#even if the original form already has a Mega Evolution

[alexanderkrizak]

Pokémon Legends Z-A Starter Speculation

I got this into my head, so fine, let's cook. And we can repurpose this image that was used for a starter ranking meme recently.

Okay, so first of all, while you technically need two points of data to establish a trend, we can still try to extrapolate from the original Pokémon Legends Arceus.

PLA excluded the starters of the region it was set in, giving the player an opportunity to catch those starters in the wilds. PLA also excluded the starters of the current generation, probably to avoid overexposing them.

Speaking of Pokémon Legends Arceus, we're also quite obviously not going to have the same starter Pokémon as it had, so we'll have to say goodbye to two of the best starters ever created... and Oshawott.

Alright, now for something actually speculative... I believe that Game Freak will exclude Gen 1 and Gen 3 starters. Why? Mega Evolution. All six of them have Mega Evolutions, and I feel that Game Freak will want to give the Z-A starters all new Mega Evolutions. (Will said Mega Evolutions replace Kalosian forms for the starters? I'm gonna say yes, though that doesn't mean other Pokémon won't have Kalosian forms.)

And now we're at a point where we are operating on 100% Pure Bullshit™. I think this'll be another set of incredibly popular starters, drawn once again from three different generations, and that they'll try to get a representative from every generation that wasn't represented in PLA but wasn't also disqualified for other reasons. Which does still mean one generation will get represented again.

So why do I think Game Freak will choose?

But what does everyone think? Have I made assumptions you find to be wildly off? Let me know how silly my speculation is, and we'll find out how wrong I am in 2025! (Or much sooner, actually, they'll reveal the actual starters sometime this year.)

[shandit]

My Current Guesses on Legends: Z-A Starters

So with Pokemon Legends: Z-A being announced, since we now know from PLA that Pokemon will gain a special final evolution based on their new environment. I wanted to toss my hat into the ring of predictions for which 3 previous starters we're gonna get.

First off let me say which ones I'm sure we're not gonna get and why.

Gen 6 Starters

As with PLA, Gen 6's Starters will not be part of the starters in PLZA. More than likely, they will be caught in the wild just like the Gen 4 Starters were in PLA.

Gen 1 Starters

I think it's very safe to say the Gen 1 Starters are not going to be picked. But, let me explain my proper reasoning.

With the reintroduction of Mega Evolution, and the likely fact PLZA will have our Protag & Crew be the ones to discover Mega Evolution, it's very likely the Starters we get will gain Mega Forms. This said, It's very unlikely GameFreak will use Pokemon with existing Mega Forms, even if said mons get a regional form. Because of this, I can safely say Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur are not going to be on the roster, and same goes for...

Gen 3 Starters

Same thing here, with the fact these guys already have Mega Forms, I find it highly unlikely GF is going to give them both a new regional evo + a new Mega.

PLA Starters

This one's kind of a given. Pokemon isn't going to reuse any of the starters from PLA cause that would just be odd to keep giving starters other regional forms (That said I am sad at the loss of Mega Typhlosion :[ )

Gen 9 Starters

The simple answer to this is just, the Paldea trio are just, too new. While I don't think that entirely rules them out. I do think it makes them less likely to be chosen for the next mainline game.

Now with the obvious removals talked about, let's go down the line of who's left and talk about why or why not they're likely to be chosen.

Chikorita

I didn't originally have anything to say about Chikorita, since I felt their odds were snuffed out by the other grass types here, however upon doing some more research, specifically on Meganium, I learned the daylily (the flower theorized to be what Meganium's flower is based on) was actually brought to Europe around the late 1750's-early 1800's. And with France's Urbanization having occured around the mid 1800's (Which is the time period people are guessing PLZA will take place in) There actually is a good chance for Chikorita to be chosen as their plant actually fits with the location and time period! However I cannot think of what type changes would make sense for this, so I do have to dock some points for that.

Overall chances - 6/10

Totodile

Totodile sadly doesn't seem like a great fit for PLZA. It is essentially just what it is, a Crocodile. And, a quick google search will show you, that besides the barren ice land of Antarctica, Europe is the only continent to not natively have any form of Crocodile or Alligator. GameFreak would have to get very creative here with something of French history or folklore to make Feraligator work for this.

Overall Chances - 1/10

Turtwig

Now Turtwig is an interesting one. Not only is there the fact the extinct turtle species Torterra is based was discovered in North-West Europe (Though mostly Germany & Switzerland) but Torterra as a Pokemon has a lot of potential when it comes to regional forms, thanks in part to the tree on it's back. France's national tree is the Yew, specifically the European or Common Yew, it's an evergreen tree that sprouts red berries (these berries are also very poisonous, meaning we could get a change of typing here to Grass Poison). I could see a Kalosian Torterra having an Ancient Yew tree on their back sporting a great harvest of berries. But, potential put aside, I don't see Turtwig being here simply cause there's another Gen 4 starter that fits the bill of this game much, much more than them.

Overall Chances - 4/10

Chimchar

Chimchar is one I just can't vouch for out of the few fire types we have here. Their Sun Wukong relevance is way to impactful on who the mon is, and Sun Wukong, while being from a story of "Journey to the West" only went to India, and never actually went to the actual west of the world. I also once again have to toss them to the side because of the face there is one more Gen 4 Starter that only makes sense to be in this game, and it's not them.

Overall Chances - 1/10

Piplup

THIS, THIS RIGHT HERE IS A GUARANTEED PICK.

Piplup is absolutely going to be the Water Starter of PLZA, you cannot change my mind about this, and for those of you not in the know, I have one name that will explain why.

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE

Empoleon, as obvious as their name is, is in fact based on the Ex-emperor of France, General Napoleon Bonaparte. And, if we go back to the prediction of PLZA taking place in the mid 1800's... Guess what historical events seemed to also take place in the mid 1800's. Oh you know, just THE NAPOLEONIC WARS!

Piplup is my only and 100% has to be there guess, it would be a crime if they were not the chosen starter for this game. I legit would actually be angry if GameFreak missed this opportunity. As for potential typings... Water-Dark "could" make sense since Dark Type is just Evil type in Japan, and Napoleon is an evil dude in history. But I think Water-Fighting is much more likely, with Empleon probably going to take on much less of an Emperor Penguin look, and more of General Bonaparte, give him the Hat GameFreak, it would look funny.

Overall Chances - 10/10

Snivy

Snivy is also pretty much a guaranteed pick, and this is just from the simple fact of Serperior. Who is (supposedly) based on King Louis XVI of France & other European aristocrats, and that the fleur-de-lis, aka the French insignia used by many Noble families is visible in their design... Honestly, along with Piplup I would be flat out shocked if Snivy was not the grass starter for PLZA, like I would be baffled at how much of a lost chance that would be. As for potential regional typing, I could see it being Grass Ghost to represent the death of the French Monarchy... But that's it for my brain lmao

Overall Chances - 10/10

Tepig

Tepig is an odd one. On one hand, Snivy being basically guaranteed makes me obviously think another Gen 5 pick isn't going to make it into this group, but on the other hand...

Nah, I got nothing. Tepig is based way too much Chinese Culture and the tale of Zhang Fei to really fit into French culture. Just like Chimchar's inspiration from Journey to The West, it would feel wrong to change Tepig for the exact same reasons.

Overall Chances - 1/10

Litten

This one was more of a wildcard pick here for me, simply cause none of the fire types left had any real connections to France like Water and Grass had, I just found the idea of a regional form for Incineroar to be interesting. Though I had no idea how they would change a professional wrestler into something more fitting for early 1800's France... THAT IS UNTIL I DID SOME RESEARCH BABY!

So French Wrestling is actually really interesting, while it started in the 1830's, their style of wrestling, titled Graeco-Roman, was invented by a soldier FROM THE NAPOLEONIC WARS! Not only that, but it's even named "Classic Wrestling" meaning there actually is a good chance for Incineroar to be based on this style of wrestling for their Regional form! What better thing for the Wrestler Starter to use what is to many people the first style of wrestling that was used in the First ever Olympics! As for typing, Fire Normal could make some sense... I just really don't want it to be Fire Fighting, I think a lot of people would be disappointed if it somehow got the infamous Fire Starter typing.

Overall Chances - 9/10

Popplio

What can I even say about Popplio? I mean I guess maybe the fact Sirens originate from Europen folklore? But even then it's mostly Greek origins for that. There's nothing really tying Popplio in to fit the bill here, they're outclassed by a certain penguin of french origins.

Overall Chances - 2/10

Grookey

I think the Galar Starters are going to be the hardest to even justify, really the only thing any of them have going for them is the fact they come from Galar, which is based on Great Britain, a country that was France's rival in the war to own the world.

However none of that has anything to do with Grookey, the drummer monkey really doesn't have anything to offer! Rillaboom could maybe play a different instrument, but I don't think going from a pair of drum sticks to a bugle is probably gonna work out well. Perhaps though I'm just not putting my mind into it well enough.

Overall Chances - 3/10

Scorbunny

Again, I've got nothing. Realistically I guess you could make a pun here and have Cinderace being a French foot soldier. Though French hares are a common animal, and rabbits in of themselves are abundant all across Europe. I'm just personally wondering what exactly they could do with the fella that makes them properly unique enough to earn that spot, and right now I just don't see it.

Overall Chances - 4/10

Sobble

Last but not least, We have Sobble. Now surprisingly, I could actually see them being used, Intellion is based on James Bond and 007, and being a spy, well French spies obviously existed, there's also the fact a spy can also be an assassin if need be. Water Poison Intellion that shoot poisoned bolts of water from fingertips, yeah that could work.

Issue here though you have to put Sobble up against the other water types here, and well... Piplup.

Overall Chances - 3/10

And that's it! So TL:DR for anyone not reading here are the rankings most likely to least likely by types

Grass :

1 Snivy

2 Chikorita

3 Turtwig

4 Grookey

Water

1 Piplup

2 Sobble

3 Popplio

4 Totodile

& Fire

1 Litten

2 Scorbunny

3 Tepig & Chimchar

Meaning the most likely Starters for PLZA are going to be

Snivy, Litten, and Piplup.

[scraftyisthebest]

SV DLC Ramble

After quite some time we finally got in-game footage of the Scarlet and Violet DLC (The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero), both from Kitkami and the Blueberry Academy. And I’ve gotta say, this is looking to be great, and perhaps even grander than the SwSh DLC which stayed put in Galar.

Kitakami as we all expected seems to be travelling overseas back to a Japan based region, Kitakami even being a place in the Iwate Prefecture in the real world. The Iwate Prefecture is located in the Tohoku region in Japan, which is south of Hokkaido and north of the Kanto region in real Japan. 

If we were to use real world Japan as a basis that would mean that Kitakami would be south of Sinnoh and north of Kanto+Johto (the latter being based on Kansai), with Hoenn being the furthest south of the five.

Kitakami does seem to be based in the Pokemon world’s equivalent of Japan in that regard, with the presence of Johtonian Wooper being one of the biggest signs: unlike previous games, this time we’ll actually get to see the original forms of the regional forms Paldea introduced (and by extension Quagsire) actually be catchable in Kitakami. Perhaps Kantonian Tauros will also be available in Kitakami as well. 

The three “hero” legendaries seem like an interesting trio. They uniquely possess the ability Toxic Chain which seems to badly poison opponents if they attack. It’s pretty nice to have Poison-type legendaries nowadays after Poison was shafted as a legendary/mythical type for so long: first Eternatus and now these three. The fact that they are Poison-type however does raise questions as to what their relation to Ogerpon is: especially since poison implies toxicity and negative impressions. Ogerpon is an interesting beast, being under a mask, and perhaps having connections to the Terastal phenomenon.

The Blueberry Academy on the other hand seems to have more new characters like the director Cyrano and a fellow student in Lacey. 

I was curious how they were going to incorporate wild Pokemon aka the returning Pokemon to catch in the Indigo Disk with it taking place in the Blueberry Academy, an underwater school and facility but it seems they’re using a giant Terrarium that acts as a wildlife preserve and park, filled with a variety of environments to boot. Pretty cool way to incorporate that into a modernized facility setting. Hopefully there’s a battle facility of some sorts here as well.

It’s also interesting that the Blueberry Academy also involves traveling abroad (aka overseas), much like Kitakami. Together, both of these places being entirely separate settings in the world from Paldea, unlike with SwSh which stayed in Galar, would imply that the Terastal phenomenon has been found in places *outside* of Paldea, which puts it more in line with Mega Evolution in that regard. While Z-Moves and Dynamax are pretty deeply entrenched in Alola and Galar and the latter cannot be used outside of it, Terastal while originally found in Paldea seems to have sightings of it being present in other places as well like Kitakami and the place where the Blueberry Academy is. This is somewhat of a parallel to Mega Evolution albeit with slightly less dubious origins, in that while Mega Evolution is dominantly found in Kalos and was believed to only be found there at one point, Mega Evolution energy has also been found in Hoenn and has its own origin story there as well. 

Perhaps a similar case is occurring with Terastal as well: like Megas being found in Hoenn, another Japan-based region has sightings of Terastal, and in this case Ogerpon may play a role in the lore behind the Terastal phenomenon as well. Terastal is already my favorite super mechanic since Mega Evolution itself, and lore wise it’s looking even more interesting than Z-Moves and Dynamax ever were which may draw me to it more. 

I definitely look forward to playing this DLC, travelling to new places outside of Paldea and exploring new landscapes (which for the record, are looking incredibly vibrant and diverse, even moreso than Paldea) and exploring the lore of them in relation to Terastal, Terapagos, and Area Zero is interesting, and I genuinely enjoyed SV in spite of its technical problems so the DLC is gonna be more icing on the cake (contrast SwSh which was underwhelming and the DLC had to save it, and even then was overall smaller in scope than SV+DLC is setting up to be).

[acquired-stardust]

Gaming Spotlight #11: Digimon Rumble Arena (2001)

Hello this is Larsa here with another spotlight feature on a game you may have missed from the Playstation era. Stand up to the fight!

Before we get to our featured title let's review some history shall we? Super Smash Bros 64 came out in the year 1999 developed by HAL Laboratory, INC. This revolutionary game was inspired by the dream match concept of SNK Corporation's own popular "King of Fighters" series where a bunch of a existing characters are thrown together to duke it out. Many in the industry took notice as the success of the new Nintendo crossover fighting game which created many fans of a whole new genre, platform fighting games.

"Digimon Rumble Arena" or "Digimon Tamers: Battle Evolution" as it is known as in Japan would become one of the first early platform fighting games following in the giant shadow of "Super Smash Bros 64" to stand out as a game worth playing. Right away a fighting game based on one of the most popular anime series of the late 90s and early 00s just seems like a perfect pairing. By the time this game was released Digimon had firmly became a massively popular series already having a theatrical movie release worldwide and currently airing its very popular third season titled "Digimon Tamers". Right away the opening would blow the minds of any young Digimon fans at the time because it was essentially a Digimon dream match title starring the Digimon and tamers of the first three seasons slugging it out for digital supremacy.

Is Guilmon really stronger than Agumon? How about Gatomon versus Renamon? Or how about a mega level battle of Beelzemon versus Omnimon? These were and still are important questions worth asking for any Digimon fan. And these sorts of playground questions are why this game was created.

The gameplay features two opposing Digimon battling it out on one of the several different stages in a 2D plane. These stages are typically filled with unique stage hazards and ring out zones with randomly spawning items in the form cards which have a myriad of effects on the battle. These cards mirror the "Digi-Modify" or "Card Slash!" mechanics from the Digimon Tamers series . The roster is filled with Digimon supported by their appropriate tamers from the show with the same familiar voices for each character featuring over 20 playable Digimon. Unlike "Super Smash Bros" this game features a more traditional health bar system and draining your opponent's life bar to zero means victory. Each Digimon has two special moves and a myriad of normal attack strings you would expect in a fighting game. Right away in a way one would expect from this beloved franchise, Rookie level Digimon are capable of transforming into a stronger even more capable form in the middle of battle through Digivolution. Digivolving improves your stats and gives you a completely new different move-set than before meaning you as a player are often switching dynamically between different gameplay experiences. There are few things that feel better than securing a comeback victory with your favorite mascot Digimon because of a well timed Digivolution. Oh and wiping the floor with your opponent using Wargreymon's mighty signature technique, Terra Force.

The main modes of the game are arcade mode and versus modes. In the Arcade Mode you take your selected Digimon through an arcade style ladder of bouts plus a few mini-games along the way with the goal of unlocking more characters. That is until you reach the new big bad of the game at the top of the ladder. Reapermon (Also known originally as Gokumon or ゴクモン) is a very difficult opponent to overcome and even now he still manages to give me trouble. I and along with anybody else who has ever played this game know of the horrors of his most powerful technique "Burning Cyclone". He is a cheap old school style boss who will test your skill at the game as one would expect from an older fighting game eating your quarters though in this case you thankfully probably own the game and you have as long as necessary to defeat him. Thankfully if you are struggling you can use some in-game cheat codes to fast unlock some Mega level Digimon along with other goodies to help even the odds. As far as versus modes go you can battle a friend locally or even play the mini-games against them. I spent many sessions having tons of fun fighting friends in this game. For an early platform fighting game the controls and mechanics are quite responsive which makes for amusing competitive bouts.

The graphics and soundtrack of the game of the game are very impressive for the platform. The Japanese version of the game features many arrangements of songs from the anime series. However the game does have one big problem: the framerate slowdown is a persistent problem throughout the experience with this game. Unfortunately they are the game's immediate faults but the game has so much excellent fanservice content and a surprisingly responsive solid fighting game underneath that it is easy to forgive the shortcoming. This game is still pretty awesome and loaded with nostalgia for me having grown up with Digimon. This title gets my recommendation for any fans of Digimon to experience especially the Japanese version of the soundtrack if you are ever in need of a quick nostalgia-fueled adrenaline rush.

A gem hidden among the stones, Digimon Rumble Arena is unquestionably stardust.

– Larsa

[bluekat12345]

Pokemon Legends ZA Starters

I know we just got the trailer a few days ago, but I already had my own ideas on what the starters for this game could be. And here are my ideas on possible starters.

Grass: Sprigatito

Honorable Mentions: Snivy, Bulbasaur

Reason: I know it might be too soon to reuse a Gen 9 starter Pokémon, but I think Sprigatito could work, its final evolution always gives me medieval street performer energy or even jester vibes, and even it gets a regional form, I think it could work great for Kalos, whatever time era this game takes place in.

Fire: Scorbunny

Honorable Mentions: Litten, Charmander

Reason: This was honestly the toughest decision, but ultimately, I chose Scorbunny because I highly believe a Galar starter will make an appearance for this game and since I already had different ideas for Grass and Water, Scorbunny was kind of the only option. Plus, this is a Pokémon I can definitely imagine getting a regional form when I think of a Pokémon Legends game for Kalos.

Water: Piplup

Honorable Mentions: Squirtle, Quaxly

Reason: I honestly feel like Piplup was an obvious choice since Kalos has a history of royalty and monarchy and Piplup's final evolution, Empoleon, looks royal, especially with the crown-like facial details. Even its name originates from the words Emperor and Napoleon, the historical French naval leader.

Extra

The reason I didn't choose the Kanto Starters is because that seems too obvious to me, since they're the most featured starter Pokémon in the series, since all three have the ability to Mega Evolve and Gigantimax. While I can see them being featured in the game, I don't they'll serve as this game's starters.

Similar to the Kanto starters, The Hoenn Starters seem too obvious since they can also Mega Evolve.

The reason Litten and Snivy didn't get my final vote is because we already had a Unova and Alola starter for Pokémon Legends Arceus with Oshawott and Rowlet. I imagine the developers would want to use other regional starters.

Whatever starter we get, I hope we get new Regional Forms and new Mega Evolutions.

These are just my personal thoughts, so this is not concrete facts, and feel free to disagree and even share your own ideas on what the starters could be.

[mrultra100]

After watching Roize Rasen’s most recent video about what sorts of possible new Megas, regional forms, and normal evolutions for Pokemon we could get in PLZA, I wanna try and do a quick thought exercise on what the possible new Megas could be.

Keep in mind, I’m following a similar set of limits and rules like what Roize did in his video, so there’s gonna be some explaining to do on which Pokemon I think/hope get Megas.

- The Kalos starters; It should be pretty obvious that the original starter trio from X and Y could get something. Especially if neither the Kanto and/or Hoenn starters don’t show up in the game. Aside from Ash-Greninja being removed for quite some time, it still has Battle Bond as a possible ability, even during the early days of SV’s release. Plus, Chesnaught and Delphox both need something to keep up with the ninja frog after the latter took off in popularity

- Xerneas and Yveltal; Similar to the starters, the main two legendaries of X and Y are due to get something for this game. If Dialga and Palkia can finally get something of their own via their Origin forms similar to Giratina, why can the Life and Death duo? This could go in two different directions; they either get proper Megas, or they could do something like Primal Groudon/Kyorge and Origin Form Dialga/Palkia, and have forms that are like Megas, but are their own thing. Either option works

- A few more Kalos Pokemon; Something that I always found odd is that aside from Diancie of all Pokemon, none of the species introduced in Kalos got Megas of their own. While later generations have plenty of their respective ‘Mons join in their respective battle gimmicks, we really never saw a Mega-Evolved Kalos Pokemon. Maybe Z-A could be a good way to fix that. Following the rules that Roize pointed out in his video (things like not include Pokemon that are either in pairs that could have a member get left out if the other got a Mega, have gender or size differences that could make the process hard to code in, have multiple forms already like Furfrou and Vivilion, part of multi-generational groups like Dedenne and Sylveon (the former being a Pika-clone and the latter being an Eeveelution), already got something recently (Hisuian Avalugg and Goodra say hi), and making sure the Megas are given out to Pokemon that aren’t really useful in battle), quite a lot of Kalos’ Dex is gonna be cut out, leaving out a few species to pick from. If the amount of Megas is only gonna be something like 20 to give time and space to the other new additions like regional forms and new evolutions to older Pokemon, along with already existing Pokemon and Megas from the original X and Y games, we have 5 slots to work with, given how I imagine that maybe half of the new Megas would be for Kalos species (along with how the starters and legendaries already make up that first quarter). My personal picks would include Noivern, Heliolisk, Barbaracle, Hawlucha, and Malamar

- Flygon; You all knew that this guy would be here, let’s not kid ourselves. Maybe after more than 10 years, Gamefreak could finally come up with a design for a Mega Flygon that they’re happy with. This entire game could be a good chance for some Pokemon that missed out on getting a Mega back in Gen 6 to finally get that second chance, Flygon especially. Make it the Bug/Dragon combo that people have been wanting for years

- Jynx; Yes, for those who are not in the know, Jynx may seem like a weird choice. However, similar to Flygon, Jynx was originally planned to get a Mega in X and Y, but was cut. Additionally, the whole thing of a strange cry similar to Jynx’s own being found in the data of Pokémon HOME having a similar reverb heard in the cries of every single Mega-Evolved Pokemon adds fuel to the fire

- Milotic; If the possible new Megas fit in with the culture of Kalos in a similar way to how new Pokemon and forms fit in with the cultures of the respective regions they were introduced in, Milotic would be a perfect fit. Along with that, it’s a very popular Pokemon that people have been wanting to see get a Mega for years now, and it would be a good foil to Mega Gyarados, given how both lines are seen as counterparts of each other

- Revavroom: If we’re gonna pick any Pokemon from recent gens to get a Mega, Revavroom would check that box very well, along with getting a much-needed buff. The poor thing needs a better ability to deal with its 4-times weakness to Ground types. Something like Levitate could work, as the dang thing is already floating up in the air for some reason. Plus, we could have a good opportunity to make this weird and delightfully goofy Pokemon even MORE so. Plenty of the existing Megas build off of the original designs to make their own designs extremely wild and creative, so the Rat Fink-looking car monster would be a very perfect candidate

- Parasect; Another weird candidate, the Paras line is one of the few remaining Pokemon from Gen 1 to not get anything. Perhaps that could finally be fixed with a Mega, and there’s a route for its design that I can easily see it going in; have it be a Ghost/Grass type that have the mushroom assimilate the dead bug into its body, resulting in a truly twisted-looking abomination of a Mega.

- Mimikyu; As much as I wanna avoid giving Megas to Pokemon who are already powerful juggernauts, I can definitely see Gamefreak giving one to Mimikyu, due to how insanely popular it is. While I don’t have much input on which the stats or ability could be, I can easily imagine maybe even a tiny glimpse of Mimikyu’s true appearance factoring into the design in some way

- Sandaconda; I’m aware that Sandaconda already has a Gigantamax form, but the Kanto starters and Gengar do as well, and they also have Megas too, so needless to say, the sand snake is fair game. Sandaconda isn’t that bad, but I feel it could use a Mega to make it relevant some more. The best possible route I can see this guy going is probably Ground/Dark with a Titanoboa-like design. Let this guy keep Sand Spit as its ability. A few Megas already have abilities that their original counterpart normally have, so this wouldn’t be anything new

- Vikavolt; As much as I don’t wanna add in personal favorites to this list, Vikavolt actually has a few things that could work in its favor in terms of getting a Mega; Stag beetles can be found in France, it most certainly needs some sort of buff to its Speed, and it could be a good pick for a Pokemon to add in your team early on before giving it its Mega Stone. I’m split on its ability, however; should I let it keep Levitate to not be affected by Ground types? Or should I give it Speed Boot to make it even more faster, with the added caveat of making it a glass cannon? That’s something that the fans who are into stats and Abilites would have to step in for

- Golurk; Going back to what I said earlier about this game being a second chance for certain Pokemon getting a Mega, Golurk is another example. Plus, given that more and more Gen 5 Pokemon have been getting new regional forms and the like in the last few games, I say it’s high time for Golurk to join in. Audino had its fun as the only Gen 5 Mega after all these years. Not only is Golurk one of the most popular Gen 5 ‘mons, it also has a few things that could lend it towards getting a Mega; either letting it keep its original typing or replace Ground with Steel, make it a more heavy hitter with powerful defenses, having Iron Fist as its ability (this guy can learn 7 punching moves, so it works), and having its design include more of the energy inside of its body to leak out, making it a bit more dangerous to be around for long periods of time (side-note; I really hope this game addresses how potentially damaging the transformations are to not only the Pokemon themselves, but also anyone around them, as stated by the Alola Dex entires on them)

- Scovillain; While not the most thought-of pick for a Paldean species to Mega Evolve, Scovillain has a few points in its favor; Creative typing that could translate to a memorable design, a buff to mostly its Special Attack, and something like Solar Power being a perfect fit due to its types benefiting from the sun.

Could I be wrong about most of these predictions? Maybe, but it was still fun to speculate on what new Mega s we could see in PLZA. While I think were still not gonna hear any updates for a while (while I’m cool with, these damn games need more development time), perhaps we could get a sneak peek during a possible Pokemon Presents or something. We’ll have to wait and see

[iruludavare]

What is Serena's thoughts on the existence of Mewtwonite? Given that Mewtwo is a man-made Pokemon, Mewtwonite presumably has to be an artificial, man-made Mega Stone.

     When she had first been given mewtwonite X from Mewtwo itself after their battle, Serena had not thought twice about it. It was not until after that— after talking to Wulfric and other trainers allowed in the village— just what Mewtwo was, and why it was so important to never talk about what dwells in that chamber, but to always have someone guarding it. After being told this information, Serena does not know how to feel about the existence of either Mewtwonite mega stone, despite having all the pieces to comprehend it.

     It is no secret—at least, to her, Professor Sycamore and his team— that mega stones were formed from regular evolutionary stones irradiated by the combined infinity energy from Xerneas and Yveltal when the Ultimate Weapon was originally fired. In that sense, she can understand how both Mewtwonite X and Y came to be. It is nothing more than a coincidence. There just happen to exist two of those irradiated stones that resonate with Mewtwo and allow for Mega Evolution, much like Charizard. They cannot be made by humans, nor any other legendary— not even Xerneas or Yveltal on their lonesome.

     In light of such information, she takes solace in the idea that Mewtwo likely found the mega stones while on its way to the Pokemon Village. Nothing nefarious, just pure, maybe unfortunate, luck.

     Still, there is something so horribly unsettling about the fact that this could happen for a manmade creature. The implications of that frighten her. So much so that Serena goes to great lengths to hide the mewtwonite in her possession, and claims that it is just another mega stone currently without a known pokemon it resonates with if asked about. The only other people to know of its existence are Wulfric, Gurkinn, and Professor Sycamore. It is not something to be flaunted, but instead a silent sign of approval known only to two parties. That she and her pokemon are strong enough to protect the Pokemon Village, and should the need to use the mega stone arise, all of the pieces are already in place.

[blackbloodteeth]

Soul variant index (2023)

[List incomplete; I don't think I have the energy to continue it, but wouldn't hurt to share the trivia bits I did manage to do. I can always answer questions about variants anytime, and this list is already starting to lag when I type anyway hahaha]

Here's a list of all the Soul variants I've created this year (sorted earliest to latest). I'll be updating this as I draw more, and if it's wanted enough I'll make more of these lists for other years in the future. --- Long list below! ---

A Soul of many hands: Body is connected by many different hands and dark patchy skin. Written work has yet to be finished.

Walking Chair: Skeletal species that assists humans with tasks such as ferrying people and carrying groceries. Intelligent, only wears saddle when not on work break.

The Cult Slayer: Previously just a goat before an attempted ritual sacrifice went wrong and gave him immense power instead. Very social and loves storytelling. Lawful Good.

A good little boy: A living doll that rarely speaks and is highly obedient, only serving the witch who currently owns him. May have been human once.

String Wyrm: Fluffy dragon with multiple sets of stubby legs (not usually visible under his fur), though can move across the ground quite quickly. Constantly searches for food to steal and often sounds like he's chuckling. Will squirm around if picked up.

Lesser Crest Bird: A species that often stands around like a statue, with different poses theorized to convey different meanings. Can be approached and seemingly unbothered by humans but will retaliate if attempted to be moved. Intelligence questionable, seems to have preferences for certain standing spots.

Aquatic Maned Dragon: Shy but playful. Travels to different bodies of water via rivers, and mainly feeds on fish and small marine animals (seems to leave birds alone even after watching them for a while). Will take interest in any human belongings that have ended up in the water.

Turtleback Seahorns: A seaside-dwelling race that values family and branching alliances with surrounding groups. Exceptionally loyal and honourable even when not exchanging favours, and when a life oath is sworn the two partners will gift each other's crests to wear upon their other horns.

The Divinely Punished [Body Horror]: Assigned guardian to one of Lord Death's sacred temples after having received divine judgement. While he was initially chained to his post, something appears to have caused it to break loose and consequently free him.

Creature Centaur: A strange centaur made up of an unidentifiable creature. The eye he holds can often be seen floating between his horns, and the right side of his face has always remained obscured, most likely for the better. A fairly normal dude otherwise.

Mantis Centaur: Half person, half mantis. Unintentionally condensed Maka into a ball of silk when his instincts took over, and he seeks to repent with a way to undo what he's done.

Centaur Train: A spirit guide that helps souls and sometimes other entities safely travel through different parts of the afterliving. Is extremely enthusiastic about trains to an almost obsessive degree, but his passion can make him easier to get along with.

Mewtwo Centaur: One of the several results of a dubious cloning experiment. He was a collaborative effort of the "permanent Mega Evolution" and "human-Pokemon hybrid" departments, though he was also the first to escape when he quickly grew too alert to be contained. Currently resides in solitude while seeking the original human he was cloned after out of existential curiosity.

You can't just call a Naga a Snake Centaur: Part Demon Weapon, part couch nuisance. He can shift into a more human-looking form with legs but often prefers to stay in his natural appearance, especially when eating or sleeping. Maybe I'll give his Weapon form art someday.

An Incomplete Centaur [Mild Body Horror]: Despite his horrifying appearance he's actually quite lonely. He's taken to living in the woods or outskirts of towns as while he wishes to befriend someone, he keeps getting footage of him uploaded to the internet as an infamous cryptid/creepypasta legend.

Reverse Centaur: Lives in a world where animals combined with human bodies are the norm, as well as having to go to school way too early in the morning when he could be sleeping in. Will eat insects and small creatures whole on frequent occasions.

Steel Bird Centaur Part of a well-known family that prides in its Skarmory and Corviknight heritage, having ended up a high-ranking guard for his strategical skills despite appearing heavier than should be able to fly. Wears an Aggron based armour that he was gifted after besting one of the mountain people in combat and leading to their alliance.

The Luthier Apprentice: Dropped out of DWMA suddenly despite being so close to finally becoming a Death Scythe. Not even his friends know the reason behind it, especially as he dropped all contact too and decided to work under the music shop that's close with his family. It's been years since then but he's finally smiling again, at least for now.

A Soul with Glasses: He wears glasses. Left to interpretation.

[marshmallowloves]

Actually I'm gonna kinda ride this train and use this as an excuse to talk about my Pokémon S/I headcanons gjdhf. I'm sorry it's so long I got kind of excited 😭😂

So if you're (somehow) already familiar with the lore of my Pokémon S/I, then you know one of her Big Goals™ - and the reason she joined Team Magma in the first place - was to find out if there was a way for her Bisharp to Mega Evolve. It's said in canon (and this is the only canon thing in this post, the rest are strictly headcanons fjdjg) that the strong bond between Pokémon and Trainer is part of what makes Mega Evolution possible, and ever since learning this, she thought that being able to achieve it with her Bisharp would be physical proof of how close they are.

Originally, her research centered just around Mega Stones, specifically their properties, mineral composition and such. Since she was looking for a stone that would react with Bisharp, she looked more closely at stones that matched Bisharp's typing. One of the first stones she analyzed as a member of Team Magma's Mega Evolution research division was one that she already had in her possession: Aggronite. Because Aggron loses its Ground typing up on Mega Evolving and becomes pure Steel, it would be easier to study the composition of stone as there are no variables in the form of other types.

After she traveled to Paldea and learned about Terastallization, she immediately became intrigued. This regional phenomenon was capable of changing a Pokémon's type for the duration of a single battle, and was controlled via an object that's essentially the condensed energy of said phenomenon - not unlike the very subject of her own research.

So as she traveled across Paldea, got swept up in the whole professor debacle and went to Area Zero, she did her own analyses (with some help from Maxie (I dunno, I just like to imagine them working together overseas by sending each other samples and test results back and forth because the Magma Hideout has more readily-available technology for research purposes…or something fjfhgj it's just a fun image in my head)) on Terastal energy and the compositions of both Tera shards and the crystals growing in Area Zero - during which she found that the energy emitted from these is quite similar to that of Mega Evolution. From this, she wonders if it would be possible to manipulate Mega Evolution in the same way one can manipulate their Pokémon's Tera type. Either way, the fact remains that the two phenomena are clearly linked to some degree.

When she heads to Kitakami and sees Ogerpon's Terastallization in action, she sees another possible similarity between it and Mega Evolution - the drastic shift in appearance. Before, she had thought the only change was giving a Pokémon the crystalline coat and forming a jewel upon its head, but Ogerpon's masks become enormous and more elaborately detailed upon Terastallizing. The observation isn't as solid or groundbreaking as some of her other discoveries over the years, but it's still worth noting nonetheless.

She makes even further headway in her research when she's introduced to Blueberry's Terarium - specifically after crystals from the Area Zero Underdepths are introduced to the Terarium Core. It was already exciting enough for her to learn that Terastallization could be introduced into a place where it didn't occur naturally, simply by having the right materials present in the vicinity (and therefore furthering the idea that Mega Evolution could be manipulated in the same manner). But then the crystals give way to the discovery of the Stellar Tera type - a type that embodies aspects of every type - and suddenly the possibilities in her research are blown wide open.

At some point, either on her own time or on a short return trip to Hoenn, she analyzes these crystals (because of course she wasn't going to leave the Underdepths without snagging some for her research) as well as Stellar Tera shards left behind from battling some of the wild Stellar types in the Terarium, and makes an exciting discovery. Whereas the energy emitted from single-type Terastallization was only somewhat similar to the energy emitted from Mega Evolution, the energy contained within the Underdepths crystals and Stellar-type shards, as well as emitted from Terastallization into the Stellar type, is nearly identical to that of Mega Evolution.

Not only does this discovery suggest that the two phenomena are even more closely related than previously thought, but coupled with the knowledge that Terastallization can not only be manipulated but also outright replicated under the right conditions, it poses a new and very interesting question: who's to say that Mega Evolution - or even Mega Stones - can't be replicated in the same manner? That under the perfect circumstances, Mega Evolution could be triggered for any Pokémon?

Thus Sierra continues her research with renewed vigor, having finally found an answer to the question she'd been asking all these years - "Is there a way for Bisharp to Mega Evolve?" Yes. By making one.

[cyberfairyblog]

Since the original Digimon adventure turns 25 this year I've been thinking about the OC I made for it. I love the show and I always like the concept of a 'tenth' digidestined/Digi Crest.

First trying to figure out how she'd fit the group dynamic. I feel like this OC could be shy but this causes her to lack the social skills needed to survive & she has a habit of keeping secrets. She'd also have a digimon partner who chooses her willingly as opposed to destined or assigned one.

Next deciding on a theme. I figured her partner should have an element relating to night and darkness. This crest presents change, and her partner reflects story of Cinderella, how she goes literally transforms while remaining true to herself.

One major element that makes my fakemon different is that she appears humanoid compared to the others who are animals. She takes the would take the form of a porcelain doll.

Inspired by dolls like Angelique, China Doll Girl, & Tinselina. I even named it Tinselmon after Tinselina.

Her forms in order of evolution: Splintmon, Gourdmon, Tinselmon (Or Dollimon), Cendrillomon, Auroramon, Ecliptomon. Now I do not know a lot about Digimon so forgive me if some of these names already exist.

Splintmon is her Fresh/Baby 1 form. It takes the shape of a small, blocky creature small enough to fit the palm the size of a human child.

Gourdmon: In-Training/Baby 2, Evolves into a sentient gourd with a cutesy face. Modeled after a jack o latern, and references the pumpkin used to create Cinderella's carriage.

Tinselmon: Rookie level, a porcelain doll figure with brown skin, black curly hair and a simple white rock with lavender lace and black shoes. Tinselmon can use her ribbons to attack.

Cendrillmon: Champion Level, it is a feminine looking humanoid wearing an elegant black and purple dress, tiara, and glass armor. Cendrillmon can summon crystal and glass barricades to repel dark energy.

Auroramon: Ultimate, Auroramon becomes nearly crystallized with a chandelier type head wear, armor. The cloth areas glow. Auroramon can use the shadow energy from her candles for attacks.

Ecliptamon: Mega, upgrades to a tall figure wearing a Venetian mask, armored ball down, and spiky crystal armor and ribbons. The gauntlets can shoot crystal spikes, have full control over light and shadow, and invisibility.

Armor Digi Egg: Tinselmon's digi egg is a light silver crystal bearing the crest symbol of change. The crystal is in elongated round diamond with 2 smaller orbs connected to a chain

Armor Digivolve: With the Digi Egg of Change, Tinselmon becomes Corundumon! A purple, white and black metallic entity with horns made of ruby and sapphire.

Armor 2: With the digi egg of kindness Tinselmon becomes Julietmon, a jeweled beetle like digimon with light purple samurai armor, fabric skirt and glass wings

Armor 3: With the Digi Crest of Sincerity Tinselmon becomes Edenmon, a saintly being with butterfly wings and an outfit made of different plants and and flowers. Her hair would be made out of vines and teardrop shaped emblems.

I can't think of anything else for the other armor forms wah

[yveltalreal]

mhmm, as well as just some personal accounts

in terms of more recent stuff, professor junpier has published some good stuff about the origins of the pokemon we have today and how these origins intertwine with people. proffessor sycamores papers on mega evolution are very good for this too since mega evolution relies on the bond and trust between trainer and pokemon to occur safely and be stabilized. a change brought on by the cohabitation and bond between people and pokemon that can be observed in real time.

proffessor kukui's research on z moves and pokemon battles especially ones taken on in the alola region and its island challenge are also very good since the island challenge is very much meant to help people and pokemon grow and change together. hau,oli university did a series of 3 studies, each a decade apart, where they looked at the lives and school performances of children who would be going on the island challenge the next year then came back a year later and found that overall the majority of the children studied were much more responsible both in and out of the home after going on their island challenge but those that didnt finish or didnt get to go for whatever reason had not develpped the same sense of responsibility and set of problem solving skills. the bonds between the kids and their pokemon were also stronger than those who had not gone on any journey, island challenge or otherwise.

professor mirror in lental also did quite a bit of research into the illumina phenomenon and how it affected the behavior of lental's pokemon compared to pokemon of the same species in other regions, as well as their history with the people of lental.

in terms of non-regional professors, professor redwood and her colleagues have a couple of papers on the changes in behavior between fossil pokemon that were revived recently and those that were released into the bba terarium and galar's crown tundra several years before as well as the few that were born in these places rather than revived in released. proffessor apple had a really good one where the litters of a kantonian ninetails and alolan ninetails were swapped, seeing how this might affect the vulpix and ninetails as well as the care process ninetails typically use for their young. the expirement was repeated a few times, with versions done with ninetails that had been born in captivity, that have lived all their life in the wild, and those that had lived in the wild for some portion of their life and been caught leter on, as well as versions where humans were available for help, versions where the researchers kept themselves completely hidden to the ninetails, and even versions where ninetails that had already repeated the expirement partook in it again with a second litter to see if experiance changed the outcome.

in terms of older stuff, proffessor laventons old papers and records on how the slow acceptance of pokemon changed the development of jubilife and hisui are a good read to see how we got to the sinnoh we have today and it also gives a good perspective as to what might have happened in other regions.

professor juniper's (as in the current regional professors father) published some good stuff back in the day about how pokemon ended up in many of their modern locations as well as did some research on the evolution from galarian zigzagoon to hoennian zigzagoon and the history of a few alolan forms

some of proffessor oaks REALLY old stuff from when he first set up his lab is also good reading to see how our relationship with pokemon has changed in the last 60-70 years alone

tons of other stuff but isk how much of this exists in your universe and i dont wanna suggest a million papers and studies to look at that night not even exist for you

So, uh, what do those of you who do the whole... adventure thing actually intend to do once that, you know, stops? It's gonna eventually. So, like, you have thought about that at least a little bit, right?

[adobe-outdesign]

If you haven't already could you do a review on the zebstrika line?

I do like like this line. One could argue that zebra + electric is almost too straightforward for its own good, but honestly, it's kind of nice to get a simple concept that's nicely designed every now and again. The visuals still give the line enough of a distinction as to not look too much like regular zebras, and the designs are very well-balanced.

With that said, however, I don't really care for Blitzle that much. It's not really that anything is objectively all that wrong with it (save for one or two minor things that I'll get into in a moment), but it's one of those pre-evos that's just a lesser form of the evolution. Ideally, a pre-evo (and middle evos, who suffer from this kind of thing more often) should have something that differentiates them from the rest of the line, such as:

A design that changes many elements and looks visually distinct from the rest of the line while still working as a whole

Progression or emphasis of the theme

If not visually distinct, some kind of 'dex entry or lore that helps to differentiate it

Or any combo of the three. Blitzle is just lesser Zebstrika; it adds nothing other than being the obligatory pre-evo.

It's a little hard to think of what to do with the design because the line is so straightforward, but one thing I could picture is that the colors inverse; Blitzle is white with black stripes while Zebstrika remains black with white stripes. It would be an easy way to visually differentiate the two and would be a fun way to play around with the zebra concept a bit.

But anyway, looking at it as-is, the only thing that bugs me about the design is the head and face shape. It has this weird generic animal head, rather than something more ungulate-like like Zebstrika. I'm all for mixing and matching animal anatomy, but this is so vaguely shaped that it just always felt off to me.

Also, compared to Zebstrika, the markings aren't as good. The three on the body feel fairly tacked-on comparatively. Speaking of which...

Zebstrika is considerably better than Blitzle, mostly because not only has the head shape been improved considerably, but the stripes have as well. I just love how carefully they're placed; two on the chest that draw the eye downward, a few to extablish a pattern on the legs, the way the second chest stripe wraps perfectly around the upper leg... basically, there was a lot of thought put into this, despite the otherwise simple-looking design.

One other thing about this line that I like is that the animations show that their manes and stripes light up in yellow, like lightning across a night sky. This looks really, really cool, and really adds something to the line.

I also like the little pops of color with the blue and the yellow. I do question the inner ear being blue--not that I mind a little more blue in the design, but just because it's a strange place to put it. I can't help but feel like the mane could've been edged with blue stripes, or maybe the tail tip is blue. That's mostly nitpicking, however.

As a final note: this line is fairly forgotten (probably in part because of how straightforward it is, conceptually), so I feel like it would be a good pick for another form or something. If we ever get a region based on Africa, I could easily see a regional that's the "original" Blitzle that this line branched off from. A mega or mega-ish form also wouldn't be bad, though I don't know how much it would add.

Anyway, as a whole: a straightfoward line conceptually, but a nicely-designed one, even if Blitzle is too similar to its evolution to stand out.

[srarlight]

Back at it with another already! This time featuring Magnezone with my rendition of a Rival-Gates themed mega for them. Got a few comments about this on DA so to clarify they’re about the same size of a small car I just made the Pokémon in their arms itty bitty for simplicity and to not distract from the main Magnezone art. I also have sketch ideas for the giga max forms for all these guys to come later that play more on defense and less on an antagonistic vibe. You can find my lore dump for this version under the cut! 

Mega Magnezone

Primary Type : Steel

Secondary Type: Electric

Ability: Magnet Pull

Special Move: Magnetic Transference (Replaces one of the Magnezone’s status inducing moves temporarily if any are known).  Using a strange alien energy, the large circular arms will cause a targeted Pokémon to become a steel type, thus unable to escape the magnetic pull of the Magnezone

Magnezone’s body undergoes a lot of changes when mega evolving. The Magnezone’s original 3 appendages get an extendable arm and can be used as claws or as powerful magnets. In addition, two more arms have extended out from beneath the Magnezone. Each of these new arms end with a red or blue disk that admits a strange and alien energy. While it seems these arms are also heavily magnetic, they can also be used to induce a strange change within a Pokémon of flesh and blood, a change that changes their typing to that of steel and attracts them to the Magnezone through its magnetic pull. The Magnezone gains an additional three pieces of ocular tech that sprout out from beneath the Magnezone’s main core. These eyes, each admitting a distinct color of light, can swivel in place to adjust their view. Pokémon caught in the yellow light describe themselves feeling paralyzed. The red light causes a sensation of burning while the blue seems to zap the energy right out of them, draining them of strength. No matter the color, even while feeling these effects, it’s often hard to tear one's gaze away from them, as if hypnotized.

Upon mega evolving, Magnezone appears to switch into some sort of security or enforcer mode and loses its sense of self. Like all other megas, it will attempt to solve the problem it mega evolved in order to handle, but once completed- it begins to follow some inherent protocol. With a tireless gaze, it will hunt down any nearby Pokémon and claim them to be “trespassing” or “breaking a law”. It is still capable of recognizing people's identities, but seems to suddenly lose any sense of empathy and is hell bent on catching these apparent rule breakers regardless of the history they share. If found, Mega Magnezone will try and grab ahold of the Pokémon using any of the many tools it has at its disposal. Their grip is ironclad and many Pokémon will be overwhelmed with it’s incredibly strong grip, either being harmed or exhausted in their attempts to escape. While its first instinct is not to directly attack Pokémon but rather just contain them, Pokémon that wiggle out of its grasp will be shot at by powerful electrical beams or have large shards of metal flung at them using a magnetic force.

Once the Magnezone returns to normal, it’s systems will be on the fritz, glitching out it’s visions and thoughts for some time. The Magnezone will also be left with unearned feelings of distrust for the Pokémon it encountered during its mega evolution. It appears the labels Pokémon receive while it was mega evolved are hard to shake for a long while, although the Magnezone is a lot more free to choose how it handles these feelings, instead of being compelled to entrap them.

[sage-nebula]

I'm imagining Mega Evolution Professor Alain discovering that your headcanon about the Bond Phenomenon is true (Where it's actually just Mega Evolution without the stones and that there's a *very* good reason why the stones are used) and deciding to track down Ash to tell him about it to get him to stop the Ash-Greninja stuff.

Well, fortunately Greninja has fucked off into the wilderness, so Ash isn't going to be utilizing Bond Phenomenon or Ash-Greninja at any point in the near future. (At least, I hope he's not. Arceus willing that one episode in Journeys was Greninja's last appearance in the anime. Please don't let that gross frog come back.) So there would be no need to track him down, because he's not doing that anymore anyway. He has a Key Stone and Lucarionite now, plus a Gigantamax Gengar and Z-Ring. He's all gimmicked out.

That said, in the anime Professor Sycamore is the one who actually coins the term Bond Phenomenon and was the one looking into it for Ash (he's the one who discovered the fact that only certain pokémon can do it, and that it's very similar to Mega Evolution etc), so it could actually be Sycamore himself who makes the discovery! Not that Alan doesn't help with research, of course, because he loves studying and researching and Mega Evolution is definitely His Thing (he's even known for his studies into it according to his descriptor in the Masters 8, which names him as both the winner of the Kalos League and an expert on Mega Evolution in Kalos), but just that Sycamore was already looking into Bond Phenomenon and so it's very possible that he could be the one to make the discovery. Or heck, maybe they make it while studying and researching together. :) A little father-son bonding activity, if you will. (I'll see myself out.)

Though having said that, if they did discover it then that would also bring them back to the original question of: how were the stones created? Because the method for creating Key Stones and Mega Stones has been lost to time. All that we know about it is that its power that was granted by the meteorite that fell to earth and landed during the first catastrophic event in which the Draconids prayed to Rayquaza to save them (and Rayquaza did so by mega evolving). That meteorite is very likely the megalith, which . . . I think was destroyed? . . . when Lysandre did his thing at the end of XYZ. (I don't think he actually had or used the ultimate weapon, but my memories of what exactly he did after Prism Tower are a bit foggy. I think it was something like, he used the megalith and Hari-san to power some kind of giant robot . . . thing . . . I honestly don't remember too well, I just remember that Bonnie had Squishy kill him and it was wonderful.) So if they did discover that the Key Stones and Mega Stones were created as a way to make mega evolution safe for the humans and pokémon involved, the next question would be, okay, how would one go about making a Greninjanite then? And that's something they don't have an answer to, and who knows if they would be able to find it.

All of that said, my personal headcanon that I want to get around to writing one day is that the stones were at least in part developed by the Kalosean royal family 3,000 years ago, and that an ancestor of Alan's had something to do with it, too . . . but I want to at least write it out in fairytale form to show it that way, if nothing else, so I won't say anything more about it than now.

[atomicwrongs]

I know I already replied (twice) but I Am A Nut Case and this may be the easier avenue to share links

Unbound - Custom region, original story, postgame, quests, mega evolution, difficulty settings. Generally regarded as one of the best, most complete rom hacks. Has pokemon up to gen 7, last I checked, but may have added more. Also has great documentation in case you get stuck.

Radical Red - Mostly a difficulty hack of FireRed with some story changes, a lot of the same QoL as Unbound, pokemon up to gen 9 and some hard battles. Will force you to get competitive and think outside the box.

Emerald Rogue - No plot, just pick a pokemon and begin working your way to the top. If you fail, you start all over again. Super satisfying to progress in and eventually beat.

Fool's Gold - Gen II with all-new forms for every pokemon! A fun way to re-experience classic Johto.

Prism - The game that got me interested in hacking Gen II. It does a lot with GSC's fairly limited engine and is very impressive! Similar is Coral, which I haven't played through.

Gaia and Blazed Glazed (couldn't find a link on BG). It's been a while, but they're nice tight hacks with stories to tell. Not as massive as Unbound, but a lot of fun. The same goes for Flora Sky, though I haven't finished it.

Dreams and Sienna. Narrative hacks with fakemon! I'm a sucker for Dreams, and it has the stronger plot, but Sienna is also good.

Battle Labyrinth, Odyssey and Voyager. Unfinished as of yet, but well worth a play as they are. Voyager has beautiful fakemon sprites, Battle Labyrinth is entertainingly challenging, and Odyssey's premise is great.

Insurgence. Expansive, tough, and a little silly. The plot is weird and edgy, there's a lot to do, and the Delta Variant pokemon and custom megas are very cool. Inbuilt challenge modes, too, for nuzlocking, Ironmon, randomisers, egglocke, etc.

Uranium. Classic. A smaller pokedex, great original music, and I really love the story. Even if not all the humour lands, it's a really enjoyable game.

Crown. Unfinished but hey, man, why did you overhaul the entire battle system, why does the game look so good, what. Great hack. The creator's a crazy person.

Reborn and Rejuvenation. Huge games, loads to do, really challenging (a little unfair sometimes, introducing battle mechanics just to give the gym leader an unfair advantage). The plot is dark, sometimes in a gritty way, sometimes in a silly, edgy way. Fun, if you can deal with the story flying off the rails sometimes, and occasionally feeling like a supporting character to the huge cast of NPCs in Rejuv.

Others: I've heard good things about Sardonyx and Phoenix Rising; both are unfinished and have regional forms. I've played Sweet 2th but not Sweets, and liked it, even if relearning the whole type chart was annoying.

Once I've finished the next gym in my own hack, I'll definitely be posting a demo :3

The other day, I mentioned that I wanted to check out Pokémon Infinite Fusion. I still need to check it out, but it did get me thinking.

One thing I could potentially do on my YouTube channel is to check out some Pokémon ROM hacks or fangames. I've had a few people ask me about that throughout the years on YouTube, so maybe it's time to start checking them out and make a let's play of those ROM hacks/fangames. Question is, where to start? If anyone has any suggestions, let me know and I might look into it.

[ebrithilbowser-blog]

Some thoughts on Fossil Pokémon

When i first stumbled into a Space-Time Distortion and caught a Porygon, I was hyped for the possibilities. Sadly, the game didn’t live up to my expectations. They could’ve included more Pokémon from the future like Magnemite or Klink, and also Pokémon from the past. The fossil Pokémon come to mind, but when I think about it, the forms we already know should’ve been from the future, too. Because they are imperfect clones of the real, ancient animals. This has been hinted at in the games before.

Tyrantrum’s Pokédex in Ultra Sun outright tells us, that “Complete restoration is impossible“, speculating that it might have once had a coat of feathers. Mega-Aerodactyl’s Pokédex in Ultra Moon and the Let’s Go games says, that the Mega-Evolution has restored some dormant genes from the original form, bringing back the spikes covering it’s body. It’s sword entry mirrors Tyrantrum’s in saying that “even modern technology is incapable of producing a perfectly restored specimen.” Genesect was altered conciously by Team Plasma, making it a Steel type with a cannon on its back.

Combine this with the obviously incorrect chimeras that are the Galar fossils, and we know for sure that our modern Fossil Pokémon are not identical to the versions from the past. This plays into the fan theory that Fossil Pokémon only are rock type because they were restored from fossils, and their original forms didn’t have a rock type.

So this would’ve been a great possibility to include their original forms, appearing from Space-Time Distortions. They could just work like regional forms. I have some ideas, how they could’ve looked like.

Omastar’s Pokédex entries repeatedly tell us, that it went extinct because its shell became to heavy. But if an animal would be this badly suited for its own lifestyle, it wouldn’t have evolved at all. So maybe this is all just speculation, based on the heavy shells of the Rock-type Omastar we have today. So the original Omastar could’ve been a single-type Water Pokémon or have some other secondary type, with a much sleeker design, higher speed and lower defense.This would play well into the real evolution of dinosaur depictions, which were once thought of as slow behemoths, destined to go extinct, but are now known as active, warmblooded animals perfectly suited for their environment.

Kabuto actually is a problem for the Rock type fan theory, because a bunch of its Pokédex entries claim that small populations survived until today as living fossils, with no indication that they are different from the revived individuals. This also plays into the fact that wild fossil Pokémon appear in the Crown Tundra in Galar.

But if we ignore this, I would make Kabuto and Kabutops Water/Bug types because of them being aquatic arthropods and Kabutops similarity to Scyther. Also, taking the theory that Genesect was made from a Kabutops fossil into account, the design could be made to resemble Genesect a bit, but leave out the robotic elements. Genesect’s Bug type also supports the typing, with the Steel type coming from Team Plasma’s alterations.

For Aerodactyl, for all that we know, it should have the spikes of Mega-Aerodactyl. Maybe it could be a Dragon/Flying type because of its dragon-like design, or retain the Rock/Flying typing because of the spikes. But as a flying Pokémon, I think the Rock type makes even less sense than in other Fossil Pokémon.

Lileep and Cradily could be made Plant/Water types because they lived in the ocean according to the Pokédex. It would also be interesting to make them Poison/Water types, the poison coming from the fact that they use acid to kill their prey. Maybe the Plant type also came from the flawed ressurection process, with them being based on crinoids, which look like plants, but aren’t.

Anorith and Armaldo could be Bug/Water types for the same reason as Kabuto/Kabutops, maybe making Armaldo less sturdy and more aquatic in design, but I guess I’m being uncreative here.

From there on, fossil Pokémon became more scientifically correct, making this whole thing more difficult. I mean, we could leave it at the first and third Gen fossils, but where’s the fun in that?

For Shieldon and Bastiodon, they could remove the shield- and castle likeness from their faces because they came from a time before humans. But then the Steel type would make less sense than the Rock type, so I’m not sure on this one.

Cranidos and Rampardos are the only single type fossil Pokémon, making this difficult. Maybe they were the only ones that were already Rock type. But one could make Rampardos Psychic/Rock type, making its brain grow instead of shrink if there’s less rock in the skull to hinder its development. I know this has no real evidence, but it would be a cool design.

I have no really good ideas for the Archen and Tirtouga-lines. Removing the Rock type is a given, but aside from that, I’m at a loss.

Amaura’s Pokédes entry says that it lived in cold climates where there are no predators like Tyrantrum. But this doesn’t match the fact that their fossils are found in the same place. So what if Tyrantrum, which is said to have once had a coat of feathers, also lived in cold climates. They could give it a Nanuqsaurus-like design and Ice/Dragon typing.

Amaura and Aurorus on the other hand would need something to protect themselves from their predators, so why not making them Fairy/Ice types. This gives it the same edge against Tyrantrum’s dragon type as the Ice type would against the modern version while also fitting its design. They could give them a fairy lights theme.

Fanart by HarmonytheJackal on DeviantArt

As for the Galar fossils, just give us the other halves of the original Pokémon, making an Electric-type “zolt”, Dragon-type “Draco”, Water-type “vish” and Ice-type “Arcto”. There’s countless fanart of those guys, but maybe they could give them interesting twists.

There could also be Dragon/Water type versions of the Dreepy line, but I guess that in itself wouldn’t be very interesting, because they would also have to remove the whole “shooting your own babies” thing if they are not ghosts and could actually be hurt.