#what happens between that & this is between them & arceus but there you go

[lucky-clover-gazette]

ooh okay i want to pitch a couple ideas, scraping from the text!! these aren’t mutually exclusive but

- cogita dislikes and mistrusts volo, implying with vague disapproval that he spends his time doing Other Things instead of his job. she also knows a lot about ancient history and magic, and her cottage has a witchy aesthetic. maybe volo came to her at some point and inquired about god-summoning or appeasing rituals, trying to connect through their shared celestican heritage. said ritual could be something you’re referring to, like blood sacrifice, that cogita could know volo has at least attempted, maybe even attempted herself at some point. given that the celestica people are associated with immortality, and cogita herself is implied to be immortal and very melancholy about her state of existence, it would make sense for her to act the way she does around volo whether or not she knows about giratina. she might just think he’s trying to become immortal too (which to be fair, he is, just not like her). but the ritual actions she associates with celestican immortality might also have proven useful in volo’s “courtship” of giratina, whether through crafting or sacrifice or prayer

- the plates. this is a simple one but that line might have just meant that volo brought the (at first) compliant player physically to the temple, with the plates that he had instructed them to gather, basically doordashing them to giratina for their evil plan

- volo is coping, like in the internet slang sense of the word. he’s super mad that he’s failed and been humbled by two gods and a random fifteen year old, and so he insists that he somehow had power over or provided power to giratina to save face

- volo manipulated a god. it’s clear through volo’s manipulation of the player character that he emphasizes the injustice of situations that have harmed his allies in order to earn their loyalty and favor. the way he delivers his speech about giratina’s ousting by arceus is very similar to the way he speaks of the galaxy team kicking out the player, and obviously also about himself and arceus (can’t be a volo analysis if projection isn’t mentioned at least once). the schroedinger’s characterization of volo is whether we can consider this strategic empathy as legitimate attempts to make connection and show care, even if it’s subconscious and he himself would say it’s all for the plan, or if he is only feigning his passionate disdain for injustice. if he’s capable of so deeply feeling and caring about these injustices, can he truly be considered heartless? given his reasons for doing what he does once he’s taken off the mask, i tend to believe that there’s more to his manipulation than just, like, heartless villainy. he doesn’t say “i’ve pretended to be your friend so i can hurt you and destroy the world,” he says “i’ve pretended to be your friend so i can subjugate your godly patron, who has caused us and the entire world pain, and make a better world.” obviously he’s insane and wants to meet those ends through means of erasing reality and also hurting our feelings, but those ARE his ends. maybe giratina sees that complexity and insanity, and it further endears volo to it—or simply makes volo seem easier to manipulate in turn. or maybe giratina just likes what volo is selling. this also explains why volo is not visibly heartbroken when they separate, because he actively tries not to admit that he has any friends or connections. again there are definitely parallels to be made between giratina and the player, the way volo just walks away after the fight when the player looks so sad to see him go, and only gives any sort of goodbye through laventon. maybe giratina would have liked to find closure with volo—and i mean, maybe it did, and we just didn’t see that interaction—and it could have even been the impetus for volo leaving. i think that is implied to happen, right, since a section of volo’s parting sentiment regarded giratina’s new motivations in siding with the player?

basically, what i mean is that “the power” that volo feeds giratina could be a lie or manipulation that volo has intentionally or unintentionally convinced giratina he’s providing. the power of friendship, leveraged. could come with a physical manifestation—an object or ritual—or simply be something that is promised or felt. as mentioned before, i think the most endearing question re: volo’s overall character is whether we can consider that leveraged friendship to be friendship all the same. pla is in a lot of ways a game about belonging, and both volo and giratina (and the player!) try to handle their lack of belonging in vastly different ways. volo by isolating himself and trying to wipe the slate clean, ignoring the friendships and bonds he’s made along the way; the banished god giratina, by decisively siding with not one but two (!!!) humans throughout the course of the game; and the player, by trying to become a member of the foreign community that they’ve been dropped into, even as that community mistreats them. with volo and giratina, it’s like we have two characters who are telling each other and themselves that they are giving each other what they Want, all while the companionship they share is the thing they actually Need. and they both lose it, because volo can’t handle failure and dips. dude, his character is so sad. what did they put in this game. i’m going insane

- as someone else said, volo was giratina’s rare candy supplier

we need to talk more about how insane it is that volo and giratina partnered up tbh. like we’ve seen pokémon villains making use of legendaries for their schemes before but it is usually not like. a friendly or even consensual relationship. but like those two were homies. bona fide partners in crime for a while

"It was in an attempt to answer this question that I originally sought out Giratina and had it tear open that rift in space and time... After all, Giratina wished to stand against Arceus. But that didn't do the trick..."

he says this so casually. bestie how did you even find it. did you have to do a dark summoning ritual or do you have the deity of antimatter who was banished to a parallel dimension on speed dial

"Turning tail and running? From this puny HUMAN? Pathetic! I was the one to feed you the power you needed so that you could take on Arceus! I was the one who gave you the chance to claw open that space-time rift, driving the deity of space and time mad so that you could drag the creator out from hiding!"

i NEED to know who or what volo is, that he could give the legendary pokémon giratina more power than it already had itself, to convince it to do something it’s evidently wanted to do for a while. what could he possibly have to offer. maybe giratina was always capable of doing all that but volo just convinced it to finally act on its desire? like hey you don’t have to go alone i’ll be your buddy? there is no way all giratina was after was friendship or whatever bc specifically what does it mean that volo ‘fed it power’. just who are the celestica. RRRRAAAHHHH

[lucky-clover-gazette]

my favorite moments from theamandafiles’s confrontation with volo. this is an adult woman talking to a screen for 7+ minutes and im obsessed with it. the dynamic she’s made up in her head for this game is so far from what’s actually happening, but also absolutely fantastic. the sneasler rant has nothing on this.

transcript under the cut:

He is so passionate about his thing, about his special interest. He really is. I am constantly losing my grip on reality. I have no room to judge Volo for a little bit of unhinged laughter and some mildly insane musings.

Hmm? Sorry, I just. I think I just realized what's going to happen. Sorry. Am I an idiot?

That was your—that was you who did the hole in the sky. Okay, mhm, all right. I got blamed for that, Volo, I don't know if you knew that. It's fine. Honestly, it's fine. Just let's keep, let's keep learning more about Volo.

Right, yeah, we did that! We did that, Volo, right? Didn't we fuckin' do that? Why don't we donate them to a museum or something? Wouldn't that be sick? Would that be fuckin' awesome if we put them in a museum for all to see?

What's—what's this? Hey, what the fuck? Who's this? Is this a prank? Surely, with the hair. Because I did not just see that you have a fuckin' Arceus hairdo.

Oh, okay! Volo's crazy! Right, right. Look at the fucking hair. Yeah! No, Volo's fucking crazy—yeah, no, he's a deranged lunatic.

Actually, yeah. Look at his eyes, oh my god. Volo's going to kill me and then cook and eat my remains. It's. It's fine. I'm fine.

Pokemon Wielder Volo? You mean (voice cracks) Gingko Guild Merchant?

You know what, Volo? I'm crazy, too. Look, I can match this. Like you said, when you said you were going to wipe out Jubilife City, I'm all for that. I am all for that. Absolutely! Yes! Let's do it. We can make this work. I am not invested in helping these people. Yeah, we live in a society? Not for long, am I right?

Just, I looked at the costume again. And his hair. He—he did his hair, you guys. And it's... bad.

First and foremost, what the fuck are you wearing? Literally, I keep looking at it. And the more you look, it's like, the more you look, the more you see.

I'm just really unpacking this... as I kick his ass. Anyway, where was I, Volo? Let me just continue to fuck you up. Volo is really doing this. Volo is really doing this. He's doing it in green pants.

He method acted an entire love story between us. Yeah, he is that crazy. He's that crazy, that he's going to let me slip through his fingers. Are you sure, Volo? You really sure? Maybe, like, that was your plan at first. Because if I may be so bold, uh, it's actually not even fucking possible for anyone to spend as much time with me as you have without falling in love with me.

Like I said, I said it before, and I will stand by that—and I'm about to beat you, by the way—

Call me. Call me, Volo! Oh wait, you can't, because we live in the fucking past, and you don't have a phone. And I do. Mhm, yeah. You know, you can't call me on your arc phone because Arceus didn't give you an arc phone, did he? Oh, poor Volo. He did his hair like Arceus and everything. And for what? Right. It was probably the green pants, Volo, honestly. And the gladiator sandals, what the fuck are you doing?

What the fuck was I thinking? God, why do I always go for these crazy ass fucking men?

I don't want to be picked by Arceus! If anything, I wanted to be picked by you! But unfortunately, I'm amazing. And Arceus loves me. I'm sorry that your little fucking hairdo didn't work to impress Arceus, and that all I had to do was literally exist and Arceus stanned the hell out of it.

What, are you going to kill me? He's going to kill me with a knife now just to get me out of the way. Like, what the hell, why does everybody want to fucking kill me?! I get it. I'm the best. I'm amazing. I'm the best that ever was. But murder is illegal, okay?

What is this? Are you fucking kidding me? What is this act? Oh, my god. Volo... this is very camp.

Volo is fucking crazy. Did I even get to heal these motherfuckers? Am I supposed to catch this motherfucker? This Satan ass Pokemon. This is Satan, I guess. And he came to, like, pull up for fucking Volo. Why? The hair? Was it the hair?

Finally, I got, like, a word in edgewise. Finally. Acorn, take this motherfucker out. Yeah. This is embarrassing for you. You're a God Pokémon? Where? You could have fucking fooled me, Giratina.

I do find it very inspiring that my little tugboat-ass Jay Jay the Jet Plane Togekiss, like, ended your entire bloodline. Mhm, yeah.

Volo! Oh, honey, sweetie, are you okay? Are you going to be okay?

He's fucking crazy. He's so crazy, Volo, I fucking love your crazy ass... but this is toxic of me to say, so, I hate it. I hate you. What was I talking about? Yeah. No, you're such a bad guy. You're the bad guy, Volo. I didn't even read that, fuck.

I know, Volo. Believe me, I would have agreed with you when those motherfuckers kicked me out in Jubilife City. I would have agreed if you had come to me then and you would've said, "Let's take down the whole fucking world. Let's end the entire planet." I would have said, "Okay. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Hell, yeah. That's exactly what I want to do right now." But you didn't. And now I'm here, and I'm... being noble, and I'm going to say, "You better stop, because this is not okay. Cut it out."

I'm crazy too, Volo, I'm so fucking crazy. I'm so unhinged, I'm crazy, nobody understands the inner workings of my mind, Volo, you don't get it.

This is your last chance to scoop me up as your partner. Honestly, Volo. That's what it is. I would fix your hair, I would. We would go back to the salon—to the salon!—I would fix it up. It's not that bad. It just needs a little shaping.

(Deep sigh) Volo, you could have had it all. I would have been your crazy bitch. We could have been Bonnie and Clyde, Volo. And we still can, honestly, if you say the word. And let me fix your hair. And also your outfit.

So I also just want to say really quickly, I noticed that you had a Togekiss, and that means that your Togepi that you had in the beginning evolved to a Togekiss. But in order to do that, I think you need to love your Togapi. So it's like, you do—you did have the capacity to love someone.

He's fucking unhinged. He's deranged, he's crazy. Like, why did his eyes go crazy like that? What the fuck?

He actually looks so good right now, like, minus the hair. The hair is so bad. Volo, that is the one and only reason Arceus did not choose you. Honestly, that's all it comes down to. Easy as that!

But I'm putting my thumb actually, on the—I'm putting it on the screen, over the weird part of your hair? I'm begging you. Let's destroy society together. Come on.

That's so sad, he's, like, hanging up his hat. Actually, please put the hat back on. He's giving me something—he's giving me the plate. Spooky plate. Yeah, that's for sure. That's for damn sure, Volo.

Why do you suddenly look so good? You know, you look deranged and crazy like a fucking lunatic. And I could have swore you off forever, but now you look so cute and good. And I'm like, what the fuck were you thinking, Volo? You threw it all away for what, the arc phone? Bitch. It's really not even that good of a phone. Honestly, there's, like, no games on it.

I don't know. I figured like, a true Arceus fanboy would be impressed and enamored by the girl who Arceus is simping for this hard. Like, if you were to date me, I'd literally bring you with me to meet Arceus, and you'd be able to live your stupid little dream.

Although I will say, for someone who so deeply wants me to fail, you giving me that last plate, that spooky plate... I dunno. It's just kind of interesting, and I am reading into it. Yes.

Volo you are fucking out of your mind. You're crazy. I tell you, you're fucking insane. Somebody wheel him off. Seriously, what the fuck? He's going out in public looking like that.

[aya-luri]

Am I the only one who doesn't associate Zekrom with Ingo and Reshiram with Emmet but do it the other way around? Well, perhaps this will become an unpopular opinion, but, if you stop to think about it there are quite a few points that can support this theory. Let's check them out! To begin with, it's the legendary dragon Zekrom the one who appears on the cover of the White version of the game, while Reshiram does the same on the Black version, which would indicate that they actually represent their opposite color. Such small detail is already important in itself, not just the basic color of the dragons per se. Also we all know that Zekrom's associated element is the electric type, like Emmet's Eeleektros, while Reshiram's is the fire type, like Ingo's Chandelure, both being the most representative pokemons of the Subway Bosses.

Although the issue of ideologies of each dragon is used to link them with each brother among the fandom, "ideals" being the one typically attributed to Ingo for his passionate way of encouraging trainers, while for Emmet it is the "truth" for his direct way of communicating, this could work much better the other way around. If we have learned anything from Ingo on Pokemon Legends Arceus, it is that this man is full of existential doubts that lead him to want to get closer to the player in order to know more about himself. That's it, the truth about his origins. But he already had some tendency to this type of behavior long before, as it was evident in the first Black & White games.

"Where is my destination? I've kept thinking, and I've learned one thing. That is, you cannot know what happens after winning without winning." Through such questions, Ingo seeks to reach a real conclusion, his own truths. And perhaps in our idealized image of him we forget that he can also be frank and direct, without the need to embellish words with lies.

"However, it is difficult to win unless you and your partner are in total sync." On the other hand, and as we have said before, the frankness with which Emmet expresses his opinions makes him look like an open-minded character, sincere, making this seem (for many people) to be his only notable characteristic, despite the fact that it's kinda obvious the way in which he greatly idealizes Pokémon battles.

"This time, I am really serious. Really serious. Because if a battle is not serious, it is not fun." He firmly believes that there is a way to go about Pokémon battles, and that way is by giving it your all in them, and in an ideal world, everyone would have fun battling just as he does, but this is not always the case. Emmet clearly expresses how he believes things should be, and he's also aware that his own victory may not only be due to his skill but also to circumstantial elements or, put another way, luck. So he also idealizes the player's own defeat when it occurs, having enough consideration to make it seem like something unfourtunate. Further proof that the fandom has been associating the wrong dragon with the wrong twin can be found in the legend of the twin heroes, where it was the oldest who pursued the truth, while the youngest pursued the concept of ideals.

This birth order also corresponds to Ingo and Emmet, Ingo being the eldest of the both and Emmet the youngest.

That's why despite being white, I think Reshiram suits to Ingo much better and the same for Emmet regarding the black dragon Zekrom. All of these points put together carry much more sense than simply thinking that each dragon's ideologies relates to a brother just by the main color of his outfit. Although this, in the end, does not have much relevance either, since canonically there is no relationship between these legendary Pokémon and the Subway bosses, other than the simple fact of playing with mere chromatic issues. Still, it's always fun to speculate, right?

[sillygoblinantics]

I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE

I’ve held my tongue for too long about my feelings on madhouse but fucking hell!

Unless by some fucking act of arceus or universe hands me the fucking concept art that went into this horrible webcomic- I got room to rip and tear!

This is:

Goblin’s Valid Autopsy of Lily Orchard’s PokéMadhouse

Before we go forward!

Hi. I’m Gobbo or Bri (pick ya poison), I’m a current student at Savannah College of Art and Design (as for campus I ain’t saying nothing) Im working on my bachelors in Animation and minoring in Creative Writing. My Concentration starting as 2d animation later switching it to Story and Concept in animation (back in 2021). I started in 2019 and it’s… 2024 now. Don’t judge me! I’ve been mentored by comic artist, storyboarders and many more in the industry! I’ve taken storyboarding and a plethora of writing classes to have enough qualifications under my belt to properly discuss the shit writing, lacking worldbuilding, disorganized plot hole ridden lore/arcs and horrible inconsistent art. So let’s not waste another moment and dive fucking in!

Story:

I’m not using Lily’s self review tvtropes to cover this. It’s disingenuous ego stroking at full blast.

We follow the highs and lows that are the “will they won’t they” relationship between the stated as sisters, Lily and her Gardevoir, G (yes that’s her fucking name). In a Sunday newspaper comic page esc structure. With bits and pieces of trivia and lore that rarely comes up if not to push and pull sympathy points for lilys self insert as she gets assaulted and violated in physical and mental ways. An arc being called “Violate” and later following the would be time span for gestation of a baby that would then become the labeled cryptid child.

I’m gonna be real there’s no point in reading it because the moment something big happens out of the blue there wasn’t a page missing to explain it which god fucking dammit Lily do I need to give you one of those brainframe sheets or outline templates if you decide to write a story? Because I’ll gladly provide them!

How do you consider yourself a fucking writer at all with your fundamental lack of care for lore and story like- for fucks sake woman it won’t kill you!

Characters

Lily

G

Mikayla

Marah

Bonnie

Mismagius

Other hardly seen or used Pokémon that get thrown away out of nowhere

Countless stolen ocs

And Dr Ponytail (yes that’s the fucking name of one of the “antagonists” and I’ve reread it so many times and found nothing!)

Lily has her “antagonists” being either ex friends or partners or someone who tries to call out bullshit! Fucking hell, the way Lily has g written it’s hard to not see HER AS ONE!

You have all these characters and you neglect so many of them to focus on making your favorite Dollies kiss and scissor or do nothing!

You don’t punish actual rapists either like legit what do you do when your Pokémon who’s been raised like a sister your whole life admits to mindfucking you in a weird soul bond type deal (that you wrote the explanation of yourself), then out of fear swaps dna of a Pokémon of her CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES can match with to save it with your own dna to baby lock you to staying together, what’s the thing you decide to write?

Case in point: stick an entire cactus up your urethra Lily.

I need a break from this… I’m moving on to the art misdirection.

Lily you are the one commissioning these panels from Mikayla. Meaning you are telling her how to draw these making you the literal art director of this shitty comic!

You want my advice?

USE MODEL SHEETS

Like holy shit. I need to copy paste my spiel about what it is one second:

Make a turnaround for your character(s)!

(Excluding front and back you need to make left and right versions of the rest!)

Front

Back

over-the-shoulder

3/4 view

profile

expression sheets

color pallet reference

(if it’s online/digital rgb if it’s for print it’s cmyk)

include the hexcodes for artists if it’s a small production!

lineup for height and scale for comparison to:

other characters

backgrounds

props

etc.

elements of the world + floor plan in small settings

action poses

hair guide (trust me it’s important)

these are the elements every artist who wants to tell a visual story be it animated or comic always needs:

✨A PITCH BIBLE✨

And Lily, if you’re making any story that is

A. Tied to an existing property

B. Has real world/geopolitical/historic relation

C. Needing a basic understanding to science

Do everyone and yourself a favor

AND DO YOUR FUCKING RESEARCH IN MLA FORMAT INSTEAD OF SOMEONE ELSES OPINIONS AND YOUR ASS OF HOLDING BULLSHIT!

Class

Dismissed

Your homework is to get these books:

[amewwayofliving]

Humans like starting their blogs with ask games, right? Here's one.

Ask game based on stupid things that happened with other legendaries:

Groudon falling for flat earth conspiracy theories: What's the dumbest thing you've fallen for?

Pecharunt's "Rizztacularrrrrrr" Gang: Is there someone you just want to teleport to Jupiter and leave them there?

The Shadow Lugia Incident: What's the most horrifying thing you've heard happen to a friend, and what's the weirdest thing someone has said about it?

Do I even need to say anything for Arceus: How long do you think you could resolve conflicts for nonstop without breaks?

Enamorus' war on bows and arrows: Have you ever hated the concept of love? Why?

Victini never shutting up about victory: What's the most annoying quirk of someone you know?

Yveltal's 297th stageplay: What's something you found fun at first, but stopped liking after a while?

Tapu Lele acquring their 11th name of the month: What's something that you'd call "beyond excessive"?

Whatever weird thing Calyrex has going on with Spectrier and Glastrier: What's a dynamic between some people you know that has you concerned?

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hello, Can I request RoR x Pokemon? Romantic or Platonic

Human Reader as guardian (or adventurer/ hero/saint/other) figure or similar to the sages (Buddha, Jesus, Confucius, Socrates), for Pokemon Pantheon …

Known for selfless, pure-hearted, friendly, and brave. Can be passive-aggressive or serious when something dangerous happens with Pokemon or closed ones…

You can add this, if you want.

(Reader Has abilities/powers, that she's born w/ or received, and they are;

Pokemon communication/empathy;

psychic/aura-like powers (or similar to the characters from the movies/animes; like, Baraz & Meray's, Damos & Sheena's, Aura Guardian Riley's, and/or others…)

knows to Sing/Play instruments of the songs of the legendary Pokemon; like Lugia's song, Oración, May's Lullaby in Jirachi Movie, Relic song…

has the Legendary artifacts/items, some that summons the legendary pokemon. (ex. Arceus-Azure flute/other.) and some are needed to be guarded. (ex. Eon Duo-Soul dew/other)

Reader's as the one who 1st discover and the gimmicks, such as, Mega Evolution, Z-crystals/Moves, Gigan/dyna -max, Terrasteral/others…)

Whenever Legendary pokemon wants to go out to explore places outside/inside of their region, They want Reader to join them as an escort/guard, they also enjoy each others company, and if they encounter trainer/s that wanted to battle the legendary pokemon, They told Reader to go battle with trainer/s to see if they're okay to battle them, Mostly Reader wons or just they finish it swiftly and disappear…

Whenever a challenger or a threat meet Reader and they explain their reasons (lies and/or honest) and/or challenge Reader to get/met Legendary pokemon, then Reader challenge them to a battle, and Reader always won…

however, if its someone's a bigger threat (ex: Volo, team villains, others), and probably uses force/trick (ex. Ambush/other) to get to the Legendary…

until someone's who are truly worthy (Player, Champions, or others) to challenge Legendary pokemon, they Battle reader and they won then Reader take them to the Legendary pokemon's summoning place but they accept it of couldn't capture it…

What are the reactions/interactions of Reader w/ RoR Characters?

-The Pokemon Pantheon was a relatively new Pantheon, compared to many of the others, but instead of being full of people who earned their place, it was mostly full of Pokemon, all types from normal to legendary Pokemon.

-There were a few humans, trainers and partners of the past who earned their place alongside their partner Pokemon, but the one who oversaw it was a young-looking maiden named Y/N.

-You watched over the Pokemon with gentle kindness but also stern rules, like no attacking others and battles were to be done only on the battlefields you had created for them to burn off energy, as you didn’t want to deal with anymore property damage.

-The Pokemon obeyed your rules, so you didn’t have many problems, just with the new arrivals who were quick to learn.

-You didn’t really interact with the other pantheons, only when you had to, you preferred to be with Pokemon rather than people, as Pokemon wouldn’t betray you, not like your fellow humans.

-You had died young, betrayed by those you had trusted, and you became the patron, as you had died protecting your Pokemon, and the Pokemon look to you as their leader, including the legendary ones, they see you as the boss.

-Your partner Pokemon, who was a Munchlax when you died, but he evolved into a Snorlax, fighting hard to avenge you, but ultimately fell and he arrived shortly after you, was the one who came with you everywhere, following you, protecting you, and comforting you whenever you needed to be comforted.

-All of the tools the trainers have come across on earth were thanks to you- giving them to those you deem worthy, like MC, who in turn uses them to help Pokemon themselves. Then once the mission is done, you retrieve the tools.

-You watch over the legendary Pokemon, the ones who can travel between earth and Valhalla, escorting them down so they can run around and play on earth, and if trainers wish to battle them, for a chance to capture them, they must first defeat you.

-You have thousands of years under your belt, so you are not to be underestimated by any means, especially your partner, who is way more active compared to normal Snorlax, he’s way stronger and way faster.

-If a trainer managed to best you, then you would allow them to approach the legendary, but it was the Pokemon who made the decision, and if they refused, then you would do nothing to sway their mind.

-If one was worthy, you would bid your friend goodbye, but you knew that you would see them again soon, once the trainer who caught them passed on themselves.

-In Valhalla, you welcomed visitors to your pantheon, gods and humans alike, allowing them to befriend and train alongside Pokemon, and all obeyed your rules, mainly of no violence and no trying to take any of your Pokemon if they didn’t want to go.

-People would find Pokemon all over Valhalla, as they could wander, but they always came back home to you at the end of the day.

-You had seen friendships formed between the citizens of Valhalla and your Pokemon, seeing the partnerships that always warmed your heart.

-However, if any were to try to harm your Pokemon, there would be no holding back- many had learned this lesson the hard way. Snorlax quite enjoyed eating popcorn alongside Buddha as you used double slap on several young cocky gods that tried to attack Totodile under your care.

-Many gods used your pantheon as a means to escape from their duties. Poseidon would spend hours in your ocean, swimming in the clear water amongst the Pokemon who were always happy to see him, except for one cranky Quillfish, but he was like that with everyone.

-Buddha loved the vibe of your pantheon, it was so relaxing, he could just nap in the fields amongst the grass types who would sleep around him and cover him with flowers, something that would always make you laugh, seeing him coming up to you, covered in flowers.

-Shiva, Hercules, Thor, Lu Bu, and Raiden all loved training with your fighting types, sparring with them, as their unpredictability always made for good fun.

-Ares, when he needed comfort, when he was feeling sad or just needed to be alone, your fairy types were always quick to swarm him, cuddling all around him, making him feel so loved.

-You loved your Pokemon, all of them, seeing them running around, flying, swimming, having fun, enjoying their peaceful lives from your perch on Snorlax’s stomach, laying on top of him as he slept. This truly was a paradise.

[crowscadence]

If Chuuya had a Pokémon, he’d have Silvally— Let Me Explain Why

Chuuya and Silvally are strangely similar when it comes to their backstory and development. However, Silvally, being a one-generation side story, doesn’t have too much information for me to go off of, but from what I do have, the similarities are very clear. Let me explain to you why.

Silvally evolves from Type: Null, which was created in the Aether Foundation’s labs. Even though Chuuya wasn’t born in a lab (I know that whether or not he’s a clone is left kind of ambiguous, but this is my interpretation), his time there shaped him and his abilities to a massive degree

Both were abused at said labs, and both have to do with an attempt at god-like power. Type: Null was created in the image of Arceus as attempt at emulating its abilities. Similarly, Chuuya’s body houses a singularity— a very powerful one, at that, and one that was even referred to as a god.

Neither of them were able to grow to their full potential until after leaving the lab. Type: Null was taken by Gladion when he ran away from home, and it wasn’t until truly trusting Gladion that it was able to break its helm and evolve into the fullest version of itself, Silvally.

Chuuya wasn’t able to break his metaphorical helm and grow to his full potential until he was in the Port Mafia. In the Sheep, he was a protector, mainly being used for his power. In the Port Mafia, while this power is still used (in a much stronger and more dangerous fashion), not constantly being around kids his age allowed him to mature into the leader he is now. This maturing can be partially attributed to the natural maturing that happens between the ages of 15-22, but I still don’t think he would have matured as much had he remained in the Sheep. Also, he now has people to lean on, such as Kouyou, even if there’s far fewer to lean on than before (thanks for that, Verlaine)

As a tiny, extra note, they’re both very adaptable. Silvally of course can be any type, and Chuuya has shown to be able to act rationally and think quickly in a multitude of very chaotic situations

Anyways, thank you for coming to my ramble. Sorry if any of my Stormbringer/15 details are a little off— it’s been forever since I read either. I hope you enjoyed :)

Header art from the PTCG (I believe, it’s in the pokemondb Silvally official art database and looks like the art style used on pack wrappers) and BSD Mayoi

[yanderes-galore]

Hi just wanna say happy holidays also for request can I request from Pokemon please

ok Hear me hear me out , yandere legend battle between Darkrai vs Arceus hcs where child reader knew them as a child and now reader knows them when she’s/there older 🙏👀

I can try with this, sure. Hope you enjoy it :)

Darling means literal God and Nightmare Incarnate when they were young.

Overprotective! Darkrai vs Arceus Concept

Pairing: Platonic - Rivalry

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Overprotective behavior, Stalking, Rivalry/Jealousy, Pokemon religion, Dubious companionship.

Not sure if you'd be considered lucky or fortunate to meet these two when you were a child.

One of them, Darkrai, is a Pokemon that can cause nightmares.

The other one, Arceus, is literal God.

Maybe you used to have nightmares as a kid, nightmares of a dark shadow-like Pokemon.

These nightmares were a way Darkrai could communicate with you.

The Pokemon may have grown fond of a young child like you and altered your dreams.

However, soon the shadowy Pokemon grows greedy.

The nightmares are longer and soon your parents grow nervous.

After all... soon their child never wakes up.

This leads to your parents praying for you to wake up from this nightmare curse.

Meanwhile in your rest Darkrai is playing with you, no longer trying to scare you.

Arceus notices the prayers of your parents and takes note that Darkrai is essentially holding you hostage.

If you do not wake... you will surely die.

Arceus sends Cresselia to wake you from your sleep, pitying a child such as you.

Cresselia ends up prying you out of Darkrai's grip, much to the Dark-Type's annoyance.

Afterwards Cresselia leaves a feather with you, one that your parents make into a charm to put around your neck.

Fearing Darkrai will come after you again, your parents bless you and tell you to not remove the feather.

Due to your blessing, Arceus keeps an eye on you.

Arceus can tell Darkrai is lurking around you, the Dark-Type unable to let you go.

However this time the Pokemon can not put you into eternal slumber.

Essentially you meet these two Pokemon due to a traumatic event in your childhood.

Ever since both Pokemon have had their eye on you.

Darkrai wants to keep you to itself, meanwhile Arceus is following your parents blessing to protect you.

Now you're an adult, still under careful watch by these two deity-like beings.

Most of their "rivalry" is out of your sight.

While you still have that feather and blessing, Darkrai can't touch you.

Darkrai is usually a very misunderstood Pokemon, it didn't mean to hurt you.

The Pokemon wanted a friend... getting said friend nearly got you killed.

Arceus pities both of you, but the god has a feeling the Dark-Type may go overboard again.

I imagine things would heat up if your blessed feather was destroyed somehow.

This makes you vulnerable to Darkrai once again.

The Pokemon gets so excited, he can finally see his friend again!

As you fall into your nightmarish sickness again, you see Darkrai.

It's friendly towards you, almost treating you like a kid again.

Meanwhile I imagine Arceus does its best to interfere.

Maybe even to the point of entering your dreams too to try and chase Darkrai off.

That's how a rivalry between them would go.

Now the question is... what happens next?

If Arceus wins you will once again be protected, perhaps even blessed by Arceus and Cresselia again like long ago

If Darkrai wins, then you may die in the Pokemon's embrace.

Your fate isn't for you to decide...

Since maybe even birth, your fate has fallen to these two Pokemon... you are at their mercy.

[leggerefiore]

Can you imagine the chaos and hilarity that would take place if a happy go lucky s/o switches bodies with Larry?? Larry comes into work smiling brightly and chatting with everyone and giggles at his coworker's jokes. Geeta and Rika thinks the old man has finally lost it.

Meanwhile, a stoic s/o is home, sighing at the amount of paperwork he'll have to catch up on when they switch bodies back. At least his body feels lighter due to the youth and better posture his partner has

A lie on posture… but lol

Honestly, switching bodies with any s/o would have funny situations

Switching bodies with either train twin makes one of them stare at you in this terrifyingly suspicious manner and try to figure out what is wrong with you.

Emmet would grab your shoulders while you are Ingo's body and stare deeply into your eyes like he is trying to ascertain something. He then blankly states that you are not Ingo and wanders off to find “you.”

Ingo, meanwhile, eyes you up from the side and asks a few questions that seem far too personal between him and his brother before signing. He then tells you that you are not a very convincing Emmet and asks what he can do to help. He probably knew from the beginning but wanted to verify that this was not some weird prank Emmet was playing.

Switching with Nanu is exhausting… How does one man feel so tired all the time. You understand his apathy most of the time because he simply feels like he does not have the energy to generate any worry. Somehow, Tapu Bulu is aware that you are not “Nanu” and harasses Nanu in your body. It was a special sight to see a clear preference in action. You also understand his struggles to keep up with Acerola. More respect for him keeping him up.

Nanu meanwhile has never felt so alive since his youth. He just stands in deep contemplation. This is beyond him. He goes to take a nap. His Meowths still recognise him somehow.

Switching with Volo... Volo is ecstatic… Now, he has Arceus's chosen one's body. He is rushing up to the Temple of Sinnoh at top speeds with the Azure Flute in “his” hand. His plan may have failed, but he is so back. However, you are now in his body and waiting for him up there, realising what might happen. Funniest possible showdown. You have to use each other's team.

Switching with Grimsley and finally understanding nicotine and gambling addictions. You offer to help him detox while you are stuck like that. He declines. You have to stop him from smoking in your body. He does it unconsciously. The other Unovan E4 members know something is up but decide they don't mind this change in Grimsley.

Cyrus hates every single second of being in your body over his own. This is beyond logical rationale, and he would like to be returned back into his own as soon as possible. Meanwhile, you now technically have the power to completely ruin his plans and anything else as it stands. You also get to see how obsessed his team members are up close and personal. Saturn is suspicious, though. especially after seeing "you" march up to his boss.

[zeravmeta]

We are two days before the Pokemon DLC and although i will not buy it i also do enjoy the Pokemon worldbuilding/lore so my big hot theory on Terapagos is that it and the Tera Phenomenon specifically manifests dreams and turns them into reality.

We already have all the implications from the Paradox Pokemon being born from the professors dreams of an ancient/future world, but also I want to look at a bunch of the promo materials/events surrounding it: Gen 5 has been weirdly hinted at a bunch of times throughout Scarlet/Violets lifespan so far, with things like Ingo in Legends Arceus (as well as a bunch of the ancestors + the portrait of ancient Alder), the focus on the Tao Trio in the DLC trailer showing off past Legendaries & the DLC itself having us actually go to Unova, the introduction of the Treasures Of Ruin as the rivals to the Forces Of Nature genies, and the hinting of a new Pokemon mainline game coming in early 2024 (dear god Nintendo just let Gamefreak rest) supposedly being a Legends Unova game, there's been a whole bunch of Gen 5 hints scattered throughout.

The main story behind the Tao Trio is that there was once an Original Dragon who shared its power with two brothers, but when the two brothers clashed between their truth and ideals, the dragon could not decide and split itself in two, becoming Zekrom and Reshiram and leaving behind Kyurem as the empty husk that was once their body.

I think Terapagos is another fraction of this equation, specifically the dream of the Original Dragon itself to have truth and ideals (the two brothers) reconcile and coexist once more, because while truth and ideals are fundamentally incompatible, dreams can make the impossible happen. It can make a paradox exist. This would also work thematically: Zekrom and Reshiram, of course, represent the Yin and Yang, the literal black and white of their namesakes. Kyurem, however, isn't representative of the balance between the two, but actually gray, the concept of Wuji, which represents both infinity and nothingness, the absence of yin and yang and equally the limitless infinite potential born from it, the way that Kyurem is constantly freezing itself because its genetics are incredibly volatile and constantly evolving, especially when it absorbs one of its fragments. I think Terapagos is representative of Taiji, the idea of balance between Yin and Yang.

Yin and Yang originate from Wuji (infinite nothingness) and become Taiji (supreme ultimateness). So, Kyurem is the "nothing" left behind by the Original Dragon, which, when combined with Zekrom and Kyurem (Yin and Yang), would then achieve their supreme/original form, representative of Terapagos (ultimateness).

These Chinese inspirations would line up actually, since the Forces Of Nature and the Treasures Of Ruin are also references to Chinese mythology, specifically The Four Symbols and The Four Perils.

Terapagos and Kyurem also share a very weird similarity: they're both vessels for a greater power with the implication that they themselves are not truly alive (Terapagos' baby form enhanced by Terastalization + the Area 0 note and Kyurem being a literal frozen corpse, an empty shell of great potential for Zekrom/Reshiram's power).

There's also another dimension to this (literally): the fucked up crystal monsters from space and how they relate to the Pokemon world

The Original Dragon which split into Zekrom, Reshiram and Kyurem was also originally from a meteorite which came from space, so I believe that Terapagos, being part of it, was also from space (esp given its depiction in the Scarlet/Violet book as being among space and the stars).

Now you may be wondering "hey dude why is Zygarde up there, it isn't from space, what gives?" well I have an answer for that and why it's related.

Zygarde is the Pokemon planet's own natural born giant crystal guardian monster.

The same way that Necromza was once the god of Ultra Megalopolis and shared its light before being drained, Zygarde is a similar entity born on the Pokemon planet made to protect it. They're all, after all, composed of interlocking crystal parts and are essentially incomplete beings reshaping themselves when in their baser forms, with Terapagos also being composed of interlocking hexagonal parts in a similar manner as Zygarde.

Alright, so we've established a whole bunch of world building lore, but what's the big deal about it? Well, let's talk about Eternatus, The Darkest Day, and Infinity Energy next.

The Darkest Day is an event where Eternatus came to Galar from a meteorite in order to steal all of its energy. However, Zacian and Zamazenta appeared to protect Galar and were able to defeat it, sealing it away before Rose awakened it to try and bring about another Darkest Day to resolve Galar's future energy crisis. However, a key point to this is that the reason WHY Eternatus was stealing energy is because it was trying to keep itself alive after having LOST all of its energy, with its Eternamax form being closer to what Eternatus' actual form should be compared to the skeleton dragon we see.

And the Wishing Stones and Power Spots, which are what allow Pokemon to Dynamax, are incredibly similar to both the Mega Evolution stones and the Z-Crystals, which in themselves are fragments of The Ultimate Weapon and Ultra Necrozma respectively: Fragments of incredible power which are the building blocks to a space-originating Pokemon's original form. When Ultra Necrozma had its original light stolen by the ancestors of the Ultra Recon Squad, it shattered, opening Ultra Wormholes which spread the Z-Crystals (fragments of its original body) across Alola and allowing people to tap into Z-Power. Similarly, the Mega Stones were made after The Ultimate Weapon was fired and spread the life energy (Xernas/Yveltal/Zygardes powers) across Kalos, which mutated the landscape and developed Mega Stones. And in ORAS, The Devon Corporation specifically calls out this phenomenon from Kalos as the origin of Infinity Energy, the literal life energy of Pokemon.

Another key aspect to this is that this extreme level of energy, as well as Eternatus' own Pokedex entry, make note that this can even warp space-time as a consequence, which is likely why Ultra Wormholes are so common in Alola despite being a miracle occurrence: The fragments of Necrozma's body are constantly exuding this energy, which makes space-time unstable. It's also likely the reason as to why the Hoopa portals and Mirage Islands appear in ORAS, with Devon's use of Infinity Energy being the cause for these distortions to appear.

Alright, so what does any and all of this have to do with Terapagos?

Well, I think Terapagos is one of these crystal energy repository Pokemon, specifically the infinite energy source for the Original Dragon that all of these space crystal Pokemon also utilize. As well, the splitting of the Original Dragon caused the Terastal Phenomenon to occur, spreading across Paldea in the distant past as Terapagos laid dormant in the deepest recesses of Area 0. We know that Paldea is directly connected to Kalos, and us going to Unova likely means that it's close by as well, especially when Zekrom/Reshiram on their own are described to have enough power to cover the entire globe.

The Terastal Phenomenon wasn't really able to make the professor's time machine work, because while the high amounts of energy can warp spacetime, the professor misunderstood how to use it: Rather, because the professor dreamed of a world of ancient/future Pokemon, the Terastal Phenomenon made the Paradox Pokemon by channeling the energy into the professor's machine. As well, the Terastal Phenomenon works by manifesting dreams with the use of Tera Crystals, which envelop the Pokemon/Person who uses it, so a Pokemon, which is composed of Infinity Energy and controls the typing/energy of its moves, can alter their type in this way with an appropriate amount of Tera Shards of a different type.

In our hypothetical Legends Unova game, I bet that we'll see the Original Dragon, which wields so much energy that when it splits, it'll create the Tera Phenomenon. Given that the Treasures Of Ruin are not originally from Paldea (they may have been brought there by Volo, but all we know is that it was a travelling merchant), and that Paldea itself was under the control of the Paldean Empire (which is why it has that name in the modern day), it's even possible that the kingdom that Team Plasma tried to establish may have been inspired by/are the remnants of this original Paldean Kingdom, with N being the new modern day king chosen by Ghetsis, who was actually part of this ancient lineage. It's very likely that Terapagos is not originally from Paldea.

Paldea, connected to Kalos and Unova, could have even been the battleground of the two brothers when the Original Dragon split, creating the Great Crater and leaving Terapagos there, the remnants of the dream of the Original Dragon for the two brothers to reconcile.

I think a very interesting little promotion for the lead up to Part 2 of the DLC is that players, via Mystery Gift, were randomly given a Darkrai, a Pokemon meant to embody nightmares. I think that this is a little teaser hint to Terapagos, and the Terastal Phenomenon as a whole, being able to control and manifest dreams.

And that dreams coming true aren't always a good thing. They may even spell disaster if the infinite energy they possess goes out of control and envelopes the world. If Zekrom can envelop the world in an ultimate truth and Reshiram can envelop it with an ultimate ideal, both of them scorching it to ashes, then perhaps Terapagos can envelop it in an eternal dream, an eternally frozen crystal, similar to how Kyurem can cover an entire region and potentially the planet in an eternal blizzard.

So basically. This is what's going down in the grand scheme of things

[pokemoncenter]

Introduction

Hello. My name is Sophora. I am a Pokemon veterinarian. I live in Unova, but at the time of this writing, I am beginning a temporary stay in Johto to assist with a research project.

My blog is mostly thoughts and discussions of Pokemon care and science, as well as what photos I wish to share.

I am a former member of Team Plasma. My duties were to care for Pokemon injured by human deeds, and assess whether they could be released into the wild. Though I was nothing more than a child in training at the time. I wish to be clear that I, along with most Team Plasma members you will ever encounter, were fooled by Ghetsis, and truly do wish for improving the lives of Pokemon.

My sole Pokemon is a Zorua named Beans. I have had her for many years, and she is my dear companion.

I am often told I have no sense of humor, so please do not expect much in the way of jokes or banter from me. I am also often called rude, or at the very least blunt.

I will speak often on Pokemon care, as mentioned. I will answer any questions on Pokemon care when I am able, though I am mostly only familiar with Pokemon of the Unova region, and some of the Kanjoh region. I also will often speak on the life of a veterinarian and what sort of things one is expected to do in this job.

The difference between a Pokemon veterinarian and a Pokemon Center, for the record, generally involves overall health versus injuries. If it was a problem or health issue that came from battle, you go to a Center. If it is an overall health issue that did not come from battling, go to a veterinarian. Generally, we will refer you to the other one if you got it wrong.

My hobbies are reading and photography. I have given lectures about Pokemon care at conferences before, and I enjoy trying new foods. I am something of a coffee enthusiast, as well.

Most people I mention on this blog, I will be changing their names. This includes myself- Rotomphones should not replace basic internet safety for you all. The main exceptions will be people on this site who use their real name, and people who are otherwise too famous that it would be pointless to try to change their name.

I look forward to pleasant conversations with you all.

//OOC under the cut!

Player is over 21.

All posts will be tagged with 'pkmn irl' and 'unreality'.

This is, obviously, a Pokemon IRL rp blog.

I intend to not get involved in high stakes with the possibly exception of Team Winter stuff, or things that otherwise catch my interest. Most of them will be assumed to not happen.

Some notes on character canon!

Sapient Pokemon do not exist. There are rare exceptions, but they are extremely special and noteworthy. Pokemon intelligence varies, but generally they're animals. As a result, I would prefer not to interact with sapient Pokemon blogs, and if you do, Sophora will assume that you're a child roleplaying.

Legendary Pokemon are rare. The mainline games are canon but generally, Sophora doesn't know a lot of what happened. If it wasn't on the scale of Kyogre and Groudon, Sophora probably didn't hear about it! Sophora does not believe in a lot of legendary Pokemon as a result.

I do not do the whole 'magic anon' thing and such asks will be ignored.

Human-obtainable superpowers are Aura and psychic powers. That's about it. There are no other superpowers. Legendaries do not give children superpowers.

Legendaries may have been worshipped as gods but are not gods. There is no Arceus-based religion. People do not worship Arceus and do not treat it as the Christian god.

Most products that get parodied do not have the Pokemon parody names, and they just have the real world name. However, it is an in-universe meme to force Pokemon names into the product name, and that's why everyone has such differences (i.e. the proper name for the place is Starbucks, but some people call it Starlybucks and others call it Staryubucks, because it's a meme, not the real name.)

I want to avoid crossover stuff, it is not to my interest.

I want to try to keep to the tone of Pokemon as much as possible, so I'm going to be ignoring most things about murder and killing (unless it is a Cubone's mother).

Sophora can be, and often is, wrong about various subjects. However, she is a veterinarian and thus generally going to be correct about Pokemon care. Please do not show up to just correct me and claim my character doesn't know what she's talking about.

I try to avoid getting involved with the 'multiverse' stuff. As far as Sophora is concerned, there is only one reality, and it's hers. Please do not get deep into the weeds on that with her so I don't have to think about it too hard.

Animals exist! Pokemon are part of the ecosystem but normal animals exist, too. They just don't come up often because they aren't relevant.

Sorry if that sounds like too much stuff! I just wanted to be very clear from the outset.

EDIT:

If you are not someone already relevant about it, I will not acknowledge any asks where you try to prove legendary Pokemon. It's much funnier if Sophora refuses to believe in them. For understanding of the gag, please watch this video.

Sophora will not ever see or acknowledge a Legendary Pokemon outside of very specific circumstances. Please do not try to force the issue.

[asimplearchivist]

A Proposition for Potential PMD: Explorers Remakes

If and when Nintendo remakes PMD: Explorers (preferably optimized/combined as they did with Sky versus Time/Darkness, like they did with Red/Blue Rescue Team into DX), I think it could work as an open-world game like Legends: Arceus.

Hear me out.

We don't exactly know the context of the hero being brought to the world in the first place: in PMD lore humans apparently exist in the world but are exceedingly rare to come across, like unicorns it seems like to me. What if the reason for this is because humans can only exist in the PMD world if they're brought there?

It's implied that a higher power than Dialga returned the hero after they disappeared from the timeline, and who is above Dialga?

Who brought a modern human into the world of Hisui?

More thoughts below:

I want, more than anything for the reboots, for there to be an elaboration on what it was like in the future between the hero and Grovyle (and the other members of the investigation team, whoever they were besides Celebi), but this would require a certain amount of personalization for the human!player due to the implementation of character customization in most of the recent games.

The solution? Present it like Legends: Arceus.

Show Arceus approaching the hero to help save this world from time (minus the phone, obviously). Whether or not he wipes the hero's memory of their time in their world is debatable, but I think that would be an interesting dynamic to see the hero willing to sacrifice all knowledge of their life prior to being sent there—it would give a similar feeling to the mystery of the base game, and limit the hero's knowledge to match new players' for plot polishing.

Your main question might be, 'Fisara, the whole point of these games are the mystery dungeons! How can you have an open-world game like Legends: Arceus, which has a set map, and use it this way?'

I propose to you the concept of labyrinths.

Hypothetically, one could construct a basic structure of a map of any given dungeon, sort of like Legend of Zelda dungeons, but have the individual rooms/pathways randomized like normal. That way you have an entrance and an exit, but if you don't make your way through the mystery dungeon correctly, as normal, it spits you back out at the beginning.

I say this because the concept of having 'floors' can pose immersion issues since this format would have to be more realistic—having random staircases littered throughout the place wouldn't make very much sense.

However, one could break down the dungeons into levels, especially since many of them are located either in caves or mountainous regions; like switching between main rooms in LoZ dungeons, again, just sealing them off so you can't go back—more of a gradual descent.

For plains/forests/et cetera, it could simply be the winding trail through these places on the same vertical plane, presented as zones or sections instead.

Items and Pokemon could still be randomly generated like Sword/Shield and Scarlet/Violet, as well.

While the idea isn't perfect and definitely would need some refining to make it feasible, I feel that it would work.

So now that the player as a human is established, the 'modernization' of mystery dungeons solved for the most part, what about the story?

I think the reboot's plot could be the same as the base games, perhaps with added scenes in the time gaps to fill out the plot more—you wake up as a Pokemon, save the world, go through the post-game, you know the drill.

I definitely want them to bring forward the Special Episodes, likewise, and maybe add some more! I'd like to know how Chatot and Wigglytuff met, more about Wigglytuff and Armaldo/Team Charm, and some of the other Guildmembers and side characters that didn't get spotlights.

Where I propose that it differs is my own personal canon, but I'll try to keep it general.

It would be required that the team reaches Guildmaster Rank before this could happen, and that Darkrai's situation has been settled. (Whether or not there's an implied time skip or not, I don't know.) But one day your partner asks you if there's anything you wonder about regarding your past, and you could be presented with two options:

'I wish I could get my memories back,' or, 'I wish I knew if Grovyle is okay.'

This choice doesn't really divert any changes, just the order they take place in, if that makes sense.

Your partner agrees with you, whatever you say, and it falls to the back of your minds until you happen to learn from Bidoof (or the other Guildmembers, since they were there) that Jirachi grants wishes—and that his came true since the team joined the Guild.

I know you can visit Star Cave and receive a wish from Jirachi, in Red/Blue Rescue Team/DX, and he's featured in Bidoof's Wish, but I don't recall if you as the hero can get a wish granted from him—which is where this plot point comes into play.

Your partner proposes that you two travel to Star Cave to see if Jirachi could answer your wishes, and should you go it proceeds as normal: dungeon layout has changed like the base game, you have to fight Jirachi, and he offers you the same options as in Bidoof's Wish: to become rich (lots of money), to be the strongest Pokemon (power-up items), to be the best explorer (perhaps a map to an unexplored/undiscovered dungeon?), to eat lots of yummy food (gummis), to get lots of items (from the dungeon), to rule the world (which I think would prompt a repeat question, since it's a rather silly answer)...

...Or 'something else'.

You have the choice to select any of the former options, but picking 'something else' will instigate a new conversation after confirming that it is truly and that you are absolutely sure that it's what you want. This relates directly to the conversation you had with your partner earlier, so the player's choice will be their wish—however, you don't have to worry about which one you pick, because your partner will share the one you didn't, so the dialogue would be switched around a little bit to accommodate for that.

Hero: (Something else.) Partner: ...Oh, [Player], you mean...what we talked about earlier? Hero: (Nods) Partner: Okay. {Turns to Jirachi} [Player] is originally from the future, and lost his/her memories during an accident while traveling back through time. We wanted to know if you could...well, if you could grant his/her wish to restore them! Jirachi: Hmm...that is not an easy wish to grant, as I don't normally have the power to influence anyone's memory. Partner, downtrodden: ...Oh. Jirachi: ...But, since you and [Player] have worked so hard and one so much...I will make [Player]'s wish come true. Partner, excited: R-really? You'll do that, Jirachi? Jirachi: Yes. And as a personal favor for you saving the world twice over...I'll grant your wish, too, [Partner]. Partner: O-oh! My wish? I didn't even think about it...I was so caught up with [Player]'s that I haven't even considered what I would ask for... Jirachi: It's all right. That you were so concerned for [Player] says a lot about you. You're a good Pokemon, [Partner]. So if you don't have a wish now... Partner: W-wait! I do think I have one, if that's all right! Jirachi: Go on. Partner: We have some friends in the future, and we're not sure if they're okay. We would really like to know if they're all right, Jirachi, if that's at all possible. Jirachi: Hmm...that isn't exactly easier, either, but...it will happen. You'll be able to find out soon if your friends are alive and well, [Player] and [Partner]. It may not happen today, or tomorrow, but...one day. Partner: Thank you, Jirachi! You don't know how much this means to us! Jirachi: I'm glad. Consider it my thanks for your efforts in saving our world.

Jirachi grants the wishes and disappears to go back to sleep. Nothing changes at first, so they worry a little, but partner has hope that Jirachi's word is true.

Hero and partner return home, and during the night while the player is dreaming, the hero starts to have dreams of snippets of their life before—mostly dialogue with some images, like their dimensional scream flashes.

This unlocks a new section, similar to the Special Episodes, of the pre-story—where the aforementioned plot of the player being chosen and deposited into the PMD world occurs.

I think it should focus on the player getting through a first dungeon by themselves to learn combat—and, again, you might wonder 'how in the world would that work, Fisara?' but I say to that: the proliferation of items littering the place.

It never really made sense to me why Pokemon would use items, particularly those for attacks, when they have moves (other than a mechanical sense, of course, for the game's sake), but it would make perfect sense for a human who has no abilities to use them: Gravelrocks/Geo-Pebbles, Sticks/Iron and Silver Thorns, various Seeds and Orbs...the human would not be defenseless, and this would explain why Grovyle uses them with such familiarity, also.

Then the player meets Grovyle (though I'd honestly prefer it if they met him as a Treecko and they 'grew up' together a bit, although other than some magic with the evolutionary spring I don't know how he'd evolve in-lore unless they sought a special item or something. They get connected with the investigation society and—for the main plot of this extension—you and Grovyle explore the Grass Continent as it stands in the corrupted future.

This would give so many opportunities to see how the ecology/environment changes, the names that future Pokemon give the locations, and while it would follow a similar path to the main game it would be a refreshing view of it since this is where all of the hero's flashbacks originate. Having to discover old maps and texts to figure out the locations of the Time Gears, maybe even tracking down Uxie/Mesprit/Azelf if they're still around/haven't been driven mad by the planet's paralysis (maybe Uxie is the only one who remembers since his specialty is in memory, idk). Then we would have the opportunity to introduce the danger that Dusknoir poses, trying to track them down to stop them. I'd also like to see at least some background indications of Darkrai's meddling, because there is so much potential to bring the plot full circle with more exploration.

They would somehow need to be able to travel to the Hidden Land (now, canonically, Dusk Forest) to find Celebi, so I don't know if the Relic Fragment and Lapras would come into play, or if Celebi just travels around the continent (in the case of there being more than one time portal). Anyway, Dusknoir and his Sableye finally almost catch them, Celebi sends them back, and then Grovyle and the hero are attacked during the time stream by Darkrai (which I'd really like to see a glimpse/indication of him, even if he's in the shadows).

Once this is completed, when you go back to the main game (after a day, so the following night), you explain to your partner that you received your memory back and explain everything that happened. They're ecstatic, and they ask you about Grovyle and Celebi and your adventures that you remembered. Then they get a little down, asking if you miss them now, and you're able to respond.

Small time skip (bc this post is already way too long), and one day Celebi shows up at the guild looking for you! She explains that the time portal has been repaired now that time has evened back out, and says that you can come to the future again. The player decides to go, but the partner decides to stay because they belong there, and the player truly belongs in the future. Cue tearful goodbye (pls animate a hug also that'd be great), and player travels to the Hidden Land with Celebi to find it (opening up another section like the memories one so the player can still hang out in the present and do missions and stuff—no obligation to go forward).

They travel back to the future, and while it would hypothetically look the same as the past since the paralysis is gone, I think it'd be great to show the passage of time with the ruins being a little more decayed and overgrown w/ vegetation/etc. Maybe Dialga visits them and bids them hello.

Celebi takes them back to the mainland where the others have settled, maybe Treasure Town but I think it would be nice to see anew settlement instead. Cue tearful reunion with Grovyle (another animated hug pls), but then gasp! Dusknoir's there too!

I want there to be full explanations on how everything's going on—did they form an exploration team? Are they managing their town? How are they adjusting to non-post-apocalyptic life? (With a whole story arc on learning to trust Dusknoir again since he's been redeemed, I will accept no other option, Nintendo. Give me wholesomeness with that old man.) I want them to go on adventures again with the hero and them all be happy. Then I want them to go visit Treasure Town to find out that your partner has become the Guildmaster since Wigglytuff decided to retire/go exploring on his own again (with or without Chatot, maybe depending on how severely his wounds from Kabutops/Omanytes limited his exploration abilities, idk). Wrap it all up in a nice little bow.

I'd love it if you also had the option to return the player to a human or not, too, but I don't really know how you'd execute that other than another wish from Jirachi maybe—but we never really got an explanation on how the player was turned into a human in the first place (which I would absolutely want—did Arceus do it to protect them?), so I think it would potentially work, though I'm sure some people wouldn't be a fan of that idea since being a Pokemon is one of the main premises of the games.

Anyway...you can tell I spent far too much time thinking about this. Feel free to add any more ideas with reblogs or comments, I'd love to hear what y'all think! :)

[dead-dove-product]

CW: Spoilers for Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Series + Movies)

Pokemon teams for the Holy Quintet (help wanted)

This was initially meant to be a fun little thought exercice, but I ended up being really dissatisfied with some of the teams, and wondered if anyone could help? I'd appreciate any assistance given. Thank you 🎀

(Below are the teams I came up with, with Pokemons who don't fit as well as the others in bold.)

Madoka :

Arceus: In the Pokemon universe, Arceus is pretty much a god. It created the universe, created the first Pokemon (Mew) and overall fulfilled a role similar to the one of a deity, which I thought was fitting for Madoka, as she herself becomes a "god" (or at least is referred to as such by Homura).

Audino: Audino is an extremely sensitive Pokemon, able to hear people's emotions, and sense when an egg is about to hatch. This last part, in my eyes, made Audino an extremely interesting Pokemon to give Madoka, as I assume it would be able to sense when a Soul Gem is about to turn into a Grief Seed. Audino's normal form also match Madoka magical girl design, while its mega evolution pairs well with Ultimate Madoka's design.

Another Pokemon that could fulfill a similar role and fit Madoka just as well would be Blissey. Audino or Victini could be switched with Blissey to give Madoka a team more representative of her character.

Decidueye: The only Pokemon I could think of that uses an arrow.

Jirachi: The Wish Pokemon.

Sylveon: The Intertwinning Pokemon. According to its Pokedex entries, Sylveon can't stand fighting, and will use its ribbons to calm fights. Considering how many times Madoka tried to stop fights among her fellow magical girls to take place, Sylveon felt like a logical pick. Additionally, it matches her color scheme and overall them, and it only felt appropriate to give Madoka a Pokemon with ribbons considering the emotional value her little hairbows end up taking (Sylveon's ribbons also remind me of the Incubators' second pair of ears).

Considering that Madoka spends most of the series not as a magical girl, but as a normal girl, considering whether or not to make a wish and what wish could be worth it, Sylveon could be switched with a simpler Eevee. This would allow Mami to get a Sylveon of her own. However, because a lot of Madoka's team is meant to fit her magical girl aesthetic, I do still think Sylveon might be a better pick for her.

Victini: The Victory Pokemon. It doesn't matter how many times Homura had to go back in time for it to finally happen, Madoka finally ended up winning against witches for good. This could be seen as victory (Victini) being on her side.

Other Pokemons that would fit the last spot of her team nicely would be Blissey (mentioned earlier) and Cherrim, the Blossom Pokemon who looks like a Sakura flower, Madoka's motif.

What the current team would look like (a size chart tool was used to make sure the scale used was correct, based on production notes for Madoka and Pokedex entries for her team):

Homura :

Dialga: The Time Pokemon.

Espeon: While Umbreon might seem like a better fit for Homura, both need to reach a certain friendship level to evolve which fits Homura perfectly considering that Madoka was her only friend, and this is what motivated her to go back in time to save her in the first place. What makes Espeon a better fit than Umbreon in my eyes (on top of its Psychic type which makes sense for Homura) is how much of its Pokedex entries actually focus on its unwavering loyality to its trainer. One of said Pokedex entries even says that Espeon developped precognitive powers in order to keep its trainer from harm which perfectly parallels the relation between Homura and Madoka.

Espurr: Espurr might look stoic and expressionless, but according to the Pokedex, an Espurr is constantly franticly fighting to keep its own psychic powers contained. It not only mirrors Homura's behavior throughout the series/ first 2 movies really well, it can also mirror her struggle to keep her Witch form contained at the end of the Rebellion movie.

Iron Valiant: Iron Valiant is the Paradox form of Gardevoir/Gallade (it's from the future).

I considered giving it to Kyoko due to its appearance and the fact it has a spear, but ended up deciding against, considering Homura having a Paradox Pokemon made more sense in my eyes.

Gardevoir: To protect its Trainer, it will expend all its psychic power to create a small black hole. Additionally, like most of Homura's team, it can see the future. Need I say more?

Xatu: Xatu is said to be able to see the future without ever being able to change it, which is a fate shared by Homura in the previous timelines, as she tried to change things without ever managing to change the final outcome.

Overall, I think Homura's team might be the most accurate to her character out of all the girls. This is what the current team looks like (same as Madoka, I used a comparative chart tool to determine their sizes, but I had to size Dialga down a little, otherwise you wouldn't be able to see Espurr at all):

Mami :

Blastoise: The only Pokemon I could think of with "guns".

Leavanny: Leavanny is a Pokemon with motherly instincts, that seems to enjoy taking care of smaller Pokemons, similarly to how Mami seems to enjoy taking care of younger magical girls. It is a Pokemon who makes clothes for younger Pokemons, and in the Rebellion movie, Mami made Bebe's clothes by hand. Leavanny also has a gentle dispositions, safe for when you attack younger Pokemons (which, once again, is reminiscent of Mami).

Ribombee: Ribombee just... Looks like Mami. That's all the reason there is, they just work so well together.

Cinccino: Considering I gave Madoka a Sylveon, I couldn't give Mami one as well, so I decided Cinccino would have to do ribbon wise. Cincinno's furr also defflect attacks and is remarkably soft, but unfortunately, this is a pretty weak argumentation.

Any member of Flabébé's evolutionary line could easily replace Cinccino, as they have access to Vine Whip which could serve as a sort of substitute for Mami's ribbons. They also have a flower motif, like Mami herself (transformation scene + Soul Gem).

Polteageist: Mami serves tea to Madoka and Sayaka upon meeting them, so I guess a tea Pokemon could make sense?

If you have any suggestion for a Pokemon to replace Polteageist, I'm listening, it is far from a perfect fit for Mami.

Slurpuff: Charlotte/Bebe/Nagisa is the Dessert Witch, and in the Rebellion movie, her and Mami are very close. It makes sense for Mami to at least have a Pokemon reflecting this.

Other Pokemons that could fit this idea would be Tandemaus, which could serve as a reference to Charlotte's familiars, Banette, who vaguely ressemble Bebe, or Hatenna for the same reasons.

Once again, here's how the team look:

Sayaka :

Alomomola: To my knowledge, Alomomola is the only Water type Pokemon with the Healer ability, and I really wanted Sayaka to have a Water team. According to the Pokedex, Alomomola is also covered by a special membrane that heals other Pokemon, and it likes to heal the weakened. Considering Sayaka's wish, I thought it made sense.

Another ability that would fit Sayaka would be Water Absorb, which is an ability Pokemons like Vaporeon or Quagsire can get, and either would fit Sayaka's team.

Gallade: Gallade has a sort of knight theme going on, with his Mega Evolution even getting a cape, like Sayaka.

Keldeo: Keldeo as a Pokemon reflects Sayaka's journey fairly well. To get to its resolute form, Keldeo is said to need to endure hardship, but before that, Keldeo is described as an enthusiastic learner. Once in its resolute form, the description (in Sword and Shield) are more focused around how strong it now is, which reminds me of how Sayaka viewed herself: at first excited to become a magical girl, then a little less, then not at all, she only saw it as a duty and completely drowned herself in it, and I think Keldeo is a good Pokemon to reflect that.

Primarina: Primarina reminds me of Oktavia, with the music theme and mermaid tail.

Samurott: Another Pokemon with swords, who protects order and is insistent on rules being followed.

Kingdra: I just needed a last Pokemon for Sayaka

Both Kingdra and Samurott could and probably should be changed, however I don't really know what to put in their respectives places. Any recommendation or direction would be appreciated.

Kyoko :

Blaziken: A Pokemon with powerful legs, and blazing punches, because I couldn't think of a Pokemon with a spear.

Pokemons holding a spear or with spear related moves could and probably should replace Blaziken.

Garchomp: While I couldn't think of a Pokemon with spears, Mega Garchomp has scythe like wings. It's also a Pokemon who is said to hunt (and thus eat) a lot, and who tends to have a feral nature. Some media describes that a strong bond with the Pokémon and their trainer is needed to Mega Evolve, so I think her having a somewhat feral/distrustful Pokemon to get along with would be the kind of challenge she'd enjoy for some reason.

Morpeko: A constantly hungry Pokemon, who WILL become mad if hungry, which I thought was fitting.

Rapidash: Rapidash is canonically a competitive, brave and proud Pokemon with a fiery temperament. That sounds a lot like Kyoko (to me at least).

Volcanion: A Fire-Water type Pokemon, to symbolize her relationship with Sayaka. It's also a Pokemon that self isolates.

Volcarona: The Sun Pokemon (at least one of them). Considering how many cultures associate the sun with divinity, and that Volcarona, in Pokemon, was depicted as a deity of fire, I think it fits her backstory. On top of that, some people think Volcarona scatters burning scales to start fire, while others think it's to rescue those suffering from the cold. Considering Kyoko's view on helping others and how this is reflected in her actions, I think Volcarona is a great fit for her: you can't be sure of its intentions, all you can observe is how it acts. Similarly, while Kyoko hunts witches, you can't be 100% sure of the reason why, because despite her words, she doesn't act like she doesn't care about others.

Sorry if this was a (especially) long post, and thank you to anyone who reads and/or has suggestions to help improve their teams.

[astrocassette]

fuck it i'm reposting milo's ref sheet to add a little bio + full story summary

milo elloway (they/he)

a casual trainer who works at a quilt shop in nimbasa

a pretty lighthearted + easygoing guy, on the quiet side + shy, but is also goofy + enjoys making people laugh. they can be awkward at times, but try to make up for it with politeness + sincerity

❤️: hard rock + metal, quilting + sewing, horror fiction, rpgs, casual battling, retro aesthetics

❌: driving, cooking, large bodies of water, waking up early, bitter foods, the competitive circuit

more notes can be found on their toyhouse profile

and now, story summary under the cut

so!

as it says, milo's originally from (an) earth! they fell asleep on the metro on their way back home from visiting friends, and woke up on the nimbasa subway. the earth they're from doesn't have pokemon, even as a franchise, so they've got NO idea wtf is going on

ingo + emmet find them incredibly confused + speaking no known language with a phone map that doesn't match the world, rightly figure maybe dimensional shenanigans are about, and take them to the interpol. while a case is opened up for milo, the nimbasa trio adopts them as a sort of interdimensional exchange student, showing them around, and then helping them get their footing in the pokemon world when the interpol isn't able to find a way to get them back home.

milo has to grapple with the language barrier (learning galarian from scratch) and culture shock for a while, plus mounting guilt as they slowly realize they prefer the pokemon world to their earth, but have no way to let their loved ones know what happened and that they're okay (they eventually come to terms with it, but it takes a couple years)

in between language lessons, they hang out a lot with new friends (the nimbasa trio + a whole host of ocs i am slowly drawing), and pretty much everyone encourages them to give training a try. so they do! they do their own little gym run, and earn a few badges before tapping out and heading back to nimbasa, content with being a mid-strength trainer.

as they get further settled in, they pick quilting back up, and after showing a few projects to the local quilt shop, get hired there! they make friends with many old ladies + the shop sewaddle and gain a reputation amongst the regulars for having a good color sense.

there's a good stretch of just peaceful life for them, happily working, getting to know ingo + emmet + elesa + various ocs better as their language skills improve, and traveling around the region in their spare time. they even nearly start building a romance with ingo, but this gets interrupted when the interpol find another person from earth in hoenn, and milo ventures abroad to meet them + see the region! they extend the trip to see a little bit of johto, but that gets cut short when ingo goes missing.

it takes over a year, but milo + emmet manage to get to hisui with the help of a celebi, and are able to find ingo! but, arceus is miffed at their meddling and removes celebi from the premises, stranding the three of them in the past for a couple years. during this time, the events of legends arceus happen, with milo + emmet joining ingo as npcs. ingo does what he does in canon, emmet helps laventon with the pokedex + manages the training grounds with ingo, and milo apprentices at the clothier's in jubilife!

i'm still working out how the three of them factor into the canon storyline of pla and how big a role i want them to play, but they for sure join the wider party of people supporting akari. and, post-rift-fixing, milo does get together with ingo :]

that's everything i've written out so far (my document is so fucking big. this is as concise a post as i could make it lmao), but i'm considering bringing in elesa with jirachi for the post-game of pla, and i do intend to get everyone back to the future

if you read all this, god damn, i appreciate it!! if you found this interesting and want more, here's the tag i've got going for this au!

[book-of-legends]

( @gholdengodaily ) Mac @ Sirius: "Sorry for the intrusion, couldn't help but over hear your talk about this 'Universe Gate', stuff and I gotta say, you've got me curious. Why were these universe gates made to begin with? These a new thing 'round here, or've they existed for awhile?"

"It's a pleasure to finally speak of something I've studied so extensively, Well... to someone who's actually interested in it, unlike that butterfly creature." "I enjoy questions, after all, I wanted to become a university professor and I was going to become one, but unfortunately, the stars had other plans for me."

"As for your inquiry, the universe gates are not new. They're very old, older than me, perhaps... even older than my mother, Lunala. That is to say, they're hundreds and thousands of years old." "They were created during the deity war. I believe during that time Lunala and Solgaleo didn't have their own realm yet. They were merely stardust wandering within Xerneas' own Realm. Please do not quote me on that however, I'm an engineer, not a historian. From what I was taught, they were created so Arceus could wage war on the other gods."

"As the story was told to me... Arceus, The Creator and God of All was quite upset their creations began, well... creating. At first, it was The God of Distortions, Arceus's banished kin who upset them. They had created the gods Xerneas and Yveltal to rule the soul realms. But then from there, those two gods further gave life to their own creations, the minor, sub and demi deities that rule us today." "Arceus was isolated in the God Realm at the time, they knew not of this and when they found out it sent them into a rage. Because of those two giving life to new deities, their title was no longer 'The Creator' that belonged to Xerenas and Yveltal. Instead of accepting this, it chose to wage war on the other gods, and well That was the start of the deity war." Journey quickly butted in at the mention of Arceus, "Seer, you're telling it all wrong! That's not what happened!" They huffed. "I should know because I was actually there, unlike your dumb nerd books and mom."

"The Deity War was a dumb war between BOTH the gods and the mortals!! It was the gods and their magic users! Arceus only asked me to create the portals because of that! You know!"

"So they ordered a meeting between the major deities, them, and me of course. Because I'm way more special to them than both the mew and... whatever their name was. I got to watch the whole thing!"

"I think I did too good of a job because after I showed them..."

"Guess they didn't need me anymore..." Journey's smile quickly shifted into an annoyed look. "I dunno why! I was like the best demi-deity any god could ask for! I always did what Arceus told me, I always created what they wanted me to. I was perfect! Ugh." They crossed their arms. "Sometimes I wanna go back to the God Realm, but Lunala said I live here now because... 'Your god didn't actually care about you Journey, Blah blah blah!' Yeah, yeah! Sure. If they didn't care why was I super important to them! Hm!?" Sirius gave the Hoopa a look of pity and concern, they didn't seem to care or notice.

→ Journey appears to hold Arceus in high regards? For some reason?

[ Ask from @gholdengodaily & @borealis-siblings ]

[genesisgijinka]

Hiya, did you miss me? Because I have returned to suck out more world building from your brain.

Question 1: Egg.

I am almost certain about what the answer will be, but I'm gonna ask it anyways.

Where do the pokébabies come from? Do they follow the same rules as our world?

Question 2: What's Arceus' IQ (the answer is "yes")

This is kind of a follow up to my Pokéspeak question. In its answer, you spoke about Red's Alakazam, Pythagoras, being able to use sign language. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that that was inspired by Washoe the Chimpanzee. WIth most of Red's mons knowing some sign language.

Relevant Exposition: Pokemon in the anime are mostly at a level of intelligence/demeanor where you could genuinely model swap them with a human and have there be no difference and vice versa (like what you did with your April Fool's post) the prime example is this one [IMAGE-ID: A snapshot from the first season of the pokemon anime. In the scene, an Eevee is seen holding a cup of what looks like juice.]

The question: Is this level of pokemon intelligence/demeanor still present in your world, and if so, where would the line be drawn between human/gijinka-replaceable and actual animal.

Question 3: Programing.

This one is a simple question with a less than simple answer.

How do Game mechanics like Base Power, PP, EV's, IV's, Base stats, Accuracy, and Most importantly: Stat Boosts work in genesis?

Question 1: Eggs Yeah, the whole egg thing I'm throwing out the window as a game mechanic designed to avoid having to explain the birds and the bees in a video game that's marketed at children. If it lays an egg in our world, it still lays an egg. But if there's live birth here, then it's live birth in the world of Genesis.

this now brings to mind, do the people in pokemon games have eggs suddenly appear too?

Question 2: Pokemon Intelligence and Language It varies a little bit on the pokemon individual, tbh. Some are better at picking certain things up than others.

I've heard of several instances of not just our great ape cousins learning to speak sign language, but also some species birds and I think there was a whale that figured out human speech? But that last one might have been more mimicry than actual language comprehension and also brings in the physical capabilities of each pokemon species and their ability to transcend the pokemon/human language barriers. I've also seen several videos of people with big mats covered in buttons for their pets to convey wants and needs to their owners, which the pets do use!

As for swapping out pokemon for people level of swap, the answer is not quite. The April Fool's joke page was just that; a joke. I mostly ignore the anime bc I was not allowed to watch it growing up, plus there's a lot of weird things that don't follow the game rules. But for a long time, as we've underestimated the intelligence of animals in our world, so too have people underestimated the intelligence of pokemon and it's a widely studied subject nowadays.

Question 3: Programming I'm going to be honest, the most I understood about things like EVs and IVs is that number go and number go up when level up. I'm a competitive player's nightmare in that no matter how many times I've tried to learn what these things do, it will not stick in my brain so I'm just, ignoring it in Genesis :'D

As for some of the other stuff, I've actually shown PP running out in comic before:

and Aiden running out of PP is also why he passed out during the battle with the champion squad, ending that fight (iirc I did run him out of moves in-game and he was using Struggle)

For stat boosts, it kind of depends on what I narratively need to happen. We've seen 2 kinds of Barrier; the glowing sheets that Aiden uses, and the blue bubbles that Prime uses (the differences are mostly personal preference). They're physical barriers that block attacks.

Some other instances of stat boosts we've seen are

Light screen

String shot

Will-o-wisp

Me First

Calm mind

and a few others scattered throughout the comic. I mostly go with the in-game text that explains what the move does and find a way to translate it into a visual representation, to show the readers that something happened.