#thoughts up to hoenn for now.

[efverse]

Concepts for evil team efverse substitutes...

a lot of this stuff is more spaced out throughout history than it is in the actual mainline games btw👍

Kanto-hoenn:

Kanto:

Team "rocket" itself was at the height of its success when eon and ditto were around ten and the team had a successful year or so from then where they could pretty much do whatever.... especially after they got a leash on Mewtwos power...

I kind of like the idea of replacing Giovannis role w a porygon2 that would evolve into a porygon z during like. a dramatic moment....

Johto:

Unbeknownst to the general public team "rocket" also had underground happenings in Johto as well, that were being run by 3 of their four admins while the fourth was in Kanto aiding porygon

When team rocket had finally been disbanded in Kanto shortly after losing Mewtwo their underground operations in Johto continued...

Until eventually that had been stopped too.

Hoenn:

About fifty years ago, when sableyes story happened btw, is when the team aqua/ magma thing went down in hoenn.

I think it was probably around the time of various crises that made a lot of water types form team aqua and that team magma was started as well

i havent played emerald in awhile but i think that the events played out w a bit more similarity to that situation than r/s?(ie both teams active not just one main one)

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

routine vibe check: what’s the best starter pokemon and why are you right (pictures and long paragraphs of evidence welcomed and appreciated)

Gonna get a good grade in vibe check, normal to want and inevitable to achieve because I have objectively correct Pokemon opinions and will block naysayers

OKAY LET'S GO

I decided to do, like, a top 5 list or something, because I'm bad at picking a single favourite of stuff. And then even that overwhelmed me, so I found one of those tier ranking list sites and produced this:

It was done in less than a minute, so if I wanted to get really picky, I don't know if I would be fully wedded to it (not sure if maybe Sceptile should be one higher) BUT it did help to highlight the important ones.

So!

5. Bulbasaur

It's. Just. So. Nice.

Like you can find cooler, more beautiful, cuter, fancier... there's a whole bunch of ways for a Pokemon to be great. But you will never ever find a nicer Pokemon than Bulbasaur. It's so lovely. Look at it. Look at its face.

I can't put it higher, because the rest of the line is fairly bland in terms of development. It's good and logical and fun, don't get me wrong, but Ivysaur and Venusaur just look like bigger versions with More Flower and Less Cute rather than creatures in their own right. To be honest, if it weren't a starter requiring a three-stage evolution, you could do away with Ivysaur. Something I don't like about a lot of lazy three-step lines is that the middle step just looks like a transitional mid phase rather than a Proper Creacher, like they were artificially inflating the Pokemon number count. Meanwhile it took us until Paldea to get a Girafarig evo that would actually make the giraffe tall. Madness.

However my first ever Pokemon was a Bulbasaur I called Daffodil, and I have traded him forward onto every single successive generation since. He is, quite literally, my First Ever Pokemon. I love him desperately. I still have him. Not many people still have their First Ever Pokemon. But I do and I love him. So, Bulbasaur gets the fifth spot.

4. Snivy

Again, a victim of the Banal Transitional Middle Evo, but both Snivy and Serperior are incredible, and as Meatloaf took such pains to tell us, two out of three ain't bad.

But Snivy! It's so snooty! I was super lucky with mine, too, because I beat the 12.8% odds and got a female, and I loved her. Normally the initial baby starters are designed to be cute but Snivy has SO MUCH PERSONALITY, she's great. And the design of Serperior is utterly gorgeous. She keeps the expression, but rather than the Animal Crossing-style snooty-cute vibe of Snivy you get this thousand yard withering stare of an empress whose servant (you) has just turned up dripping mud in her throne room and asked her for money. Her green and gold colour scheme is exquisite. Her filigree design, including her high collar, give off the air of wealth and sophistication befitting her immaculate pedigree. And all this! In a simple snake. Incredible design work, 10 out of 10, no notes.

Begone, you miserable peasant. Have him boiled.

3. Torchic

Now I'll be real with you, lads, but Pokemon design hit its stride with Hoenn and then got better.

It's partly a fashion thing, of course - you look at some of the Kanto designs and they are remarkably 90s, because that's when the franchise launched. Others are clearly a product of what the 1990's were capable of producing in pixels on an already over-stretched cartridge medium. Like we like to clown on Red and Green/Blue now, but my god, those game designers performed a miracle with Pokemon. Every single square inch of space was used to make that game, and complex designs weren't going to cut it.

(With that said, there is still no excuse for Dragonite.)

And then Johto came about and its Pokedex sucks ass. It's mostly new evolutions for existing Kanto stars, useless babies to inflate the dex number, or poorly thought out single-evos like the inexplicably short Girafarig and the unacceptably dreary Dunsparce (our greatest thanks to Paldea for fixing both of those).

BUT THEN CAME HOENN (trumpets intensify)

And we get habitats! Biomes! A different regional climate, gifting us a brand new area of Pokecology! And therefore a brand new flush of creativity in Pokemon design across the board; less dated, and more inclined to be unique rather than a rehash of Kantonian stuff.

Which brings me nicely to this lad:

Now, I mean. Just look at him. Fucking hell. Cute starter stage, check. LOOK AT HIM FACE

AND THEN he became, at the time, a brand-new unique typing: Fire/Fighting. I realise that is now the norm for like, half of the Fire starters, but that's because of Torchic, actually. He was super popular. In fact if you ever play Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald and you do what my husband and I like to call a Mynci Dave run (use one Pokemon almost exclusively, meaning it gets all the experience points and therefore over-levels to a terrifying degree, allowing you to sweep the game; so named after the noble Primeape we first did this with, Mynci Dave), Torchic is the PERFECT Pokemon to choose, because almost everything is weak to either Fire or Fighting in that region.

Anyway, Combusken is, again, kind of mid (although props for the inverted colour scheme and the fact that it actually does look like a teenager.) But Blaziken, on the other hand... Blaziken is a six foot ninja chicken with wings for hair whose Pokedex entry describes it as able to leap tall peaks in a single bound, a feat it achieves after strengthening its legs by hoofing Geodudes down mountains like they're fucking footballs

Also an impressive bulge.

My first was called Gilgamesh, and he was fucking great. For a long time, this mad lad was my actual favourite Pokemon, not just starter. Brilliant. Love him. Five stars out of three. King.

2. Fuecoco

It would probably surprise you to know I've not actually used one. I chose Sprigatito, and I do really like Meowscarada, actually. But pretty anthro cat boys have been done in Pokemon quite a bit at this point; cats, dogs and rabbits are over-represented in terms of Poke-taxa. Possibly this is another reason for a toad, a snake and a chicken being 5, 4 and 3 so far (ooh, basilisk ingredients, I've just realised.) They're new and unusual! I like an Eeveelution as much as the next person, but they're a whole family of cat-dog-rabbits, like.

However.

Nintendo has tried its hand at Pokecrocodilians three times (Feraligatr, Krookodile, Skeledirge), and they have gotten so much better at design each time that the three of them are basically a scale proxy for ongoing design improvement. Look, I've made a diagram:

EXCEPT

(Strap in)

This one is that rare thing: a three step line that deserves to be a three step line. Let's talk Fuecoco first:

SO CUTE. It's charming, it's charismatic, it's adorable.

It also has hints of its evolutionary end goal, but not like an undeveloped middle evo. It likes singing. The white face hints at the eventual calavera, and it looks a bit like a lil chilli pepper - a ghost pepper, probably in reference to the eventual Fire/Ghost typing. But the colours and shape right now also look a bit reminiscent of a babygro, because this thing is a cute starter. Lookit them teefs. That tuft. Its lovely smile. Beautiful.

And then, at the point you expect it to turn into just the awkward teenage version of the adult, instead we get Crocator:

Oh boy. Oh there's so much to say. Okay okay:

The region it's from is based on Spain, but this thing is incorporating Hispanic elements from across the board. It's a mariachi in a sombrero, except the sombrero also looks kind of like a ring of Mexican marigolds and kind of like a Catalonian Easter cake called Mona de Pascua that has an egg (or egg-shaped confectionary) in the middle. Body shape and markings look kind of like a piñata. The white face is now on its way to a calavera, with the cheek and nostril markings more defined. And it sings, with its open mouth (also how crocodiles release heat, appropriate for a Fire type) and signified by the mariachi theme.

THAT IS A LOT.

And then it becomes Skeledirge. A Fire/Ghost crocodile.

Now the obvious design here is the calavera and the  Día de Muertos theming, which is part of it. But there are also many examples of crocodile figures in Spanish folkloric ghost stories: the Catalonian Cocollona, the Lizard of Magdalena from Jaén, or the Drac de Na Coca, or even the Cuca - that one is Portuguese, but turns up in both Brasil and the Iberian Peninsula including in parts of Spain. It's got a Gaudi vibe (like Barcelona). It's got an alebrije vibe (like Mexico).

And the bird! Nile crocs have a cleaning symbiosis with Egyptian plovers; it also sits at the tip of the snout where male gharials have a sort of bulbous bit to help them make sounds (the singing thing).

But this is what the bird does when Skeledirge uses Torch Song:

It becomes a microphone, then grows in size and attacks the opponent in Phoenix form. Phoenix: Fire/Ghost. Resurrected from the ashes.

Quite simply, your fave could never.

5. Rowlet

My god. (My god)

gasp

Look at this lovely creacher. He is so round and so soft and so lovely. He looks like that baby Yoda meme. He looks like that cat that someone's landlord said they would make an exception for because he looks very polite. Look!!! At his lil bow tie!!! He is a smartly dressed young man and he is kind and he is... well, a bit vacant behind the eyes. A himbo, if you will. But he is all the better for that. What a lovely owl.

He looks a little like a barn owl, perhaps, and those were imported to Hawai'i, where Rowlet is from. But I think he looks a little like a Pueo owl, and given that he will eventually be a Ghost type, that seems right - pueos are one of the physical forms assumed by ʻaumākua in Hawai'ian culture, as I understand it.

And then, hang onto your tits, lads, because this is another banger - THE MIDDLE EVOLUTION IS ITS OWN DESIGN!!! (confetti cannons)

I said earlier that boring middle evos are like just awkward teenagers of the adults. Here, I present to you, a very deliberate Awkward Teenager, in Dartrix:

IT'S A DANDY

I love him I love him I love him

He plays with his fringe and if you touch it without permission he has a tantrum. God, he's so charismatic. Also, that fringe further suggests the pueo - they have pronounced outer rims around their facial disks like that. Look at his bow tie and tail coat. So smart and handsome

This one is so good that it could be the final evo. This is actually my issue with the Delphox line - Braixen is amazing, and then it becomes the bland boredom of Delphox. Braixen should have been the final stop. Here, Dartrix is much the same - good enough to be a high-quality end goal.

Where they differ is that Decidueye is better again.

IT SHOOTS ARROWS MADE OF ITS OWN QUILLS

Also, fun fact - This line is the only starter to change secondary typing. Dartrix is part Flying; but on evolving a second time into Decidueye, it switches to Grass/Ghost. In this evolution, it's definitely mostly a pueo, so the ʻaumākua reference is IN, but actually barn owls also have their associations with the dead in various cultures.

The crown of feathers around its head are also reminiscent of an ayaigasa - a hat worn by Japanese samurai archers. And yet! AND YET!

It still has its lil bow tie look. Bigger now, more of a cravat; but there it is.

A perfect Pokemon, and a perfect evolutionary line. No notes.

Anyway, thank you for this chance to waste three and a half hours writing this essay

[loupy-mongoose]

Last night, despite getting done with a week-long subbing stint at work and finally arriving at that sweet SWEET weekend... I lost my drawing drive. X3

So, I decided to play some Pokemon.

And I went on a Lati spree.

I brought up that Jamie knows a Latias and Latios on her blog. I've had the LatiAs in question for a few years now, but as far as the LatiOs... I had nothing to work with. XD

So, I started an Omega Ruby (accidentally started Alpha Sapphire first, thankfully realized my mistake early on) and binge played to the point that I could get the boi~

And now that I have him... I thought I'd dive into their characters and some small Lati lore!

And my current idea for how I'd draw them~

Playingaroundwiththeirnameshehe~

Mention of death and injury ahead, but nothing graphic.

Areth and Thusa are siblings--Older sister and younger brother. I'm leaning toward having Latis be laid in twin pairs. However, due to unfortunate circumstances, these two both lost their respective twins, and they come from separate clutches.

Their parents were also lost when Thusa was young, so Areth took up the role of raising her little brother.

One day, Areth was attacked and badly wounded by Sharpedos, so her devoted little brother went to find help. That help was in the form of Jamie's eventual sister-in-law, Rose, who was in the midst of her own trainer journey through Hoenn. Rose took Areth to the Pokemon Center and provided comfort for Thusa as she recovered. Although wary of her, Areth came to trust the human and became a loyal member of her team. Thusa himself never battled, but tagged along and had a jolly old time~

In Scarlet, Areth is a good sight larger than normal, while Thusa is a little bit smaller. I was kinda hoping he'd be smaller than that, but I adore the dynamic I have going with these two! ^w^

[artistcarcass]

Legends Z-A was announced less than an hour ago and I’m still buzzing. My biggest question right now is the STARTERS.

Given that Legends Arceus had starters plucked from other regions, I feel the new game will do the same. The Kalos Starters will not be the starters of Legends Z-A if they’re following format. And I feel it’s safe to assume they won’t double up on regions cutting out Johto, Unova, and Alola.

One factor I’m leaning on heavily is that Mega Pokémon are implied to be returning. Which begs the question: Will the starters of Legends Z-A have regional variant forms, or mega forms?

If we’re getting starters that get megas, I can only assume we’ll be getting a Kanto and Hoenn starter, and one other random starter that will be getting a mega. Personally I feel it’s too soon for them to put a Paldean starter into a new game. Galar is a maybe, but all of their starters have G-Max forms (not that that matters, all the Kanto Starters have Megas and G-Max forms..). Leaving Sinnoh.

But this is all speculation and I could be entirely wrong. Starters may just be Pokémon that fit thematically with Kalos, so starters with origins that work could also fit right in.

This is all fun early announcement speculation. And I look forward to seeing where these games go! I’d love to hear other peoples takes and thoughts too! :)

[rainbowsylvie]

There are probably Pokémon adapted to environments so hyperspecific that even if people did find them they’d never be able to actually have them due to not being able to survive outside it, just like some life in the real world

It would be nice to see them in spin-off games though, like a new game that’s something like Pokémon snap and legends arceus where you’re sent to document Pokémon such as these, maybe you’re given a Pokémon that can withstand such environment but don’t necessarily need them to surviveoh fuck tardigrade Pokémon this is how they can introduce tardigrade Pokémon this is how tardigrade Pokémon can STILL WIN!

Anyway. Areas like this can include obvious places like the deep sea or high up in the mountains where oxygen is thin, as well as places with high radiation or high up in the atmosphere where rayquaza lives(could be a late or endgame area because of that), hot springs and places on the extreme ends of the ph scale may be difficult to document but they may be worth it

Pokémon could include pallas cats(could be a variant or a new Pokémon), blobfish(do NOT remove them you know damn well what happens), yeti crabs(perhaps a deep sea crabominable variant), that snail with the iron shell, brittle stars and perhaps some Pokémon based on lesser known eukaryotes, such as halophilic fungi, and even Pokémon that live in places real life creatures have no chance in. This is a fantasy world, do whatever.

Now the creatures that live in these areas are usually, well, Fucking Tiny, but if a tick can be 4 inches, I think they can make microscopic creatures be inch big Pokémon. This can also be where the camera comes in, it will have a big zoom function so you can get up really close to the little guys without having to act get near them. The aforementioned tardigrade Pokémon could help you interact with the environment if you’re unable to for whatever reason, such as a hot spring or a place too radioactive for most life or you’re in a small submersible in the ocean or That Is Actual Fucking Lava. You could also be supplied with a ditto to help you with further documentation, since while you can’t use the actual Pokémon, a ditto can help fill in the gaps pretty well if they’re just as able to withstand the environment as well as the Pokémon they’re copying.

The game won’t be focused in one specific region, but various areas around the world, both preexisting and new regions. I have a thought for a tiny, undiscovered Pokémon near the hot springs in hoenn, or something that only lives within stark mountain in the battle zone near sinnoh, perhaps even a Pokémon that somehow migrated there from firespit island from the hisui days, and you can’t tell me paldea’s area zero Doesn’t have some hyperadapted Pokémon in there, maybe in the water at the bottom, though I don’t think you’d be allowed there for a While(lategame area probably). Pokémon world Antarctica, Iceland, and Yellowstone are not safe from documentation. When exploring regions, only small parts will be available to you, such as the locations previously mentioned.

Now a lot of people probably wouldn’t like a game with almost entirely new Pokémon look at black and white’s initial reception and variants, almost none of which that you can even use not counting ditto copies, but since this would be a spinoff mostly used to help with world building, I’d say those people can Suck It Up and let us have our fun, pokemon doesn’t have to cater to you specifically all the time, you may like the battles, but some of us enjoy worldbuilding and speculative biology.

I don’t have any concept art at the moment as I started writing this down shortly before dinner, but I’ll reblog this post with some once I have enough.

[seecarrun]

Pokeshipping Week 2024

Prompt 7: Celebrating

Ash was avoiding her.

He had been the one to invite her. Hell, he had paid for her plane ticket! And yet here Misty was, all dressed up, sitting by her lonesome, no Ash or Pikachu in sight.

Okay, maybe she wasn’t alone, alone. Ash’s old local friends from the Pokemon School were all there as well, milling around, dancing, snacking on hors d'oeuvres and sipping on champagne. Lana had insisted she join them at their table, and she had even danced with Kiawe and Mallow for a while after dinner.

The professors and Lei were also there, it had been Lei’s first Manalo Conference appearance, and even though he lost in the first round of the single battles, his parents were so proud, they had been showing him off to everyone all night, much to the kid’s embarrassment.

But yet no Champion in sight.

She knew he was there. She’d seen him bee-bopping around the banquet hall throughout the night, just not anywhere near her, apparently.

She didn’t think he was upset at her or anything. He’d grinned and waved at her after his battle with Hau, who had won the League this year. Their battle had been close, but Ash managed to win it and keep his title for the tenth year in a row. A decade of being the Alola Champion. The whole reason this party was happening at all.

He had been rushed off to talk with the press, so she went back to her hotel to get ready, naively assuming Ash had any interest in spending some time with her during the celebration after insisting she be there.

She was just polishing off her third flute of champagne when a yellow flash out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She perked up for a moment and scanned the room to try to catch it again, when a soft, familiar whisper filled her ear.

“Meet me outside in five?” Ash asked, sending an embarrassing little shiver up her spine, but by the time she spun around to face him, he had made his way back into the crowd.

~*~

Ash’s back was to her as he casually leaned against the balcony railing, backdropped by the twinkling, tropical, Alola night sky, Pikachu mysteriously missing. Someone had apparently convinced him to put on some nice clothes and forced a comb through his messy hair earlier in the evening, but he had managed to scruff himself back up since then, probably doing something stupid and noble and Ash-like.

He was beautiful.

“I’m not avoiding you,” he told her without turning around.

Misty raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Could’ve fooled me.”

He turned around finally at that and gave her a crooked little smile. “I’m glad you’re here, Mist.”

Her heart did that stupid thing it always did when he called her that damn nickname, but she joined him at the railing and looked out into the ocean. “You gave me no choice, Ash,” she reminded him. He chuckled at that, but it sounded hollow. “You okay?” she asked. He shrugged.

“Yeah. I mean, I think so. It’s just been a weird day.” He sighed. “I thought this was going to be it,” he admitted, quietly.

Misty blinked in surprise. “It? What do you mean? Like, your last year as Champion?”

Ash nodded, a wry smile on his lips. “Hau did amazing, but Gladion almost had me last year. If he wasn’t challenging the Hoenn League right now, I think he would have taken me out once and for all.”

She studied his profile, looking for a sign in his expression to figure out how he felt about that, but he was intentionally, very carefully neutral.

At her silence, he sighed heavily again. “I love Alola. You know I do. This place is my home away from home. But it’s, you know, still not home like Kanto is home.” He paused for a moment, and ran his hand through his hair before turning to face her again and smirking. “I know Lance is planning to separate the Kanto and Johto Leagues, finally. There will be a whole new batch of Elite 4 positions opening up, and from what I’ve heard, you’re on the short list for one of them.”

“How did you hear about that?” Misty balked. “Lance said that information hasn’t left the Indigo League yet!”

“I have my ways,” Ash said with a grin, and Misty rolled her eyes. Lance was such a blabbermouth. “Lance is going to stick with Johto. You’ll need a new Kanto Champion, too.”

Misty perked up at that, realizing what Ash was getting at with a traitorous little flicker of hope in her stomach. “You want to compete to be the Kanto Champion?”

Ash shrugged a little shyly. “I mean, that had kinda been the idea. I’m not sure I have it in me to be Champion of both Kanto and Alola though. I’m not as young as I used to be.”

“Ash, you’re twenty-two,” Misty reminded him with a snort.

“Exactly! ” he laughed, but his expression quickly turned just a bit somber. “I guess I was just ready to, you know, have an excuse to spend more time at home… Around my favorite people.”

It was hard to tell in the dark, but she was pretty sure he was blushing. She tried not to think too much about that. “Favorite people, huh?” she prompted, bumping into his shoulder.

He smirked. “Yeah. My mom, Brock Tracy… Gary.” He drawled, and she bit back her smile to glare at him, unimpressed, until he finally cracked with a long, loud laugh. “And you, of course!”

“That’s what I thought,” she said haughtily, and after a beat, they both broke into giddy laughter. Once they finally settled down, Misty sighed, and summoning up her courage, she leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder, feeling him tense up at the motion. She forced herself not to think too much about that, either. “It’ll take Lance a while to get everything sorted out, you know. It might not be until next year.”

She felt him hum in acknowledgment more than she heard it, her heart speeding up as she felt his arm drape around her shoulders, and his head gently falling into a rest against her’s.

“Yeah,” he agreed, his voice just barely above a whisper. “I’ve already waited this long. What’s one more year?”

[ede917]

Well, I did it for the women, might as well do a list for the guys too. Here's the hottest guys in every Pokémon region (according to a straight cishet male).

Kanto - Koga

I feel like this doesn't need a lot of explanation; he's cool, competent, and a literal daddy. What more could you want?

Johto - Falkner

Look, blue is my favorite color okay? I know color pallet is a shallow reason but there wasn't exactly stiff competition for this region.

Hoenn - Of Course It's Fucking Steven

Who did you think I was going to put here, fucking Wallace? I don't think so!

Sinnoh - Looker

Cop in a trench coat apparently does it for me. Honestly I'm as surprised as you are.

Unova - Colress

Forget N and his bag of issues, give me hot scientist who turns on his boss just to be petty and then walks away like a badass. Kudos to you good sir!

Kalos - Sycamore

This was honestly a hard decision . . . Until I remembered regional professors are free game for this list. That or I just have a thing for coats. Either or.

Alola - Guzma

Obvious pick is obvious but there's a reason he's the obvious pick damn it! Also has he always had those tattoos on his arms? I never noticed until now.

Galar - Avery

This might be cheating a bit considering I thought Avery was a cute girl when I saw him the first time. Oh well, it's my list I do what I want.

Hisui - Adaman

Is anyone surprised by this considering why I picked Falkner? I mean, blue color pallet and a coat? Fucking propose to me now damn it!

Paldea - Larry

Don't lie, he's your pick too. I just want to bundle this man in a soft blanket, give him some cocoa, sit him down in a comfy recliner and then stick him in front of a box fan because fuck fireplaces. Feeling the cool breeze of a fan while bundled up is the shit.

[fallershipping]

Do you think there's any significance to Looker having an Audinite that he gives the player in ORAS?

I've thought about it and thought about it and thought about it, but for now, it seems to have no significance to Looker for him to give up the Audinite so easily...

And yet, it was the only thing he had on him.

ORAS is actually where I placed Looker's origins, so in my timeline, he's much younger and is very recently a Faller. (A swimmer at the resort states that he heard something big fall into the water earlier, but there was no land or boat around. It's highly implied this is Looker coming out of a wormhole.)

But it means he came out of a universe where Mega evolution does exist... Otherwise how would he have an Audinite?

But why only an Audinite? Why doesn't he have a Mega Stone to pair with it? And why give it up so easily? So unfortunately, I only have questions in regards to this as the ORAS event has not been brought up ever since then. (It was definitely foreshadowing Anabel in the next game. Really? He falls into the place a Battle Frontier is being built in Hoenn?? Is this just a dev hint or an actual story?)

... Honestly I'd love for him to have a Mega Audino it's a super cute thought, but you know Masters would never. The cowards.

[coiledqueen]

anabel.

"...How long d'you think you can do this Frontier stuff?" Lucy asks, rare wistfulness seeping into her tone as she turns towards her lilac-haired confidant with a curious half-smile. Anabel returns the question with a thoughtful hum, her fingers drumming over the polished oak of the casino bar.

(It's rare for the dutiful Salon Maiden to be out so late, but sometimes--with just enough wheedling--Lucy can convince Anabel to come out for drinks, and the deep, late-night conversations that often accompanied them.)

"...Personally, I could keep this up for a while," Lucy answers herself after a beat of silence, a mischievous grin on her lips as she leans towards her friend for a teasing peck on the cheek. "So quiet. You're not thinking of leaving me, are you...?"

"'Course not. You stop that--" comes Anabel's quick answer, the pragmatic Brain deftly dodging Lucy's kiss with ease before sighing into her drink. "I just...it doesn't hurt to think ahead, you know? We can't keep doing this forever, and when it's done--I think I want to help people. Somehow. Haven't given it much thought, because someone keeps trying to invite me out for parties..."

Lucy laughs at that, and the sound echoes around the bar. "Guilty..." she says with a coy smirk, raising her hands and backing away slightly. "...You're right. Yeah, doesn't hurt to think ahead--but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the time we have now, right?"

There's another pause, Anabel smiles, and--before Lucy can register a reaction--she leans over to steal her own quick kiss. Damn. The Pike Queen's been bested again...

"No...I suppose it doesn't," the Salon Maiden murmurs as the tension simmers pleasantly, her hair lazily spilling over Lucy's shoulder. "One more drink, and then you want to get out of here? We could always call Noland to come pick us up..."

It was the last night they'd share together before Anabel's disappearance.

The master of Hoenn's Battle Tower disappeared under fantastical circumstances, only to reappear a world away with no memories of her past life. No memories of Lucy, no memories of the Frontier, no anything...and as a member of the International Police, perhaps--in a bizarre, cruel way--Anabel had achieved her wistful goal of helping more people. The world continued to turn.

But, for the members of Hoenn's Frontier, the family that still clung to their Salon Maiden, Anabel's amnesia-induced fate was torture. Upon racing to reunite with her after that reappearance in Alola, all of them were met with a well-meaning (but quizzically blank) look. They were all too late, or was this a doomed outcome from the start?

The Anabel they knew was no more, and nobody outside their circle seemed to care. After sleepless nights spent tossing and turning and screaming into her pillow, Lucy resolved to lock away those memories--that bitterness--deep with the recesses of her freshly-hardened heart. And as the Brains continued to mourn in silence, continued to get stonewalled by Anabel's 'rescuers,' the animosity she felt towards law enforcement only grew within her soul.

---

Tonight, she's at the casino bar again--its lonely reigning Queen. It's been years (no, eternities) since that fateful evening. Lucy takes up her usual perch at the end of the bar, and two shots are wordlessly slid her way. This somber occasion is already known.

Anabel's voice echoes in her head. Damn her, over there in Alola without a thought of the lives she's left behind, while Lucy's forced to cling to this solemn little ritual.

We can't keep doing this forever...

With a sniff, Lucy downs her shot with a practiced wince. And then, as always, she raises Anabel's shot skyward--a toast to a memory--before downing that, too.

I miss you. So much.

[cherry-flavoured-thot]

Hey I have a request for Cynthia! Imagine this: Being a top coordinator and going on holiday to the same place as Cynthia and whilst there your Pokémon gets lost (Choose whichever Pokémon you want, who’s ur fav??) and she finds and returns them to you leading to a nice convo or meal with her….

do what you like with this idea

~🦁

It's not unusual for your Marill to go wondering. She's food orientated and will run when she gets the slightest whiff of food. But at least when you're at home you know where to look, the only knowledge you have about Sinnoh is from pamphlets you read on the plane here.

"Excuse me have you seen a Marill anywhere, specifically one that has a heart shaped pattern on its stomach." You've asked about ten people the same question, all of which have shaken their heads. You're about to start considering putting up posters, when you walk past a café, halting upon hearing a familiar cry.

"Well aren't you a hungry one?" You can't say your surprised to see Marill inside, eating food with one of the guests at the table. But you are surprised to see the Champion Cynthia cooing at your Pokémon, unbothered by how much its eating.

"Marill I was so worried about you, and this whole time you were off getting a free meal, do you even know who you're sitting across from?" Marill does not know. Nor care. She folds her ears back to pretend to be guilty, but she swipes another bite of food regardless. "I'm really sorry Miss Cynthia! Please know I'll pay for any of the food she ate, in fact I'll even pay for your food as thanks finding her."

"They won't be necessary, in fact why don't you have a seat. And please, just Cynthia is fine." You can't help but find yourself taking a seat. Not wanting to pass up this opportunity.

"Right thank you!" You're not going to lie, sitting across from Cynthia, was slightly intimidating, to the point where you found yourself rambling. "I'm sorry if Marill caused you any trouble, she loves food," you laugh nervously, "maybe a little too much." Cynthia laughs.

"No it's quite alright. She only started to eat so much, after you walked through the door." She pauses, looking towards Marill. "She seemed quite distraught without you."

"Yeah, well I'd be pretty lost without her. We've been doing contests together for so long now, I don't think I could find a main act like her." The woman across from you seems to perk up at the mention of contests.

"So you're a coordinator then?"

"Yes! We're from Hoenn, but I thought it might be nice to change the scenery for a while."

"And will you be participating in any contests while here?"

"I was actually trying to scope out some of the competition before Marill ran off." You'd seen some rather in tune acts before your partner decided to wander off.

"I think you should. I'd personally be eager to see you both perform."

"Then we'd better make sure we're in top condition, if the Cynthia is going to see us perform." She chuckles with a smile that makes your heart race.

"You're cute." Now your heart is pounding. "But I think that settles it then, I look forward to seeing you perform." You glance at Marill, who is still happily snacking on food and wonder if she even has any idea what she's done.

No. No she does not. But she'll realise somethings up when you begin training drills for your next performace, on the off chance Cynthia shows up.

[tommycorriander]

Larry x Kabu (AoKabu, Blueturnipshipping) headcanons/rambles who cheered!!

- the name 'blueturnipshipping' is being coined by me!!! If there is another wildly used name I would like to know, but my reason for choosing that ship name is because when combined, Ao and Kabu translates to 'blue turnip' (at least, when using machine translation. If it translates differently I would like to know!!!!)

- Kabu, especially in his youth, was seen as quite attractive due to his physical fitness and general attitude on the battlefield. Paired with being a celebrity he was likely sought after frequently. He mentions it very rarely in passing but isn't something he likes to bring up, both from general politeness/being humble and also because a good chunk of those pursuing him were parasocial due to his status. It happens a lot less now due to his age, since he doesn't use social media he doesn't see how there are some people online who make negative comments about him being past his prime. Even so he still has that latent feeling of having peaked, stemming from his previous stumbling in his career as a gym leader.

- Larry probably hasn't experienced being desired in the same capacity as Kabu. Being a gym leader and elite four member doesn't get you much prestige in Paldea due to having less money within the League and a lack of celebrity culture in Paldea for the league. The only exceptions to this are people who are famous for things outside of their position as a gym leader, like Iono with her streaming career. As this is something Larry doesn't have, he isn't on nearly as wide a stage. He's also not particularly 'handsome' in the sense that he isn't well built or looks like a model, so while he has had experience dating and being sought after it's generally not very common and definitely became rarer as he got older. Thats partially because of him being extremely busy as well, not just from his age/looks.

- Kabu is extremely outwardly passionate about battling, something that Larry admires and partially envies. Larry also has a passion for it- he wouldn't be a double member of the League otherwise- but due to working two positions and having an office job he's worn thin and has lost that 'spark' that made him really enjoy battling in the first place. Kabu reignites that in him.

- Kabu greatly appreciates Larry's ability to ignore how others think about him. Kabu isn't self conscious per se, but you do end up taking on some level of concern about your appearance/attitude/actions/etc when you're a celebrity and scrutinized 24/7.

- Kabu is canonically from Hoenn and I headcanon Larry as being from Johto due to his Dudunsparce + how heavily based on the Japanese salaryman stereotype he is. Because of this they both bond over a shared appreciation for the similarities in their cuisine (I headcanon that hoenn has a heavier focus on seafood due to having a lot of ocean nearby, and the Kanto/Johto areas are more agriculture focused. However they are both based on Japan so there is overlap)

- Kabu is more prone to grand gestures of love. Think impressive dinners, big bouquets, if he's making you a meal it's going to be a full course meal. That sort of thing. His 'always do your best' attitude carries over into his love life, though he does try to tone it down as Larry can sometimes be overwhelmed by it.

- Larry, conversely, shows his love in smaller ways. He sees something at the store while buying groceries he thinks Kabu would like and gets it, and doesn't really say much about it. Sending texts on his break that are just simple reminders that he loves Kabu. They balance each other out.

- both of them are a little surprised to learn they like each other back. Larry because he views Kabu as completely out of his league, and Kabu because he would have thought his more fiery personality wouldn't have meshed very well with Larry's more muted one. Kabu has had experience in the past with having lovers originally fully enjoy how passionate it is before they got tired of it and found it overbearing; Larry is just always a bit surprised people actually like him outside of him being a generally fine coworker since he's constantly hearing from others that he's boring and not very fun.

N e wayz. I like sharing and I like answering questions!!! So if anyone sees this and is curious about other headcanons of mine for these two (even just individually, not just as a pair) then send me asks!!!! I don't bite :)

[ifbench]

Pokemon Emerald Retrospective, from the perspective of a first-time mainline Pokemon player

To preface this, before playing Emerald, I had very, very scarcely played mainline Pokemon. I played about 40 minutes of Soulsilver back in 2013, and played Legends Arceus and Violet to the credits in 2022, but not much else.

My passion lies with Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. I played Rescue Team DX, Explorers of Sky, Gates to Infinity, and Super all in a row back in late 2020, and I've been obsessed with them ever since. You can find my retrospectives on those if you look back on my blog.

So why play mainline?

To put it simply, some of my friends were doing it, and I wanted to do it.

A friend of mine boldly proclaimed that they would play every single mainline Pokemon game without reusing any Pokemon species. I decided to challenge myself to do a less strenuous challenge: play one mainline game for every mainline Pokemon region, but I can't use a guide. If I get stuck, I have to ask my friends for advice.

And so, I started Emerald. Why start with Emerald and not Firered? I don't quite remember. But it's where I started.

My first impressions were...rough.

It was slow, clunky, and a lot of stuff I was accustomed to through PMD, Legends Arceus, and Violet, simply weren't there.

Then I got the running shoes, and stuff began to pick up.

I picked Treecko, and named him Apoyime after my PMD Explorers protagonist. With his help, I was able to defeat Roxanne in one fell swoop, thanks to rock's grass weakness.

I caught two more Pokemon on the way there, a Zigzagoon I named Mavy, after the character from Quenched Torch, written by my best friend Sudmensch, and a Tailow I named Tilio.

With them, I made it through Granite Cave, and managed to do it without Flash! I also caught an Aron and named her Serald.

Brawly was more difficult than Roxanne, but thanks to Tilio, I managed to defeat him too.

Then there was Wattson.

Wattson was brutally difficult. I could often get to his Magneton, but every time I did, my team got curbstomped.

It was here that I started seeing the cracks in Emerald again.

You see, Emerald's EXP Share is extremely easy to miss, and doesn't apply EXP to the whole party. Instead, it just splits it between the Pokemon that participated...and one, single other Pokemon, that has to have the EXP Share as a held item.

I really, really hate grinding in games.

So, I visited the Game Corner, and tried to gamble my way to a Flamethrower TM for Mavy.

Even with using savestates for this specific occasion, though, it was a bust. The roulette tables were far too slow, and the slot machines were rigged.

So, I sighed, and decided to ride back and forth on my bike in front of the daycare in order to make number go up.

After hours of this, I managed to get my team up to a large enough level that I could finally, finally beat Wattson.

I decided to take a break for a few months after that ordeal, and resumed my playthrough in January.

And then, there were the HMs.

Before this, I didn't understand why everyone hates HMs so much. Now, I very much do understand why.

HMs force you to reserve either a party member slot for a Pokemon exclusively dedicated to HMs, or to use up move slots on your Pokemon on these moves that are often completely useless in battle.

I sighed, caught a Poochyena for Rock Smash, and named her Hiova.

I pressed onwards, fighting Team Magma atop Mount Chimney, then fighting Flannery in Lavaridge.

Flannery was also very difficult. I had to grind a bit more in order to defeat her, and at this point my patience was wearing thin. I was considering abandoning the marathon at this point.

Not helping this was the fact that the game was very unclear about where to go next. I thought I had to travel through the Route 111, but it was a dead end with nothing but the Mirage Tower.

I did catch a Trapinch here, though, and named her Raga after the Flygon from Tetra's fic Home is Where the Hoenn Is.

Eventually, a friend informed me that I should head back to Petalburg to face Norman, but that he'd be the biggest difficulty spike yet.

And so, I gave up. I turned on a cheat that gave me infinite rare candies, and leveled up my Pokemon that were lagging behind Apoyime.

And so, I took on Norman. It took two tries, but I managed to win!

I had already taught Strength and Shock Wave to Mavy, and decided to teach him Surf as well, making him the jack of all trades of my team.

Thinking it was the next objective, I explored the Abandoned Ship. It was fun, but I got little out of it.

I then saw Wattson wandering around in Mauville, and decided to talk to him, which granted me access to New Mauville.

Gotta say, it's a lot different in the game than it was in the Adventures manga, but it was still cool and fun, and the music gave me lots of inspiration.

Next up, I made my way to Fortree, and was stumped by the invisible blockade in front of the gym until a friend told me to go further, into Route 120.

After giggling a bit and making a bunch of PMD references from the invisible blockades being Kecleons, with the Devon Scope in hand, I returned to Fortree and took down Winona.

Next was Route 120 proper, which was a surreal experience. I had researched it a bit for my fic In Tandem, but playing through it was something else entirely. It was like childhood wonder.

Mount Pyre was really neat. Same music as New Mauville on the inside, which paired with the graves created a very eerie atmosphere.

But outside, there was a fast-paced track that got me feeling ready to take on both Team Aqua and Team Magma.

Then I made my way to Lilycove, where I decided to try a contest with Apoyime.

I failed miserably, getting last place.

And then Emerald stumped me with the most baffling detour yet.

The Aqua hideout was blocked, the ocean routes were blocked, it seemed like I had nowhere to go.

I wandered around for quite a while, until a friend told me that I had to go back to Mount Chimney of all places, and examine a random rock, now that I had the Magma emblem.

This was probably the point where I was angriest with Emerald. More than Wattson's difficulty spike. More than HMs. More than the lackluster EXP Share. More than having to grind.

But I took a deep breath, and pressed onwards.

The Magma Hideout was nothing special, but it got the plotline rolling! Seeing Groudon become active was so cool to see.

And from there, it was a straightforward trip back to Lilycove to infiltrate the Team Aqua hideout.

The Aqua hideout was some of the most fun I had in the game so far. The maze of warp tiles, combined with the great music, and even being able to find a master ball tucked away past a tricky set of warp panels, it all came together to form something very fun!

Then it was a simple surf to Mossdeep, and I battled the Magma grunts there.

After the battle alongside Steven, though, tragedy struck: Hiova turned into a Bad Egg, and I saved before I noticed.

I have no idea why this happened, but Hiova was gone.

After taking a moment of silence to both calm down and to grieve, I looked up what to do in the case of a bad egg.

I deposited the bad egg into the PC, turned off the infinite rare candy code, and went to Route 120 to fetch a new HM buddy, a Marill.

After that, I went back to Mossdeep, and defeated Tate and Liza.

Next up, I began searching for the Deepsea Cave. It was a difficult search, and I managed to find Sootopolis City first, but eventually, I made it inside, and faced off against the evil teams of Hoenn one last time.

With Groudon and Kyogre both awake and both fighting, and after consulting Wallace, I made my way to Sky Pillar.

And...Rayquaza flew out without me fighting it at all. I was honestly kinda disappointed.

After making my way back to Sootopolis, Rayquaza stopped Kyogre and Groudon's warring in a really cool cutscene, and the main plot of the game was over.

But mainline Pokemon is weird. Unlike PMD, the game doesn't end when the plot ends. Instead, there's still the gym, Elite Four, and champion to go.

And so, I battled Juan, and won.

Next up was Ever Grande City, which, side note, really didn't live up to expectations. I was expecting a city as grand as the name implied, but all it was was a Pokemon Center, Victory Road, and the Pokemon League.

Speaking of Victory Road, it was a nightmare to navigate, especially with no Flash and no guide. It took me quite a while to get through it, but eventually, I made it to the Pokemon League.

It felt so tense going inside. I was about to face a gauntlet of the five toughest trainers in the main game, with no Pokemon Centers in between. This was it, my sea of time in Hoenn.

Sidney was relatively easy, but that relatively is doing a lot of work. He still nearly took down Raga and Serald, but I managed.

Phoebe was tough. Her Banette's Curse took down Raga, and she left most of the rest of my team with low health, but I won. Using a revive on Raga, and restoring everyone's HP, I pressed on.

Glacia was easier, about the same level as Sidney, but still nearly took down Serald, and dealt a hefty blow to Mavy as well. But I won.

I just had two trainers left, and this would be my toughest challenge yet.

Drake was brutal, as much as Wattson was. But I had come a long way since then. I just barely scraped by, with Mavy and Apoyime being the only members of my team not fainted when I took him down.

And then, after healing up my team, it was time for my final challenge.

Wallace was very difficult. Almost all his Pokemon were of higher level than most of mine, with his Milotic matching Apoyime's level. And with the move Recover? That Milotic was very, very difficult to defeat.

But I pulled through. I won. I made it into the Hall of Fame.

I consider that one of my greatest accomplishments I've ever done in a video game, up there with beating Champion's Road from Super Mario 3D World solo.

It was tricky. It was brutal. But I did it.

Maybe I'm just bad at mainline Pokemon, but I'm proud.

Emerald, while not my favorite, was mostly a great experience to play through for the first time.

However, it had its flaws. HMs, lack of directions, and grinding made some parts of it a slog.

Overall, though, I enjoyed it, and it was a fantastic start to my mainline Pokemon marathon.

Hoenn is now one of my favorite Pokemon regions.

[bxtonpxss]

Nasty Plot || Headcanon || Thor's Sisters

Just some insight on Thor’s sisters and what they’re doing now. They are listed in order from oldest to youngest, excluding Thor obviously.

Nilla | Pikachu ♀

Status; Alive

Location; Sevii Islands, Four Island

She lives with the owners of the Daycare Center on Four Island, being something of a surrogate older sister to all the younger Pokemon they happen breed/adopt/acquire and has also given birth to several litters during her time there. Turns out, Glitch is actually one of the kits she birthed. Her life on the island is very peaceful.

Pepper | Pikachu ♀

Status; Alive

Location; Traveling around various regions.

Pepper is owned by Bonnie, a young trainer who lives for adventure and battles. How Pepper and Piper managed to stay with each other this long is anyone's guess but Pepper is content with traveling with her trainer. Pepper wants to help Bonnie achieve her goal of defeating all the Gyms in their home region Sinnoh and facing the Elite Four then moving on to other regions.

Blitz | Raichu ♀

Status; Deceased

Location; Decomposed somewhere near Blackthorn City

Blitz was owned by a terrible man who participated in illegal Pokémon death battles. Blitz was their prized fighter and made her claim to fame in the underground, due to her deadly quick kills and fast knockouts. Her evolution into Raichu was forced upon her for the sake of more power and speed. Blitz became much more ruthless and cold as her years spent fighting went on but she also grew tired of the constant fighting and death and wanted to get out. The only way out was death, so she blew her big match by taking a Poison Fang to the throat. Angered and distraught at his "loss", her owner leaves her on the side of the road for the scavengers to pick at her poisoned, bloody, and beaten corpse. Died with a smile on her face.

Piper | Pikachu ♀

Status; Alive

Location; Traveling around various regions.

Piper is owned by Bonnie's older twin sister Betty. Piper is also very content with her situation and likes that she still has some family around. She has been trained to be a performer rather than an aggressive battler like her sister.

Shaka | Raichu ♀

Status; Alive

Location; Hoenn, Dewford Town

Shaka was traded a lot after her initial capture due to her original owner being tricked into trading her for what she thought was going to be an extremely rare Pokémon. Going through various trainers and never staying in one place for too long, the Pikachu never really got her hopes up whenever she'd meet a new person. Eventually, she was given to a sporty young man in Dewford named Terrance who loved to surf. They've been together for years now and Shaka has come a long way since they first met, reaching her final form and being a bit of a rarity amongst her species for knowing how to Surf.

[loupy-mongoose]

This one got real long, so it's going under a read more!

PREVIOUS NEXT

ARC START

~~~~~~

The Linden Mews flittered carefully through the foliage of Hoenn, avoiding human sight. They made their way to Lilycove City, where Viviana Linden lived. Rosemary had fallen into a fitful sleep in Persim's hands. Fear washed off the orange Mew in deep waves so strong, even Randy could feel them effortlessly.

Finally, they halted in the woods north of the city. There, Randy transformed back into his human form, the suitcase and cane materializing with him. He set the suitcase down.

Alright. Randy's voice was stern. Final call, Persim. Mom needs to look at her. Are you coming with, or not?

Persim was fluffed up as big as he could be. His eyes darted about as he hesitated to answer.

Umm... I-I don't think he should...

Perzi stared at her, horrified. What?? Lav, she's my daughter! How could you say that??

Uncle Perzi, y... Her arm rose to her shoulder in uncertainty. You're drenched in fear. I... I'm worried it would make her upset as Gramma Vivi's looking at her. And being around Gramma would only make you more afraid

Persim looked at her as if about to protest. Soon, though, he closed his mouth and eyes, hanging his head in defeat, looking entirely lost.

Akoya brushed her tail against his flank. I'll stay with you, Perzi. She turned to Randy. We'll keep the twins with us too. Let us know when she's been examined and you're ready for us.

Randy nodded and held out his hand, and after a slight hesitation, Persim placed Rosie gently into it. However, she woke, and started squirming, trying to return to her dad. She was shrieking loudly, and Randy felt his heart break all over for her.

I'm so sorry, Rosebud. I promise, this is to help you.

Lavender transformed into her human form, and like her dad put her luggage in the grass. You'll see your daddy again soon, Rosie.

Randy turned to go. We'll see you two later. ...Perzi, I'm sorry the trip has to start like this...

Me too... His voice was flat. Akoya floated to him and nuzzled his face.

Viv'll take good care of her. I promise.

Mild blood warning ahead

Every bit of him screamed. For sleep. For just a little rest.

But Rosie screamed louder.

Now in Mew form, Randy held the tiny Mew as his mom examined her closely. He ached for his niece. She was terrified, and reasonably so. He wondered if it would've been better for Perzi to come. From her eyes, first her mom had handed her off, and now her dad, on top of being hurt and poked and prodded by this huge new creature. That can't feel good to her.

That can't be good for her...

He shook off the train of thought. He took a breath, and started humming a gentle tune, trying to keep his thoughts comforting.

~We're done, Akoya.~

The blue Mew got the message, gathered her brother and the twins, and they teleported.

Persim curled around his daughter, huddled in the corner of what was called the "Guest room". The rest of the family had gone to eat some food, but for once, Persim didn't feel like eating.

He reflected on what Randy had relayed to him.

The physical worst of it seems to be a few possibly broken toes. There's no sign of concussion or wounds or breathing issues. But...

There's a high chance this will affect her mentally.

Perzi looked at his little mite. She was clinging tightly to his fur, finally sleeping soundly. He sighed. Of course it would. Anyone would be horrifically affected by an event like that.

Once again, tears sprung to his eyes.

I'm so sorry, Rosemary.

You didn't deserve this...

~~~~~~

PREVIOUS NEXT

ARC START

[wishmaker-astra]

Cosmic Powers Poll Results

Legit forgot had this one running. Unfortunately I'm currently being slammed with Finals Week Vibe Juice as a telepath that can also pick up transmitted emotions. And guess what can make a "quiet" person "LOUD"? On both emotions and thoughts bands? That's right, intense feelings and thoughts. And guess what causes heightened emotions and thoughts?

Anyways, results.

Just under a majority would take it. By the way, you might end up in Kalos now due to that, my apologies. If you're already in Kalos, I'm so sorry, I'll make it up with free trip to Hoenn.

For those of you who were hoping for serious analysis... blame the university system. Now back to shitposting so I don't have to notice the dude a couple floors down super worried about flunking Biochem

[conspire24]

Why a Kalos game actually makes sense right now (crack theory)

So, I'm super excited we're getting a Legends game in Kalos featuring Zygarde. As a longtime fan in the XY anime, I always wished Zygarde was done justice in the game side of things, and once Legends Acreus came out, I knew another Legends game would be the perfect way to give Zygarde they're dues.

That said, this was definitely out of left field! Literally everyone was guessing we were going to get a Johto or Unova game this gen, since they're the only two that have yet to be remade in 3D. At first, skipping straight to Kalos makes no sense. But the more I thought of it, the more I've noticed a pattern, a pattern that I will now present as:

THE POKEMON GENERATION MULTIPLES HYPOTHESIS

The idea is that the region that gets remade is influenced by its age as well as whether or not the region's generation number shares a common denominator (that isn't 1) with the current region's generation number. I know, I'm bringing math into this, but trust me it'll make sense when we go through it.

Let's start simple, the first gen to get remade was Kanto (gen 1) during generation 3. Easy enough, it was the first gen where it made sense to remake past games, and oh look, 3 is a multiple of 1 (though to be fair everything's a multiple of 1).

Then we get to gen 4, where after the sinnoh games, we got a remake of John (gen 2). Oddly enough, 4 is a multiple of 2.

Then there's gen 5. Now, 5 is a prime number, so the only factor 5 has is 1, but gen 1 has already been made available on DS (along with every other gen, so it's not like they could do much anyway).

But then we get to gen 6, followed by the Hoenn remakes (gen 3), and 3 is a multiple of 6. Now, 6 also a multiple of 2 and even shares a common denominator with 4 (that c.d. being 2), but it seems gen 3 takes the precedent because it is the earliest set of games to have been released, since Johto and Sinnoh had games out more recently.

We move to gen 7, and you know, I remember back in 2017 when everyone thought we were gonna get Sinnoh remakes next. But why would we? 7 isn't a multiple of 4, 4 and 7 don't share a common denominator. 7 is a prime number, it isn't a multiple of anything - except for 1. And wouldn't you know it, this is the generation where we got a set of Kanto remakes - and 1 was the only thing that could factor into 7!

As we go to gen 8, suddenly it's apparent what would get remade next. Sinnoh was the region that had been out of circulation the longest, and 4 goes into 8 just fine, meaning now is finally the time to give Sinnoh another spot in the limelight with BDSP and Legends Arceus!

And now, we have reached gen 9, and again I say we all had thought we would get a return to Johto or Unova, but why? I mean, 9 isn't a multiple of 2, or 5. Rather, 9 is a multiple of 3. And you what else is a multiple of 3? 6! And since gen 6 had come out a year before the Hoenn remakes, it seems Kalos was the earliest game to pass the threshold for a modern reimagining.

So, in short, it appears that the region that gets remade or reused next coincides with whether or not the generation number shares a common denominator greater than 1 as well as whether or not the region's last release has been longer than other regions'. If this theory holds water, gen 10 may yield some interesting results, as 10 is a multiple of both 2 and 5. Though, there has been more time since the last new Johto games than there has been since the last new Unova games, so by my logic, Johto would be the next to be remade. Though if you count the Johto VC releases on 3DS, maybe that would mean Unova has spent more time out, so maybe Unova would be next on the docket?

Either way, I just think it's interesting that all the generations' numbers line up this way. Who knows, maybe each generation, GameFreak has been playing a simple numbers game when deciding their remakes.

Well regardless, I'm happy that we're getting another step into Kalos next year, and in a way, maybe the timing makes more sense than we realize. That said, definitely take this theory with a grain of salt. I highly doubt the numbering of generations (which I don't think GameFreak has ever actually acknowledged officially) truly factors into how GameFreak and the Pokemon Company greenlight what projects. But if nothing else, it's fun to notice those kinds of patterns. I'd take this in the same vein as that fire starter zodiac theory from a while back. It's probably not true, but it's funny how well it fits together!

That said, I'm calling it now, a Legends game in Johto is gonna be the game for 2028!