The PERFECT Pokemon Game - Part 1

I feel like I sound a little broken-record-y sometimes when I consistently repeat myself. I am of course, referring to the masochistic relationship we are all in with the Pokemon Company.

Pokemon Inc.

The last mainstream game to hit the shelves was of course Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and that was a good while ago. From their release date till now there has not been any concrete news about a new titular game in the franchise.

Will it be a sequel based in Kalos or Hoenn? Or an entirely new region? (I wish)

What does an avid PokeFan do while they wallow in their acquired helplessness? They daydream of course. They daydream and they doodle and they let themselves go entirely to their inspiration and their wishful thinking - about what the new games would/should hold for us.

Needless to say, I thought it would be nice if collected all my random scribbles on notebooks and pieces of paper and articulate it into a nice blog entry. After all it has been a while since my creative juices flowed on here.

The following is an exhausting list and has no real world merit to it safe for the fact that I sorely wish for them to be part of the Pokemon Franchise. I couldn’t bear to put them in a countdown format because personally, the inclusion of any of these in the games would be a treat on its own. 

Trainers from across each Generation

Upon reviewing the mountain of things I had written down, I decided to make this blog entry a multi-part series. (There's only so much I can sit and write down before I get back to the real world).

The following, as you'll see, are in no specific order and obviously involve a lot of geeky Nintendo-patented jargon and I apologise to those of you who have stumbled across this by mistake and have no idea what I’m talking about. #SorryNotSorry

For everyone else though,
Enjoy reading through all the things, that I felt our PERFECT Pokemon Game would have!

1. The Need for a Dark Gym Leader

The Dark type has grown on me quite significantly since its conception in 2^nd gen. I prematurely thought they were a bit of a filler tactic and safe for a handful of legitimate threats on a team, the Dark type was, dare I say it, lackluster. 

Pokemon Gym Symbol

I have since then, been humbled.

My Umbreon has been a staple of my 6^th gen team for a while now. I had always been predisposed to Espeon as my Eeveelution of choice but it was one time in the middle of the night where I accidently leveled up my well trained/bred Eevee that its noir appeal really hit home.

In the meta game, only Elite Trainers have specialized in the Dark Type, namely Karen, Sydney and Grimsley, which is a nod from the developers to how much of a threat the Dark type is.

Dark Type Pokemon enthusiasts, Karen, Grimsby and Sydney of the Elite 4

I personally think it is about time that we should have a Dark Gym Leader. Gym Leaders as well all know are the Pokemon specialists in each town/city that the player goes through and their type choices reflect palpably in the decorum of their respective locales. 

Blaine and Flannery favouring the Fire type next to a volcano, Candice and Wulfric partaking in Ice types amidst a perennial blizzard etc. This would mean that a Dark type Gym would be situated in a city buzzing with seemingly sinister undertones.

City/Town with a Dark Type Gym Leader

I acknowledge how that might be cause for concern for impressionable children but that being said I don’t think its reason enough to not go ahead with it. 

Where many Dark-type Pokemon may come across as intimidating and vicious, they are in fact supremely loyal to their Trainers. 

The little streaks of ‘mischief’ that they possess are endearing traits rather than glaring liabilities. The city in question would then not have to necessarily be a criminal underbelly, but rather a large population of pranksters! 

Who knows, if we were to come across a charismatic Dark Gym Leader, many new Trainers would even be inclined to using Dark-Types much more in their teams. 

All in all, 6 generations down the line, I think it is about time that we get our Dark Gym Leader.

2. Surfing, Flying and Soaring – What’s Next?

Logistics is an integral part of the Pokemon games. Getting from Point A to Point B is inherently crucial to advancing. 

Surfing on Pokemon

Sometimes, that journey is made even more intriguing with the use of our Pokemon. 

Water Types to traverse large channels of water, Flying types for a more streamlined trajectory and as of ORAS, the use of Latias/Latios to Soar in the sky.

The thing is though, that every entry in the PokeDex has such potential for helping out in this regard, that I’m a little confused as to why this feature has not been used to its full potential. 

Summoning to Fly

We were given a sneak peak to this during our travels in Kalos where we could mount and ride a Skiddo, which was a nice little change from whizzing around on our bikes or rollerblades.
Going a step further I don’t consider it improbable to use other Pokemon to help in moving around. 

Soaring near Mt Chimney

Excadrill leading the way underground

Like riding a Girafarig through the taller grass, or latching onto a Drifloon to ‘hover’ over small obstacles like mounds and rocks, or even using an Excadrill to travel underground. 

Hovering with a Drifblim

I would even like to go out on a limb and suggest the use of Abra to teleport shorter, more practical distances rather than a beeline to the last Pokemon Center.

One of the core novelties of the games is the interactivity between the overworld and the Pokemon we possess, coming together in fun new ways. 

They used the Lati twins to Soar, why can’t we use Rayquaza to travel to another region altogether? Ok, I’ll stop now!

Riding a Rayquaza

3. More Trainer Customisations

It has been a time-honoured tradition for a ten-year old protagonist to set out into the vast world with one of the three starters in tow.

'What Kind Of Trainer Are You?'

In the Unova and Kalos regions, the players were set to a more ‘teenage’ feel. The change was aesthetic to say the least but what it established was that the player’s age was, more or less, of little significance to the plot of the game as a whole.

In Kalos we could customize our avatar in a number of ways, further adding to the variety and collectible appeal to the game where we would now spend an obscene amount of money to possess every article of clothing that was available, or change our hairstyles every so often.

My attachment to the Pokemon series has spanned a good 20 years now. It seems a tad mundane to me to be represented by a 10 year old in the game, where I would feel just as comfortable, if not more, as a 25 year old Trainer, maybe with the added option of manipulating my height and weight.

Pokemon Trainer Customisation Options

Although completely inconsequential to the game dynamics, this invariable feature would duly inject another layer of diversity into the game.

4. Location Based Movesets

Every so often, the developers tweak the game engine and many existing Pokemon get changes in their movesets. For example Pikachu who has gotten a new Electric Type move in each generation.

I feel that there is room to take this philosophy one step further with the addition of location based movesets for the Pokemon that you catch. 

Shiny Gyarados using Muddy Water

Right off the bat I would like to think that a Gyarados that you caught on the swampy Route 212 in Sinnoh would be able to learn Muddy Water (because it has grown in that environment), or a Route 1 Milotic from Unova being able to use Iron Head (because of its proximity to the P2 Laboratory and the insurgence of Team Plasma would have caused the wild Pokemon in the area to adaptively defend themselves).

Milotic using Iron Head

These moves would be exclusive to the area that these Pokemon are caught adding another very potent mechanic of capturing and building your team.

Adding on, I would like to travel to Castelia sewers to catch a Grimer that knows Haze/Shadow Sneak (city dwelling Pokemon would possess the skills in tune with the survival instincts needed by them to thrive in a human metropolis) or a Magic Coat using Exeggcute at the banks of the Lake of Rage (no doubt a side effect of Team Rocket’s radio wave experiments there – and we thought only the Magikarp were affected).

Generation 6 PokeDex

The PokeDex reflects a large array of creatures that have colonized all across this world. It would only make sense that some pockets within them would be equipped to locally ‘adapt’ to their surroundings as a direct result. We see this in the real world all the time, so why not mirror that within the game. 

This would make the capture origins of many Pokemon even more unique.

5. Third Level Evolutions in the Wild

This has always irked me a little bit, or at least lack of it. Every game so far seems to have a cap on the level of Wild Pokemon you can encounter in the game.

I would like to think that a hardworking Trainer, considering they have made it so far, would be able to come across a Gengar, a Staraptor or an Aggron in the wild. 

Where to catch a Crobat

The seemed to have fixed this problem with Wild Steelix on Iron Island or Crobat in the Giant Chasm but the selection process was pretty arbitrary.

As a hardcore Trainer I would love the idea to stumble across a scrappy Upper Tier Evolution in the wild. 

Go ahead, make them frustratingly elusive, with obscenely difficult capture rates – that doesn’t matter – it only adds to their appeal. You would only be adding to the novelty of the find. Not to take away from the mundane consistency of several rounds of Elite 4 matches to level up etc – but coming across a rare 3^rd Level Evolution gem is a treat in itself at times. A level 65 Nidoking just attacked! What?!

Romance, Interrupted

6. Complete the Eeveelutions

Eeveelutions

 I should know better by now. I know that the Eevee Evolution tree will be used constantly for many many years to come to reel in audiences. 

There seems to be a universal appeal amongst Trainers for new ways to evolve their precious Eevee. Every alternate generation the developers give us a beautiful new design and type. 

So far, apart from the Normal Type base form, we have 8 -eons to pick and choose for our teams. It’s only a matter of time that GameFreak rolls out the rest. 

The ones that I am most excited about is the Ghost and Dragon type –Eons. That’s a lie. 

Prospective Eeveelutions

They could release a picture of a Ground type and I’ll still lose my shit.

7. Several Save Slots

It doesn’t matter if you’re a well functioning adult, or a pre teen - where the main Pokemon Games are known for a lot of things, they’re not exactly cheap investments. 

Main Games in the Pokemon Franchise

Every iteration of the game is pretty hefty on the pocket, from the console they use to the cartridge itself. I remember going through an obscene amount of batteries back in the GameBoy Colour days. 

What I would need, ideally, to be more secure in my spending, would be the addition of multiple save files.

Availability of multiple Save Slots

Every game only has one slot and once you’re done with the linear gameplay, defeating the Elite 4 and Champion, all you have left to do in the large expansive overworld is loiter. I would like the chance to go through the storyline again, making a new team and choosing a new Starter without losing out on my Pokedollars and items, or having to trade out all my hard trained Pokemon to another game before resetting the battery.

Data Erase Option Screen

I think this is a reasonable request; I’m a big fan of the Fire Emblem series and I love the fact that there are multiple save files so I can back track and relive the story again, if only to compare. Economically though, I think it would give us all more bang for our buck.
 

8. Simultaneous Attack Combinations

Attacks like Flying Press have given us fodder for inspiration. 

Hawluch using Flying Press

It takes me back to several instances in the anime where Pokemon moves had more heft to them than just damage calculations. Previously I thought that move combinations was a staple for the contest battles in the anime but then I remembered all the times that Ash’s Pikachu would electrify another Pokemon’s water type moves to send Team Rocket blasting off, or more infamously how Dome Ace Tucker made his Swampert and Arcanine team up and create a move fusing water and fire.

Water and Fire Type Attacks combined

In the past there have been combination moves, like the Pledges and Defence Curl/Rollout combos but I think that there is room for growth.

Pignite using Fire Pledge

Greninja's Frozen Water Shuriken

If a Greninja’s Hydro Pump was frozen solid by a Froslass’s Blizzard, it could suddenly become a Water/Ice Type attack maybe even becoming Physical in the process. 

Or what if a Venusaur’s Solarbeam was fused with a Sylveon’s Moonblast? 

Can you imagine how devastating an Earthquake/Eruption combo could be? 

Typhlosion's Eruption/Earthquake Combo

Pokemon games in the future should definitely look into more dual type attacks as it’s would provide a rich vein to tap into for Attack based content.

9. More Catching Methods

Catching Pokemon is the foundation to absolutely everything else in the Pokemon games.

Starting from the first generation, we could walk through grass, caves and surf through water until we came across a Pokemon. 

Headbutting trees in Ilex Forest

In Gen 2, through the friendly Move Tutor in Ilex Forest, we were introduced to Headbutt-ing trees, where a Pokemon in our party would straight up bang their noggin on a tree and an unsuspecting Pokemon would drop down. Smashing boulders in Gen 3 would produce the same result, as did Honey Trees in Gen 4. 

Also in Gen 4, in HeartGold/SoulSilver, I really liked placing items in the Safari Zone, where we had to wait a number of days for a particular Pokemon to show up in the area. 

Hidden Grottos in Unova

The Hidden Grotto feature in Gen 5 was a particularly nice touch as it increased daily playtime as well as giving access to Pokemon with Hidden Abilities. 

The swooping, and jumping out novelty in Kalos was just that – novelty, nothing concrete, but finding a Pokemon in your berry trees was quite fun.

The piece de resistance, finally came around in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire - the formidable DexNav. With this device, manufactured from the auspicious Devon Corporation, Trainers everywhere could trigger the terrain to “rustle” and “shake” bringing out the Pokemon that they needed. I loved the DexNav feature, and when I finally found my Drought powered Vulpix on Mt. Pyre, I was ecstatic. 

Skitty hunting on a DexNav

GameFreak is definitely got the formula down for mass engagement on this level. More of this please!

Using a bug net

Probably an ambitious thing to say as I’m sure a lot of other Trainers would feel the same way but I want newer and more interactive methods to catch my Pokemon. 

Like a bug net to go running around in the grass. Or making special Poffins/Pokeblocks and leaving them in a dish at your Secret Base, and checking up on it to see if a Wild Pokemon had wandered inside. 

Poffins as Bait

There are just so many Pokemon out there; adding a unique take to their capture would be incredible.
 

10. PokeDex Milestones to make future easier

One of the most primary motives for the game – the catching them all concept has lately become the most mundane. 

PokeDex Completion Certificate - Big Whoop -_-

With 700+ Pokemon now, the entire effort has dwindled down to a thankless chore. There’s a certificate somewhere in-game waiting for you if you accomplish this feat, which has all the appeal of a piece of paper, and a Shiny Charm (I think the appeal is overrated; it was way too frustrating). 

Bianca offering a PokeBall

Developers need to revamp this and take us back to our roots. I want a damn Aide to come find me on select progresses I've made on the PokeDex and give me goodies as a reward (like he used to in the first generation), lots and lots of goodies. 

These could be immensely hard-to-get items, or upgrades, or even access to previously unknown routes. Hell, they could also be a RARE Pokemon! 

Personally though, it would definitely go a very long way in engaging players in the long run.

You Gotta'

TO BE CONTINUED...

(*This was just Part 1, and we've only just scratched the surface - I have dozens of awesome ideas for what our PERFECT Pokemon Game should be like so stay tuned, and keep reading!*)

Countdown To The Strongest Pokemon League Champion Ever

Through the six generations of the Pokemon Franchise, players have had to battle their way through Rivals, Gym Leaders and the Elite 4 to face off against the strongest Trainers in the region. This is a countdown of the most powerful Champions in the Pokemon Universe.

The Champions with their signature Pokemon. 
This list is compiled from the counterparts in the video game series and not the anime.

8. Wallace

Wallace in his signature Pokemon Emerald attire

Circa Pokemon Emerald, Wallace, who was previously a Gym Leader takes the pedestal of the Hoenn League Champion by giving over the reins of the Sootopolis Gym to his long time mentor Juan. 
Through the credits following the Delta Episode in Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire we find out that his position as Champion was equal parts personal favor and equal parts battle expertise to the already reigning Steven Stone who then takes an indefinite leave of absence to pursue a more personal calling.
Wallace being a Water Pokemon Master stands at number 8 on the list. As incumbent Champion, Wallace favors a full-fledged Water type team with his Milotic being most synonymous with his position as a powerful Trainer. He stands at the lowest tier of the list owing to his limited battle prowess (as compared to the other Champions) and lack of a diverse team.
Battling Wallace in the games is a very straightforward affair largely in part to his predictable battle style and his Type specialization. Water types, although abundantly bulky, are easily handled by even the most amateur of players. Falling to a well raised, Electric and/or Grass type, the only hurdle Wallace has to offer is with his Tentacruel and Ludicolo. Then again, considering two thirds of the battle already in the bag, there isn’t much that Wallace can do otherwise.
Alternatively, the Hoenn Champion moonlights as a Pokemon Coordinator, evidence of which can be found in the anime series as well. The players can sporadically find themselves trying to show up their Pokemon in the Beauty contest’s Master Rank in ORAS next to Wallace’s Pokemon. Until the developers decide to buff him up in future remakes at a later time, Wallace sits ‘elegantly’ on the base of this list.

7. Diantha

Diantha with Mega Gardevoir

If you played Pokemon X and Y without consulting any guides or spoilers per say (as I do), you would be visibly surprised at Diantha’s reveal of boasting the position of the Kalos Champion. After going through the entire plot of the narrative, there isn’t any glaring indication that Diantha would be your final hurdle to the Hall of Fame. 
Diantha is a famous movie star in the Kalos region. Her celebrity status and unique style already make her an iconic presence to the local population. The player initially comes across her in Lumiose City and apart from being sincerely concerned about their journey there isn’t much to gauge from her interaction.
Diantha’s team on hand isn’t as much of a threat as it is a fashion statement. Hailing fully evolved Pokemon that display a wide color palate, the only noteworthy presence is that of her Mega Gardevoir. As much as Gamefreak would like to play fair, they do have stand out favorites out of the 719 Pokemon discovered so far – Gardevoir being one of them, and they saw to it that it’s Mega Evolution get the game’s equivalent of a standing ovation as the staple of Diantha’s team.
Diantha will go the extra mile in this case and gift a Ralts to the player after the game is over in Lumiose City holding the coveted Gardevoirite, Gardevoir’s Mega Stone.

6. Alder

Alder

Anyone remember Mon*Star from SilverHawks? Alder is his human love child. There is no other explanation for that ginger mane of his. But let’s not be too quick to judge.
Alder is one of the more deep characters that you might have come across in the meta game. His helping hand and frequent interaction with the player is (spoiler alert) supremely overshadowed by his past. A nomad at heart, we learn that Alder’s very first Pokemon ever, possibly a Larvesta/Volcarona, had died. Being unable to save his beloved partner instilled in him a need to wander around and encourage young Trainers that the pursuit of strength was not all that it’s cracked up to be. He has reined in his battle spirit so much in fact that when the player reaches him the first time at the Pokemon League, Alder has already been defeated by N only moments ago – an anomaly in itself as defeating the Unova Champion should not be such an easy feat.
Alder’s team is predominantly Bug type, a first for a Champion, with his Volcarona paying sincere homage to his own personal style – a fiery six pronged star.
A formidable opponent with a well balanced team of his own, Alder realizes the bigger picture, and by the end of the events in Pokemon Black and White, has humbly retired to his hometown of Flocessy to make way for the more worthy ‘younger generation’ where he’s more than happy mentoring passing Trainers, even indulging in a battle or two from time to time.
Alder lives on vicariously through the achievements of his grandson, Benga – mirroring how Alder may have been while he was a young boy.

5. Iris

Iris with her Haxorus

A bit of a wild child, hailing from a land unkown, Iris is the youngest Champion to make the list.
In Pokemon White, Iris is the Opelucid Gym Leader, Drayden’s protégé of sorts, but by Black 2/White 2 has gone up the ranks to become the Champion of the Unova League.
Her Pokemon team is primarily Dragons, with her Haxorus being the one to beat. Feisty and unnerving, Iris has done considerably well despite the short length of her tutelage under a Dragon Master, to be able to dethrone the previous Champion, Alder and taking up his mantle at the end of the League.
Iris is an extremely tough opponent and is easily one of the most frustrating match ups if the player is not prepared to tackle her unique onslaught.

4. Gary Oak

Gary Oak with his Pidgeot, Arcanine and Umbreon

The grandson of Professor Samuel Oak, Gary (or Blue, if that’s what you know him as) was the Pokemon series’ first rival, and there hasn’t been any one like him ever since.
Hailing from Pallet Town, Gary’s small town roots had nothing on him when it came to etching his name in Pokemon League history. With a good variety on his team, Gary was unsurprisingly swift in his climb to becoming Champion. Always a step ahead of the player, what Gary lacked in patience, he made up for in grit and fiery ambition. 
His rash personality wasn’t all peaches and cream. Gary would become easily bored and leave his duties much to the detriment of other Trainers.
Although the main narrative of the series only allowed him to be Champion for a very short time, Gary clearly had the mettle to be taken seriously as a competent Trainer. Upon losing at the Indigo Plateau, Gary made his way to Viridian City, where he took up the role of Viridian City’s Gym Leader, handing over the Earth Badge to all who could best him at a Pokemon battle.
Gary’s team is insanely first generation and while that loyalty to the original 151 might be commendable, it is way too outdated to be competitively viable. It is for this and this reason alone that when it comes to a match up of Champions, Gary does not secure a loftier perch on this list. Smell ya later Gary!

3. Lance

Lance and Dragonite

The original Dragon Pokemon extraordinaire. Lance was the combined Champion of both Kanto and Johto (as both regions shared the same Pokemon League) after Red took a leave of absence to go stand silently atop Mount Silver.
Originally the fourth and final member of the Kanto Elite 4, Lance was an untouchable Trainer owing to his high-leveled Dragon team. 
Dragon Pokemon up till the sixth generation have been generally skewed to being extremely powerful, a dynamic which the developers of the game have since then, rectified. 
The interest in the Dragon type runs in the family it seems, as his cousin Clair, is the presiding Gym Leader of Blackthorn City and his grandfather is the elder of a revered group of Dragon Masters.
Lance also seems to be a vigilante when the situation arises, flying off on the back of his Dragonite to help those in need – hey, if the cape fits. 
Lance partners up with the player in Mahogany Town after investigating Team Rocket’s stimulating the Pokemon at the Lake of Rage to evolve much before they are ready to naturally do so. 
Dragons are awesome, Lance is awesome. The proof is in the pudding.

2. Steven Stone

Steven Stone and Mega Metagross

We’re almost there! 
The coveted number 2 spot on the list goes to the Hoenn Champion, Steven Stone.
Making his debut in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Steven is the heir of the Devon Corporation. Specializing in the extremely defensive Steel type, Steven has an innate penchant for stone collecting.
Early on in the game, we can gauge that Steven possesses a sincere interest in the development of the player, giving the Trainer helpful hints, moving the story along, at one point partnering up with the protagonist to take on Team Magma/Team Aqua.
Steven’s presence in the games is complimented by his frequent gifts to the Trainer as well. From a Beldum in Mossdeep City to having your pick of the Hoenn Starters in Kanto, Steven is a novelty to interact with.
With a genuine regard for the wellbeing of all Pokemon, Steven goes a step ahead in the sixth generation remakes of Ruby and Sapphire by giving the player their Key stones and starter’s Mega Stone.
Although a Steel type enthusiast, Steven also has several Rock Pokemon on his team, with Metagross being his most called upon partner in battle. As of ORAS, Steven’s Metagross is capable of Mega Evolving, being the first time that the player encounters one.
He is a formidable opponent, clearly deserving his place so high on the list because of his multi faceted battle style.

1. Cynthia

Cynthia with her Garchomp

The crowning glory of the list of Pokemon Champions – the piece de resistance if you will. With the advent of the fourth generation in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Trainers all over the world were introduced to the vitality that the Pokemon League had to offer, the Sinnoh Champion – Cynthia.
Hailing from Celestic Town, Cynthia was the first female Champion introduced in the series, a highly coveted position further validated because of how badass she is.
Boasting a Garchomp as the cornerstone of her well rounded team, Cynthia is by far the most difficult AI in the game. An avid researcher of Pokemon mythos, the player can encounter Cynthia at several pivotal points of the main story. Following her around in the Distortion World chasing after a rogue Giratina was only half as foreboding because she was right there with you. 
From being a valuable part of the narrative as well as acting as an aide to the Trainer, it is no surprise that GameFreak kept bringing her back in future generations, even if it was just a cameo. She is a fan favorite, rightly so, being one of the handful of characters who when defeated, gives the Player a palpable sense of accomplishment. 
It is largely hypothesized that regardless of who Cynthia might face in the Elite 4 roster of the Pokemon series, she would largely come out on top. This includes every Elite Trainer in the Pokemon League as well as fellow Champions. Her extremely balanced team heightened by one of the most frustrating strategies is in itself a prime reason for Cynthia’s position as the cardinal Champion in the franchise so far.