History DarthWiki / PokemonPixel

* Deconstruction: Blue could be kind of considered one of the whole kids training Pokemon and going on a journey thing. While he's great and smart as a trainer, he doesn't act that much more mature than a normal 11 year old would, and he puts his rivalry with Red above their friendship and doesn't stop to think how it looks to him. Also see MemeticBadass.

* MemeticBadass: Subverted with the main characters. Well, the protagonist trio are hypercompetent as trainers yes, but in all other things they're very much children, and in fact are some of the most realistic children in the series. The author apparently wrote Blue in particular as a response this sort of portrayal that Blue has gotten over the years, especially iin official media, e.g. Anime/PokemonGenerations. With Leaf she's the most adult but as a trainer she says herself that she's rather mediocre (though this may only be because of who she has to compare herself to). Meanwhile Blue is, just like in the games, a total brat; he sees his Pokemon almost like toys and whines when poor Charmander has to remind him that he hasn't fed him yet or that he wants to play a game, and runs from Team Rocket out of fear instead of fighting them. And Red is a HotBlooded but heavily implied to be Autistic dork who fidgets with his cap and still sleeps with plushies, barely the mute badass fans have come to expect ([[spoiler:Until he is. But even then the muteness is shown to be the result of apathy and depression]]).

* AmbiguousDisorder: Red, according to WordOfGod, “is written like someone with Asperger’s”, though whether he actually is isn’t stated. However, he indeed seems like a textbook case; his social skills are very lacking, he can be [[BrutalHonesty really blunt]], he fidgets with things, [[CharacterTic especially his hat]] or favorite plushie if he has it on hand, quite often, needs to have at least one red article of clothing on his person at all times, is sensitive to gooey textures and gross things to the point that [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes he almost shuts down when faced with a Grimer or Muk]] (Pending), and is extremely fixated on Pokemon and Pokemon battles to the point he manages to fanboy over them on an equal level with the PokéManiac for two whole hours [[spoiler:and he falls into a deep depression when he runs himself into the ground with it]]. This is apparently due to the fact that Creator/SatoshiTajiri has the condition, as does the author.

* TheBully: Blue Oak is much meaner in this fic than in the games, as the author used the backstory in the manual of the original games. While a lot of his ego is PlayedForLaughs, it’s also made clear that him suddenly becoming extremely competitive and harsh towards him was a massive blow to Red, who already was a target of bullying. However, Blue never fully intended to hurt Red, more that he thought of himself as the hero of his own story and thought the trash talk and competition was all part of the fun, not realizing how much it was hurting his best friend. Still, there are also various reasons heavily implied to have indeed laid under this rival attitude; resentment of being identical in ability to and always being associated with Red, the boy all of their peers agreed was a bit of a dweeb, a superiority complex that came with being the grandson of such a high-profile Professor and wanting to seem cooler and grown-up, his jealousy over his grandfather treating Red like another grandson, and jealousy induced by his crush on Leaf, I.e. plain good old preteen immaturity.

* TheLeader: While Red is of course the leader of his Pokémon, Venio, Red’s Bulbasaur/Ivysaur/Venusaur, takes on the role of Team Red’s responsible leader often, even sometimes being more competent than Red, especially initially, and often more emotionally mature. This is much like Ash’s Bulbasaur from the anime, though this was apparently unintentional.

* MemeticBadass: Subverted with the main characters. Well, the protagonist trio are hypercompetent as trainers yes, but in all other things they're very much children, and in fact are some of the most realistic children in the series. The author apparently wrote Blue in particular as a response this sort of portrayal that Blue has gotten over the years, especially in official media, e.g. Anime/PokemonGenerations. With Leaf she's the most adult but as a trainer she says herself that she's rather mediocre (though this may only be because of who she has to compare herself to). Meanwhile Blue is, just like in the games, a total brat; he sees his Pokemon almost like toys and whines when poor Charmander has to remind him that he hasn't fed him yet, and runs from Team Rocket out of fear instead of fighting them. And Red is a HotBlooded but heavily implied to be Autistic dork who fidgets with his cap and still sleeps with plushies, barely the mute badass fans have come to expect ([[spoiler:until he is. But even then the muteness is shown to be the result of apathy and depression]]).

* {{Cult}}: The depiction of Team Plasma is fleshed out a bit more with inspiration from American-based Christian cults or cult-like organizations, a blend of CorruptChurch, TheFundamentalist, and a sprinkle of ChurchOfHappyology, with things like them apparently knocking on doors like Jehovah's Witnesses, the expensive membership fees, and the creepy emphasis on the enforcement of and personality cult around N ("King of Team Plasma, King of Pokemon")'s purity, being painted as a Messiah figure more than standard royalty.

* LonersAreFreaks: Actually Averted, or at least from what can be discerned as he never has dialogue outside of "Pokemon Talk" chapters, with Oscar. He's established to like his personal space more than a lot of other Pokemon characters in the series, and one of the first lessons Rosa has to learn is respecting Oscar's boundaries, as he gets stressed out from too much attention directed at him, though eventually he comes to tolerate it more (and luckily for Rosa, she gets Pokemon who are way more willing for her amateur acting career and love of the spotlight, especially [[AttentionWhore Zorua]]). He initially gets annoyed as Rosa starts catching new party members, with others having to earn his respect first. Still, he's incredibly energetic, positive, and even charismatic if needed, and hardly fits the introvert stereotype one might expect, and he's pretty open about loving his trainer, it's just that he needs her to respect his boundaries as well.

"
* AmbiguousDisorder: Selene may or "may not have ADHD", according to the author. Her strange behavior and at times lack of consideration of boundaries may indicate it, or she may also be on the Autism spectrum like Red is, though with her it appears less detrimental.

%%or keeping an eye out upon entering Nimbasa looking for actress "[[Creator/CarrieFisher Mrs. Fisher]]" and an actor by the name of "[[Creator/HaydenChristensen Hayden]]".
%%In Nimbasa City she runs into and fangirls over a few of her favorite actors, and though they aren't depicted, by Nate's response of "You know he hates interviews, right?" in reference to a certain actor who was a co-star of the two actors she met, it's heavily implied that she ran into this universe's Creator/MarkHamill and Creator/CarrieFisher, and Nate was referring to Creator/HarrisonFord, and another such actor is implied to be Creator/HaydenChristensen. Earlier,

* Oscar’s name. While it might not seem like anything special, when one remembers [[Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles the inspiration for the Snivy line]], it makes a whole lot of sense. It helps that despite alluding to Lady Oscar in English the name sounds rustic enough to fit his not so regal characterization. (Pending)
* Hugh's sister's Purrloin's name is "[[ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} Selina]]".
* Some of Rosa's favorite shows are a show from Kanto called ''[[Franchise/SailorMoon Sailor Sylveon]]'' (the inspiration for her hair, the difference appearing to be that the Sailor Scouts transform into MagicalGirl forms based on Eeveelutions) and ''"[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic My Little Eevee: Friendship Is Magic]]"'' (previously Bianca also says she's a fan, saying that one of the characters, Bolting Blitzie, presumably the counterpart of Rainbow Dash, reminds her of Hilda, and Nate initially makes fun of Rosa for it (and Rosa insists that "It's much cooler than it looks!") but eventually admits he likes as well when the duo are stuck in a storm and she makes him watch it together. The release date of [=B2W2=], 2012, was also around the peak of the Brony craze). Though "Skitty Punch!", "Princess Cleira of the Moon Kingdom" (more Kanto cartoons, i.e. basically anime), "Mrs. Galvantula and Mrs. Palpitoad", "Pikablu Adventures" (weekly cartoons the BW quartret [=B2W2=] trio used to watch respectively), or "Sparky the Emolga" (a mascot platformer video game franchise) seem to have no particular inspiration outside of vague genre.

** Oscar’s name. While it might not seem like anything special, when one remembers [[Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles the inspiration for the Snivy line]], it makes a whole lot of sense. It helps that despite alluding to Lady Oscar in English the name sounds rustic enough to fit his not so regal characterization. (Pending)
** Hugh's sister's Purrloin's name is "[[ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} Selina]]".
** Some of Rosa's favorite shows are a show from Kanto called ''[[Franchise/SailorMoon Sailor Sylveon]]'' (the inspiration for her hair, the difference appearing to be that the Sailor Scouts transform into MagicalGirl forms based on Eeveelutions) and ''"[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic My Little Eevee: Friendship Is Magic]]"'' (previously Bianca also says she's a fan, saying that one of the characters, Bolting Blitzie, presumably the counterpart of Rainbow Dash, reminds her of Hilda, and Nate initially makes fun of Rosa for it (and Rosa insists that "It's much cooler than it looks!") but eventually admits he likes as well when the duo are stuck in a storm and she makes him watch it together. The release date of [=B2W2=], 2012, was also around the peak of the Brony craze). Though "Skitty Punch!", "Princess Cleira of the Moon Kingdom" (more Kanto cartoons, i.e. basically anime), "Mrs. Galvantula and Mrs. Palpitoad", "Pikablu Adventures" (weekly cartoons the BW quartret [=B2W2=] trio used to watch respectively), or "Sparky the Emolga" (a mascot platformer video game franchise) seem to have no particular inspiration outside of vague genre.

* WrongGenreSavvy: This arc being based on the game with the most straightfoward plot in the series, Blue, in his immaturity, essentially spends his journey [=LARPing=] as a shonen protagonist, with Red as his StockShonenRival despite Red not fitting the bill at all, and Leaf as his love interest despite her showing no interest in him at all. He is indeed in a shonen inspired story, based on a franchise whose adaptations are almost universally for the shonen demographic. Unfortunately, Red is the real protagonist of this tale, because Blue lacks the compassion, kindness, or heroism that a shonen hero should have.

* RoyalBrat: Silver is sometimes compared to a prince both in-universe and out, what with his place in Team Rocket as the organization's heir. And oh boy is he this trope. When he was younger, he basically had the grunts wrapped around his finger, everything a kid could want, and grew up with a massive sense of self-importance and entitlement due to being the son of the boss of Team Rocket, though Giovanni still hired tutors to teach him discipline and stuff beyond his age. As a result, he never learned how to treat his peers as equals, or even had much interaction with other kids, much less those his age, at all. [[RichesToRags Giovanni abandoning him took all of that away from him suddenly]], but instead of humbling him, this only turned him cynical and bitter and made his behavioral problems worse, making him even more of this trope.

* SweetTooth: Rosa loves sweets, though in particular she seems to have a fondness for [[TrademarkFavoriteFood cheesecake]]. Unfortunately, so does Zorua/Zoroark, resulting in them getting into fights over it several times. Being a Pokemon with a Hasty nature, Oscar also shows a fondness for sweets.

* TrademarkFavoriteFood: The abovementioned cheesecake for Rosa, especially served with Castelia ice cream, an allusion to the IRL New York being famous for it.

* AdultsAreUseless: This being Pokémon, it happens, but it’s somewhat downplayed compared to a lot of other media. The adults are at least heavily implied if not shown to be facilitating safe, fulfilling journeys for young trainers. The adults on the main characters’ lives, i.e. their parents and neighbors, can also be shown to be a bit more of a presence in the characters’ lives; with Red for example, from what we see of it the adults around him pretty clearly looked out for him even if he was bullied by his peers, what with his heavily implied special needs, his mom being very involved with her son and Professor Oak evidently basically saw Red as a second grandson, teaching him how to handle Pokémon and allowing him to help around the lab because the boy was so fascinated by his studies (in the same gaiden this is seen we also get to see him as Blue’s primary caregiver, as well as how Daisy has become PromotedToParent). All the main characters keep contact with their parents, even high school age Calem. It’s also heavily implied that offscreen law enforcement does indeed do what it can, operating much like in Anime/PokemonGenerations. In the Black and White arc especially, adults seem to really know what they’re doing and are actively helpful against Team Plasma.

* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Many, in fact most Pokemon act exactly how you’d expect a member of their species to. But many (read: a good portion of the main cast party members) aren’t necessarily, and some outright subvert it. HilarityEnsues. According to WordOfGod, this is because she essentially decides Pokémon characterization on almost all protagonist teams with what is basically a convoluted, overcomplicated mental semi-random generator; though she also apparently sometimes deliberately favors personalities that would result in this “If feasible”. Some examples are:

** Brought specific attention to and becomes a DiscussedTrope with [[BloodKnight Cinna the Buneary]], who apparently was thrown out of his warren because his HotBlooded, competitive personality became considered a liability. When Dawn encounters him, he had been searching for a trainer like her he could travel and battle with. It’s heavily implied that this sort of thing isn’t uncommon for members of more timid herd species, especially Eternia Buneary like Cinna, or even that these sort of Pokémon are the ones trainers often encounter.
** Oscar (name Pending) the Snivy, Rosa’s starter. According to the Pokédex Snivy are “very calm” and Serperior “will only give it their all against strong opponents”. Well apparently no one told Oscar this because, apparently being modeled after a terrier, he’s feisty, impatient, and too brave for his own good, a BloodKnight always wanting a good fight. His EstablishingCharacterMoment in fact is him bursting out of his Pokeball, running past Rosa, and looking for a wild Pokemon to fight. He's got the somewhat "cold" attitude one would expect from his species though, though it's less being "cold" and more that he has boundaries and doesn't like being coddled or dressed up like, say, Zorua would. He loves Rosa like any starter at the end of the day. (Pending)

* ShoutOut: Because Rosa and Nate especially are nerds and the setting is based on New York, references to ShowWithinAShow isn't rare, at least some of which are clear references to real shows:

** Oscar’s name. While it might not seem like anything special, when one remembers [[Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles the inspiration for the Snivy line]], it makes a whole lot of sense. It helps that despite alluding to Lady Oscar in English the name sounds rustic enough to fit his not so regal characterization as well. (Pending)

* HotBlooded: HUGH. Just like in the games, this guy starts seeing red as soon as even the thought of Team Plasma comes up.

* SweetTooth: Rosa loves sweets, though in particular she seems to have a fondness for [[TrademarkFavoriteFood cheesecake]]. Unfortunately, so does Zorua/Zoroark, resulting in them getting into fights over it several times.
** To elaborate on Zorua/Zoroark, one piece of official art shows him napping and drooling as he dreams about laying in N’s lap being fed cheesecake, pastries, and Castelia Cones. Fitting for a “prince”.

** Oscar (name Pending) the Snivy, Rosa’s starter. According to the Pokédex Snivy are “very calm” and Serperior “will only give it their all against strong opponents”. Well apparently no one told Oscar this because, apparently being modeled after a terrier, he’s feisty, impatient, and too brave for his own good, a BloodKnight always wanting a good fight. He's got the somewhat "cold" attitude one would expect from his species, though it's less being "cold" and more that he has boundaries and doesn't like being coddled or dressed up like, say, Zorua would. He loves Rosa like any starter at the end of the day. (Pending)

** Oscar (name Pending) the Snivy, Rosa’s starter. According to the Pokédex Snivy are “very intelligent and calm” and Serperior “will only give it their all against strong opponents”. Well apparently no one told Oscar this because, apparently being modeled after a terrier, he’s feisty, impatient, and too brave for his own good, a BloodKnight always wanting a good fight. Basically what you’d get if you stuck Brendan into a Pokémon body, a characterization one would probably expect to see more from Oshawatt. (Pending; this characterization may go to Pueo)

** Brought specific attention to and becomes a DiscussedTrope with [[BloodKnight Cinna the Buneary]], who apparently was thrown out of his warren because his HotBlooded, competitive personality became considered a liability, searching for a trainer he could travel and battle with when he encountered Dawn. It’s heavily implied that this sort of thing isn’t uncommon for members of more timid herd species, especially Eternia Buneary, like Cinna, or even that these sort of Pokémon are the ones trainers often encounter.
** Oscar (name Pending) the Snivy, Rosa’s starter. According to the Pokédex Snivy are “very intelligent and calm” and Serperior “will only give it their all against strong opponents”. Well apparently no one told Oscar this because, apparently being modeled after a terrier, he’s feisty, impatient, and too brave for his own good, a BloodKnight always wanting a good fight and appears to be as if you stuck Brendan into a Pokémon body, a characterization one would probably expect to see more from Oshawatt.

** Hugh's sister's Purrloin's name is "[[ComicBook/Catwoman Selina]]".

* DramaticIrony: Used for horror in one chapter where the duo are on Route 7, the chapter introducing Salandit. Selene runs into a field and Elio follows her... [[OhCrap Not noticing the “Warning! Salandit breeding season! DO NOT ENTER!” signs.]] As they’re preparing lunch the duo start smelling something sweet, which Elio seems particularly fascinated by, and he starts feeling “feverish” and “funny”, becoming increasingly flustered and insisting that he be left alone, and Keahi and Pueo start acting strange as well, the former acting “itchy” and more irritable than usual and Pueo seemingly confused, and the comedic tone of the scene is undermined as the audience is made to come to the uncomfortable realization that they’re slowly being poisoned by a female Salandit's (heavily implied to be aphrodisiac) pheromones. Made worse by how early into puberty they are, so Elio has no real idea what’s happening to him and Selene is barely better, as Selene innocently complains about not having lunch before prodding him about if he’s met a girl he likes (the conversation turning to Lillie in one of Elio and Lillie’s earliest ShipTease moments, along with later as he hallucinates Lillie’s voice as he tries to rest his “fever” off, and as he is being lured to Salandit) and eventually getting a bit worried wondering if he’s actually sick until he demands to be alone, shutting himself into his tent. They send their Pokémon back in, but Selene’s Mudbray (Pending, name undecided) seems unaffected. As Selene and Mudbray go on a walk Elio finally remembers what he read about Salandit’s pheromones, but it’s too late; by the time Selene returns he’s gone, and she searches for him, only to find him controlled by a local female Salandit in an ''incredibly'' uncomfortable scene. By the end, after Selene rescues him, Elio seems to have come to some kind of realization, and is understandably horrified that his cousin had to see it, insisting to Selene that she never speak about what happened again, to her confusion. (Pending; not only is Salandit probably introduced elsewhere, but it’s easy for a story like this to make me seem creepy).

* DirtyCoward: Blue, despite being a good trainer in his own right and presenting himself as a tough guy, [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere does not want to get involved with Team Rocket at all.]] Not that he’d ever want to make that apparent to Red or Leaf. But this actually isn’t presented negatively [[RealityEnsues so much as how a reasonable 11 year old would actually act if they found themselves in his situation, because really he has no obligation to stop Team Rocket anyway, and Red and Leaf are the crazy ones for doing so.]]

* PaedoHunt: As for the most part characterizations are closer to how they were in ORAS, Courtney is still a scientist with dubious sanity... and it’s also made clear that she is very attracted to Brendan, a 12-year-old boy. Sexually attracted. And while Courtney looks pretty young, she’s probably well past 18. However, this is treated as something {{Squick}}y and horrifying, and the fact she is completely oblivious to her feelings being wrong only furthers the point of how detached from reality she is. Brendan eventually catches on and is understandably creeped out, as [[RealityEnsues avoiding predators is apparently taught in Trainer’s School]].

* MythologyGag: Some references are included to the VideoGame/PokemonMasters versions of the characters. This is the case for protagonists as well, as long as they don’t contradict anything else about the character as the author writes them. However, some like Dawn are basically just copies of their PM counterparts because the author had issues coming up with characterization.

* TheBully: Blue Oak is much meaner in this fic than in the games, as the author used the backstory in the manual of the original games. While a lot of his ego is PlayedForLaughs, it’s also made clear that him suddenly becoming extremely competitive and harsh towards him was a massive blow to Red, who already was a target of bullying. However, it’s shown Blue himself didn’t mean to hurt Red, more that he thought of himself as the hero of his own story and thought the trash talk and competition was all part of the fun, not realizing how much it was hurting his best friend; though it’s also heavily implied that him being sick of being identical to Red, the dorky nerd kid, in terms of ability, and his crush on Leaf also influenced it.

* CivilizedAnimal: Pokemon are usually depicted as somewhere between this and halfway to FunnyAnimal, where they are depending on the individual and species. They’re still animalistic, with animalistic instincts and many animalistic concerns, but possess enough intelligence to consent to battling, have concept of the self, have morality, make out how to communicate with each other, have protocol for being captured or if one of their own is captured, and as shown with some, have some type of culture. Plus, many starter Pokemon, despite apparently all being pretty young, can basically act as their trainers’ parents when needed as well (especially Venio). However, some species, such as most legendaries and psychic Pokemon, are as intelligent as if not smarter than the average human.

* RoyalBrat: [[spoiler:Silver is sometimes compared to a prince both in-universe and out, what with his place in Team Rocket as the organization's heir. And oh boy is he this trope. When he was younger, he basically had hundreds of grunts wrapped around his finger, had everything a kid could want, and grew up with a massive sense of self-importance due to being the son of the boss of Team Rocket and all, though Giovanni still disciplined him and hired tutors to teach him stuff beyond his age. As a result, he never learned how to treat his peers as equals, or even had much interaction with kids his age at all. [[RichesToRags Giovanni abandoning him took all of that away from him suddenly]], but instead of humbling him, this only turned him cynical and bitter and made his behavioral problems worse, making him even more of this trope]].
* StockShonenHero: It’s been stated outright that Ethan is the closest to this out of all of the protagonists; he’s cheerful, loud, HotBlooded, [[{{Determinator}} insanely determined]], cocky, optimistic, outgoing, naive, [[IdiotHero not the smartest kid around usually]], has a case of ChronicHeroSyndrome possibly even stronger than the others, and is a BigEater to boot.

* MostWritersAreAdults: One of the series’s goals is to avert this, or at least minimize it, unlike Manga/PokemonAdventures. Though it has been stated that kids in this universe must mature faster mentally because they’re trusted to go on Pokemon journeys, the preteens still can have plushies, get excited over candy, often have a rather simple grasp of morality (which [[IncorruptiblePurePureness while it often serves them good]], can backfire on occasion, i.e. the whole drama between the Kanto trio and Silver's lack of life experience and the experience he does have being fuel for maladaptive behavior), use insults like “[[BigStupidDooDooHead doo-doo head]]”, and imitate what they see on TV. Even some of the conflict comes from the fact they have immature brains (especially in the Kanto arc), and Blue even partially deconstructs the notion of giving Pokemon to kids, as he basically sees them, as the author puts it, as “action figures that go boom”. However, the author admits she's not great at writing teenagers, so the Gen 5 and 6 main characters appear to act like adults more often, while Wes is basically an adult (though even he is implied to partially act the way he does because he thinks it's edgy, or more that he processes what he's gone through in an edgy manner).
* MythologyGag: Some references are included to the VideoGame/PokemonMasters versions of the characters. This is the case for protagonists as well, as long as they don’t contradict anything else about the character. However, some like Dawn are basically straight-up written like their PM counterparts because the author had issues coming up with characterization.

* KidsAreCruel: Well, more kids have limited empathy. Arguably, the Kanto trio are the most realistic children out of all sets of main characters; while Red is the one implied to be on the Autism Spectrum, and he lacks understanding of others sometimes until Leaf spells it out for him, Blue is arguably worse and has a childish inability to see how the whole rivalry looks to Red. Even Leaf isn't perfect in the whole equation despite being the most empathetic in the trio, as she turns against Blue and fails to communicate to Blue exactly why, and she's a bit sadistic when it comes to subjecting him to slapstick especially (though he doesn't seem to mind because as the writer puts it "he's a simp who thinks it's appropriate for others to bully people they love too"). The whole conflict between Red and Blue, is a testament to how children's lack of empathy can have pretty bad consequences if left to their own. It's highly unlikely [[spoiler:the whole conflict would have been stopped before blowing up in the fight after the events of the story if the characters were adults who were wise enough to at any point stop and properly communicate, or that it would have happened at all in the first place]].

** [[spoiler:...And then Burningleaf Shipping is canonized during the G2 arc, where the two had started developing feelings for each other during the time skip. Though only Leaf starts realizing this. And by the time these feelings started to develop, Blue had decided to stop pursuing Leaf because he had realized she simply wasn’t not into him and [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy is now mature enough to not press it further.]]]] [[spoiler:Red and Leaf only actually become a couple in a gaiden one-shot written much later, where the two are now 17, and while Blue is heartbroken he accepts it for what it is.]]

* AmbiguousDisorder: Red, according to WordOfGod, “acts similar to someone with Asperger’s”, though whether he actually is isn’t stated. However, he indeed seems like a textbook case; his social skills are very lacking, he can be [[BrutalHonesty really blunt]], fidgets with things, [[CharacterTic especially his hat]] or favorite plushie if he has it on hand, quite often, needs to have at least one red article of clothing on his person at all times, is sensitive to gooey textures and gross things to the point that [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes he almost shuts down when faced with a Grimer or Muk]], and is extremely fixated on Pokemon and Pokemon battles to the point he can go on for an hour talking about it [[spoiler:and he falls into a deep depression when he runs himself into the ground with it]]. This is apparently due to the fact that Creator/SatoshiTajiri has the condition, as does the author.

* DramaticIrony: Used for horror in one chapter where the duo are on Route 7, the chapter introducing Salandit. Selene runs into a field and Elio follows her... Not realizing the “Warning! Salandit breeding season! DO NOT ENTER!” signs. Then as they’re preparing lunch the duo start smelling something sweet, which Elio seems particularly fascinated by, and he starts feeling “feverish” and “funny”, becoming increasingly flustered and insisting that he be left alone, and the the comedic tone of the scene is undermined as the audience is made to come to the uncomfortable realization that he’s slowly being poisoned by a Salazzle’s (heavily implied to be aphrodisiac) pheromones. Made worse by how early into puberty they are, so Elio has no real idea what’s happening to him and Selene is barely better, as Selene complains about not having lunch and innocently prodding him about if he’s met a girl he likes (the conversation turning to Lillie in one of Elio and Lillie’s earliest ShipTease moments, along with later as he hallucinates Lillie’s voice as he tries to rest his “fever” off and luring him to Salandit) and eventually getting a bit worried wondering if he’s actually sick until he demands he wants to be alone. As Selene is taking her walk Elio remembers what he read about Salandit’s pheromones, but it’s too late; by the time Selene returns he’s gone, and she finds him controlled by a local female Salandit in an ''incredibly'' uncomfortable scene. By the end Elio seems to come to some kind of realization, and, insisting to Selene that she never speak about what happened, to her confusion. (Pending; not only is Salandit probably introduced elsewhere, but it’s easy for a story like this to make me seem creepy).

* DevelopmentGag: Crosses with MythologyGag; the author loves to include nods to early concept art in art of the characters when they were younger (I.e. Red is shown at age 9 in a minimally changed version of his Capumon design, Leaf at that age is shown with darker brown hair, her black minidress, and white gloves, with her hair still having darker brown tips at the start of the story, Ethan at age 8 is wearing a purple hoodie of a similar shade to the male character on the cover of the Gold and Silver announcement pamphlet, Kris’s pigtails are shown hanging down instead of defying gravity and she’s wearing a white collared shirt and pleated skirt) or even occasionally newly hatched Pokemon like Vulpex. Other details from the early stages of development may be added as well, such as Ethan having a skateboard, or Red’s Rhydon plushie being the first one he got.

* MostWritersAreAdults: One of the series’s goals is to avert this, or at least minimize it, unlike Manga/PokemonAdventures. Though it has been stated that kids in this universe must mature faster mentally because they’re trusted to go on Pokemon journeys, the preteens still can have plushies, get excited over candy, often have a rather simple grasp of morality (which [[IncorruptiblePurePureness while it often serves them good, can backfire on occasion, i.e. the whole drama between the Kanto trio and Silver's lack of life experience and the experience he does have being fuel for maladaptive behavior), use insults like “[[BigStupidDooDooHead doo-doo head]]”, and imitate what they see on TV. Even some of the conflict comes from the fact they have immature brains (especially in the Kanto arc), and Blue even partially deconstructs the notion of giving Pokemon to kids, as he basically sees them, as the author puts it, as “action figures that go boom”. However, the author admits she's not great at writing teenagers, so the Gen 5 and 6 main characters appear to act like adults more often, while Wes is basically an adult (though even he is implied to partially act the way he does because he thinks it's edgy, or more that he processes what he's gone through in an edgy manner).
* MythologyGag: Some references are included to the VideoGame/PokemonMasters interpretations of the protagonists as long as they don’t contradict anything else about the character.

* VileVillainSaccharineShow: Just like the games. Despite the more realistic tone, most of the stories start out with and with the protagonists having a sense of childhood innocence and wonder, and even the teenage core protagonists set out with a lighthearted sense of adventure. Their Pokemon are colorful and goofy, the adults around them are supportive, and the series in general emphasizes ThePowerOfFriendship. But it also tends to play up the darker elements with the villains especially for the sake of realism, many of the villains clearly showing that they have intent to kill or seriously harm the protagonists if it’s needed to achieve their goals, with the [[DarkerAndEdgier “Game Over” sub-series]] showing just what happens to the hero and/or the world if they are unsuccessful, and they [[WouldHurtAChild definitely aren’t for the faint of heart]], even if few of them go into too much detail: [[spoiler:ranging from Red and Leaf getting a brutal, Yakuza-style execution or being impaled by a Rhydon (the former scenario even getting a bit of an AU mini-series of their own), Brendan being most likely raped if he loses to Courtney or suffocating in the vacuum of space as the meteor destroys Earth if he loses to Deoxys, life being slowly drained out of Kalos as Calem and Serena can merely watch as they also lay slowly dying, Nate and Rosa being impaled with icicles... Though the most terrifying one is arguably Dawn’s fate, in which Cyrus creates his new world... except Dawn is carried through with him, but she has gone through severe DeathOfPersonality, [[AndIMustScream merely a husk of her former self, a daughter figure who Cyrus can shape through his own hands, just like the world itself...]]]].

* MostWritersAreAdults: One of the series’s goals is to avert this, or at least minimize it, unlike Manga/PokemonAdventures. Though it has been stated that kids in this universe mature faster mentally due to the fact that they’re trusted to go on Pokemon journeys, the preteens still can have plushies, get excited over candy, have a very simple morality system, use insults like “[[BigStupidDooDooHead doo-doo head]]”, and imitate what they see on TV. A lot of conflict even comes from the fact they have immature brains, and Blue even partially deconstructs the notion of giving Pokemon to kids, as he basically sees them, as the author puts it, as “action figures that go boom”. However, the 14-year-old Black and White protagonists (save for Bianca) act a bit older than they should, as the author admits she doesn’t exactly know how to write kids that age. And Calem and Serena, who are 16, act almost like adults.

** Some of Rosa's favorite shows are a show from Kanto called ''[[Franchise/SailorMoon Sailor Sylveon]]'' (the inspiration for her hair, the difference appearing to be that the Sailor Scouts transform into MagicalGirl forms based on Eeveelutions) and ''"[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic My Little Eevee: Friendship Is Magic]]"'' (previously Bianca also says she's a fan, saying that one of the characters, Bolting Blitzie, presumably the counterpart of Rainbow Dash, reminds her of Hilda, and Nate initially makes fun of Rosa for it (and Rosa insists that "It's much cooler than it looks!") but eventually admits he likes as well when the duo are stuck in a storm and she makes him watch it together. The release date of [=B2W2=], 2012, was also around the peak of the Brony craze). Though "Skitty Punch!", "Princess Cleira of the Moon Kingdom" (more Kanto cartoons, i.e. basically anime), "Pikablu Adventures" (a weekly cartoon the trio used to watch religiously), or "Sparky the Emolga" (a mascot platformer video game franchise) seem to have no particular inspiration outside of vague genre.

* DevelopmentGag: Crosses with MythologyGag; the author loves to include nods to early concept art in art of the characters as children (I.e. Red is shown at age 9 in a minimally changed version of his Capumon design, Leaf at that age is shown with darker brown hair, her black minidress, and white gloves, with her hair still having darker brown tips at the start of the story, Ethan at age 8 is wearing a purple hoodie of a similar shade to the male character on the cover of the Gold and Silver announcement pamphlet, Kris’s pigtails are shown hanging down instead of defying gravity and she’s wearing a white collared shirt and pleated skirt) or even occasionally newly hatched Pokemon. Other details from the early stages of development may be added as well, such as Ethan having a skateboard he leaves at home, or Red’s Rhydon plushie being the first one he got.

** In the emotional sense, Leaf seems to see Red as this as well. The feeling is shown to be mutual, however.

* PuppyLove: [[spoiler:Brendan and May actually become a couple at the end, one of the few couples, especially among the preteen protagonists, who become an OfficialCouple within their own story arc.]]

* TheAllAmericanBoy: Hilbert somewhat acts like a modernized version of one.

* {{Cult}}: The depiction of Team Plasma is fleshed out a bit more with inspiration from American-based Christian cults or cult-like organizations, a huge helping of CorruptChurch, TheFundamentalist and a sprinkle of ChurchOfHappyology, with things like them apparently knocking on doors like Jehovah's Witnesses, the expensive membership fees, and the creepy emphasis on the enforcement of and personality cult around N ("King of Team Plasma, King of Pokemon")'s purity, being painted as a Messiah figure more than standard royalty.
* HalfIdenticalTwins: Hilbert and Hilda look rather similar, and even have similar names. However, they have different eye colors, which makes them more distinct from each other than many other pairs of protagonists, all of whom except for Nate and Rosa (?) aren’t siblings (most egregiously Lucas and Dawn, and even Red and Leaf after their hair colors change). Hilda is apparently five minutes older, alluding to the fact she was designed first.

* {{Manchild}}: While not to the extent of how many fans portrayed him, N’s childish nature has a bit more space to shine, and Hilbert and Hilda having dialogue makes them able to point out his odd behavior too (e.g. He genuinely doesn’t understand why Hilda seemed uncomfortable and ready to sock him in the face at any moment when he pulled her into the Ferris wheel to confess his association with Team Plasma, or why she reacts with “...Oh thank hell it wasn’t- [[BigWhat YOU’RE WHAT?!]]”, and Hilbert notes how six years younger (note, N is explicitly stated to be 20), much shorter, and yet feels like he’s talking to a child). His "purity" was enforced in him growing up, and he appears to fail to comprehend ([[SymbolSwearing implied]]) swear words or a crass comment from Hilda, and in a short gaiden he asks a passerby man what a couple of drunks are doing in Castelia City, to the man's confusion, apparently having no idea what even drunkenness is. [[spoiler:He’s also described to be crying, his shoulders shaking and quivering, helpless-looking like a young child, as Ghethis yells at and berates him, the sight of which makes the Hil twins’ rage at Ghethis go UpToEleven out of some kind of [[BigBrotherInstinct Big Brother/Sister Instinct]]]].

** Hilbert is a bit of a comic nerd. One of the comics he has in the pile of comics he brings with him is "[[Franchise/BatMan CrobatMan]]". Nate is also said to like "[=CrobatMan=]" movies, though according to WordOfGod he's more a Marvel person. Hilbert also apparently likes Franchise/Archie Comics, though this isn't brought up much aside from a few visual depictions due to it having no difference in the Pokemon universe (apparently, they're one of the few comics that Hilbert is confident in Hilda not borrowing without notice).

* ShoutOut: Because Rosa and Nate are nerds and the setting is based on New York, references to ShowWithinAShow isn't rare, at least some of which are clear references to real shows:

* CatsAreMean: Keahi, Elio’s Litten, can be a jerk, pulling nasty pranks like singing Elio’s finger for no reason other than [[ItAmusedMe it amusing him]]. Though it’s also shown that [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold deep down he does care for his trainer and isn’t all that bad]].

* DarkerAndEdgier: Especially the Colosseum arc; the other fics can also be really dark when they want to be, but with this arc it’s way more obvious and prominent from the start. The protagonist, Wes, is not only older than any before and since (17, later 18), but very cynical and jaded, and overall Orre is basically a CrapsackWorld, an isolated part of the continent that all outside administration has all but abandoned. This arc is also the only series where it’s common that battles can not only draw blood (including from Wes and even Michael themselves), but actually be deadly (though it doesn’t actually happen but offscreen), as becoming a Shadow Pokemon triggers what the author has referred to out-of-universe as “Nuzlocke mode”, the Pokemon’s “wild” state, where they hunt to kill. But ultimately, [[AWorldHalfFull it’s still idealistic at the end of the day just like the other series]], and the Gale of Darkness arc, while still having this darkness within it, shows many improvements to the world, not to mention Michael is closer to the standard Pikupro protagonist.
* SiblingTeam: Wes’ Espeon and Umbreon, Sundance and Moonshine (names pending) are twin brothers, or at least as far as we or Wes know. While there was no way for Wes to know they were actually related, they’re around the same age and act like brothers, Wes calls them “the Twins”, and the author calls them the “Eevee Twins”.