Pokémon Evolution/Capture/Release Thread

[Cuddy]

- It seems that evolution is off the books for Bunnelby (Diggersby being painted as criminal in XY012) and Inkay (Preview of Malamar ep, and Jame's track record of innocent Pokemon).
- Fletchling seems almost certain to evolve, perhaps just as soon as it gets a focus episode or two.
- Froakie, Chespin and Fennekin are still too early to call. Froakie's reserved tough-guy facade certainly fits with its evolutionary tree, and it could be patterned after Sceptile and pull off a full evolution. I hear Delphox is scheduled for an appearance sometime soon, so perhaps Fennekin won't go that far, but I can see it reaching Blaixen at a distant point (Serena's not doing much battling at the moment). Chespin's gluttony could be an indicator that it'll reach Quilladin status, and a Chesnaught doesn't seem beyond Clemont's ability to handle.

I am not so sure about Froakie. Buizel has the same type of attitude, and it remains a Buizel. Treecko faces Grovyle before, and it had evolve all the way, so it is difficult to sense the future of the starters in the anime this time.

 

[kimzey59]

I'm starting to hinge to possible Gen 1-5 captures in XY since the pool of possible captures keeps decreasing.

Really hope that does not happen. In that case they could give Ash half his BW team. They would need another saga to get developed.

Don't see that happening TBH. The episode at oaks lab was pretty clear about them staying behind. I agree with you that i hope the captures will be Gen 6, but with so few pokes added in gen 6 and many of the better known ones already effectively written out of a capture from the crew i fear that gen 1-5 is the only thing left other than an incomplete team which is an even bigger taboo than catching pokemon from previous generations.

We know that Ash will have two gen 1-5 pokemon. A Mega and Pikachu. Then he has Froakie and Fletchling. He could catch two more pokemons from Kalos. They still have some mons left.

they have alot of gen 6 pokemon left but none that fit ash. so im leaning more towards an incomplete team. as much as i want ash to get lucario. ash has only ever caught 2 pre-gen pokemon that being Aipom and gligar

What qualifies a Pokemon as "fitting Ash"?
I've seen this phrase a lot but nobody really seems to define it.

Based on his history,
Clauncher/Clawitzer would "fit" perfectly in line with Krabby/Kingler and Corphish.
Bergmite/Avalugg "fits" perfectly in line with Torterra, Torkoal and Boldore as a potential "wall".
Hawlucha "fit" perfectly in line with Scraggy, Infernape, Heracross and Primeape as a potential fighting type(bonus here with Hawlucha being eligible for Sky Battles; I have a strong suspicion that Ash will carry two flying types at times for gimmick battles) .
Skiddo/Gogoat and Amoura/Aurorus "fits" perfectly in line with Tauros, Bayleaf and Donphan.
Noibat/Noivyrn could easily fit into the same mold as Gligar/Gliscor.
Tyrunt/Tyantrum "fit" into the same mold as Charmander/Charmeleon/Charizard, Totodile, Treecko/Grovyle/Sceptile, Gible and Krokorok/Krookodile.
Klefki, Carbink, Slurpuff and Auromatise could all be fit into the Glalie mold with a little effort.
Litleo/Pyroar and Helioptile/Heliosk(obviously won't happen) both have the stat's and skill sets to fall into the "glass canon" mold Ash seems to have a lot of.
The Flabebe line also has the stats and skill set to really mesh with Ash's battling style.

And that's not even counting the potential of diversifying Ash's personality even more.
He doesn't have a Ghost type; a Phantump/Trevenant with the right personality could fill the "grass slot" and give him his first real Ghost.
He's never caught an evolved Pseudo-Legendary; the Goodra line is supposed to have the overly friendly personality which would fit with Ash's past captures(Bayleaf/Totodile/Gible/Leavanny).
He's never caught an Eveelution; it's doubtful but Sylveon could be Ash's fairy type showcase.


Personally; I'd say Hawlucha is a pretty safe bet for a capture given how much sense it would make(skill set and stats fall in line with Ash's "mold" and battling style, fills his fighting type slot and gives him a second option in Sky Battles).
I also see Bergmite having a pretty high likelyhood given it's skill set, stats and image(Ash seems to catch a lot of turtle-like Pokemon and Bergmite could easily be molded into a Turtwig clone).
The final slot could go a lot of different ways and it would really depend on how many "taboo's" the writers want to beak this series. Giving him a Tyrunt and/or Noibat would give Ash practically a carbon copy of his Sinnoh team(Pikachu; Greninja/Infernape; Talonflame/Staraptor; Bergmite/Turtwig; Hawlucha/Buizel; Noibat/Gliscor; Tyrunt/Gible).

 

[kimzey59]

I'm starting to hinge to possible Gen 1-5 captures in XY since the pool of possible captures keeps decreasing.

Really hope that does not happen. In that case they could give Ash half his BW team. They would need another saga to get developed.

Don't see that happening TBH. The episode at oaks lab was pretty clear about them staying behind. I agree with you that i hope the captures will be Gen 6, but with so few pokes added in gen 6 and many of the better known ones already effectively written out of a capture from the crew i fear that gen 1-5 is the only thing left other than an incomplete team which is an even bigger taboo than catching pokemon from previous generations.

We know that Ash will have two gen 1-5 pokemon. A Mega and Pikachu. Then he has Froakie and Fletchling. He could catch two more pokemons from Kalos. They still have some mons left.

One of Ash's calling card's is his belief that true strength comes from within and not from an artificial thing like evolution.
They've had several episodes highlighting this(Pikachu multiple times; Bulbasaur refusing to evolve, Buizel refusing to evolve, Piplup refusing to evolve, Ash refusing to let Gligar evolve, etc...).

I wouldn't dismiss the possibility entirely but I think it's highly unlikely Ash get's a Mega, especially not for the sole purpose of just getting a Mega to get a Mega. It has to fit with Ash's personality and philosophy. The only Mega's that really fit Ash are the Charizard Mega's; and I can only see that happening at the Kalos League.

 

[Gard81]

My wishlist for Ash's team includes either from the Honedge line or a fossil Pokemon (either one works for me, plus it would be a first for him). Though I definitely wouldn't mind if he captured some from previous generations, if only to showcase more Mega Evolutions. For Serena, I'll go on a limb and say Flabebe.

 

[johnpoke]

I'm starting to hinge to possible Gen 1-5 captures in XY since the pool of possible captures keeps decreasing.

Really hope that does not happen. In that case they could give Ash half his BW team. They would need another saga to get developed.

Don't see that happening TBH. The episode at oaks lab was pretty clear about them staying behind. I agree with you that i hope the captures will be Gen 6, but with so few pokes added in gen 6 and many of the better known ones already effectively written out of a capture from the crew i fear that gen 1-5 is the only thing left other than an incomplete team which is an even bigger taboo than catching pokemon from previous generations.

We know that Ash will have two gen 1-5 pokemon. A Mega and Pikachu. Then he has Froakie and Fletchling. He could catch two more pokemons from Kalos. They still have some mons left.

One of Ash's calling card's is his belief that true strength comes from within and not from an artificial thing like evolution.
They've had several episodes highlighting this(Pikachu multiple times; Bulbasaur refusing to evolve, Buizel refusing to evolve, Piplup refusing to evolve, Ash refusing to let Gligar evolve, etc...).

I wouldn't dismiss the possibility entirely but I think it's highly unlikely Ash get's a Mega, especially not for the sole purpose of just getting a Mega to get a Mega. It has to fit with Ash's personality and philosophy. The only Mega's that really fit Ash are the Charizard Mega's; and I can only see that happening at the Kalos League.

do you even watch the anime 1 pikachu and bulbasaur didint want to evolve ash respected their choice. yes he does have the mentality that evolution isnt everything but he also knows that it helps. look at all the times he got exited when his pokemon evolve. and he got excited when he heard about mega evolution . in short its more his pokemon then him. 2 Buizel never had the chance to evolve and piplup wasnt even ash's. evolution isnt artificial. now you could call mega evolution artificial but even thats a stretch. plus mega evolution is only possible with a close bond which is what ash is all about

 

[kimzey59]

I'm starting to hinge to possible Gen 1-5 captures in XY since the pool of possible captures keeps decreasing.

Really hope that does not happen. In that case they could give Ash half his BW team. They would need another saga to get developed.

Don't see that happening TBH. The episode at oaks lab was pretty clear about them staying behind. I agree with you that i hope the captures will be Gen 6, but with so few pokes added in gen 6 and many of the better known ones already effectively written out of a capture from the crew i fear that gen 1-5 is the only thing left other than an incomplete team which is an even bigger taboo than catching pokemon from previous generations.

We know that Ash will have two gen 1-5 pokemon. A Mega and Pikachu. Then he has Froakie and Fletchling. He could catch two more pokemons from Kalos. They still have some mons left.

One of Ash's calling card's is his belief that true strength comes from within and not from an artificial thing like evolution.
They've had several episodes highlighting this(Pikachu multiple times; Bulbasaur refusing to evolve, Buizel refusing to evolve, Piplup refusing to evolve, Ash refusing to let Gligar evolve, etc...).

I wouldn't dismiss the possibility entirely but I think it's highly unlikely Ash get's a Mega, especially not for the sole purpose of just getting a Mega to get a Mega. It has to fit with Ash's personality and philosophy. The only Mega's that really fit Ash are the Charizard Mega's; and I can only see that happening at the Kalos League.

do you even watch the anime 1 pikachu and bulbasaur didint want to evolve ash respected their choice. yes he does have the mentality that evolution isnt everything but he also knows that it helps. look at all the times he got exited when his pokemon evolve. and he got excited when he heard about mega evolution . in short its more his pokemon then him. 2 Buizel never had the chance to evolve and piplup wasnt even ash's. evolution isnt artificial. now you could call mega evolution artificial but even thats a stretch. plus mega evolution is only possible with a close bond which is what ash is all about

A- I've watched the anime plenty.
B- Ash gets exited over everything. Getting exited over mega evolution carries no more weight than his excitement over a new region, a new pokemon, an update to his pokedex or a new restaurant. It doesn't mean it's something he's going to automatically get just for the sake of getting. If Ash get's a Mega, it has to be one that fits into his personality. It makes absolutely no sense for ash to catch a new Pokemon in Kalos just to have a mega-evolution possibility on his team, especially not with the weight that bond is supposed to play.
C- Within the realm of the Anime, evolution has absolutely been portrayed as artificial; especially evolution by means of evolutionary stones or object(the Razor Claw).
I know full well the storylines involved in those non-evolutions. I also know full well that it indicates a trend in the writers staff. A major issue that the writers like to address is personal strength overcoming adversity. The entire schism between Ash and Paul came from that issue. The Pikachu non-evolution storyline is a prime example of this. Every time evolution has been brought up regarding Pikachu it would have been an artificial means to beat an opponent(typically an opposing Raichu).
D- The close bond part is exactly why none of the other Mega Evolution's but Charizard make sense. The writers aren't going to plug a Pokemon onto Ash's team and create the kind of bond that would allow for Mega Evolution over the course of 1 region. Any Mega-evolution he get will have to have been with him for a while; which means Charizard or Heracross. Heracross has been mostly forgotten since Johto which means only Charizard fits the qualifications for a real Mega-Evolution on Ash's team. Charizard has run it's course on Ash's team, which is why that only makes sense once he reaches the Kalos League.

 

[Covershot]

Given that Mega Evolution is a focus this saga, that it emphasizes the bond between trainer and Pokemon, and that Ash’s character is all about his love of, and his bond with, his Pokemon, I have to imagine that there’s going to be a point where we do see a Mega Evolution on Ash’s team. While Pokemon has run with the idea that a Pokemon can be strong without evolution, neither it nor Ash has been intrinsically opposed to the idea either. Ash has plenty of evolved Pokemon down at Oak’s laboratory to show that. I’m not going to say that Ash will get a Mega Evolution (that would be a disappointment for me, though), but I certainly can’t think of a reason why it wouldn’t happen.

If Ash does get Mega Evolution I can’t see anyone else in that position besides Charizard. Aside from Pikachu, I don’t think there’s any other Pokemon whose bond with Ash the show has focused on more, plus it’s perfectly marketable. Certainly they’re not going to go through the trouble of adding a brand new non-Kalos Pokemon onto Ash’s team just to Mega Evolve, and I really don’t think anybody’s going to be choosing Heracross over Charizard when the latter has more of a story. But should that happen, then I personally don’t see it happening until after the Kalos League... or during it, on the off-chance the entirety of the Gen VI anime actually spends all its time in the Kalos region itself. The reason being that Fletching and its evolutions (which already make Charizard redundant) are more of a focus now, and probably will be as long as the characters are in Kalos.

 

[Alola]

I hope Serena gets the Espurr in the upcoming episode. Not only does she have it in the games, but it can give her some focus as well as a new companion.

 

[Supreme Leader Palpitoad]

I really don’t think anybody’s going to be choosing Heracross over Charizard when the latter has more of a story.

I would choose it over Charizard. Easily.

 

[Andre27]

I really don’t think anybody’s going to be choosing Heracross over Charizard when the latter has more of a story

I consider both strong candidates. Charizard because of it's strong bond and because it's a fan favorite. Downside is that one of the Mega evolutions has already been shown (in origins) so there would be no surprise as to what mega it would be.

Heracross is one of Ash's earliest pokemon and a ready candidate for mega evolution.

Last, but not the least is a possible Lucario considering the whole history with Ash and Aura.

 

[Covershot]

I would choose it over Charizard. Easily.

I’ll rephrase that: I mean any of the decision-makers. I’m aware not everyone’s a fan of Charizard, and that's understandable, but the show has invested far more into him over the years than Heracross. Charizard got an entire episode dedicated to his return, after all.

Personally, I wouldn’t mind if the show gave Ash Mega Heracross instead. But Charizard’s my favorite, so I’d prefer him.

I consider both strong candidates. Charizard because of it's strong bond and because it's a fan favorite. Downside is that one of the Mega evolutions has already been shown (in origins) so there would be no surprise as to what mega it would be.

Well, if I remember, didn’t Origins only show one Charizard evolution? Ash could always get the Y variant.

I would argue that if there’s a downside, it’s that Ash already has one Pokemon (Yayakoma) that makes Charizard kind of redundant now. But if there’s an arc after the Kalos League, then that won’t really be a problem.

 

[Andre27]

I’ll rephrase that: I mean any of the decision-makers. I’m aware not everyone’s a fan of Charizard, and that's understandable, but the show has invested far more into him over the years than Heracross. Charizard got an entire episode dedicated to his return, after all.

Personally, I wouldn’t mind if the show gave Ash Mega Heracross instead. But Charizard’s my favorite, so I’d prefer him.

I consider both strong candidates. Charizard because of it's strong bond and because it's a fan favorite. Downside is that one of the Mega evolutions has already been shown (in origins) so there would be no surprise as to what mega it would be.

Well, if I remember, didn’t Origins only show one Charizard evolution? Ash could always get the Y variant.

I would argue that if there’s a downside, it’s that Ash already has one Pokemon (Yayakoma) that makes Charizard kind of redundant now. But if there’s an arc after the Kalos League, then that won’t really be a problem.

Origins showed Mega X and as a result IF Charizard were to be the mega in XY then it'd almost certain be the Mega Charizard Y. Not much fun if you know which one it's going to be in advance.

 

[jcogginsa]

it'd be really funny if it turned out ash's Mega is Gengar XD

 

[Supreme Leader Palpitoad]

I’ll rephrase that: I mean any of the decision-makers. I’m aware not everyone’s a fan of Charizard, and that's understandable, but the show has invested far more into him over the years than Heracross. Charizard got an entire episode dedicated to his return, after all.

And that is just why I do not want to see Charizard again. He and Pikachu has gained so much focus during the whole saga. It is much more fun to see something which we have not seen very often again instead of the most overused lizard of all time. That would make the show improve.

 

[1rkhachatryan]

I hope Serena gets the Espurr in the upcoming episode. Not only does she have it in the games, but it can give her some focus as well as a new companion.

I agree with this. Serena needs a capture and like fast and Espurr's the best bet with the upcoming episodes. Only if its the female one though.

 

[Doorkn00b]

I think Charizard will definitely mega evolve, probably Y because a powerful dragon type doesnt really seem like what the writers would give ash. I also think we'll see a Heracross mega, but not until the league battles, because Heracross does not usually appear until those battles at all.

 

[G50]

I hope Serena gets the Espurr in the upcoming episode. Not only does she have it in the games, but it can give her some focus as well as a new companion.

I agree with this. Serena needs a capture and like fast and Espurr's the best bet with the upcoming episodes. Only if its the female one though.

Unfortunately, the Espurr likely belongs to one of the two human characters mentioned in the VAs list. It's not certain that it belongs to them though, and it does have the chance that they give Serena Espurr as a gift.

I agree though, Serena does need to get a first capture in the near future. Hopefully Fennekin gets a bit more experience first.

 

[Whiteycm]

Has anybody thought or considered Tyrunt/Amaura? Maybe Tyrunt to Ash & Amaura to Serena?

I feel like its a possibility, especially for the small pool of new pokes in Kalos.

Pikachu/Frokkie/Fletchling

I feel like he'll get a Goomy or a Tyrunt. One of the two.

A fairy type, florges or swirlex my guess...

A wildcard poke, like a Honedge, Skiddo, or Binacle... One of those.

A switch in poke later in the series for his Mega Zard or Mega Heracross.

That's my guess.

 

[Gligarman]

I really REALLY hope that Ash's Froakie evolves into a Greninja. But I'm doubting it.

 

[Covershot]

I’m pretty sure it will for two reasons: (1) one or two of Ash’s starter Pokemon always evolves at least once (OS - Charizard and Bayleef; Advanced Generation - Sceptile; Diamond & Pearl - Infernape and Torterra; Best Wishes - Pignite) and (2) while I’m only speculating here, Froakie already seems like it’s going to become Ash’s main powerhouse this region in the vein of some of the others listed above (granted its track record early-on is leaving a lot to be desired, but I expect that to change at some point, possibly the second Gym).