#volo and cyrus having friendship evos...

[goldensunset]

i looooove pokémon npcs whose team members subtly imply something about them that's never touched upon in the story or at least never outright said. i love villains having friendship evos. i love trainers who commit hard to one aesthetic or vibe with their team (beyond simply sharing a type) and i love it even better when there's one random exception especially if that's their ace. i love when later down the line someone boxes the cute fun soft baby pokémon they used to have in favor of a seemingly stronger or scarier one to show that they're getting serious. i love when they have a pokémon that's difficult to get and raises lots of questions about them. i love it when the lore behind a pokémon fits the character to a T and i love it even better when it appears to contradict them. give me the story-gameplay harmony but better yet give me what appears to be story-gameplay dissonance but might actually have implications if we're willing to dive deep into it

#to me this is more important than actually making the team hard to beat #but it's amazing if it is #as a new fan i only know so many examples of this myself but i would love to hear more from people who know more #volo and cyrus having friendship evos... #in particular volo having a rare togekiss which apparently only reveals itself in times of peace... lol #also volo/cynthia having spiritomb. i firmly believe cynthia inherited that same pokémon from him #but like volo where did YOU get that #i've heard oleana's team is mostly glamorous ladylike pokémon but her ace is her beloved garbodor #yessss that's what i'm talking about!!! #kieran boxes his furret and suddenly pulls out a scary freak like shiftry #also the evolution of polywag into poliwrath #i've heard hop does something similar with getting rid of his wooloo but i can't verify #as another small note: love when the type of pokéball they have their team in matters #like all of team star having a different type of ball that suits them #or sada/turo exclusively having master balls #y'all what is up... #pokémon

[lorebird]

The mainline pokemon games' poor writing is very frustrating 75% of the time because it's either close to being good or just a complete waste of potential. However the other 25% of the time I fucking love that nothing is fleshed out because then I can hit it with Autism Blast and do whatever the fuck I want

#I'm thinking about volo as per the usual. my version of him is so far from canon he's not even the same character #not that he even Has a lot of depth. his motive is even less fleshed out than cyrus' already weak reasoning #in canon it's just kinda. 'oh no I have been sad :( time to subjugate god and remake the world in its entirety' #I grabbed him like a squeaky toy and turned it into #'everything I knew and loved was wiped off the face of the earth I will always outlive everyone who means something to me #the one person who won't Fucking Despises Me because she knows I'm becoming what I hate. also not dying sucks when you hate your body #and don't know yet that being trans is an option' #mans just wants to start over and have his home back and live the normal life he lost #rambles #GOD DO NOT TALK TO ME ABOUT VOLO I WILL NEVER SHUT UP IM SO EMO ABT THIS MAN #come to think of it I've done the same thing to cyrus but like. that's bc I write him in a completely different context #from the one that motivates him in canon #so he has a completely different motovation when I write him #GOD I LOVE VILLAINS W FRIENDSHIP EVO POKEMON!!!!

[claitea]

some people are taking the fact that choosing "love for pokemon" as a topic in volo trainer's lodge interactions gets you the lowest points is a sign that volo actually hates his pokemon and is tricking them. but i think thats not the whole truth

first off, the whole thing with n. already talked abt it, n doesn't lie, n believes pokemon don't lie, i think you can trust the pokemon whisperer on this one

second, Rei is a topic that gets you the most points but volo hates that guy. points dont necessarily correlate to what the character likes, its what they find interesting. volo puts a lot of focus on gathering info and of course he's going to want to know more about one of his biggest enemies. this info is useful to him. he doesn't need to talk about loving pokemon, that's not relevant to his plans.

third, one of volo's friendship evos is Lucario. lucario can sense auras. it can definitely tell what volo's true intentions are, it Can't fall for fake affection. remember that volo is an untrusting person who thinks everyone should be used before they can use him, of course he can't say outright that he grew attached to what are meant to be his tools. he's in denial. think silver and cyrus with their friendship evos.

volo being reluctant to talk about love for pokemon when he clearly does makes him way more interesting. if volo didn't love his togepi truly, then he wouldn't need to have a photo of the both of them in jubilife village's photography studio, nor would he need to carry the little thing in the crook of his arm like a baby. he could just keep her in her poke ball. but he coddles her instead. pokemon are loyal, he probably doesn't need to go to those lengths to ensure she follows him but he does anyway.

#pokemon #clai speaks #volo makes me SICK (positively) #he loves his pokemon i know it. something happened to him that makes him unable to say it #he'll jump through all these mental hoops to convince himself he's a Wielder not a Trainer but at the end of the day #he went out of his way to take a cute picture of him and his togepi. he didnt need to. but he did.

[leggerefiore]

im kinda out of it but what i think volo means by the 'someone who wields pokemon and someone who battles along side them are two different things' is like... a person using pokemon like tools, weapons, even- and the latter being someone who works in tandem with their pokemon, as a team on equal footing?? but also volo has two pokemon that evolve via friendship so its. hhrmh. whats the truth volo, share it with the class

I thought it was in reference to his title being a Pokemon Wielder in PLA... Of which I just assumed was a title associated with his culture as no other trainer has had that. I was wondering if he felt that his duties/title as a pokemon wielder set him apart from those who are simply trainers... Though, I suppose the connotation of the name would imply that he simply wields the power of pokemon as his own rather than training and raising them as companions...

Actually, Volo has an interesting line of dialogue in his Sync Pair story that mentions he uses Togepi's calming effects on people to his advantage. (Though, he claims it's for his merchant stuff, but... Really, come on.)

He could technically have three friendship evos, actually. Riolu, Budew, and Togepi... I think he does genuinely care for his pokemon, but he isn't the type to openly talk about those kinds of things or enjoy doing so. Cyrus style, I think. Both of them have friendship evo pokemon... So many parallels with those two, I love it.

Actually, Cynthia has the three friendship evo pokemon on one of her battle teams (of which Volo's was likely based on), I wonder if they are pokemon that are important in their culture? Or maybe Cynthia knew her great great great great grandpa had good team comp lmao

#volo.ima

[shiftperception]

I see your wielder (as opposed to trainer)=wielding pokemon like weapons, showing how evil this character is cause he sees his pokemon as weapons and tbh that flew over my head. cause when I saw his title I read it in the complete opposite direction.

I stared at it for a good second thinking oh my god. he’s a pokemon trainer. this wasn’t after thinking about it, just my first gut instinct. pokemon wielder Volo. he’s a pokemon trainer. Because they don’t use the term pokemon trainer in this game like. Ever. Outside of references to the future. Pokemon training isn’t a thing yet in Hisui in this time period. Pokeballs are a recent invention, no one has a full team of 6 except you and Volo!!, the wardens having bonds with their lords is treated as a notable feat. Pokemon themselves are often feared as these terrifying powerful creatures- you even see it in the evolution animation! There’s this threatening spooky silhouette with glowing eyes which is a really cool reflection of the way people feel about pokemon in this game imo! and if that’s how they feel about pokemon then oh my god. The player? Can you imagine?? Approaching pokemon without fear, being able to raise so many of them to be such strong fighters, treating these imposing beasts as friends and equals- even sharing such close bonds some evolve because of it cough cough. That’s something only a warden could dream of but no, you surpass even them. You’re something else, something more. A pokemon trainer in this world isn’t an everyday thing, they’d have this status, this almost mystical presence y’know. You don’t just raise a couple pokemon for science or self defense in the field or whatever, you wield them with skill and grace and mastery. idk going from not seeing a single trainer class use the word trainer to “pokemon wielder Volo” just struck me the same way the evo animation did I guess. that menacing shadow is how they view pokemon and “wielder” is how they view people like you. You and Volo. it low key gave me chills but not in the omg this villain is so evil way. In the fighting Red on mt silver way. you’ve battled through hordes of trainers with all sorts of titles from youngster to champion and suddenly this guy is simply “pokemon trainer” Red. He’s like you. In legends you’re the only one with a full team and no one’s an even match until you walk up and oh shit. “pokemon wielder” Volo. bla bla prove how bad you wanna meet arceus against someone who wants it just as bad, against another you.

tldr: not pokemon wielder (derogatory), but pokemon wielder (awestruck, because what else can you call them?). also sorry you can’t go off about the environmental storytelling of Cyrus having a crobat then expect me to believe friendship evolutions mcgee over here sees his pokemon as objects. I don’t care how evil he is Cyrus and co. have one crobat this guy has half his team and budew took too long even for me to keep as the team grass type. I don’t care how many of these you can catch fully evolved I don’t buy it. If you want a pokemon wielder (derogatory) Ghetsis and hydreigon are right there.

#look the one time they mention someone having 6+ pokemon it’s a legendary hero sooo ... wielder (with awe and terror) change my mind #volo #pokemon legends arceus

[klonoadreams]

In an earlier post you said that Cyrus was like Volo in that he was far kinder than he let on. Can you explain what you mean by that? I’m curious since I always put Cyrus up there in the “big bad” category of Pokémon antagonist in comparison to the others that mean to do well but just go about it in the wrong way.

First off, the fact that he has a Crobat is a sign that he DOES care, because Golbat only evolves through max friendship. (side note: apart from the Togepi line, Volo ALSO has Lucario and Roserade, which also have friendship-based evos - Budew to Roselia and whatnot)

Then, in the Rainbow Rocket episode in USUM, out of all the others, Cyrus is the one who starts to reconsider, because of your Rotom Dex...because it reminds him of the first Pokemon he befriended. (there's an old notebook that contains a passage about a child befriending a Rotom and hugging it once it entered their toy robot - heavily implied that Cyrus was the one to write it). He then promise he won't remove spirit from this world to the Rotom Dex and begins to wonder if his goal was wrong.

Which does have the implication that he COULD very well turn the world he came from back to how it was. He might've done it all, because of his emotionally abusive upbringing (that his grandfather regrets not interfering when he had the chance), but he has a lot more emotion to him than he refuses to acknowledge. Showing that he does care, and he does have the capacity to change.

He is far kinder than he lets on, because no matter how hard he tries, he is not as emotionless as he thinks. That doesn't excuse his actions, but when we've seen the ways Ghetsis went about things, including the Hydreigon that fucking HATES him and has a Frustration power at maxed (again, the less a Pokemon likes you, the more powerful the move)...

The details are telling.

#ask #pokemon #pokemon legends arceus spoilers #pokemon legends arceus #volo #cyrus