The Mudkip Line

bills-pokedex:

Mudkip
The Mud Fish Pokémon
Type: Water
Official Registration #: 258
Entry: One of three pokémon traditionally offered to new trainers at the beginning of their journeys in Hoenn. A small, amphibious pokémon native to Hoennian rivers. It uses its large head fin to sense the flow of water and its large back fin to propel itself through turbulent currents with surprising power for its size. Likewise, the large gills on its cheek allow it to breathe even in the murkiest, muddiest depths, and its physical strength alone allows it to pick up and push boulders along river bottoms. In general, mudkip is a fascinating pokémon, and this is because the species itself carries a number of interesting qualities, not because someone “herd u liek it.”

Marshtomp
The Mud Fish Pokémon
Type: Water/Ground
Official Registration #: 259
Entry: The evolved form of mudkip, by battle experience. An amphibious pokémon primarily native to rivers and banks, marshtomp had to develop strong, bulky legs to compensate for the fact that its habitat lacks stable footing. Thus, marshtomp is capable of literally standing through even the fiercest earthquakes, the likes of which routinely plague its volcanic home region of Hoenn. A less composed young researcher would likely say that marshtomp has had the foresight to “not skip leg day,” but luckily, the writer is not the storage system administrator of Sinnoh.

Swampert
The Mud Fish Pokémon
Type: Water/Ground
Official Registration #: 260
Entry: The evolved form of marshtomp, by battle experience. Never let its seemingly cute species name fool you. In actuality, swampert is a four-foot-tall mass of pure, sea-tempered muscle. It is powerful enough to tow ships to shore, rend boulders in two with one swipe of its bulky arms, swim against the current of stormy waves, dive to the depths of the Hoennian sea, and spew jets of water that can tear holes in the hull of the ships it had towed to shore at the beginning of this list. About the only thing cute about it is the fact that it still wears a perpetual grin and enjoys belly rubs and literally sucking down insect prey, just like its ancestral cousin, quagsire.

Mega Swampert
The Mud Fish Pokémon
Type: Water/Ground
Official Registration #: 260+
Entry: The advanced form of swampert, via swampertite. Mega swampert is the only starter that doesn’t change drastically in terms of physiology or elemental affinity upon mega evolution. It simply becomes more muscular and adept at punching things … which is why it’s perhaps a bad idea to imply its mega evolution isn’t as interesting as its peers’ while it’s within earshot.

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!}

My mudkip is an infant and the son of my swampert starter. He really loves me and when I walk around the house tries to follow me, I find this adorable but he likes taking baths and showers with me. As a mudkip I don’t have a problem with that but I don’t want him to continue the behavior into evolution. I would have no room! What do I do?

This may actually resolve itself over time, anonymous. You mention that your mudkip is a newborn, and if you were there for its hatching, then it’s very likely that your mudkip is simply expressing the usual level of affection a hatchling gives a human it perceives as one of its parents. As it gets older and more self-reliant—especially as it nears or achieves evolution—it may give you more and more space.

If it doesn’t, however, you can teach the average pokémon a large number of things via positive reinforcement, including how to give you privacy. If it tries to get in the shower with you, put it outside and give it a toy. For every session it stays outside, give it a treat as soon as you’re done in the bathroom. Eventually, it will begin to understand that staying outside is a good thing, so every time you enter the bathroom, it will wait for you, rather than follow you.

It may also be worth it to do something similar to encourage your mudkip to take baths on its own, especially after it reaches its marshtomp stage. While you should still invest in a pool for your mudkip and its evolutions, some people also like to teach their marshtomp to use the shower, especially if they don’t need to pay for water or worry about droughts. By doing this, not only is the marshtomp encouraged to groom itself, but it also learns where it should go if it needs water whenever you drain its pool for routine maintenance.

The Mudkip Line

Mudkip
The Mud Fish Pokémon
Type: Water
Official Registration #: 258
Entry: One of three pokémon traditionally offered to new trainers at the beginning of their journeys in Hoenn. A small, amphibious pokémon native to Hoennian rivers. It uses its large head fin to sense the flow of water and its large back fin to propel itself through turbulent currents with surprising power for its size. Likewise, the large gills on its cheek allow it to breathe even in the murkiest, muddiest depths, and its physical strength alone allows it to pick up and push boulders along river bottoms. In general, mudkip is a fascinating pokémon, and this is because the species itself carries a number of interesting qualities, not because someone “herd u liek it.”

Marshtomp
The Mud Fish Pokémon
Type: Water/Ground
Official Registration #: 259
Entry: The evolved form of mudkip, by battle experience. An amphibious pokémon primarily native to rivers and banks, marshtomp had to develop strong, bulky legs to compensate for the fact that its habitat lacks stable footing. Thus, marshtomp is capable of literally standing through even the fiercest earthquakes, the likes of which routinely plague its volcanic home region of Hoenn. A less composed young researcher would likely say that marshtomp has had the foresight to “not skip leg day,” but luckily, the writer is not the storage system administrator of Sinnoh.

Swampert
The Mud Fish Pokémon
Type: Water/Ground
Official Registration #: 260
Entry: The evolved form of marshtomp, by battle experience. Never let its seemingly cute species name fool you. In actuality, swampert is a four-foot-tall mass of pure, sea-tempered muscle. It is powerful enough to tow ships to shore, rend boulders in two with one swipe of its bulky arms, swim against the current of stormy waves, dive to the depths of the Hoennian sea, and spew jets of water that can tear holes in the hull of the ships it had towed to shore at the beginning of this list. About the only thing cute about it is the fact that it still wears a perpetual grin and enjoys belly rubs and literally sucking down insect prey, just like its ancestral cousin, quagsire.