Character Sheet: The Fomantis Line

FOMANTIS/LURANTIS

Next up, we have Fomantis and Lurantis, a line based on orchid mantises and other flowered mantises, those mantis species that look just like plants. In this version, however, it's flipped, with them being actually plants that just look like mantises instead.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Razor Leaf > Night Slash

Side B: X-Scissor

Up B: Growth > Petal Blizzard

Down B: Leafage > Synthesis

Final Smash: Bloom Doom

Entrance: Poke Ball

Taunts: Posing like you see those mantises doing, lashing out with its claws, things like that.

Kirby Hat: Their leaves

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: X-Scissor

Spirit Battle: On Aether Paradise

Victory Screen: Snagging its opponent and fleeing away with it.

Losing Screen: Fainted

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors (probably based on all those different types of mantises).

Thanks for reading! Next up, Morelull don't take no shiitake!

Character Sheet: The Dewpider Line

DEWPIDER/ARAQUANID

Next up, we have Dewpider and Araquanid, a line based on the diving bell spider, a species of spider known for making air bubbles around their heads so that they can breathe and move around underwater, except that in this case, it's flipped, with it being a bubble of water around their heads instead of air.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Bubble Beam

Side B: Bug Bite > Leech Life

Up B: Aqua Ring > Lunge

Down B: Infestation > Liquidation

Final Smash: Hydro Vortex

Entrance: Poke Ball

Taunts: Having the bubble pop, creating a new bubble around its head, things like that.

Kirby Hat: The bubble

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Bubble Beam

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Prime Treasure

Victory Screen: Forming a nest out of bubbles with all its opponents trapped inside.

Losing Screen: Fainted

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Fomantis lures you in!

Character Sheet: The Mudbray Line

MUDBRAY/MUDSDALE

Next up, we have Mudbray and Mudsdale, a line based on donkeys and clydesdale horses, covered in mud from tromping through marshlands and such. Not much else to say about them. Just a good Ground-type inclusion.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Stomp > Mega Kick

Side B: Bulldoze > High Horsepower

Up B: Double Kick

Down B: Mud-Slap > Earthquake

Final Smash: Tectonic Rage

Entrance: Poke Ball

Taunts: Pawing at the mud, rearing back and braying, kicking with its hind legs, things like that.

Kirby Hat: Their manes and ears

Kart: Just running

Special Move: Mud-Slap

Spirit Battle: On Altar of the Sunne/Moone

Victory Screen: Rearing back and braying, maybe with Hapu standing close by.

Losing Screen: Fainted

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors

Thanks for reading! Next up, Dewpider bursts your bubble!

Character Sheet: The Mareanie Line

MAREANIE/TOXAPEX

Skipping over Wishiwashi for now, we come to Mareanie and Toxapex, a Water/Poison line based on the crown-of-thorns starfish and other related spiky echinoderms. Not much else to say about them really. James had one in the anime.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Venoshock > Acid Spray

Side B: Poison Sting

Up B: Recover > Liquidation

Down B: Toxic Spikes > Baneful Bunker

Final Smash: Acid Downpour

Entrance: Poke Ball

Taunts: Flapping around its spikes, closing itself up, things like that.

Kirby Hat: The spiny hair flaps

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Toxic Spikes

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Prime Treasure

Victory Screen: Latching onto James's head? Probably more like just flapping around in the water happily.

Losing Screen: Fainted

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors

Thanks for reading! Next up, Mudbray horses around!

Character Sheet: The Rockruff Line

ROCKRUFF/LYCANROC

Next up, we have one of the more iconic lines of this generation, Rockruff and Lycanroc, based primarily on the extinct Hawaiian Poi dog and the Japanese wolf, as well as the concept of werewolves in general, with Lycanroc having three forms depending on whether it evolves during day or night or right at twilight. They're also Rock type because . . . reasons.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Bite > Sucker Punch

Side B: Rock Throw > Accelerock

Up B: Howl > Rock Slide

Down B: Sand Attack > Rock Tomb

Final Smash: Continental Crush > Splintered Stormshards

Entrance: Poke Ball

Taunts: Chasing its tail and yipping, howling at the moon, lashing with its claws, things like that.

Kirby Hat: Their ears and noses

Kart: Just running

Special Move: Accelerock

Spirit Battle: On Altar of the Sunne/Moone

Victory Screen: Howling at the moon

Losing Screen: Fainted

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors, and all three forms for Lycanroc.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Mareanie takes the crown(-of-thorns)!

Character Sheet: The Cutiefly Line

CUTIEFLY/RIBOMBEE

Skipping over Oricorio for now, we next come to Cutiefly and Ribombee, a Bug/Fairy type combo line based on bee flies, which are just the cutest fuzziest little bugs you'll ever see in your life. Not much else to say about them from there, really.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Draining Kiss

Side B: Struggle Bug > Bug Buzz

Up B: Fairy Wind

Down B: Sweet Scent > Pollen Puff

Final Smash: Savage Spinout

Entrance: Poke Ball

Taunts: Buzzing around, drinking pollen, tossing its little scarf behind it, things like that.

Kirby Hat: Their nose, antennae, and wings

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Draining Kiss

Spirit Battle: On Pasio Hotel

Victory Screen: Buzzing around between a bunch of pretty flowers.

Losing Screen: Fainted

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors

Thanks for reading! Next up, Rockruff howls in the moonlight!

Character Sheet: The Crabrawler Line

CRABRAWLER/CRABOMINABLE

Next up, we have Crabrawler and Crabominable, a line primarily based on the coconut crab, though mixed with the Yeti in its later evolution, probably to evoke the yeti crab. They're cool. Not a big fan of Crabominable's design, but Crabrawler is neat.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Crabhammer > Ice Hammer

Side B: Vice Grip

Up B: Slam

Down B: Reversal > Avalanche

Final Smash: All-Out Pummeling > Mega Crabominable

Entrance: Poke Ball

Taunts: The crab rave, maybe? Also tromping around and roaring like a yeti would, climbing trees to get coconuts, things like that.

Kirby Hat: Their claws

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Ice Hammer

Spirit Battle: On Iki Town Plaza (probably with Hala acting as its Trainer in the background)

Victory Screen: This could definitely be the crab rave.

Losing Screen: Fainted

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Cutiefly charms the crowd!

Character Sheet: The Grubbin Line

GRUBBIN/CHARJABUG/VIKAVOLT

Next up, we have the regional bugs of the generation, this time being Grubbin, Charjabug, and Vikavolt, based primarily on the life cycle of a stag beetle, mixed with electrical components with Charjabug being a battery and Vikavolt being an electric clamp. Also Grubbin always reminded me of those parasite things from an early season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. You know, the ones that almost took over Starfleet and then Picard and Riker blew off a guy's head and a giant one came out? Them.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Vice Grip

Side B: Spark > Charge (II) > Thunderbolt (III)

Up B: String Shot > Sticky Web (II) > Bug Buzz (III)

Down B: Bug Bite > X-Scissor (III)

Final Smash: Savage Spin-Out

Entrance: Poke Ball

Taunts: Making sparks, snapping their mandibles, things like that.

Kirby Hat: Their mandibles

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Vice Grip

Spirit Battle: On Aether Paradise

Victory Screen: Clamping their mandibles and charging electricity

Losing Screen: Fainted

Color Swap: Main, shiny, other general colors

Thanks for reading! Next up, Crabrawler will never hide. It can't. It's too SHINY!!

Character Sheet: The Yungoos Line

YUNGOOS/GUMSHOOS

Next up, we have the regional critters of the generation, this time based on mongooses, mixed a bit with gumshoe detectives, like Columbo and such. Any and all resemblance to American political figures, real or imaginary, is purely coincidental.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Bite > Super Fang

Side B: Sand Attack

Up B: Work Up > Scary Face

Down B: Payback

Final Smash: Breakneck Blitz

Entrance: Poke Ball

Taunts: Pacing back and forth like a detective, sniffing around, things like that.

Kirby Hat: Their hair swoosh

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Sand Attack

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Prime Treasure

Victory Screen: Figuring out the mystery in dynamic fashion

Losing Screen: Fainted

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Grubbin take the competition in a vice grip!

Character Sheet: The Pikipek Line

PIKIPEK/TRUMBEAK/TOUCANNON

Next up, we come to our regional bird line, Pikipek, Trumbeak, and Toucannon. Pikipek and Trumbeak are both mostly based on woodpeckers, but Toucannon, in true Hawaiian-esque fashion, is based on a toucan, which is closely related to woodpeckers. Strangely, Toucannon has a whole thing about building fire and heat in its beak, but it is not a Fire type.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Peck > Drill Peck (II) > Beak Blast (III)

Side B: Supersonic > Hyper Voice (III)

Up B: Fly

Down B: Rock Smash > Roost (II)

Final Smash: Supersonic Skystrike

Entrance: Poke Ball

Taunts: Doing the standard woodpecker series of taps, preening their feathers, things like that.

Kirby Hat: Their beaks

Kart: Flying

Special Move: Drill Peck

Spirit Battle: On Iki Town Plaza

Victory Screen: Letting out a screech and flying away.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swap: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Yungoos solves the case!

Character Sheet: The Popplio Line

POPPLIO/BRIONNE/PRIMARINA

Next up, we have our Water starters for the generation, Popplio, Brionne, and Primarina. They are based on sea lions, specifically the kind you'd see performing in circuses, and evolve up into a mermaid as Primarina. That's pretty much all there is to say, they're kinda the forgotten middle child of the starters this time around, getting nowhere near the attention Decidueye and Incineroar got from Game Freak and Nintendo.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Water Gun > Bubble Beam (II)

Side B: Aqua Jet > Moonblast (III)

Up B: Sing > Sparkling Aria (III)

Down B: Icy Wind > Misty Terrain (II)

Final Smash: Hydro Vortex > Oceanic Operetta (III)

Entrance: Poke Ball

Taunts: Balancing a ball on its nose, singing, combing out its hair, things like that.

Kirby Hat: The nose and the later hair.

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Sparkling Aria

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Prime Treasure

Victory Screen: Reaching a crescendo and then bowing to the audience.

Losing Screen: Fainted

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Pikipek taps into the battle!

Character Sheet: The Litten Line

LITTEN/TORRACAT/INCINEROAR

Next up, let's cover the Fire starters of Gen VII: Litten, Torracat, and Incineroar. They are based primarily on tigers, but also on Tiger Mask, the fictional wrestler from Japanese pop culture who started out as a heel wrestler but worked his way up to becoming a face. You can see reference to him in a lot of Japanese media, and this is no exception. Incineroar is also featured as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Ember > Flamethrower (II) > Darkest Lariat (III)

Side B: Fury Swipes > Fire Fang (II)

Up B: Double Kick > Cross Chop (III)

Down B: Lick > Revenge (III)

Final Smash: Inferno Overdrive > Malicious Moonsault (III)

Entrance: Poke Ball

Taunts: Several poses used by heel wrestlers in professional wrestling, also some cat things like the "lick paw, rub face" thing.

Kirby Hat: Their ears and stripes

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Darkest Lariat

Spirit Battle: On Pasio Hotel

Victory Screen: A wrestling victory pose

Losing Screen: Fainted

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors. The "Big the Cat" one is a must.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Popplio puts on a performance!

Character Sheet: The Rowlet Line

ROWLET/DARTRIX/DECIDUEYE

And now, let's begin our Gen VII Pokedex entries with our grass starters of the generation: Rowlet, Dartrix, and Decidueye. They are primarily based on owls, starting with barn owls, but then building up to the Hawaiian Pueo owl as well as the extinct Giant Hawaiian stilt-owl, both adding to its secondary Ghost-typing in the final stage. The Pokemon also pulls from archers like Robin Hood, using its feathers as arrows.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Razor Leaf > Leaf Storm (III)

Side B: Peck > Pluck (II) > Leaf Blade (III)

Up B: Shadow Sneak

Down B: Leafage > Synthesis (II)

Final Smash: Bloom Doom > Sinister Arrow Raid (III)

Entrance: Poke Ball

Taunts: Preening its feathers, knocking an arrow, posing like a mysterious archer, things like that.

Kirby Hat: The feather bowtie up to hood each version wears.

Kart: The PokeBall car

Special Move: Leaf Storm

Spirit Battle: On Iki Town Plaza

Victory Screen: Putting its arrow away and leaping off into the trees.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Litten enters the ring!

Character Sheet: MoBee IV

MOBEE IV

And now, with Gen VII, let's welcome four more newcomers to the non-dex roster of Pokemon:

1. Go Trainer

2. Tim Goodman

3. Detective Pikachu

4. MoBee IV

Pokemon Quest is a funny little mobile game with just enough unique mechanics to make a player character a possible option, so long as we have an actual distinct character we could use. And hey, look at that, we have MoBee, a little flying robot that tutors you and helps guide your Pokemon when you do it. Just the bot for the job.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Send/Scatter

MoBee will send out a Pokexel, which will wander around autonomously, though tapping it again will cause it to return back to MoBee or switch out.

Side B: Attack

This will cause the autonomous Pokexel to perform its base attack against an opponent.

Up B: MoBee Lift

MoBee will grab their Pokexel and fly upward.

Down B: Cook

MoBee will prepare food for their Pokexel, which will then give it a power boost.

Final Smash: Pokexel Horde

A horde of the cube versions of Pokemon from the game will swarm the screen.

Entrance: MoBee will take off, with the sound of Quest's loading screen.

Taunts: Up, MoBee will fly around and play with the Pokexel. Side, MoBee will hold up a Power Stone, Down, MoBee will cook for a second.

Kirby Hat: Becoming a boxy shape.

Kart: Just flying.

Special Move: Send/Scatter

Spirit Battle: On Pasio Hotel

Victory Screen: The victory animation of the game, with MoBee mixed in.

Losing Screen: Breaking down and crash-landing.

Color Swaps: Different PokeBall colors.

Thanks for reading! Now, let's begin the Gen VII dex roster. First up, Rowlet takes aim!

Character Sheet: Detective Pikachu

DETECTIVE PIKACHU

And now, with Gen VII, let's welcome four more newcomers to the non-dex roster of Pokemon:

1. Go Trainer

2. Tim Goodman

3. Detective Pikachu

4. MoBee IV

Spoilers ahead, I suppose. Next, we'll be covering Detective Pikachu, the main character of the Detective Pikachu games and movie, the companion Pokemon of missing detective Harry Goodman, who can mysteriously communicate with Harry's son Tim. If you don't know, in both the games and movie continuity, you come to discover that Harry's mind was preserved inside of Pikachu's by Mewtwo in order to preserve his life, though in the games, its only his mind while his body is comatose, but in the movies, the two were merged body and mind through convoluted . . . stuff. I figure you could have a menu on the character select screen that would let you use Kaiji Tang or Ryan Reynolds' voice in the English version.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Clue Find

Same as Tim

Side B: Pokemon Ally

He will use the Pokemon allies from the second game for this.

Up B: Gimme a Boost

This is the biggest reason I considered Tim and Pikachu as a duo rather than echoes, as it would feature Tim giving Pikachu a boost like he does in the games to reach higher areas.

Down B: R

Same as Tim.

Final Smash: Exposing the Thief

Or maybe the Thunderbolt he unleashes in the climaxes of both games.

Entrance: He'll take a sip of coffee, enjoy it for a second, then get into action.

Taunts: Up, he'll adjust his cap for a second. Side, he'll enjoy a cup of coffee. Down, he'll look around for cues.

Kirby Hat: His detective cap

Kart: A taxicab

Special Move: Clue Find

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Prime Treasure, with Tim

Victory Screen: Posing and saying "Mystery solved!"

Losing Screen: The fainting motion he makes when memories come back to him.

Color Swaps: Similar colors to Pikachu, but with the detective cap and cloak.

Thanks for reading! Next up, MoBee IV undertakes a quest!

Character Sheet: Tim Goodman

TIM GOODMAN

And now, with Gen VII, let's welcome four more newcomers to the non-dex roster of Pokemon:

1. Go Trainer

2. Tim Goodman

3. Detective Pikachu

4. MoBee IV

Next up, let's cover Tim and Detective Pikachu, the protagonists of the Detective Pikachu games. I went back and forth on whether they should be a tag team partnerships, or echoes, or what, but I ultimately decided to go with a semi-echo situation, differentiated by their respective physical differences. Either way, Tim is the human protagonist of Detective Pikachu, the son of Pikachu's previous owner Harry Goodman, who comes to Ryme City to find his father after he goes missing. Finding he can somehow speak to his father's Pikachu, the two team up to become amateur detectives and figure out the mystery.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Clue Find

He will be able to pinpoint a hidden item anywhere he is standing on stage and collect it, giving himself a boost.

Side B: Human Ally

Paired with Pikachu using the Pokemon allies of Detective Pikachu 2, Tim will call in one of his human allies, including Emilia, Rachel, Lucy, and Brad McMaster who will attack in some way.

Up B: Lift

While Pikachu generally gets a lift up from Tim personally, in-game Tim has to run around to a lift activated by Pikachu. This move will reflect that.

Down B: R

Tim will hit his opponent with R, making them lose control for a minute.

Final Smash: Exposing the Thief

Tim will put together all of his clues, pointing out one of his opponents as the villain, and getting them arrested and taken away.

Entrance: He'll come on, flipping through his father's journal, and asking what this place has to do with his disappearance.

Taunts: Up, he'll rub the back of his head bashfully. Side, he'll rub his chin, deep in thought. Down, he'll crouch to investigate a footprint.

Kirby Hat: His game hair

Kart: A taxicab

Special Move: Clue Find

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Prime Treasure

Victory Screen: He and Detective Pikachu will high-five.

Losing Screen: Falling to his knees as the culprit makes their getaway.

Color Swaps: Four for the game version, with his main outfits of both games, and two more representing Emilia and Rachel. Four for the Justice Smith version, with his different outfits from the movie.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Detective Pikachu solves the case!

Character Sheet: Go Trainer

GO TRAINER

And now, with Gen VII, let's welcome four more newcomers to the non-dex roster of Pokemon:

1. Go Trainer

2. Tim Goodman

3. Detective Pikachu

4. MoBee IV

First up, we have our Go Trainer, or Chase/Elaine, representing the Pokemon Go mechanics as they appear across Pokemon Go and the Pokemon Let's Go games, with a much smaller emphasis on Pokemon battling, and much more on catching.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Poke Ball

The player tosses a Poke Ball that traps the opponent inside, much like the Pokemon Trainer's similar move, but requires you to hold the B button to keep them trapped longer.

Side B: Charged Attack

Companion Pikachu/Eevee is sent forward and performs their standard charged attack at the opponent.

Up B: Quick Attack

Companion Pikachu/Eevee performs their quick attack upward into the air, taking the player with them.

Down B: Candy

The player takes some candy from the Go games in order to boost their own stats.

Final Smash: Poke Stop

A horde of random civilians, all staring at their phones, converge on the stage, running around and throwing Poke Balls wherever they can, trapping the players inside and carrying them off the stage.

Entrance: A Poke Stop marker appears and the player enters while staring at their phone.

Taunts: Up, the player messes around with their companion resting on their head. Side, the player waves around a team flag. Down, the player gets a buzz and checks their phone.

Kirby Hat: Chase's hat

Kart: A regular real world car

Special Move: Candy

Spirit Battle: On Go Stadium

Victory Screen: The player cheering as the catch success screen from the game pops up beside them.

Losing Screen: The player tries tapping to catch a Diglett but the Diglett vanishes too quickly.

Color Swaps: Chase and Elaine's main costumes, plus Team Mystic, Instinct, and Valor outfits.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Tim Goodman searches for clues!

Gen VII Miscellaneous Games

GEN VII MISCELLANEOUS GAMES

And now, let's cover all of the smaller games I skipped while running through this generation. First, we have Pokemon Playhouse, a sorta kinda successor to the Hey You, Pikachu! type games in app form, where kids can watch Pokemon run around and play while interacting with them here and there. Then Pokken Tournament got a re-release for the Switch, called Pokken Tournament DX. Pikachu Talk was a feature for smart speakers like Google Home and Amazon Alexa that let you talk to Pikachu and give it commands. TCG players got Pokemon TCG Card Dex, an app that let them manage their card collections. Pokemon Pass was an app that let you scan QR codes at Pokemon stores and such that let you earn rewards points. And finally Pokemon Wave Hello was an app that let you wave at and pet a Pokemon, and it would respond. Basically, this was very much the era of app production.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate came out during this era, bringing back all the playable characters from Pokemon we'd seen before and most of the stages. Incineroar was also added as Gen VIII's rep, with a few new Poke Ball mons as well. Sadly no new stages were included.

And that's it! Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

All new Pokemon

Chase/Elaine: Go mechanic reps

Detective Pikachu (or Tim Goodman): Maybe they're echoes? Or a duo?

Magikarp Trainer?

Quest Trainer? MoBee VI, since the protagonist doesn't have a visible form?

Trainer System:

Elio

Selene

Chase

Elaine

Scottie

Bettie

Magikarp Trainer

Hop

Lillie

Gladion

Trace

Professor Kukui

Professor Burnet

Samson Oak

Ilima

Hala

Lana

Kiawe

Mallow

Olivia

Sophocles

Molayne

Acerola

Nanu

Mina

Hapu

Kahili

Ryuki

Guzma

Plumeria

Lusamine

Wicke

Faba

Dulse

Zossie

Phyco

Soliera

Lear

Rachel

Sawyer

Paulo

Tina

Stages:

Melemele Island locations

Akala Island locations

Ula'ula Island locations

Poni Island locations

Aether Paradise

Ultra Dimension

Hoppy Town

Megalo Tower

Festival Plaza

Rainbow Rocket Headquarters

Tahnti Park

Litwick Cave

Pokemon Comprehensive Laboratory

Cappucci Island

Fine Park

GNN Station

Ryme Wharf

S.S. Prime Treasure

Pokemon Carnival

Tumblecube Island

Pasio Hotel

Thanks for reading! Now, let's move on to our non-dex newcomers. First up, Chase and Elaine GO for the win!