Do keep in mind that Clefairy, as well as several Pokemon from early in development (mostly first-stage Pokemon with early places in the internal ID list, such as Spearow or Voltorb) were bigger. As I said though, it was likely changed to be Clefable's shadow later on in development, when several Pokemon were getting evolutions and subsequently got a decrease in size.
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Do keep in mind that Clefairy, as well as several Pokemon from early in development (mostly first-stage Pokemon with early places in the internal ID list, such as Spearow or Voltorb) were bigger. As I said though, it was likely changed to be Clefable's shadow later on in development, when several Pokemon were getting evolutions and subsequently got a decrease in size.
Well, I'm certainly late replying to this. With Dexit, I can almost guarantee we won't be seeing Ash-Greninja for a while, if at all.
Speaking of which, It’ll be interesting if there’s any sort of in-game explanation or reasoning why not all Pokémon are allowed in the region. I could understand megas and z moves not being allowed, to an extent, but not Pokémon really. I doubt there will be any answers, but I can hope lol. It’ll probably just be ignored, but it’s a pretty big thing to ignore. Can’t wait for this thread to burst back to life (hopefully) with the next release.
I don't think it makes any sense to address it. After all, there's no explanation as to why no Pokémon from Gen 5-7 have been in Sinnoh in-game. The reason of course is simply that they didn't exist, but it can be assumed that in this timeline in the Galar region, the Pokémon who aren't in the game also just don't exist.
Not surprising. I kind of hope vanilla Greninja is available, but I'm not holding my breath for starters not from Kanto being present in Galar, outside of its own set.
Maybe, or just aren't mentioned in Sword and Shield. For all we know, there will be another game or set of games taking place in Galar that include all of the Pokemon in their data, which could be used as a major selling point like how move tutors are torn out of each new generation only to be added back in later.
At most my guess would be that, if you try to select a Pokemon that's not in the Galar dex, it'll say "The Pokemon for some reason refused to be sent to Galar".
However I doubt that. Considering how badly this went they'd probably not try to not mention it as much as possible. Either a Pokemon not in the Galar dex won't at all be selectable or it'll just give a generic "This Pokemon is not found in Galar, please choose another".
So, I and Detective Barricade got into argument concerning Necrozma's fused forms on the "(Little) Things That Annoy You" thread. Detective Barricade suggested we bring this over to this thread as it can be seen more as a mystery. And so I present to you this question:
Do you believe that, when Necrozma fuses with either Solgaleo or Lunala, it's forcing them into their powered-up states?
(Base Form - Powered-Up State - Fused with Necrozma)
For those needing more information, both Solgaleo and Lunala have a powered-up state they enter whenever they either use their Signature Move or are travelling through Ultra Space. In this powered-up state their bodies glow and their color scheme slightly changes to reflect they're now glowing.
In order for Necrozma to become "complete", it needs to fuse with Solgaleo or Lunala via attaching its crystal body parts to them to absorb their light. In doing so Solgaleo's and Lunala's start glowing and their color scheme slightly changes to reflect they're now glowing.
HOWEVER, the color changes are not consistent between the powered-up state and forced Necrozma fusion as you can see above. While Solgaleo looks the most similar, the yellow details on its power-up state is more orange in the Necrozma fusion form. Lunala has a lot more different about it, the yellow edges & cyan wings on its powered-up state is now cyan and pale blue, respectively, in the Necrozma fusion form.
So, back to the main question, did Necrozma force them into their powered-up state when it fuses with them or is this something else?
In agreement it's the powered-up state: Even though they are differently colored the colors are still similar enough and they're glowing. It could be that Necrozma draining the light from their powered-up state is causing difference in colors but it's still the powered-up state.
In disagreement it's the powered-up state: The different colors indicate two different things are happening thus two different states. When powered-up they're radiating light in order to use in attacks or create a protective aura when travelling through Ultra Space. When Necrozma is fused with them the light is being drained into the armor instead of radiating out which is making their colors more dim & less pastel in appearance.
So, what do you say?
Do you believe that, when Necrozma fuses with either Solgaleo or Lunala, it's forcing them into their powered-up states?
(Base Form - Powered-Up State - Fused with Necrozma)
For those needing more information, both Solgaleo and Lunala have a powered-up state they enter whenever they either use their Signature Move or are travelling through Ultra Space. In this powered-up state their bodies glow and their color scheme slightly changes to reflect they're now glowing.
In order for Necrozma to become "complete", it needs to fuse with Solgaleo or Lunala via attaching its crystal body parts to them to absorb their light. In doing so Solgaleo's and Lunala's start glowing and their color scheme slightly changes to reflect they're now glowing.
HOWEVER, the color changes are not consistent between the powered-up state and forced Necrozma fusion as you can see above. While Solgaleo looks the most similar, the yellow details on its power-up state is more orange in the Necrozma fusion form. Lunala has a lot more different about it, the yellow edges & cyan wings on its powered-up state is now cyan and pale blue, respectively, in the Necrozma fusion form.
So, back to the main question, did Necrozma force them into their powered-up state when it fuses with them or is this something else?
In agreement it's the powered-up state: Even though they are differently colored the colors are still similar enough and they're glowing. It could be that Necrozma draining the light from their powered-up state is causing difference in colors but it's still the powered-up state.
In disagreement it's the powered-up state: The different colors indicate two different things are happening thus two different states. When powered-up they're radiating light in order to use in attacks or create a protective aura when travelling through Ultra Space. When Necrozma is fused with them the light is being drained into the armor instead of radiating out which is making their colors more dim & less pastel in appearance.
So, what do you say?
Or it could be a projection of their forms once Necrozma fuses with them, given there's no trace of either Solgaleo or Lunala whenever Necrozma undergoes Ultra Burst and assumes its true form. (which even that seems like a projection from its previously black parts)So, I and Detective Barricade got into argument concerning Necrozma's fused forms on the "(Little) Things That Annoy You" thread. Detective Barricade suggested we bring this over to this thread as it can be seen more as a mystery. And so I present to you this question:
Do you believe that, when Necrozma fuses with either Solgaleo or Lunala, it's forcing them into their powered-up states?
(Base Form - Powered-Up State - Fused with Necrozma)
For those needing more information, both Solgaleo and Lunala have a powered-up state they enter whenever they either use their Signature Move or are travelling through Ultra Space. In this powered-up state their bodies glow and their color scheme slightly changes to reflect they're now glowing.
In order for Necrozma to become "complete", it needs to fuse with Solgaleo or Lunala via attaching its crystal body parts to them to absorb their light. In doing so Solgaleo's and Lunala's start glowing and their color scheme slightly changes to reflect they're now glowing.
HOWEVER, the color changes are not consistent between the powered-up state and forced Necrozma fusion as you can see above. While Solgaleo looks the most similar, the yellow details on its power-up state is more orange in the Necrozma fusion form. Lunala has a lot more different about it, the yellow edges & cyan wings on its powered-up state is now cyan and pale blue, respectively, in the Necrozma fusion form.
So, back to the main question, did Necrozma force them into their powered-up state when it fuses with them or is this something else?
In agreement it's the powered-up state: Even though they are differently colored the colors are still similar enough and they're glowing. It could be that Necrozma draining the light from their powered-up state is causing difference in colors but it's still the powered-up state.
In disagreement it's the powered-up state: The different colors indicate two different things are happening thus two different states. When powered-up they're radiating light in order to use in attacks or create a protective aura when travelling through Ultra Space. When Necrozma is fused with them the light is being drained into the armor instead of radiating out which is making their colors more dim & less pastel in appearance.
So, what do you say?
Let's also not forget that Necrozma LITERALLY inserts its multicolored prism-like "brain" into where Solgaleo/Lunala's "third eye" appears when their Radiant Sun/Full Moon Phase activate.
I assume that Necrozma operates as a mutualist organism. That is to say that when it takes over the body of Solgaleo/Lunala while attempting to strengthen itself via light consumption, it also makes the host/partner/whatever more powerful, which is why its body takes on the glowing aspect. I liken it to Venom, where the "host" becomes more powerful but the "parasite" also draws strength from it. End of analogy here. Then with the Z crystal it becomes strong enough to take on its original form (Ultra Necrozma) and sustain itself after that.
Baically, yes, I believe it forces them into a more powerful state, as indicated by the color change, but in doing so, Necrozma is able to feed off of their light more. I wish the lore expanded on this because I really have no clue about any of the Necrozma story aside from whatever half-baked, low-information dialogue appears in USUM.
Baically, yes, I believe it forces them into a more powerful state, as indicated by the color change, but in doing so, Necrozma is able to feed off of their light more. I wish the lore expanded on this because I really have no clue about any of the Necrozma story aside from whatever half-baked, low-information dialogue appears in USUM.
So, I and Detective Barricade got into argument concerning Necrozma's fused forms on the "(Little) Things That Annoy You" thread. Detective Barricade suggested we bring this over to this thread as it can be seen more as a mystery. And so I present to you this question:
Do you believe that, when Necrozma fuses with either Solgaleo or Lunala, it's forcing them into their powered-up states?
(Base Form - Powered-Up State - Fused with Necrozma)
For those needing more information, both Solgaleo and Lunala have a powered-up state they enter whenever they either use their Signature Move or are travelling through Ultra Space. In this powered-up state their bodies glow and their color scheme slightly changes to reflect they're now glowing.
In order for Necrozma to become "complete", it needs to fuse with Solgaleo or Lunala via attaching its crystal body parts to them to absorb their light. In doing so Solgaleo's and Lunala's start glowing and their color scheme slightly changes to reflect they're now glowing.
HOWEVER, the color changes are not consistent between the powered-up state and forced Necrozma fusion as you can see above. While Solgaleo looks the most similar, the yellow details on its power-up state is more orange in the Necrozma fusion form. Lunala has a lot more different about it, the yellow edges & cyan wings on its powered-up state is now cyan and pale blue, respectively, in the Necrozma fusion form.
So, back to the main question, did Necrozma force them into their powered-up state when it fuses with them or is this something else?
In agreement it's the powered-up state: Even though they are differently colored the colors are still similar enough and they're glowing. It could be that Necrozma draining the light from their powered-up state is causing difference in colors but it's still the powered-up state.
In disagreement it's the powered-up state: The different colors indicate two different things are happening thus two different states. When powered-up they're radiating light in order to use in attacks or create a protective aura when travelling through Ultra Space. When Necrozma is fused with them the light is being drained into the armor instead of radiating out which is making their colors more dim & less pastel in appearance.
So, what do you say?
I’d agree that they’re in their powered up state when used by Necrozma. If we’re going by visuals, I would say that the “powered up” color scheme is supposed to be what we’re seeing in the fused forms, it just may look off because the only visuals we have of the in-fused powered up form is some concept art, not any ingame models, so I’d chalk it down to just difficultly of nailing the effect the art exudes in the actual game model itself. It’s probably intended to be the exact powered up form, it’s just a little off when compared to the art. This would not be the first time it translated less then perfectly-_-
Edit: I love mysteries but I feel like in this case it’s just more of a “game mechanic” explanation if we’re basing it off coloring. As for a lore explanation, I think it makes a lot of sense Necrozma would use their powered up forms.
Except the colors are still off either way, even with the in-game models.
A new mystery I happened across!
In USUM, if you showed Shigeki Morimoto in the GF Offices a Piloswine he'll say this:
In addition to revealing he designed Piloswine (as well as Shuckle, though only trivia he gives on it was it making Berries into Berry Juice in Gold & Silver), he also revealed that, in the eyes of GameFreak, the creation of Piloswine meant every animal in the Chinese Zodiac had a Pokemon equivalent.
Now we all know about the theory that GF are basing the Fire-type Starters on the Chinese Zodiac which has evidence both supporting and denying it. I bring this up because one thing people use to disprove it is that Cyndaquil and Fennekin don't quite fit with this theory though a counter argument to that is Pokemon take artistic liberties about what Pokemon represents what animal and they often do "close enough", so Cyndaquil represents the mouse (even though its a hodgepodge of animals such as echidnas, shrews, and badgers; though its called the "Fire Mouse" Pokemon) and Fennekin represents the dog (even though its a (fennec) fox, but foxes are canids like dogs). I feel that last point is worth mentioning as, going through the Gen I & II Pokemon looking for the Chinese Zodiac, there are some you need to take with a squint. So, let's get to it:
Rat: Easy enough, Ratatta and Raticate. Maybe Pikachu if you count it being a cousin rodent, the mouse.
Ox: While not an exact match, Tauros is a bovid similar to an ox. Should be noted that in some places the Ox is replaced by a Cow, which not only fits Tauros (bulls are male cows) but also Miltank if it was created at that point.
Tiger: Here is where things get tricky. Gen II does have a "tiger" Pokemon, the sabertooth tiger Legendary Raikou. This would be interesting as that means Raikou was created before Piloswine. But could there possibly be another Pokemon which may not be so direct? Possibly two. First, if they just focused on any feline, than Persian could be an option. While not a tiger, and more like a house cat, it is a more fiercer looking cat that could take some traits fro jungle cats like tigers. Second, if its the appearance of a tiger they focused on, than it could be Arcanine. Arcanine is based on the Legendary creature the Shisha which is a combination of dogs, lions, and tigers. Though if it is Arcanine that means Arcanine can't be the representative for the dog (not that animal doesn't have other good options).
Rabbit: Another tough one. We don't exactly have a rabbit like Buneary or Bunnelby just yet. One possible choice is Nidoran or Nidorino/Nidorina. Its easy to overlook because of their final stages but they do have the general shape and long ears of a rabbit. Another possibility is Azumarill. While Marill looks more like a mouse, when it evolves its ears grow long like a rabbit (and it's also called the "Aqua Rabbit" Pokemon).
Dragon: Now I know what you're thinking: Dragonite, or maybe even Charizard. But let's remember what a Chinese dragon looks like, it's more of a serpent. So Dragonair? Not a bad choice either, but the Asian dragons all look much fiercer. A fierce looking serpent, ring any bells? Gyarados! Gyarados is based on the tale of carps jumping over a waterfall and turning into a dragon (and it was supposed to be a Water/Dragon-type).
Snake: Ekans and Arbok, next!
Horse: Ponyta and Rapidash, next!
Goat/Sheep: In case you're wondering, the original word for the animal in this position was one that was used for goat and sheep. It depends on the culture which of the two animal is represented. In Japan its the sheep so we'll go with that and there's an easy choice there: Mareep. The closest Pokemon I can think for a goat is maybe the Abra family though that's even a stretch and probably not what they were going for.
Monkey: Mankey, Primeape (though it doesn't have a tail) or Aipom, any of the three can work just fine here.
Rooster: And the last one which there's really no ideal choice. Starting I guess with the most obvious, in the first episode of the anime a Dodrio was seen crowing at the crack of dawn like a rooster does. But there are still other bird Pokemon. Roosters are well known for their comb and wattle and there's only one Pokemon that has a similar body structure: Fearow. But there's also a very strong case for Ho-Oh being the rooster, and not just cause its crest looks like a comb. Ho-Oh is based on the Chinese Phoenix, the Fenghuang. Though the Fenghuang is often presented as looking like a peacock, it's also called the "August Rooster" as it sometimes takes the place of the rooster on the, you guessed it, Chinese zodiac. FUN FACT: The Fenghuang used to be separated into males being called Feng and females being called Huang, however they eventually combined into a single female creature so they can be the counterpart to the male regarded Chinese dragon (so Gyarados is the opposite of Ho-Oh).
Dog: I would say Growlithe and Arcanine, but let's say that Arcanine was the actual representation for Tiger, what other Pokemon could be the dog? Well, Growlithe is still free but let's keep it one family per animal. Other dog Pokemon at this time were Snubbull, Granbull, Houndour, Houndoom, and Smeargle (we won't get into the other Legendary Beasts, Raikou being a sabertooth tiger seems to be one of the few things agreed about the group). Yeah, Gen II introduced 5 dog based Pokemon. If I were to pick one I'd pick either Houndour or Houndoom since they're still quadrupeds.
Pig: No mystery here, Piloswine. Though that makes me wonder, does that mean Swinub was designed later?
So, what do you think? A Gen II Chinese zodiac of Rattata, Tauros, Raikou, Azumarill, Gyarados, Ekans, Rapidash, Mareep, Aipom, Ho-Oh, Growlithe, and Piloswine looks fine to me!
In USUM, if you showed Shigeki Morimoto in the GF Offices a Piloswine he'll say this:
In addition to revealing he designed Piloswine (as well as Shuckle, though only trivia he gives on it was it making Berries into Berry Juice in Gold & Silver), he also revealed that, in the eyes of GameFreak, the creation of Piloswine meant every animal in the Chinese Zodiac had a Pokemon equivalent.
Now we all know about the theory that GF are basing the Fire-type Starters on the Chinese Zodiac which has evidence both supporting and denying it. I bring this up because one thing people use to disprove it is that Cyndaquil and Fennekin don't quite fit with this theory though a counter argument to that is Pokemon take artistic liberties about what Pokemon represents what animal and they often do "close enough", so Cyndaquil represents the mouse (even though its a hodgepodge of animals such as echidnas, shrews, and badgers; though its called the "Fire Mouse" Pokemon) and Fennekin represents the dog (even though its a (fennec) fox, but foxes are canids like dogs). I feel that last point is worth mentioning as, going through the Gen I & II Pokemon looking for the Chinese Zodiac, there are some you need to take with a squint. So, let's get to it:
Rat: Easy enough, Ratatta and Raticate. Maybe Pikachu if you count it being a cousin rodent, the mouse.
Ox: While not an exact match, Tauros is a bovid similar to an ox. Should be noted that in some places the Ox is replaced by a Cow, which not only fits Tauros (bulls are male cows) but also Miltank if it was created at that point.
Tiger: Here is where things get tricky. Gen II does have a "tiger" Pokemon, the sabertooth tiger Legendary Raikou. This would be interesting as that means Raikou was created before Piloswine. But could there possibly be another Pokemon which may not be so direct? Possibly two. First, if they just focused on any feline, than Persian could be an option. While not a tiger, and more like a house cat, it is a more fiercer looking cat that could take some traits fro jungle cats like tigers. Second, if its the appearance of a tiger they focused on, than it could be Arcanine. Arcanine is based on the Legendary creature the Shisha which is a combination of dogs, lions, and tigers. Though if it is Arcanine that means Arcanine can't be the representative for the dog (not that animal doesn't have other good options).
Rabbit: Another tough one. We don't exactly have a rabbit like Buneary or Bunnelby just yet. One possible choice is Nidoran or Nidorino/Nidorina. Its easy to overlook because of their final stages but they do have the general shape and long ears of a rabbit. Another possibility is Azumarill. While Marill looks more like a mouse, when it evolves its ears grow long like a rabbit (and it's also called the "Aqua Rabbit" Pokemon).
Dragon: Now I know what you're thinking: Dragonite, or maybe even Charizard. But let's remember what a Chinese dragon looks like, it's more of a serpent. So Dragonair? Not a bad choice either, but the Asian dragons all look much fiercer. A fierce looking serpent, ring any bells? Gyarados! Gyarados is based on the tale of carps jumping over a waterfall and turning into a dragon (and it was supposed to be a Water/Dragon-type).
Snake: Ekans and Arbok, next!
Horse: Ponyta and Rapidash, next!
Goat/Sheep: In case you're wondering, the original word for the animal in this position was one that was used for goat and sheep. It depends on the culture which of the two animal is represented. In Japan its the sheep so we'll go with that and there's an easy choice there: Mareep. The closest Pokemon I can think for a goat is maybe the Abra family though that's even a stretch and probably not what they were going for.
Monkey: Mankey, Primeape (though it doesn't have a tail) or Aipom, any of the three can work just fine here.
Rooster: And the last one which there's really no ideal choice. Starting I guess with the most obvious, in the first episode of the anime a Dodrio was seen crowing at the crack of dawn like a rooster does. But there are still other bird Pokemon. Roosters are well known for their comb and wattle and there's only one Pokemon that has a similar body structure: Fearow. But there's also a very strong case for Ho-Oh being the rooster, and not just cause its crest looks like a comb. Ho-Oh is based on the Chinese Phoenix, the Fenghuang. Though the Fenghuang is often presented as looking like a peacock, it's also called the "August Rooster" as it sometimes takes the place of the rooster on the, you guessed it, Chinese zodiac. FUN FACT: The Fenghuang used to be separated into males being called Feng and females being called Huang, however they eventually combined into a single female creature so they can be the counterpart to the male regarded Chinese dragon (so Gyarados is the opposite of Ho-Oh).
Dog: I would say Growlithe and Arcanine, but let's say that Arcanine was the actual representation for Tiger, what other Pokemon could be the dog? Well, Growlithe is still free but let's keep it one family per animal. Other dog Pokemon at this time were Snubbull, Granbull, Houndour, Houndoom, and Smeargle (we won't get into the other Legendary Beasts, Raikou being a sabertooth tiger seems to be one of the few things agreed about the group). Yeah, Gen II introduced 5 dog based Pokemon. If I were to pick one I'd pick either Houndour or Houndoom since they're still quadrupeds.
Pig: No mystery here, Piloswine. Though that makes me wonder, does that mean Swinub was designed later?
So, what do you think? A Gen II Chinese zodiac of Rattata, Tauros, Raikou, Azumarill, Gyarados, Ekans, Rapidash, Mareep, Aipom, Ho-Oh, Growlithe, and Piloswine looks fine to me!
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We've done this conversation before, don't you remember? You even liked it then, do you not like it anymore? DO YOU EVEN REMEMBER ME?!
From page 108 on January 2018:
Melodrama aside we at least have solved the mystery of the Tiger, as the 2019 Pokemon Go Year of the Pig celebration revealed that Electabuzz of all 'mons is considered a tiger.
The reasoning comes from Japanese legends regarding the Oni, who are sometimes depicted wearing tiger skins and are gods of lightning and thunder. Electabuzz is based on an Oni, so I guess they are grasping at straws with the tiger fur.
One caveat though is that Spoink, Torchic, Poochyena, and Buneary are subbing for the other zodiac spots, so it seems Ninatic thinks Gamefreak is full of it by suggesting Ho-oh is a rooster (or the more likely reason that they didn't want Ho-oh swarms in the game).
From page 108 on January 2018:
Melodrama aside we at least have solved the mystery of the Tiger, as the 2019 Pokemon Go Year of the Pig celebration revealed that Electabuzz of all 'mons is considered a tiger.
The reasoning comes from Japanese legends regarding the Oni, who are sometimes depicted wearing tiger skins and are gods of lightning and thunder. Electabuzz is based on an Oni, so I guess they are grasping at straws with the tiger fur.
One caveat though is that Spoink, Torchic, Poochyena, and Buneary are subbing for the other zodiac spots, so it seems Ninatic thinks Gamefreak is full of it by suggesting Ho-oh is a rooster (or the more likely reason that they didn't want Ho-oh swarms in the game).
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Oops, sorry!
Hmm, while you're not wrong about Electabuzz's connection with tigers, at the same time I can see them making that compromise to avoid giving out a Legendary. Same why Ho-Oh not made the rooster interpretation, in addition that they now have a non-Legendary rooster Pokemon in the Torchic family.
If there's any odd ones I would say it's Poochyena (instead of using Growlithe or Houndour; Poohyena family are a mix of canine and hyena) and Miltank instead of the more obvious Tauros (now I did say in some places they used the cow instead of the ox so it still fits, just odd they went that direction). I suppose they just wanted to make it more generation diverse as they could.
Where do starters come from?
Yeah, you get them from NPCs like professors and sometimes partners or other big characters postgame. But where do they originate? The professors couldn't have just popped them out of thin air, they had to have come from somewhere. And yet, you almost never get the opportunity to catch them in the wild. Yellow/the Let's Go games are the only ones that let you get their region's starters in the main story, and Gen 6 and 7 only let you get some sets of old gen starters via weird postgame catching minigames that as far as I remember the professors themselves aren't aware of: Gen 7's doesn't even let you get its own starters this way!
Yeah, you get them from NPCs like professors and sometimes partners or other big characters postgame. But where do they originate? The professors couldn't have just popped them out of thin air, they had to have come from somewhere. And yet, you almost never get the opportunity to catch them in the wild. Yellow/the Let's Go games are the only ones that let you get their region's starters in the main story, and Gen 6 and 7 only let you get some sets of old gen starters via weird postgame catching minigames that as far as I remember the professors themselves aren't aware of: Gen 7's doesn't even let you get its own starters this way!
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I've always considered the idea of starters as endangered species and of professors working with conservation programs to help find suitable trainers to raise them.
Charizards- and by logical extension, Charmanders -are canonically from Charicific Valley Nature Reserve.
Let's be careful before we start throwing the word "canon" around as this is from the same anime that made more than one Mewtwo. As a general rule for theories, it's best to "stay in your lane" or consider canon within the separate media and not one big confusing mess (so mainline series games vs spinoffs like the Mystery Dungeon vs the Anima vs the manga vs Detective Pikachu vs and so on and so forth).
While I do like the professor starter breeding program theory, one problem I have with it is that should imply the starters are very widely distributed as they are being giving out like training wheels for every new trainer. Except they aren't; in-game they are exceedingly rare and very very few other trainers use them besides your rival and maybe someone in the Pokemon League.
That sort of brings up another problem, why are so many researchers in back-water small towns with populations I can count on one hand? As a scientist myself...
Oh! Sorry, you caught me in the middle of work. I didn't have time to get presentable on account of all this science I'm doing.
...unless your research absolutely requires being away from the general public a lab needs a strong economic base with a hearty workforce (which is why most college campuses double as research labs). So how in the world are they getting funded all the way in nowheresville Kanto and the hicks of Unova? While you could make the "they just want to do field work in a natural environment" but the environment they picked is just filled with the locale pidgey and rattata population. What's so great about Pallet Town?
Thus the only professor that had a sensible location was Sycamore, and maybe Kukui given the nearest city is really really close. The others seemed way out in hicksville with no rare local pokemon to actually justify it.
Maybe that's why the starters are so rare, everyone else has to grab a small mouse, caterpillar, or dove like a beta while us small town Chads get our dad's scientist hot-shot to hand us a top-tier rare starter pokemon to clear through the ranks and we still have the entitled gall to say we did it all on skill alone.
The gender ratio of starters, with males vastly outnumbering females, does give a hint that they could be pretty rare in the wild.
Maybe their rarity initially encouraged the development of preservation centers to prevent their extinction, and they eventually became so human-friendly they became an ideal starter.
Maybe their rarity initially encouraged the development of preservation centers to prevent their extinction, and they eventually became so human-friendly they became an ideal starter.
(yes, I realize this is like 3 weeks old)Tiger: Here is where things get tricky. Gen II does have a "tiger" Pokemon, the sabertooth tiger Legendary Raikou. This would be interesting as that means Raikou was created before Piloswine. But could there possibly be another Pokemon which may not be so direct? Possibly two. First, if they just focused on any feline, than Persian could be an option. While not a tiger, and more like a house cat, it is a more fiercer looking cat that could take some traits fro jungle cats like tigers. Second, if its the appearance of a tiger they focused on, than it could be Arcanine. Arcanine is based on the Legendary creature the Shisha which is a combination of dogs, lions, and tigers. Though if it is Arcanine that means Arcanine can't be the representative for the dog (not that animal doesn't have other good options).
There’s one tiger that was designed for Gen II you’re forgetting. And for obvious reasons.
This sprite sheet also makes the Ho-Oh/Rooster association much stronger. Look at that back sprite, he’s absolutely a barnyard noisemaker.
A quick small mystery from Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee who I just watched a video of all the cutscenes for (yes, I just did that now, was waiting for one of the Youtubers I watch to do a playthrough of it but, much like many of us here, no one wanted to bother or at least not yet):
So, beginning of the game you meet with Professor Oak, encounter & catch Pikachu/Eevee, and chase after it (or rather it in its Poke Ball) as it rolls back to Oak's Lab. In Oak's Lab, Trace is standing in front of a desk with three Poke Balls. Trace mentions there was two at first but a third than jumped on the table. From there you then pick Pikachu/Eevee (the placed itself in the middle) and Trace picks the left Poke Ball which just so happened to have the other one.
So the mystery: what was the Pokemon in the right Poke Ball? Aka the original Pokemon planned for you.
EDIT: Well, apparently my theory was thought up by a hundred other people but might as well post what I originally had planned anyway:
So, beginning of the game you meet with Professor Oak, encounter & catch Pikachu/Eevee, and chase after it (or rather it in its Poke Ball) as it rolls back to Oak's Lab. In Oak's Lab, Trace is standing in front of a desk with three Poke Balls. Trace mentions there was two at first but a third than jumped on the table. From there you then pick Pikachu/Eevee (the placed itself in the middle) and Trace picks the left Poke Ball which just so happened to have the other one.
So the mystery: what was the Pokemon in the right Poke Ball? Aka the original Pokemon planned for you.
EDIT: Well, apparently my theory was thought up by a hundred other people but might as well post what I originally had planned anyway:
First it can be assume that, since one of the original Pokemon Oak picked was a Eevee/Pikachu, that it would be another Pokemon similar to them. As in, a two-stage Pokemon who evolve with an Evolution Stone. So with that we have the following choices: Vulpix, Growlithe, Shellder, Staryu, Exeggcute, Clefairy, & Jigglypuff. Now I guess there's also Alolan Vulpix and Alolan Sandshrew but Oak would probably be giving out native Kanto Pokemon.
So, while in the original games there was three Starters thus they could create a "Type Triangle" where each starter was strong and weak to another, that wouldn't be the case for two. The logical thing to do would be having neither of the Starters having an advantage over the other. So that would mean no Shellder or Staryu as Pikachu has an advantage over them. HOWEVER we must also remember that Oak would probably take into account evolutions, meaning the other Starter wouldn't be weak/resist Fire or Water because of Flareon and Vaporeon. So that removes Vulpix, Growlithe, & Exeggute. This leaves us with Clefairy & Jigglypuff.
Both are prime candidates. However I'm leaning a bit more toward Clefairy for two reasons: (1) It's a mono Fairy-Type which matches Pikachu and Eevee being mono-types and (2) is was originally intended to be the mascot of the franchise. Ash was supposed to start with a Clefairy in the anime and the Pokemon Pocket Monster manga has its version of Red start with a Clefairy.
EDIT: And just to show how unoriginal I am, here are a few videos of people not only saying the same thing but some having "hints" from the actual game that may have been the case:
Who Is The 3rd Starter In Pokemon Let's Go?
What Is The THIRD STARTER Pokemon In Let's GO Pikachu & Eevee?!
CLEFAIRY The 3RD STARTER Pokemon! - Let's GO Pikachu & Eevee
What's in the THIRD Poké Ball?! - Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu & Let's Go Eevee Theory
So, while in the original games there was three Starters thus they could create a "Type Triangle" where each starter was strong and weak to another, that wouldn't be the case for two. The logical thing to do would be having neither of the Starters having an advantage over the other. So that would mean no Shellder or Staryu as Pikachu has an advantage over them. HOWEVER we must also remember that Oak would probably take into account evolutions, meaning the other Starter wouldn't be weak/resist Fire or Water because of Flareon and Vaporeon. So that removes Vulpix, Growlithe, & Exeggute. This leaves us with Clefairy & Jigglypuff.
Both are prime candidates. However I'm leaning a bit more toward Clefairy for two reasons: (1) It's a mono Fairy-Type which matches Pikachu and Eevee being mono-types and (2) is was originally intended to be the mascot of the franchise. Ash was supposed to start with a Clefairy in the anime and the Pokemon Pocket Monster manga has its version of Red start with a Clefairy.
EDIT: And just to show how unoriginal I am, here are a few videos of people not only saying the same thing but some having "hints" from the actual game that may have been the case:
Who Is The 3rd Starter In Pokemon Let's Go?
What Is The THIRD STARTER Pokemon In Let's GO Pikachu & Eevee?!
CLEFAIRY The 3RD STARTER Pokemon! - Let's GO Pikachu & Eevee
What's in the THIRD Poké Ball?! - Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu & Let's Go Eevee Theory
The other possibility, for the sake of a development gag, could be a Psyduck, who was initially considered to be the starter paired with Pikachu until it was inexplicably replaced by Eevee.
Where did you read this? Google yielded no results.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/30/17384582/pokemon-lets-go-eevee-pikachu-fan-art-nintendo-switch
My memory was a little off, though. Psyduck was in consideration, but it was dropped at some point before they chose Eevee.