My First Alola Pokemon Team and Why (Silly Nicknames Included!)

So I know I talk about Pokemon a bit too often, but it really does mean a lot to me. One day I'll have the words to explain why Pokemon has had such a wonderful impact on my life, but until then, I'll let today's post be about my first Pokemon team in the tropical region of Alola when Pokemon Sun and Moon come out in November. I'll put pictures of the Pokemon, of course. And as of right now, only one doesn't have a clear picture because it hasn't been officially revealed in English yet. When that specific one gets revealed, I'll be sure to update this post with the official artwork of it. But anyways, let's get started!

So this is no surprise to anyone who knows me. When I first saw the starters, I had to take some time to pick one because all 3 are super cute. For me, it was a tie between Litten and Popplio, but in the end, my fire kitty won out. Litten, unlike Popplio, has aspects that appeal to me a lot and remind me of me. It's red and black, my favorite colors; it's a cat, and I love cats a lot; and it's got that face that I always have in the morning, the "I just woke up and need some coffee" face. The nickname I'm going to give to my Litten, regardless of gender, is Smokey, in loving memory of a cat that belonged to my sister and bother-in-law, who died in August. She was super old though, and now she's no longer in any pain. She was one of the two cats over there that would come up to me and snuggle in my lap, she was precious and I loved her like my own cat. So, Litten will be a way for me to love Smokey, even though she's no longer alive.

So, Rockruff was an interesting thing for me. When it was first revealed with Komala (back when they were Iwanko and Nekkoala), I fell in love with it because it's a puppy, and I love dogs and cats the most out of any animals. I was a bit nervous about its evolution typing, as I like to do a "no types overlapping" rule with my teams in Pokemon. The first-game-clear team is an exception but with all the rumors of it becoming a werewolf, I was nervous because, if it was a Dark type, and Litten evolved into a Fire/Dark type, I'd be a bit.. conflicted about it. However, with the recent reveal of Lugarugan and its two time-based forms, I can now safely say I can take my rock puppy, because the Midday Form looks like it would stay pure Rock, if not Rock and something else. The pun-tastic name I'm choosing for my Rockruff/Lugarugan will be Roxas, because it has the word "rocks" in the name. Really silly, I know, but I think it fits, and I really hope Rockruff is found early, kind of like Lillipup in gen 5, so I can get it on my team asap.

Lurantis is another one of those Pokemon that I saw and was immediately like "I need it!" There's something about how it looks a little shy, and the way the pink and green colors go so well together. Very very surprised that Lurantis, and Fomantis for that matter, isn't a Bug type, but at least it's not 4x weak to Fire. I can't wait to grab a Fomantis when I first play so I can have this beast on my team, especially with that new move called Solar Blade. Plus, I like how its flavor text says it's the most elegant and beautiful of all Grass-types. That is one heavy title to have, especially when weighed against the likes of Lilligant and some others. I don't know what to call my Lurantis, but I'll probably call it Mantis Bab, to reference the silly joke I have with my friends, since I love the Pokemon so much.

So Wishiwashi was interesting for me, because I really love how it goes into its School Form at a certain level. It's like an evolution but it's not. And once its health hits a certain point (I would assume somewhere between 50% to maybe.. 30-25%) , it reverts back to the Single Form. It's a wonderful concept for a fish Pokemon, honestly. I just love, also, how its flavor text says that even the mighty Gyarados is afraid of Wishiwashi's School Form. I will admit, though, I needed to see the Pokemon in a trailer before I decided to take the little guy, and I know I won't be disappointed. Also, in a recent Japanese trailer that showed pieces of the game, and almost seemed like a commercial, to be honest, it shows Wishiwashi School Form attacking the player during what appears to be Lana's Island Trial. So I think it's gonna be fun. The silly nickname I have for Wishiwashi is going to be 2Cool4School, because fish puns are very silly, just like they did with the trailer, in which it said "Get schooled by Wishiwashi!"

Ah, yes, my good ol' sand castle buddy, Palossand. This Pokemon quickly got my attention because it's one of those super odd ones, like Trubbish and Vanillite. But, like those two Pokemon, I love super weird ones. I was almost dead set on taking Palossand, but once I saw the trailer showing it in action and 3D, I was more than ready to take the Pokemon. Also this thing is vicious, it steals the grudges of Pokemon it defeats and swallows up, and uses it to make more Sandygast, which in turn will become more Palossand. Talk about dark, am I right? For lack of anything amazing, the nickname I have for this beast is probably going to be Sand Man, because why not, right?

And finally, Type: Null. I love mythical beasts, and a chimera is an awesome idea for a Pokemon! We know next to nothing about Type: Null, only that it was made to synthesize the strengths of various Pokemon in order to let it adapt to any situation.  The mask hinders its agility and it also needed to be powerful enough to rival the Pokemon spoken of in mythology. Next month's CoroCoro is said to reveal the true strength of Type: Null, so I'm super excited for that. I almost wanted to call it Null & Void, but I think Void is a lot better, but maybe that's just me. Either way, I can't wait to claim this Pokemon that Gladion also has.

So that will be my first Alola team. Every new reveal and every day closer to the games releasing makes me more and more excited and I can't wait to play! Let me know what Pokemon you're planning on taking, maybe tell me your nicknames if you want. As always, thanks so much for reading! Tuesday will be another Pokemon day, as that's when our next news batch comes along, so I'm super excited for that. Be sure to vote on the Alola starter you're going to take with you in Alola, and as always, thanks again for reading and I will see you later! :D