If Journeys were more like earlier series, what Pokemon would the characters have?
Here’s mine;
Ash:
- Pikachu (obvs)
- Sobble-Drizzile-Intelleon (I actually like how Gou’s capture and recent training of Sobble was handled and its dynamic with Raboot/Cinderace but, come on, this entire line screams Ash mon to me. A timid Pokémon that with time, training, and care is able to reach its full potential and becomes a cool confident battler? I also feel like Sobble and Intelleon offer a lot of creative battle strategies between cloaking, invisibility, Sobble’s tears affecting an opponent’s vision, Intelleon’s gliding membrane, I like to think Drizzile and Intelleon can run on water like basilisk lizards, the sharp weapon hidden in Intelleon’s tail, etc. It’s a Swiss Army Knife of strategies)
- ???
- Kubfu (Ash meets it at the Nuikoguma Nursery on the way to Hulbery where a strange man is looking for someone to raise Kubfu to their full potential. After Satoshi proves himself in battle, he is given Kubfu. Don’t know which form it would evolve into)
Riolu-Lucario would be around (with a similar debut to Journeys) but it would be more of an arc. Clashes with Kubfu a lot
- Carkoal-Coalassal (This was originally a possibility after seeing the Darkest Day arc but after seeing the amount of support it has in this thread, I’m fully onboard. Ash, Gou, and Koharu meet it in a Galar mine where he attacks them, wanting to battle. Ash defeats it. They meet the Carkoal again at another mine where he wants a rematch. However during the rematch, there’s an outburst of Dynamax energy which affects Carkoal and sends him on an out of control rampage. Ash and Pikachu are able to help it, after which, Carkoal decides he wants to go with Ash. He is also the catalyst for the Scorbunny conflict with Scorbunny wanting to learn the move Incinerate after witnessing Carkoal swallow a rock and shoot the flaming object at the opponent during a training session)
- Dracovish (Bringing over from Journeys. The late series capture. I was iffy when the idea of Ash catching it was first brought up but seeing the similarities between the Fossil mons and the Frankenstein story, it makes sense for Ash to have it so he can be it’s friend and give it the best life possible)
Possibilities;
- Galar fetch’d-Sirfetch’d (Bringing over from Journeys)
- Rookidee-Corvisquire-Corviknight (Honestly I’m torn on if this line should go to Hop or go to Ash, otherwise it would be on Ash’s team no question. I imagine it would have a very similar personality to Buizel and Hawlucha and be a very innovative battler, especially in its Corvisquire stage)
Cufant (I just think it’s cute and it could have a nice dynamic with everyone and Ash’s Donphan)
Gou:
- Scorbunny-Raboot-Cinderace (although will evolve at a far better pace)
From here, it was hard to figure out what to do with Gou’s team with the whole catching Pokémon goal and trying to give them all screen time with this being a travel heavy saga. I think I decided to have what Pokémon he has on him rotate episode to episode but as the series goes on, he’d end up having a few mainstays.
- Zorua (Makes sense to give the guy who wants to catch Mew more than anything a Pokémon infamous for trickery and abilities to transform. Presents a major challenge for Gou to catch (think Snivy or Fletchling level challenge). Scorbunny/Raboot/Cinderace adores it)
- Toxel-Toxtricity (Is given to him as an egg by the Nuikoguma Nursery after Scorbunny grows attached to the egg and ends up in a role where he has to be a nurturing parent. Not sure what form he would evolve into; I like the Amped form more and I think it’s the more popular of the two but the Low-key goes really well with Gou’s design and personality. Whichever form Toxel doesn’t evolve into will go to Piers)
- Cubone (Brought over from Journeys but a different story. Was betrayed and abandoned by someones Cubone thought it could trust. It joins up with Gou after he risks his life to save it and many other Pokémon from a hunter)
There’d also be some regularly reoccurring faces such as Raichu and Scyther.
Koharu:
- Yamper (Still the Sakuragi family pet but when Koharu agrees to travel with Gou and Satoshi, he runs away to join up with her. Adores Koharu and Pikachu, likes Gou (mostly because he enjoys fetching the PokéBalls Gou throws), tolerates Grookey, dislikes Satoshi and Scorbunny)
- Grookey (Mischievous and playful, Grookey takes a liking to Koharu. Although she is often annoyed by it, she does care about it even if she doesn’t often show it. Like Yamper, it’s Koharu’s by proxy of always being around her. Have no plans for it to evolve, maybe to Thwackey at most)
- Milcery-Alcremie (Cute, sassy, and intuitive. When Koharu rescues Milcery from Yamper, the two form a strong bond especially when Koharu discovers that Milcery yearns to evolve but doesn’t know what Alcremie she wants to be. Koharu emphasizes and helps her through the process)
Possibilities:
Bring Eevee over from Journeys
I also thought of an idea that, since Koharu has Yamper, Sonia’s signature Pokémon, maybe she could have the rest of the signature Pokémon (Wooloo, Morpeko, and Hattena-Hattrem with some sort of distinguishing feature to set them apart from Hop’s, Marnie’s, and Bede’s respectively (ie Koharu’s Wooloo being young and small, Sonia’s Yamper being noticeably bigger and having a collar, etc).
Now for the most important; the TRio!
Musashi:
- Wobbuffet
- Sizzlipede-Centiskorch (If you know anything about me, you probably know that I’ve been screaming my head off for Musashi to get a Centiskorch ever since it was revealed. It just screams Musashi to me, not to mention it fulfills that sinister, serpentine, menacing bug niche that a lot of Musashi’s Pokémon fall into. Musashi would catch it shortly after the TRio find out about the Dynamax and Gigantamax phenomen. It would evolve sometime around Ash’s third gym badge during which it’s revealed that this one can’t Gigantamax but the two are able to reconcile)
- Nickit (At first this was a back up in case Centiskorch was too OP for the TRio to have but I’ve honestly been able to come up with all sorts of ideas regarding Musashi having a Nickit between its thieving antics (especially with Musashi’s earrings), potential capture scenarios, it’s rivalry with another line infamous for stealing things, and the whole fox hunt thing put into the Boltund-Thievul relationship that it’s too good for them not to be paired together)
Kojiro:
- Cramorant (As soon as TRio arrive in Galar, they meet Cramorant who mistakes their sub for an actual giant Magikarp. After Nyasu fails at trying to scare it off, Kojiro brings it onto their team with a bag of chips. Dumb but affectionate, lots of personality. It’s Water Gun is the screaming seagull meme, it’s Aerial Ace (the move famous for always hitting) mostly misses, and between being released from its PokéBall and Gulp Missile, anything could end up being its mouth (Nyasu, Kojiro’s head, it’s other teammates, rocks, trash, Pikachu, random Pokémon (usually fish Pokémon but sometimes a Chewtle or a Corphish), etc))
- Sinistea-Polteageist (While in Stow-n-Stow, Kojiro buys an “antique” tea set from a strangely familiar individual. A few episodes later, when in a haunted location, a Sinistea plays pranks on the group using Poltergeist. The hijinks end when it makes the mistake of trying to take food from Nickit and Cramorant who accidentally break it’s teacup. Kojiro, feeling bad, offers it his teacup which the Sinistea happily accepts. The next time TRio have a tea break, it takes over the teapot, much to Musashi and Nyasu’s dismay, and evolves into Polteageist)
And I have someone in mind to receive the Galarian Meowth that falls in love with our Nyasu
Now for the rivals
Hop:
- Wooloo-Dubwool
- Grookey-Thwackey-Rillaboom (Since I don’t plan on the Grookey with Koharu evolving, I figured I should have its evolutions be represented by the starter Hop chooses when Satoshi first meets him)
- Gigantamax Snorlax (since Snorlax is a pretty consistent part of his team in the games)
- Pinchurin (again, very consistent part of his team)
- Boltund (really because I don’t expect Koharu or Sonia’s Yamper to evolve)
- ???
And then Silicobra and Trevenant for the Wooloo-not-on-Hop’s-team arc
Possibilities:
- Corvisquire-Corviknight (as mentioned previously, it’s very heavily put on Hop’s team between Gigantamaxing in the games, Corvisquire being his Pokémon in the manga along with Snorlax, Pinchurin, and Wooloo, and it’s presence in the music video)
I also really want to give him a Fire type to match his older brother and his signature Pokémon. I know he has a Heatmor in the games but I find that I’m leaning more towards Rapidash or Fletchinder-Talonflame
Marnie:
- Morpeko
- Impidimp-Morgrem-Grimmsnarl (Gigantamaxes in Championships)
- Purrloin-Liepard (And yes, Meowth does have a crush on her although it passes by pretty uneventfully with Purrloin evolving offscreen)
- Sableye (Whoever brought that idea up in this thread, amazing! I really can’t believe she doesn’t have it in canon)
- Toxicroak (for once not the Shiny coloration!)
- Galarian Zigzagoon (Due to Piers having Obstagoon. This is more of a companion to her though, during actual Gym Challenges and tournament battles, she uses a Scraggy)
Bede:
- Solosis-Duosion-Reneiculus
- Hattena-Hattrem-Hatterene (Gigantamax)
- Gothorita-Gothitelle (His first Pokémon. Chairman Rose gave him Gothita as a gift)
- Dottler-Orbeetle (I’m really surprised I haven’t seen this pairing yet)
- Ralts-Kirlia-Gardevoir (Takes in when the Ralts takes a liking to Bede after he rescues it from Team Rocket)
- Galarian Ponyta-Rapidash (Appears on his team after Opal takes him in)
(Really like the idea someone had of giving him Shiinotic, I think that would be on his team in the Championships)
Sonia (I know she’s not a rival but I feel she’s too significant to leave out. In this, she’d frequently be like a fourth member of the group and like a big sister to Koharu)
- Yamper (The distant brother of Koharu’s Yamper. Wears a pink rhinestone collar)
- Snom/Frosmoth
- Butterfree (Plot twist; it can Gigantamax)
- Runerigus (When it and a bunch of Galarian Yamask go on a rampage after Bede destroys the mural, it’s Sonia who calms it down with help from Frosmoth and Yamper)
- Galarian Ponyta (It is said that once Sonia was a trainer equal to Leon but something changed after an incident in the Slumbering Weald. Ponyta hasn’t been seen since)
Also I don’t care if they’re not in the Galar Dex, I’m giving Leon a Pyroar (male) and a Luxray
