An Interview with Brendan

After the editor’s interview with @trainersofhoenn’s Brendan, she sat down with him again to ask him a few questions.

So, The Pokédex According to Bill presents for your viewing pleasure a rarity for our blog: actual advice from a trainer on interacting with a starter.

LANETTE: To start things off, why don’t you tell us a little bit about your starter and your relationship with it? Which starter did you choose?

BRENDAN: I chose Mudkip, and he’s been an incredible partner! It’s been very easy to raise him. I was surprised that he picked up all my commands very quickly in our first few battles. When I started calling him Axle, it didn’t take long for him to get used to it, too!

LANETTE: Nicknames are great ways of bonding with pokémon, and that’s certainly a cute one for yours! Speaking of bonding, though, all new trainers go through challenges when first bonding with theirs. What challenges did you face while bonding with Axle?

BRENDAN: If anything, I had to get used to camping out near a body of water at night, since mudkip like to sleep at that meeting point of land and water. It wasn’t that necessary anymore once he evolved because the species are more amphibious, but I still made it a point to do so since marshtomp and swampert appreciate getting their bodies damp.

I also had to get used to how he loves battling. I mean, he really, really loves battling. I’m glad that my project allows me to meet so many trainers and in turn lets me battle them, because Axle won’t be able to sleep at night if he hasn’t battled at least a couple of pokémon. It only got worse ever since I was able to mega evolve him! I didn’t plan on being a battling-heavy trainer, but Axle single-handedly steered me to that direction.

LANETTE: It sounds like he was quite a handful at the end! On that note, what are a few things you wish someone would have told you beforehand about raising your starter?

BRENDAN: That he likes getting your attention by blasting water to your face! When he was a mudkip, I saw it as a playful thing and took it as a sign of friendliness, but when he evolved and his attacks got stronger, I had to tell him that there’s only so much water I can take. Axle still does this to me sometimes, but it’s more out of humor than anything. One time he did that to Melody, my exploud, and both of us had to deal with the constant ringing in our ears for the entire day because of her Hyper Voice attack. Axle stuck to picking on me after that.

LANETTE: [laughs] He sounds like he keeps you on your toes. But on the other hand, they say pokémon with forward personalities are more likely to create strong bonds with their trainers. So tell me, what’s the most rewarding part about being with your partner? And for that matter, what general advice can you give to a trainer who chooses your starter?

BRENDAN: I think my answer to your first question would be similar to what most other trainers would say about their partner, regardless of species. I’m very thankful to have a pokémon who I can trust and who jives so well with me. I can say the same thing for my other pokémon, but there really is something special when you’re talking about your starter. I’m not exaggerating when I say that he’s a big reason why I’m still journeying.

As for general advice to trainers who are starting or want to start with mudkip: Don’t sweat it! It’s very easy for them to form a bond with their trainers—there’s a reason why Professor Birch gives them away as starters. Just make sure to be wary about their affinity for damp, muddy places. I’m sure the species’ name should’ve given it away!

Also, belly rubs go a long way in making mudkip more affectionate to you. And that grows exponentially after every evolution!

LANETTE: [laughs again] Yes, that’s very true for nearly every pokémon! Well, thank you, Brendan, for all your advice. I’m sure that this will be helpful for anyone who’s considering adopting mudkip as their partner in Hoenn this year! One last question, though, just to help send them off—what sort of advice do you have for anyone journeying through Hoenn?

BRENDAN: Great question, and one that I love asking to my interviewees as well! I’d say to keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Your eyes will let you to discover many new pokémon and places to make your journey more expansive. Your ears will let you find out more about other people and let you learn from them to make your journey more colorful. And your mind will let you be ready and willing to take all of that in to make your journey more meaningful.

{Thanks again to @trainersofhoenn, who wrote Brendan’s parts this time around, for the awesome collab! It was a lot of fun, and it’s an honor to work with a really sweet writer!

Not to repeat myself (although it’s 100% worth it in this case), if you haven’t followed Trainers of Hoenn, you really should. His blog is not just a Humans of New York/Pokémon spiritual crossover. It’s also a humanizing, creative, and often heartwarming look into the NPCs of the Hoenn region. If you love reading character studies or pieces about people being people, give it a look!}

Chingling and Chimecho

Chingling
The Bell Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Official Registration #: 433
Entry: Inside this jingle bell pokémon’s mouth is a metallic, uvula-like organ that creates a ringing sound whenever chingling moves or intentionally agitates it during battle. The sound it makes sounds adorable and festive, and consequently, humans have adopted it as an iconic feature of their holiday season. Putting it another way, chingling cries are often just as much associated with Christmas as gingerbread cookies and peppermint canes. Unfortunately, what many humans fail to realize is that these cries are actually meant to drive threats away, as they’re often accompanied by high-frequency notes that they are virtually incapable of hearing … but that their pokémon partners can. Long story short, the author strongly advises adopting live chingling and agitating them into emitting their adorable, bell-like cries for an “authentic experience,” as there are at least thirty-nine cases of people doing this a year, all of which end in tragedy and tears. The author is looking at you in particular, people of Unova.

Chimecho
The Wind Chime Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Official Registration #: 358
Entry: The evolved form of chingling, at night and as a result of a heightened level of happiness. This adorable, wind chime-like pokémon seeks out strong branches or eaves to hang from in high winds. It communicates using only seven different tones in various patterns, almost all of which are pleasant to hear. However, there is a certain pattern that produces ultrasonic waves that will knock even a full-grown man flying, and long story short, chimecho do not take song requests, so it’s wise to not even try.

Barboach and Whiscash

Barboach
The Whiskers Pokémon
Type: Water/Ground
Official Registration #: 339
Entry: A long, loach-like pokémon native to freshwater rivers. Although it’s not technically amphibious, it shares one important trait with truly amphibious part-ground pokémon such as members of the mudkip line and wooper line: the ability to excrete a slimy film that makes it difficult to grasp. Of course, given the acidity and toxicity of the aforementioned pokémon, combined with barboach’s awkward shape and penchant for spitting dirt and mud at threats, there is a popular sport in Alola dedicated to grabbing as many barboach as humanly possible within a certain time limit. (There is, also naturally, a similar sport in Hoenn called “grabbing barboach,” but the context is entirely different.)

Whiscash
The Whiskers Pokémon
Type: Water/Ground
Official Registration #: 340
Entry: The evolved form of barboach, by battle experience. Despite its friendly expression and the fact that it’s not well-regarded as a battler, these large, catfish-like pokémon are actually formidable pokémon. They claim entire swamps as their territories, and in order to repel intruders, they execute incredibly powerful ground-type moves, including Earthquake. For this reason, it’s also a popular sport in Alola to enter their territories and go fishing for them, an act which is called “whiscashing.” Incidentally, there is likewise a similarly named sport in Hoenn, but the context also has little to do with actual whiscash (and everything to do with certain whiscashing victims’ hope that the partners they come across enjoy grabbing barboach).

And congratulations, Bill. You’ve just earned yet another three hours in the shame corner. —LH

Nosepass and Probopass

Nosepass
The Compass Pokémon
Type: Rock
Official Registration #: 299
Entry: This statue-like pokémon possesses a highly magnetic nose that causes it to point towards the planet’s northern magnetic pole at all times … except when in close proximity to another nosepass. If placed in the vicinity of another nosepass, both subjects’ noses will force them to turn away from each other, meaning it’s entirely impossible for two nosepass to be face to face or to stand right next to one another. As expected, this can be rather awkward for several reasons, the most obvious of which would be breeding.

Probopass
The Compass Pokémon
Type: Rock/Steel
Official Registration #: 476
Entry: The evolved form of nosepass, by battle experience, if trained in areas rich with the mineral magnetite. This statue-like pokémon’s entire body is highly magnetic and modular. The bulbous projections on its sides are actually miniature statues known as “mini-noses,” which are capable of detaching and flying about for surveillance and incorporation into probopass’s various attacks. More impressively, the black substance beneath its nose is actually a bush of iron filings that form a “mustache.” This particular feature does not actually have a special name or purpose of its own; the author just feels that it’s majestic.

Wingull and Pelipper

Wingull
The Seagull Pokémon
Type: Water/Flying
Official Registration #: 278
Entry: A large, seagull-like pokémon native to coastal regions. Among researchers who do not make their homes in coastal areas, this pokémon is known for its elegant, gliding flight patterns. It nests in high cliffs along the sea, and from these spots, it leaps over the ocean waves and rides updrafts high into the air. As such, it is sometimes known as the “kite of the ocean.” However, to those who have ever lived on cities on the coast (such as the author), this pokémon is known for snatching valuables and french fries from the hands of humans as well as defecating strategically on beachgoers, and as such, it’s known as “flying rat” and other colorful phrases and names the author cannot repeat in mixed company.

Pelipper
The Water Bird Pokémon
Type: Water/Flying
Official Registration #: 279
Entry: The evolved form of wingull, by battle experience. Known for its unique beak, this pelican-like pokémon is sometimes used as a messenger. In the old days, this was done by placing items, letters, and small pokémon in its beak, telling it where to go, and letting it fly. However, in modern times, it’s given a small mail pouch instead. The reason why is because wild pelipper feed by scooping food into its beak, carrying it off until it reaches a cliff, and tilting its head back to swallow, so thanks to instinct, a tamed pelipper’s delivery route tended to end the moment it reached a seaside cliff … of which there are many in its native region of Hoenn.

Hoenn Legendaries: Part V

Deoxys
The DNA Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Official Registration #: 386
Entry: This incredibly powerful pokémon originated from a free-floating virus in space that mutated as a result of exposure to cosmic rays. It has the ability to shoot lasers from the crystalline organ in its chest and shapeshift into one of three more powerful forms, in addition to potent psychokinetic abilities. This may sound like a concept fresh from a questionable science-fiction movie, but the author assures you this a thing that exists.

Hoenn Legendaries, Part IV

Kyogre
The Sea Basin Pokémon
Type: Water
Official Registration #: 382
Entry: The ancient god of the sea, according to Hoennian legend. According to ancient Hoennian texts, Kyogre shaped the oceans by controlling the very waves themselves and bringing down torrential downpours. Interestingly, unlike many other myths concerning the creation of a world, Kyogre had a motivation behind it: namely to establish the dominance of aquatic pokémon in their fight against Groudon and its land-based followers. This means that the ocean itself exists thanks to a petty quarrel that happened eons ago, and because of this, the author is not sure whether to be impressed or to assume this explains quite a bit about the human race if this is how they say the world was formed.

Groudon
The Continent Pokémon
Type: Ground
Official Registration #: 383
Entry: The ancient god of the land, according to Hoennian legend. According to ancient Hoennian texts, Groudon had the power to raise landmasses and control magma, which one would assume were the powers it used in its quarrel against Kyogre to create the land. But no. No, reader, the power it used in its fight against Kyogre, the almighty ability that cut continents through Kyogre’s very oceans, was the ability to dispel clouds and make it especially sunny.

Hoenn Legendaries, Part III

Latias
The Eon Pokémon
Type: Dragon/Psychic
Official Registration #: 380
Entry: One of the legendary dragon guardians of the Soul Dew, an item of mystic power. Unlike most other legendaries, it’s known that latias live in small herds with multiple other latias and latios. Each latias is highly sensitive to human emotions, can understand human speech, communicates telepathically, and possesses coats of reflective down that can alter their appearance or render them invisible. Needless to say, these abilities in combination have caused much romantic confusion in the human race since the latias have first discovered us, and there is, indeed, an internet subculture dedicated to this exact breed of confusion.

Latios
The Eon Pokémon
Type: Dragon/Psychic
Official Registration #: 381
Entry: One of the legendary dragon guardians of the Soul Dew, an item of mystic power. Unlike most other legendaries, it’s known that latios live in small herds with multiple other latias and latios. These highly intelligent pokémon are capable of flying at mach speeds and telepathically coercing subjects into seeing whatever they see in their minds. Often born alongside a sister latias, latios are generally pacifist in nature … except when their twins “interact” with rather seedy-looking humans, at which point, they often use their considerable abilities to eliminate the perceived threat. Which, honestly, makes latios a pokémon the author can sympathize with greatly.

Hoenn Legendaries Part II

Regirock
The Rock Peak Pokémon
Type: Rock
Official Registration #: 377
Entry: One of the three legendary golems said to have been gifted to humans early in Hoenn’s civilization by the legendary Regigigas. Having been sealed away for thousands of years, Regirock was only recently unearthed in the Hoennian desert. Because early Hoennian records fail to describe Regirock in great detail (besides its purpose as the servant of both humanity and Regigigas), there are many mysteries surrounding it, such as why it was sealed away, how its body can be composed of rock from across the globe, how Regirock is capable of thought, and whether or not it is, indeed, the source of such charming sayings as “you’ve got a head full of rocks,” “you’ve got a stone heart,” and a few others that the author can’t repeat for fear of inciting the editor’s wrath.

Regice
The Iceberg Pokémon
Type: Ice
Official Registration #: 378
Entry: One of the three legendary golems said to have been gifted to humans early in Hoenn’s civilization by the legendary Regigigas. Like its sibling golem, Regice was sealed away for thousands of years, has only been unearthed recently, and is the source of quite a few mysteries of its own. Unlike Regirock, many of these mysteries revolve around two questions. First, why is its body made of solid, Antarctic ice when the Arctic Circle is far, far closer? Second, in what way is that practical for a tropical region, even accounting for the fact that Regice is incapable of melting? (Sure, perhaps it would be nice to have a block of ice to cool down a village, but considering the fact that only one was ever made….)

Registeel
The Iron Pokémon
Type: Steel
Official Registration #: 379
Entry: One of the three legendary golems said to have been gifted to humans early in Hoenn’s civilization by the legendary Regigigas. Like its sibling golems, Regsteel was sealed away for thousands of years and has only been unearthed recently. Unlike its sibling golems, besides the mystery of why it was sealed away, we pretty much understand quite a lot about registeel. The idea of a large, hollow body with a metal coat being tempered by underground heat and pressure for thousands of years makes perfect sense to us. Especially, you know, that describes most steel-types anyway.

Hoenn Legendaries! Mostly Rayquaza. :D

Well, there are certainly a number of fascinating stories about the Hoenn region, and a single post can’t quite do them all justice. For that reason, let this be the first in a (half-)week-long Hoenn special.

Starting with, of course:

Rayquaza
The Sky High Pokémon
Type: Dragon/Flying
Official Registration #: 384
Entry: According to Hoennian lore, this legendary dragon has lived for millions of years in the uppermost layers of the planet’s atmosphere, and because of how far high and how fast it flies, only recently (comparatively speaking) has humanity developed the technology that makes it possible to see Rayquaza in flight. Otherwise, it does not leave this part of the atmosphere except for when Earth is in imminent danger. Rather, it glides ever vigilantly across the sky, sleeping rarely and eating nothing but the tops of thunderclouds and incoming meteoroids. The author really has nothing funny to say about Rayquaza; he just thinks the idea of an eternal, meteoroid-consuming dragon flying across the edge of space is awesome.