(Little) Things that annoy you in Pokémon

[Ishiftyounot]

So there I was, minding my own business, starting my adventures in Pokemon Scarlet for the first time. Like many players, I plan my team! Skeledirge, Pawmot, Clodsire, Houndstone, Mabosstiff and Tinkaton were chosen - purely based on design, as I've done this song and dance enough to not be fussed about stats / movesets / type overlap - and thanks to a trade via the forums I had my full team by the first gym. Since then I've played up to Iono (Katy, Brassius, Klawf, Bombirdier and Giacomo defeated) and had a lot of fun, but something about my team has been bothering me for a while. It's taken up to this point to realise it's my old nemesis...

Experience groups.

I hate them. I hate them so much, because I know deep down they're such a tiny problem. Pokemon are split into groups based on how much experience it takes them to level up - neat! Most players won't notice it because the game itself doesn't tell you what experience group a Pokemon is in, and everything levels up eventually so as long as you use your whole team everything comes up peachy. Unless you're me, who is a little bit (see: very much so) obsessive about having their whole team be equal levels throughout the game. You can probably guess which side of the "Exp Share for all" argument I'm on from that, but I can't stand the idea of a team member being a level or two behind when everyone gets equal usage. It feels weird. So I use my Rhyperior or Gyarados or Arcanine or Heracross more often to compensate, and suddenly I'm not using my starter or other Pokemon who level up at what I'd call a reasonable speed. Fast Experience group Pokemon are just as bad - I adore Togekiss and used it on my Brilliant Diamond team and it just spent the whole game being a level or two above the rest of my squad so I never used it unless I forced myself to.

Now you may look at my Scarlet team and see no Slow-Exp Pokemon. In fact apart from Clodsire and Pawmot, the rest of them are all Medium Slow-Exp dudes. Well guess who fell behind, and weren't actually that good in the first place? Yup, Pawmo and Clodsire bringing up the rear. Now part of that is that it's early game and they have awful movesets, which can be remedied pretty soon. I also know Medium Fast Pokemon level up faster than the Medium Slow Pokemon at a later level point (it's mid-40s or early 60s I think?) so eventually the point will be moot. But I'll be honest... it bothers me still, to the point where I may pick a new team just because I actually want to use the rest of my team without feeling bad that they're "over-levelling". In other games I have a few loopholes - in Legends: Arceus I traded a Goomy via HOME from Sword to the game and offset the Slow Experience group with traded experience. Lucky Eggs are some of my favourite items in the games! There's ways around it, and it's a minor problem, but I thought it'd be funky to talk about.

 

[MoonlightRose]

Thundurus, the Bolt Strike Pokémon, doesn't learn Bolt Strike.

 

[DreamPrince]

Thundurus, the Bolt Strike Pokémon, doesn't learn Bolt Strike.

That’s because it’s Zekrom’s signature move.

 

[CPU]

Thundurus, the Bolt Strike Pokémon, doesn't learn Bolt Strike.

I don't know what Thundurus's classification is in the original Japanese, so I could be wrong on this, but it being the "Bolt Strike" Pokémon is probably a character-limit issue. Okay I looked up the Japanese name of the move Bolt Strike, assuming it was in katakana, but nope, it's Raigeki, in hiragana, meaning a lightning strike. In that case Thundurus's classification probably is the "Raigeki" Pokémon.

I have a gripe with the English names of fused Kyurem's signature attacks. The Japanese names are in katakana, and read Cold Flare and Freeze Bolt. Both names would fit in the English 12-character limit, and would fit the naming scheme of Reshiram and Zekrom's moves, Fusion Flare/Blue Flare and Fusion Bolt/Bolt Strike. Instead they got localized as Ice Burn and Freeze Shock, names that lose the connections to Reshiram and Zekrom (and, IMO, sound comically wimpy).

Okay, bringing this back to the original "Bolt Strike" thing.

With the consistent naming between the translated names of Reshiram and Zekrom's signature moves as well as the Japanese names of fused Kyurem's attacks, I was certain that the Flare/Bolt thing was present across all of the original Japanese names. Unfortunately, as I have found out/remembered (the Gen 5 games were the last to not receive a simultaneous worldwide release, and I actually imported Japanese Black, so I should have remembered some of the original Japanese move names) this is not the case. Fusion Flare and Fusion Bolt are "Cross Flame" and "Cross Thunder" in unambiguous katakana, respectively. Blue Flare and Bolt Strike are in hiragana as "aoi honō" [blue flame] and "raigeki" [lightning strike]. It seems my original guess that "Bolt Strike" being a character-limit issue was correct.

I'm honestly baffled how the English translation created a naming scheme for the legendaries' signature moves that wasn't in the original Japanese but just flubs it for the fused Kyurem moves. Even more bizarre is that the Japanese names of those two moves are the only ones that actually use "Flare" and "Bolt," the terms that would have connected them all in English. I can't say if the localization team knew the connection Kyurem had to Reshiram and Zekrom, or that they would eventually fuse in the sequels when they translated these attacks, but even with knowledge of only Black and White, it was clear that these charge-turn Ice-type attacks with a chance to Burn/Paralyze the target (status conditions associated with Fire and Electric types) had some connection to Kyurem, Reshiram, and Zekrom.

Sorry about derailing the original complaint, but this is one of the little things about Pokémon that annoys me, and it reminded me of it.

 

[Esserise]

Thundurus, the Bolt Strike Pokémon, doesn't learn Bolt Strike.

For me, it’s the fact that Cresselia, the Pokémon that represents the crescent moon, is found in the middle of a crescent moon-shaped pond on… Fullmoon Island.

Maybe there’s some kind of symbolism I’m not getting, but it just seems like an arbitrary inconsistency to me.

Sorry about derailing the original complaint, but this is one of the little things about Pokémon that annoys me, and it reminded me of it.

I’ve also got a gripe that’s similar to this one.

Palkia, the Spatial Pokémon, has the signature move Spacial Rend.

I can only assume this is due to the Japanese edition using different terms altogether (“くうかん ポケモン” or “Space Pokémon” for the category, and “あくうせつだん” or “Subspace Tear” for the move name), but even then… why try to reflect that difference with just a single letter variation? Either spell it consistently or just use different words.

 

[CPU]

For me, it’s the fact that Cresselia, the Pokémon that represents the crescent moon, is found in the middle of a crescent moon-shaped pond on… Fullmoon Island.

Maybe there’s some kind of symbolism I’m not getting, but it just seems like an arbitrary inconsistency to me.

It's to parallel Darkrai being found on Newmoon Island, but in this case, I guess the oddity is making Cresselia based on the crescent moon if they wanted it to contrast with Darkrai's new moon darkness.

I’ve also got a gripe that’s similar to this one.

Palkia, the Spatial Pokémon, has the signature move Spacial Rend.

I can only assume this is due to the Japanese edition using different terms altogether (“くうかん ポケモン” or “Space Pokémon” for the category, and “あくうせつだん” or “Subspace Tear” for the move name), but even then… why try to reflect that difference with just a single letter variation? Either spell it consistently or just use different words.

"Spacial" isn't even a way you normally spell "spatial." I guess it is valid but it's very uncommon. This one just seems lazy, and something they should have fixed when they fixed Faint/Feint Attack.

 

[AztecCroc]

It's to parallel Darkrai being found on Newmoon Island, but in this case, I guess the oddity is making Cresselia based on the crescent moon if they wanted it to contrast with Darkrai's new moon darkness.


"Spacial" isn't even a way you normally spell "spatial." I guess it is valid but it's very uncommon. This one just seems lazy, and something they should have fixed when they fixed Faint/Feint Attack.

"""""Fixed"""""
It was never meant to be a feint, its Japanese name is Sneak Attack. Feint Attack and Faint Attack are both equally bizarre translations, but at least Faint Attack isn't as easily mistaken for an entirely separate move.

 

[Esserise]

It's to parallel Darkrai being found on Newmoon Island, but in this case, I guess the oddity is making Cresselia based on the crescent moon if they wanted it to contrast with Darkrai's new moon darkness.

Yeah, I think that’s more the angle that confuses me. I get the duality of the full moon and new moon, but Cresselia is so laser-focused on the crescent moon theming when they could have just made it represent the moon in all phases other than the new moon. (They could have even given it different forms for each phase if they wanted to.)

 

[CPU]

"""""Fixed"""""
It was never meant to be a feint, its Japanese name is Sneak Attack. Feint Attack and Faint Attack are both equally bizarre translations, but at least Faint Attack isn't as easily mistaken for an entirely separate move.

In this case it's just "fixing" the weird use of the homophone "Faint" instead of "Feint." Can't comment on the actual translation of the attack but "Faint Attack" made no sense as a term.

 

[R_N]

Legitimately think the Full Moon Island name was entirely an aesthetics decision. Like I can basically picture the talks about it going something like "Crescent Moon Island is a mouth full..." or "Half Moon Island implies the existence of a Full Moon Island"

 

[QuentinQuonce]

In this case it's just "fixing" the weird use of the homophone "Faint" instead of "Feint." Can't comment on the actual translation of the attack but "Faint Attack" made no sense as a term.

I always used to think that "faint" referred to the way the animation typically shows the attacker fading out of sight before striking.

 

[pika pal]

Cresslia's thing wouldn't be so weird if they gave it more Full-Moon imagery alongside the crescents, or if the names weren't simple-direct references to the phases. Like, I don't know, maybe Cresselia resides on "Bright Night" Island and Darkrai on "Dark Moon" Island or something.

 

[Pikachu315111]

I have a gripe with the English names of fused Kyurem's signature attacks. The Japanese names are in katakana, and read Cold Flare and Freeze Bolt. Both names would fit in the English 12-character limit, and would fit the naming scheme of Reshiram and Zekrom's moves, Fusion Flare/Blue Flare and Fusion Bolt/Bolt Strike. Instead they got localized as Ice Burn and Freeze Shock, names that lose the connections to Reshiram and Zekrom (and, IMO, sound comically wimpy).

If I had to throw out a reason, could be the translators didn't want players not in the know get confused what Status Ailments the move causes. It's common reasoning a "flare" move on a Fire-type would likely cause burns, just as a "bolt" move on an Electric-type could inflict paralysis. But replace that context with an Ice-type on top of adding "cold" and especially "freeze" before the names. "Flare" and "Bolt" just so happen to be words with multiple meanings:

• "Flare" can also mean a general agitation (physical or emotional) such as with the term "flare up" or it could mean a sudden bright light which doesn't necessarily mean heat. So "Cold Flare" in that context could give a thought that the user is using cold temperature/wind to cause an agitation to the target (increased critical hit ratio?) or is reflecting light off ice particles and using that energy to attack (like what Flash Cannon does for Steel-types).
  
  
• "Bolt" can also mean an arrow-like projectile or another word for hastily running. So "Freeze Bolt" in that context could just be a fancier way of saying "Ice Beam" or an Ice-type version of "Flare Blitz" but surrounding the user in ice (and possibly freezing the target).

Ice Burn and Freeze Shock, while still having the cold word in front of it, at least more clearly in English alludes to the effect of the move. Ice Burn is using the the cold to cause a freezer burn which, in the Pokemon world, has the same side effects of a heat burn. Freeze Shock, while still having "freeze" to cause some possible issues, at least also has a word that's more quickly recognizable relating to electricity or the effects of it. Freeze Shock is using cold to (somehow) generate an electrical current that can be used to paralyze you (or maybe they're using it as a pun and the intended idea the cold is putting your body into a state of "shock" thus the paralysis).

For me, it’s the fact that Cresselia, the Pokémon that represents the crescent moon, is found in the middle of a crescent moon-shaped pond on… Fullmoon Island.

In addition to the Darkrai thing, I think it makes some sense. The ISLAND is called Fullmoon because in its center is a pond shaped like a crescent moon. So it's a crescent moon inside of a full moon. It probably was given that name long before people realized that Cresselia made its nest there.

Now for Darkrai, even though its island is called Newmoon (which is when there's no moon in the sky), it has a full "round" pond at its center. If the water's shape represents what phase the moon is, shouldn't that then mean there should be no pond at all on Newmoon Island? But yet its there, just like how the moon is still actually there even if we can't see it. And in that way the round pond serves as a reflection of the moon; when the moon is out it shines light down onto the pond and has its phase reflected, but when it's a new moon the pond is just as pitch black as the sky is without a shining moon.

Palkia, the Spatial Pokémon, has the signature move Spacial Rend.

I can only assume this is due to the Japanese edition using different terms altogether (“くうかん ポケモン” or “Space Pokémon” for the category, and “あくうせつだん” or “Subspace Tear” for the move name), but even then… why try to reflect that difference with just a single letter variation? Either spell it consistently or just use different words.

"Spacial" isn't even a way you normally spell "spatial."

According to Google, Spatial is the US English spelling, Spacial is the UK English spelling. So maybe it's not that it was meant to be different, but maybe it was two different people who officialized the spelling and one was an American and another was British.

"""""Fixed"""""
It was never meant to be a feint, its Japanese name is Sneak Attack. Feint Attack and Faint Attack are both equally bizarre translations, but at least Faint Attack isn't as easily mistaken for an entirely separate move.

To "Feint" is to pretend to make a move with the purpose to deceive; you're trying to make someone do or respond with a certain action so that you can get around their guard. So I think "Feint Attack" is a perfectly fine name and the likely intended name if you read the move's description. Not that "Faint" doesn't have its own explanation for being used, but the description clearly had "feint" in mind.

 

[Scorpio]

“Spacial" isn't even a way you normally spell "spatial." I guess it is valid but it's very uncommon. This one just seems lazy, and something they should have fixed when they fixed Faint/Feint Attack.

wut if i told u

Spatcial

 

[Hyper Cutter]

I have a gripe with the English names of fused Kyurem's signature attacks. The Japanese names are in katakana, and read Cold Flare and Freeze Bolt. Both names would fit in the English 12-character limit, and would fit the naming scheme of Reshiram and Zekrom's moves, Fusion Flare/Blue Flare and Fusion Bolt/Bolt Strike. Instead they got localized as Ice Burn and Freeze Shock, names that lose the connections to Reshiram and Zekrom (and, IMO, sound comically wimpy).

iirc, those moves were in Black and White despite not actually being used until B2/W2, so they might have been localized without knowing what was intended to learn them.

 

[CPU]

iirc, those moves were in Black and White despite not actually being used until B2/W2, so they might have been localized without knowing what was intended to learn them.

They were in Black and White, but given their effects, the apparent "third dragon" being Ice type (the same type as the unused attacks) with lower stats than Reshiram and Zekrom, and an oddly weak signature move, Kyurem eventually getting alternate forms that did learn those attacks, especially after what Game Freak did with Giratina in Platinum, seemed like a given.

 

[Hugin]

They were in Black and White, but given their effects, the apparent "third dragon" being Ice type (the same type as the unused attacks) with lower stats than Reshiram and Zekrom, and an oddly weak signature move, Kyurem eventually getting alternate forms that did learn those attacks, especially after what Game Freak did with Giratina in Platinum, seemed like a given.

I mean, I understand them not catching detailed stuff on translation like that. On the other hand, if something is unused/unreleased, they should definitely change it if details when it's released make previous hidden info incorrect. Just rename the move when BW2 uses it, no one will object.

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

Sobble and Quaxly are themed around crying and hair gel, and then when they evolve they transition to being a secret agent and a dancer and the theme they had in their first stage is immediately abandoned. Sprigatito goes from a soothing but needy lapcat to a stylish rogue with a yoyo to a horny magician, the links between which are tenuous at best.

In Sobble's case, I feel the theme across the entire collective line isn't really a consistent personality per se, but rather that its personality evolves and is centered around a specific capability, in this case, turning invisible. They're chameleons which have the ability to blend into their surroundings, effectively becoming invisible to the naked eye in the process. Sobble in particular was shown to have this capability from day one. And their schtick is that Sobble's personality changes as it evolves in a way that feels like a natural progression from a timid crybaby into a confident fighter. Sobble itself cries a lot, because it's very easily scared by just about everything and will burst into tears at even the slightest provocation. It often turns invisible because it's so timid and fearful, using its ability to become invisible in order to hide from others. It evolves into Drizzile, who also turns invisible and sets traps around others, being very intelligent and tactful, but is generally very apathetic and lazy, refusing to go near others. In general there's a middle ground there between the timid, crybaby sobble and what will become the confident, secret agent/spy Inteleon. And then Inteleon is a full on sniper and spy, using its power to turn invisible to conceal itself in combat so it can snipe and attack its opponents without them noticing. It's a stealth fighter, and it's actively engaging in combat but uses sneak attacks on its opponents, relying on its precision and intelligence as well as its camouflaging to outplay its opponents.

Inteleon's ability to snipe using water from its fingertips is also sorta present in the whole line, with Sobble being able to shoot water out of its mouth and Drizzile being able to make water balloons from its hands.

Quaxly doesn't have the most consistent active theming with what it does I admit, but it does have a consistent personality, which is that it's very meticulous and stoic. Quaxly are very peculiar about their hair and gel, and will always make sure its hair is in tip top shape. It also is very picky about making sure it is neat and tidy. It does also have strong legs which it uses to kick in combat, which progresses into what it does as Quaxwell and Quaquaval. Quaxwell becomes the "Practicing Pokemon", using its strong legwork to practice dancing and kicking, and it takes these routines very seriously. It also carefully studies dances from various regions. Like Quaxly, it does also take good care of its hair. And then Quaquaval is a full on dancer, which incorporates the legwork it learned in its time as Quaxly and Quaxwell, and while it's very lively and energetic, it's very serious, devoted, and stoic when it comes to its dance routines, which it shows in critical moments both in dance and in battle. Their whole schtick from a personality standpoint is that they are very devoted and serious and make sure their work is always in best shape.

Sprigatito I would say also has a trait that its line revolves around, which is flowers. Sprigatito tends to hang around flowers a lot, and it can also give off the therapeutic scent of flowers from its paws. As Florgato, it starts wielding a flower attached to a hard vine like a weapon (and like a yo-yo), basically wielding flowers as its main weaponry. And then this progresses into its signature move with Meowscarada, using the cape that its fur has evolved into to reflect and scatter light to make its flower bomb look invisible, and then using its flowers as bombs and controlling when to set them off, basically using flowers as trickery weapons.

The entire Sprigatito line also has a consistent personality trait of being very clingy to its Trainer, all the way from Sprigatito to Floragato to Meowscarada. It gets sulky when its Trainer gives attention to anyone other than itself, and Floragato in particular is very attention seeking and will try to get its Trainer's attention by misbehaving, including doing stuff like wrapping its Trainer in its vine while they're asleep. Meowscarada is very prideful, and gets jealous if its Trainer gives others attention.

In general there's a difference between a starter line having a consistent personality trait so to say and having a consistent design quirk that their personality revolves around. A case like Scorbunny or Grookey has a bit of both, creating for a relatively smooth evolutionary line, but in cases like the ones you highlighted (and I talked about) there's more of a read between the lines with what they're going for.

 

[DrPumpkinz]

In Sobble's case, I feel the theme across the entire collective line isn't really a consistent personality per se, but rather that its personality evolves and is centered around a specific capability, in this case, turning invisible. They're chameleons which have the ability to blend into their surroundings, effectively becoming invisible to the naked eye in the process. Sobble in particular was shown to have this capability from day one. And their schtick is that Sobble's personality changes as it evolves in a way that feels like a natural progression from a timid crybaby into a confident fighter. Sobble itself cries a lot, because it's very easily scared by just about everything and will burst into tears at even the slightest provocation. It often turns invisible because it's so timid and fearful, using its ability to become invisible in order to hide from others. It evolves into Drizzile, who also turns invisible and sets traps around others, being very intelligent and tactful, but is generally very apathetic and lazy, refusing to go near others. In general there's a middle ground there between the timid, crybaby sobble and what will become the confident, secret agent/spy Inteleon. And then Inteleon is a full on sniper and spy, using its power to turn invisible to conceal itself in combat so it can snipe and attack its opponents without them noticing. It's a stealth fighter, and it's actively engaging in combat but uses sneak attacks on its opponents, relying on its precision and intelligence as well as its camouflaging to outplay its opponents.

Inteleon's ability to snipe using water from its fingertips is also sorta present in the whole line, with Sobble being able to shoot water out of its mouth and Drizzile being able to make water balloons from its hands.

Quaxly doesn't have the most consistent active theming with what it does I admit, but it does have a consistent personality, which is that it's very meticulous and stoic. Quaxly are very peculiar about their hair and gel, and will always make sure its hair is in tip top shape. It also is very picky about making sure it is neat and tidy. It does also have strong legs which it uses to kick in combat, which progresses into what it does as Quaxwell and Quaquaval. Quaxwell becomes the "Practicing Pokemon", using its strong legwork to practice dancing and kicking, and it takes these routines very seriously. It also carefully studies dances from various regions. Like Quaxly, it does also take good care of its hair. And then Quaquaval is a full on dancer, which incorporates the legwork it learned in its time as Quaxly and Quaxwell, and while it's very lively and energetic, it's very serious, devoted, and stoic when it comes to its dance routines, which it shows in critical moments both in dance and in battle. Their whole schtick from a personality standpoint is that they are very devoted and serious and make sure their work is always in best shape.

Sprigatito I would say also has a trait that its line revolves around, which is flowers. Sprigatito tends to hang around flowers a lot, and it can also give off the therapeutic scent of flowers from its paws. As Florgato, it starts wielding a flower attached to a hard vine like a weapon (and like a yo-yo), basically wielding flowers as its main weaponry. And then this progresses into its signature move with Meowscarada, using the cape that its fur has evolved into to reflect and scatter light to make its flower bomb look invisible, and then using its flowers as bombs and controlling when to set them off, basically using flowers as trickery weapons.

The entire Sprigatito line also has a consistent personality trait of being very clingy to its Trainer, all the way from Sprigatito to Floragato to Meowscarada. It gets sulky when its Trainer gives attention to anyone other than itself, and Floragato in particular is very attention seeking and will try to get its Trainer's attention by misbehaving, including doing stuff like wrapping its Trainer in its vine while they're asleep. Meowscarada is very prideful, and gets jealous if its Trainer gives others attention.

In general there's a difference between a starter line having a consistent personality trait so to say and having a consistent design quirk that their personality revolves around. A case like Scorbunny or Grookey has a bit of both, creating for a relatively smooth evolutionary line, but in cases like the ones you highlighted (and I talked about) there's more of a read between the lines with what they're going for.

The link between Drizzile's traps and Inteleon's secret agent theme is good, but the link between them and Sobble's crying is absolutely not a "natural progression". It feels like Blastoise all over again where they had a crybaby chameleon and a spy chameleon and grafted the two families together.

Quaxwell at least does a decent job at bridging the gap between Quaxly's hair and Quaquaval's dancing, and the link between Quaxwell's awkward seriousness and Quaquaval's more confident and carefree nature is very good, but that still doesn't fix the problem of "dancing" and "obsessed about cleanliness and hair" having almost nothing to do with each other. Quaxly having strong legs absolutely does not count, that is entirely tell-don't-show flavor text that does not contribute to Quaxly's overall theme and design of hair and cleanliness.

The Sprigatito line all craving attention in different ways is okay even if there's not really a natural progression between the three disparate ways it attracts that attention (being a cute cat, being a swashbuckling rogue, being a stage magician and also horny bait), but if you have to list "has some association with flowers" as a common thread for a Grass-type Pokemon, that's not a good sign.

You can call this "reading between the lines" but the only thing you're reading between are the asscheeks people pull these explanations out of.

 

[R_N]

Quaxly cares about its appearance and then turns into a very vibrant performer with lush kept feathers and hair, I think there's absolutely a throughline being kept there even if the animations wind up focusing on its dancer aspect

the tcg illustration rare cards even play into it, which is cute

Spoiler

 

[Ironmage]

It feels like Blastoise all over again where they had a crybaby chameleon and a spy chameleon and grafted the two families together.

It think that this might be an interesting discussion point in a more general sense. There's clear reasons for there to be a lot of design effort for first (external marketing first impressions ingame) and final (used for the longest section ingame as well as the vast majority of postgame/pvp) stages of a starter line, but less impetus for the same amount of effort on the middle stage. Independent designs with a derived in-between stage feels like it can be a common method. I also get the impression that middle stage starters are often less popular, which could support that they have a more restrictive process than other stages.

 

[pika pal]

The link between Drizzile's traps and Inteleon's secret agent theme is good, but the link between them and Sobble's crying is absolutely not a "natural progression". It feels like Blastoise all over again where they had a crybaby chameleon and a spy chameleon and grafted the two families together.

The Sprigatito line all craving attention in different ways is okay even if there's not really a natural progression between the three disparate ways it attracts that attention (being a cute cat, being a swashbuckling rogue, being a stage magician and also horny bait), but if you have to list "has some association with flowers" as a common thread for a Grass-type Pokemon, that's not a good sign.

I'm going to argue that Sprigatito is a maturation of attention seeking: As a kitten it simply receives it for existing and being cute; after maturing it doesn't garner it immediately like it used to (which is an unfortunate trend in a lot of pets that leads to returns/giving them up, as a personal grievance), so it learns tricks to show off and regrab peoples' eyes with a Yo-Yo and such; Meowscarada has practiced a lot of these and learned what gets peoples' eyes, to the point it can make a profession out of it and invite huge scale looks (and on the joke, the horny/seduction bait angle doesn't necessarily contradict this).

Sobble is a much looser one, as I don't think Gen 8's Starters are that interesting overall (though it feels like a trend since Gen 5-6 that one Starter either gets heavily favored or hung out to dry by the marketing/multimedia), my interpretation is that it just dislikes people and hides: Base form is a crybaby whenever it's noticed, second stage is a lazy nerd who hates getting up to do anything or deal with someone, and then the last stage is a Sniper who, even in combat, doesn't go near anybody and is the ultimate "keep out" message.

Pokemon fans not finding patterns challenge: Impossible (failed)

 

[R_N]

I'm now reminded that the anime handled the Sobble line in a way that kind of worked; it's a cry baby that saw how cool and suave it could be so it started pracitcing sneaky manuevers and firing water gun snipes, then evolved into a depressed loser who could only make water balloons, before accepting itself and evolving into a cool and suave secret agent
Scorbunny went through a similar phase.

I kind of think that was the thing they wanted all 3 to go through
exciteable/sporty/sad kid -> angy/edgey/depressed teenagers its not a phase mom -> we're cool now

or at least that's how the anime decided to interpret them, which kind of worked at least for the specific instance of those Pokemon. Or would have worked, if Grookey had evolved, but whatever.

The games itself could still have done a little extra to link Sobble up, though. Maybe some sneakier behavior or a fake water pistol move.

 

[Magcargo]

I remember the official Pokemon site for SwSh hyping up Duraludon's rivalry with Tyranitar, but that plot point was never really expanded on in the games, the pokedex or the anime. Always found that to be a bit disappointing.

 

[DreamPrince]

I remember the official Pokemon site for SwSh hyping up Duraludon's rivalry with Tyranitar, but that plot point was never really expanded on in the games, the pokedex or the anime. Always found that to be a bit disappointing.

I always thought that was just a reference to Kaiju films, with Duraludon being a building and Tyranitar is Godzilla.