#i think the mawile would be able to mega evolve as well

[popfizzles]

Okay so this is random but would Val have an Alcreamie if she had a pokemon?

Now, I'm definitely not the type to draw Cuphead ocs in Trainer clothes with Pokeballs in hand (crossovers aren't really my cup of tea is all).

BUT. I can provide a team of Pokemon I think have the most Val vibes :)

In order;

Ruby Cream Love Sweet Alcremie, Tinkaton, Audino, Bewear, Shiny Exploud, and Mawile!

[mobagehelllocal]

Since you're a fan of Pokemon if you had to give the dorm leaders a partner pokemon who would you picked?

A/N: AH! Now that I finished editing “dati” ver ii, I can finally answer this! So what I did was just I really picked the first pokemon that popped into my head, and if I didn’t pick that--it’s because i reached a different reasoning. 

--

Riddle Rosehearts

Polteageist - The Black Tea Pokemon. Ghost type. 

The moment I thought of Riddle, i instantly thought of this Pokemon! I think it was because my thought process was: “hm... whats a very Alice-in-Wonderland-esque pokemon?” I didn’t really think too deeply about this. The moment I remembered Polteageist, I was “that’s it, that’s the poke.”

I will also note that Riddle for sure has the Antique type and not the Phony type haha. 

Though I don’t really think Riddle would be a ghost type trainer, I can imagine him having various different pokemon from different types. I can see him getting an Alcremie though, like specifically one given to him by Trey probably. 

Leona Kingscholar

Absol - The Disaster Pokemon. Dark type. 

I almost picked Pyroar, but I was like--"No Ai, that’s way too obvious.” So I thought up of other pokemon that were on their four legs. I picked Absol because I think he and Leona have a similar situation? Absol is believed to bring disasters, Leona is believed to not be that good of a prince... the truth is Absol can sense impending disasters and warns people--while Leona’s just suffered from a inferiority complex. So I thought that the pokemon who can sense disasters, accompanying Leona--who, to be honest, could make a great king if given a chance--would be a cool pair. Like, Absol predicting disasters and Leona being able to prove his worth thanks to Absol... I think that’s pretty cool! 

Absol can mega evolve. Here’s the thing, because Absol is a peaceful, laidback pokemon who hates fighting--an Absol who mega evolves means a lot. Leona’s Absol being able to mega evolve proves that Absol believes and will fight for Leona. 

He probably has a varied team. Mayhaps he also owns a Pyroar. 

Azul Ashengrotto

 Milotic - The Tender Pokemon. Water type. 

The first thing I thought of, was that I wanted Azul’s pokemon to be purely a water type. I also almost immediately chose the octopus--Octillery. I also considered Tentacruel. In the end, I picked Milotic. I think Azul and Feebas/Milotic have a somehow story. I like to imagine Azul clutching his Feebas, crying then swearing to it that they will get back at their bullies. Feebas is often seen as not desirable pokemon because it’s... well, not visually pleasing. So Azul can relate to that. Then when Feebas becomes Milotic, she becomes more desirable--which is what Azul does to himself, he builds himself into someone who people want to be. 

Azul’s Feebas/Milotic is definitely shiny. Neither of them knew this, but later on when they learnt about it--it was definitely something they both took pride in. Azul also pampers Milotic a lot, so she’s very very prideful and protective of her trainer. 

I can see Azul running a mostly water type team. Somehow, Azul would be a great battler, but even better at contests with his Milotic. 

Kalim Al-Asim

Darmanitan - The Blazing Pokemon. Fire type. 

You know how some pets end up looking like their owner or vice versa? That’s Kalim and Darmanitan. LIKE... I don’t know what it is--maybe it’s the smile? They sort of look alike and/or have the same type of vibes. Like... that smile? And the energy? The two definitely suit each other.

His Darmanitan would be the regular type from Unova, and not the recent Galarian version. 

Kalim... is likely not the type to really plan out his team I think. He’s the type to find a pokemon he likes, get emotionally attached, then add to his team. He’s definitely maxed his affection levels with them. 

Vil Schoenheit

Roserade - The Bouquet Pokemon. Grass and Poison type. 

I wanted to get Vil a poison type, but not many poison types fits his aesthetics--so I went for a pokemon with double typing. Now that I think about it, this can be a pokemon for Riddle too... but I like how Roserade is pretty and poisonous. It fits what we know of Vil so far hahah. 

Vil’s Roserade is definitely shiny. He either luckily got it in the wild, or it was given to him as an egg--either way a shiny Roserade is so pretty. Shiny!Roserade has purple and black flowers instead of the red and blue--which, honestly, aesthetically suits Vil so much. 

Vil definitely focuses on his pokemon’s grooming, and less on their stats--but he likely uses a poison centric type team that can wear away at his opponents slowly. Also he’s definitely in the contests sphere.

Idia Shroud

Mimikyu - The Disguise Pokemon. Ghost and Fairy type. 

Idia’s a basic bitch. I mean... For some reason, I thought it fit? Like, I was thinking “what about Idia” and Mimikyu immediately came up. Funny enough though, I don’t think Idia choses Mimikyu. It’s more like... Mimikyu attached itself to Idia and now refuses to let go LOL. 

Idia eventually grows to adore Mimikyu though, and let’s it be his signature pokemon. Without a doubt, Mimikyu is Level 100, Perfect IVs, EV trained, at max affection and probably has the z-move stone Mimikium.

Idia is probably the champion of NRC let’s be real. His Mimikyu is terrifying, but his whole varied team are equally as buff. They’re all Level 100, Perfect IVs, EV trained and at max affection. (“It’s finally my time” Idia would cackle).  

Malleus Draconia

Altaria - The Humming Pokemon. Dragon and Flying type. 

Honestly I wondered if this was such a basic choice to make for Malleus lmao. I did consider Hydreigon, Mawile, Grimmsnarl... but I chose Altaria specifically because it’s the only pokemon who can have both the Dragon and Fairy typing when it’s mega evolved. So yeah, obviously Malleus can mega evolve Altaria haha.

He definitely got Altaria when it was still a Swablu. He probably saved it without thinking, and Swablu gave him so much affection that Malleus immediately got attached. You can say Altaria is Malleus’s emotional crutch and also his security blanket. It’s because of Altaria that Malleus isn’t so lonely or sad much. 

Malleus probably has a team of dragons and fairy types--especially the pokes I mentioned earlier. I can also definitely see him with an Alolan!Ninetales and a Galarian!Rapidash. 

[unmeisenshi]

Story: Death Is Not Defeat, pt.5 (FINALE)

Solaris would roar, mega-evolving and speeding towards Sabbath. He would throw a Blazing Eagle, the punch connecting with the Urshifu's stomach and sending him into a nearby building. The Charizard would turn to Urie, grabbing him by his arm. "We're going. Now."

The Mawile would pull away. "No! I'm not leaving her!" He would fight and argue with Solaris, before the Charizard would grab onto his shoulders and shake him.

"Urie! We're taking her with us! She'll be properly buried! Now let's go! Don't let her death be in vain!" Urie would stop fighting, turning his tearful gaze to Solaris'. He would nod, hopping on his back. The Charizard would pick Miles up gently, cradling her and beginning to sprint. "Alright guys. Let's go!"

Everyone would begin running to the exit. Isaak would catch up to Solaris and Urie, panting heavily. He was scuffed and dirty, but otherwise unharmed. "Hey. Everyone in town made it out, yeah?"

Solaris would nod. "Yeah. Florence was able to get everyone escorted out. Why?"

"I've got a plan. A rather dumb one, but a plan nonetheless. It'll get these people away from the mafia and would decimate them. A very powerful spell. We need to get all of the people and ourselves as far away as possible!"

Solaris would nod, and would instruct the others on pushing the people back. Isaak, meanwhile, began flipping through his spell book, landing on the spell he was to cast and beginning to do so. The process on both sides took a long time, but eventually...

"It's ready!" The Delphox fired multiple fireballs into Star Magnolia. Not to hit anything, but setting them as a sort of explosive. Once enough were placed, he shot a slow moving orb that floated through the gate to the city.

"Take this, you bastards!" With one final push, Isaak's staff glowed a deep purple. It took all of his might to hold it in place. "Eternal..." And with a single swing of his staff, all of the fireballs reacted to the orb that was sent in. They all began to shake violently, before detonating.

...CONFLAGRATION!" Isaak's voice echoed loudly as the entire city was set ablaze. A large fireball formed that engulfed the entire city, and blew the brick walls apart. As soon as the spell was cast, Isaak fell to the ground. Zane would rush over, picking him up and checking his condition.

"He's still alive. Out cold, though." Zane would carry him back to the team, and the group would fly back home.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Avett would recoil at seeing the state that Misha and Beck were in. And the team would begin to mourn upon seeing Angel.

Many days would pass, both the Silvally and the Sylveon being buried outside of their house. Everyone was on edge. Each grieving the loss of their teammates. Avett spent his days operating on Misha and Beck, and would return with devastating news.

"Guys... Misha and Beck... They're bad, I won't sugar coat it." He would sigh. "I was able to get their bones mostly healed or replaced with metal rods, but... They won't be fighting fit ever again."

Everyone remained quiet. They didn't know how to feel about all of this. Solaris felt a bit responsible. He felt like things could have ended differently had the three tagged along. He had left them, and they got seriously hurt.

"Son of a bitch!" His voice cracking at the end, Solaris would stand up, lashing out by punching a wall. It left a decent sized dent in the wall. Tears would flow from his eyes, the dragon placing a claw over his eyes. He was taking everything incredibly hard. Not to mention Urie. He was out back sitting near Miles' grave. That's when Solaris looked to the team, and sighed.

"Guys... This will not be easy to hear, but..." He took a deep breath. "We need to get stronger. This event... It's shown me that... There are tougher enemies out there. Ones that we'll run into eventually. And with our combined team now short four members... We'll need to get stronger."

Solaris would get a bit choked up. "I'm instructing all of you... To leave Flora. Go somewhere far away from here, and train. Train, and get stronger. We'll meet back here in..." Solaris got choked up once again. The length of time he had in mind was incredibly long. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "We'll meet back here in three years."

Everyone remained silent. Three years to train. Three years away from the team. From home. It was a tough pill to swallow. But no one could argue that what Solaris was saying was true. Everyone needed to get stronger. To be able to take on any for, and to not let their friends die. Everyone nodded in agreement, wiping tears away as they let the news sink in.

Solaris nodded back. "I know this is selfish, but thank you for going with it. It's for the best that we all get stronger. I'll stay here with Urie, train him personally." The Charizard would sigh. "Well, I'll give you guys two days to get ready. To say your goodbyes to mates, and to mentally prepare."

Everyone nodded once more, and everyone would head off in their own direction, using the time they have left to prepare. Solaris would head out back, walking up to Urie. A gust of wind made the hills roll. Various flowers were placed around the two graves. "Hey, kiddo. How are you holding up?"

Urie would sigh. "How do you think?" The Charizard would wince slightly. "I had her, Sol. I had her. And I... I lost her."

The Charizard would sit down next to the Mawile. He would pull him in for a hug, holding him firmly. "I know, kiddo. I know... Things like this are hard to deal with. But you have to keep your head held high. Have to keep moving forward. It's what she would have wanted you to do, you know?"

Urie would push his head into Solaris' chest, beginning to cry into it. The Charizard lightly rubbed the Mawile's back as he did, letting a few tears fall from his eyes as well.

"Listen, Urie. We'll all be leaving to train soon. We'll be away for three years. You'll be with me. I'll be training you personally. I'll give you the time to grieve, but know that these next three years will be used to turn the pain of loss into a drive to get better. To get stronger. And we'll bring you on as a member of our team. So that you have a place to call home."

Urie would continue to cry, and would nod. "Okay... I'll... Get stronger for her... For all of you... I want... I want to make sure no one else dies..."

Solaris would pay Urie's back lightly. "That's good to hear, kiddo." The two would sit outside for a bit longer, watching the wind blow the grass and silently remembering their friends.

END

[shari-berri]

Gems

Steven Stone x reader

Normal POV

Today was the day Steven was going to explore a cave for stones. He was determined to find all amazing stones the cave had to offer. What he didn't know was that he would run into Y/N L/N.

Your POV

I have been sitting here minding away at the cave walls for at least an hour. Looking over at my partner, I asked him what he thought.

"Sableye how long do you think we've been here for?" I asked.

"Sable!" He grunts, holding up almost two fingers. I nod and he goes back to "work".

There is a pile of precious gems behind me that he is guarding.

He sits back over them and begins to chew on one that I gave him.

With a heave, I manage to pull the crystal gem out of the wall. Getting a closer look at it, I realize that it is a thunder stone.

Hearing a crack, I whip my head up at the wall and see that the wall is starting to break. Grabbing my back and my Pokémon, I jump back away just as the top of the area I had been standing collapsed.

Coughing from the dust, I look sadly at the smashed remains of my gems I had worked hard to mine.

Sableye grunts unhappily but turns around and hugs me, telling me he is happy I am not injured.

I slide down the wall with my back, holding my head in my hands and weeping.

"Go get help please." I request, letting out my other Pokémon.

My Ninetales and Mawile pop out, ready to help.

"Stick together and find help. Bring them to me please. Be sure to not get lost. Ninetales, I am counting on you to track your way back to me." I command.

They all nod and head off.

As I wait, I look through my bag. In my bag I find a couple gems and stones. I pull out and lay down a fire stone, water stone, and leaf stone. Looking closer at one of my gems, I see that it is a mega stone.

Grabbing my pokedex, I look up which stone it is. I already have Mawilite and Sablenite, allowing both my Pokémon to mega evolve. I have a necklace and my Mawile has a ribbon containing her mega stone. Sableye has a bracelet containing his mega stone.

I examine the mega stone and see that it is Absolite. I smile from ear to ear. I left my Absol in its pokeball, not wanting the person to think that it meant disaster was coming and they wouldn't help me.

Grabbing a chipped great ball, I throw it into the air, releasing a bright blue white light.

My Absol appears standing tall and proud. He looks at me and churrs.

"Hey buddy, come look at this!" I beckon him over.

He walks over and looks at my hand, seeing the mega stone.

"This is Absolite! With this you can mega evolve like Mawile and Sableye!" I explain happily.

His face lights up and he dances around. As I am celebrating, I hear my Ninetales calling around along with a male voice.

"Ninetales! Over here girl!" I cry out.

Ninetales appears with Sableye riding her back. Mawile is walking beside her with a man with blue hair behind.

Taking a closer look, I gasp.

My Pokémon have brought Steven Stone the champion!

My Pokémon spot me and rush over, calling out happily. They then look at Absol and nuzzle him.

"Hey. I was wondering why there were Pokémon bringing me here. Do you need help?" Steven asks nicely.

"Y-yeah. I was mining for stones and got hurt. I was wondering if you knew the way out and would help me walk." I explain, blushing in embarrassment.

He laughs lightly and grabs my hand, pulling me up from my sitting position. I take my bag and gesture to my Pokémon to follow me closely.

Soon we see a bright light, the exit for the cave. Steven leads me out and once outside, brings me to the pokecenter. He wraps my ankle with bandages and then carries me to the park.

"I never got your name." I says expectantly.

"It's Y/N." I say.

"As payment for helping me, would you like to battle?" I ask, pumped up for the challenge.

He nods and leads me to a field.

Bringing Absol over to me, I grab his paw. Absol, this is a bracelet I made for you. I was hoping I would find you a mega stone. If you wear this, you can mega evolve. Steven doesn't know I can mega evolve my Pokémon yet, so we are going to surprise him during the battle." I exclaim, slipping the bracelet with the Absolite onto his wrist.

Going up, I ask if it is an all Pokémon battle. He nods and sends out his first Pokémon. I begin to have second doubts as he is the champion.

He sends out his Aggron.

I nod at Ninetales.

She steps up and crouches down ready for a right.

"Aggron use hyper beam!" He screams, Aggron growling and charging up, releasing a beam of light.

"Dodge it!" I yell.

Ninetales jumps swiftly to the side, missing the attack.

"Use dark pulse!" Ninetales opens her mouth and sends out a string of dark matter at Aggron. He gets hit and grunts before shaking it off and using hyper beam again. Ninetales gets hit and falls to the floor. She struggles to get up until she goes still. I then see that her eyes are swirls.

I call her back into her pokeball and call for Sableye.

Grabbing at my necklace, Sableye grabs his bracelet. Steven looks on confused.

"Sableye, connect our hearts and souls, reach into my love for you and mega evolve!" I scream out, light blasting from my necklace and his bracelet. Sableye is covered in bright lights until he is left with a giant red gem.

Steven suddenly opens his mouth and nods, realizing that he just mega evolved. Clenching his fist, He calls out a hyper beam.

Aggron's hyper beam shoots quickly at Sableye. I don't have time to call out a move so he takes it into his own tiny claws and tries to block with his gem. His gem gets a slight crack but is otherwise fine.

"Use low sweep!" I scream at Sableye.

He charges at Aggron, leg glowing, and kicks him. Aggron growls and falls to the ground.

"Again!" I cry

Aggron can't get up fast enough and gets hit, fainting.

Steven returns him and pulls out his last pokeball.

His shiny Metagross comes out, landing with a thud.

"Let's even out the playing field a little. Mega evolve!" He screams.

Metagross is covered in light and comes out in mega form.

"Use psychic!" Steven commands

Metagross nods and uses psychic, hitting Sableye.

"Foul play!"

Sableye nods and hits Metagross.

"Quickly! Use will-o-wisp!" I yell, pointing at Metagross.

Sableye launches wisps of fire, hitting Metagross and burning him severely.

Hurt by his burn, he lets out a weakened meteor mash.

Sableye is hit and faints.

I scowl and call out Mawile.

As she steps up, I grab my necklace and she grabs her ribbon. Steven's face is pure shock. He seems stunned that I have two Pokémon who can mega evolve. Well he is in for a surprise when he sees Absol mega evolve as well.

"Let's go Mawile! Mega evolve!" She gets the same treatment as Sableye and emerges with double jaws on the back of her head, now wearing maroon.

"Use bite!" I command, Mawile nodding and rushing at Metagross. Her two mouths glow and she launches at Metagross, latching onto him with them.

"Shake her off!" Steven commands, his Pokémon twisting to get mine off.

"Quickly use sucker punch!"

Mawile nods and her hand glows with darkness, punching Metagross directly.

She is then thrown off, hitting the ground hard.

"Metagross! Use flash cannon!" Steven says.

Metagross unleashed a flash of light at Mawile, hitting her in the face. She falls to the ground onto one knee, struggling to stand.

"Try! Please Mawile! Try to get up!" I beg, eyes tearing up.

She shakily stands up

"Dark pulse and shadow ball!" I cry out, my throat becoming hoarse.

She releases dark matter in a line and then a ball of dark matter immediately afterwards.

Metagross has no time to dodge and gets hit, roaring loudly.

Steven and his Metagross are equally stunned that my Mawile used a move directly after the first one.

Smirking, I challenge Steven, glaring at him.

"Psychic! Throw that Mawile into the ground!" Steven demands.

Mawile is lifted up with pink energy surrounding her. She is lifted into the air and then thrown harshly into the ground. Once he dust cloud clears up, Mawile is seen in her normal form, swirls dancing in her eyes.

Pulling out her pokeball, I return her.

Grabbing the chipped pokeball, I kiss it for luck.

Spinning around, I chuck it into the air, calling out my last pokemon.

Absol appears with a loud cry, taking a battle stance.

Steven looks at me, awaiting my next move.

Before grabbing my necklace, I reflect on this. Absol has never mega evolved before and I saw what Korrina's Lucario did. I just hoped my bond with Absol is stronger and he is able to reach my love and control his new power.

Clutching my necklace once again, I cry out for Absol.

"Absol, connect our hearts and souls for the first time! Let's do this! Mega evolve!"

Absol is surrounded in light like the others, emerging with white wings, more leg fur, a longer fringe, and a larger "horn."

If Steven's face when he saw Mawile evolve was shocked, his current face now would be S H O O K.

His jaw was dropped, scraping the floor. His Metagross mirrored the look, even in its beaten stage.

"No time for gawking! Control your power! Don't be like Korrina's Lucario. You can do this! Use shadow claw!" I scream, locking eyes with Absol.

"Sol!" He cries. His claws glow and he leaps at Metagross, slashing him violently.

He landed on the ground. Without my command, he used dark pulse.

The only thought in my head was about if he was going insane. What if he turned like Lucario?

Looking into his eyes, I saw his pupils slowly dilate.

"Listen to my voice Absol! Please listen! Use shadow ball!" I plead.

He goes to use shadow claw, shakes his head, and opens his mouth. From his throat launches a ball of black and purple, hurling towards Metagross. It makes a direct hit and he collapses onto the ground.

"Absol! You listened! Thank you! You can control it now! Use shadow ball with maximum power!" I screech, probably damaging anyone in five mile radius' ears.

Absol plants his feet firmly and roars his name, opening his mouth.

From his throat formed the largest shadow ball I have ever seen. It was growing bigger and bigger and did t seem to be stopping. When it was the size of his whole upper body, he launched it at Metagross. Metagross looked weakly at Steven and got hit, knocking him back. When looking, Metagross had fainted and turned back to his regular form.

Absol grinned wolfishly and trotted back to me.

He was covered in a bright light and returned back to his normal form.

I collapsed onto my knees, pulling Absol close to my chest and burying my face in his fur.

Hearing a cough, I looked up and saw Steven holding a hand out. Grabbing his hand, I was pulled up.

"Shall we proceed to the pokecenter?" He coos gently.

"We shall." I say simply.

We walk hand in hand, Absol trotting behind us.

Going into the pokecenter, I returned Absol and handed Nurse Joy my pokeballs.

She healed them and gave them back.

Steven decided to rent out a room and offered for me to stay with him.

Too tired to protest, I nodded.

Once in the room, I collapsed onto the king bed.

I immediately fell asleep.

(Y/N woke up with Steven's arm around her waist, her back to his chest)

[crystalelemental]

I guess there’s new Sword and Shield news.  You can expect salt, but perhaps not as much as you’d think.

Let’s start with this: Gigantamaxing or whatever the fuck it’s called is straight up just Mega Evolution downgraded to three turns.  Fuck this stupid adjustment, this is absolutely ridiculous.  Oh, but the new moves are sure gonna be great!  Like the Rock one that just deals crazy damage and sets up Stealth Rock!  Yeah, instead of nerfing the biggest problem with competitive, let’s just make it even more easy to do!  Fucking Christ, you haven’t even shown off all the Pokemon, and you’ve somehow already broken competitive play worse than it already was.  I hate this.  It’s literally just, point for point, exactly the same concept as mega evolution, but for no reason, it’s adjusted to be some three-turn power-up with Z-moves built in for some reason.  Because balance!  I regret to inform you, Pokemon Company, that the problem here is no universal buff will ever play out for balance.  By making this effectively a universal buff, you’ve essentially just made it so that Lando-T and Heatran can mega evolve.  So if you honestly believe that this is going to make things equal, and that people will try out all sorts of combinations of Gigantamaxing or Dynamaxing of favorite Pokemon?  You’re way more incompetent than I thought.  You learned absolutely nothing from Z-moves.

That said...if this means that some Pokemon Dynamax, which is like a flat boost to stats, while others Gigantamax, which is considered a much more potent improvement on their stats, abilities, and typing?  That’s essentially bringing back Mega Evolution, which is what I wanted in the first place.  This means Mawile and Banette have something to work with.  My only complaint is that it lasts 3 turns.  That severely limits some of these mega forms.  Venusaur is a good example.  For three turns, it gains a ton of bulk...and promptly loses it, and is easily taken out again.  Mawile is super powerful for a turn, but because it’s still slow, it’s reliant on Sucker Punch...which makes it easy to play around with no repercussions now.  Banette gets to be super good, but good luck playing to its actual strengths of status spreading and priority Destiny Bond when you only have three turns to work with.  It’s essentially bringing back mega evolution, but it’s also a severe downgrade for those Pokemon, meaning they take a serious hit.

Of course, all of this is assuming it’s actually just a different form of Dynamaxing.  Like, the Serebii page specifies that Pokemon can only do this if they were caught in Max Raid Battles, which is severely limiting in its own right, but also implies that this isn’t quite mega evolution.  Best case scenario, mega evolution is now considered some inherent thing within the Pokemon, assigned by whatever made them a Max Raid Battle Pokemon, which means you no longer need mega stones, they can just do the mega evolution and hold an item like Mega Rayquaza, but it’s been adjusted to have that level of power for only three turns.  Worst case scenario, Pokemon with mega evolutions don’t have Gigantamax forms, and this is being considered a complete do-over on megas.  In which case, please give Absol’s Gigantamax form a Fairy typing and Tough Claws, like it deserved.

Really, I’m still incredibly apprehensive, but this is, essentially, the return of Megas, with an attempt to rebalance the system.  Which...is what they said they would do, and potentially could go over well.  Only potentially, though.  The Gigantamax Pokemon we’ve seen keep the same abilities as their base form, so there’s no guarantee anything good comes from this.  But it’s at least a slight hope that they’re not just removing megas entirely.

On to other things.  Not only are there version exclusives, but now the types in the gyms are different depending on the version!  ...show of hands, anyone else think that’s a little much?  I know we had Iris and that other guy in Gen 5, but they were at least both Dragon type, and the difference was mostly cosmetic.  But now we have one version giving a Fighting type leader, and the other giving a Ghost type leader.  I dunno.  I’m not really mad about it, it just strikes me as a really odd choice.  Their mains are Hitmontop and Mimikyu.  Not surprised Mimikyu was favored enough to make it in, but you heard it here first, folks: Sword and Shield will be making Hitmonchan a competitively viable Pokemon.  After all, one of the purposes of trimming down the Pokedex was to balance the meta, so this is hard confirmation that Hitmonchan will be competitive viable with this game’s release.

Version exclusives are starting to be noted, and...yeah.  Thanks, I guess.  Version exclusive Pokemon definitely isn’t a useless, awful concept at this point anymore.

New Pokemon, cool.  One of them in Gigantamax form is a huge cake, so I guess that’s a thing?  What kind of bizarre design is its base form going to ha-OH MY GOD THAT’S THE CUTEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN!  Alcremie is so precious.  Please don’t evolve it.  That’s actually my favorite now.  Holy shit I love you tiny whipped cream child.  And Gigantamaxing basically means it got a mega, so that’s pretty cool.  Oh man, this is starting to win me over.  Keep it coming, what else we got?

Okay Rolycoly.  That’s a neat little thing.  And apparently its new ability doubles speed if hit by a Fire or Water attack.  Since it’s Rock, Water is dangerous, but it might be able to survive.  Switching in on Fire attacks, though?  That’s gonna be fantastic.  Unlike Alcremie, who is perfection, I kinda hope this one evolves.  It just looks like something that would have an evolution, you know?

Duraludon is pretty cool looking, and Dragon/Steel is a great typing, I’m kinda glad we got another.  I hope this one’s good, but I’m scared it’s the pseudo-legend.  It fights with Tyranitar.  That implies this is a higher-tier thing.  I want to believe that no 4x weakness means it can’t be the pseudo-legend, but...I don’t think that’s a requirement, considering we had Metagross, and I think Goodra counted as well.

That’s it for actually new ones, but I never commented on the last two: Yamper’s cute, and Impidimp is the stuff of nightmares, why did they make that the first Fairy/Dark type?

New characters are...fine?  Fighting type leader seems cool, Ghost-leader seems kinda weird.  Rose and Oleana are...interesting.  I guess.  Mostly Rose has me worried.  He seems like a sports person.  I know they’ve only mentioned the Pokemon League, but I still worry every reveal about seeing Pokemon Soccer as a thing.

Overall, I...I largely like this one.  Mark it here, folks: this is the first good reveal for me since we started this. Not since the starter reveal have I felt positively about this game.  Well...”postitively.”  There’s still a lot of concern I have around Gigantamaxing, whether aspects of mega evolution are continued in this form or not, whether something like Gigantamax Gyarados is getting the Water/Dark typing with Mold Breaker, or it’s just keeping Water/Flying and Intimidate/Moxie like its base form, etc.  A lot of my positive feelings on this come down to whether Gigantamaxing is really just a re-tooled mega evolution.  If it’s mega evolution repurposed for a three-turn effect, and we can expect adjustments in the transformation, that’s fine.  I will actually be completely okay with that, because at the end of the day, Gigantamaxing feels like it’s doing the same thing mega evolution did: giving more significant boosts to the weaker Pokemon that needed it.  That is literally all I have ever asked of you, Pokemon Company.  If you can deliver on that, I will retract my decision to not get this game.

Although I gotta be real, Alcremie is already making me reconsider on its own...

[ganymedesclock]

Hey so remember that time that I was like “so I’m gonna come up with pokemon for some major Voltron characters, but I’m gonna limit it to two each because what kinda maniac would do full teams for 12+ characters”?

Me. I am that kinda maniac. 

Team Voltron in this post- Sincline plus Haggar and Zarkon later.

Lance Milotic [s] * Primarina * Gyarados * Swampert * Octillery * Lapras

Lance ended up with the single most evenly-typed team out of everybody I put here. The shiny Milotic is his signature pokemon but overall I can see Lance spending a lot of time with his team, both talking to them and grooming them. (if there’s anybody on the team I can see doing really well in contests, it’d be Lance)

Milotic and Gyarados are natural choices given the implication, as I’ve discussed before, that Lance is only a few steps behind Keith while not being a prodigy, and thus, a hard worker- so him getting pokemon that are regarded as pathetic, looked-down-upon initial evolutions, and refusing to give up on them no matter what, and reaping the rewards with a show-stopping team. 

Primarina arguably fits in for the same reasons (I remember when Sun/Moon started coming out, everybody dunked on Popplio) but with its final evolution being a ~beautiful mermaid~ there’s also no way Lance wouldn’t roll for that.

Octillery is a nod to Lance’s own brilliant marskmanship as well as being stated to be a calm pokemon that enjoys being fussed over, and Lapras are stated to sing to find each other, good for the empathetic connector that Lance is as a person. The swampert is both an effective canceler of electrical attacks (as Lance is pretty dang adaptable all things considered) and a nod to his connection with Hunk, the Earth paladin.

Keith Charizard (Y mega evolution) * Absol * Talonflame * Aegislash * Minior * Arcanine

I feel like Keith’s team, outside of the obvious fire motif, would be more ranger-like than focused on battling; the feeling from his house in s1e1 and the way he so clearly enjoys both the hoverbike and the outdoors strikes me as someone who would take very well to having a team that can let him tear across an open expanse or soar through the air. Either way, gotta have room to roam- his team has some rather large members.

I imagine Keith’s not a very earnest trainer. Most of his team came to him rather than him seeking them out, and they have funny personal stories behind almost all of them. The only exception is Charizard, who he got as a starter Charmander and who stuck with him the entire time he was shuffling around the foster system.

Aegislash are stated to be servants of those it believes possess a ‘kingly spirit’ and that one in particular doesn’t always listen to Keith, though it does sure seem interested in his welfare- it just sometimes disagrees with him on what that looks like. He’s never known it as a Honedge or Doublade- and it’s been around as long as he can remember. Perhaps someone asked it to look after him? It certainly nannies him an awful lot.

The arcanine he found as a growlithe hiding under a car, but it didn’t evolve until Garrison. Conversely the talonflame evolved really quickly; it was another adopted one (he found it after it hit a window and was able to nurse it back to health) I can see him using the talonflame more for exploration than for fighting.

Absol was a present from Shiro who thought they were similar-minded and could get along. (C’mon it’s a moody, well-intentioned prophet pokemon with flippy hair. I couldn’t not give one to Keith) It’s a little troubled but so’s he, so, they work.

Keith has no idea what’s up with the Minior. It latched onto him during his year in the desert and refused to leave him. He kinda thinks of it as a kindred spirit since they’re said to come from space and he feels pretty lost himself. (Kiddo you have no idea.)

Shiro Lucario * Skarmory * Mightyena * Umbreon * Scizor * Dusknoir

Veteran trainer who runs a tight ship, though not to his team’s detriment. A mix of dark and steel types, mostly, suitable for the tough-as-nails Black Paladin whose fighting style definitely has some shades of “brutally efficient”. As much as Shiro is an honorable and empathetic type, when it comes to life-or-death situations he goes for the throat big time. 

Thanks to his leadership, coordination and focus, they all made it through the missing year a bit beat up, a bit scarred, and pretty stressed- in particular his eevee didn’t exactly... plan to end up in that evolution but it had to evolve in the sunless sterile environment of the arena. 

Lucario is really nearly Shiro as a pokemon and I can see him sharing a very strong bond with it- the natural sense of justice, keen personal focus and that, for all of its strong instincts and wills, it’s a pack hunter that focuses on the idea of the group.

Skarmory is a pokemon said to refine its edge through experiencing hardship, battering its steel wings until it eventually regrows them and sharpens their cutting edge. Scizor fits in under that umbrella as well, since it’s another steel type and one that has to use its wings to thermoregulate, creating the image of an entity under pressure that has to regulate itself carefully. I sort of imagine during the missing year they spent a lot of time tanking for Shiro himself and for the rest of the team, and came out the most battered as a result. 

Mightyena is another socially-motivated pack hunter, which, given it’s a dark type and thus allegedly ‘evil’ would implicitly strike a balance between honorable and pragmatic, which is very significant to Shiro. 

Dusknoir’s a good sport, helpful and obliging, but Shiro sorta gets the creeps around it since he went into the missing year with only five pokemon (having given Keith his absol) and has absolutely no memory of when or where this one showed up and given its whole guide of the dead thing he sometimes wonders if it’s actually here for him in the not necessarily supportive sense of the term.

Hunk Donphan * Aggron * Bastiodon * Claydol * Golurk * Chansey

The donphan is his signature pokemon and primary companion- which matches his mentality basically perfectly as a relative slow mover that becomes virtually unstoppable once set on a single goal.

Hunk’s team pretty much embodies the dual nature of a compassionate protector of others with someone who will through-and-through mess you up if you tick him off or hurt his friends. You’d better believe that chansey is ready to throw down at any time of day. 

Aggron nicely embodies both with its propensity to restore and maintain its territory but also being a metal dinosaur that will protect that territory viciously.

Claydol and Golurk are more testaments to his curiosity and interest in technology. Hunk was the only one I gave a fossil pokemon, with the idea being he’s the sort of person who’d take the time to carefully nurse a revived prehistoric creature back to health. In general, I think Hunk’s team would be in good shape, like, he’s the type who just really enjoys taking care of them. He never officially signed up for the league (hence his lack of a starter) but just sorta accumulated pokemon that he made friends with.

In his defense most of these guys were a lot smaller when he started out and sometimes his donphan forgets that it’s not the size of a lapdog anymore. 

Pidge Rotom * Phantump * Porygon * Minun * Beldum * Cleffa

With only a single grass type, Pidge has the weakest connection to her element, but that much really makes sense- of the team she’s probably the most distant from understanding herself. Her team is all first evolutions as well- she’s got a lot of growing to do.

The rotom is both her signature and virtually never battles, usually hiding out in her laptop. They’re her best friend and avid confidant and she doesn’t like to have them occupy something they can’t talk to her through. (You bet your ass she has a Rotomdex. she built it herself)

Minun and Cleffa were gifts from her brother and her father respectively- Matt has a corresponding Plusle, and Cleffa because someone like Sam Holt who dedicated his life work to finding extraterrestrial life would be charmed by pokemon like the clefairy line that is rumored to have come from outer space. Pidge didn’t have much interest in the ‘conventional’ pokemon league and I imagine she only caught a few of her pokemon personally- most were from her family. Her mom got her Porygon partially in honor of her love of old-school graphics.

Beldum she caught all on her own! It was difficult- she killed an entire holiday- but she’s gonna have a metagross. As. soon as she can figure out how to encourage it to evolve. So far it’s not buying anything. Sometimes her Rotom has to chase it away from her laptop so it doesn’t try to dismantle her equipment. She has successfully trained it to fetch wrenches though.

Phantump is a new addition after her dad and brother went missing- they’re the spirits of lost children and while Pidge didn’t get lost as much as Sam and Matt did, I think that sense of being forlorn and isolated would lead her to quickly connect with a creature that felt the same way. By the time half of these babies grow up she’s gonna be pretty terrifying.

Allura Diancie * Audino * Florges * Altaria * Mawile * Espeon

Diancie’s basically a given. Of course Allura has a legendary, of course it’s the pink princess coming into her own, of course Allura’s team is mostly fairy types. Have you seen Mega Diancie? Tell me that’s not an Allura look.

Audino is a healer, Florges is a pokemon that explicitly makes gardens for royalty, and Altaria being a dragon bird basically is the embodiment of “beauty and grace and about to destroy your face.”

Mawile is also a nice testament to Allura’s toughness and strength of spirit, while Espeon is more a nice allusion to her strength of mind- also putting her as a counterpart to Shiro as the two leaders of the paladins. A very beautiful team, and a very competent one. 

Given Allura’s sentimental nature, I can see most of her pokemon being old childhood playmates, even Diancie- her apparent love of the outdoors and Altea’s climate would both imply that it wouldn’t be hard to run into powerful pokemon. So her team has a very strong emotional bond and are able to trust each other implicitly.

Originally I was going to give Allura Xerneas and Haggar Yveltal, but I thought that Diancie was a better fit for Allura, and while she’s OP, she’s not that OP, at least- not that consistently so the idea is they’re more entities that the two can call upon in times of need.

Coran Stoutland * Drampa * Probopass * Alakazam * Walrein * Carbink

Yes, I know what you’re thinking, and yes, yes I did.

That said Coran’s team is anything but a joke- he can and will cheerfully destroy you if you’re unprepared. His whole team is docile as sheep outside of combat, though- Allura has a lot of fond memories hanging out with that Drampa. 

Others (the Alakazam, Walrein, and Probopass) are a little lazier but still certainly friendly.

The carbink pretty much had to be there as soon as I looked at the relationship the carbink advisers are said to have with Diancie in the movie-verse since it’s basically the relationship between Coran and Allura just with pokemon. I sort of like the idea that in-universe working with Diancie and the carbinks is just a very standard affair for the Altean royal family- as diplomats they formed alliances with the pokemon in their environment before moving into space.

His signature pokemon is the Stoutland, through and through- a long-lived wise pokemon cited as a protector of others and a creature that will go through great toil to protect others. Also it’s such a stodgy, respectable-feeling thing, you can just imagine it patiently trotting along beside Coran on his way around the castle.

[hideyoshineki]

Pokemon teams for the YOI characters? (however many of them you feel like doing anyway)

I don’t know if you’re the same anon who’s been sending me things recently or if you’re someone different right now, but either way I love you and thank you!! ^^

I’m only doing the main three because this can betricky since I spend so much time thinking through each one. Ittook me forever just thinking up these three! This is really fun though! I reallyenjoyed thinking these up! (I spent sooo much time on Bulbapedia while doing thishahahaha!)

I was gonna put the explanations for each character’s teamtogether with the teams, but since I wrote a lot in the explanations I decidedto list all the teams first and then put all three explanations under a readmore. 

Yuuri’s Team:

Espeon

Audino

Lapras

Lilligant

Arcanine

Altaria

Victor’s Team:

Sylveon

Ninetales (Alolan)

Dragonite

Ampharos

Milotic

Roserade

Yuri’s Team:

Luxio

Litten

Glaceon

Lucario

Mimikyu

Fraxure

Yuuri’s Team Explanation:

I wanted Yuuri to have a Pokemon that he got after seeingVictor (like how he got himself a poodle after seeing that Victor had one), sothat’s why he has an Eeveelution. When he was young, he saw that Victor had anEevee so he wanted one too. Since then, while Victor’s evolved into Sylveon,Yuuri’s evolved into Espeon because high friendship level!!

I thought up Audino because that is a Pokemon I personallyreally like as it is a gentle, good-hearted and healing Pokemon, plus it hasits feelers that make it able to hear others’ heartbeat to know how they’refeeling and I dunno once I thought of that I thought it would just be reallynice for Yuuri to have an Audino. (Also I have the image of the Audino helpingout around the hot spring a lot and Yuuri’s mum has an especially soft spot for it and Ithink that’d be really cute).

I wanted Yuuri to have an Ice type, a Grass type, and a Firetype, which is where Lapras, Lilligant and Arcanine come in. Lapras is a reallynice Pokemon which also doubles as a Water Pokemon, so it was perfect to fillthat spot, while Lilligant is a good combination of gentle and tough. I wasstuck on the fire type for ages, and I was constantly tossing around Arcanine,Salazzle, Volcarona and even Torkoal for a bit in my head, but I decided to gowith Arcanine because canine doglike Pokemon + loyalty.

I was pretty torn about the last slot for ages. For a whileI was thinking Alolan Raichu because that was the first Pokemon that poppedinto my head when I got this ask, but it doesn’t really make sense how it wouldhave evolved into an Alolan Raichu when it’s in Hasetsu. I decided to make thelast slot Altaria because it’s a nice Pokemon and it means Yuuri has a Dragontype (and a Fairy type if he Mega Evolves it).

Victor’s Team Explanation:

Victor’s Eevee ended up evolving into Sylveon, mostly becauseI feel the conditions for a Sylveon Eeveelution would be most likely to be met,plus I feel that Victor has a way with Fairy types (which is why I’ve given himmore than one) and that the Sylveon is just as extra as he is.

The Alolan Ninetales is inspired from my own AlolanNinetales that I named after Victor. I think the look of the Pokemon with itslong flowing fur and its Ice and Fairy typing suits Victor perfectly. (How doesVictor get an Alolan Ninetales when he doesn’t live in Alola? The way I wentabout that was that the Alolan form of Vulpix/Ninetales came from them adaptingto the freezing temperatures of Mount Lanakila, right? So I figured why not thecold temperatures of Russia as well?)

I wanted Victor to have a Flying type and I was stuck for awhile because a lot of the bird Pokemon didn’t quite fit him but then I thought about Victor being skilled enoughas a trainer to have his own pseudo-legendary Dragon type, and thus Dragonitecomes in which is perfect as it’s Dragon/Flying. Dragonite is also a very happylooking Pokemon despite being a super tough pseudo-legendary so that made me love it withVictor even more.

The Milotic, Ampharos and Roserade are other Pokemon Ithought would suit Victor and I really liked the idea of Victor having thosePokemon, and I wanted Victor to have Pokemon of those types. (Plus his Ampharosis his Mega Evolution Pokemon and gives him another Dragon type).

Yuri’s Team Explanation:

I gave him Luxio because I think the Shinx evolutionary linesuits him and I feel that they’re Pokemon that are fierce but also loyal andcaring to their trainer and I really like the idea of Yuri having one. Thechoice for him to have a Luxio and not a Luxray yet is because of Yuri’s age asI feel that he hasn’t had long enough to raise a three stage Pokemon to itsfinal stage yet and that there is still room for both him and his Pokemon to grow.

Litten was a pretty obvious choice. Cat/tiger Pokemon that’salso a Fire type? Of course! In my head, I’m thinking of Litten holding onto aneverstone for now, because both Litten and Yuri are happy with it as it is (andalso I wasn’t sure whether I preferred Yuri to have a Litten or its evolution).

Glaceon because I wanted him to have an Eeveelution as well,plus I wanted Yuri to have an Ice type as well. (Ice type is the rarest type asit is, but Ice types that are also on the smaller side are even rarer. Glaceonis gorgeous and happens to fit!)

Lucario because I loved the image of Yuri bonding with aRiolu from a young age and them being really close. (Lucario is one of my favouritepokemon when it comes to the relationship between people and Pokemon). Plusit’s a Fighting and Steel type which I like the idea of Yuri having. (Oh, and it’s his Mega.)

I was torn between having a Mawile or a Mimikyu as his Fairytype. I went with Mimikyu because Lucario already fills the role of a Steeltype and the role of the Mega. Mimikyu is smol but damn is it tough, and plusthe additional Ghost typing is nice.

I spent ages figuring out who his last Pokemon should be. Iwas so tempted to give him a Meowth or Persian but I felt that giving him toomany cat Pokemon was a little too easy. I gave him a Golbat at one point butthen I realised that along with Lucario it would start to resemble Gladion’steam. After a while I figured I would want the last slot to be a Dragon type. Iconsidered giving him something in a pseudo-legendary evolutionary line (suchas Shelgon or Gabite) but decided against it. I eventually chose to give himFraxure as his Dragon type. He’s gonna handle that eventual Haxorus amazingly!