#ranger trainer class

[roxannarambles]

Writing practice, short scene with an NPC & Rika on Pasio. Just noodling around with how to write pokemon battles in a more anime style now that I've watched Horizons.

Laurel sighed.

She, of course, always preferred the great outdoors over being stuck inside. She was a pokemon ranger, after all. That's why she usually carried plenty of potions and berries on hand, so she wouldn't need to visit the pokecenters very often. But eventually, even she had to make a run to one of the centers so she could stock up on supplies. It was always so busy in the centers and she felt a bit claustrophobic in such a crowded little building. She waited impatiently in the long line and was grateful when she finally reached the counter so she could grab what she needed and quickly bail.

Bags in hand, her beloved partner Bayleef carrying an additional bag in her mouth, they were in such a hurry to leave that she almost didn't even notice the woman calling out to her.

"Miss! Hey there, I think you dropped something!"

The words finally registering in her brain, Laurel stopped in her tracks and turned. A tall woman dressed in a suit quickly closed the distance with a few strides, holding out a box of Max Revives. She had a lazy smile and striking red eyes.

"Oh! Wow, I didn't even realize-- thank you so much!"

A little embarrassed, Laurel set down a bag and accepted the box from the friendly stranger, who answered easily,

"Yeah, no problem."

Laurel tried to quickly fit the box of revives back into her bag, but she had so many items already stuffed into both the bags it was proving difficult; the box spilled back out onto the floor, along with some potion bottles. She grunted in irritation and stooped to pick them back up. She heard the stranger comment,

"Looks like you have quite the haul. Need any help with those bags?"

"T-thank you, but Bayleaf and I should be okay--"

Bayleef set her bag down and chirped, waddling closer to help her trainer out. When the pokemon reached down to grab a potion bottle in her mouth, though, her leaf smacked against one of the bags Laurel had set down on. The bag promptly flopped over and spread its contents across the tile floor. Laurel's eyes widened and she automatically chided,

"Bayleef! Ugh . . ."

Bayleef lowered her head and let out a whine, looking remorseful over making her trainer look like a dummy in front of someone else.

The stranger chuckled, but in a very good-natured sort of way.

"Aw, I'm sure it didn't mean it."

Laurel sighed and patted Bayleef's head, saying,

"Oh, I know she didn't. She only recently evolved and she's still not used to how big her leaf is . . . the other day she kept slapping me in the face by mistake."

The other woman held a gloved hand to her face and gave an amused little snort.

"Sounds like a handful. Here, let me help you out with all that."

"Thank you so much."

After they'd repacked her bags with her supplies, they had some casual chit-chat.

"Bayleef, huh? A Johto pokemon, right?"

"Yes!"

"I haven't seen one up close and personal before. Mind if I pet her?"

"Sure, go ahead! She's very outgoing. Just be careful of her leaf, ahaha . . ."

The woman patted Bayleef's round head, then ran a hand along her long neck. Bayleef made a happy trilling sound, swinging the leaf about on her head delightedly.

"Aaw. What a sweet face. She's quite the cutie."

Laurel put her hands on her hips and grinned, proud of her partner.

"Thank you! She is, isn't she? She's going to get a kick out of this, she really thrives on compliments."

Indeed, Bayleef seemed incredibly pleased. The other woman laughed and turned to her.

"Oh, does she now? And what about her trainer?"

Laurel blinked.

"Me? Um . . . hmm, I guess I do too."

"Well, in that case, you're quite the cutie yourself."

The woman gave her a playful wink. Laurel felt her face go hot immediately and she released a nervous giggle. Weakly, she answered,

"T-thanks!"

She watched the other woman cross her arms and acquire a thoughtful look.

"Say, you wouldn't happen to be up for a quick battle, would you? Just a little one-on-one."

The woman's brows lifted high and she fixed her with a crooked smile. Laurel was thrown off by the stranger's sudden interest, but she wasn't exactly complaining.

"O-oh, you mean right now?"

The stranger nodded.

"Yep! Is it a bad time?"

Laurel stammered out,

"No, it-- it's, uh, not really! Now is fine! Um, you feel like a battle, Bayleef?"

Her pokemon bobbled up and down with excitement.

"Great! Let's head outside, then."

They walked to a field just outside the pokemon center, where their pokemon would have plenty of space to move around. Then the woman, who'd introduced herself as "Rika," released her own partner from its pokeball.

Laurel stared in fascination as the large, blobby brown pokemon appeared. It was very round and had stumpy legs and a fat tail. Its gaze was vacant and it had a wide mouth stretched out in a dopey smile.

"Whoa . . . look at this fellah . . . so cute! And an absolute unit."

Rika gave the pokemon's back a loving slap, saying,

"Yep, he's a big boy, all right."

"What is he called?"

"Clodsire! I guess you're not too familiar with Paldean pokemon, then?"

Laurel shook her head.

"Not really. He kinda reminds me of Quagsire, though."

"Mmhmm. They're related species."

The strange pokemon was nudging his snout into the ground, which was soft from a recent rain. He was getting dirt and muck all over his face. Laurel narrowed her eyes.

"Related species? So he must be ground type. He sure looks like he is, anyway. Am I right?"

"You catch on fast! He's a ground type, you're right."

The ranger's eyes sparked in sudden excitement.

"That means Bayleef and I have an advantage! C'mon, Bayleef, let's get this party started!"

She quickly got into position, far enough away so she could command her pokemon without being in range of any attacks. The other trainer chuckled, apparently amused by her sudden enthusiasum.

"Sure thing. You ready to battle, Clodsire?"

The pokemon grunted, pulling his face out of the mud with a pop.

"You ready, Bayleef?"

Bayleef wriggled her tail, staring at her opponent and chirping. Laurel translated,

"All set!"

"Great. Then on my count. Three . . . two . . . one . . ."

Rika dropped her hand, calling,

"Go!"

Laurel shouted eagerly,

"Bayleef, nail 'em with an Energy Ball!"

Bayleef responded to her trainer's enthusiasum, quickly powering up her move and spitting out a glowy green ball of energy. Rika didn't even react, just stood there calmly and watched as the green orb struck Clodsire square on the head, sinking into his squishy brown skin.

Clodsire barely even batted an eye.

"Uhhh?!" Laurel squawked, shocked.

Calmly, Rika commanded her own pokemon.

"Heh. Go ahead, Clodsire-- try a Mud Slap."

The placid pokemon wriggled in the mud he had been wallowing in before giving the ground a firm slap with his thick tail. His aim was impeccable, a small jet of mud striking Bayleef right in the face, despite their distance. Laurel had still been so shocked about that Energy Ball she hadn't even thought to warn Bayleef.

"Oh, drat-- Bayleef, I'm sorry--"

Her pokemon shook her head, whining miserbly about the mud getting in her eyes. Laurel wanted to go help wipe her face off, but it wasn't very sporting to interfere with the battle in that way. She forced herself to stay in place, gritting her teeth.

Her arms crossed, Rika commented,

"Good work, Clodsire. How 'bout a little more, just to be sure? Give it a real good squirt."

Clodsire clapped his little feet gleefully and smacked the mud again with his tail.

"Bayleef, watch out!"

Bayleef was already too blinded to avoid it and was coated with even more mud, now dripping down her neck as she squeaked in distress. Laurel squeezed a fist and bit back the urge to snap at the woman commanding Clodsire. It isn't her fault, it's mine. I gotta do better.

"Bayleef, shake it off! C'mon, let's see another Energy Ball!"

Bayleef did her best to shake off the mud and spat out another green orb, but the move missed Clodsire by a mile.

"Ugh."

"Clodsire, might as well keep going."

Laurel felt herself losing her cool when even more mud coated her beloved grass pokemon.

"Hey! Are you just gonna spam mud slaps all day?!"

Rika seemed briefly surprised at the ranger's outburst, but then she just shrugged.

"Why switch up something that works?"

Laurel huffed back,

"It's such a dirty tactic, though."

The other woman chuckled dryly.

"Well, I'm not a Ground-type specialist for nothin'." She paused, seemingly taking in just how riled up Laurel was, and continued calmly,

"But don't worry so much about all that. Just worry about how you and Bayleef are gonna get around it."

Normally, such a comment might have upset her even more, but the way it was said didn't seem condescending, just gentle and friendly. And anyway, she was right-- Laurel needed to get her head in the game.

She sighed and tried to re-focus.

"Okay, Bayleef, are you sure you can't get that mud off? Maybe wipe it off on the ground or something . . ."

The dinosaur bent her head down to try and wipe the sticky mud off on the grass, but to limited effect. It was a shame her pokemon didn't have hands. If she did, she could just get that awful muck right off. If only she could . . .

Wait. Bayleef didn't have hands, but she did have something else.

Laurel pointed, suddenly inspired.

"Bayleef!! Try swinging your leaf around really fast! Maybe you can blow that mud away!"

Her pokemon chirped, nodding, and began swinging the large leaf on her head as rapidly as she could. To Laurel's joy, that big leaf kicked up a breeze very easily, and the mud quickly went flying off. Laurel cheered,

"Yeah!! Great job, Bayleef! Now quick, hit Clodsire with an Energy Ball!"

Chirping, Bayleef charged and spat out a large green orb. Clodsire was big and slow and couldn't avoid the attack, getting struck head-on once again. Although, once again, it seemed to do practically nothing.

"Heh heh, nice work. Guess I'll need to switch things up after all," Rika said, looking proud. Laurel frowned.

"Looks like I need to as well. Bayleef, try a Poison Powder!"

Rika waved her hand casually and commanded,

"Clodsire, Poison Sting."

Laurel's eyes widened.

"Poison Sting? Bayleef, quick--"

Unfortunately, Bayleef was so busy releasing its Poison Powder, the Poison Sting took it entirely off-guard. Bayleef cried out, the attack striking her in the face.

Meanwhile, Clodsire just had his big dopey smile, seemingly unaffected by the powder he'd been sprinkled with.

"Wait, is he part poison type?! I thought you said he was Ground!"

"Well, I never claimed he was pure Ground."

Laurel smacked her face with a palm, briefly.

"Ngghh. All right, get some distance, Bayleef, and put up a Reflect!"

Bayleef bounded away from Clodsire, glowing with energy, putting out a wall of light on her side of the battlefield.

"Oh, nice. But we can play that game too. Clodsire, Amnesia!"

It was pretty hard to tell whether Clodsire was using a move at all; mostly it just gazed vacantly into space and blew some bubbles in the mud. Laurel knew better than to underestimate her opponent, though.

"Okay, Bayleef, now another Energy Ball!" The ball of light struck Clodsire, but her attacks were doing even less now. Laurel tried not to let her frustration show.

"Good work, keep going, Bayleef!"

"Another Poison Sting, Clodsire, whenever the mood strikes you."

The pokemon whittled away at each other, little by little; this was a war of attrition, now. The type matchup was not in Laurel's favor, but Energy Ball was way more powerful than Poison Sting, and Rika didn't seem interested in using anything else. She wasn't even asking Clodsire to dodge anything! If Rika kept being this lackadaisical, they had a good chance.

"Again, Bayleef! Give it everything you've got, he's got to be worn down by now! And keep on your toes for the counter-attack!"

Bayleef powered up and spewed out a huge ball of energy, then jogged out of the way when Clodsire sent out a little jet of poison.

"Great!! Again, Bayleef, you can do it!"

From her side of the battlefield, Rika's voice came as cool and collected as ever.

"Attack if you see an opening, Clodsire, but don't stress it if you don't."

Flummoxed, Laurel looked to the other trainer. She demanded,

"Are you even taking this battle seriously?"

Her arms crossed, Rika quirked a smile.

"Of course. I take every battle seriously. Gotta rep to uphold, after all."

Laurel stared at her a few moments, trying to figure out if she was being honest. She looked to the battle, where Bayleef was still dodging Poison Stings and spitting out her own Energy Balls. She was fighting on like a real trooper, but the ranger could tell she was really starting to tire from the poison that was seeping into her leaves. Meanwhile, Clodsire was still taking moves like a massive sponge, somehow. Unbothered, moisturized, happy . . .

Laurel looked back to Rika, finally realizing why the woman looked so calm and relaxed. It wasn't because she didn't care about the outcome of this battle.

It was because she knew she was in perfect control here.

Laurel felt a chill.

"Bayleef--"

A notification chirped from Laurel's smartphone, interrupting her. She glanced down at her phone, seeing her sync stone was glowing. Her sync move was finally ready.

Excited, she touched the stone, pointing and calling out,

"Bayleef, Grass Beam!! Let's DO IT! Uh--"

Bayleef looked up to her, but she was panting and swaying on her little feet. A few seconds later, she collapsed.

Laurel groaned, setting her phone back down.

"N-never mind . . ."

She approached her pokemon and kneeled down, patting her head gently and then returning her to her pokeball.

"Thank you, Bayleef. Rest now."

She stood back up and turned to the other trainer, smiling ruefully.

"That was incredible . . . I can't believe how tough Clodsire is. We were throwing everything we had at it, and he barely seemed bothered!"

The pokemon in question had gone back to wallowing in the mud, wriggling playfully like some kind of weird puppy. Rika nodded.

"That's Clodsire for ya, he's a hardy one. Cool as a cucumber, too. And the calmer he is, the more hits he can take."

Laurel commented quietly,

"So that's why you weren't in any hurry to counter-attack."

Rika chuckled,

"Yeah, no need to do that when your opponent will wear themselves out first. Clodsire's very easygoing, and he battles best when he stays true to that. So I don't try to rush 'em, I've just learned to embrace it."

"Hmm . . . it's good you've figured out what works best for him."

Rika flashed her a grin.

"It works great for me, too! I've learned a lot from him about how to loosen up and not stress things in life. Hard to be stressed around this silly goober, anyway."

Clodsire wagged his fat tail and smiled up at Rika with a look of pure love.

"Aww. Well, it was very nice to meet you and Clodsire. Thanks so much for the battle!" Laurel said, reaching out her hand. Rika shook it, answering,

"Likewise. You and Bayleef have some real spunk."

Laurel noticed the symbol emblazoned on Rika's fancy black gloves as she shook her hand.

"You have such stylish gloves! Is that some Paldean brand-name?"

She seemed amused.

"Not exactly. It's the symbol for the Paldea League."

Laurel's brow wrinkled.

"The Paldea League? Wait . . . you mean the Paldea Pokemon League?"

Maybe it was fan merch. She didn't just battle a gym leader, surely . . .

"Yep. I'm one of their E4."

Laurel felt her soul exiting her body. She screeched,

"E4?!?"

To Rika's credit, she didn't even flinch at Laurel's shocked outburst-- just continued to look faintly amused. Laurel carried on,

"Y-you can't be serious?? You're-- you-- why--"

She paused, taking in a steadying breath,

"Why on earth would an E4 member want to battle with someone like me?!"

Rika's amused expression immediately dropped into a frown.

"What do you mean by that?"

She swallowed.

"U-uh, I just mean . . . I'm, I'm just some nobody around here! Some of the strongest trainers in the world are gathered in Pasio right now, I'm sure there's dozens and dozens of more interesting people for somebody of your caliber to battle!"

Rika dropped a hand on Laurel's shoulder. She chuckled,

"Hey, give yourself a little credit! That was a good match. 'Sides, not every battle has to be super serious or hyper competitive to be fun, right?"

Laurel glanced away, mumbling,

"I-I guess . . ."

Rika gave her a shoulder a squeeze before releasing her and agreeing,

"Yeah!"

Laurel muttered,

"Geez, no wonder I couldn't win. And you were just using Mud Slap and Poison Sting . . . there's no way that's your usual moveset, is it?"

Rika shoved her hands in her pockets and answered casually,

"Mmm, I might be using a scaled-back moveset for all my Pasio battles."

A handicap. Of course.

"Now I feel even sillier . . ."

The E4 member shrugged.

"No reason to. I can promise you're far from the only person on this island to lose to a Mud Slap Clodsire. Don't stress it."

Laurel gazed at her a few moments, sensing how sincere she was. She glanced down to Clodsire, who was rolling around in the mud without a worry in the world.

She smiled.

"Yeah, okay. Thanks, Ms. Rika."

"Just Rika. I can't stand any stuffy formalities. And hey, it was nice getting to know you a bit. Maybe we can do this again sometime."

[ranger-rai]

Scientist (Trainer class)

Oh man, scientists are some broad stokes when it comes to trainers.

While many people believe they are white lab coat wearing researchers, many scientists are actually very active for their research.

Due to their need to be out in the field researching, sometimes up close with some dangerous or aggressive pokemon, a lot of Scientists are given memberships for fotness facilities and health check ups when actively researching.

Grants are incredibly important for them as well, so if you're a keading scientist for a still developing research, workspaces can be provided, as well as access to interns from local universities.

A lesser known tip is that scientists have a special discount at PokeMarts, but usually for basic supplies and the necessities, but each store can vary.

Just make sure you keep some copy of your current researcher ID.

[unintentional-sad-wizard]

I don’t usually comsume caffeine (my body just doesn’t handle it well) but given that I am starting work again and extremely fatigued as a result I fear I must begin experimenting with it again. Anyway. Time to see what 100mg of caffeine does to my (extremely exhausted, zero caffeine tolerance) body today.

[enchantedlantern]

All these pokemon leaks, all these gen 3 things, and I haven't seen a scrap from the Orre games, can't have shit as an Orre fan

[gabbertrapmix]

Head Ranger of the Unova Nature Preserve, reporting for duty!

Used a different brush than usual, can't decide if I like it or not :V

[pokemonshelterstories]

Hello Charlie, writing in from Unova here. My kid saw an axew on tv recently and has become absolutely enamored with them. He’s too young for a Pokémon, but I’m already trying to gently handle questions about hypothetically getting one. Dragon types are tough, especially a line like Haxorus. So far I’ve gotten him a plushie, which he takes with him everywhere.

Do you have any fun facts I can share with him about the line? He seems to want to know anything and everything about dragon types these days. Your blog mentioned that you were certified I believe, would you mind sharing a little about that too? While I hope my little one eventually gains an interest in a Pokémon a little easier to handle, there is still plenty of time after all, if he does decide he eventually wants to go down that path, I’d like to support him.

With love, a mother from Unova.

i think a plushie is a great idea! back when i was a kid, there was a period of time when i got really fixated on the idea of having a slugma. obviously not going to happen, but my dad managed to find out and sent me a plush slugma that i carried basically everywhere. i have no plans to ever get a slugma now, but i still have the plush!

axew are really interesting little pokemon. it's super important to let them engage in play, though it often freaks first time axew trainers out because their tusks often break during playtime. however, they actually need to break their tusks multiple times before evolving! their tusks grow back stronger after each break. once they evolve, the lose the ability to grow their tusks back, so strengthening them pre-evolution is necessary to prevent them from becoming brittle and snapping off once they've evolved. the axew line is actually one of the better lines to start with in terms of temperament. although they're territorial towards unknown individuals of their evolutionary line, they're actually pretty laid-back and gentle with people and other pokemon. unnecessary fighting risks their prized tusks, so they're not aggressive outside of territorial conflicts. that doesn't mean they're easy to care for, by any means, but they're more forgiving than a hydreigon or garchomp.

as for my certification, it was a multi-year process. there are different ways to get certified as a type expert, but i'm certified with the international rangers union as a civilian type expert (although i volunteer with the rangers, i'm still counted as a civilian for these purposes). i had to take both a written and practical exam, get a certain number of hours of work experience with dragon types, and write a research article about a dragon of my choosing. i also have to take another written test every ten years to prove that i'm staying up to date with research. it's a lot of work to get certified by any major institution as a type expert, but it's something anyone can do with enough experience and passion for it. it helps to get an early start in pokemon handling- trainers' schools, the rangers, and plenty of pokemon training organizations offer camps and classes for younger kids if he's interested!

thanks for encouraging him to engage with his interest in a safe way- he's going to appreciate that for the rest of his life regardless of whether or not he ends up working with dragons.

[nutsackx]

POKÉMON X THE OUTSIDERS AU

info under images lol

if anyone reposts these like the cowboy or scientist au I’m deleting my whole account watch your bakc

I’m gonna preface this by saying I haven’t played or even really indulged in Pokémon for like… 7 years so forgive me if any of this is off or doesn’t make sense…

ANYWAY!!

Original gang is just the Curtis brothers. Ponyboy, after years of putting it off to put time into school, decides he’s finally ready to try being a Pokémon trainer (he’s a bit of a late bloomer, starting at 14 instead of ten…yikes). Usually, their father would’ve helped him on his journey….but he’s, dead, so. 

Darry agrees to help him, eventually Soda gets dragged along too because he’s worried Pony and Darry fighting 24/7 will ruin the experience for Ponyboy. And, Soda, being a Pokémon ranger, has a lot more knowledge than even Darry about how to safely go about this. 

First they come across Steve. Soda and him are already besties, of course. And they have kinda a rivalry going on where they are constantly tryin to one-up each other (all in good faith lmao). It’s not until Steve starts talking about how he started with Pokémon that Darry realizes just how different it was than when he was starting out. Steve agrees to come along, mainly saying he thinks Pony’s gonna get himself killed cus’ he SUCKS!!

After all the yada yada and defeating his first gym leader, Pony finds a dead Radicate and REFUSES to move on until they give the poor creature a proper burial. Since they’re already relatively close, Darry redirects the group to Lavender Town. 

While inside Pokémon tower, they come across a decrepit, old, decaying black-belt class trainer (Mr.Miyagi ((yeah I put him in here, what are you gonna do about it?)),sorry for all the mean adjectives) who of course starts being an old man and going on and on about the boy he fosters there and how weird he’s acting lately (Darry refuses to interrupt because he RESPECTS HIS ELDERS!!!). 

Mr.Miyagi admits that not being around people his age has probably messed with his development, practically calling the boy a hermit, and asks the guys to bring him along in exchange for a very strong Gengar (for Pony, ofc). Darry, upon hearing that the boy is a strong fighter and MUCH quieter then the rest of the freaks he’s dealing with, agrees. 

They go from floor to floor looking for him, eventually finding a cloaked figure on some fuckass floor idk. It takes a minute but they’re like, damn, this hoe possessed! And they battle him, he’s hard to beat but they do it eventually, yada yada. Johnny then takes the hood off, apologizes profusely, and explains that he’s a channeler but not really good at his job yet. (also imagine him with the most fuckass stutter, like Shaky from rdr)

The guys inform him about their promise to Mr.Miyagi, Johnny’s upset for t-minus two minutes before he’s just like “whatever okay” and joins them. (Quickly becomes the favorite, ofc, because he can actually shut his damn mouth). 

They move on to the next gym, yk how it goes…but yeah they come across a traveling circus. And you’ll NEVER GUESS WHO IS A CLOWN!! 

So anyway, Clown-bit, we love him. They come across him, agree to fight so he’ll give them some food and pokeballs, and Pony beats his ASS. 

They don’t really invite Two-Bit along (they think he’s annoying…who doesn’t?) but he just joins anyway. Imagine like constant clown puns. Also he and Johnny quickly take a liking to each other cus’ they’re both kinda outcasts of the group (Johnny’s known the guys for like, a week…and Two-bit Just showed up. Also, we need more Johnny and Two-Bit friend content so).

They keep going, Pony defeats a few more gym leaders, and takes notice that a lot of them seem to recognize someone on their team. When he askes, Johnny admits to being the son of one of the elite four. At first, Pony is thrilled by the info, until he pries a little more and realizes Johnny’s father was an abusive asshole and pretty much sent him away to Pokémon tower to force him into becoming a trainer. Yikes. 

Anyway, on their journey they come across some UGLY blonde guy, like one of those biker trainer classes yk..? Anyway yeah it’s Dallas, shocker. He kinda just gets in their way and refuses to move until they ALL battle him. Obviously, they don’t wanna do that, a lot of work for some ugly freak (did I mention he’s ugly?). 

They agree to let Ponyboy fight him, but he uh…loses. After a bit of back and forth Dallas agrees to let them go if they help him get to the Indigo Plateau in Kanto, so he can face off against the Elite Four there (his bike is old, cus yk…he’s poor.) 

Darry at this point has an entire league of teenagers following him around, so he’s like what’s one more? And boom they move on. 

I don’t have much planned out from here (this was all pulled from my ass anyway). Maybe the Shepards can be like…the Team Rocket of this AU?? And Soc’s are the gym leaders. 

Also, Yeah Cherry and Marcia are both Kanto elite four cus I SAID SO!!! And uh…Johnny and Cherry are dating because it’s MY AU AND I DO WHAT I WANT!!!! She’s the breadwinner and that’s okay, we love her for it <3

twobit prolly falls in love with Marcia when he sees her but idk if she’d reciprocate with an actual clown. Mayeb Randy lowered her standards???

anyway. That is all. Might flesh this out more if the obsession grows, or it’ll die in a week like the Crazy Scientist stuff. Oh well!

EXPLANATION OF DESIGNS/MORE INFO—

Ponyboy

CLASS: Youngster 

Ngl his design took very little time…..oops

his cap hides a really bad dye job, and he refuses to take it off

He chose squirtle as his starter, idrk why but squirtle just suits him. Maybe cus he almost drowned!!

Would’ve fought to the DEATH if he didn’t get squirtle. This boy knows what he wants 

He has a little pokeball necklace that his mom got him as a joke, will kill someone for it 

He deffo has a really nerdy messenger bag that he keeps all of his stuff in

He’s scared of his own Beedrill 

He does NOT need those glasses. But he likes them becuase he thinks they make him look more professional (everyone can tell they’re blue light glasses)

Sodapop

CLASS: Pokémon Ranger

LOVES his job and therefore is almost always seen in uniform

he loves electric/steel type Pokémon cus they reminds him of cars, so his hair is usually sticking up because of static electricity 

has a whistle, but Darrel stole it and tossed it into the forest VERY early into the journey 

yellow is his favorite color cus I said so

Raichu is his PRIZED Pokémon 

He’s kinda like Snow White the Pokémon love him 

His Flareon and Johnny’s Espeon are best friends 

Darrel

CLASS: Veteran 

Wanted to be a football player, but couldn’t because that wouldn’t keep the family afloat, that’s why his outfit has the numbers on it. 

Lot of scars, some from football and some from his days as a trainer 

His outfit used to have sleeves, but he found them annoying and just shopped them off one day 

Always keeps the spare pokeballs on him 

In highschool he had his hair grown out, but chopped it after their folks died because his father was always trying to get him to cut it 

I don’t really have a backstory for his necklace, buts it fire okay

Treats his Pokémon VERY well, if there was a trainer rating website he would be top 5

Picks his Pokémon based on size and strength

Two-Bit

CLASS: CLOWN

Obviously he’s a clown so, that explains the outfit 

NEVER seen without the makeup, even when it rains or he’s sleeping…that stuff is ON THERE

He has false lashes on his waterline, and yes they’re pink 

He is incapable of being quiet because of all the bells 

The hat doesn’t come off. if it did his hair under there would be hella matted 

All of Two’s Pokémon are just as annoying as he is, he hides earplugs in his shoes for people (they never take them) 

FATASS can and will eat anything in sight

Mr.Mime is his favorite of all his Pokémon….they ate both annoying together and everyone hates them for it 

Johnny

CLASS: Channeler 

the scar on his eye is from his father 😬 from when he figured out Miyagi wasn’t actually training him to be the next member of the Elite Four…. the eye is blue because of some psychic shit idk 

His outfit is from Miyagi entirely, the sleeves used to be connected, but he found it too annoying to fight in those so he tore them (Miyagi was secretly VERY unsettled) 

If you look really closely he has purple eyeliner

Johnny refuses to cut his hair, so it’s usually in a braid to be out of his way, he lets it down sometimes 

He has the little flower charm connected to his belt…what a cutie 

His hood is actually up a LOT, most of the time his face is obscured 

There’s flames on his sleeve….wonder why (not the reason you think okay. His father was a fire type trainer…JOHNNY LIVES IN THIS AU OKAY.)

also the metal things around his arm are like…incredibly heavy. Mr.Miyagi put them in originally so he could build muscle while doing everyday things, but Johnny insists on keeping the on forever. 

Loves all of his Pokémon equally, and they love him back. Always has atleast one out of their Pokeball so he doesn’t get lonely….my baby 

He doesn’t even like the color purple that much it’s just kinda his thing now 

Pokémon FLOCK to this man 

Dallas

CLASS: Biker

Tore the sleeves off of his jacket as well…they really like doing that 

YELLOW teeth and GREASY hair he does not take care of himself

Really likes dog-looking Pokémon 

Has an empty slot because one of his Pokémon just DIED LMAO (idk which one. Oh well) 

Has rips in his jeans, does not plan on fixing it 

Hand-carved his belt buckle. The ‘win’ in Winston is underlined. Ignore the fact that this idiot keeps fucking losing 

The bandages are protecting nothing. He thinks it makes him look cool

Pokémon are revolted by him. Like, his own literally hate him. 

Steve

Class: Hooligan

kind of an ass, but he looks cool

any cutscene of him he’s making sure his hair is still spiked trust

loves steel type Pokémon because…cars

his favorite color is green, making any green Pokémon his all time favorite

for being a little shit, he treats his Pokémon rather well

has studs ALL over his back, once leaned back on Soda and has never heard the end of the pain he caused

he has a tongue piercing….so….

when the gang is lacking resources, he and Dallas are the first to steal

[localpokemonranger]

PLEASE tell me they were being ironic???

Just heard someone refer to their job as their "trainer class" and I just...

I know other regions are more trainer dominant, but seriously?

I am a ranger. Period. That is not a sub-type of trainer, that's it's own identity.

"That rancher is a trainer!" "That schoolteacher is a trainer!" "That preschooler is a trainer!"

Y'all are wild.

[the-ninja-legacy-whip]

sorry this is so random but what pokémon do you think the ninja would have

...Choco. Choco do u realize what u have just done. U have unwittingly and randomly handed me the keys to ramble about the Pokemon AU I've been stewing on the backburner since March. It's 5:30 in the morning where I am as of receiving this and I have never shot awake so fast to make a fool of myself

PREPARE FOR THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS

Sooooo I'm probably only going to go into details over everyone's "Aces", since a) I don't wanna spoil TOO Much in case I decide to write this in like 2028 and b) I haven't exactly finalized all the teams yet anyway, but. I have. a Lot of Thoughts. PREPARE.

Anyway.

*claps hands*

*spotlight turns on*

Allow me to set the scene, for those of you who have dared to plunge into the manic machinations of my mind...!

The Main Six have been friends and lovers of Pokemon Battles since Lloyd was a young child, but due to Lloyd being so much younger than the others, they were allowed to go on a Pokemon journey years before he could, not only leaving him behind but also going on to become the Core Elite Four + Champion (...which is the concept where this whole outrageous idea spiraled from hgfdds).

So as Lloyd bides his time to become a trainer to find them again (and maybe rough them up for leaving him behind so easily), he studies up on as much Pokemon knowledge as he can and single-handedly winds up memorizing the PokePendium (the PokeDex lmao) and becomes extremely passionate about all Pokemon as a collective

...but there's another issue: as he trains under Wu in the hopes of bonding with his future Starter Pokemon, he has a hard time bonding with any Pokemon that aren't Dragon-type, which...does not make for easy pickings when it comes to assembling a well-rounded team. (He sorta ends up with several of the pseudo-legendary Dragons by the end of the journey, but those aren't the only Pokemon he collects either. (A) that'd be boring and B) he wouldn't be able to get past the Fairy-Gym Leader very easily.....)

But otherwise he is very much Dragon-Trainer Class

Anyway when he's finally old enough, he sets out on his journey with his other closer-in-age friends Brad, Gene, and Sally who all get Applin as a Starter Pokemon while making their way through Wildwood. Lloyd is initially unimpressed with this, but Sally thinks its cool they're all starting the same way and will be a good comparison point for how their journeys get shaped uniquely to them (or something equally symbolic)

Lloyd's evolves all the way into Hydrapple, while Brad has shiny!Dipplin, Gene gets Flapple, and Sally gets Appletun

(I know there's probably a better initial pick for Lloyd but I felt like Applin would made for a good 'starter' Dragon plus it's a Grass-type which is also the closest thing to 'Life Energy' Pokemon has. I'm mostly going off vibes here sue me)

Ultimately I want Lloyd to end up with a team of Dragons that reflects the Core Four + Nya too. So Applin/Hydrapple reps his Element, and then he'd have a team of dual-type Fire (there are. two options for this. might pick Turtornator for uniqueness), Electric (gonna be Mega!Ampharos cuz I'm biased and the non-legend electric dragons are bleh), Ground (How can it not be Garchomp, other than that Flygon is green and more thematically fitting hgfdfd im on the fence. maybe I'll give Garchomp to Cole and then Flygon can be Lloyd's Fly user. decisions), Ice (Baxcalibur. did not know this was a thing until I researched), and a Lapras (not a dragon but still very friendly and helpful in water. also just has sisterly-Nya vibes), to parallel how his powers in Legacy!canon are technically a combination of all of them bla bla bla.

Miranda also eventually gives him a Poipole as the Sixth Ranger, as "he's gonna need it". Turns out its to help deal with her brother

And speaking of the Ninja, time to ramble about them! Obvs they each have their Element as a primary type, but I also gave them secondary-types just to vary things up a bit.

Kai: His secondary typing is Fighting because is that basic bitch hgfdgfd. On the fence about his Ace BUT now in this Post-Monstrosity world he's GOTTA at least have a Centiskorch on his team. Also has a Pyroar cuz Vulcanell

Jay: His secondary-typing is Flying of course, and his Ace Pokemon is Magnezone. I also imagine Miranda giving him a Xurkitree at some point, and he has a Grapploct because it is LITERALLY his colors, and an octopus, just not necessarily on his E4 team

Cole: He of course specializes in dual-type Ground and Rock, but his Ace is a Krookodile named Rocky <3 It would also be really funny if he had an Alcreamie strictly for its cake-based Gigantamax form, but that's one of Jesse's. ALSO why is there no ground-gorilla pokemon this is a crime-

Zane: His secondary-typing is Psychic, but has a few Steel-types in his back pocket too. His Ace is Alolan Ninetails cuz Eirlys <3 Can also see him having an Aurorus (very close to 'Aurora'), Abomasnow, and Alolan Sandslash. (but I have a LOT of ideas for Zane, but they don't make a super comprehensive team is the problem hjgfdfgd)

Nya: Her secondary-typing is Steel, and her Ace Pokemon is Empoleon, but also heavily favors her Milotic and Araquanid (it looks like the Water Strider + I LOVE this thing) and HAS to have a Palafin for her dolphin adoration, even if she doesn't necessarily use it in her Champion battle <3. Might also give her a Samurai-esque Pokemon, but I'm still thinking on it :d

Other Assorted Thoughts:

Wu is the dude that gives out people's first Pokemon. He manages the general overall Pokemon League, but he isn't the "professor"

...that would be Misako, creator of the PokePendium who also leads a double life as a vigilante Steel-type Trainer. No wonder Lloyd has such unlimited access to its info. Her Ace is Aegislash and probably has a Skarmory and a Duraludon (literal iron dragon)

Studying under her is Miranda, a Researcher of Ultra Beasts and Paradox Pokemon, aspiring to make her own PokePendium out of 'rarer' clarifications of Pokemon. Any Pokemon she finishes gathering data for she gifts out to friends (and especially her brother). I know I had assorted ideas about her in a Pokemon!AU years ago, but like, if you even remember any of that, throw most of it out the window lmao. Her Ace is a Rotom (she doesn't battle much, mainly only to test the capabilities of UB/Paradox Pokemon)

Sunni is a Pokemon Coordinator specializing in Weather-affinity Pokemon. Her Ace is obviously Castform, and other Pokemon that capitalize on Weather-changing moves (such as Cherrim). Hands out weather-rocks like candy. Runs into Lloyd a lot due to traveling for her contests.

Harleigh is a Pokemon Ranger specializing in Region-variant Pokemon, and her Ace is Sableye

Bridget is a Pokemon Frontier Brain that specializes in cultivating Shiny Pokemon, and her Ace is Cetitan

Mystake is the "Nurse Joy" and somehow simultaneously runs every Pokemon Center/Poke Mart, but Lloyd's not complaining. She has a little Sinistea and a Zorua prancing around her shops, and supports Lloyd as he gets farther and farther from home

Borg is the developer of all Rotom-related tech + creator of the 'PC Box' in this universe

Brad, Gene, and Sally are the rival characters, if we didn't pick up on that already. Brad is a Grass/Bug type Pokemon Breeder (the motivational!rival), Sally becomes a Pokemon Idol and has musically-inclined Pokemon (such as Chatot or Jigglypuff, and is the friendly!rival), and Gene has no specifications but he IS that Ace Trainer to try and min-max everything he has (thus is the jerk!rival jgfdsgfd)

Antonia and Nelson are like inverse!Team Rocket, who keep cropping up to support Lloyd but wind up leaving some kind of chaos in their wake jhgfdgfd

*stretches*

Garmadon ofc is the Boss of the evil Shark Army team. Buncha Dark-types on this guy. Maybe some Psychics for spice since I don't really have much psychic rep here otherwise hmmmm

Olivia is ofc the Admin of aforementioned team. Her Ace is a Sharpedo and also generally rivals Nya's Water-types gfds

Gym Leaders- Dareth (Normal, everyone's favorite gateway into the league), Ronin (Bug, cuz he's a roach lmao), Tox (Poison, channeling Leader Roxie vibes), Morro (Ghost, look guys he gets to be alive in this one. I could've made it Harleigh but I DIDNT), Pixal (Steel, all her pre-trainers are her sisters. her gym is in the central 'big main fancy city' and obv Borg Tower), Skylor (Varied, specializes in mimicking-Pokemon tho. her gym doubles a a fight club)...and then there's the last two

Dark-type Leader!Harumi is actually the previous Champion, vanquished by Nya and dropped considerably in rank after the crushing loss. This made her bitter to the entire Pokemon League, and sympathetic to the Shark Army's desire to reform the structure. Her Ace is Drapion with Spiritomb as a backup, but also heavily favors a Banette despite that being a Ghost-type. Emphasizes with Lloyd due to him technically being on a revenge quest of his own, but is surprised that he mostly just wants his old friends back

The Eighth Gym Leader is a (primarily) Fairy-type specialist who hardly ever gets to actually battle since so few people ever actually make it past Pixal, Skylor, or Harumi, but in Lloyd's dragon-oriented case, this guy might as well be his ultimate kryptonite. But just who could this mysterious, intimidating individual be???

It's Jesse it's fucking Jesse lmao

Jesse spends most of his time as a Pokemon Performer in Showcases in West Haven, given that his gym practically gathers dust otherwise and he's gotta make some bank and keep himself sharp somehow. Due to how well-know he is for his Performances, very few people register that he's also a Gym Leader. But his pre-Gym test for Lloyd is to make him do a performance and demonstrate his bond with his Pokemon hgfdgf

His Ace for Performances is a Blacephalon given to him by Miranda ofc, and like. this is THE Surprise Pokemon I don't care what anyone else says Blacey is peak Jesse vibes and I will die on this hill. It literally absorbs people's excitement (by surprising them) and uses it for its own energy. Did I ghostwrite this. I love this thing how did it appear in only ONE GAME–

Anyway, Jesse's Ace for Gym Battles is the Paradox Pokemon Iron Valiant, also given to him by Miranda. The Gender non-conforming energy too strong with this one. He also has a Florges (flowers!!), Alcreamie (as mentioned earlier, and of the Love Sweet +Ruby Swirl variety), a Granbull (nicknamed Pocket), and Tinkaton. i dunno WHAT i was thinking giving him Appletun before lmao

His job is literally to make sure people are prepared to handle the higher difficulty of the Corridor of Elders (Victory Road) ahead, hence why he (and Harumi) tend to have a higher spike in battling difficulty. It's just, especially so in the case of Lloyd (But Lloyd is OP anyway he'll be fine)

Also also imagine the legendary Pokemon just being the Guardians gfdfd. Lloyd goes on a sidequest post-game to the Guardians' homes to catch them?

And also also also imagine the "Legendary Mascots" being the Great Devourer and Genesis

Hence why I called this AU DestinyGreen and LegacyGold <3

...Soooo, infinitely more than you asked for and also hardly answered your initial question in the first place, but when I am given a soapbox and a microphone I WILL stand on it

[felassan]

Snippets. 🐺💜

I saw a lil confusion around this quote from this article: ""Gameplay-wise – each of our classes has a specialization, and each of them is tied to a faction," Epler continues." I don't think this means Rooks can only be certain specs if they chose the 'right' faction/backstory e.g. to be Veil Ranger spec I don't think you have to be a Veil Jumper. I think 'tied to' here means just like, in-world lore details, and/or perhaps it is that faction in the game or someone from it that 'unlocks' the spec for us or trains us in it, similar to the spec trainers who came to Skyhold in DA:I.

fun lil tweet from Dragon Age on Twitter about Assan: "he is, in fact, very polite" [source]

the Blighted pustule in the background of this screenshot contains a darkspawn face [source] (!!)

Trick Weekes on Solas' iambic pentamter cadence: "It doesn't always have to be in the cadence! Just when he's deeply feeling The Old Days! He's written in standard prose 99% of the time!" [source]

Dev Brian Audette: "this project has been one of my favorite in over two decades of game development" [source]

Dev Malcom, a level designer, worked on Taash's companion missions [source]

Some important notes & foods for thought on the idea of 'auteurs' in AAA games: one, two, three, four, this thread

Trick Weekes: "Taash's expression of "Aubrey Plaza dipping teabag dot gif."" [source, art link!]

The unique faction-based casual wears are "very pretty" ^^ [source]

CC has sliders for width and height on pretty much every body part [source]

[pokemon-npcs]

[ranger-rai]

Over here in Unova, we have Veteran Trainers? Do you know anything about them? I love their coats!

Veteran trainers are pretty common all around. We even have some here in Sinnoh.

A lot of retired Ace Trainers or high level trainers, and even League champion contenders tend to get this status.

A lot of them might settle down or retire in a region they found the most comfortable, but they are also incredibly helpful with the standards of the current leagues.

Some might be on committees or boards for upcoming seasons, be guest judges for contests, and some even step in for gym leaders and, on rare occasions, elite 4 if need be.

We have a few veteran trainers who pop in for talks with kids or who volunteer with us for a variety of missions or events.

One lady let me in on a pretty tight secret about those coats.

While they are a bit expensive, they are a pretty unique blend of fabrics that can withstand so many various temperatures.

They are well insulated so in the cold they keep you perfectly warm, but when it's warm apparently they can be converted into a light, summer cowl or something to keep cool and they do it very well.

Apparently, they were developed by an Ace Trainer turned scientist who found that young trainers were exposed to elements all of the time but should have something to keep them safe.

While he initially wanted to release them for the young trainers, apparently, they enjoy being out in the harsh elements during their journey.

However, the veterans found this perfect for them if they ended up being pulled back into an intense situation on the fly.

They are very impressive, and as a result, there have been some clothing improvements for uniforms that are exposed to severe conditions.

We don't have them, unfortunately, because we don't have the funds, but we're hoping to get at least some new jackets, haha!

[fallershipping]

Have you ever imagined Anabel and Looker as Pokemon Rangers?

I never played Pokemon Rangers :y so not really.

somehow this inspired me to try drawing them as the ranger npc trainer class but it just became this lol

[ladyzee-oddityhunter]

Muse Mixup Madness Prompts: April 2025

I haven't seen any MMM posts in a bit, and with April 1st being April Fools I thought it would be fun to provide some prompts for those who would like to play them. These are some common prompts for ease of access!

If you're unfamiliar with it, Muse Mixup Madness is an event in which on the first of the month the character is swapped with their alternate self from the universe one of the prompts applies to. This lasts for a day, then they're swapped back. You can play on your Discord server or on your blog!

Don't forget to tag your posts as #Muse Mixup Madness !

Alignment Swap - Reverse your character's role! If they're usually a heroic type, make them the villain! If they're the villainous type, show us what they'd be like as the hero! If they're more neutral, pick your favorite!

Type Change - Show us your character as either a different trainer class or as a different type specialist! What's your ranger's team and style like as a bug catcher? What's your aroma girl like as a gym leader?

Dream Come True - Your character has achieved their greatest goals and all of their dreams have come true. What does this look like for them? Have new problems arisen, or is their life perfect?

[lentimas-lukamon]

hate to break it to ya, friend, but unova’s routes and forests are well protected by rangers. in fact, unlike ranger-controlled regions like fiore and almia, rangers in major regions like unova are allowed to carry a team of up to six 'mons just like any other trainer.

i think watching trail cams where you get to watch pkmn come and go would fix a lot of you

[pokemonshelterstories]

"impact of socioeconomic status on how people’s pokemon care is perceived," can we hear more about that actually? i'm very curious to hear what you mean and your thoughts on it! if you've talked about it before, can i get a link to the posts?

sure! i don't want to give too much away since i may publish this later, but i spent a lot of time looking at how a trainer's socioeconomic status correlated to the amounts/kinds of welfare issues they were reported for.

unfortunately, pokemon care is something that is widely influenced by the wealth and perceived status of the trainer. obviously the wealthier a trainer is, the more access they have to pokemon with more intensive care needs and to owning more pokemon in general- and in many ways, this is a barrier to lower class trainers toward being able to compete at a high level in different forms of pokemon-oriented competition.

this isn't necessarily an issue in terms of whether or not anyone is entitled to be able to raise a certain pokemon (i still believe the vast majority of people should not try to raise the vast majority of pokemon, just in terms of how difficult it is to properly care for them), but it does cause problems when we talk about who's setting the standards of care for pokemon. a champion-ranked trainer or master contest coordinator is far less likely to have their care or training questioned than someone in low-level competitions. and because of this perception, we see an over-reporting of welfare concerns for less wealthy trainers (this is frequently compounded by factors like race as well), while welfare concerns are rare when it comes to the upper class. the types of reports are different, too, as are the consequences: a lower class trainer might be indefinitely banned from competing because their pokemon's body condition is below average (an issue that can often be remedied with education and access to higher-quality food), while an upper class trainer might get a slap on the wrist and a temporary hold on competition for overuse of pain medications to keep their pokemon battling through injuries.

one of the case studies i presented that really got me interested in this is of a wild absol named kui. kui lived in orre before cipher's invasion, but she disappeared along with all the other wild pokemon. she's recently reappeared and has been spotted throughout the region. she's actually started alerting a friend of mine who does ranger work out there to potential disasters. kui was never a captured pokemon. instead, she was befriended by a member of a native tribe, and while she was allowed to wander freely, she chose to stay among the tribe for the majority of her time. as a pokemon educator, i've been trained to see that as poor pokemon care. absol are powerful and dangerous pokemon, and habituating a wild pokemon like that without catching it is normally something i'd warn against. but that's the way this tribe has been raising pokemon for generations! and the bond they formed with kui has resulted in a positive outcome for both her and the tribe.

i've had to really reflect on my own personal biases in how i view people's interactions with pokemon as a result of researching this. i do still hold to a lot of the beliefs i have about the way people and pokemon should interact with each other, and i still think it's important to educate people on how to care for pokemon in a safe and respectful manner. it's just a good reminder that we need to care for pokemon welfare at all levels without making assumptions based on things like socioeconomic status!