#the only thing i remember about this pokémon And its evolutionary line is that it turned into a fairy-type
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#anime#because this poll had a four-way tie on every single angle and i figured i'd put the lesser-used angle up at the top#holy shit‚ guys!#the only thing i remember about this pokémon And its evolutionary line is that it turned into a fairy-type#for some reason. and i think originally it was just a normal-type. like the cleffa line#go figure. i'd've expected it to be a fighting-type. but i guess pink = fairy??#snubbull
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Have You Seen ScarVi's DLC Pokémon? Have You SEEN Them?
I don't know how long its been since my last one of these. Seriously. I tried searching the #haveyouseenpokemon hashtag on Tumblr, and it looks like the last one I did was for Scarlet & Violet's final pre-release trailer? Which makes enough sense, as I remember saying in that one that I wasn't sure I'd comment on DLC Pokémon or anything I encountered in-game (Quaquaval best starter evo, BTW). But then I tried searching on my own blog and it couldn't find one after Sword & Shield? The heck? I didn't even have this hashtag back then!
Pretty sure I haven't commented on the last couple of DLC trailers (mostly because I overlooked them), so let's start with the latest one. I put the video under the "Keep Reading" link since the title alone will kinda spoil it.
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So, am I the only one who laughed at "Nice tea meetcha?" No one? Okay, then...
One thing that occurs to me is that this is literally the newest Pokémon. The object itself is ancient, but the Pokémon doesn't manifest until smart phones are a thing, apparently. That's pretty recent in terms of world history.
While my first thought was "Convergent evolution of Polteageist," the thought did occur that this could be an alternate evolution for Sinistea like Dipplin for Applin and Runegrigus for Yamask. But no. According to the website, it's definitely its own Pokémon. For one thing, it's made of matcha powder instead of liquid (and hence, Grass/Ghost). Unlike Polteageist's pot, the eyes on Poltchageist's tea caddy blink. It also actively poisons people (with Old Movie Disease, apparently) rather than wait for someone to drink it before sapping their energy.
I think I like this design. It's probably not going in my party, though. (I'm making a new one because my old one got to level 100 training to take on Iron Leaves) But I will catch it. I do wonder if it has an unevolved or evolved form (the website compares it to Sinistea rather than Polteageist, though maybe just for sake of distinction) or if it's just a single-stage Pokémon.
Another thought occurs that a lack of evolutionary line would be just another thing that makes it buck the pattern set by other convolutions. Toedscool and Wiglett both get one evolution each. The other thing it bucks is the naming convention. The other ones rhyme with the Pokémon they resemble but start with different words (Toed and Wig instead of Tenta and Dig). Poltchageist still rhymes with Polteageist, but still starts with "Polt." I'm not sure what else sets it apart from other convolutions' relationships to their original, but there might be. The pattern still holds that it rhymes, and that the difference uses a single syllable. Of course, if you're making up your own convolutions, you need not be beholden to any sort of pattern at all. Meanwhile, I'm still trying to come up with a good name for a pure Fire-Type Kirlia that sings.
Okay, let's look at other DLC Pokémon introduced so far real quick...
Archaludon, evolution of Duraludon. Not bad, I think. Looks kinda like a staple remover and transforms into a bridge for its signature attack. Does the Tower Bridge get struck by lightning a lot? No plans to put it in my party, though now that I think about it...
Dipplin, a new Applin evolution. When I saw this, I thought it was a regional form of Applin specific to Kitakami (Applin's already in ScarVi, I think). Nope. Also, the website says its two worms instead of one. Weird. I'm tempted to put this in my party. I wonder if its an item-evolution like Applin's other two, and if it's a candy apple or just the coating...
Iron Crown and Iron Leaves, Future Paradox forms of Cobalion and Virizion. Not impressed. Interesting that they are Psychic types instead of Fighting, though. One can assume the same will be true for Paradox Terrakion, as well.
Raging Bolt and Walking Wake, Ancient Paradox forms of Raikou and Suicune. Most Ancient Paradox forms are cooler than Future Paradox forms, and that includes these two. I saw a Humongo Walking Wake in one of Austin John's videos and was severely disappointed mine wasn't that big. At least it wasn't as hard to get as Iron Leaves was. My first thought on seeing Raging Bolt was "Giraffe" (it's yellow, c'mon), but it's actually a dinosaur, too. I feel like I shouldn't like this design, but I think it looks pretty good. I usually shy away from putting Legendaries or Mythicals in my party (unless the game gives me a reason to, like Calyrex or Arceus saying it wants to travel with me), but I could make an exception...
What's my team look like going into The Teal Mask (Teal? Tea? Hmm...) so far? Right now, I've got Fuecoco (that I got from a trade), Sprigatito (Hidden Ability, HOME integration giveaway), Toedscool, Revavroom, Miraidon (the one you can catch), and Gardevoir (one I used in my Sapphire party). The starters are low-level, and I want them to stay that way as I understand that The Teal Mask is intended for early-game stuff (though judging from Isle of Armor, who knows) while The Indigo Disk is supposed to be post-game. I still have time to change my mind, of course, but I'm also considering putting together another new team for Indigo Disk.
Which way will I actually go? We'll find out once The Teal Mask drops on September 13. There might still be something amazing that I'll be itching to train. Until then, it remains to be seen.
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Hi! I was curious as to why you picked both riolu and charmander as the protagonists for your story, cause I've seen that many pmd fans find it boring or uncreative when people use Pokémon such as riolu, pikachu, eevee, etc as their characters but I was really wanting to use eevee as the protagonist for a story im working on but am worried people wouldn't be interested if I went for the "unoriginal" route. So I was wondering what encouraged you to pick these two Pokémon. Sorry if this is too long and I hope you have a happy new years!
Hi there! No worries about long asks—I love discussing stuff like this!
I don’t actually remember what lead to me initially choosing riolu and charmander, since I came up with Nia and Tobias’ base characters like a decade ago, haha! But I didn’t change them later down the line despite the “boring/uncreative” Pokemon choices because, well…I like them! They fit their characters, and in some ways their species plays an important role in the actual narrative.
A weak story isn’t saved by using a more uncommon species, and a good one isn’t ruined by using a common one. If you want your protagonist to be an eevee, make them an eevee! I’d say the only thing you really want to consider is if the species benefits or at least fits the character and story you want to tell. For example, if you want to tell a story about change and possibilities, or maybe staying true to yourself or something, an eevee would be perfect because of its unique evolutionary situation! In the end, though, you should just do what you want and what you feel is right.
And Happy New Years to you (and everyone else) too! :D
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My Problems with the Pokémon Journeys Anime
Pokémon Journeys as an anime has divided the Pokémon community in so many ways but in particular last week’s episode has sparked a lot of debate and personally, I had mixed feelings about the end result. So, I thought I would write down my opinions on the Pokémon anime in its current state and comparing it to some of the previous anime.
I feel the need to say this: these are my opinions I am just as entitled to my opinions as you are to yours, so you don’t have to read this if you don’t want to. Secondly, this will probably be a long post but I’m going to split it into sections so it’s hopefully not too overwhelming.
But these feelings have been building up and up and I think I’ll feel better writing them all down and getting them off my chest to some extent.
Introduction:
So, I’ve essentially been a fan of Pokémon for as long as I can remember particularly watching the anime when I was very young. The anime didn’t really begin to stick with me though until around AG and DP in particular. The first Pokémon game, I played was DP which is why I have a particular fondness for that series and that cast of characters and Pokémon.
I didn’t watch the series as intently around the time of BW because I found Iris’ character rather annoying and I understand she developed and grew as the series went on but that initial characterization of her kind of ruined the series for me. But I did dip in and out of the series mostly for Ash’s Snivy.
My friend recommended that I watch the XY series and I fell in love with the cast and the storytelling that the series provided as it reminded me of DP. Sun and Moon was a good series as well providing fans with some of the most heart-breaking and tear-jerking episodes to date. (And Rowlet).
When they announced that Journeys was Ash travelling around the world instead of staying and travelling in a specific region, I’ll admit I was sceptical. To be honest, I kind of preferred the old formula particularly as I’m a creature of habit myself but I decided to give this new series a chance as the premise did sound interesting and there was the potential for Ash to reunite with some of his old travelling companions.
With the benefit of hindsight, I realise this was one of the problems: the series kind of relies heavily on the nostalgia provided by older fans.
The Premise:
The whole premise of Journeys was Ash and his new friend, Goh travelling the world and there lies one of the series biggest problems. For a series that is meant to be about travelling around the world, a bulk of the series has been set in Kanto in particular Vermillion City where Sakuragi/Cerise Lab is situated. Now that shouldn’t be a problem as Ash and Go need a place to stay and go home to. The problem is we are nearly 60 episodes into the series, they hardly seem to leave Vermillion City or Kanto for that matter.
I went through all the episode synopses released so far to see how many episodes Ash and Go travelled to an alternative region. In this case a visit to a different region only counts if Ash and Goh (and Chloe) visit the region therefore episode 32 wouldn’t count:
Johto – 2 episodes
Hoenn – 4 episodes
Sinnoh – 2 episodes
Unova – 2 episodes
Kalos – 2 episodes
Alola – 1 episode
Galar – 11 episodes
Arguably, as this is meant to a Gen 8 anime, its not particularly shocking that they have visited Galar the most especially as Ash hopes to battle Leon someday. Nevertheless, the initial premise and selling point of the Journeys series is travelling the world and yet only 2/5 of the series so far has been set outside of Vermillion City. They promised the world (no pun intended) and are kind of falling flat…
Goh and his goal:
Now Goh is certainly a character that has divided the community some love him and some definitely hate him. Personally, I’m in the middle, I like Goh’s personality I thought his rational and logical personality made him a great counterbalance for Ash. The problem I have with him is: his goal, his rapid character development, and his status as a protagonist.
1) His Goal:
Goh’s goal is to catch every Pokémon in existence and considering there over 800 Pokémon that is a lofty goal to begin with. Initially, I thought it was an interesting goal as we never had a character wanting to catch every Pokémon as there are some trainers in the anime universe who only specialise in a specific type, some who catch only cute Pokémon, some who only catch evolutionary lines etc. Therefore, I thought this was an interesting goal and wondered how they would execute its portrayal and there lies the problem…
Goh was named after the game Pokémon Go and is essentially being used as a walking advertisement for Pokémon Go and the Let’s Go series as his gimmick is throwing a Poke Ball at a random Pokémon which can get pretty old very fast. I honestly didn’t understand the need to create a character to promote these games as it has been 4 years since the release of Pokémon Go. Arguably, they could be trying to re-ignite the hype around Pokémon Go as after the initial excitement a lot of people stopped playing or uninstalled it as it was taking up a lot of space on their phone.
One of the things, I particularly love about the anime series is not only the human cast gaining character development but their Pokémon as well. Around the AG series, the writers really begun improving on giving each Pokémon their own unique personality traits as well as traits of their species. It gave the Pokémon more depth and made them memorable for example there’s Dawn’s prideful Piplup, Brock’s weird and wonderful Sudowoodoo who would salute every time he came out of his Poke Ball, Clemont’s gluttonous Chespin and Serena’s shy Eevee to later a confident Sylveon. The list could go on and on but I think you get the point. Therefore, this gives me my second issue with Goh’s goal.
Goh’s goal is to catch every single Pokémon currently in existence, with so many Pokémon, there is difficulty feeling any attachment to them. Cinderace and Sobble (and now Grookey) are the Pokémon Goh is most seen with, needless to say, Cinderace underwent a lot of development and was interested in battling which to be honest I found a little strange as Goh’s goal doesn’t particularly align with Cinderace’s interests. Nevertheless, it is clear that Cinderace is Goh’s ace and utilises him when he does need to battle. Sobble didn’t receive any development until 26 episodes after his capture. However, aside from Cinderace and Sobble we don’t feel any particular attachment to his other Pokémon, one strength is that anime does give each of his Pokémon some spotlight like Goh using his Goldeen to teach Jinny’s Feebas how to swim elegantly but aside from that.
My final issue with Goh’s goal is development, from a story-telling point of view his goal isn’t that engaging like with some of the other goals we’ve had in the series. Take Dawn for example her goal is to be Top Coordinator in order to do that she needs to win 5 Ribbons, participate in the Grand Festival and win the Ribbon Cup. On paper it sound simple but it’s not, we have Dawn’s arc where she lost twice in the Performance Stage fell into depression, lost confidence in her abilities and was uncertain as to whether or not she was a good coordinator. It wasn’t until she befriended May and competed against her that Dawn found a renewed sense of confidence in her abilities, even after that Dawn still lost a few contests before being able to compete in the Grand Festival where even then there were a few rough moments like her battle with Ursula.
My point is even though Dawn (and May’s) goal looks simple on paper they had a lot of struggle to get there. Whereas, with Goh’s goal and the current execution of it, I don’t get that same sense of story-telling especially when he’s already caught a Legendary Pokémon, there just isn’t that same level of struggle. The most I could see Goh struggling at this moment is not catching a Pokémon the first time round.
2) His rapid development
One of the biggest issues I have with Journeys is pacing and development, and this issue isn’t just exclusive to Goh. In the beginning, Goh is a rookie trainer after catching Scorbunny and as we saw in the Flute Cup his lack of battling experience caused him to be eliminated very quickly and yet 29 episodes later, he’s defeating a Flygon with a Fire-type and using a technique Ash had once used himself in his battle against Grant. I understand Ash and Goh are close friends and understandably their traits are going to rub off on one another for example Goh’s logic and caution has rubbed off on Ash to the extent Ash had his Dragonite use Dragon Dance in his battle with Korrina. Before this, we’d never seen Ash use these types of moves in his Pokémon battles. I have no issues with Goh developing as a character, everyone loves good character development, my issue is with how rapid it is.
I’ll use Dawn’s arc as an example again, I loved it because it was well-paced, in the first season of DP Dawn was overconfident in her abilities which led to some losses particularly towards the end of the first series and Dawn didn’t fully recover from this until nearly midway through the second series of DP. Arguably, Ash’s influence has caused Goh to develop an interest in battles but I feel like we haven’t seen him go through enough battles to justify the level he is at.
3) His status as a Protagonist
To be honest, I didn’t realise Goh has a protagonist status until someone pointed it out to me, I just saw him as another one of Ash’s travelling companions. This is one of the biggest issues Goh haters have with him and that’s feeling as though Goh is taking the spotlight away from Ash and there are a lot of episodes focusing on Goh. Arguably, Ash has taken on the role of mentor like Brock had done once for him. However, my issue with Goh’s protagonist status is that I don't feel like Goh's goal justifies him having it, even in episodes focusing on Ash and his participation in the World Coronation Series, Goh still manages to catch a Pokémon which as I mentioned before it got old pretty fast. I can understand some people would see this as a good thing they are both closer towards their goals but if an episode advertises its going to focus on one character, I want it to focus on that character.
In some of the previous series when May, Dawn and Serena were participating in Contests or Showcases, Ash would generally put his training the back burner and support his friends. Likewise, his travelling companions would support him during his gym battles. In some cases, Ash would even get ideas for his own battles from watching them compete like the Counter Shield from Ash watching Dawn and Ambipom.
Sometimes, I feel like Goh is there for the sake of being there like in Episode 56, I honestly felt like him and Scyther/Scizor didn’t need to be there. The episode did focus on Ash and Farfetch’d relationship improving but I felt like the only reason Goh was there was to have his Scyther evolve their presence at the training camp didn’t really contribute anything to the story.
Ash and his Pokémon:
Whenever Ash starts a new journey, he always starts with a clean slate leaving his most recent Pokemon with Professor Oak or Kukui. One of the things that excites fans the most is guessing which new Pokemon from the new generation Ash would catch. Arguably, since Sun and Moon, certain traditions have been turned on their head. Some of these traditions included:
Ash catching the regional bird e.g., Starly, Pidove, Fletchling etc.
Catching at least one of the region’s starters
Although, in Sun and Moon, Ash never caught the regional bird and it was one of the first series with Ash not having a water-type either. However, in this current series, Ash only has 2 Generation 8 Pokémon being Farfetch’d (which will evolve into Sirfetch’d) and Dracovish. This is kind of understandable as Ash isn’t based or travelling around Galar but to be honest it’s still disappointing.
As many of you know, in the most recent episode Goh caught Grookey completing the Galar starter trio (which I’ll cover later), however, a majority of the fandom wanted Ash to have Grookey as they felt personality-wise Ash would be compatible with the Chimp Pokémon and it would continue the long-held tradition of Ash catching one of the new region’s starter Pokémon which is why this latest capture has sparked a lot of controversy with some people calling Goh a thief.
Personally, I would have liked Ash to catch Grookey but in one of the earlier episodes like when they first visited Galar. The reason for this being the storyline development and I know many will argue Ash is a Champion he doesn’t need a starter at this point but Leon in the Sword and Shield games took on and trained the starter that was left over after the Protagonist and Hop had chosen theirs. However, as I mentioned earlier one of the things, I love about the anime is each Pokémon having their own personality and character but also their own traumas and trials to overcome alongside their trainer this can be particularly reflected in the case of Ash and Infernape.
I am not trying to suggest they re-create the Ash and Infernape storyline with Ash and a Grookey but one of the ways a Pokémon develops as a character is through evolution or in some cases like Pikachu and Bulbasaur choosing not to evolve and finding strength in staying the way that they are. Pokémon when they evolve can go through personality-changes whether that be good or bad but having a Pokemon at its first evolutionary stage allows us to go through that development and journey with them.
Which is one of the issues, I have with the series, Ash caught two fully evolved Pokémon being Dragonite and Gengar. Before anyone gives me any grief, I love Dragonite and Gengar’s personalities but as they are fully evolved, we don’t get that same sense of development as we’ve had with some of Ash’s other Pokémon. The only development I could see for these two is potentially learning a new move or overcoming a stronger Pokémon alongside Ash. But having two fully evolved Pokémon makes it difficult to go on a journey of development alongside them. There is also the fact, Dragonite and Gengar are meant to be incredibly strong Pokémon and yet Ash hardly uses them.
Another one of the biggest issues in Journeys as previously mentioned is Ash not fully utilising his team. Whenever, a battle occurs Ash either uses Pikachu or Lucario, the others are kind of pushed to the side and that annoys me so much particularly with Farfetch’d and Gengar. I’ll start with Gengar, Gengar was abandoned by its previous trainer and told to wait in an abandoned building that would later become Cerise Laboratory and in the earlier half of the series (before Riolu) Ash utilised Gengar a lot like in his battle with Visquez and Team Rocket but after Riolu came along Ash used Gengar less and less. In Episode 57, Gengar was taking its anger out on Renji, Chloe and Chrysa and Chloe pointed out that it may have been angry Ash left it behind. This is what I found frustrating; Ash is kind of repeating the behaviour of Gengar’s previous trainer.
Next is Farfetch’d, personality-wise Farfetch’d reminds me of Ash’s Buizel and Hawlucha, with how prideful and aloof it is. I feel like the writers thought they couldn’t flesh out Lucario any further so they decided to focus on Farfetch’d and after two Farfetch’d-focused episodes I can’t help but feel that Farfetch’d is going to evolve in the next episode and that’s what annoys me, that is lazy writing, they haven’t given time to develop Ash and Farfetch’d relationship although it has definitely improved since Episode 56, I feel like it’s too soon. Farfetch’d has so much potential to grow as a character before evolving as I previously mentioned evolution in the Pokémon universe can contribute towards development and I feel like for Farfetch’d they’ll use it in a positive light as Sirfetch’d are noted for their fighting spirit and noble personality. But, as I mentioned before, I would have liked to have seen more development before an evolution.
Then there is Dracovish, this was a completely unexpected capture, however, many fans were surprised by how strong Dracovish was in the games. However, Dracovish was captured in Episode 50 and nearly 10 episodes later, we haven’t seen it… On the other hand, many of Dracovish’s Pokédex entries state that it can’t breathe unless its underwater, therefore, applying that logic to the anime world, may make battling with it difficult...
Team Rocket:
One of the biggest complaints’ viewers have is the series use of Team Rocket. Particularly, using their use of the Gacha machine and using them to create easy conflict. I love Team Rocket; they are basically lovable idiots to me. They’re meant to be “bad guys” but we’ve seen on many occasions they’re kindness and compassion such as rescuing a bunch of wild Ekans and Koffing from a Pokémon hunter and releasing their Arbok and Weezing to protect them whilst they distract the hunter, Meowth sympathising and trying to cheer up Litten following Stoutland’s death are just two examples of their kindness.
Nevertheless, the Journeys series has been utilising them poorly using them as convenient plot device and in my opinion Team Rocket deserve so much better than this. Initially, a lot of viewers may have found the Gacha device interesting but much like Goh throwing a Poké ball at a random Pokémon it got old fast. Similar to one of my issues with Goh, we don’t feel any attachment to the Gacha Pokémon they use unlike other series where they had their own Pokémon which I’ll get on to in a minute.
I feel like the writers missed a huge opportunity, as one of the initial selling points of the series, particularly to the older fans was nostalgia. Team Rocket keep some of their old Pokémon in Team Rocket Headquarters and as the series seems to like staying in Vermillion City, Team Rocket could have collected their old Pokémon and use them similar to when they brought some of their Hoennian Pokémon to Sinnoh. I loved some of Team Rocket’s Pokémon like James’ Mime Jr. and Inkay and Jessie’s Gourgeist and her Yanmega was noted to be strong.
Moreover, in series such as AG, DP and XY they expanded on Team Rocket’s role outside of trying to steal. Jessie showed a promising career in Pokémon Coordinating (particularly in DP) and Pokémon Performing, I loved how she became a rival for Dawn and Serena and particularly in XY, Jessie showed maturity in her loss in the Semi-Finals much to Meowth and Gourgeist’s surprise compared to when she begrudgingly congratulated Dawn on her victory. I just loved the fact in these series they expanded on Team Rocket, showed their friendship and support for one another whether it was cheering each other on from the side-lines or willingly helping Jessie in her pursuits of fame and glory. I realize in Journeys, it’s a bit difficult to expand on Team Rocket’s role in this way but they way they are currently using Team Rocket is to be honest kind of insulting to them as characters who we’ve watched grow over the years.
Chloe, Yamper and Eevee
I’ll get this out the way, I honestly love Chloe, and I’ve loved her development so far, I think they’ve gotten the pacing right for her when they’ve given her focus. I think many people like Chloe because she is similar to Serena, in the sense, she doesn’t have a goal and is discovering what she wants to do in life which is something a lot of people find relatable. I think what would be interesting for Chloe’s character if she does decide to be a Pokémon Professor after initially feeling as though the idea was being forced on her by her peers. Anyways, one of the biggest issues with Journeys is pacing, it takes ages before they actually decide to give a character development and ever since Chloe got Eevee, I feel as though Yamper has been pushed to the side (which is kind of ironic as Chloe calls Ash out on this) and I know Yamper is Professor Cerise’s Pokémon but Yamper acknowledges Chloe more than his own trainer. I feel like a great way to use Yamper was for Professor Cerise to actually give Yamper to Chloe when she was old enough to have a Pokémon, as a lot of Chloe’s earlier development was a result of her bond with Yamper.
Next is Eevee, I love Eevee it is one of my favourite Pokemon, but I also feel similar to Goh, she’s a walking advertisement for the Let’s Go Eevee game as she is unable to evolve. However, the fact that Eevee is unable to evolve makes her a good match for Chloe who is uncertain of her own dreams. Nevertheless, what I don’t understand is why they are trying to promote one of their older games in a new generation (especially when Lana’s Eevee (which don’t get me started) should have filled that role). Also, with Chloe catching Eevee, arguably, she should be joining Ash and Goh frequently, this could allow for Chloe and Eevee to develop and find their own path but aside from joining them twice in Galar, they’ve hardly left Kanto. Which is frustrating because I love Chloe and Eevee and I don’t want it to be another 20 episodes before we get any development from either of them.
Structure
I’ve realized that above I’ve kind of been focusing on the characters and some of the issues surrounding them. Arguably, one of Journeys biggest issues is structure or lack of it for that matter and pacing. Everything is all over the place but I’ll cover each section.
Pacing:
One of my biggest gripes with the series is pacing, lately we have been having back-to-back filler episodes and I don’t mind having filler every now and then to give us a break as you don’t want a show to be too content-heavy. And I don’t mind when the filler is at least entertaining but that Gulpin episode from two weeks ago was absolutely pointless, I’m sorry. So much stuff has taken place off-screen and Ash went up by 500 ranks to Rank 415 they could have taken out some of the filler episodes and used it to show Ash training at least or put it towards actual development for characters like Chloe and Eevee or Farfetch’d.
Another issue, I have with the pacing and I think a lot of you will hopefully agree is the pace of Goh catching a legendary Pokemon (which I’m in the middle about). Normally, around the end of the series, all of the respective characters have found or are closer to their goal like Dawn and Serena coming Runner-Up in their respective competitions or having confidence to keep pursuing their goal. This is normally, in the last series of that generation’s anime adaptation but Goh’s already achieved such a huge milestone towards his goal in the second series. I can’t help but feel as though this has been completely rushed.
Continuity:
Continuity in Journeys is strange, I can see it as a strength and a weakness. I’ll start off with the positives, continuity-wise I like the fact that Journeys at least references to past episodes and characters for example episode 57 Chloe’s younger brother says he’s going to a sleepover at his friend, Jinny’s house, the girl with the Feebas from episode 31. Or episode 47, Goh uses his prize from winning the Pokémon Eating Contest to have a dessert tour around Unova’s Castelia City. These small examples of continuity are something I can appreciate. But I can’t help but feel some of the past characters returning are merely fan-service for the older fans, so far, some of the character returns haven’t really contributed to the series’ narrative aside from the Alola episode contributing to Goh’s development.
A good example of utilising a past character is the Wallace Cup arc, with May and Dawn helping each other out of a losing streak and allowing Dawn to renew her confidence. I think no matter the outcome, both Coordinators gained something from the tournament even if Dawn lost to May, I think she would have had a regained her confidence but winning the Aqua Ribbon allowed her to re-affirm her self-belief and skills.
Episodic vs Linear:
Now I’ve watched a few videos on this to have a better understanding, the reason why Journeys feels so unstructured is that for some reason the writers chose to go down an episodic route instead of linear. The best example I know of episodic storytelling is Phineas and Ferb where characters and elements are introduced and can come back. But utilising episodic storytelling in a series like Pokémon feels like an unnatural choice we’re meant to be following these characters and their journeys towards achieving their goals whereas in a linear narrative this would be a lot clearer.
The Setting:
A lot of people have an issue with the fact that a series, that promises travelling the world, it really fell flat. As I have previously mentioned, so far only 2/5 of the episodes have taken place in other regions, most of the time Ash and Goh end up staying in Vermillion City. With the way things are currently being executed, I honestly would have preferred a Sword and Shield anime, with Ash at least travelling around Galar, it would allow for the Galar story to be more fleshed out instead of shoe-horned into a four-episode arc and with the announcement of the Sinnoh re-makes, I feel as though they are going to promote that in some way in the anime later on. (Perhaps with a Dawn cameo).
As I’ve been writing this, I’ve kind of realised one gripe I have with the anime that has become rather blatant as of late. That is the commercialism in the anime, I understand the anime is utilised to promote the game and re-makes of games but with this latest series the commercialism is blatant and honestly annoying. An early example of using the anime to promote a game was the Johto arc in DP to promote HeartGold and SoulSilver. Whereas, currently we have Goh, the human advertisement for Pokémon Go and Chloe’s Eevee promoting Let’s Go Eevee (which I honestly don’t see the need to advertise older games).
The controversary with Grookey…
Needless to say, the latest episode of Pokemon Journeys has sparked a lot of debate and anger particularly from Goh haters who have declared him a thief and are dropping the anime. There are some people who don’t mind Goh catching Grookey, they may have disliked the storyline they used for Goh to catch Grookey. I’ve made my feelings clear, that I would have preferred for Grookey to have been introduced much earlier and for Ash to have caught it.
However, I do have an issue with the way Goh caught Grookey as I can kind of understand why people are calling Goh a thief, I wouldn’t go that far maybe immoral at the most. The initial concept of Grookey belonging to Team Rocket was interesting but the whole story falls flat when they don’t give us any backstory like how did Team Rocket catch Grookey? why was Grookey so desparate to stay with Goh? was Grookey being mistreated by Team Rocket?
Honestly, if Grookey was being mistreated by Team Rocket, I’d understand why it’d want to leave them but this is Jessie, James and Meowth, the trio that released Mimikyu and Mareanie since they didn’t want them to be left in Team Rock Headquarters because they’d thought Mimikyu and Mareanie would be unhappy. So, I honestly can’t see the mistreatment storyline.
Also, the fact that Grookey smashed its own Poké Ball to gain its freedom kind of undermines other storylines that have seen Pokémon being abused by their trainers as they could have arguably smashed their Poké Balls to gain their freedom. Although, you could argue there is an element of fear in these cases.
I feel like if they built up the story more, I may have been more accepting but I kind of find it hypocritical in the sense Goh wants this Pokémon that belongs to someone else and it smashes its own Poké Ball to be with him. Whereas, its bad when Team Rocket try to steal someone else’s Pokémon but its okay for Goh because he’s the protagonist. Considering this is a kids anime that kind of sends the wrong message. I honestly would have found it more interesting if Grookey decided to stay with Team Rocket that would have been an interesting twist with Team Rocket having a starter Pokémon on their side. Plus, we know, James loves his Grass-types.
Conclusion:
Basically, I needed to get this off my chest and honestly, I feel much better for it. No Pokémon anime series is perfect by any means but lately I feel as though the writing has taken a huge dip and it has taken the enjoyment out of the series. I’m still trying to give the series a chance and hopefully I can warm to Grookey under Goh’s ownership, I think if the episodic formula has taken away the storytelling element that I love about the Pokémon series.
I have honestly never seen a Pokémon anime divide the community so much but I’m hoping that things begin to improve particularly if Ash’s Farfetch’d evolves in the next episode.
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Gale’s Top 10: Favorite Pokémon
Rules:
1. No mega evolutions/gigamax alone. I have to like the Pokemon outside of just those bits.
2. Regional versions are covered if they make the list.
3. These pokémon are not Meta, they are my personal favorites.
4. This is simply my favorites. I would love to hear yours.
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10. Volcarona
This thing just looks really f***ing cool.
The Fire bug typing.
The mothera reference. The insane special attack.
Stupidly fun to use when playing.
Volcarona is Alder’s ace for a reason. And if you don't kill it quick. You will be begging for your life by turn 3.
When ever I get the chance. It always has a spot on my Unova team. No question about it.
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9. Guzzlord
The Ultra beast with the code name Glutton.
I will say that gen 7 was... interesting in its approach towards Pokémon. I honestly didn't care much for the designs (outside of the Alola forms). The Generation did have a few cool things going for it, but I found most of the line up to be kind of boring.
UNTIL THIS MOTHERF***ER SHOWED UP.
This Dark Dragon type Pokemon just looks so ... monstrous. In the Ultrasun and Moon games, The pocket of space where you find it is a decimated city with nothing in it but it, waiting for something to eat. This thing destroyed its world, likely ate every person and Pokemon. Its downright terrifying. It looks like a boss monster or the final form of a JRPG boss. (Plus his appearance actually made me watch the anime for a brief moment, so kudos)
And it hits like a truck. Sure fairy type attacks grind it to dust. But outside of that, I can just RELATE to this thing. Being unable to fill its stomach and wanting to eat all the time.
But the reason he is so low is that... you can't really use him until late game and in a sea of other ultra beasts, his impact is minimized
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8. Electivire
I just love this Thunder Yeti.
One of my favorite build on evolutions. The means of getting him are a bit hard, (having a special item to trade with just to do it) but the benefits are vast. He is fast and his ability neutralizes electric attacks, allowing him to go even faster.
His movepool allows him to use fire, ice, ground, rock, steel and even Psychic attacks.
He can even learn a move that lets him get rid of his ONE TYPE WEAKNESS.
Regardless of what side of the fight he is on, Electivire is one tough customer.
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7.Arcanine
He is a big fluffy boi!
ITS A DOG THAT BREATHES FIRE AND IS BIG ENOUGH TO BE RIDDEN!
My 10 year old self DREAMED about having one. It has soft fur and is loyal. It also is mega versatile. It can learn dragon type, electric type, ground and even grass type moves. It also just looks so cool. I wish we got to see it more commonly used, but sadly it is always outshines by ANOTHER fire type of the gen and that is sadly that.
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6. Rayquaza
Its a giant green dragon that looks like Shenron and has the best mega evolution. He is also my favorite Legendary. Sorry all other Legendaries. not even Arceus or Mewtwo could touch this beast at his best.
It is majestic, and I have played through emerald version MORE times than any other Pokemon game ever.
So let me tell you about how monstrous this thing is. Its mega evolution was banned BECAUSE IT WAS SO RIDICULOUSLY OP and it is the reason why Mega evolution is no longer allowed because Z moves couldn't counter this thing.
It always is cool. And THIS is what a dragon is.
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5. Empoleon
This might have been shocking to see him so low on the list. Only barely making the top 5.
His design is one of my favorites. And his evolutionary line is my favorite LOOKING of all starters.
Its just... I always keep forgetting he is steel type and when someone uses a ground or fighting move he gets rekt. Now this is more on me and not on the grace that is empoleon.
I also wish this Pokemon got more love. It was overshadowed in the anime, its constantly ignored by most when talking about Sinnoh, and it has a diverse move pool.
I just wish it was either more of a tank or more of a fast sweeper.
I want to love him more, but battling is kind of important to me and I just feel on edge using him.
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4. Hawlucha
My favorite Gen 6 pokemon.
Bar none. This wrestling bird is just so cool. It has THE best Shiny colors. It is based of a luchadore. It has its own special move, Flying Press. And it hits like a truck.
He has great versatility, he also is just fun to look at. And the Pokemon anime gave me a new appreciation for this bird. If he was a penguin, he would be number one.
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3. Lucario
Okay I admit it, Lucario is my more obvious pick. BUT COME ON!
It is one of the coolest Pokemon ever created!
It is fast and strong. It has Aura Sphere (one of my favorite moves in the game)
He was also my main in smash before Ultimate came out and nerfed him.
He was my boy. He also has one of the better Pokémon movies made about him and he deserves it.
Also you know a trainer is a bada*** when he/she has one on her team. Its like a status symbol.
And with the coverage he has, its no wonder he is so well loved.
Plus his design is amazing, his shiny is one of the coolest designs, and he looks like a good boy.
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2. Raichu
HE IS SHAPED LIKE A FRIEND!
okay so I always liked the Raichu line, but I always felt Pikachu was overrated.
I still love the electric mouse, but I always evolved him.
When Gen 7 happened and THIS form of Raichu happened. I fell in love. Look at this Electric Psychic typing. And the answer to evolve or not was put to rest forever.
Having access to Thunderbolt, surf, psychic and an assortment of other moves. I just love how amazing it is to use. He also looks so cute and cuddly. This is the ideal Pokemon design, you may not agree, but this is what perfection looks like.
Plus, his tail is a surfboard. Your argument is invalid.
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1. Feraligatr
Let me tell you all a story.
My first Pokemon game that I ever played by myself was Pokémon silver.
My first starter was Totodile.
I started my journey with this little gator and every step of the way, whenever I was backed into a corner, this guy came through for me. I called him Gatorhawk. Because he had the little red tuft that I thought was a mohawk.
I remember playing the game in the car on my way home, doing my best against Lance and his three dragonites. The rest of my team was down. Only Gatorhawk remained as I faced his 3 remaining Pokemon. Surviving attack after attack. Yet somehow finishing off his dragonites.
I got down to his last Pokemon, Out of healing items, and up against charizard.
My Gatorhawk was in the yellow. I was so close. All I needed to do was survive that Charizard’s attack.
It fired a hyper beam. I thought it was over. All of the hardwork I had gone up to this point, it was for nothing.
But Gator tanked it. By some logic He tanked a hyper beam with only one HP left.
And he hit with a critical Surf. It was over. We had won.
I screamed so loud my mom thought something bad had happened.
I was a pokemon champion. I had beaten Lance. No older cousin help, no sister assistance. it was just me, and my Gatorhawk.
So when I see Feraligatr. I think of Pokémon, I remember the nostolgia, the good times.
I remember what it meant to be the best.
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I followed you for the pics and gifs but I didn't know why you were so annoying till I saw the username. Btw have you ever seen Digimon? Because evolutions are supposed to have SOME resemblance to their own species. An Articuno cannot evolve into a Cubone for example.
Oh, you smooth-talking nonny.
I'm glad you like the pictures and GIFS. You're welcome to any that take your fancy.
The clue is in the name, flower. I'm not 'The Perfectly-Contented-With-How-Things-Are-Thank-You-Very-Much Pokémaniac'. My chosen nom de guerre does warn the reader of what awaits.
I don't intend to annoy you. I simply speak as I find. If you don't like it, rest assured the matters I complain about are punishment enough for me.
I'm from a wave of fan in which many found Johto substandard. Compared to them I'm quite mild. I appear to be the one naysayer because everyone who thinks like me is mostly gone.
Always remember that the series you enjoy only came about via the destruction of ours, and, in turn, your day will come too.
If you're still a fan ten years from now, you'll have watched all the things you love the most shredded, whilst the next generation will sing its praises.
You will not comprehend the appeal, they won't understand your resentment. Think of me then.
Yes I have seen Digimon. Not that I know what that has to do with it. I mean, Gatomon doesn't resemble Angewomon, nor Gomamon to Ikkakumon, and so on.
The point is these aren't evolutions in the correct sense. Were they from the same generation, it's all well and good to display similarity, not that it's a given (Magikarp and Gyarados, Flaafy and Ampharos etc.), but when there's a gap of years, even decades, between the original and a new one suddenly materialising from the ether, it's silly to pretend there's a connection.
They just weren't built to have belated relatives superglued into their D.N.A., but it's become like bloody Buckeroo, with these weary beasts of burden constantly laden with yet more biological junk.
How on earth is a baby going to have remained unknown until now, if we're to believe it's a real world? Chansey's from Kanto, so how can Happiny not be there too?
I don't particular understand the logic of every region requiring a Pikachu clone, as if it's a necessary presence to draw our attention.
Pikachu was new once, but the rest aren't, and there's no explanatory relationship between he and them, thus why should laziness be celebrated?
When Pokémon are invented, it's in the mind frame of them following a fixed evolutionary line, so for example, at the start of Golem's life, it was on the basis that he came from Graveler, and Geodude previously, and that's all.
Do you imagine that Game Freak drew him, thinking:
Yeah, but in the fyewchuh, he'll have a fine black moustache, a 'tache I tells thee!
If it was such an inspired addition, you'd expect them to include it then, but funnily enough, they didn't.
The examples I've selected are particular egregious, since I'd hardly call them redesigns, rather blatant facsimiles.
There's less variety between these than there is with proper chains. At least they sometimes change colour (like Psyduck to Golduck).
If you'd never heard of Octillery, and I showed you its picture, and asked you to guess what it used to be, out of them all, would you immediately pick Remoraid?
No, I doubt it, but I bet a person with no knowledge of Pokémon could work out there's a link between Tangela and Tangrowth, since they're almost identical.
There are four generations between Mewtwo and his Megas: do you seriously imagine there was any prior intention to change him?
One Mega Evolution is bad enough, but two is beyond absurd.
Mewtwo is synthetic, and thus unacknowledged by nature, so how then can Mega Stones exist that react to him?
He's a recent creation, and unique, so how would anything matching his genetics be around?
Mega Evolution in itself is stupid.
If it's so impressive, it must be famous, so how come no one used it before Ash went to Kalos?
I accept that 'new' things appear every generation, but the writers have the habit of retconning events to pretend it's always been around, thereby erasing actual canon, such as pretending later monsters existed when Ash left home. If they do that I'll pick fault when I see it.
Remember the hysterical fuss at the arrival of Megas, the hyperventilating wheeze about it being a revolutionary concept that toe-tah-lee changed everything?
Well that didn't work out, did it?
I thought it was asinine then, and lo and behold, Nintendo eventually concurred, whereupon this oh-so dazzling concept was dumped without ceremony, but I expect it'll be back come Gen. 9 (Keenan and Kel), just as Formes (as it then was) were dropped for Unova and Kalos.
Once the close of an era arrives, the self-congratulatory attitude for birthing such sweet divinity vanishes, the 'precious' facet no longer matters and it's the next fad deserving hosannas.
Well the pattern has formed, and if I know they'll eventually tire of the ultra-amazing best thing EVA, what's the point in me trying to like it, when, as evidenced by their latter-day lack of interest, it clearly is worthless?
With both Megas and now Gigantamax, gratitude is demanded of the fans. Nintendo expect us to be overawed at being fed more of the same.
A big Meowth is still a Meowth, as in a twenty-year-old character. Why should passing off old stuff as fresh impress me?
Why should I like childhood favourites picked at and distorted to flog yet another generation of games that apparently can't stand by themselves?
Why can't they?
Who are these bastards in charge they believe they've the talent to 'improve' classic figures when they can't even invent anything remotely as memorable themselves?
Otherwise, why is it still Kanto Pokémon on merchandise?
If Mega Evolution and Gigantamax are so overwhelming, they ought to be independently successful, by which I mean that, at first anyway, only Kalos Pokémon should've received Megas, and the same for Galar and Gigas. After all, they're wondrous, so can obviously sell itself.
But no.
It's not Forms, Megas and Gigas making past Pokémon special, it's the opposite.
Worst of all, any region heavy on the rehash claims that as an excuse to skimp on new Pokémon. Kalos and Alola both have fewer than one hundred; you have to put 'em together to just scrape beyond the first tally of 151.
If it isn't an absence of imagination responsible, why is there such a drought? Why don't they conjure 150-200 Pokémon, and then add Megas or whatever on top?
Megas aren't even 'proper' Pokémon, so it can't constitute an overload. If it does, chuck them and retain the original ones.
How hard is it to come up with new Pokémon? Even I've done it, it's that easy!
It makes you wonder why they think we'll be happier with the familiar than whatever they can drag together.
When we do get different faces, they're padded to bursting with copies, like 400 Vivillon, as if that suffices.
This modern breed of writer just can't keep his hands to himself. If not practicing any of the aforementioned imitations, he's prodding the rest so all the males and females need tiny identifying dots or lumps, like lady Pikachu with a cleft tail, thereby undermining all the times the anime showed them as indistinguishable from one another.
It's as if they can't resist marking their territory by pissing all over canon.
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Trick Or Peet (Fanfiction - Pokémon HG/SS - Petrel/Reader)
Title: Trick Or Peet Author: ultra-warped / the-dark-fantastic.tumblr.com Fandom: Pokémon HeartGold / SoulSilver Characters: Petrel/Reader, Giovanni, Team Rocket Grunts, Original NPCs Rating/Warnings: General/Teen - Completely SFW fic; the rating is for some mildly-naughty words and bad jokes. Notes: At the end of the fic (along with a 'deleted scene')! Summary: Everybody has a good time at the holidays. Even Team Rocket.
One of the great things about this town is that no one's ever too old for the Haunted Harvest Festival. Even the people who don't go all-out for it still give it a nod, in the way of a hairbow holding a tiny pointed hat, or a porch full of plush Pumpkaboos, or that one incredibly odd fellow with the lapel pin shaped like Mismagius that when you lean in turns out to be an actual Mismagius -
Alright, that guy's a f'n freak. But everyone else is having a good time, including you, though you'd probably be having an even better one if you hadn't gotten stuck taking your little brother around for tricks and treats. Your dad was supposed to do it this year, but -
"He went out for candy cigarettes three hours ago and hasn't come back," your mom said, staring out the window with the most worried expression she could possibly contrieve, and you'd just groaned, dropping your head into your hand. (He really will be back, though. Your mom just thinks that joke is a lot funnier than it is - but your brother's not old enough to understand it yet, so it's probably okay.)
(And to be honest, you wouldn't put it past your dad to have gone out the front door, snuck around the back, and been hiding in the basement choking on his own laughter. The whole family's like this, but at least you know where you got it from. And whose fault it will be when you finally get your sweet, sweet revenge.)
So you're stuck with the kid instead of meeting up with your own crew, but at least it's a nice night for it. Last year, it rained until the garlands of paper Ghost-types turned to purple mush, and the year before that, it was so cold that nearly everyone had ended up in a universal costume of parkas and overfluffed earmuffs. But right now it's warm enough to slip off the light jacket and go bare-armed, and once the temperature does start to fall, you'll have been running around for so long you'll welcome the kind of breeze that scratches leafless branches across a midnight sky.
Your neighbours are nice - and certainly festive (Gentleman Edward and Madame Vivianne do the absolute best amateur spookyard, hands down) - but for the real haul, most people head downtown, where all the local businesses and even a few of the larger chains are stocked with full-size chocolate bars, gift bags so heavy the bottoms are threatening to fall out, and in one case, a berry-bobbing tub deep enough to drown in. It's all about drumming up customers, of course, but it's hard to mind when every window is filled with a living display and the only way you can tell the employees from the guests is by their nametags because all the costumes are that damn good. There's no half-assing it with just a googly-eyed, wiggly-eared headband here.
But what's better yet (or much, much worse, or absolutely hysterical, depending on who you talk to)? Is that Team Rocket gets super-into it, too. No one had been happy when the infamous criminal organization had set up shop here - and it's not like they'd been open about it at first, they hadn't put the Big Red R on their roof or anything; but once the rumours started to spread, they'd spread fast, and once someone actually managed to prove it - by then, they'd become firmly enough entrenched that no one knew how to run them out to begin with, or if it would have been the right thing to do even if they’d found a way. Weirdly enough, Team Rocket puts a lot back into the local economy. So sort of an uneasy truce had formed, with most of the residents looking the other way as long as Team Rocket didn't do anything really publically illegal, and Team Rocket pretending their business wasn't doing things that were...well, really illegal.
But then they'd started up their Happy Harvest, Family Fun! campaign, handing out candy and trinkets and colourful little cards right outside HQ, and the PTA Brigade had lost their minds. “Criminals? Luring our children into their creepy black van? Not in my backyard!” If ever there was a lost cause, though, trying to keep kids away from an increasingly-shiny combination of candy and danger was probably it. Eventually, Moms Against Team Rocket (MoTeR, pronounced exactly like it wasn't actually spelled) had given up on attacking the event directly and settled for grumbling behind the closed doors of what their husbands assumed were meetings full of wine and those lemon bars their hands had been smacked away from.
Your mom hadn't been part of it (though you're not sure if that's because she isn't particularly concerned about Team Rocket or because of the Noodle Casserole Incident that had gotten her politely but firmly invited not to feel as if she needed to continue attending the PTA), and so you don't feel much guilt about taking your brother that way once the frenzy at the shops starts to die down. He's still as wound up as he'd been when you left the house and probably doesn't need any more sugar, but he's easier to manage when he thinks he's getting his way and once you get back, he's going to be your parents' problem, not yours. (Ha. There's your revenge.) He's run into one of his little cronies and they're shrieking about who's collected the most, and by the time you rock up to the Rocketyard, the stories being passed back and forth about all the people they know who know someone who's been to Lavender Town (and occasionally, someone who didn't come back from Lavender Town) are actually a relief, because every time they manage to scare each other silent, it lasts a whole three seconds or so.
Whatever's beyond those heavy red doors is off-limits to anyone not a member of the organization, so the party takes place outside, and outside is packed. Most years, it's been the grunts handling the handouts, but tonight - Seriously? The big boss himself? Those are the murmurs at the back of the line, anyway. You've never seen Giovanni in person before - just his portrait staring into your soul from the posters put up now-and-then - and you bounce up on your toes, trying to get a glimpse over the top of the crowd. You can't - too many taller heads prevail - but a pair of girls you remember vaguely from your senior year are passing by on their way out, and you can hear them giggling and gasping - "Oh! I know Team Rocket's terrible, but Mr Giovanni's really quite dashing, isn't he?" "...did you really just call him dashing? Did Celebi transport me back in time and I missed it?"
So it is him? That adds a further touch of mystery and excitement to a night that's already got no shortage of either. Why here? Why now? It's no secret that Team Rocket hosts these events to boost their image, but they're doing well enough right now (for a given value of 'well enough', anyway) - so is it that he feels safer making an appearance when public opinion is high, or could it be a ploy to push it even higher? Because, face it, ninety percent of these kids would vote the man into office right now. (The other ten percent are too firmly on the Pikachu is Pikafection platform, and by tomorrow, they'll all be throwing their support to Mr Mime's Wall O'Wonder Show. The candy bribes giveth, and the candy bribes taketh away.)
As you get closer, the image you've seen in those pictures begins to resolve. Giovanni isn't costumed (though he is very definitely dressed up - like, to the nines up), but he's made a concession to the festival by pinning a spray of purple blossoms to his lapel. He's seated in a chair padded with the sort of leather that probably shouldn't ever actually be brought outdoors, and though he's generally accompanied in promotional material by the most smug Persian the world has ever known, the Classy Cat is currently nowhere to be found. It seems, too, that the grunts are still the ones running the show, because Giovanni nods and smiles - kind of smirks, really - at the visitors who've made it to the front, but it's his henchmen who are filling bags and making jokes and pulling punches at the teenagers who think they're too cool for fun and just want to say they went toe to toe with Team Rocket.
And while the Persian may be strangely absent, there are an assortment of the other Pokémon people have come to associate with the most poisonous team in town - an Arbok dancing amidst fan-blown ribbons, the full Zubat evolutionary line flapping about overhead, and more Koffing than you can shake a swab stick at.
Seriously, there are so. Many. Koffing. They're bobbing around like balloons, and they're dressed up, too - with hats and body paint and fluttering capes, and one even has a little papier-maché head stuck to its side, so that it can know what it's like to be a Weezing even though it's not quite ready to evolve.
You've reached the end of the queue, and while your little brother is hopping up and down, jabbing the air next to a grunt who's clearly weary as hell but still doing his best to make sure all the kids get to have a good time, Giovanni steeples his fingers and dips his head in such a way that his eyes flash before going darker still, and alright, you can absolutely see why the airheads called him 'dashing'. You only get to hold the thought for a moment before the two of you are ushered away, though, and you don't have time to snatch it back before your brother's shoved his head into the sack and started reeling off a list of his ill-given gains. It's a smorgasboard of crackerjacks and actual jacks, little plastic toys that won't last for more than a day but it doesn't matter because little boys can't stay interested in most things that long anyway, and the reason you know they're going to break immediately is because your brother's managed to snap one in half before you've even made it halfway home.
Unfortunately, 'halfway home' is well before the limits of even the shortest attention span, and delight turns to dismay with a wail that could make a Haunter shudder and turn pale. You do what you can to, if not distract him, convince him that it's not the end of the world and he probably didn't care that much about the trinket anyway, but he's already convinced himself of the exact opposite, and in the end, the only thing you can get him to agree to is to stay right here while you run back to see if they'll give you a replacement. It's a goodwill gesture, right? And they'd all seemed fairly good-natured about it. Maybe they won't mind.
By the time you get there, though, things are winding down; the Rocketyard's mostly cleared out and the remaining grunts are either sweeping up the hundred thousand wrappers dropped by hands that are surprisingly incapable of holding on to anything for being so sticky, or trying to recapture the overly-excited Koffing that are now chasing each other around with all the grace of drunken bumper cars. "Oi! Peety! Come get your freakin' plague puffs!" one shouts, and if this Peety, whoever that is, answers, it's lost beneath the cacophany of cleanup. Your chances of finding (or buying, or begging) a new toy seem to be dwindling as rapidly as the chance anyone's getting those Koffing back in order, but from the corner of your eye, you catch a flash of dapper black vanishing around the building's far side, and screw it, you are going for the gold.
"Mr Giovanni! I'm sorry to bother you, but do you have a minute? My brother -" you call, and then you stop short, because as you come up on the man you're chasing, he starts to strip - no, wait, he's wearing something else beneath that fabulous suit, and you wouldn't have thought that to even be possible, it fit so well. Did he not hear you? He must not have, because he's dropped his face into his palms and raked his fingers through his hair, and when he turns toward you at last -
It's not Giovanni. It's a tall man in the black and white uniform of a Rocket executive, with purple hair swept up atop his head, and if you hadn't seen the transformation yourself, you never would have believed it. He's as surprised as you, now - but for a different reason - and the elegance he'd displayed in Giovanni's suit is gone as he stumbles back. "&#%$!" he yelps, and you can hear every symbol rolling off his tongue. "You, ah, didn't see that, did you?"
You stammer an answer as you edge away yourself, because as fun as it may be to play 'Take On Team Rocket!' when you're eight and loaded up on Vanillish Wafers, this seems a lot more like it's going to result in real trouble, and though your hands have found the wall and you're trying to use it to guide yourself back the way you came without taking your eyes off the executive, it's no use - his long legs outstride yours and he's caught up to you well before you have any real hope of getting away. His own hand plants to the wall, just beside your head, and he leans in, smirking that same smirk that had you so convinced he could really be the Fearless Leader. "'cause if you did, I'm gonna have to make sure you won't talk."
Oh, &#%$, you think, legs shaking, you are going to die here; you are going to disappear and at your empty-coffined funeral, your little brother is just going to scream that you hadn't gotten him another toy before you were tossed off the mortal coil, but before you can manage to pass out so that you at least won't see it coming, the man ducks the rest of the way in and smashes his lips to yours. And then he's gone, darting around that corner you were so desperate to reach yourself, and based on the sound that's rapidly fading as he puts ever-more distance between the two of you, you're pretty sure that he
is
giggling.
"G'damnit, Peety!" you hear as you're creeping out, apparently from the same grunt who'd been yelling for the mysterious Peety before. "The hell have you been?" You don't stick around for the reply, because no one's looking your way - including the lanky executive, who not only has his back to you once more but has suddenly been flocked to by every last one of the runaway Koffing, cloaking him in a cloud of poisonous purple love - and this seems like the perfect time to make your escape.
"Where is it where is it where is it!" your brother demands as you run back up, grabbing his hand to pull him along whether he's ready to go or not, and you mumble a reply you can barely understand yourself; They didn't have any more or They were already closed or something else that doesn't have a damn thing to do with what actually happened but at least takes the blame off you because what are you supposed to do in that situation? Your face is on fire, but as long as he's trying to find the perfect balance between crying over his broken knick-knacks and stuffing his mouth full of candy, he's not paying enough attention to notice, and by the time you've made it back to your house and pawned him off on your parents (Dad was indeed in the basement, and you are not surprised at all), that chill evening wind has mostly washed away what you haven't managed to yourself. The sooner you're in your own room, the better, though, and you spend a few minutes flattened to the closed door, trying to catch the breath that should never have left you in the first place.
...Team Rocket throws a Christmas party, too, don't they?
Notes:
- For @hollowsart, who said there wasn't enough Petrel/Reader fic in the world. - There was a discussion about Team Rocket (or at least some members) doing Random Acts of Kindness to cast them in a more positive light, which reminded me of the Yakuza group that does that with Halloween, which is how we're now getting a Halloween fic in May. >_> - It ended up with a lot less actual Petrel/Reader than I intended (or even Petrel at all), but this is what I do, I make it so we can't have nice things, and also I think it's cute so you'll get this and you'll like it! <_< - =D
Bonus Deleted Scene:
Jessie and James roll out a mechanical Persian, which promptly malfunctions, necessitating a need to whisk it away as quickly as possible lest the Jig Be Completely Up.
#pokemon#pokemon hgss#petrel#executive petrel#team rocket petrel#petrel/reader#fanfiction#gift fic#my fics
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Mystic Messenger Pokémon AU
This wasn’t a request, but it’s something I’ve thought about off an on for almost a year and a half now. I might expand on this more one day but if any of you guys have suggestions about this feel free to send them in! Also I didn’t include MC in this because I left it open for you guys to interpret and determine how your own MC falls into this AU! Anyways I hope you enjoy! Also sorry to everyone wanting Vanderwood but I don’t feel comfortable writing for him as I don’t feel like there’s enough content with him in the game for me to get a handle on his character and do it confidently.
Also big thanks to my friend Mary @maruthor for helping me out with this AU! And putting up with my shit but
Warning: Spoilers for character’s routes below, read at your own risk
Yoosung:
This boy
This sweet boy
Of course, he ends up running his own Pokémon clinic
It’s not a Pokémon Center, they’re weirdly ornery about having to have a Nurse Joy run those
But it’s a small clinic in a more remote area of the Kanto region and it suits him just fine
He probably ends up doubling it as a mini Pokémon daycare service after and incident with Seven’s ditto and two of his own Pokémon
And the fact that Seven gifted him a ditto of his own after said incident because he’s “just trying to help his friend continue to earn a living”
Yoosung doesn’t have a lot of Pokémon of his own, but he’s acquired a few that were given to him or left behind by patrons who couldn’t keep them anymore for whatever reason
Those Pokémon include: a Glameow from Jumin, Blissey, Noctowl, Pikachu, Glaceon, Lillipup and Rattata
The Blissey came from a Nurse Joy as a Happiny as a thank you for his help during an outbreak of a Pokémon illness that had shown up one day
His own personal partner for his clinic was an Audino from the Unova Region where he went to study Pokémon medicine and care
Occasionally he’s called out of the clinic to care for a sick or injured Pokémon
So he does travel some, but not as often as other members of the RFA
He’s the only one Jumin trusts to care after his many cat Pokémon and precious Elizabeth the 3rd
Not that he himself is too thrilled about that
He even takes the overflow from a nearby Pokémon Center occasionally and probably most often travels out there to help out when needed
Zen:
Zen is obviously still an actor
But instead of just doing musicals, he now does full-fledged Pokémon movie productions
He has two partner Pokémon he’s had since before his career that appear on stage with him
One is his Milotic, and the other is his dusk form Lycanroc
He’ll never forget the day his feebas evolved
He credits his Milotic as one of his biggest inspirations to keep going
Since it was his Feebas at the time that helped keep him positive during the time before and after he ran away from home
It was one of his days that he was feeing more down than usual
It was a complete accident that he had come across a prism scale
And at first he didn’t know what it was, let alone that his Feebas could even evolve
But he had thought it was pretty and wanted to give it to his friend as a thank you for being there for him
When his Feebas started to evolve to say he was surprised was an understatement and he was blown away by the sheer beauty of its evolved form
But seeing his now Milotic in front of him gave him a new sense of hope and self confidence
He didn’t meet his other partner until after he was running with the biker gangs
He had come across the little Rockruff at the time digging through some trash cans in an alley
Remembering the hard times he faced while still living on the streets, he decided to take the Pokémon home with him without a second thought
He was once again awestruck when his Rockruff evolved
He decided to do some research about his new friend, and so he was aware of the two evolutionary forms of Lycanroc, and the rarer third evolution form
He had been visiting his favorite spot up in the mountain with his two Pokémon
Trying to clear his head, and train his Rockruff to help it evolve
When it started to glow and change form, he thought it was going to be the Midday form, he didn’t realize how low the sun had gotten during the time he had been up there
When the evolution light faded and he saw the Dusk Form staring back at him
He was over the moon with excitement
Since that day he worked harder on his acting career, and with the three of them on stage he was quick to draw the eye of many fans across the regions
Occasionally he is propositioned to work with other Pokémon as is partners, but he always refuses
His dream was to preform yes, but he would never abandon his two closest friends who helped get him where he was today
Occasionally he takes his two partners to compete in Pokémon Showcases in and around the Region
It helps keep him and his team in top shape for the cameras, and it allows him to enjoy friendly competitions with his friends
Once he joined the RFA, Jumin had gifted him an Eevee for one of his birthdays
When it evolved into an Espeon, Zen was a mix of emotions
Even though he knew that Espeon was a fox Pokémon, the fact that it still vaguely looked like a cat was enough to set his allergies on edge
He refused to give it away though, he’d never abandon one of his Pokémon, but he swears that the trust fund kid planned it
And though Jumin would never admit it, in a way he knew that it was a likely outcome given Zen’s personality which was why he did it
Jaehee:
She currently runs a Pokémon Café in Lumiose City
She needed a break from all the stress working under Jumin brought to her life so one day she just turned in her resignation letter and opened up a café
With a little help from Jumin
He felt a little betrayed at first, but he got over it fast and offered to open it up under his company
As a parting gift he gave her a shiny Swirlix as well as it’s needed evolutionary item
Only after he tried to give her a cat Pokémon for the mascot on several occasions with which she had to put her foot down
Eventually she decided to use her Lucario as the café’s mascot, since it was with her since before her parents passed away
It took some time, but eventually she was able to make the business take off with the help of some of her Pokémon who also worked as staff
Some of her Pokémon include: Leafeon, Shuckle, Miltank, Mienshao, Stufful, Kirlia, Vespiquen, Chesnaught, and Lurantis
Jumin:
He’s the Ceo-in-line of his father’s company
Which produces a wide variety of Pokémon items as well as things for their trainers as well as regular citizens
C A T D A D
He has so many cat Pokémon
It’s probably why Jaehee quit tbh
The main problem, is his Skitty, Elizabeth the 3rd who was gifted to him by none other that Jihyun one year after his Delcatty had an egg
Elizabeth is a hyperactive Pokémon with an eye for destruction whenever Jumin isn’t around
I like to think that his Skitty is like May’s from the anime
Other than Elizabeth, he has: Persian, Alolan Persian, Purugly, Liepard, Luxray, both genders of Pyroar and Meowstic, and Incineroar
He also has an Espeon which he adamantly refuses to admit looks a little like a cat to Zen in order to keep messing with him
And to further mess with Zen (partly) he has a statue of Elizabeth the 3rd on display in the park near C&R, which so happens to be a park Zen has to walk by every day to get to work
He also has a Dragonite, an Urasring and a Kindra for extra protection
Is habit of trying to make cat-related projects is still a big thing with him
He one day wants to open up an entire island just for cat Pokémon
Jaehee had been able to narrowly keep avoiding that disaster every single time, but his new assistant is going to have some work cut out for them
Probably inadvertently the reason Mewtwo exists
He heard Mew being described as “the pink cat Pokémon” and that was all it took
He often travels to watch Jihyun compete in contests when he can
Especially if he hears that he’ll be using his Delcatty
He’s also seen quite a few of Zen’s showcases but he’ll never say anything to him
Also keeps trying to use his position to get really rare Pokémon and Mega Stones/Z-Crysrals for the other members of the RFA because he knows he can be quite hard to get along with, but he does care about the other members whom he considers his friends and in some cases family
Saeyoung/707:
Since Saeyoung loves space so much, he works at an observatory or at the Space Center in Mossdeep City in Hoenn
His Pokémon have a lot to do with Space and technical work, so he ends up with an interesting mix of Pokémon
He used to work initially as a Professor’s assistant studying fossil pokemon, but the work proved too much for him
He left amicably to work at the space center, so he could still be involved with the RFA and his brother more
Still has an Aerodactyl and a Tyrantrum from that time whom he bonded with and was allowed to take with him
He was also gifted a Torchic from the professor when he first started working there
Also owns a Chatot for the sole purpose of playing pranks on his co-workers and the rest of the RFA much to their annoyance
His Pokémon include: Clefable, all 7 colored Minior plus a shiny Minior, Starmie, Lunatone and Solrock, Beheeyem, Porygon-Z, Reuniclus, Vikavolt, Ditto, Castform, and Rotom
Absolutely won’t stop asking Jihyun if he too could have a Skitty, to which Jihyun always finds a way to politely avoid answering the question and changing the topic
He also owns an Espeon, which is from his childhood and is part of a set of twin Eevee’s him and his brother had befriended before they were rescued from their home
It’s his ultimate goal to one day own a Deoxys and maybe a Jirachi
Ends up owning a Poipole for research after a trip to the Alolan Region to help investigate Ultra Wormholes ends up going haywire
Jihyun/V:
He definitely travels a lot across all the regions
He’s still an artist, so he often takes pictures to paint later on in his studio
He was a nature photographer, so his Pokémon are a lot of grass types supplemented by a few other types of Pokémon to even things out
His starter Pokémon was a Bulbasaur, and it’s his most trusted companion that he takes with him everywhere
He probably shed a few happy tears each time it evolved
The first thing he did when he learned about Mega Evolution was to get a Venasaurite for his most trusted companion
Jumin probably offered to acquire one for him, but Jihyun declined, wanting to make the journey himself
He also participates in Pokémon Contests
His Pokémon definitely reflect that artist side of him
Some of his Pokémon are: Florges, Delcatty, Beautifly, Bellossom, shiny Sylveon, Alolan Ninetails, Togekiss, Gallade, Altaria, Roserade, Cherrim, Gastrodon, Leavanny, Whimsicott, Lilliagnt, Cinccino, Sawsbuck, Volcarona, all patterns of Vivillion, Riombee, Smeargle and Bewear
Definitely has every single grass type starter
And probably a Primarina
Jumin does worry about him though, so he made sure to gift him some pseudo-legendary Pokémon for his own piece of mind over his friend’s safety
especially after hearing about some of the more dangerous areas Jihyun tends to end up in for the sake of his art
Not that he thinks Jihyun’s Pokémon are weak
So from Jumin, his Pokémon are Aggron, Tyrannitar, and Metagross
He was also gifted an Amaura from Jumin, who thought it would be enough to fit his aesthetic while still being a somewhat powerful Pokémon
And Jumin just likes spoiling his friend with cool Pokémon when he’s allowed to
Since Jihyun is rich, he definitely has a house with a lot of land around it so that he can keep so many Pokémon
They’re some of his biggest inspiration for his art, and he likes capturing them in their natural element when he’s not traveling or competing
Definitely has seen and befriended a Celebi on one of his trips and visits as often as he can
Seven also gifted him a Bruxish one year as a joke knowing it was an eyesore of a Pokémon
None of them were expecting Jihyun to absolutely fall in love with it and make it the subject of his art for the next 8 months
No one has the heart to tell him how they really feel about it
He’s just so happy to share everything about his splotchy fish someone please save him
Saeran:
He used to be an admin under Rika
But he ended up leaving
He was persuaded by Saeyoung to become the regional professor’s assistant
He was skeptical at first, but he found the job surprisingly rewarding and healing after everything he had been put through with Rika and his past
The Pokémon didn’t judge him for the deeds he had done, and it allowed him to work through his own issues as well as atone for all the misfortune he caused under Rika
While still pursuing a greater cause that would benefit everyone
Ends up as they kind of person who befriends Pokémon really easily, so he ends up with a lot more than he started out with
Which makes it even better that he works for a Pokémon Professor who is more than willing to help house and care for all his Pokémon
The Eevee he had from his childhood evolved into an Umbreon, which is the only reason Rika had allowed him to keep it
He also had befriended a Swirlix while he was working for Rika, but had to keep it a secret lest she think it made him “weak”
He was able to evolve it after joining the RFA with the help of Jumin and Jaehee
He absolutely adores his Slurpuff and will fight anyone who tries to talk shit about it
He has quite a few Pokémon from his time as Rika’s admin
Most of them were ones she gave him to make him look “strong” and keep him in the mindset of the Saeran she created
She wouldn’t tolerate him having any Pokémon she deemed “weak” that might bring out Ray
His Pokémon include: Shiny Charizard, Nidoking, Arcanine, Alolan Marowak, Rhypherior, Granbull, Weavile, Houndoom, Staraptor, Sharpedo, Krookodile, Bisharp, Braviary, Hydreigon, Pangoro, and Midnight Form Lycanroc
Has a Magikarp and a Wimpod he raised in secret because he related to how people perceived it as being weak and useless
He may have shed a few tears when they finally evolved into a Gyarados and a Golisopod respectively
Jihyun probably also gifted him another Eevee at some point to help him reconnect with his brother and he absolutely cried when it evolved into a Sylveon because that’s only possible if there’s a strong bond of love between trainer and Pokémon
And it helped him prove that he was on the right track to healing all the lingering wounds from his past
After he joins the RFA, Jihyun probably gifts him several Flower Pokémon knowing how much he loves flowers
So he ends up with a Megainum, a Sunflora, a Florges, a Bellossom, a Roserade, and a Comfey
Eventually befriends a Zoroark on the professor’s grounds that he uses to get back at his brother and his Chatot
He eventually stumbles across a Mimikyu during one of his business trips to Alola
He absolutely falls in love with it and relates to it
Eventually with permission he grows a field of flowers that Shaymin need to switch forms and absolutely loves watching them all migrate, and that time is always one of his happiest
This boy just needs a lot of love in his life and he probably ends up with so many Pokémon because he can’t just abandon any Pokémon he finds that are hurt or struggling
Rika:
Founder and leader of Team Mint-Eye
Which also operates under the name “Magenta” in some instances to avoid authorities
This is still mostly the same Rika from the game that we see
Someone who wasn’t able to find a healthy way to cope with her past trauma and mental illness
And only got worse through the unhealthy relationship her and V had with one another
She uses Pokémon that she thinks represent the darkness and her “devil” within her and some that she uses to help control and manipulate her Believers and Admins
Her Pokémon include: Delphox, Gengar, Hypno, Honchkrow, Mismagius, Girafarig, Solrock & Lunatone, Sableye, Cacturne, Seviper, Banette, Dusknoir, Haxorus, Musharna, Cofagrigus, Gothitelle, Chandelure, Malamar, Dragalge, Trevenant, Salazzle, and Nihilego
Used to have a Darkrai and a Cresselia captured for her own use but Saeran ended up freeing them on his way out
Has plans to add more Ultra Beats to her lineup and the lineup of her Believers
She also has a Wigglytuff that Jihyun had given her when they were still together to try and help her stay on the right path but she doesn’t like using it and keeps it far away from her in the other end of her base
Not to say she’s abusing it, because despite everything Rika has done she’d never, but she just doesn’t like being reminded of that time
She operates largely out of the Alola Region but before she was in Sinnoh on account of Darkrai and Cresselia
#mystic messenger#mystic messenger headcanons#headcanons#mysme headcanons#mysme imagine#Jumin Han#Jihyun Kim#Saeyoung Choi#Saeran Choi#Jaehee Kang#Yoosung Kim#Zen#Hyun Ryu#V#707#mm jumin#mm jaehee#mm jihyun#mm saeyoung#mm saeran#mm 707#mm yoosung#Rika#mm ray#mm rika#pokemon#pokemon au#pokemon headcanons#terra writes
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Mahou Shoujo Ore 5 | Yotsuiro Biyori 4 | Lupin III Pt 5 5 | Hinamatsuri 5 | BnHA 43 | Boueibu HK 5
Mahou Shoujo Ore 5
Hey hey hey, this is the second show I’ve seen ape Osomatsu-san this year. Seriously, no show is safe in a parody as a target for humour’s sake…Note Osomatsu-san is also by Pierrot, though, so they’re attacking themselves to some extent.
Now that they’ve pointed the Osomatsu-san reference though, I can’t believe I didn’t see the scarf colours last time! But…this is episode 5…
Oh, I kind of noticed it, but I’m probably too used to it since I watched the first season of Osomatsu-san – the blue lines are part of that show’s signature style.
Muscovado is apparently a substitute for sugar. It literally translates to “black sugar” though…
Sagami is…a former place in Japan…?
Tama River. I’m terrible at Japanese geography, so I don’t think you should be asking me about this…
Dang, apparently Pierrot is based in Mitaka, Tokyo so whatever joke I was chasing there fell flat.
Wow, they got really self-referential this episode…yikes.
So this is the rumoured Chiba-san? Uhh…
Oh my…I do not see the word “Japanimation” get much mileage at all these days, but I cringe every time I see it.
It’s Pokémon Go! Wow, that’s another level of meta for sure. My hopes for resolving all the stray plot threads while maintaining that wacky sense of humour (or however I phrased it) definitely went out the window…Notice the footage is dated April 24th 20X8, which is about a week before the episode went to air if the X actually hides “2018”.
Suginami. Apparently, Bones, Sunrise and other studios are stationed there…but Pierrot isn’t.
If there’s one thing I didn’t expect in MSO, it’s the fact this show became Shirobako in a sense. I still need to get around to Shirobako, by the way…
Ey, wait a second! Astral, you got your wish! We get to see…Fujimoto’s face!
Whoa! They went all out on the CGI fire effects! What is this show, Golden Kamuy?! (LOL)
Comichiya’s probably Comiket. The katakana (chi -> tsu, to -> ya) look kinda similar if mangled.
Dangit! I missed my mark on the guesswork again! Tokyo Big Sight isn’t in Suginami.
Basically, this is just a long road to admitting they couldn’t do a recap episode, but they don’t have enough content to pad this ep either. Ah, sweet revelations (sarcastic).
Is it just me, or does the bottom of Fujimoto (1)’s face look kind of like…Mohiro??? Wagh??? Update: No, the hair colour’s off.
The “on the train” technically says “on the NEXT train” (emphasis mine).
Wow, they namedropped Ishikawa (probably Kaito)! Ishikawa voices male!Saki, so it makes sense.
Oh my gosh, Mahoutsukai Watashi! What a bold move this show’s taken – it’s telling its own meta-narrative. Which means when I cover it for the collab post…it’ll be meta of meta…that’ll put my head in a spin for sure.
You can see Fujimoto and Sakuyo character designs if you pause for one scene (the one with “staff working from home”).
You can see the name Masayuki Ito (伊藤雅之) on that list with the downward arrows, but I don’t know what significance that name has unless they’re an animator or something...
Mensore is explained here.Basically it’s youkoso in Okinawan.
Jimami Tofu…isn’t tofu, as weird as that sounds. It’s an Okinawan-sponsored drama.
Well, at least this time I got a big epic battle (no matter how short it is). Nothing better than that!
They got Akira Ishida, Tomokazu Seki, Koichi Yamadera and some other guys to voice the Fujimotos this time. Notice there’s no crossover between the Osomatsu-san voices and the Fujimotos, which was probably intentional.
I thought there’d be a real Shinzo Chiba, but there doesn’t seem to be one…
There was a shot of Fujimoto (before the manager)! Wah! Was that there in previous episodes???
Every time people promise wardrobe malfunctions, they tend to…uh, deliver on that…
The Monokubo illustration this time is creepy…I like it!
Yotsuiro Biyori 4
Is this a zombie movie (LOL)?
Wow, Sui really loves cats, doesn’t…he…? (LOL)
Oh, so that weird zombie movie in medias res opening was actually one of those fakeouts…DN Angel’s anime did that, I remember…
Wow, they make Tokitaka so epic in this scene! A determined man is more handsome than one in an ordinary state, don’tcha think?
You can even see rice flying! Amazing! Tokitaka’s got such skill.
I am so spoilt for smol boys this season, between this and Boueibu HK…
Ooh! My eyes have been blessed with the hotness of Tokitaka!
There’s more chicken than usual this ep, eh?
Shiratama anmitsu.
I never thought we’d need a backstory for the resident cat, but okay. It was hilarious and fun while it lasted and now it’s almost over…huh.
Denzou? Eh? (I kinda get why the name’s badass with the kanji involved, but it’s hard to explain to a non-Japanese speaker…)
Agedama.
The next ep title translates to roughly “A Loving Hand for the Lost Lamb”…as in, to extend a hand to it.
Lupin 3 Pt 5 5
Okay, part 5 episode 5 is confusing when it’s just “5 5”, isn’t it?
I think the guy in the green jacket will be important later…? He’s in a key visual for this show, at least.
“This pasta called soba’s pretty good!” – LOL, soba ain’t pasta, y’know…
I’ve learnt about the stack before. Here you go.
IP camera. Hey, I’ve done something on IP cameras before, but normally Detective Conan (and most other mystery shows of the modern day) seem to be reliant on CCTV…
Chicken game…? Sounds tasty!...Not.
Ami doesn’t seem too pleased about all the shooting, LOL.
Even Ami knows bowing is a sign of Japanese respect. Just like how dragons understand the meaning of “Hatori Chise” involves birds…(i.e. I’m kind of skeptical that a real French girl would learn to bow to her Japanese friends when her life is always on the line, a la Ami.)
Episode…1? Y’mean, there’s more adventures, but no Ami? Aw, I was enjoying having her in the fray.
Hinamatsuri 5
A TV? $30??? Wow, I would fight a psychic girl for that! That’s friggin’ cheap!
“Toshibu” (sic), LOL.
Bikkuri means “surprise”, LOL.
“A teacher and a student walk into a bar…” – it sounds like a joke. Not that that could be conveyed accurately in Japanese, though. The fact it even works as an English joke must be a coincidence…
Hitomi’s such a terrible liar! Wahaha!
Nitta’s just like “I’ve given up on this girl”. Either that, or he has a hangover…(LOL)
Sayo looks kind of like Hina. If it weren’t for the hair colours I would’ve mistaken the two.
BnHA 43
Carrying a gun to a fistfight…yep, bad. Plain bad, Mustard, ol’ boy.
Sorry, there was a lot of fighting this ep and nothing much to say!
Boueibu HK 5
LOL, the bald bodyguard…he looks kinda grumpy.
Notice Kyotaro goes “ore kyoumi nai” (I have no interest in it), but the subs missed the subject of the sentence! CR, you weirdoes!
Echire butter…exists!
“You know about genetic testing?” - Irina! I think this is your department!
Ryoma’s the end of the evolutionary line!
Hmm…if there was no Ice Age in Honyara Land…might there have been something else that caused the Furanui/Karurusu conflict? There’s only animosity from one side, after all.
Bunbuku Chagama. Magozaemon was fat, so he would make a perfect teapot/tanuki…
Wait, if Maasa = Ichiro in the age department (roughly 16), that would add up. He went abroad for 4 years and held off on carbs the entire time…yikes.
“The people of this world envy those who represent the opposite of what they fear for themselves, so they criticise and attack them.” – Ooh, Ata makes a lot of sense here…! It’s a quote for the collection.
Asobukoto = It’s not really “fun” per se, but “playing” or “hanging out”. That is, if you translate rather literally.
They’re all underage (roughly 16 – 18), of course they wouldn’t drink! Of course, this is coming from a person who doesn’t drink…the only samples of alcohol I’ve had are few and far in between…
Hey, I studied this stuff in the past, you don’t have to regurgitate this info (about needing food to better absorb alcohol). Lemmee tell you, alcohol ads are weird…
They didn’t make the “glasses fogging up” a weird plot hole. Phew.
Wow, to think I’d be getting a science lesson of things I already know in my Boueibu…I never thought I’d see the day where that happened.
According to this page, one of the things the ramen shop serves is gomoku soba. Wait…that’s right! Ramen’s appeared in this show before! In the Chri-pa episode! Sorry Astral, I gotta spoil s2 for you!
Wow, this chicken carcass is even less of a threat than anything else so far! Wow-hee.
Taishi only seems vaguely fazed about the fact he’s being made to fight monsters. Interesting. I never think about the perspective of the non-red boys regarding fighting monsters until they’re pointed out, really.
So wait, the magic knight of space…makes bubbles? Uh, Astral, you might wanna learn from this…?
Hey hey, I found a page on tonkotsu ramens (sic from the Hakata anime) and paitan ramen.
Kyotaro on stairs = basically my mood when I want to imitate the “draw me like one of yor French girls” meme. (Very badly.)
So…when I said I missed individualised attacks, I never saw this coming. Sorry about that, people. (Even if that was only Ichiro’s bubble attack.)
Kyotaro makes a lot of sense here. But seriously, I think I need Astral’s easy button right now. That was easy.
Notice Karurusu is acting as a pelt…weren’t otters hunted for their pelts?
Oh, Sujikawa’s a first year, huh?
*Sujikawa picks up the boulder* - *round of applause from me* Wow!
Both Maasa and Dougo have such supportive friends, it almost makes me jealous.
The English! It’s…correct! (thinks back to a magazine article with “Difence” (sic) written on it in pink letters)
I, for one, am happy they’re tackling relationships aside from “brothers” this time. Finally, here’s something that stacks up against its competition in regards to deeper themes, even if it is a comedy!
Dougo and Maasa (Magozaemon) were in class 2, if you pause at the right time. Notably, the members of class 2 were all boys, LOL. Even with the boy to the left of Magozaemon, I think that name might be pronounced “Ai” (due to this page), but it’s in manly kanji.
#simulcast commentary#Happy Kiss anime#mahou shoujo ore#lupin iii part 5#boku no hero academia#Hinamatsuri#rokuhoudou yotsuiro biyori#binan koukou chikyuu boueibu happy kiss!#binan koukou chikyuu boueibu happy kiss#boueibu#boueibu hk#magical girl ore#Chesarka watches MSO#Chesarka watches Hinamatsuri#Chesarka watches BnHA#Chesarka watches Yotsuiro Biyori#Chesarka watches the Lupin series Pt 5
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Rowlet, Dartrix and Decidueye
Bloody hell, if I don’t hurry this up they’re going to announce another damn generation before I’m done with this one; we’re already expecting whatever this bull$#!t is supposed to be and I’ve got eighty whole Pokémon to evaluate in the next couple of months, as well as talking about Team Skull and the Aether Foundation, and Hau, and maybe Lillie too, and whoever I decide counts as the Champion, not to mention answering the neverending tide of ridiculous banal questions that keep pouring out of my goddamn inbox (obviously, gentle reader, I’m not talking about any questions you might have submitted, which are of course consistently insightful and thought provoking; it’s all those other bastards that are the problem).
I’M FINE
Let’s talk about Rowlet.
If you pay any attention whatsoever to this blog for any length of time, one of the first things you discover is that I like Grass-types. The Grass-type has been my go-to starter for my first playthrough (and most subsequent playthroughs) of every generation since the first. Rowlet’s fate was bound to mine by destiny long before I ever laid eyes on him. And I’m basically okay with this. Rowlet isn’t really in contention to unseat Bulbasaur and Turtwig as my favourite starter Pokémon, but he’s fine. He’s easy and fun to use in a playthrough, we’ve never had a birdlike Grass-type before, it doesn’t hurt that he’s just objectively adorable, and in abandoning his Flying-type Decidueye becomes the very first Ghost-type starter Pokémon ever, which is neat. Rowlet and Dartrix are clearly barn owls, with the barn owl’s distinctive pale heart-shaped face, whereas Decidueye is maybe more of a hawk owl, although I wouldn’t read too much into that. Comparisons to Hoothoot and Noctowl, who seem to be horned owls, are in order, as one of my usual criteria for evaluating new Pokémon is “is this actually new?” and I think the answer there is… probably??? Part of the problem there is that Hoothoot actually has a much more clearly-defined and interesting “personality” than Noctowl, with his heavily stylised cuckoo-clock aesthetic and metronome-like rocking from side to side (actually though, as long as we’re here, why doesn’t Hoothoot get Metronome? I mean, I get that Metronome was still super-exclusive when Hoothoot was introduced, but they gave it to Snubbull and Chansey as an egg move). Noctowl is kinda just a big owl that does owl things. Rowlet, Dartrix and Decidueye are a bit deeper than that, which I generally tend to think is good. Decidueye’s arrows and archery are an odd touch, but as with Talonflame, you can link birds and arrows conceptually via feathered fletching, so that makes sense. What might not immediately makes sense to some of us is the switch from Flying to Ghost when Dartrix evolves, and this gives me an excuse to begin one of my patented Bull$#!t Lore Digressions™, so let’s learn some more about owls.
Owls are associated with the spirit world in several different and unrelated cultures, and there are some pretty good reasons for this. Owls are night hunters, but more than that, they’re silent hunters – owls’ feathers are softer and smoother-edged than those of other birds, so the flapping of their wings is much more difficult to hear, giving them a ghostly, ethereal quality. Also, like many nocturnal animals, their eyes reflect light and seem to glow in the dark in a disconcertingly eerie manner. Not for nothing are owls omens of death in sub-Saharan Africa, of sickness and bad luck in the native cultures of the American southwest, or of catastrophe in ancient Rome. In ancient Greece, of course – mainly in Athens – owls had a more ambivalent role as the sacred birds of Athena and symbols of wisdom (an association that persists today and gives us Noctowl’s famous intellect and minor psychic abilities). Even there, though, the sinister scops owl was seen as a creature of the underworld, and the owl’s reputation for knowledge subsequently made it the familiar of witches and warlocks in mediaeval Europe. In New Zealand, where I come from, the small brown hawk owl known as the morepork or ruru is believed to be an oracle of the future in Maori culture, its different cries portending either good fortune or disaster. Finally, and perhaps most relevant for us today, on several of the islands of Hawai’i a species of short-eared owl called a pueo is one of the more common shapes known to be taken by ’aumākua, the spirits of a family’s honoured ancestors, who return to serve as guardians and as a link to the spirit world (sharks, lizards and turtles are also common; families must show respect and deference to all animals of a similar form to their ’aumākua). An owl Pokémon thus becomes an intermediary between this world and the next, a sort of warrior-shaman that protects its trainer from spiritual threats using powers of its own that are more than a little dark and sinister (we see a similar theme with Hoothoot in the anime, where he has the unique power to force hidden Ghost-types to reveal themselves with Foresight).
This “mystic guardian” aesthetic is conspicuously undercut by what Rowlet and Dartrix seem to be doing, because they have more of a “dapper gentleman” style in play – consider the Pokédex line that describes Dartrix as “a bit of a dandy” obsessed with keeping his wings groomed, or their leafy bow-ties (in Decidueye, that evolves into something more like a brooch or the clasp of a cloak, which has a more mediaeval-fantasy feel to it). It feels like a very odd fit for the direction that Decidueye moves in. If you had just given me Rowlet and Dartrix, and told me to come up with ideas for a final evolution, I might, after substantial umm-and-ahh-ing, have pitched a kind of James-Bond-esque super-spy-in-a-tuxedo concept. That seems like a more natural continuation, but easily could have turned out looking rather stupid without some very clever way of unifying the design elements (and if there’s anything this blog should teach us, it’s that I’m not quite that clever). The self-important “dandy” aesthetic, after a bit of thought, is oddly reminiscent to me of the vain, professorial Owl from Winnie-the-Pooh, genuinely wise (…relatively speaking) but perhaps just as much concerned with the appearance of wisdom as with wisdom itself, and eager to look the part of the sober, intellectual scholar of the arcane. Decidueye’s own description from the Pokédex tells us that this wise Pokémon is nonetheless easily startled and flustered (try slapping him awake in PokéRefresh and you’ll see what they’re getting at). It’s still incongruous with Decidueye as mystic archer and night hunter, but it is at least giving me a common aesthetic thread to follow through all three evolutionary stages, something that’s quite important for a starter Pokémon to maintain. Which is enough for the purposes of this review, I think.
Stats-wise, Decidueye seems to be built as a mixed attacker, with strong offensive skills, but isn’t very fast. That doesn’t bode particularly well, since he can’t really afford to not max his speed in training, leaving less to split between attack and special attack. There’s a passable physical movepool here, which includes Leaf Blade, Brave Bird, Sucker Punch, U-Turn, and… I guess Steel Wing if, like, you really hate Alolan Ninetales or something? There’s also Decidueye’s signature move, Spirit Shackle, which has several advantages. It’s a reliable Ghost-type physical attack, which a) is a rare sort of attack for anyone to have access to, and b) is something Decidueye clearly needs, c) it traps its target in play with Decidueye (unless the target is a Normal-type or Ghost-type, or has some escape mechanism), limiting your opponent’s options, and d) it fires a spiritual arrow that nails the target’s soul to the ground, which is super badass. This move is easily Decidueye’s biggest edge; you want to use him to set up critical moments where you can switch and your opponent can’t, then pressure their weak points with one of Decidueye’s teammates, or try to Swords Dance while they’re off balance. Leaf Blade and Spirit Shackle are actually a pretty solid combination; neither Grass nor Ghost gets a lot of super-effective hits, but Ghost has strong neutral coverage, so basically you’re resisted by all the Normal/Flying birds and a bunch of Dark dual-types. Sucker Punch is mostly redundant with Spirit Shackle in terms of type coverage, but it’s also Decidueye’s only priority move, and he’s fairly slow and doesn’t have any speed buffs, so at least considering it is sort of obligatory (just remember that it only works on targets preparing a direct attack, so be careful using it against support Pokémon). U-Turn is just generally a good move, because the free switch-out gives you a lot of flexibility in responding to your opponent’s actions (and especially switches), and it covers your ass against Dark-types, whom Decidueye tends to have trouble with. Trapping something with Spirit Shackle and then bouncing out with U-Turn is a decent little combo, if you like that sort of thing. Brave Bird adds a bit more of a sting than Decidueye’s other options, but lacks their utility. Some combination of four of these, or three plus Swords Dance, should probably be the default go-to. Decidueye’s kit lends itself to switching in and out a lot, and he doesn’t really have the speed to try and sweep a significant chunk of an enemy team, so I’d be more inclined to slap a Choice item on him than bank on Swords Dance, but to each their own.
Decidueye’s special attack stat is pretty solid, so in theory you can use that to mix things up a bit. Unfortunately, basically his only worthwhile special attacks are Shadow Ball and Energy Ball/Grass Knot, and if you cut Spirit Shackle for Shadow Ball then you’ve sort of forsaken one of the most compelling reasons to use Decidueye in the first place. That’s not quite the end of the story; you might be gunning specifically for some big chunky physical tank with a Grass weakness like Hippowdon, who gets stung much harder by Grass Knot than by Leaf Blade even with minimal special attack training on Decidueye’s part. Also, most human opponents are going to assume Decidueye is a physical attacker, so if you can grab him a free turn to set up with Nasty Plot (which he also learns), you might just be able to catch someone with their pants down. I’m not sure this is particularly a good plan, and again I’m not encouraged by the fact that he essentially has no third special attack, but the possibility theoretically exists. Decidueye does have a support movepool of sorts, but you can probably find better Pokémon for any conceivable support role he might try to fill. Like, Baton Pass is there as an egg move (via Togetic or Oricorio), and again, Decidueye does get both Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, so he has perfectly sound options for using it, but he just looks so unlike my idea of what a Baton Passer ought to be (poor speed, average defences) that my mind sort of recoils from the notion. Alternatively you could try to ply Roost and Light Screen with some HP training into some kind of weird tanky Decidueye – give up trying to outrun things, since he’s slow anyway, and focus on your defences. Just don’t tell anyone it was my idea.
As well as a signature move, Decidueye has a unique ability; it’s his hidden ability and isn’t currently obtainable, but I think we’ll probably get it eventually, so we ought to talk about it before we finish up. This ability is Long Reach, which lets Decidueye treat his “contact” attacks as ranged instead, bypassing enemy effects like Static, Rough Skin, Beak Blast’s retributive burn, and so on. This… ehhh, I’m not really sure what this is for. I mean, I understand conceptually why Decidueye has this: he’s an archer, so he should be able to make what would normally be close-range attacks from a distance. But that aspect of the design is already expressed by his signature move, and by the fact that he can use ranged special attacks effectively. Most contact effects aren’t that big a deal, most Pokémon that get them have better abilities to choose from, and even when they’re likely to turn up, Decidueye would often prefer Spirit Shackle to Leaf Blade anyway. I think Long Reach would probably give Decidueye an extra edge against… Wigglytuff, Electrode, Parasect, Bewear, Stunfisk, and (lord help us) Delcatty. Being able to one-shot Bewear with Brave Bird after a Swords Dance is not nothing, but I suspect the more general Grass-type damage bonus from Overgrow would probably still be more useful, even once Long Reach becomes available.
So, all in all, this is a decent start to generation VII. Rowlet, Dartrix and Decidueye are nothing amazing; they have a couple of conflicting ideas in their design, and other than Spirit Shackle there’s not a whole lot to be impressed by in their skillset. They’re still interesting, though; as fighters they are at the very least passable, with an interesting niche courtesy of that neat little signature move, and I cannot stress enough that pinning a foe in place by the shadow is a very cool gimmick. I got my cool new Grass-type starter, all is right with the world, and I can now review the rest of the seventh generation joyfully and optimistically, without a hint of malice or discontent in my heart.
…well, I mean, I can try, anyway.
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