#(⚡) — Vicious Shield and Sword of the Sea [ash's golisopod]

[jumaanboruto]

🕶 : Are there ‘troublemaking’ Pokémon on your character’s team? If so, how do they tackle these troubles?

Troublemaking Pokémon... Oh, where to start?

Pikachu. It was only really in season one, where Pikachu would often be unreliable, or not care for what Ash is doing at the moment. He was fiercely independent, though that's not so true, anymore.

Occasionally, Pikachu does start a fake beef with Ash on social media though, just for laughs on both their parts. However, he's stopped doing this, since people often flocked to Pikachu's side and legitimately labeled Ash a bad trainer; the bias of a cute little mouse is strong, and he didn't like his trainer catching a bad rap. So they've stopped their fake internet arguments. True story, courtesy of @piikabolts.

Charizard. Is this story really news to anyone? As a newly evolved Charmeleon and Charizard, he didn't listen to a word Ash said. After a near-death experience in the Orange Islands, though, he changed his tune. He and Ash have been close ever since; though, he does like to give Ash affectionate Flamethrowers. Ash is fine with it; he's probably too durable and quick to heal for his own good, though the frequent flames combined with Pikachu's shocks have given Ash minor nerve damage and numbness.

Gengar. Ash's Haunter was rather unreliable, and... actually, wasn't really his at all, but an ally who'd flee on a whim. After being left with Sabrina, though, she did a pretty good job at teaching him some discipline, before Ash re-challenged her Gym and met him again. Haunter insisted on being part of things to the point of interrupting their first rematch. After Ash defeated Sabrina properly, Haunter pleaded to join Ash on his journey. Ash agreed, and Sabrina provided a trade machine to evolve him into Gengar. Gengar occasionally pulls pranks, but Ash will scold him if they become too dangerous or go too far. He's a rascal, but responds strongly to guilt and shame.

Crawdaunt. As a Corphish, Crawdaunt was prone to anti-social behaviors; not out of malice, but simply his capricious and self-centered personality. Ash had to scold him and punish him a couple of times during their time in Hoenn. These behaviors re-emerged, somewhat, after evolving into Crawdaunt. Though whenever he goes over-the-top, Ash is sure to lecture him, if one of the other Pokémon don't first. He's learned firsthand that pissing off strong team members backfires.

Garchomp. Garchomp, like Crawdaunt, is never really willfully malicious. If anything, he's not really thinking much at all. He adores chomping things, though, and is easy to lead into mischief; particularly by his little unlikely paramour; Dawn's Pachirisu. If he gets out of line, Ash will scold him very directly, and place his palm down on the top of Garchomp's nose. While this doesn't physically stop him in any meaningful way, it's a strong sign that Ash is taking charge and letting him know he's done something wrong. He quickly becomes docile to it. Ash also keeps plenty of chewing and enrichment toys around for his bite-happy Pokémon, and sprays any metallic structures and equipment with a non-harmful spray that makes chewing them taste awful. This repels Garchomp, as well as his many Meltan, or Melmetal when combined.

Meema. Ash's Zoroark isn't really much of a troublemaker, though she does have a habit of protecting the peace and her loved ones a little too far; if not stopped, she will kill evildoers without hesitation. She's learned the bounds of human law, after a lengthy time with her trainer and wider human society, and will show some restraint, these days. Though if the situation calls for it, she will claim that maiming someone dangerous was self-defense, and justified.

Dewott. In his Oshawott days, Dewott was a classic case of a problem Pokémon. Selfish, petulant, gluttonous, cowardly, and greedy, he more-or-less did what he wanted, and would often grow jealous of Ash's other Pokémon in vying for his attention; even throwing off the flow of battle and ignoring Ash's direction.

During one of the group's scuffles with Team Plasma, however, he saw just how costly it could be to disregard the needs of his team, and evolved with a change of heart. He doesn't really need to be scolded these days, though his womanizing ways continued for quite a while, until he courted Lapras . . . And then realized that he batted for the other team, and rekindled his interest in the male Purrloin he'd met on his Unova adventure. They've happily settled together after Ash took to social media to help Dewott find him.

Decidueye. Ash's Rowlet was often seemingly acting on a whim, sleeping whenever he chose, even at the most inconvenient of times. With a little research, though, he was found to be afflicted with Narcolepsy. He does stay on a treatment of medication, and has had some coaching to regulate his sleep patterns. When necessary, Ash will train with him at night, when he's more active. Ash's Noctowl assisted in tutoring him, as well, being nocturnal by nature, albeit with a more consistent sleep schedule. Decidueye isn't always consistent in his waking hours, but he's faring better than before.

Lycanroc. After evolving into Dusk Lycanroc, she began experiencing irregular behavior; not over a muddy coat, like in the anime, but she would randomly become uncontrollably enraged, combined with a mysterious power that increased her strength. With the help of Tapu Bulu and Nanu, Ash came to understand her struggle; it wasn't willful disobedience, but a subject of an odd phenomenon surrounding the rare Dusk form; something that Nanu coined as Midnight Impulse. While Dusk Lycanroc ordinarily followed the Midday form's patient, tactical, and loyal nature, shades of the Midnight form's behavior slipped in, and manifested in bouts of extreme aggression, when either understimulated from a lack of exercise and battle, or getting carried away in intense combat. Juggling two extremes made her rather difficult to train, but Ash persisted in his belief in her, and helped her hone greater control of the form. It increases her power greatly, possibly powered by the green flash that helped her evolve, but it makes her overly rowdy and wastes energy quickly, so it's a form that is used sparingly and strategically in battle. Ash assists her in regular exercise, though with him often busy, and many other companions, these days, she often is entertained by + spars with the wide roster of Pokémon that they live with.

Golisopod. Ash found an adorable Wimpod that he and Pikachu assisted in saving from being trapped in a cliffside, when they visited Treasure Island by themselves, on the day they first met Tapu Lele. Wimpod asked to join them on their journeys, and they happily accepted. Being a difficult-to-raise Pokémon, due to their low stats and lack of confidence, Wimpod accompanied Ash after his Alola trials were cut short, and followed him while he worked with his more experienced team. Witnessing his more powerful members like Pikachu, Greninja, and Charizard, Wimpod quickly grew to admire their radical strength. The trouble started, however, when she evolved. Suddenly a very strong Golisopod, she ‘pulled a Charizard,’ as one might say, and considered herself far too strong and capable for Ash, and became frequently disobedient. He considered calling the Flame Pokémon to talk to her, but decided against it. Ash wanted to get through to his unruly Pokémon himself, this time, and do it right. Rather than proceed with strictness, he allowed her to enter battles where her humility was tested, and without Ash’s assistance, she lost. Repeatedly. Reality clocked her in the head with the fact that she was a big fish in a small pod. In hindsight, she felt guilty for treating Ash poorly, but was touched when he quickly forgave her. They’ve been a solid team, ever since.

Espeon. When Ash was discouraged by Greninja's injury at Team Rocket's hands, Ho-oh sent him a Rainbow Wing and a vision, to travel to Mt. Tensei. But, those weren't the only gifts that the Rainbow Pokémon bestowed upon Ash, during that pilgrimage. Third, was a young and playful Eevee. She insisted on following Ash no matter where he meant. He feared her being hurt by association with him, and tried to leave her behind. She persisted. A day came where he trekked through the Ice Path, north of Blackthorn. Eevee found the Icy Stone, wishing to play around it. Ash tried to plead Eevee not to do this so carelessly, knowing that she'd likely evolve without getting to make that decision for herself. There, he learned something he very much needed to process — that he can't control everything. He learned to let go, and left Eevee alone. This, ironically enough, made Eevee become bored with the Icy Rock, and she abandoned it. After this, Ash caught Eevee, and accepted her as his partner. Once he reached Mt. Tensei's peak in the early morning, Eevee evolved into Espeon. She agreed to continue staying by his side.  Espeon is a rude, difficult, and mischievous Pokémon who amuses herself by annoying others and making jokes. Although not malicious, she is something of a self-described jackass. Her antics stop short of doing actual harm. She describes crossing that line as "pretty fucked up." It’s something that Ash never really gained control over, but her own moral compass keeps her from doing anything too destructive. She’s a rather independently minded Pokémon, but wouldn’t hesitate to throw herself on the line for Ash’s safety.

Draco. Ash’s Flygon, who he caught on an excursion to Hoenn’s desert, on Route 111. Draco was a rather feral creature, who hadn’t quite gotten the memo that following the carnivorous food chain was frowned upon in peaceful communities of humans and Pokémon. This sparked a lot of conflicts with Ash, and Pikachu in particular. Over time, though, Ash helped Draco farm less destructive passions in providing him space for gardening in their territory, where he happily farms berries; favoring Yache berries. Also, weed.

Riley. (No, not the Aura Guardian.)  Ash’s Cinderace was originally offered by Chairman Rose as a gift to Bede in his beginnings of the Gym Challenge; a rare, ideally bred starter with the hidden Libero ability. Bede wasn't interested in the Fire-type; that not being his specialty, and coldly abandoned her in Motostoke.  She developed an abandonment complex that bred a distrust for humans. This veil was cracked, when she saw Ash and Pikachu, freshly arriving in Motostoke. Jealous and bitter towards what seemed to be an unbreakable bond, she stole their food, sourly eating it all by herself.  Ash and Pikachu found her. Expecting hostility, she kicked an Ember at Ash; igniting his beard. Once Pikachu doused it, Ash kindly told her that if she was hungry, she could've asked for some food. In her anger, she'd stomped on what remained of the food, and reluctantly accepted. After this, she took to Ash and Pikachu quickly, idolizing them and vying for their affection. Unfortunately, this manifested in her becoming threatened by the idea of any other team members, and she began kicking away every Poké Ball Ash threw. This persisted until the group approached Stow-on-Side; Ash went three whole Gyms with only Pikachu and Riley on his team. The pattern finally broke when she fainted in an unofficial battle with the Gym Leader, Bea. Ash planned to send Pikachu in, but a Galarian Farfetch’d who’d fought the group several times volunteered. Ash accepted his help, and they lost. Bea was perplexed by the Champion’s nonchalance, but he brushed it off and caught Farfetch’d. Riley was extremely reluctant about her new team member, but after encountering Bede at the mural, she fought and defeated him by evolving into Raboot. Farfetch’d express cool and detached support for her emotional burden, but support, nonetheless, encouraging her to move past her past trainer who was unworthy. This sparked begrudging respect that turned into comradery, and Riley hasn’t stopped Ash from capturing Pokémon, since. She still vies for absolute strength and recognition, and trains incredibly hard, even without Ash’s pushing. He often even has to remind her to take a breather. But, she’s gained a healthy relationship with him and her peers.

#(⚡) — You gotta keep smiling no matter how tough things are getting! [text post] #(⚡) — The aura is with me! [headcanon] #(⚡) — Thanks for setting me straight when I was lost. [answered asks] #(⚡) — Yellow Lightning of Pallet [ash's pikachu] #(⚡) — Proud Titan of Fire [ash's charizard] #(⚡) — Elusive Black Devil [ash's gengar] #(⚡) — Capricious Lethal Claw [ash's crawdaunt] #(⚡) — Insatiable Desert Behemoth [ash's garchomp] #(⚡) — Dual-Wielding Romantic Swordsman [ash's dewott] #(⚡) — Snoozing Silent Sharpshooter [ash's decidueye] #(⚡) — Green Flash Impulse [ash's lycanroc] #(⚡) — Vicious Shield and Sword of the Sea [ash's golisopod] #(⚡) — Sharp-Tongued Esper of the Rainbow [ash's espeon] #(⚡) — Feral Searing Sands Wyvern [ash's flygon] #(⚡) — Burning Soul Striker [ash's cinderace] #OK THAT'S EVERYONE WOW #sorry for the essay