S – Starters

A high level of nostalgia means that this year my chosen theme for the 2016 A to Z challenge is Pokemon. Whether you yourself have a similar level of sentimentality or you’ve never really gotten into it, I hope that you enjoy this month of posts as I indulge myself.

Starter Pokemon! We’ve mentioned them loads, because, let’s face it, as soon as you start the game you need your starter Pokemon to start your journey with, because without a starter Pokemon, there is no start! And yes, that was a mild exercise in how many times I can get the word start into a sentence 😛

Starter Pokemon will always follow the same format (ignoring Pokemon Yellow, that was a special case to follow after the anime) – there will be three of them, they have a three Pokemon evolution chain, and there will be one Water type, one Fire Type and one Grass type, making a very nice type advantage circle.

In each generation, there are a new three Pokemon, and generally, most of the time, this Pokemon will stay with you throughout your Pokemon journey. I can’t think of a single time when I didn’t keep my starter on my team all the way through the game, although I know that some people do swap them out for others.

Generation 1 – Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle

Generation 2 – Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Totodile

Generation 3 – Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip

Generation 4 – Turtwig, Chimchar, Piplup

Generation 5 – Snivy, Tepig, Oshawott

Generation 6 – Chespin, Fennekin, Froakie

 

As has been mentioned in previous posts, you normally get your starter Pokemon from the Professor of the region, right at the start of your journey, usually at the same time as your Pokedex. As soon as you get your first Pokemon, your rival then also picks their first Pokemon, the strong type against the one you chose, and you have a little battle.

In the anime, Ash starts of his Pokemon journey on a bad foot, and is late. So the three Pokemon that should have been there weren’t for him, all that Professor Oak had left was a Pikachu, which was a little grumpy, and didn’t like going inside its Pokeball. Of course, their relationship gets better, and Ash and Pikachu become fast friends.

One thing that is very different from the anime to the games, is that in the anime Ash almost always comes across the other starter Pokemon, and either he, or someone else travelling with him, will end up with the starters in their teams, at least for a little while. In the games, the starter Pokemon are exceedingly rare, and you can almost never catch them in the wild. In later games, you can get hold of the earlier starters, but even then, it’s hard, or you only get one of the three. The only guaranteed way to get all of them is to do some trading with other trainers, usually after breeding some eggs.

Considering your only get to make it once, choosing your starter Pokemon can be a very tricky choice!

 

 

Pokemon of the Day

S is for Swablu

Swablu is a flying Pokemon with a round, blue body, a wings that resemble fluffy white clouds. It does not appear to have a discernible neck, so it can appear like the Pokemon is nothing but a head with wings and attena, although it does have a tail and clawed feet attached to the round body. This Pokemon does not like dirty surroundings and will clean up with its cottony wings, and with then use freshwater springs and streams to wash in when it becomes dirty from cleaning. They live in large flocks in forested areas, but can be seen in towns as well, especially around the spring. It is a very friendly Pokemon, and will often perch on the head, resembling a fluffy hat.

Swablu is adorable, but mainly I like it because it evolves into Altaria, and Altaria is one of my absolute favourite Pokemon. Unfortunately, I like Arcanine just that little bit more, so A had to go to him.

Like Swablu, Altaria is a blue Pokemon with cloud like wings that surround its entire body. So much fluff surrounding an elegant, almost phoenix like body – she’s so pretty! It uses its wings to catch updrafts and gracefully soar through the sky, often singing on humming in soprano tones. This voice can induce a dreamy state in those who listen to it, but it hasn’t lost the affection for people it had as a Swablu, and will often give people it likes soft hugs with it’s cotton like wings.

I mean, come on, who wouldn’t like a graceful, singing, hugging Pokemon! That, and it’s Flying/Dragon type, has a mega evolution, and is just an all round awesome Pokemon. Altaria always has a spot on my team, as soon as I find it or a Swablu living in the wild!