#since james and meowth both got special ones

[helmarok]

I DONT HAVE A JESSIE TAG I JUST HAVE A JESSIE SIMP TAG?

[yamujiburo]

Ketchum vs. Ketchum! Showdown in Cerulean City!

Woo! Finale time! I wanted to make this final battle feel special and give it more substance than I could do with just a comic. So! I got the help of @cyberwulf to write out this ending in fanfic form! Check it out here on AO3 if you prefer! If not, the journey continues below the cut~

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James Sidestory / Meowth Sidestory

A lot has happened since our Poké Moms began their journey. After a rocky start…

“*SQUAWK*”

…they’ve managed to catch some new Pokémon…

“Run! Run! Run!”

…in their own way.

“What a cute baby! You know, I have a son, too!”

With their month on the road almost up, Delia had just one more thing she wanted to do…

“I want to beat the Cerulean City Gym!”

But little did Delia know, there was a surprise waiting for her in Cerulean City!

“MOM??? JESSIE???”

“Let’s have a double battle! You and Ash versus Jessie and I!”

“You’re on! But I’m not going easy on you just cuz you’re family!”

“…What’s going on?”

Poké Mom Adventures

EP009

Ketchum vs Ketchum! Showdown in Cerulean City!

The water of the Cerulean gym battlefield glistened in the sunshine streaming through its crystal glass roof. Both teams gazed at each other with steely determination (and some lingering confusion, in Misty’s case) as above them, the Drone Rotom announced the rules.

“This will be a double battle between Gym Leader Misty and Champion Ash, and the challengers Delia and Jessie.” It projected a holographic image of both teams. “For today’s battle, each trainer may use two Pokémon. The battle is over when all of one team’s Pokémon can no longer battle.”

“All right!” Misty declared. “This is an official League battle for the Cascade badge!”

“And bragging rights!” Jessie added with a smirk.

“We’ll see about that!” Ash retorted. Misty glanced at him, taking in his clenched fists and gritted teeth. She’d seen Ash determined before, but… there was something here that she was missing. However, with the Drone Rotom hovering expectantly overhead, finding out what that something was would have to wait.

“Come out – Corsola!”

The Coral Pokémon landed on the rock in front of her, eagerly crying its name.

“This is a water-themed gym, so I’ll go with a Water-Type,” Ash remarked. “Oshawott, I choose you!”

“That’s the spirit, Ash!” Misty exclaimed. “It’s the job of a Gym Leader to help trainers learn type advantage and weaknesses by specialising in one kind of Pokémon, and around here that’s Water-Types!”

“Water, huh?” Jessie frowned as she considered the three Pokémon she had on hand. “Well, I don’t want my delicate little Ziggy to get her fur wet.” With a flourish, she tossed a Pokéball high in the air. “Go, Venomoth!”

The Poison Moth Pokémon emerged, hovering over the water.

“It’s a shame we don’t have any Grass or Electric-types,” Delia mused. “I guess we’ll just have to do our best with what we have.” Pushing her bangs out of her face, she called, “I choose you!”

Ash and Misty’s jaws dropped as the light from Delia’s Pokéball coalesced into a very large, very stern-looking Kangaskhan.

“I didn’t know your mom had such a strong Pokémon,” Misty whispered.

“Neither did I,” Ash whispered back. Movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention and he looked down at his starter Pokémon. “Something wrong, Pikachu?”

“Pika…”

Pikachu gazed across the water at Kangaskhan, ears and tail up, alert to… something. But before anyone could figure out what had caught his attention, there was a small cry.

“Kangaskhan!”

The baby squirmed, spooked by the glistening water lapping all around the rock. She buried her face in her mother’s belly and cried again. Cradling her young protectively, Kangaskhan gave Delia an apologetic look.

“Oh, of course!” Delia exclaimed. “I’m so sorry. Kangaskhan, return.” Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called across the battlefield. “That doesn’t count as one of my Pokémon, does it?”

“Of course not, Ms. Ketchum!” Misty shouted back. “Please choose another Pokémon!”

“If she’s got one,” Ash said with a confident smirk. “I’m betting she’ll send out Mimey.”

“I choose you… Clefairy!”

“Looks like you bet wrong, Ash,” Misty laughed as Ash stared in surprise at the Fairy Pokémon.

Above them, the Drone Rotom moved into position.

“Begin!”

“All right, Oshawott!” Ash called out. “Open up with an Aqua Jet!”

With a determined cry, Oshawott blasted a jet of water across the field, hitting Clefairy square in the belly and knocking the Fairy Pokémon off the rock and into the water.

“Ash Ketchum!” Delia exclaimed reproachfully. “That wasn’t very nice!”

Thrown off-guard, Ash gulped. “S-sorry!” (Oh man - I can’t believe I’m actually battling my mom!)

On the opposite side of the battlefield, a wet and bedraggled Clefairy clambered back up on the rock ridge, scowling at her attacker.

“Shake it off, Clefairy!” Delia urged as her Pokémon did just that, sending a fine shower of water droplets flying from her pink fur. “Use Disarming Voice!”

With a deep breath, Clefairy shot a vortex of pink hearts towards Oshawott, taking the Sea Otter Pokémon by surprise and knocking him into the water.

“Good work, Deerling!” Jessie shouted triumphantly. “Now it’s my turn!” She pointed at Corsola. “Venomoth, use Poison Sting!”

Venomoth hovered uncertainly for a few moments, then looked back at her.

“It doesn’t look like Venomoth knows that move, honey,” Delia remarked.

“Well, Dustox knew that move!” Jessie protested. “Venomoth should know it too, aren’t they both Bug-types?”

Venomoth just blinked at her.

“You really don’t know what moves your Pokémon knows?” Misty asked incredulously.

“Of course I do, just – just let me think!” Jessie spluttered, clenching her fists. “All right, Venomoth – use Gust!”

Venomoth didn’t move.

“Whirlwind!” Jessie tried. “Psybeam! …Tackle?”

Venomoth looked back and forth between Jessie and the battlefield as it fluttered about agitatedly, utterly confused by the barrage of unfamiliar orders.

“This is just sad,” Misty muttered, getting a nod of agreement from Ash. Raising her voice, she called out, “Corsola! Use Spike Cannon!”

Corsola glowed, and a split second later a shower of glowing white spikes slammed into Venomoth, driving it backwards towards the trainer box.

“Oh, no!” Delia groaned in dismay, wringing her hands. “Maybe we should’ve practiced with our new Pokémon before coming here!”

“We’re not giving up!” Jessie snarled, clenching her fists. “Venomoth! Get back out there!”

With a trill, Venomoth shook off the spikes, and floated towards its opponents again.

“Corsola!” Misty called. “Hit it with another Spike Cannon!”

Corsola began to glow.

“Well don’t just hover there!” Jessie barked out. “It’s about to attack again!” Venomoth looked back at her, and Jessie gestured angrily towards the battlefield. “Just do something! Anything!”

Once more, glowing white spikes shot towards Venomoth. This time, however, Venomoth dove towards the attack, sweeping its wings in front of itself at the last minute. Blue blades of light cut through the barrage of spikes, one hitting Corsola and driving it back.

“That’s Air Slash!” Ash exclaimed.

“Air Slash, eh?” Jessie shot her opponents a triumphant smirk. “Venomoth! Use Air Slash on that pitiful pink Pokémon again!”

“Hang in there, Corsola!” Misty called as her Pokémon was driven back for a second time. “Use Recover!”

“Don’t let it recover, Venomoth!” Jessie yelled. “Air Slash again!”

As her Pokémon geared up for another attack, she noticed Delia gazing at her in rapture.

“You’re so ferocious when you battle, Smoochum,” Delia remarked dreamily. She lowered her voice, waggling her eyebrows. “It’s kinda hot.”

Jessie blushed and giggled. “Baaabe, not in front of the twerps.”

Misty wrinkled her nose in disgust. “…Smoochum?”

“Freak out later, Misty!” Ash yelled. Venomoth was bearing down on Corsola, and the Coral Pokémon didn’t have much left. “Oshawott! Use Hydro Pump on Venomoth to protect Corsola!”

Leaping high into the air, Oshawott sent a powerful jet of water directly at Jessie’s Venomoth. With a cry, the Poison Moth hit the floor between Jessie and Delia, bounced once, and fainted.

“Hey, no fair!” Jessie bellowed, stamping her foot. “I was distracted!” She recalled Venomoth with a scowl. “I ought to ground you for making me look bad!”

“This is really weird,” Misty mumbled.

“You have no idea,” Ash sighed wearily.

“All right, you big blue blob,” Jessie growled to her faithful Patient Pokémon, “get out there and let’s win this thing!”

Saluting, Wobbuffet waddled forward, straight into the water. Jessie pinched the bridge of her nose as Wobbuffet awkwardly clambered up onto the protruding rock.

“Wobbles can’t attack unless he’s attacked first,” Delia murmured to herself. “Oshawott is strong, and Corsola can use Recover to gain back health. That means I’ve got to make this next move count!” She looked to Clefairy, wet and winded but not out of the battle. It was risky, but…

“Clefairy! Use Metronome!”

“Metronome?!” Misty exclaimed as Clefairy began to move her fingers hypnotically back and forth. “Now anything can happen!”

“Hold tight, everybody!” Ash called, just as the Fairy Pokémon’s fingers turned white.

Razor-sharp leaves whipped through the air, striking Oshawott and Corsola. The Grass-Type move was too much for the dual Rock/Water Type, and Corsola collapsed into the water, fainted. Oshawott was driven back against the rock ridge, and Ash held his breath, but the Drone Rotom only counted Corsola out.

“Oshawott! You hanging in there, buddy?”

With a grimace, the Sea Otter Pokémon gave him a determined nod. “Osha!”

“Ha!” Jessie cried triumphantly. “Now we’re even!” She clenched her fists, calling tauntingly across the battlefield. “Who’s next, twerpette? Togepi? Psyduck?”

“She sure is cocky for being down to just Wobbuffet,” Ash muttered.

“Not for long,” Misty replied with a smirk. She plucked her second Pokéball from her hip.

“Go – Gyarados!”

Delia’s eyes widened and Jessie took several steps back as the gigantic Pokémon appeared in the water. It glowered down at both trainers, making Delia swallow hard.

(Now’s not the time to lose my nerve! Gyarados is just a Pokémon like any other. All I have to do is-)

“Hey!” Jessie exclaimed angrily. “No fair using such a powerful Pokémon! What, are Staryu and Starmie at the Pokémon Centre or something?!”

Taken aback, Misty gaped at the former Team Rocket member in disbelief. “Since when do you care about playing fair?”

“Since you decided to use that monstrosity on a first-time trainer!” Jessie retorted with a shake of her fist. “That’s cheating!”

Misty paused, almost second-guessing her choice of Pokémon, when she remembered who she was dealing with. Squaring her shoulders, she shot back, “You’re not a first-time trainer!”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Ash muttered.

“I heard that!” Jessie bawled.

“It’s okay, honey,” Delia murmured, placing her hand on Jessie’s shoulder. “We can beat them. We just need to use strategy!”

“Gyarados!” Misty called out. Jessie may not have been the best trainer, and her track record with him was hit or miss, but Wobbuffet could reflect almost any attack. It might just have been luck, but Clefairy’s Metronome had taken out Corsola and left Oshawott just barely hanging on. There was only one choice of target.

“Use Hurricane on Clefairy, now!”

Rearing back, Gyarados shot a powerful blast of air directly at the Fairy Pokémon, sending her flying back to the trainer box.

“Oh no!” Delia cried. She knelt by her stricken Pokémon’s side, but it was obvious even without Drone Rotom saying so that Clefairy couldn’t continue. “You did a wonderful job, Clefairy.” Recalling her Pokémon, she rose, pushed her bangs out of her eyes, and called her second Pokémon.

“Mimey, I choose you!”

Ash clenched his fists. No more surprises – he knew what Mimey was capable of. Oshawott was tough, but he’d taken a lot of damage. If the Sea Otter Pokémon only had one move left, then Ash had to make it count.

“Oshawott! Hit Mimey with Aqua Jet!”

“Mimey, dodge it!” Delia cried out.

The Barrier Pokémon leapt high in the air, leaving Ash to watch, powerless, as Aqua Jet splashed harmlessly on the ground between his mother and Jessie. But before he could call out another attack –

“Now, Mimey, Focus Punch on Oshawott!”

There was no time for Oshawott to get out of the way. Mimey dove straight down, fist outstretched, and scored a direct hit. Both Pokémon vanished underwater. All four trainers held their breath. After a few seconds, Mimey burst out of the water, effortlessly leaping onto the rock. A moment later Oshawott floated to the surface, fainted.

“Good work, Oshawott,” Ash murmured as he recalled his Pokémon. He turned to Pikachu. “Looks like my mom’s a tougher trainer than I thought. You ready, Pikachu?”

The yellow mouse nodded, one tiny fist raised. “Pika!”

“You be nice to us now, Pikachu!” Delia cheered brightly.

Jessie was less optimistic.

“Babe, this isn’t looking good,” she murmured urgently. “I’ve been beaten by that Pikachu a zillion times! And that Gyarados looks strong. And mean! I don’t know if…”

She trailed off as the other woman took her hands.

“Now you listen to me, Jessie Ketchum.” Delia gazed into her eyes, a look of fierce determination on her face. “A zillion battles. A zillion losses. Against that very Pikachu. And you never gave up. So you’re not gonna give up now! Okay?”

Jessie stared back at her. Time seemed to stand still. Delia’s fingers were warm on her own as her words of encouragement hung in the air.

“Jessie… Ketchum?”

With the briefest of nods, Delia turned to face their opponents.

“Ash honey, don’t you hold back just because I’m your mom!” she called. “We’re going to give it our all, even if we lose!”

“She’s a lot like you, Ash,” Misty laughed. As Ash tugged the brim of his hat down to hide his blush, she raised her voice and called to the challengers. “You’re doing great, Ms. Ketchum! I’m really impressed by your abilities as a trainer. Now show me you’re worthy of the Cascade badge!”

“Hey!” Jessie yelled indignantly. “What am I, chopped liver?! My Venomoth pushed your Corsola to the brink!”

Misty grimaced. This was all still too strange – Jessie was a good guy? Jessie and Ash’s mom were… partners? She struggled for something positive to say about Jessie’s performance so far.

“Uh – yeah!” she managed. “It was, uh, really great how you figured out that one move.”

Jessie put her hands on her hips. “Ugh, could you sound any more insincere?!”

With a growl of impatience, Ash cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled across the battlefield. “Hey! Are we gonna battle or what?”

“Oh, we’re battling, twerp,” Jessie shot back. “And we’re gonna win!”

Ash grinned. “You ready, Pikachu?” The yellow Pokémon turned to look at his trainer. Ash pointed. “Quick attack!”

“Ha!” Jessie scoffed as Pikachu zigzagged along the rock ridge. “Wobbuffet, use Counter!”

Pikachu leaped forward…

“On Mimey!”

Delia and Jessie gasped as Pikachu pivoted and went straight for the Barrier Pokémon. Taken by surprise, he took the full brunt of the attack, losing his balance and hitting the water.

“A fake out!” Delia exclaimed. She beamed at her son with pride. “That was so smart of you, honey! You had us completely fooled!”

“Baaabe!” Jessie hissed. “I get that you care about him – I do too – but right now he’s the enemy!”

Delia tapped her fist against her head, grinning nervously. “Oh, right!”

“This is hurting my brain,” Misty groaned.

“How do you think I feel?” Ash grumbled.

Delia took a moment to centre herself and assess the situation. Pikachu didn’t have a Type advantage, but his Electric attacks were powerful – not to mention that Mimey was still wet. Of course, using them ran the risk of electrifying the entire battlefield, including Gyarados, but only one Pokémon needed to be left standing in order for that Pokémon’s team to win.

“Mimey!” she commanded. “Use Psychic on Pikachu!”

“Mr Mime!”

Mimey fixed Pikachu with an intense stare, his eyes and hands glowing blue. Blue light enveloped the yellow mouse as he was lifted into the air. Pikachu strained and struggled, but couldn’t break free.

Ash groaned in exasperation.

“Misty, go for Mimey!” he called. “If you weaken him, maybe Pikachu can break free. Plus, he’s a lot stronger than Wobbuffet!”

Misty nodded. “Right!”

“Hey!” Jessie objected. “Just because it’s true doesn’t mean you have to say it!” She shook her fist at them. “I raised you better than that, Ash Ketchum!”

“Wha – ” Ash took a step back, flabbergasted. “You didn’t raise me at all!”

“The heck I didn’t!” Jessie retorted. “Who kept an eye on you while you twerped your way through eight regions, huh?!”

Misty rubbed her temples. The whole situation was giving her a headache.

“Gyarados!”

The Atrocious Pokémon stirred itself and looked her way.

“Use Crunch on Mr. Mime, now!”

“Oh no, not Crunch!” Delia fretted, as Gyarados reared back, a sinister purple aura swirling around its fangs. “That’s a Dark-Type move!”

“Wobbuffet!” Jessie barked. “Get between Mimey and Gyarados and use Counter!”

Saluting, Wobbuffet leaped in front of Mimey, his body outlined in orange light. Crunch hit, hard, and bounced back twice as hard. Both Gyarados and Wobbuffet recoiled from the damage.

“Wobbles!” Delia cried out, as Mimey caught Wobbuffet in his arms.

“Don’t you quit on me now, Wobbuffet!” Jessie shouted.

Wobbuffet saluted weakly as Mimey pushed him back onto his paws. The distraction worked, and Pikachu dropped back to the rock, freed from Psychic.

“Keep the pressure on, Pikachu!” Ash yelled. “Use Iron Tail on Mimey, now!”

“Quick, Mimey!” Delia shouted as Pikachu somersaulted through the air, tail glowing white. “Use Reflect!”

Pikachu hit the invisible barrier and flew backwards, landing in the water.

“Gyarados!” Misty commanded. “Use Crunch again!”

“Mimey, keep using Reflect!” Delia shouted. “Don’t let them in!” She had to think. Poor Wobbles, he didn’t have much left – one more shot from that big Gyarados and that would be it. Not to mention that if Crunch hit Mimey, the battle would be over! She’d completely forgotten Gyarados could learn that move! Oh, maybe she should’ve used Zaggy instead…

Mimey obediently continued to use Reflect as Gyarados and Pikachu attacked from either side. Slowly the invisible barriers began to box them in, till Mimey and Wobbuffet were crowded together on the rock.

“Babe!” Jessie urged. “We have to do something or we’re gonna lose!”

“I know!” Delia groaned. “I just…” She cupped her face in her hands, pulling down on her cheeks. “…I don’t know!”

“Ms Ketchum!”

Delia lifted her head.

“You can’t let us back you into a corner!” Misty called. “Use your environment to find a way out!”

Ash shot her a glare. “Hey, whose side are you on?!”

“It’s my job as a Gym leader to help trainers to learn,” Misty explained with a smile. “Did you forget?”

“You didn’t help me when I battled you for the first time!” Ash replied indignantly, poking his thumb into his chest.

Misty glowered at him.

“That’s because you still owed me a new bike, Ash Ketchum!”

“Aaagh!” Ash placed both hands on his head, tugging his hat down. “Can’t you let that go already? It got repaired, didn’t it?”

While their opponents bickered, Delia had taken Misty’s words to heart.

“Use the environment…” she mused. There was only one place Mimey and Wobbles could go – but first they had to do something about the double attacks coming their way.

“Jessie!” she hissed, beckoning her partner to come closer. “Can you have Wobbles use Counter?”

Jessie looked at Wobbuffet, sweating nervously as he stood behind Mimey. She nodded.

“Okay,” Delia replied. She whispered quickly in the other woman’s ear. Jessie grinned, then straightened up.

“Wobbuffet! Use Counter on both those attacks!”

Without any hesitation, Wobbuffet moved in front of Mimey, body once more enveloped in an orange glow. Crunch and Iron Tail came back double on Gyarados and Pikachu, sending the two flying backwards. Both Pokémon landed hard on the rock, Gyarados almost wrapping around it with the force of the blow.

“On your feet, Pikachu!” Ash called. “It’s not over yet! …Huh?”

He blinked at the empty battlefield. Mimey and Wobbuffet had both disappeared. Ash tensed as he scoured the water for any sign of the enemy Pokémon, but the surface was still settling from the last bout of attacks. The sunlight streaming through the roof didn’t help either – it made the rippling water glitter.

Misty spotted movement a second too late.

“Look out-”

In tandem, Mimey and Wobbuffet burst through the surface, taking up positions either side of Gyarados and Pikachu, trapping their opponents between them.

“Good work, you two!” Delia cheered. She pointed dramatically. “Now, Mimey – use Psychic on both of them!”

Once more, Mimey’s eyes and hands glowed. Both Gyarados and Pikachu rose into the air, enveloped in blue light.

“Great strategy, Ms. Ketchum!” Misty called, earning a dirty look from Ash which she ignored. “There’s no point going for Wobbuffet – he’ll just Counter our attacks again.”

“Right,” Ash agreed. “We’ve gotta take out Mimey!” He raised his voice. “Pikachu!”

Misty did likewise. “Gyarados!”

Delia grinned. “Just as I thought.” She looked at her partner. “Get ready with Mirror Coat!”

Jessie blinked in confusion. “…Huh?”

“Thunderbolt –”

“Hydro Pump –”

“On Mimey!” both young trainers yelled in unison.

“Mimey!” Delia called, just as both Pokémon charged their attacks. “Drop them, use Light Screen and aim at Wobbles!”

“Aim at WHO?!” Jessie exclaimed.

There was no time to explain. Everything turned on a split second. Pikachu and Gyarados began to fall through the air. Several volts of electricity and a powerful torrent of water hit Mimey’s Light Screen and barrelled towards Wobbuffet.

The diabolical beauty of Delia’s devious plan suddenly caught up with Jessie. That pair of pathetic Pokémon were in for a –

“Now, honey!”

Jessie almost fumbled the command.

“M-Mirror Coat!”

Wobbuffet glowed, shrouded in a reflective aura. Everything seemed to slow down. The attacks hit. They bounced back at Mimey. Pikachu and Gyarados fell. Ash’s mouth opened in a silent noooo.

The timing was perfect.

Gyarados and Pikachu fell in front of Mimey, taking the full brunt of Thunderbolt and Hydro Pump, doubled by Mirror Coat. The sheer force of the attacks drove them along the surface of the water, causing huge plumes of water to rise into the air either side of them. The battlefield disappeared in a shroud of surf and spray.

“Pikachu!” Ash cried out.

All four trainers held their breath as the mist began to clear.

Jessie cried out in dismay on seeing Wobbuffet floating belly-up in the water. Ash groaned on spotting Pikachu doing likewise. Draped over the rock, Gyarados lifted its head weakly, then dropped it again.

Delia scanned the water, a smile spreading across her face as Mimey swam to the rock and clambered up, standing tall with a cry of, “Mr. Mime!”

“Wobbuffet, Pikachu, and Gyarados are unable to battle,” the Drone Rotom declared, as Ash sank to his knees. “The winners are the challengers, Delia and Jessie!”

“I… I can’t believe this…” Ash moaned.

“We…” Jessie couldn’t stop staring at the battlefield, Drone Rotom’s words ringing in her ears. “…we won?” She looked to Delia, and the joyful look on her face confirmed it. “We WON!!!”

Delia shrieked as Jessie caught hold of her and lifted her high in the air, doing a twirl before setting her back on her feet and peppering her face with kisses. “Hahahaha!” She turned to their opponents, pulling down on one eyelid while sticking her tongue out. “Suck it, twe – I mean, Ash and Misty! I knew this day would come sooner or later!”

“Jessica, I know you’re happy, but don’t be a bad winner,” Delia chided gently. “Magnanimity in victory goes a long way.”

“But baaaabe!” Jessie whined. “I’ve never had a victory this magnificent before!”

Delia just smiled and gave her a peck on the lips. “I think poor Wobbles wants you,” she remarked, nodding to the battlefield. “We’ll need to get him to a Pokémon Centre with Venomoth and Clefairy.”

Jessie nodded and went to haul Wobbuffet out of the water.

“Come on, you,” she grunted as she dragged the Patient Pokémon back onto dry land. Briefly she removed her cap and wiped the sweat from her brow. Fine, so she couldn’t taunt the twerps any more. Victory still tasted pretty sweet.

In her arms, Wobbuffet stirred and smiled weakly up at her. Jessie couldn’t help but smile back.

“How about that?” she murmured to him. “You’re a winner, Wobbuffet. I bet you can’t wait to tell the others.”

He managed a salute and a quiet “Wobba…” before Jessie recalled him to his Pokéball.

Ash, meanwhile, remained on his knees in the trainer box. “I can’t believe we lost to my mom.”

“You gotta admit, that last strategy was a thing of beauty,” Misty replied with a smile. She’d made her way out to the rock and was cradling Gyarados’s head, absently rubbing its crest. The big Pokémon opened its eyes and let out a quiet rumble. “I guess now we know where you get your battling skills from, champ!”

Stepping out of her sneakers, Delia carefully negotiated the slippery rock and fished Pikachu out of the water. A couple of vigorous rubs from his head to his tail, and the Electric Mouse Pokémon opened his eyes.

“You were great, Pikachu,” Delia murmured. She tickled him under his chin, getting a weak “Chaaa” in response. She made her way back to the side of the battlefield to find Ash, Misty and Jessie waiting. “You were great too, honey.”

Ash managed a smile as she handed Pikachu to him. “Thanks, Mom.” He gasped as he was pulled into a hug.

“That was such a fun battle!” Delia exclaimed. She loosened her hold just enough to look at him. “I can see why you like this so much.”

“Watch out, Ash,” Misty teased. “You might just have a new rival on your hands!”

Ash let out a distressed yelp.

“Oh no, I don’t have time for that,” Delia assured him with a wave of her hand. As Ash sighed with relief, she cupped his cheek and tilted his head up to look at him. “But travelling around this past month and battling with you today… it’s made me feel a little bit closer to you.”

Ash blushed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Aw, Mom,” he mumbled with a grin.

“Ahem.”

Ash and Delia turned to see Misty holding out a Cascade badge.

“This is yours, Ms. Ketchum,” the Gym Leader declared. “You made the battlefield, your Pokémon and their moves work to your advantage. I’m impressed!”

“Oh, you’re too kind, really,” Delia replied, blushing as she accepted the badge. Its blue surface seemed to glitter in the sunlight streaming in from the roof. “I’ll treasure this, always. Thank you.”

“That’s how you win a badge fair and square,” Misty teased, shooting a wink Ash’s way.

The Champion rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

All three turned to see Jessie holding out her hand.

“What about me?” she demanded. “The perfect Pokémon battle partner? Trainer of vicious Venomoth and wild Wobbuffet? Where’s my badge?”

Misty sighed. Jessie had been on the winning team, and she had won a badge fair and square, but the whole situation was still bizarre.

“I’ll give you a badge if you explain what all…” She waved her hand between Jessie and Delia. “…this is about.”

“Delia and I dating,” Jessie scoffed with a shrug. “It’s not that complicated.”

“I got that part,” Misty shot back irritatedly, “I just…” She looked from Jessie, standing with her arms crossed, to Ms. Ketchum, who had one hand on Jessie’s hip, to Ash, who looked like he was hoping the floor would open up and swallow him. “…you know what, never mind.” Reaching into her pocket, she took out a second Cascade badge.

“I can’t believe this is happening, but… you earned this!”

Jessie let out a little cry of joy as Misty put the badge into her hand.

“Oh, Deerling, look how pretty it is!” she gushed. “Do you think maybe we could just get the prettiest Gym badges?”

“I don’t see why not,” Delia replied. “With James to run the restaurant, I can take vacations more often!”

“James is –” Misty glared at Ash, who pulled the brim of his cap down and giggled nervously. “We’re going to the Pokémon Centre and then you’re telling me what’s been going on, Ash Ketchum!”

“Let’s all go to the Pokémon Centre,” Delia suggested. “Our Pokémon battled hard today, they deserve a good rest.”

It wasn’t long before Nurse Joy’s tender care had Venomoth, Corsola, Oshawott, Clefairy, Wobbuffet, Gyarados and Pikachu feeling like their old selves again. Delia squeezed Jessie’s hand, murmuring “that’ll be you one day, Smoochum” as they watched Joy work.

“Well, we should get going,” Delia declared once they had their Pokémon back.

“We were going to stay and have dinner, Ms. Ketchum,” Misty said. She eyed Jessie reluctantly, but made the offer anyway. “…You’re welcome to join us.”

“That’s sweet of you, Misty, but we’ve been away long enough,” Delia replied, to both kids’ relief. “It’s time we headed home. Thank you both so much for such an amazing battle.” She hugged Ash tightly. “Don’t stay away too long, honey.”

“You know I won’t, Mom,” Ash replied, blushing. He shot Misty a grin. “I’ll be home right after I kick Misty’s butt in our rematch!”

“Then I’ll see you soon,” Delia murmured. She let go of her son and gave Misty a quick hug and a wink. “Try not to beat him too badly!”

“Hey!” Ash exclaimed indignantly.

Delia stepped back, joining her girlfriend near the door of the Pokémon Centre. She gave her a look and nodded to both kids. With a sigh, Jessie trudged up to Ash and gave him a stiff hug.

“See you at home, kid,” she mumbled. Letting go, she turned to Misty. “Thanks for the battle and the badge, I guess...?”

The two gazed at each other for a few awkward moments, then Jessie took a step closer, slowly lifting her arms.

“Aah!” Misty hurriedly moved back, holding her hands up in front of her. “I don’t think I’m there yet.”

Jessie dropped her arms with a huge sigh of relief. “Great! Me neither.” She offered her hand instead, and the Gym Leader shook it.

Ash and Misty stepped outside the Pokémon Centre to see them off, their goodbyes ringing in the air as Delia and Jessie got on the road. Jessie slung her arm around her girlfriend’s shoulder.

“Happy, babe?”

“Yes and no,” Delia sighed. “I’m sad my journey’s over, but I couldn’t be happier about how it went. I made three wonderful new friends, foiled a nasty poacher, and that battle today –” She clenched her fists in front of her. “ – I never felt so alive! I can’t wait to tell Professor Oak and James and Meowth all about it!” She slipped an arm around Jessie’s waist. “I’m so glad you talked me into this.”

Jessie preened. “Oh it was nothing, babe, I –”

She broke off as Delia took hold of her hands.

“Thank you for making my dreams come true,” the other woman whispered. Jessie’s heart caught in her throat as she saw tears shining in Delia’s eyes. “Not just today, but every day we’re together.”

Jessie smiled, warmth blooming in her chest.

“It’s the least I could do,” she replied. Delia deserved more, so much more, for putting up with her, believing in her, loving her. Not to mention all she’d done for James and Meowth too. Maybe one day –

- but before Jessie could continue the thought, Delia leaned up and pulled her into a tender kiss.

THE END

“Oh, I can’t wait to get home to our nice comfy bed!”

“Ugh, me too. I hate sleeping on the ground.”

“…who said anything about sleeping?”

[olddirtybadfic]

James's Special Delivery: James Conquers His Fear of Marriage with Meowth (part three of three)

"There once were Pokémon that married people. There once were people who married Pokémon."

I bet none of them had to worry about ending up in a sappily written mpreg. Or having their kid's name start with "Meth."

Part one

Part two

This fic contains:  Pokémon/Human romantic relationship; unexplained mpreg/male pregnancy; shaky grasp of the realities of pregnancy and childrearing; lack of medical and scientific knowledge; possible out-of-character moments for Jessie, James, and Meowth; odd ideas about romance; unusual pillow talk; Meowth lingers on James's feet again; ridiculously easy resolutions to problems; attempts to rehabilitate James’s mother (she totally approved of Jessiebelle’s bullshit she deserves no mercy); both James and Meowth eat the placenta (off-screen)

-O-o-O-o-O-

James and his mother had been writing each other letters and calling each other.

James and Meowth had quit Team Rocket. They started selling legal drugs and were making a surprising amount of money. James would keep his kitten.

Bethany knew about James’s kitten. She was okay with it.

James was eight (out of nine) weeks pregnant. His mother was coming to visit their cabin.

James and Meowth were trying to save for a very small wedding. They were planning on using a wedding dress and a Meowth-sized tuxedo from their disguises.

“I’m going to look just awful in white,” James said. He wasn’t even showing that much, since Meowth kittens were smaller than human babies. He was showing a little, though, enough that he could hardly move fast.

Meowth almost wished James would give birth early. He hated to see James so uncomfortable. He decided James should stand up as little as possible.

The kitten was moving around a lot inside of James, which was a pretty weird feeling for him. He thought the kitten might be trying to come out early. He read a book about what to expect when “expecting.” It said having sex could induce labor. He grabbed Meowth and ran into the bedroom.

“Meowth, please have sex with me,” James said.

“Why?” Meowth asked.

“Because having sex might make me go into labor,” James said.

“I don’t think you’re in any condition to have sex. And you’re only eight weeks through it. That would only work if you were overdue,” Meowth said.

James collapsed onto the bed. “I’m worried,” he said.

“About what?” Meowth said.

“I’m worried about if I’ll be a good parent.”

“You’ll probably make a good parent,” Meowth said, massaging James’s feet. He pressed his paw into James’s finely arched soles and rubbed his slender toes.

“Maybe you’re right,” James breathed.

“You kinda already sound like you’re in labor,” Meowth said.

James moved to a more comfortable position. “Maybe I’m just hot and bothered,” he said. He lowered his eyelids, trying to look sexy. He let out a falsetto giggle. “My mother is coming tomorrow. She’d have a fit if she walked in on us right now.”

Meowth stroked James’s hair. “She knows about the kitten, right?” he asked.

“Yes, I wrote her about it,” James said.

They sat on the bed for a while.

“Did you still want to have sex?” Meowth asked.

“Yes, I’m pretty hormonal,” James said.

They closed the bedroom door.

-O-o-O-

The next day, James’s mother came. As soon as she came in, she and James hugged. She could only stay for one night. She had to go back to work the next day. She didn’t have to work, but she chose to.

James cooked dinner for everyone. He made sure to make extra food.

After dinner, he and Bethany went into his bedroom. James confessed about being worried when Bethany asked him why he wasn’t more enthusiastic.

“You’re really lucky you love Meowth,” Bethany said.

“I suppose,” James said.

“Why aren’t you excited?” Bethany asked.

“I’m just so nervous. I’m afraid I won’t be a good parent to the kitten.”

“Of course you’ll be a good parent. You may be a former Team Rocket member, but you do have parental instincts. You’ve got what a lot of people don’t have these days: a good heart. Stay true to yourself and your kitten and you’ll be fine.”

James had broken down in tears. “Oh, Mother. I wish we could’ve been this close sooner,” he cried.

Bethany hugged James.

“Now, about what you’re going to name the kitten….”

-O-o-O-

The next day, Bethany had to leave. James and Meowth waved from the porch as she drove away.

They went inside. James felt a strange movement inside of him.

“Meowth….the kitten is kicking harder,” James said.

Meowth put a paw on James’s stomach.

“Wow. The kitten is pretty active today.”

James put a hand on Meowth’s paw. It seemed as if the kitten would come out at any time.

-O-o-O-

James was well over nine weeks pregnant with the kitten.

He wasn’t showing as much as he would with a human baby, but he still felt like he was carrying a Voltorb in his shirt.

One morning, Meowth was trying to help James get up.

“It’ll be fine, Meowth. I can manage,” James said. He suddenly felt a sharp flash of pain. He doubled over, clutching his stomach.

“Are you okay?” Meowth asked.

“I think I’m in labor,” James panted.

“Stay in bed, Jimmy,” Meowth tried to sound calm.

James shifted into a sitting position and breathed deeply. A few hours later, James gave birth to a tiny Meowth kitten.

“It’s a girl,” James said.

“What’s her name?” Meowth asked. He bit off the kitten’s umbilical cord.

“Her name is Methesia,” James said.

“That’s pretty,” Meowth said. He put the placenta on a plate. He and James could make a breakfast for two out of it.

James wiped away his tears as he brought Methesia to his bosom and nursed her. He had to be strong for his kitten.

-O-o-O-

The next day, James and Meowth got married. They held the ceremony in their backyard.

James put on his white dress and wove tiny white roses into his hair. He wasn’t a virgin, but as a former member of Team Rocket, he didn’t care about rules.

James stood by the window. This was it. He was about to tie the knot with Meowth. He thought Jessiebelle had scared him away from marriage for life.

He briefly thought about how a character in a movie made a rope out of sheets tied together and climbed out of a window. He immediately banished that thought.

“I have to be strong for Meowth and Methesia,” James thought. “I can’t think about the past.”

He looked in the mirror, checking his appearance. He had something old (his dress, from one of their disguises), something new (he’d just gotten a new bottlecap), something borrowed (he’d borrowed a slip from Jessie), and something blue (his hair).

“You look just fine,” a voice said.

James turned around. “Mother!”

Bethany hugged James. “You’re going to be a beautiful bride to Meowth and a great parent to your kitten,” she said.

“Thank you, Mother,” James said, wiping away tears.

-O-o-O-

Bethany went to sit down with the other guests (Jessie and Mondo). James stood quietly, waiting for his cue. He took a deep breath.

As he walked down the aisle, he knew even though he was scared, he had to do it.

He had to be strong for the kitten and Meowth.

-O-o-O-o-O-

Moral of the story: Team Rocket members don't care about virginity and placenta makes a great romantic breakfast for you and your cat-husband.

[zponds]

AG 104 - "Solid as a Solrock"

After going over AG 103 - “It’s Still Rocket Roll to Me”, it was a no-brainer that AG 104 - “Solid as a Solrock” was next. 

I hope you all enjoy reading the plot below.

At the Mossdeep Gym, Ash is preparing to face Tate and Liza, the twin Gym Leaders. Rachel explains the rules of the Double Battle and gives a detailed explanation of the special field they're using. Brock, May and Max comment on the battlefield, since Tate and Liza know the interior quite well to use it against Ash. Brock thinks a bigger challenge for Ash is to use combination attacks to stop both Solrock and Lunatone. The field has mock-ups of all the planets orbiting the sun, creating obstacles that wouldn't be there ordinarily. Tate and Liza start by choosing Solrock and Lunatone, respectively. Ash instantly chooses Pikachu and Swellow for its aerial abilities. Outside, Team Rocket plots to steal Lunatone and Solrock. After Meowth’s boss fantasy concludes, he and Jessie happily rush off to the Gym to begin, but James stops them because he is concerned that Psychic types will be difficult to capture. However, he is told Meowth bought a machine online to capture the Psychic-type Pokémon.

Back in the Gym, the battle begins. Solrock uses Tackle on Pikachu, hitting the Mouse Pokémon. Lunatone uses Tackle as well, striking Swellow. Ash then orders Pikachu to use Quick Attack on Solrock and tells Swellow to use Peck on Lunatone. As Pikachu charges into his attack, Solrock floats out of the way, causing Pikachu to crash into one of the floating planets. The same thing happens with Swellow after Lunatone moves aside. Pikachu falls down, and soon after Swellow lands on him. Things aren't looking too good for Ash at this point.

Tate and Liza are now ready for their next attacks. Solrock uses Solar Beam while Lunatone is told to use Ice Beam, however, the two attacks collide and cancel each other out. While Brock, May and Max see Ash got lucky that the attacks canceled each other out, Tate and Liza begin arguing, causing them both to loose focus on the battle. May is surprised, but Max tells they are siblings that annoy each other. Ash sees this as his chance, so he orders Swellow to use Aerial Ace on Lunatone, and it hits. Pikachu is also ordered to attack, and he lashes Solrock with an Iron Tail. Tate and Liza notice that their Pokémon are getting beaten while they quarrel, so they both rejoin the match and order their Pokémon to use Tackle attacks on Pikachu. Pikachu is about to be sandwiched by the two Psychic Pokémon, but Swellow swoops in and rescues. Consequently, Lunatone and Solrock crash into each other, which causes Tate and Liza to begin arguing again, as Tate claims the angle is important, while Liza states it is the timing. Max sees he and May are like best friends compared to those two, while May states having two Gym Leaders is a bad idea. This makes Brock believe Ash will have more chance to defeat them.

As the twin Gym Leaders blame each other for their constant blunders, the ground starts to rumble as Team Rocket makes an unannounced appearance. The Gym’s roof caves in even more as a giant robot appears, piloted by Meowth. Ash demands them to leave, since they have an important battle. Liza complains about the battlefield being ruined, so Tate and Liza order their Pokémon to attack. The Team Rocket mecha fires two round cages that capture Lunatone and Solrock. The two Pokémon try to free themselves using Psychic, but Meowth laughs as he reveals the cages are made of unobtainium and reflect the attacks. Team Rocket reels in their catches and rush off to their waiting Meowth balloon while Ash and the others give chase. Ash orders Pikachu to use Thunderbolt, but his attack fails to make the distance. So, Ash has Pikachu jump on Swellow and has them pursue Team Rocket in the air. Jessie and James look worried, but Meowth tells them not to worry as he presses a button, causing the robot to fire yellow globs at the two Pokémon. Swellow presses through as Pikachu uses Thunderbolt on the mecha, causing it to release the two stolen Pokémon. Meowth apologizes to his teammates for only getting the economy package as Solrock and Lunatone crushes the mecha with Psychic. The mecha then explodes on Team Rocket to blast them off for good.

Liza admits that Ash’s match cannot go on because the Gym field was destroyed. And Ash feels sad that the Gym Battle is ruined and the Gym itself is destroyed. Though Rachel suggests that they just have the battle outside, on the cliff that Team Rocket took off from, and everyone agrees that this is a good idea. So Rachel announces the continuation of the Gym battle. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt on Solrock, but Lunatone slides in front and guards it with Light Screen. The Thunderbolt gets reflected back at Pikachu, smashing him into a rocky cliff. Swellow tries to attack Lunatone with Aerial Ace, but Solrock uses Sandstorm to stop it. Brock admits that the twins are working in sync since that battle with Team Rocket. Ash also realizes this and orders his own combination, so Pikachu leaps onto Swellow's back. The now-airborne Pikachu uses Thunderbolt on Solrock, but Lunatone again intervenes and reflects the attack right back at him. However, this time both Pikachu and Swellow are hit. Tate and Liza are surprised to see that Swellow doesn't seem to be affected, considering that it's a Flying-type.

Swellow is then ordered to use Double Team, creating copies that surround Solrock and Lunatone. The two Psychic-type Pokémon fly back to back as Tate and Liza gauge the situation and order a Solar and Ice Beam combination to sweep through the duplicates. Soon they're all disposed of, though the twins are left confused about the whereabouts of the real Swellow and Pikachu. Suddenly, they see the two Pokémon flying from above, ready to strike. Solrock and Lunatone are ordered to quickly whip up another Solar Beam and Ice Beam combination, hitting Ash's Pokémon. The Pokémon start plummeting toward the ground, but Swellow is unable to recover and faints when it hits the ground. Ash returns Swellow and brings out Walrein.

Ash orders Walrein to use Ice Beam, but Tate orders Solrock to fire a Solar Beam attack to counter the Ice Beam. The Solar Beam melts the Ice Beam and hits Walrein. Liza tells Lunastone to use Ice Beam, but Pikachu conters with Thunderbolt. Ash orders Walrein to strike both Solrock and Lunatone with Surf. The wave hits, and being a water-type move, it’s super effective against Solrock and Lunastone. After the wave disappears, Solrock and Lunastone are both fainted. Rachel announces that Pikachu and Walrein have won the battle. Ash hugs Pikachu and Walrein for the victory. Tate and Liza are amazed by Ash’s determination, stating that although they learned a lot, there are still things they have yet to perfect. Ash confesses they nearly defeated him in this Gym Battle. Brock states it is clear how Tate and Liza have good combination attacks, while May states it is certain why Tate and Liza are the Gym Leaders. Tate and Liza thank them as they give Ash the Mind Badge. Ash takes the badge and makes the victory pose.

However, the celebration is cut short when Tate sees a small red light from underneath Ash’s glove. Tate asks Ash about it, and Ash is a little confused at first, but allows Tate to take off Ash’s glove, and Ash sees... a light red tattoo of Groudon on his hand. This shocks everyone... and Liza takes off May’s glove and she sees... a light blue tattoo of Kyogre on May’s hand. This reveals that the Red Orb is inside Ash and the Blue Orb is inside May. This also answers the question as to where the Orbs went after they exited Maxie and Archie. After exiting Maxie and Archie, the Orbs went inside Ash and May without anyone noticing during the Groudon VS Kyogre crisis. Ash and May become worried that they’ll become puppets for Groudon and Kyogre like Maxie and Archie did. Tate and Liza calm them down by telling them that they know someone that will help them with the Orbs.

And that is the new plot for the new version of “Solid as a Solrock”. I got rid of that golden electric armor part as it made little to no sense. And to make up for that amount of lost time, I added a new addition to the ending of this episode, and it’s about the Red Orb and Blue Orb. And speaking of which, I’ll be going over AG 105 - “Training with the Orbs” soon, so stay tuned. ^^ I hope you all enjoyed reading this, and stay tuned for more posts going over ideas and objectives that I have for rewriting and updating the advanced series. ^^

[ultraericthered]

Funny thing about Team Rocket in Best Wishes

It’s been 10 years since Gen 5 started and Pokeani got hit with it’s first SUPER soft reboot, Team Rocket included. And while Best Wishes did indeed save Team Rocket following the evisceration of them as both characters and antagonists in Diamond & Pearl, this one part of that post is something I find worth addressing:

Now, you can say whatever you want about how BW flattened the trio’s personalities by making them act like serious, professional criminals, and it admittedly hasn’t aged as well as it might have since the initial intent behind it was that it was building toward their send-off which obviously did not happen because despite all their ups and downs they were still too iconic and popular among viewers.

This is a fair and even true point. But when looking back on BW, aside from the “what the actual fuck?” nature of their return to Unova at the start of Episode N and half of their Decolore arc appearances (including the final episode that transitioned them into XY mode), TR was mostly fine and very fun to watch as the regular villains despite carrying out their role in a way that’s such an aberration to how you normally expect them to be. The only point in the series where their serious professionalism and flat, stiff villainous attitudes just feels a little too alien to their characters and like it hasn’t aged well at all would be....that time they spent episodes doing a whole bunch of secret agent type stuff in order to locate a mystical space rock.

In the first six episodes, their change made a good degree of sense due to offscreen resocialization at HQ and being emboldened by their promotion to elite agents tasked with a very important mission. When in a crowded space like on an airplane or in town they had to be quiet and inconspicuous, when isolated from others they could be chill and emotionally sincere but in a more refined, mature way given their newfound sense of keeping on their A Game while a mission’s still in progress, and we could see that Jessie’s still a self-absorbed boss ass bitch with a take-charge attitude, James is still a flamboyant doof, Meowth’s still...Meowth, and the trio is still theatrical drama queens especially when it comes to their motto. But then in their next 10 episodes, well, there’s a reason why their original VAs started phoning it in and making their disinterest clear at around this point. 

In between Giovanni’s call to them and the Snivy coming along, they’re stiff and self-serious even when no one is around. After being handed their briefcase at the bridge, their poker faces stay on. When a whole squadron of police surround them, there’s no real emotion or change in their demeanor from just moments before. When talking with no-named Rockets (not Pierce, their interactions with him were fine) or among themselves the stoicism persists. The issue here is that we’re getting bombarded with “serious pro secret agents on a super special secret mission” TRio with little “having fun being villainous criminals” TRio and no “off the clock” TRio that would allow them to be their regular, authentic, lovable goofy goober selves. The novelty wears off fast and you start to grow bored with the characters if they’re not actively doing cool evil stuff or having good interactions with themselves or others. And what really dates this phase of their Unova arc is not only that what it was all building to ended up getting pulled from airing and flat out removed from the rotation of the show’s continuity (and retconned out altogether in the international broadcast version) so that it now exists only as a special compilation short online, but that there’s really nothing else in the series or in the anime in general quite like it afterwards. Their serious pro attitudes make sense in context again in future missions, they’re allowed to have funny moments and convey a sense of close camaraderie with each other and with Dr. Zager, they go more off the clock to show their humanity and classic style again in the final year of the series, and even the only other time they become totally mirthless and self-serious villains (the Meloetta arc) is actually sold to us by the context of being “Team Rocket’s most important mission” since the aim is to enslave Legendary Pokemon that represent the forces of nature and gain command of their powers, as opposed to....mystical space rock! And then in the following three generations, TR even at their most dangerous and competent never fell into that writing trap again.

But y’see, the funny thing here is? I still unironically enjoy that arc, just as I unironically enjoy BW’s take on Team Rocket. Partially because while it didn’t really service the TRio’s characters as much as I wished it did, it really did right by the larger organization of Team Rocket in selling them as a menacing criminal presence in Unova and a true threat to be reckoned with, partially because of the parts where TRio is legit badass (their scene at the café, the truck escape from the police, their heists at the research center and the museum), partially because Dr. Zager, but mainly because, as I said, there’s really nothing else in the series or in the anime in general quite like it! It stands alone as this really bizarre occurrence in the anime’s history where TR just fucking ran with the plot genre they were currently playing out and went full noir in everything they said and did, so even when their scenes get boring they’re still sort of hilarious. 

Giovanni’s showing in BW was perfect, though. No complaints there!

[pokecommunitycenter]

Hi Dash !! It’s Time to Meet a Member of the RPC !!

Ditto would like to introduce... Dun Duuuuuun !! 

It’s Jason ♡ !! Though some of you may know them as @haematophiliac​ !!

Established in Spooky October of 2018, they’ve been around the RPC for a good long while as a Team Rocket Scientist OC, but here’s a looksee at some things you may have not known !! Ditto hopes you enjoy getting to know the writer just as much as Ditto did !!

♡ Interview... START !!

Ditto would like you to introduce yourself a little bit. The url you go by, maybe how you picked it. Was it a joke at first that you just stuck with, does it have significant meaning?

The username is what people would call a lover of blood. I started Jax in … 2018? Octoberish and he had the common username including Rocket in it and I decided to pick a theme more fitting to him. Eventually I settled with the current one as it fits him as a blood obsessor to put it bluntly. I mean he likes blood, works around a lot of it and all that so it just… Well, stuck!

Was there something about Team Rocket in general that drew you in? Over other ‘evil’ organizations, Rocket is considered the OG & probably largest. But, over Plasma/Galactic, what made you choose Rocket?

I’ve always been a Rocket fan. I started in the Pokemon fandom (can you call it a fandom back then) in 1998 when I was only eight by watching the anime. You could say that Rocket started my love for bad guys actually! I used to adore Jessie and James so much. They were just so fun, funny and adorable. Maybe I had a crush on one… Ahem! But yes, as a kid I fell for the trio (I didn’t forget loveable Meowth there!) and ever since then I’ve been a fan. I love all the bad guys mind you but Rocket holds a special place in my heart. Just always been like that.

A bonus question !! Did any characters from the original Anime / Franchise…  help you develop Jax at all?

A good question but Jax actually was inspired by a character I role played in a completely different fandom. I mean you cannot compare them - Jax is a human with so many faults and the other character is… Well, a plain old monster. But when I first made Jax I put little bits of the old character into him, such as formal speaking and love for blood. He started pretty much as a clean slate. I evolved him over the first few weeks.

Do you think that, because you play a character that is not a ‘good guy’ or as you put it, a monster, that people that may not know you well find you hard to approach?

Indeed so. Though I only speak of experience in the past here! When I played my full out monster in another fandom, people would tell others they were actually scared of me on an OOC level. Needless to say I’ve spoken to many people who were scared and helped them realise that it is just a muse I play. When it comes to Tumblr I find the fandom much more open and less afraid? Though I don’t know for certain because people could be afraid for all I know and I just don’t know. I hope I’m approachable enough anyway!

So then !! To help the part community that may not know you well, or might be a little hesitant because you play a blood loving bad guy, what are some things that you may have in common with everyone? Do you have a favorite pokemon? Or a region that just was WACK & you loved it so much? What’s on that most repeated playlist you got? Or maybe a few movies that you really love?

I read every blog’s rules and I’ve noticed that a lot of people are socially anxious. Which to be fair… I am too! I get nervous around people I don’t know and aahhhh, well, I’m in the exact same boat. We all start as strangers and all it takes is one foot forward to break that ice but, like others, I do find that first step very intimidating. I’m just your average nerd to be fair haha. As for my favourite Pokemon? Sneasel! I fell in love with that little critter after watching the Celebi movie when it came out. Favourite region would be Hoenn. I just have fond memories of it I guess as a Ruby fan. It was the first game my battery ran out of energy on. My music is too horrific for anybody’s ears if that’s what you mean hah. And movies? … … Digimon the movie (1+2+3 in Japan and just the first (all three combined) in UK and presumably other places too).

As someone who feels that weird wiggle when trying to step out of your comfort zone to make friends. Do you have any advice for people that want to get to know you better? Or, reaching out to people in general?

When reaching out to me - or anybody else - I find the best approach can be a simple hello. It instantly shatters that ice between two people. Like… Many of us are afraid to simply say hello. But if you manage to break that first bit it’s amazing! If you don’t there is always another day. Conversation can escalate from a mere hello. Or even reply to an open post if serious or funny! That first step is the hardest indeed but things get easier after that first hurdle. The worst someone can do is walk away and then perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be. Everybody has friends in the end and making more is great.

That said. We all know how the Poke RPC has its ups, & its downs. Sometimes both happen in one day. LOL. There is always room for growth though, & Ditto believes that everyone can work together to make that happen. Is there anything you would like to see change in the community?

Everything in life will come with ups and downs, it’s just how things go. We can all work through things however. If something bad happens there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. As a community it is great we can all work on whatever needs addressing. I understand some people rather turn a blind eye depending upon the situation. We all should work on what makes us comfortable. Nonetheless, if I could change one thing I’d change anon hate. Argh. That’s one thing that gets under my skin. We, as a community, should be open to criticism and praise alike and nobody should need to harass another person anonymously. If someone has a disagreement then they should tell the person. Only that way can they work on the issue. But then again there is needless anon hate without true purpose behind it and that makes me sad. But nobody is perfect and sometimes people will rear their ugly side. Yet when anon hate has popped up it has been utterly overwhelming to see everybody support each other with kindness!

Ditto wonders, do you think anon hate may… slow down, or go away, if it was ignored instead of responded to when received? Most times, the people that feel the need to do hurtful things to others is for response. The attention received whether it is good or bad.

I think it’s highly dependent upon the situation. As someone who has received hate in the past (not on Tumblr mind you) I found that even ignoring people doesn’t work. Yet every case is different. Some do it for response, some do it to just get under someone’s skin. We can’t tell which however. If, say, it is needless hate then to ignore it would be the best option, even reporting it to Tumblr’s staff. But if in the situation something needs defending like a misconception then it could be a good idea to clear the air. Keyword could though. I’ve learned that people will get ideas into their mind and battle for it rather than accepting what is truth. In those cases a good air clearing is good and then to ignore any further.... Jabbing could be best. But if people feel the need to respond they should have the freedom to, as well as the freedom to ignore it.

Is there anything you’d like to pass on to those in the RPC that receive anon hate? Maybe a word of advice, or just something supportive to remember if it ever happens?

Well, as long as someone isn’t breaking any rules, doing something bad OOC or whatever- Actually I was going to say they should keep going and doing their thing. And yet I feel the need to mention that all people make mistakes in their lives. Anon hate is a bad way to go. The person on the receiving end of a message is a person too. They have feelings and thoughts and a life also. If you ever receive anon hate then just remember that there’s someone sending it and perhaps they don’t realize their mistake. That isn’t to say it’s justified. Just that people do indeed forget there are real people involved. … I think I word things bad! I mean… Anon hate is wrong, end of. But it is so easy to forget that real people are sat to read it. If you ever get anon hate then it is best to ignore it. That spark could evolve into a full blown fire and make you worse off. Hm, I forgot my train of thought but in the end we all need less hate and to just enjoy ourselves. People tend to send hate from bad experiences with the person or disagreements if right or wrong on either side but words are just words on a screen. They can say all they want to you but you are you. You are a person who deserves a life and love and no mere text on a monitor - Or phone screen! - can ever truly harm you.

Ditto thinks you did a fine job. We all take time to find words in our own ways, & no one has the perfect ones all the time. So please do not worry about wording things. It takes some practice sometimes, when you’re put on the spot !! 

Ditto would like to wrap up with something uplifting & super positive. After your time here in the Poke RPC, what are some of your favorite memories? Things that make you stick around, or just enjoy seeing go on? Give Ditto a little insight ( & the RPC too ) on what makes you happy to be here.

I have a vast array of good memories. Mainly ones of that first move of saying hello to someone or just that first interaction. Then again you’re asking someone with a bad memory! I truly just enjoy seeing people having a good time, enjoying their time here. When people are comfortable enough to do crack threads, that’s something that makes me smile. For instance the RPC could have been super strict and look down upon anything not considered serious and yet there everybody is just having fun! I enjoy watching people get along all in all. When new relations are formed, plots explored, the crack-like threads that ensue. Dash commentary is always a favourite. It shows someone isn’t afraid to get involved. I like it when people aren’t afraid. As I said, we’re all humans with lives and just watching people have fun makes me smile, even if I’m not involved. And of course, being involved in things makes me happy too, to just be included :D

A big Thank You !! to Jason for allowing Ditto to take some of their time for this interview. 

Ditto hopes everyone has a good Monday !! 

See you next week for the next Community Interview. ♡

[troubleshipping]

Long list of various Team Rocket headcanons

Recently I had a really nice talk with @masterstarpikachu about Rocketshipping/general Team Rocket stuff, and some of the headcanons that were brought up are just too good not to be shared with the world so I have compiled them into a big post

Warning: Some small nsfw elements at the very beginning of this, please beware if you don’t like that kinda thing! Nothing explicit but like the evil word s*x is mentioned once so shield yo eyes kiddos

Contents of this post include:

- Controversy about the see-through level of Pokéballs - Meowth and the Pokémon shittalking humans behind their backs - Meowth and Jessie tease James about literally everything - Meowth is a supportive friend in the most asshole-y way possible - Jessie actually being nice for once - Food - Hot take but Jessebelle is a yandere - Jessie almost dies but it's okay because the ship happens

Actual list under the cut because this good content here got long

- Starting topic that triggered this entire conversation: - Jessie and James are about to get intimate, but just in that moment - *Pokéball release sound* “WOOOOBBUFFET” - So that raised an important question: - How much exactly are Pokémon able to see out of their Pokéballs? - Because most of the time when they’re called out mid-battle they immediately charge in without hesitating, so it seems like they know what’s been going on - Larvitar was able to see out of its egg shell too which suggests similar things for Pokéballs - Trainers, do not leave your Pokéballs in the same room you do private stuff in

- What if that’s how Meowth finds out Jessie and James are a thing - “Meowth, how did you know? What do you mean Seviper told you?? How did Seviper know???” - “…..oh my god” - Mime Jr was too young to see that - James will never live it down - He’s too ashamed to look his son in the eyes ever again - Probably needs to sit him down to have *the talk* and it’s the most shameful thing he’s ever had to do - Does Mime Jr even understand what he’s saying? Does it care about what humans do? Probably not, but Meowth won’t think it’s necessary to point that out

- I like the idea of Meowth sharing gossip with the other Pokémon in general - He’s barely seen talking to Pokémon, which is honestly a waste if you ask me? It’s like the writers forgot that bilingual people don’t actually forget their mother tongue - Imagine Meowth and the other Pokémon just complaining about the dumb shit the humans do - Besides, let him have some friends he won’t be the third wheel to lmao

- Literally tho, imagine all their Pokémon had seen their masters, ahem.. “blast off” - Poor souls didn’t know Pokéballs were see-through from the inside - Jessie would pretend not to care, she’s above that. There’s no reason at all to be ashamed. But she’d be blushing so hard she wouldn’t fool anyone. - Shit’s awkward no matter how tough you are - James wouldn’t even try to pretend, James would straight up die - RIP James

- On another note - James totally makes those little high pitched squeaky sounds during sex and you cannot change my mind it’s canon - You know exactly what I mean - There’s literally no way he doesn’t - He’s tryna be all sexy and smooth and stuff but then Jessie starts touching him or something and he just SQUEAKS - Secretly she finds it kinda hot in a weird way but she’d never admit it - Pretends it’s a coincidence that she’ll keep trying to get him to make more of those sounds - Meanwhile Meowth outside the door is like “what the actual fuck James” - “Jimmy’s such a weird one” - He’d tease James to no end about it - Meowth embarrassing James about details of stuff he shouldn’t even know about is my new favorite thing - Also Jessie trying to stop him but also holding back laughter because “well he’s not wrong” - “WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?!” - C’mon she can’t turn down an opportunity to tease him - James is then all embarrassed and lowkey offended and gives her the silent treatment - He refuses to talk to her ever again - Aka for like the next half hour or so - Eventually she’d probably apologize though because even she isn’t THAT mean - At least not when it comes to James - Not always - Maybe - She gets soft around him when nobody’s around to see it - Sometimes - And maybe he’d forgive her if she did those things again...

- Jessie being soft with James is my absolute weakness though - Especially since they’ve been friends for so long and he knows full well that nobody else is allowed to see that side of her ever - It’d definitely make him feel special and loved - Imagine Jessie letting her guard down and being kind to James for no reason other than because she genuinely wants him to be happy - I am weak - Even if it’s just little things - Especially those tbh - Just trying to cheer him up when he’s down instead of simply telling him to get over it - Saving a nice bottlecap she found even though she never understood that hobby of his - Just saving it for him because maybe he’d want it - He’d be so touched - Probably would make his entire week - He’d save that one bottlecap forever - Even if it’s not one of the kind he collects, or a duplicate or sth - It’d be his most prized possession

- Something I really want to happen is them sharing their food properly, because you know that for those two that’d be a HUGE sign of affection - The anime may pretend they share everything equally (they say so in an episode) but honestly 90% of the time they get in literal fights over the last scrap - So one of them happily sharing could even be the first step of them realizing their feelings - Like, maybe James would let Jessie eat his portion - She’d definitely take longer than him to show any signs of affection - And she just - “Why’d you let me have it is something wrong with you?” - “No…it’s just…you seem really hungry” - When he offers her the food, instead of immediately devouring it like she usually would she just - Stops and doubles back - Stares at the food in his hands, then at him, back at the food - “Are you serious?” - In that moment he realized what he’s done and gets all defensive - “Just eat it, Jess!” - “I’m just not that hungry, okay?” (*stomach growling noise*) - Then they are interrupted by Meowth - “What about me? I’m starvin’!” - In the end they just split it in three parts because sharing with them both is a bit less awkward to explain

- Also - In the beginning when they start falling for each other, Meowth would be oblivious by choice - As in he sees the signs but he ignores them because “nahhh no way” - Then when he figures it out he mercilessly teases James about having a crush on Jess every chance he gets - Though he’d do it without her hearing about it, because he isn’t THAT mean to him - But when they actually start dating he realizes he was a FOOL and now he has to deal with that forever - Like - He probably gave James advice out of pity - (James totally confides in him at some point because he just needs to talk to SOMEONE) - But then Jessie went for it and he realizes too late what that means for him - Now he needs to live with the consequences

- Meowth giving James love advice about Jessie though - That sounds like a huge train wreck - I mean he may tease him to no end but they’re still best friends so he’d still try to help when he realizes James is serious - “That dumbass really got it bad huh” - Deep down he does care for his friends after all - He’s like permanently done with James’ shit but he still keeps his secret - Although he can and will use his newly gained knowledge as blackmail whenever he wants something from him - And at the same time half of his “advice” consists of “lol Jessie’s gonna kill you” - “YOU’RE NOT HELPING MEOWTH” - James is already well aware of that - That’s his problem - He’s been faced with the full extent of Jessie’s wrath before - He knows better than to risk getting on her bad side

- On the other hand, it’s canon that when Jessie falls for someone she tends to actually act friendly and kind around them to some degree - Which I’m assuming is an instinctive reaction because she doesn’t want to scare them off - But falling for James would be weird since it’d trigger her instinct to be soft and good but at the same time - “No that’s James wtf” - She’s been treating him full force nasty for years and so far he hasn’t left so there’s really no need - Honestly James tends to get freaked out whenever she’s calm because a nice Jessie is just WRONG - Pure boy got so used to her mean antics he gets worried about her when she’s friendly to him - As a result, before admitting her feelings even to herself, Jessie would instead get MORE mean out of defiance - That darn Tsundere smh - She cares a lot about him but she cannot show weakness her mind won’t allow it - Nope - Fight me, feelings

- Vs Jessebelle, who is a Yandere and should be feared - And should also be decked in the face by Jessie tyvm - Imagine an actual Yandere Jessebelle tho - Nightmare fuel - I mean that whip scene was already terrifying - She broke a fucking dresser with the hit that was aimed at James - I know it was exaggerated cartoon violence but like she almost straight up murdered him - And his parents are okay with that?? - Because he’s too delinquent for her - So he can just die apparently - Now imagine her getting obsessed with him to the point of actively following him around to get him to marry her - And trying to get Jessie out of the way to get him back - Can I just say Horror AU right there - I’m an angst writer don’t test me - I like to take dark stuff and make it WORSE - Picture this - James coming back from a short trip to gather firewood or sth like that, only to find Jessie unconscious and bleeding from a stab wound - :) - Maybe Jessebelle is still standing there and laughing because she finally won - Of course she’ll survive but just BARELY - They’re in the middle of nowhere and James frantically tries to find someone to help her but they’re all alone - I mean after all that blasting off they probably know some basic first aid at least - He could stop the bleeding and then take her to a hospital with the hot air balloon - Cue that good ol’ “refusing to leave her bedside until she wakes up” cliché thing - But also imagine Jessie waking up in the hospital with James asleep next to her - Maybe even subconsciously holding her hand in his sleep - Because he was too worried about her and was probably talking to her before he ended up passing out from exhaustion

[pkmnjesus]

P J’s PokéAni Rewind 2018

It is time for my 3rd annual year-end Tumblr tradition! If you haven’t seen last year’s post, check out my 2017 PokéAni Rewind which featured the Sun & Moon series‘ first full year run. 2018 was a pretty busy and stressful year for this blog with the schedule I put out for myself (coming back from a hiatus and even had a break at one point), and I appreciate all of my followers who’ve stuck with me through it whether or not you were interested in the posts I published on a specific date. The Pokémon anime has officially wrapped up for this year with the return of Brock & Misty just a couple of days ago, and it’s time to highlight some of the best episodes (this post will be following the original Japanese release dates) I personally found noteworthy. Without further delay, let’s take a look back at what the Sun & Moon series had to offer in 2018. LET’S GO!

JANUARY - Meanie to Mareanie

One year later after catching a Mareanie to add to the team, James has a crossroads deciding to release her in the wild to be with a Toxapex (before it evolved) she first loved because he believed that she’ll be much happier and be better taken care of. He couldn’t get her the Corsola necklace, and even got unintentionally mad at her after failing to catch a Frillish. But no matter how much James tries to get the two together, Mareanie continues to stay loyal to him. Even after going to the Kukui residence to think about what it overheard, Mareanie cares very deeply about her trainer (as seen in the flashbacks) despite how much tougher the Toxapex seem to be. Heck even after having a “fisticuffs” with the Toxapex at the beach, both respected each other and James even saved it from an attacking Tentacruel! He ended falling in love with him too after that LOL...everyone loves James! We rarely get to see episodes focusing on a specific Team Rocket Pokémon (Meowth excluded), so I’m happy to see some development between these two.

FEBRUARY - Evolution by (Nya)Heat

First revealed in the CoroCoro spoiler for that month, everyone was anticipating Ash’s Litten to evolve very soon. In this episode, we witnessed the debut of “The Masked Royal” and his Incineroar taking part in Battle Royals seen on Alolan television. While Ash & friends were inside the Battle Royal Dome watching a Battle Royal take place, Litten saw how strong Incineroar was and unexpectedly stepped into the ring to battle it. With The Masked Royal opening up his next Battle Royal match against Ash, Kiawe and Sophocles (who was also wearing a mask lol), he and Incineroar were able to wipe them all out. Litten was determined from that defeat and “fired-up” itself to get stronger by doing some special training with Ash along with the rest of his team. The next day, The Masked Royal offers a rematch in which they immediately accepted. In that re-match, we finally saw our little Litten evolve into one tough Torracat in a very fiery evolution sequence that you don’t see every day. Evolving wasn’t enough to beat Incineroar unfortunately, but on the bright side it was able to learn a new move in Flame Charge! Also it seems that Lana’s interest with muscles seem to be a running gag in the series xD As for The Masked Royal, I’m sure this wasn’t gonna be the last we see of him, and it’s really interesting to see a mentor-rival relationship he has with Ash. He does look familiar right? Hm.

MARCH - Team Skull vs. Illima’s Eeveelution Illusion

The pretty boy is here! Ilima makes his anime debut as an honorary graduate guest of the Pokémon school (which is a perfect fit since he did graduate from the Trainers’ school in the games). They do some cool activities with Kukui’s class like diving off a tree to a big pond of water and engage in some serious games of Pokémon Ping-Pong later on. When Ash challenges him to a battle, it got cut short due to some interference by a certain Team Skull gang. Tupp, who is apparently a childhood “rival” of Ilima’s, wants to some payback because of the fangirls he could have gotten if it weren’t for his Eevee and charming looks. He challenges him to a battle with Salandit, but what he got was a powerful dose of Ilima’s Eevium Z! The move Extreme Evoboost to be exact, and every Eeveelution was spiritually there to gave Ilima’s Eevee a big power boost and deliver a Z-move. Not only was he able to defeat Tupp with that move, but also stole the hearts of multiple female Team Skull grunts. I honestly feel bad for Tupp...guess he needs to humble down a bit? Speaking of Team Skull, I do love that these grunts are getting some screen-time in this episode. Now if only their leader or a “big sister” showed up (:

APRIL - Starship Sophocles

The spotlight goes to Sophocles this month for orchestrating a plan to bring an Ultra Beast back into space! In one of the Ultra Guardian missions to prevent the UBs from staying in the real world, Celesteela proved to be a real challenge being stuck to the ground for about 200 years! Before even receiving the mission, Sophocles knew about the UB being stuck there and even asked his classmates for help with attempting to shovel it out there. I just love the fact that everyone joins in without question to help a friend in need. He continued doing more research about Celesteela, but struggled to find a solution that wouldn’t hurt it. “The Celestial Starship” legend Sophocles grew up with meant a lot to him, and wanted to protect the Celesteela just like what that couple in that story did to the bamboo-looking celestial...protect it at all costs until it was able to find its way back to the moon. Thanks to further excavation and a Beast Ball method, anything is possible! Eventually after the Ultra Guardians fought off Team Rocket's dastardly plans, UB-04 was able to rocket its engines safety as it disappears into the atmosphere. Sophocles finally has a peace of mind. I’m glad that we got some Sophocles development out of it because we got to know more about his heart towards Pokémon rather than his already knowledgable brain. I honestly thought that Celesteela would get more of a menacing role, but I guess it just likes to smile every time there is full moon. Hopefully it’s there right now :D

MAY - The Ula'ula Trials with Nanu & Acerola

The whole month of May in general was one of my favorites because it mainly featured the appearances Kahuna Nanu and Acerola (along with her Shiny ghost Mimikyu) in the anime! Acerola with her sweet attitude toward the kids she was caring for and even made friends with a wild Gengar. Then we got the Kendama cat-master Nanu who has ties with Team Rocket’s Giovanni. He is the one responsible of how Team Rocket got their Z-ring in the first place to finally use the Darkium Z they’ve been carrying for a while. Ash (traveling by himself) spent a lot of time in Ula'ula Island just to get that Grand Trial with Nanu and my goodness did he earn it! After a painful first lost against the old man, Acerola (with an assistance form Tapu Bulu too) was able to help Ash out in improving himself for the epic rematch. Pikachu learning Electro Web, Rowlet being able to use Razor Leaf and Lycanroc controlling its berserk behavior when it gets wet PLUS even learning Stone Edge and Counter in the process! After all of what’s happened, the training paid off when Ash defeated Nanu in the Grand Trial rematch earning him a Lycanium Z. This pretty much felt like a really big mini-arc, and all I can just say is that I’m happy to see Nanu do that Darkium Z pose...not as good as it was in the game but it was still a treat. Also the Uncle relationship that Acerola has with Nanu is adorable. Back to Melemele we go!

JUNE - Lillieum Z

It’s Lillie’s time to shine once again getting some solid development with her trainer skills. I am talking about the episode where the entire class gets lost inside an ice cave that is apparently connected to Mount Lanakila. It’s one of those episodes where everyone pretty much gets split-up into groups. I just really love these types of episodes in general because we always get to see sub-groups from the main cast that we don’t really get to see since we usually see them in a full group or a 1-on-1 hangout. We got Ash & Kiawe on one end, while we have Lana, Rotom Dex and Kiawe’s Alolan Marowak on the other. However the main focus was on the trio of Mallow, Sophocles & Lille attempting to find their way to the others. They did starve, but luckily Mallow had some spare cookies to share! They also discover a group of wild Alolan Sandshrew  getting threatened by a Tyranitar while the group was self-training. Lillie had the courage to intervene and challenges Tyranitar to a Double Battle with Snowy and the Sandshrew leader of the group! After fending off the bully, that Sandshrew evolved (via an Ice Stone found by Sophocles’s Charjabug in which Snowy declined to evolve) into an Alolan Sandslash and gave Lillie an Icium Z to show their gratitude for protecting the group. You’d think that it would get stronger if Snowy would have evolved instead, but NOPE. Our little frosty Vulpix had the same attitude similar to Ash’s Pikachu and fought off that Tyranitar with its own power along with Lillie’s bravery. An Alolan Ninetales would be cool though, but I guess cuteness prevails over beauty...and that’s how I like it :3

JULY - Talk to the Legs

It’s time for dance lessons! I was actually on a tumblr break when this episode aired, so I never really got a chance to talk about it. In one of the more fun assignments Kukui has given out to the class, everyone is required (or at least attempt) in teaching their Pokémon how to dance for an upcoming Pokémon Dance recital activity. Mallow wanted a more traditional dance so she is teaching Steenee the Alola Hula with the help of our friendly old lady Anela at the Hau'oli market. On the day of the performances, Team Rocket crashes the party in style as Jessie & James were crossdressing once again! All were trapped in pairs of cages except Steenee, who was the only hope in saving the day. Once it leaped to one of the cages and stomping on it, it ended up learning the move Stomp. And if you’ve played the games and know your Pokémon, you know what happens next...enter Tsareena! With stronger and bigger legs, she immediately gets rid of Team Rocket’s capturing equipment. Bewear steals the show out of nowhere making its obligatory snagging of the Rocket fam after their plans have failed. Even after evolving, Rowlet is still attracted to the sweet scent, but ended up getting a hard kick in the air that’s more powerful than ever. Better luck next time b0rb...I also do want to add that I am pleased that we got to see Kiawe’s Wela dance with Marowak (I believe this was the first time we saw him doing that?). It’s just like how he is portrayed in the games!

AUGUST - Mina Connection

In another episode I missed on covering (during my break) was the beginning of the signs leading to the “Blinding One" (Japanese: Radiant One). One of my favorite and underrated characters from the Sun & Moon games, Mina (with her Ribombee) also makes an appearance as she served an important role to what Poipole was going to do. Our sticky Ultra Beast becomes inspired after seeing Mina’s paintings, and wanted to express the love Poipole has for its “Alolan family” using its ink. Mina also noticed how much it “like, like, loved” her paintings that she got inspired herself to draw a beautiful portrait of Ash, Kukui and Burnet (along with Poipole, Rotom Dex, Pikachu & Munchlax). That is pretty much Poipole’s Alolan family ever since getting caught by Ash. Lusamine and the others were thrilled to see how Poipole was expressing its emotions through the ink in hopes to further research the vague illustrations. Meanwhile, a certain Team Skull trio engaged in an art competition (hosted by Mina) that didn’t go so well after Tupp showed an awful (he tried his best!) drawing of his Salandit. Eventually Poipole had a dark dream of what looks to be other Poipoles and a Naganadel that looked to be very weak. Ever since that dream, Poipole started drawing very familiar shapes that seem to resemble the Blinding One.

SEPTEMBER - The United Islands of Alola

The conclusion to the Poipole/Necrozma arc is probably the biggest highlight for the series in 2018. From Gladion joining the Ultra Guardians, to Team Rocket’s Matori Matrix attempting catch a fused Necrozma, to Nebby returning to assist with the mission, to rescuing and healing a weakened Lunala, to visiting Poipole’s homeworld and hear a Naganadel talk in their minds...I’m at the edge of my seat! The whole time this arc felt like it could be one Pokémon movie. This should probably make-up for why there really isn’t an Alola-region based Pokémon movie for this series specifically. But going back on topic, the entire region of Alola was still in crisis as Necrozma absorbs all the Z-power the Ultra Guardians tried to strike back with, even after separating it from Nebby. So what does everyone do? UNITE! Not just the Ultra Guardians, not just the Aether Foundation, not just the Kahunas participating in the Manalo Festival, but Alola as a whole teamed up in various locations where citizens swarmed together and gave their “light” by doing Tapu Koko’s pose to bring Necrozma back to its normal form! In one last Ultra stand, Nebby (with Ash holding Solganium Z) and Lunala (with Gladion holding Lunalium Z) gave one final blow to Necrozma. After unleashing the combination of Z-moves, Ultra Necrozma rises from the light and uses its power to restore all the damage that has been done to Alola, thus ending the chaos ensuing in the region. In other news, Faba is probably the only person to know that Professor Kukui is indeed The Masked Royal after calling in his Incineroar to ward off the Matori Matrix.

Of course the most depressing thing out of all this is saying goodbye to our little sticky Poipole friend who had to go back to its home world. Before leaving, it painted Ash & Pikachu’s face as a goodbye gesture. The flashback scenes, and the music in the end was absolutely magnificent to top it all off! We’ll miss you old friend…the series isn’t over yet, so maybe we’ll see it again one day :’D

OCTOBER - Pika Pika Sunday Funday...~pika!

In the heels of releasing our Poipole friend back to its home world, the anime has officially made its move Sunday nights in Japan (episodes have always aired on Thursdays since 1997, so this was pretty historic). Our heroes obviously need some rest and good ol’ fun after what they’ve been through with the Necrozma crisis. We find Ash, Kiawe, and his little sister Mimo visit a Pikachu Valley where they meet a Pikarla, a huge Pikachu fangirl enthusiast. Pikarla gives everyone (including Rotom Dex) a set of Pikachu ear headbands and tails during their entire stay at the valley to the point where she gives them all Pika-names! She even gave Team Rocket some Pika-attire when they came in after Mimikyu hazes the valley in anger (you probably know why). As Team Rocket uses their Mimikium Z to capture all the Pikachu, Pikarla steps in and pulls down one of her wrist bracelets revealing a Z-Ring. She and her shiny Pikachu, Bancho, perform the Z-move Catastropika to release all the Pikachu that have been caught by Team Rocket as they blasted off in the distance (don’t worry Bewear catches them lol). Ash was interested with the move...now if only his Pikachu learned, or should I say re-learn, Volt Tackle :| In the end, Pikarla assembles all of the Pikachu in the valley that was rescued for a roll call with descriptive and specific names for each one. Unfortunately for Ash and Kiawe, they stuck around for that full roll call which literally took the entire day!

NOVEMBER - Hau long have we waited for him!?

FINALLY, Hau makes his long overdue appearance in the anime! Even though we haven’t seen his malasada loving personality yet, I’m just satisfied that we have a worthy rival and new friend for Ash. During this timeline, he still has yet to defeat his grandfather’s trial (Kahuna Hala) in which Ash already did. Impressed by his accolades, he challenges Ash to a battle with his Dartrix. Due to Rowlet’s lack of training, Ash is defeated but promises to beat Hau in their next rematch the following day. Determined for Rowlet to get stronger, he goes back to the place where our birb got raised. Thanks to Toucannon and our Trumbeak friends in a very unique training session (I mean with how Ash demonstrated Bullet Seed), Rowlet is now able to use Seed Bomb! During that process however, it did swallow an Everstone which does prevent it from evolving. When Ash gets his rematch with Hau, he is victorious and the seed spitting paid off! Hau is heavily upset by the loss (nearly tearing up), but quickly picks himself up vowing to battle Ash again after clearing Hala’s trial. I’m just so happy of Hau’s friendly but competitive rival attitude towards Ash, and actually seeing him as strong opponent not to be taken likely. As for our little round birb, I’m not surprised if it won’t be evolving anytime soon because of the Everstone it loves swallow, but hey you never know! One day it could get sick of it, and spit it out for good :3 Then it will grow into a healthy and powerful Decidueye! But for now, I guess the world still needs a lovable Rowlet at all times.

DECEMBER - The Eevee of the Sea, Nagisa

Eevee, where are you going? That has been the question for the past two months ever since this shaggy little Pokémon showed up in special shorts at every end of the episode. Well the Eevee finally reached its destination in the Alola region making friends with Pikachu and others. Meanwhile, Lana and her sisters are thrilled when they heard that their dad is finally coming home. While shopping for supplies for the warm welcome, Lana’s Popplio recognizes an Eevee that is getting chased by an Alolan Persian (the same one that bullied Litten before!) and decides to chase after it. After a whacky and adventurous run around the city, they were able to lose site of Pershie but ran into Team Skull grunts by the beach. When Rapp and Tupp have an argument (and a tug of war with Eevee’s body) on who gets to keep Eevee, Ash & friends were there to break it up! The grunts struck back with all their Pokémon ready for battle, but Lana decides to personally take it in her own hands and commands Popplio to use Aqua Jet, only to have it develop into a wonderful Surf attack. With Eevee joining by Popplio’s side, it gave the final attack with a big Double-Edge to send them flying. The highlight of all this is when Lana gets encouraged by her classmates to capture this ocean loving Eevee as her own, and I like the fact that she used Dive Ball to do it! Not just that, she also nicknames it “Nagisa” (from what I understand it means beach). This is what I’ve been wanting for the anime to have consistently in the past, to use different types of Poké balls and give more options for nicknames just like how it always offers us in the games. Not only did Popplio gain a best friend in Nagisa, but is now part of the Lana’s family with a brand new and clean haircut. It even gave her father the most welcoming and loving gesture of all...a tackle attack to the gut <3

Some honorable mentions…

2018 for PokéAni was one heck of an ULTRA year! It mainly revolved around the Ultra Guardians’ missions in bringing back the Ultra Beasts to where they came from. Other than that, we also got to see Lana & Mallow’s childhood past, the Wela Volcano Hikers return, Rotom Dex shenanigans with form changing and even joining the set of Detective Laki. We got 1-hour specials seeing Lana make friends with a Dewpider plus seeing Mallow’s big brother visiting home, and the recent 2-parter with Dia and his Zeraora in the mysterious Ultra Ruin. For Team Rocket, they temporarily get an Alolan Meowth in their base until it got promoted to HQ, but gets a permanent family member with a Stufful later on (Bewear’s child). We were introduced to the notorious Viren (you may know him as Bourgain in Japanese) who wanted to take down a family ranch, the Battle Royal Dome, and even build his own resort tower all for selfish profit! We also had fun ones like Ash dressing up as a female nurse the class helping Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center, a field trip to a hot spring paradise resort, and the class making their own school play. We also had bizarre ones like Faba accidentally shrinking Ash, Lillie & Sophocles, or Acerola’s haunted house turning into a real ghost Pokémon fantasy. I also want to mention one of the more emotional ones such as the Minior episode where we were first introduced to Molayne and his observatory. Such a strong theme of having precious memories with a sad outcome due to the nature of that certain Pokémon :(

Team Skull were featured in quite a couple of episodes this year as well, and I can’t wait to see what they bring in 2019! Could it finally be the year of Guzma? Or maybe it might be the year of The Masked Royal? We saw a lot of him too this past year, and I’m sure Professor Burnet would love to see more of that...she did hold his hand after all :> Overall, I like the fact that the Sun & Moon anime gave us a variety of different stories every week because of how different each theme and storytelling is. Just look at the list of episodes we’ve had this year, and it’s amazing how we still get some character development out of most of them. If you are still thinking on whether or not to continue watching the series (or if you never started yet), please do watch! It can only get better from here, and I’m sure we’ll get news of an Alola League sooner or later.

And there you have it! There are some moments that I didn’t mention here since this post as long as it already is, so I’ll stop here. If you’ve read everything I had to say (I probably got typos don’t I? lol), then thank you for your time! Feel free share your own favorite PokéAni moment 2018 with a reblog or a reply if you choose to do so. Thanks again for an amazing year, and it’s time for us to ENNJOOYYY 2019′s fun moments and maybe even some surprises. We ended the year with Brock & Misty, and we’re starting 2019 with Brock & Misty! Now that is how you end with a bang and kick-off a party. See y’all in 2019 in what possibly could be the last year for this series. Let’s go and make the most of it ;)

Happy New Year to all my followers, and the rest of the Pokémon fandom!

[sage-nebula]

pokemon (games) and/or pokeani for the meme?

I’ll go ahead and answer for the anime, since although I prefer the games, I think the anime works better for memes like this.

the first character i ever fell in love with:

Ash Ketchum, way back in 1998. He was pretty much an instant fave for me, and no doubt contributed to my love of snark and sass (given that his name could have just as easily been Sass Ketchum and would have arguably been more accurate).

a character that i used to love/like, but now do not:

Manon. I liked her well enough at first, but the way her stans constantly bashed and degraded Alan while using that degradation to prop Manon up (often by making him her trophy boyfriend, which is really disgusting when you consider not only the age, but the maturity difference between them) quickly ruined any fondness I had for her. The fact that she got off scot-free in the show without having to realize or own up to any of her own mistakes or shortcomings (while Alan took the fall for all of them instead) didn’t help.

a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not:

Mmm, I can’t really think of anything for this one. I don’t think there’s anything that I used to seriously ship in this show that I don’t ship now. There are casual ones I can think of that I no longer even casually ship, but even those were more of a shrug and acceptance rather than something I actively liked.

my ultimate favorite character™:

ALAN [SYCAMORE], FIRST OF HIS NAME, HEART OF A CHAMPION, SOUL OF A DRAGON. It’s honestly no contest. I cannot think of a single character in the whole of the PokéAni that could come even close to comparing with him. I still block on sight for any nonsense hatred or condemnation thrown his way, and I regret nothing. 

prettiest character:

I mean … I know I’m biased, but …

My valiant dragon son is beautiful. I mean, in particular, his eyes …

He has dragon fire in his eyes. You don’t get much prettier than that.

my most hated character:

Paul. He’s straight up abusive to his pokémon, and him learning to give them the absolute bare minimum of care and praise at the end of a match (or losing to Ash at the League, which I literally do not care about at all) is not enough for him to curry favor or earn forgiveness in my eyes. He can go burn, and for that matter, he can take that bastard Damian from the OS right along with him as he does.

my OTP:

Ash/Misty will always be endgame to me, as well as Jessie/James. 

I do think that it’s probable that Ash and Misty would end up dating other people as they grow older—that Ash would date Dawn for a while, for instance, and that Misty would have a relationship with Lana—but at the end of it all I think they’d find their way back to each other, once they’ve grown up and matured and realized that, while their first crushes on each other might have been puppy love back when they were kids, now that they’re older … it’s deeper and more meaningful than that. It’s real.

As for Jessie/James, I think those two are soulmates, however you want to interpret it. Maybe their relationship stays platonic forever. Maybe their relationship is romantic. Maybe their relationship floats in a nebulous space between platonic and romantic, undefined as Meowth rolls his eyes from the other side of the balloon. Whatever the case, I don’t really care as long as they’re together. That’s what matters most.

my NOTP:

Aside from the obvious ones of bestiality, incest, and pedophilia, my answer to this would have to be Alan/Manon. I never liked it to begin with because of the age / maturity gap between them (honestly, Manon acts like Bonnie, the show parallels her to Bonnie, and Alan is so mature people often mistake him for an adult despite Malva referring to him as a boy, how is this even a question), but between how the show handled their relationship and how the ship’s stans (who are always Manon stans, from my experience) handle it / treat Alan, I honestly want to scrape my brain out with an ice pick every time I’m reminded this ship exists. It’s a trashboat of epic proportions as far as I’m concerned.

favorite episode:

It’s less one single episode, and more one trio of episodes: OS022 - OS024, a.k.a. “Abra and the Psychic Showdown”, “The Tower of Terror”, and “Haunter vs. Kadabra.” Those three episodes left a major lasting impression on me as a kid, in a good way. That depiction of Sabrina as a villain with a creepy monotone, who had a small “doll” that represented her childlike innocence (that was still villainous in her innocence!), and the way she presented a formidable threat that no one else in the series had managed until that point … not to mention the backstory with how she drove her own parents away (and turned her own mother into a doll), how she was always waiting for her father to show himself again, how she drove herself to that point by obsessing over her powers (I would too, ngl) … man. I loved everything about that trio of episodes. I still love that trio of episodes. There are quite a few episodes in the OS that I turn to regularly whenever I just need something to watch, but I think those three are extra special.

saddest death:

LATIOS IN THE GUARDIANS OF ALTO MARE. At first I was like, “wait, did anyone who wasn’t a villain ever even permanently die?” AND THEN I REMEMBERED LATIOS AND HAD TO CLUTCH AT MY HEART FOR A SECOND. RIP LATIOS, YOU ARE MISSED.

favorite season:

It’s a tie between the very first season (Kanto), and the second season (Orange Islands). While both had their faults, what I like most about those two seasons that latter seasons (even in the OS, with Johto!) lack is how organic they feel. Kanto especially was created before the Pokémon Anime really decided on its identity, and chose a formula to stick to for successive seasons, most likely because they weren’t sure they were even going to get successive seasons back when they were making it (the series was supposed to end with Mewtwo Strikes Back, after all). As a result of this, we had some truly original episodes. We had the three episodes with Sabrina that I mentioned above, but we also had episodes like “The Ghost of Maiden’s Peak” with a Gastly that could talk for reasons unexplained and who impersonated humans to keep a dead girl’s legend alive; we had episodes like “Mystery at the Lighthouse” with a giant Dragonite that was never explained or seen again (also, still mad at Team Rocket to this day for attacking that poor baby); we had episodes like “Electric Soldier Porygon” where everyone traveled into the internet with Porygon to stop a computer virus (and give 800+ Japanese children seizures, but that wasn’t supposed to be part of it); and we had episodes like “Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon” where Ash discovered that a bunch of fossil pokémon were living underground and, in the process of all this, almost got eaten by an Aerodactyl. And the Orange Islands, while slightly more tame, was similarly allowed to be pretty free and fun given that it didn’t follow the badge quest formula, and the Orange Islands weren’t drawn from the games, meaning that the anime team could do whatever they wanted with them. So between the anime not yet having a set formula in season one, and the anime being set somewhere completely new in season two, seasons one and two of the PokéAni had plots that were basically like:

That was every day in the first two seasons of the PokéAni, because the first two seasons of the PokéAni were already so goddamn weird, and they were better off for it.

Aside from how weird and strange the plot could get, though, I also feel that the first season especially felt a lot more organic than even the second because the effects of the journey were regularly shown on the main characters. They were lost pretty much all the time (which is why they needed to keep Tracey for Johto, tbqh; he was the only one who had a sense of direction). They were often dirty and longing for baths and laundromats. In “Wake Up Snorlax” they’re out of food and practically crying as the town they reach doesn’t have anything to offer them because it’s been so long since they’ve eaten. Ash, Brock, and Misty are two children and a teenager traveling across the continent by themselves. It makes sense that they wouldn’t always have a nice place to sleep, that they’d run out of food, that they’d be grimy and exhausted a good deal of the time, especially since they’re always lost. (They were lost for like 70% of the first season istg. The narrator even lampshades when it takes them two weeks to reach Vermilion City and they all cheer.) I really liked how the first season in particular showed them tired, grody, hungry, and lost for a good portion of the journey. It felt so much more realistic than the perfect, spotless journeys that came later on.

least favorite season:

Outside of Alan and everything to do with him, I’m not much of a fan of Kalos. I’m also not really a fan of Alola because I don’t think slice of life really suits this series as much as the adventure genre does, but it had some good cameo episodes and also has Gladion, so it has its good points, too.

character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate:

Paul and Manon. Paul in particular is incredibly popular and I will never understand it.

my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave:

Honestly, I’m not sure? I think the closest I get to this is Jessie and James, since they’re two grown adults constantly stalking and bullying a ten year old boy, which would be insanely worrying if not for the fact that said ten year old put them in their place literally every other day. (Plus I like to think they actually do really care about him at this point. It’s what I’d like to believe, anyway.) Maybe Cassidy and Botch would be better contenders, though. They have no redeeming qualities, they’re just assholes, but I’d still be super mega excited to see them come back.

my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave:

ALAN deserves better than all he has suffered, and definitely deserves better than this goddamn unappreciative fandom. He is a burned cinnamon roll, been through hell and back, slightly charred, and he deserves the world.

Apart from him, though, Ash every time he gets put through some hell because of fate or destiny or legendaries or whoever the hell has decided to mess with him this week. After everything that went down in Kalos, can we really blame him for going to Alola for a vacation? And yet he’s STILL pulled into Ultra Wormhole nonsense! My god, just let this poor boy rest, he deserves it!!

my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship:

Listen, I’m not one of those fools that thinks it’s canon, but I always loved the fic trope of Giovanni being Ash’s father because he and Delia had a fling way back in the day and I am grateful to that awful musical for giving it to us. The angst potential is real for this one, and I also like the idea of Giovanni allowing Jessie and James to chase Ash all over creation despite how it completely tanked their careers and potential not just because it “keeps them out of the way,” but also because it’s a way for him to keep an eye on his son without them ever knowing that’s his son. There’s some good fic potential there.

On a more serious note, while I don’t think it’s “wrong,” or “nasty,” or “makes me want to cleanse my soul,” I’ve always kind of shipped Spencer/Delia, too. The idea of Spencer Hale and Delia Ketchum finding love together later in life, and Ash and Molly becoming step-siblings as a result, is one that warms my heart. I know that Molly’s mother comes back at the end of Spell of the Unown, but … well, that was just a post-credits scene and so it’s easy to ignore. Come on, let Ash have a little step-sister. Let Molly have the mother she always wanted. It’s what they deserve.

my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship:

I wouldn’t say I’m highkey invested in any romantic ship in this show, haha. I mean, let’s be honest, it’s not like any of them have a chance at development outside of small hints here or there, you know? So there’s no reason to get all up in a twist about it. So I think that most ships I ship could fall into this category. Cute, but no need to make a fuss about them.

[cassioppenny]

OKAY so im going to draw more later but i really want to talk about it so i drew red and i’ll draw other characters later. anyway. pokemon legends mew.

so a 12-13 year old red (or leaf since she’d probably also be playable if this was a game) went to mount silver but accidentally discover a time space distortion and got eebied deebied. while falling through space time mew appears similar to arceus in pla and calls red cringe. anyway mew decides to just hang out in red’s brain and maybe help him get home if they feel like it. basically instead of an arc phone there’s a cat harassing you with telepathy.

red wakes up to see giovanni’s ancestor gin and oak’s ancestor aoi looking down at red because apparently he just fell off of mount silver and is somehow still alive. gin is basically giovanni but if he was a cool dad and aoi is a girl the same age as you. she kinda looks like blue but she’s more similar to young oak from the celebi movie. she’s the nice friendly rival actually.

okay but anyway gin basically adopts red and he joins gin’s merchant group the rocket guild (working title). There members include gin aoi, charm, jessie’s ancestor jack, and james’ ancestor jill. charm is a bit nicer than her appearance in pla and is basically the big sister of the group and is in her twenties. she gives red and aoi candy. her rhyhorn is actually a gift from gin. jack is a traveller originally from galar who is an aspiring pokemon professor and is also on the run after getting into debt from a kalosian monarch. jill is the run away daughter of the monarch jack in indebted to. they hate each others guts. jill and her growlithe ran away from home to escape her father’s control and has a special interest in flowers. she tends to slack off to work on her makeshift flower garden she’s growing on the outside of their wagon. she’s also a trans girl because i decided that would be cool. both of them are like 18-19 years old. also gin has a meowth that he treats like his daughter and completely spoils all the time. 

anyway its usually just charm, jack, and jill (which is to say its just charm since the others constantly slack off) doing actual merchant work while red and aoi mess around since they’re just kids. jack is the one that gives the two of you your starter pokemon. aoi already has an eevee but anyway. you get to choose between treeko, scorbunny, and froakie. aoi will pick the starter weak to yours but her eevee will be the type super effective to your starter. jack asks you to help him learn about every pokemon in kanto and johto.

here’s red’s design + an aoi cameo

also there’s a war happening between kanto and johto lol. yeah so originally kanto and johto were one region before the two of the disagreeing on embracing the future and revolutionizing or embracing tradition and rejecting change. they were peaceful for a while until kanto suddenly attacked johto and a war started. so uh yeah red gets traumatized the video game!!!

since kanto and johto are way more populated than hisui there’s more than one town where you can get supplies and do side quests and they’re also places you can just walk into in the sub areas. one of them is a town located where the lake of rage is now. surely nothing bad will happen here :) 

there you’ll see a bunch of new and returning characters specifically kamado and beni though there’s others as well. you also get to see kamado’s wife from galar. surely nothing bad will happen to her. 

okay some random stuff:

- volo appears and isnt insane yet. he actually gets the idea to pretend to be merchant in pla after befriending red

- ethan/kris/lyra’s ancestor is the mean rival and steals the starter stronger than yours. idk what to name them yet

- evelyn is this game’s former battle facility head with amnesia and becomes a kimono girl at lugia’s tower and has the gen 1 eeveelutions. surely nothing bad happens to them

- mew actually lets red go home after finishing the dex because they actually keep their promisees unlike a CERTAIN CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE

- rr giovanni might be involved

okay now im think about my pokemon legends kanto au/prequel oopsie

[okayinkayblog-blog]

The Who, What, When, Why’s of: Malamar

(and some strategies/ev spreads/the works)

This is probably a surprise to no one, but Inkay/Malamar is my favorite dark type. But its hard to explain such a rocking Pokemon - an extraordinary ability in Contrary, an awesome signature move in Topsy Turvy, a hilarious evolutionary line,a species that can probably take over the world...what’s not to love here?

Who is Malamar?

Malamar is known as the Overturning Pokemon, and is #687 (six eight seven haHA) in the Pokedex. Malamar wields some of the strongest hypnotic powers of any Pokémon and can make its opponents bend to its will.

(reference: https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/malamar)

Malamar has made several appearances in the Pokemon anime, and is shown many times to be a villain trying to take over the world. This can be seen in the episodes A Conspiracy To Conquer and Facing the Grand Design, where Malamar is shown to control the minds of humans for their own gain. In fact, Malamar are so intelligent that they can control the minds of Kalos’s most renowned scientists. However, in Facing the Grand Design, Malamar living in the forest team up with Clemont, James, and Meowth to defeat the evil Malamar group after their forest friends are attacked. From this, it can be assumed that Malamar are very close knit and will protect those they care about. This is further proven when James’s Inkay tries to stick up to an evil Malamar to help Team Rocket and James himself. This is why I love this pokemon line so much. Its adorable.

Its name is a mix of the words Malice and Calamari.

(references: http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/Malamar, https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/James%27s_Inkay,https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/malamar)

What is Malamar?

Get this - Malamar is based off of a squid. Wild revelation.

(reference: a picture of a squid)

Where is Malamar?

Inkay can be found on Route 8 and Azure Bay in Pokemon X/Y. You have to trade it over in ORAS and Sun/Moon via Pokebank.

Malamar evolves at level 30 when the 3ds is turned upside down. (no this isn’t a joke)

(reference: https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/malamar)

Why would I use Malamar?

You want a trick room sweeper? Malamar. Has your opponent been setting up during the battle? Malamar. Need an answer for Intimidate? Malamar.

Malamar is a versatile Pokemon that is a solid unit on any team and is awesome on a trick room team. Contrary works really great with Superpower, and Topsy Turvy can make Malamar pretty damn bulky.

(reference: personal experience with my Malamar)

Why would I not use Malamar?

This is a tough question to answer. It all really depends on your playstyle, I suppose. Malamar is good in physical bulk, but in special bulk it’s just alright with investment. It can take a hit, but it can be worn down by special attacks. This can be nullified by a Light Screen, however. Reflect also helps, but Superpower makes this somewhat unnecessary.

Its also got a base 73 speed. Ouch. I run mine on a trick room team, but if you aren’t into that Malamar probably isn’t the Pokemon for you.

If Bug and Fairy are a weakness on your team, this may not be the Pokemon for you unless you have an answer to these types.

Maybe you just don’t like squids.

Possible Strategies

Singles

This is more of a standard set, I think:

Malamar w/Choice Scarf

Ability: Contrary

Adamant or Jolly Nature, for this set I prefer Jolly

252 atk/252 spd/4 spdef

-Superpower 

-Topsy Turvy

-Switcheroo

-Night Slash/Psycho Cut

I’ve faced this Malamar before and it is annoying. It shuts down setup, and makes itself physically tanky and powerful with Superpower. Thanks, Contrary ability. It can lock you into setup or protect with switcheroo. When I faced this Malamar, it had Night Slash for the raw damage, but Psycho Cut is also a good option. Ugh, this set is so beautifully evil, just like Malamar itself. I love it.

This is more of a defensive Malamar set:

Malamar w/Leftovers

Ability: Contrary

252 atk/128 HP/128 def (Impish) or 128 sp def (Careful)

Impish or Careful nature, depending on what you wanna invest in

-Superpower

-Topsy Turvy

-Pluck

-Psycho Cut/Night Slash

The point of this set is to become tanky and have possible sustain behind Malamar. With the abundance of confusion berries in the meta game at this time, Pluck could be an option to keep you alive after a super power or two while doing a bit of damage. If you don’t wanna play the confusion berry guessing game, go for attract on a female Malamar or double team to make Malamar take less damage and have sustain through leftovers.

Doubles

This is my personal Malamar set that I use under trick room with some pretty nifty wins:

Malamar w/Lum Berry or Leftovers (I use Leftovers)

Ability: Contrary

220 HP/160 spdef/128 def

Sassy Nature

-Superpower

-Topsy Turvy

-Attract/Pluck

-Night Slash/Psycho Cut

This EV spread is so that you can maybe survive a fairy type hit while doing fairly fine against neutral hits and become tankier with Superpower.

Topsy Turvy to support your team when coming in (I wouldn’t recommend it as a lead, since you can shut down setup pokemon after a bit of time) 

If your Malamar is a female, try an attract for the 50% chance of immobilization. If male, or if you just don’t like attract, try Pluck for the sustain. Be careful of confusion berries against the Sassy nature.

Night Slash or Psycho Cut for STAB - it’s your pick.

Potential Partners:

Klefki: An awesome support. Light Screen, Reflect, and Thunder Wave can shut down a pokemon really well. However, it’s pretty much useless in Trick Room because of Prankster.

Mega Audino: My favorite Pokemon partner for, well, a lot. Malamar is no exception. Mega Audino is bulky as heck, and it really appreciates Topsy Turvy on a swords dance. This way it can set up trick room, calm mind, and destroy. It can also check Malamar’s 4x weakness to Bug with Flamethrower. Alternatively, Heal Pulse can heal it if it takes a fairy move and is more reliable than pluck since Audino will most likely be the fastest thing on the trick room field.

Eviolite Misdreavus: Can take both physical and special hits, can set up trick room, can set up will o wisp and/or thunder wave. A well rounded support imo. Pretty underrated and needs more love. (hint hint)

In Conclusion...

I love Malamar. It’s such a cool Pokemon with a lot of potential to take on the meta. If you love anti meta teams and wanna have some annoying fun, try slipping a Malamar on your team.

Feel free to drop me a question, comment, or your favorite Malamar moveset :)

[olddirtybadfic]

James's Special Delivery: Tab A Plus Slot B Equals Kitten (part two of three)

There is a three-sentence sex scene in this. It's three sentences too long and it's also too short.

If you're going to write James/Meowth slashfic, you'd better go all in on it.

Part one

This fic contains:  Pokémon/Human romantic relationship; unexplained mpreg/male pregnancy; shaky grasp of the realities of pregnancy and childrearing; lack of medical and scientific knowledge; possible out-of-character moments for Jessie, James, and Meowth; odd ideas about romance; Dr. Fuji is miraculously alive somehow; ridiculously easy resolutions to problems; attempts to rehabilitate James's mother (she totally approved of Jessiebelle's bullshit she deserves no mercy); divorce; IKEA erotica that's somehow way too graphic and under described at the same time; dialogue that can't decide if it wants to be humorous or suspenseful

-O-o-O-o-O-

Meanwhile, back at James’s hometown, his parents were getting a divorce.

“I’m tired of the way you’re treating our son!” yelled Bethany Morgan, James’s mother.

“That boy is just hopeless. He won’t marry a proper citizen like Jessiebelle. He’s even dating a talking Meowth who used to be a criminal. How disgraceful!” Jacob Morgan, James’s father, yelled.

“This is the year 2002. Things are changing. Besides, he’s really in love with him. Maybe he ran away because of you. You drove James away, both you and Jessiebelle.”

“How dare you talk back to me!”

“Someone has to. I want a divorce.”

So Bethany and Jacob got a divorce. Since Bethany was rich before she married Jacob, she didn’t end up in the poorhouse. Both of them took only what they brought into the marriage.

Bethany was happy. She was free to visit her son and write to him without drama.

-O-o-O-

James looked at the pill in his hand.

“Am I really sure I want to do this?” he thought.

James decided he was ready and he would’ve done this sooner or later. It might as well be sooner.

He swallowed the pill.

-O-o-O-

That night, James and Meowth did it.

James felt very invigorated by Meowth’s thrusting. Meowth loved James with all his heart and put his love in every thrust.

Needless to say, both of them were very happy (as well as tired) when they went to sleep.

-O-o-O-

The next morning, James woke up feeling nauseated. He ran into the bathroom and started vomiting.

Meowth realized James wasn’t in bed with him and woke up. He went into the bathroom. James was kneeling with his head in the toilet.

“James, what’s wrong? Why are you vomiting?” he asked.

“I think I’m pregnant,” James said.

Meowth took James to the doctors at the lab. Sure enough, James was right.

-O-o-O-

After eating just bland food and resting, James thought he’d gotten over his morning sickness in three days.

But morning sickness was the least of their problems.

“How are we going to tell Jessie?” James asked Meowth.

“Let’s tell her in the most subtle way possible,” Meowth said.

That day, after Jessie came back from the anger management sessions, they tried to be subtle when telling her about the experiment.

“Jessie….The experiment worked,” Meowth said.

“What experiment?”

“James is….er….‘fertile.’”

“What are you talking about?”

James, who was sitting next to Meowth, was massaging his temples. This was going to take a long time.

Jessie was getting impatient. “What. Is. Wrong. With. JAMES?!” she screamed.

“JAMES IS GONNA HAVE A KITTEN, OKAY?!” Meowth yelled.

“Why didn’t you just say you wanted to catch another Meowth?” Jessie said.

“Not like that,” James whispered.

“Then, like what?”

James whispered in her ear.

“What?”

James whispered it again.

“WILL YOU STOP BEING SO DAMN VAGUE?” Jessie yelled.

“I’M PREGNANT WITH MEOWTH’S KITTEN, OKAY?” James finally yelled.

“Freaking finally.” Then she realized what he said. “You’re what?!”

“It was an experiment,” James said. “Dr. Fuji made us do it for Team Rocket.”

“And we love each other,” Meowth said.

“Okay.”

“That’s it?!”

“Yeah, I don’t really have a problem with that.”

“Oh.”

James and Meowth went into the bedroom. They had gotten lucky.

-O-o-O-o-O-

Moral of the story: Lusting and thrusting leads to tin roofs rusting.

[lolli4587]

Day 7 – April 7th – Free Day*

I going to use my free day to talk about 10 episodes that stood out to me!

Just watching the recent episode about Litten and Scoutland. Omg the feels ;_;

I didn’t think I would sob... I going list my faves and the top 3 will get pic/gif treatment.

# 10 Pika and Goliath

Okay, I didn’t think I would love the episode so much when it first came out! I remember when I was younger, I always dreamed that Pikachu vs Raichu battle would be more engaging and more action like. Pikachu once again get rivaled against Raichu and his cocky trainer named Sho. Although Sho’s dub voice is so funny sounding with all the so called “gangster talk” I busted out laughing how bad it was. Pikachu once again reintroduced to the thunderstone.

Though this episode does get real of how Pikachu nearly faced it’s death after being beamed by a hyper beam in the face from Raichu, and shortly rushed to the hospital. After the near death experience, and Ash telling the story of how he was given thunderstone from Nurse Joy in Vermilion City due to similar situation. Pikachu once again rejects the stone and wants to fight! Which we get this incredible battle between the two on the rematch.

Of course Pikachu pulls up in top, and I love the bonding moment Pikachu had with Ash <3

#9 Holy Matrimony

Going back in season 1, I don’t know why, but this episode always stood out to me. This episode we find out that James is a freakin millionaire. But his reasoning for running away is legit as well. This episode had so many awkward moments, and Jame’s parents has a weird definition of being proper and in the rich class. Clearly, they don’t see Jessebelle aka Jame’s finance is a total nutcase.

For god sake, she had a whip trying to slap Jame’s around. To me, I was laughing so hard, and the bit where she looks like Jessie. Like come on, they did it so intentionally.  It was such a fun episode, and it’s too bad they don’t remind people as much of Jame’s past. I want to say the last time his past was mentioned was probably the DP era.

#8 Stage Fight

So this episode was shown during the Orange Island era and sadly it doesn’t get shown anymore thanks to Jynx appearance. This was the first time seeing Raichu in a different perspective. It’s being timid and vulnerable was so adorable, also highlighting Kay. The episode takes place in a showboat where the actors voice act through the pokemon and make them seem like they are talking.

This case, I found it interesting that Kay is actually afraid of Raichu, more so being shocked. In their first meeting, she throws Raichu away for avoid being shocked. The poor Raichu gets distraught since it was thrown and rejected from it’s own trainer.

Happy to say there was a happy ending. When Team Rocket got involved, she would confront her fear which helped Raichu, and they were able finally work together. And we do get an adorable scene at the end.

#7 Cave of Mirrors

So this episode to me was one the most interesting concept they had in a while and I was bummed they didn’t revisit it at the end of XY series. I love seeing all of the characters had a personality swap through the mirror world. I got a kick how Team Rocket is the good guys and referred as Heroes of Justice. Clemont using magic and instincts, Serena is all battle crazy talking in a different dialect, and Bonnie was more proper. Mirror Ash was timid and a crybaby.

I loved how Ash was able to go to the other side and had to rescue Pikachu, and the thief was his mirror self. It was a fun adventure. I did want more Mirror Pikachu, he was a mischievous and mean lol.

#6 A Scare To Remember

So this is the only AG episode to be on the list. This episode was pretty dark. Ash and his friends had their usual confrontation with Team Rocket and from the blast, Pikachu lost his memory. And for Meowth’s advantage, it was to convince Pikachu that he was part of Team Rocket.

Once Pikachu was reunited with Ash, he doesn’t recognize him and it shocks Ash, which put Ash in distress. As Team Rocket getting away, Ash goes after the balloon and tries to rescue Pikachu. Which then Pikachu blows up the balloon and Ash saves Pikachu falling from the sky to the water.

I loved Ash being selflessness here and how he go in lengths for Pikachu. I don’t think they revisited much since AG. But everytime I watch, I do get the feels...

#5  Lights! Camera! Pika!

This episode was Pika-tastic lol. I fell in love with the 5 different Pikachu costumes and more exciting they were filming a movie. This episode was so endearing since it showcased a director with his eternal love for Pikachu. Hearing his story, they helped him out with the movie! The whole filming and behind the scenes were so cool to see. And the bloopers sold me. They gave Pikachu a voice from his VA actress, Ash’s VA in english dub.

#4   Seeing the Forest for the Trees!

The next 3 episodes were difficult for me, so they are super close to each other. But this episode with Ash just being emo and depressed was crazy. I put my full thoughts a while back. This was the episode where Ash get yelled by Serena and he find himself and finally figured out the bond phenomenon.

I was sold mainly on Ash’s childhood memories bonding with the other pokemon. Ash mainly did had a battle with himself, and this episode reminded Ash they is never truly alone. This is where he finally figure’s out Greninja’s powers and finally able to fully transform. There were a lot of firsts, also I was happy for Serena’s not putting up Ash’s bullshit! Snowball scene for the win!

# 3 Ash vs Paul final battle arc (Familiarity Breeds Strategy!  A Real Rival Rouser! Battling a Thaw in Relations)

I put this as one since to me, 1 episode wasn’t enough. The whole build up for DP was Ash finally proving he can take on Paul. They both give their all, Ash had the same team from the 1st time full battle and Paul changed his team. The entire battle was just amazing! No rival has topped Paul, and this battle proves it. And the last battle, Infernape vs Electivire, it was a heart stopper

Also this marked of the departure...

# 2 Battling at Full Volume

Another episode I actually put full in detail before, omg, I didn’t think I would enjoy this episode so much. We got this guitarist trainer Jimmy with his adorable rocking Pikachu ends up battling Ash which was Serena in disguise.

It was nearly a perfect episode for me. Writers tease us with Ash saying to Serena “I love you” instead we get Iron Tail Pikachu. Ash gets sicks, and Serena cosplaying Ash and pulls it off.

And we gets ton of fan-service from Serena and teases from Bonnie. Omg, I didn’t think I would of love this episode so much. It literally had everything.

Serena pulls off a great Ash, you won me over!!

Before my #1 pick, a have a couple honorable mentions..

Team Flare Arc: One the best villainous arcs we ever had.

Chimcharred: Ash and Paul fighting over Chimchar’s well being. Damn you Ash, why couldn’t you punched Paul

High Gym Battle: This episode was on my favorite in Hoenn saga. Ash vs Winona

ANd my number 1 episode is..... (drumrolls)

#1 Electric Shock Showdown

So this episode is so special to me for so many reasons. This episode was the one that put me over the top to get in the pokemon fandom. At the time, battles were still young, at the time it was revolutionary.

Basically Ash getting his battle for his thunderbadge and has to beat Surge who were putting Pokemon in the hospital. After confronting him and learning he was using Raichu, Pikachu gets in the action.

This episode marks many first. First appearance of Raichu, first time Pikachu learns Agility, first time Team Rocket disguise themselves, also Pikachu get Pika Justice. At the end, Ash and PIkachu’s bond gets a lot stronger. And Team Rocket breaks the 4th Wall. The bit never gets old xD

The gym leader, Lt. Surge, was super memorable. He was a freaking giant and ripped. My friend would always say, he doesn’t need Raichu, he could go in the battlefield himself. He had a lot of pride and didn’t give Ash and Pikachu an easy time especially after the team discovered his weakness. Shoot, Japanese version is entertaining with his Engrish. English dub is amazing as well, RIP Maddie Blaustein.

Even though I seen it a thousand of times, this will be always my favorite episode.

This image for me never gets old, like Surge is a freaking giant! Well anyways, thank for  reading :D

[medea10]

Medea’s Top 10 Pokemon Episodes!

[laureviewer]

Pokémon Sun & Moon: A Review

As a lifetime Pokémon fanatic, I couldn’t wait to walk into the local Game once again to pick up my very own copy of Pokémon Moon, even at 24 years old. After the explosion that was Pokémon Go causing a bigger stir than Team Rocket “blasting off again”, the shop was decked out with Poké merchandise, including hats, shirts, keyrings, and cards, and Pokémon was proved more popular than ever. And the icing on the cake? It came out on my 7 year anniversary, so my boyfriend and I could be geeky together (we would have been anyway, but hey, Poké-versary it is).

The concept is very much the same as the first Generations Red and Blue: you are given a pocketable creature from the local Pokémon Professor, and set off on an exciting adventure [with little more than a phone and backpack] from your mum. The aim, of course, is to train your cute little lizard into a mighty dragon of destruction to defeat eight gym leaders and become Pokémon Master, all whilst thwarting your rival and Teams of evil trainers along the way.

Even the basic concept of Pokémon games as outlined here is challenged right from the outset. In Sun and Moon, you move from Kanto, where Red and Blue are set, to Alola, the new Hawaii-esque region. Here you experience a whole new culture in the Pokémon universe, where instead of Gym Leaders and the Pokémon League challenge there are Trial Captains, Island Kahunas, and the Island Challenge, where trainers have to undergo all of the islands’ trials and battle Totem Pokémon, the guardians of the respective islands. Indeed, the region has a very tropical feel to it, with palm trees, warm and friendly people, and rituals that one feels would emanate typical Hawaiian practices if the world of Pokémon existed, such as worshipping the great Pokémon spirits called Tapu which protect each island and serve as deities for the islanders. This brings a fresh new feel to a franchise that could very easily become dull after over 20 years, and makes the game really stand out from its predecessors.  

The starters are what everyone gets excited about when new Pokémon game is announced – how they look, their evolutions, and their types (although they’ll always be some variety of water, fire and grass, of course). While the first few games’ starters hold a special place in my heart, probably due to the originality that the first generations could have as the franchise was so new (eh, who am I kidding, it’s nostalgia through and through), there are a couple of gems in Sun and Moon. It was a toss up between the grass/flying Rowlet and fire-based Litten, but I eventually gave into my kitten-loving self and chose the latter. Though a grass/ghost final evolution was a tough one to ignore, as that match-up is so rare and original. On a replay, that would be my pick.

But oh my Arceus, what was the water starter? It starts off cute, fine, has potential, though it looks a lot like Pokémon X and Y’s Oshawott, which also looked like some sort of clown for some reason. Then its second evolution really does look like a clown with a skirt and pompoms on its ears, and then its final evolution, while slightly better, is just a weird sensual mermaid water/fairy type. Not a fan, and once I traded it over to my game just to ensure a water Pokémon made it into my party, it’s also not that exciting to battle with either.

All in all, the starters were okay, but nothing can ever beat my lovely fave Cyndaquil. Or, you know, freaking Charizard.

The main difference between Sun and Moon is as their names suggest: while Sun is a ‘normal’ Pokémon game, insofar that during the day according to your DS it is also daytime in the game, Moon is set 12 hours behind. Having got Moon, I have to say that the time difference didn’t make as much difference as I thought it might. In Pokémon Crystal, my favourite Pokémon game of all time, playing at night meant you could catch a wide variety of Pokémon that you couldn’t during the day. In this new generation, however, the time of day didn’t seem that much different – useful if you only tend to play at a certain time during the day. So, while I was worried about getting Moon in the first place, don’t worry – though if you want an Alola Vulpix, like I did, you may want to consider getting Sun instead!

This brings me to one of the biggest pulls of the games: Alola Pokémon!

Pokémon Sun and Moon, much like Pokémon Go, obviously wanted to draw in old fans as well as new. Alola forms are Generation One Pokémon, but like we’ve never seen them before – Alolan Vulpix is now an ice type, while Alolan Marowak is a ghost/fire type, while Alolan Meowth looks slightly seductive with his dark upgrade. All-in-all, it’s a clever way to engage the older generation in the new game, although it was quite difficult predicting the type advantage if a rival trainer threatens to bring one out, as both the old and the new Alola types exist in this game, and so you’re never quite sure if you’re going to be facing the old favourite or the new Alolan Dugtrio with its luscious head of locks.

Ever since Generation VI (X and Y) the item Exp Share has reverted back to its original Generation I function, which means that if you turn it on, all of your Pokémon receive experience points (EXP) regardless of which Pokémon you are actually using to fight. While for some this feature may be very useful as it means you only need to use one Pokémon in theory to level all of them, it really messes with my OCD. I want to use all of my Pokémon, regardless of strength or type, and Exp Share negates that purpose. Also, Exp Share seems to make all of your Pokémon level at a very fast rate, meaning that towards the end of Moon I was finding that the big battles such as the Pokémon League, rival and Island Kahuna battles seemed incredibly easy compared to early games. However, this may be less a problem with the games and more the fact that I am a 24 year old adult playing a game intended for children…  

There are many more incredible and exciting new features in this game, including the Rotom Pokédex which is a Pokémon database with a Pokémon trapped inside it (a bit horrendous when you put it like that), which talks to you and also guides you around the map of the region, which is big enough to definitely get hopelessly lost in. Not only this, but there is a market in the map now so you can see where you’re meant to be going, which if you’re awful with directions like me (even in games), this is a massive advantage. The updated Pokégear, your display, also introduces new interesting features not seen before in past games. Festival Plaza, for example, lets you interact with friends or players around you, allowing you to chat and battle over Wifi or direct link. Pokémon Polago is a bit redundant after you have enough beans, but they allow you to gather enough said beans in order to feed your team in Pokémon Refresh, which is by far the most useful aspect of your Pokégear (obviously other than your actual Pokémon, and the items, and the map… shhhh). I recently had a battle with James, and learnt its incredible advantages – he had never touched Pokémon Refresh, while I consistently made sure to go in periodically to feed, stroke and ‘love’ my little guys, increasing their happiness, satiety and enjoyment. In battle, this means that your Pokémon really feel a strong connection with you, and every so often they will dodge a move in time with my shout, refrain from fainting to stop me worrying, and perform critical hits to be praised. Not only did this give me a really annoying edge over James (and I WON!), but it also encompasses all that the Pokémon franchise has been rabbiting on about throughout all past and present games: love your Pokémon, rather than use them simply as tools for fighting, and you will become ‘the very best, like no-one ever was!’. Plus I now get to gloat, muahaha.

Ride Pokémon are also a fantastic new feature in the game. Throughout the game, you can get a (SPOILERS) Tauros for charging, Lapras for surfing, Machoke for, uh, carrying you and pushing things, and a Charizard for flying, amongst others. While this is a great idea, I did actually miss the level of strategy that came with HM moves. The Hidden Machines that you couldn’t remove from your Pokémons’ movesets meant that you had to ensure you had a diversity of different types of Pokémon or ‘HM slaves’ that could learn a few of the moves that were necessary to navigate the whole game, such as Whirlpool to get rid of whirlpools in your way and Strength to move obstructive boulders. The graphics are cool with the new Pokémon though, which have definitely graduated from the default Lapras sprite you got with ANY surfing Pokémon.

God knows what Pokémon this was...probably a Feraligator.

The gameplay actually divides me as a seasoned Pokémon player. The animation, while of course utilising far better graphics than games gone past, actually takes ages in comparison, meaning that battles that shouldn’t take very long take ages watching the Pokémon charge up their moves, shake their tail, or . This is particularly apparent with Z-Moves, another new feature in this game. The Z-Moves are extremely powerful all-out moves you can only use once per battle, mediated by Z-Crystals which you can find or earn throughout the region by doing the Island Challenge. These moves, while graphically impressive, take ages to complete – for example, Litten’s final evolution’s Z-Move involves the Pokémon taking their rival to a boxing ring and charging at them with all its power. It’s useful in those tough battles, but hard to decide when the best time would be to use your only Z-Move, especially when you don’t know whether the Pokémon to come out next is stronger or weaker than the last.

Finally, I must talk about the one thing that really affects my opinion of any game: the story. The story is kind of a mind-screw at this point, with (SPOILERS) a fashionable woman, Lusamine, with an overly fanatical love of beauty unleashing Ultra Beasts, Pokémon from an alternate dimensions, into Alola and wanting to enter Ultra Space, said dimension, herself and stay there with the only things she’s attached to. Throughout the game, we learn that she has abused her two children, Gladion and Lillie, by abandoning them and neglecting them throughout their lives. This brings a very interesting dynamic to a Pokémon game that we haven’t seen before – many children and even adults playing this game may find this storyline particularly harrowing due to their own neglected childhood, and so could prove to split opinion with how Lusamine is treated by her children at the end of the story. All in all, it’s interesting, and her motivations are understandable but not so much that they are devoid of mystery.

As a veteran Pokémon player, I’ll always be biased. But this game is a lot of fun, and benefits from all of the interesting new features such as Z-Moves, Pokémon Ride and Alolan Pokémon. The new Pokémon themselves are interesting, without the ‘running out of ideas’ feel of some of the new Pokémon from other generations, such as Trubbish and Klefki (wow, a pile of garbage or a set of keys as your animal friend, who wouldn’t want that?).

The only massive thing I would change is the Exp Share function. I hate having to use it to be powerful enough, but when I do, I’m completely OP and don’t get to use some of my ‘weaker’ Pokémon as much – and for some reason, I feel bad if I don’t use all of them at least sometimes. This may be put down to how I also play games such as Skyrim and Final Fantasy XV – I must complete all of the side quests as well as the storyline, no matter how many I get. Maybe I’m just a perfectionist like that.

My badass team. 

[pkmnjesus]

Countdown to #PokeAni21

For the next few days, I will be sharing my personal favorite moments from the anime leading up to its 21st anniversary on April 1st in Japan. ← Day 1

Day 2 - Advancing to new horizons

Going into a new generation of places and Pokémon is always fun, but for Ash he had to start of fresh with leaving all his Pokémon behind at home (except you know who). He also got a new friends in May and Max, but let’s not forget that Brock was there to stay! We got to see another character attempting to reach a in May’s quest to becoming top coordinator. Her development as a trainer is probably the BEST in the series, in my opinion. And for the first time in ever, Ash was seen as an experienced trainer.

HOENN: The sick Ralts episode with Max. I legitimately cried in that one...despite it being sort of a filler, this is probably one of my most recommended episodes to watch of the anime because of the rare occasion seeing Max’s bond with a Pokémon. You could compare this with the Bonnie & Tyrantrum episode in XY, but this to me had a more emotional impact PLUS Max took the goodbye more maturely. The ending killed me :’(

BATTLE FRONTIER: People say Ash vs. Brandon was the best Battle Frontier match, but I would say that Ash’s battle with Noland is my favorite. It was a straight up 1-on-1 battle for the Knowledge Symbol, and the participants were Charizard and ARTICUNO...a freakin’ Legendary bird! What’s unique about this is that these Pokémon weren’t in both trainer’s active teams, and they were  called upon for this special Battle Frontier showdown! In the end, Charizard proved to be more resilient which led Ash to get this first Symbol.

CHRONICLES: A little bonus since these set of episodes were during the Advanced timeline. Training Daze is my favorite among the short specials because we not only get to see how Team Rocket’s “boot camp” works behind the scenes for trainees, but hear the origin story of RocketShipping how Jessie, James and Meowth formed to the goofballs we all laugh at and love to this day.

▶ Day 3