appropriately, a little red light goes on. You assume it’s recording now.

Tanner clears his throat and tidies his hair before he puts on a huge grin. “Hello fellow debunkers!! And welcome back to my channel. How are ya? Tanner here tonight, with another exciting ghost-bunking mission!” Tanner exclaims, and you can’t help but inwardly groan as you watch him. “Tonight, we’ve been invited to an art gallery that’s rumored to be haunted. As usual, it’s just me and my best friend Cole – but we actually have a few guests with us today.”

On cue, Cole swiftly navigates the camera to focus on Horace who blinks blankly at the duo. “Oh, uh…hello, hi.”

“This is Horace. Horace, do you mind telling us what you do and can you share a few words about this place and what’s been going on?”

“Yeah, so… I’m one of the security guards here. Last night…maybe around two am, I was making rounds and I heard this weird banging noise on the wall, in there-“

He points to the doors behind you, where you’re supposed to be investigating.

Horace says, “I went in and checked the whole area but nobody was there. It didn’t stop, it just grew louder and louder and it moved, like it started at the end of the hall and it came closer to me. Then a chair flew across the room. Whatever it is, it’s mean and angry."

Tanner thanks Horace for the introduction and the information, the camera still rolling.

“Well, this is where I’m supposed to leave you guys.” Horace adds, “I’m the only one on watch duty tonight but I’m going to be outside so I don’t bother your investigation. You can reach me using this walkie talkie so keep this on you at all times so you can contact me,” he proceeds to hand you and Tanner each a small and sleek black device. “I’ve kept it tuned to mine but if you’re worried, the channel is eighty-two, got it?”

“Things just got interesting, folks.” Tanner says to the camera with a wink.

“I need to keep the building locked though because we don’t wanna let anyone else in, you know, in case of burglars…some of the stuff here is worth millions...so let me know when you want to leave and I’ll unlock the doors for you.”

With that, Horace wishes you luck and excuses himself and you watch him pad towards the entrance with Clefki, watching the light of his torch gradually disappear and you and Jace and the Ghostbunkers are standing in darkness.

Cole stops recording and Tanner finally drops his smile, turns to you and says, “Are you really an exorcist?”

“I’m not an exorcist,” you reply with a shake of your head.

“What with Bob the Builder?” Tanner gestures to Jace and his getup.

“Bob the-?! What?! I’m her assistant,” Jace barks, pointing to himself.

Tanner focuses on you again. “Are you some kind of spirit medium? A clairvoyant?”

“No, I’m just a ghost-type researcher.”

“Oh good, at least we’re on the same page,” Tanner says, “It’s most likely a pokemon that’s behind this, don’t you think?”

“It’s too early to say.”

Tanner sighs audibly under his breath, “Well, the art gallery is pretty big. Cole and I can take the left wing and you and your friendo can take the right wing. That means we can get things done quicker. How does that sound?”

You nod. “That sounds alright.”

“As long as you two don’t get in our way, we’re good,” Tanner replies; despite the words, he delivers them with a rather crooked smile.

You and Jace exchange brief looks before you begin to head to the direction of the two double doors that will leads to the right wing.

Meanwhile, Cole focuses the camera on Tanner who eagerly begins speaking to the camera, outlining his steps and what equipment he has tonight with great detail and vigor whilst you and Jace stop at the doors.

“I have a bad feeling about those guys,” you whisper as you switch on your flashlight and unfurl the map.

“If this place is really haunted, I hope the ghost grabs them first,” Jace murmurs under his breath.

"Ready?" you ask.

"Ready," he confirms.

You push open the door; it swings open with a low creak and slowly swings on its hinges. You shine your torches into the dark abyss of the art gallery, your gaze sweeping over the many displays. You will be here for the remainder of the night.

"Good luck!" Tanner yells, a fraction before you step inside, "You're gonna need it."

[themariobrosdotnet]

The Top 3 Pokemon TCG Expansions of the XY Series

“Pokemon - A brand that continues to surge forward in fame and popularity!” 

The Pokemon trading card game (TCG) has fascinated every single gamer out there and makes competition play more accessible to anyone who ever wanted to try this. With the addition of the XY Series, Pokemon again succeeded to draw the attention of gaming enthusiasts worldwide. 

In total, there are 13 XY series of sets, and these were introduced somewhere between December 2013 and September 2016. Out of those 13, here we have compiled the top 3 Pokemon TCG Expansions that one cannot afford to miss. Let’s get into it. 

XY Evolutions

The Pokemon Trading Card Game legacy evolves with XY Evolutions Expansion. This was released on 2nd November 2016 and came with a bang. With the exhilarating power of Mega Charizard - EX, Mega Venusaur - EX, and Mega Blastoise - EX, this expansion restores the very first Pokemon TCG into glory. In addition to this, Evolutions also features some of the wild surprises such as Machamp BREAK, Dragonite - EX, Mega Slowbro - EX, and Ninetales BREAK. This surprise adds a pinch of spark to the trading card games and makes it super exciting for the gamers.

The classic fierce-battling Pokemon and the old-timey trainers are recreated in the XY Evolution Cards. All you have to do is ask professor Oak to begin the game and you are all set to create a benchmark with Pokemon TCG: XY - Evolution Expansion. This mainly includes the following:

More than 100     cards

4 Latest     Pokemon BREAK

A recreation     of the retrograde Pokemon trading cards

12 New     Pokemon-EX along with Mega Evolution Pokemon

XY Evolutions - Theme Decks

Evolutions Expansion came with two theme decks, namely - Mewtwo Mayhem Theme Deck and Pikachu Power Theme Deck. Find out the detailed information about these theme decks here.

Mewtwo Mayhem     Theme Deck

This deck is all set to pass out the chaos! Featuring Onix and Hitmonchan delivering the hits, Mewtwo smacks both body and mind. This themed deck of XY Evolutions includes:

1 Deck Box

2-player     playmat and rule sheet

1 metallic     coin

60 Pokemon     Cards

Damage     counters

1 card     checklist

1 code card     to get this game started online

Pikachu Power     Theme Deck

Pikachu - a little thunderbolt that never gives up is ready to charge up your trading card game. Make your deck extra powerful by adding Raichu and Electabuzz and beat any foe instantly. This features:

60 Pokemon     Cards

2-player     playmat and rule sheet

1 metallic     coin

Damage     Counter

1 Deck box

1 code card     to get this game started online

1 card     checklist

2.                  XY Fates Collide

What if your gaming card can see the future and can shape it to combine two worlds? Surprised?? Don’t be as reality shifts and is reinvented in the Pokemon XY Fates Collide. This expansion was released on 2nd May 2016 and had totally shaken the gaming world. Though the word ‘BREAK’ isn’t mentioned in the name, this is the 3rd edition of the XY BREAK Series. 

It features the card - Mega Alakazam-EX who can see the future and has the ability to turn the tables. In addition to this, you’ll also find the Legendary Pokemon Zygarde that can take too many forms and thus makes the game worth playing. As the name implies, this game joins the two Pokemon worlds and their fates are sealed with each other. 

XY Fates Collide Cards includes:

Over 120     cards

13 New     Pokemon-Ex along with Mega Evolution Pokemon

5 New Pokemon     BREAK

XY Fates Collide - Theme Decks

This XY Series TCG Expansion features 2 theme decks - Sky Guardian Theme Deck and Better Ruler Theme Deck. Let’s find out their detailed information here.

Sky Guardian     Theme Deck

Set the storm of your battle free with Lugia, a legendary Pokemon of the Sea, and burn through the opposition in a flash with the mystic flame of Delphox and fiery wings of Moltrex. 

Battle Ruler     Theme Deck

Add the pokemon of order and control - Zygarde and rule the battle like a pro. Get Battle Ruler Theme Deck of XY Fates Collide Expansion and call down the thunder. With Serperior’s rushing coils and Lucario’s fist of justice, you can easily seize the moment and set your game on fire. 

3.                  XY BREAKpoint

Released on 3rd February 2016, XY BREAKpoint Expansion presents the battle between the twin worlds. Along with the Shiny Mega Gyarados-EX, more Pokemon are driven into the rift from time to time like Luxray BREAK, Greninja BREAK, and Mega Scizor-EX. They all have immense powers and are enough capable to mend the rift and save both of the worlds from a collision. With this expansion, Pokemon does BREAK again in style.

Compared to the predecessor, this expansion of the XY series has a better pull rate for the booster pack. This pack gives your collection a boost and takes your game to new heights. In XY BREAKpoint Cards, you’ll find:

More than 120     Cards

11 New     Pokemon-EX together with 2 Mega Evolution Pokemon

5 New Pokemon     BREAK

XY BREAKpoint - Theme Decks

This expansion comes in two theme decks - Wave Slasher Theme Deck and Electric Eye Theme Deck. Find out the details here.

Wave Slasher     Theme Deck

Get this deck now and slash your foes in the battle arena. Call Greninja and Slowking at any time flow like water and bend like grass while playing this trading card game. 

Electric Eye     Theme Deck

A playable 60-card theme deck features lightning-type Pokemon including Luxray and the powerful Electivire. Aptly named, this deck allows you to command the gleaming eyes of Luxray and stare down your rival with hypnotic mastery. Like all other theme decks, it also includes - a luxury deck box, a custom coin, damage counters, TCGO deck access code, and one 2-player mat. 

Final Words:

Unarguably, Pokemon TCG gave the fans an interesting way to enjoy their favorite gaming brand. These above-mentioned expansions, be it Evolutions, Fates Collide, or XY BREAKpoint, are out of the box and feature a unique thrill that spellbinds the players and leaves them with the desire for more. 

[lifeofmamaval]

Patch Downtime Checklist and Ideas

Don’t know what to do while FFXIV is down for the patch? Here’s some ideas!

- Hygiene! Shower/bath, shave, trim nails, etc. Use the extra time you might have to relax and enjoy your shower/bath. Use that bath bomb that’s been sitting unused for the past few months. Pamper yourself.  ^.^

- Catch up on laundry and chores. Even if you just do a little bit each day, it goes a long way. Get laundry in right away, then while that’s going, do some dusting/vacuuming. Or make sure your dishes are clean.  

-  Stock up on food/Refill Prescriptions if needed. Make your list ahead of time, and if available, use online ordering/curbside pickup for low-contact and time-saving. Running low on food and funds? Check out your local food bank distributions and schools! Many are simply “show up, get food”, no questions asked, especially during this time. Look on school websites or their Facebook pages, or google “food distribution near me” for details.  

- Meal prep or at least plan out your meals for the day/week, so you’re not scrambling for what to eat last-minute. Don’t feel like cooking on patch day and have a crockpot/Instant pot? Prep your ingredients today, then tomorrow morning, toss them into a crockpot and let it do the cooking! Then when you’re hungry, all you have to do is dish up and eat! Want easy cleanup as well? Get some crockpot liners! 

- Need recipe ideas? Check out Yummly, AllRecipes, Tasty, Delish, or just a simple google search. The FREE Yummly app lets you filter recipes based on what you have in your pantry.

- Do something different! Go for a walk (maybe finally open Pokemon Go or Wizards Unite that you’ve left unchecked for months), exercise or stretch, play some music, read a book, watch a movie/show, or play some other games from your backlog. Try your hand at a craft or something new. 

- Make your list of what you want/need to get done once the patch hits. Think Unlock locations, where new gear will be, or if you're a crafter/gatherer, where new nodes/items are, custom deliveries, Ishgard Restoration, new recipes, etc. Once the Database is updated, this will help with your prep too. The folks on FFXIV Reddit made a great list of where to unlock all of the new things: https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comments/i5ik45/patch_53_checklist/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comments/i72ain/where_to_unlock_patch_53/

- Rest up! Set an alarm (or ten across the room so you have to get up) to wake up if you “don’t want to miss a thing.” Get some much needed sleep tonight. Too excited and having trouble sleeping? Try some of these things:

- Listen to some form of white noise (don’t have a white noise machine? Check out the FREE “White Noise Deep Sleep Sounds” or “White Noise Lite” apps which have so many sounds and features to choose from).

- Try aromatherapy (room sprays, incense (only while awake if using ones that require a flame), potpourri or essential oil diffusers (if you have pets, make sure the potpourri or oil you choose isn’t harmful to them)).

- Read a book in bed

- Limit being on a device for the hour before you get into bed

- Listen to relaxing music or ASMR

-  Try some meditation, mindfulness, or breathing techniques like the “4-7-8 method”

- Drink a soothing and relaxing beverage like Chamomile or “Sleepytime” Tea or warmed milk or hot cocoa.

- Mind racing? Try writing down your thoughts for the day in a journal (even if you plan on burning it later).

- Do showers/baths relax you more than energize you? Try taking your shower/bath before bed.

- Supplements/Medication (if cleared by your doctor)

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ways-to-fall-asleep

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/healthy-sleep-tips

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/teas-that-help-you-sleep#1

- Wake up! Get your download started! While you’re waiting for the download, brush teeth, get dressed (even if it’s just clean comfy lounging clothes for the day), eat some breakfast (or a little snack), coffee or beverage of choice, get your dinner in the crockpot (if applicable).

- Breaks! Remember to take food/drink/potty/stretching/posture breaks. Help your eyes too! “To prevent eyestrain, try to rest your eyes when using the computer for long periods. Rest your eyes for 15 minutes after two hours of continuous computer use. Also, for every 20 minutes of computer viewing, look into the distance for 20 seconds to allow your eyes a chance to refocus.”

https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/caring-for-your-vision/protecting-your-vision/computer-vision-syndrome

- Medication! Remember to take any medication or vitamins you’re on. Set an alarm if needed if you think you might get distracted from all the shiny new things in game.

Enjoy the patch and stay hydrated! 

~Mama Val (and likely moms/parents everywhere)

[beardycarrot]

Okay! I’ve finally beaten Pokemon Shield’s post-game (complete with a The End screen and a notification that I can now access the battle tower), so I think I’m at a point where I can talk about the game as a whole.

As a whole... the game ain’t great. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still Pokemon, and there’s a lot to recommend it... but for every good feature there’s an opposing bad feature. It’s crazy that such a thing could be true, but for everything I can think of that I like about the game, there’s something similar that I hate.

First up, the Pokemon you can catch! There are a lot of new Pokemon that I really like, in particular this little battalion of fighting dudes pretending to be a caterpillar here. Yes, I named them Squad Goals. The downside... the Pokemon that you can’t catch. I love that there’s now an Ice/Bug moth, and that Butterfree has a Gigantamax variant... but hey uhh, Venomoth, Beautifly, Dustox, Mothim, Volcarona, Vivillon? None of them are obtainable. If I want a moth-themed team, it‘s going to be a team of two.

Instead of being invisible, all hidden items are now glinting spots on the ground, which they’ve taken advantage of by throwing things like Pearls that regenerate daily into random spots all over the place. Unfortunately, because of the wealth of items you’re constantly picking up, you just have way too much money in this game, and nothing to spend it on. Leading to my next point...

Clothing! You have more customization than ever, able to change things down to your socks, shoes, and gloves. This would be really cool, if not for the fact that there are less than a dozen unique clothing items of each type. It doesn’t matter if the varsity jacket is available in five or six colors if you’re zero percent interested in dressing your character in a varsity jacket.

Flying in this game is easier than ever. You just open your Town Map, pick a spot, and... I guess your character must be using their phone to call a flying taxi. It’s a little weird getting this ability almost straight from the beginning of the game, as it gives you no reason at all to travel by foot when you don’t have to... but it’s convenient, so whatever. If only there was a reason to actually visit places. None of the towns really have a reason to visit them in particular, outside of the market at Stow-on-Side, where one guy sells random evolution items (which you probably already have plenty of) and one guy buys random items at a premium (giving you more money you don’t need). Most of the places you’ll want to routinely visit are in the Wild Area... but most of the time it’ll be more beneficial to travel through it on foot anyway.

The Wild Area is an interesting concept, basically a vastly expanded version of the Poni Plains area from Sun/Moon, where you can explore freely and occasionally encounter Pokemon that are way too high of a level for you, like something from a Monolith Soft game. When you turn on wifi there, it becomes a kinda limited, somewhat laggy glimpse at what a Pokemon MMO could be like... but it’s neat! There isn’t a real downside to the Wild Area itself outside a few minor gripes; the issue is the impact it’s had on the rest of the map. Since the Wild Area is so big, every other area in the game is tiny, with no dungeons. Sure, there are a couple caves, but they each consist of a single large room with a winding path through it... No sub rooms, no puzzles, and each only contains a couple trainers. Not that I like caves, but almost every area in the game is like this - just a straight shot through without anything really memorable.

The game is incredibly streamlined, and for once the concept of traveling town to town taking on gyms feels fully realized. The gym challenge is an annual sporting event, a kind of tournament, encouraging people to face the gyms and make it through to face the champion. This makes so much more sense than the average Pokemon game! The reason that all of these other trainers are battling you on sight is because they’re your rivals in the gym challenge, not just fishermen hanging out on the docks or beautiful women standing around in hedges.

Unfortunately, it might be a little... too, streamlined. There are a couple points in the game where clearly things are going on behind the scenes, but you’re told not to worry about it, because you’re just a kid and have the gym challenge to focus on. This is the point in most media where a kid character would ignore the warnings of adults and get involved anyway... but in the case of these games? No, actually, you just kinda... do what you’re told. This game has no plot. Sure, Sonia is going around researching the legendary hero(es), but from the very first story beat even a small child would know that, hey, it’s literally just the box legendaries... and it doesn’t get any deeper than that.

At the end of the game it’s revealed that, Surprise Surprise, and Spoiler Warning Spoiler Warning, the shady businessman who owns literally everything in Galar has ILL INTENT... buuut, nothing interesting comes of it. It really seemed like they were doing something cool for a minute there: Rose thinks that the energy usage in the Galar region isn’t sustainable, so he enacts a plan that will give them unlimited free energy... but doing so interrupts the gym challenge finals, and what he has planned could potentially mean that people can’t Dynamax their Pokemon anymore. I think. This wasn’t explained super well, but I think people Dynamaxing needlessly wastes a ton of energy or something. Anyway, since Rose is interfering, you and the champion beat him down and catch a legendary Pokemon... and that’s it. Rose is arrested off-screen and never seen again, and the looming threat of an energy crisis is ignored by everyone.

Unless I’m misunderstanding something, this is a big friggin’ cliffhanger. Like, they wait until the championship match to introduce a story in this game, and then it’s over just like that. I was sure that they would flesh things out in the post-game... but no, not even slightly. After the credits roll, you’re introduced to two new characters, who run around causing mayhem... but all you do is have a few Pokemon battles with them and travel to a handful of the gyms for Dynamax raid battles. All told, it’s probably an hour’s worth of content, with Rose and the energy crisis nowhere to be seen.

I’ll almost definitely return to this game, if I get an itch for competitive online battling, or if I see a Must Have shiny... but for the time being, I’m just going to put it down and hope that they do a Pokemon Sword 2 and Shield 2, giving us an actual story to play through and a world I actually want to spend time in.