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What are your game headcanons?

Not really a head canon, but common sense to me: Humans don't eat Pokémon. They eat berries and similar stuff and that is about it.
Slowpoke tails were, oddly, treats in GS though.

Actually, getting food products from Pokemon is fine with me. Chansey eggs (unfertilised of course), Miltank milk, Tropius fruit... what have you. Slowpoke tails are a bit more questionable, since it might be hurting the Pokemon, though.

Speaking of which: Fertilised Pokemon eggs are the ones with green spots (games)/species-specific markings (anime). If the shell is white, that means it's unfertilised.
 
WARNING! Giant post ahead!

• MissingNo. resulted as an extremely buggy, failed beta rendition of Porygon. It was kept secret by Silph Co. and the code was thought to be deleted, but some escaped.

• Braille was the writing system of ancient people living in Hoenn. A very powerful Aura Guardian from Unova, who had traveled all over the world, journeyed to Sinnoh and brought Regigigas to life. It then created several Regice, Regirock, and Registeel. They were used as sentries for a time, but after one of them was provoked into attacking its home village, most were destroyed with powerful Pokémon. But the people of Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova agreed to keep one copy of the trio in their regions, in case the safety of the world was ever threatened. Now, there are exactly 10 collective Regis left in the world, including Regigigas.

• Golett/Golurk were the prototypes of the Regis, but weren't destroyed as they are much less powerful. They will explode if the seal on their chest is removed.

• The Ability Slow Start represents that Regigigas has decayed since being sealed in the Snowpoint Temple hundreds of years ago. The moss on him also started growing since he was sealed away.

• There are multiple Mew, Victini, Shaymin, Deoxys, Latias, Latios, Manaphy, Phione, and Heatran in the world; they’re just extremely rare. The Eon Pokémon are the same species and can breed, but the genders have slightly different powers and are classified as separate in the Pokédex. The Legendaries I haven’t mentioned are one of a kind.

• Phione evolve into Manaphy, but only in the wild.

• The event with Arceus in HGSS isn’t canon.
 
I don't have many headcanons. Just a scant few that make sense to me, really.

  • Pokemon don't actually say their names, they just say their cries in the games. (Except more realistic-sounding)
  • Those Pokemon that are made up of two are just still one Pokemon. (Like Dugtrio) The Pokedex's claims are just rumors/legends.
  • Ghost-types aren't really dead. They're just a type of living spirit that are called Ghosts due to resembling them.
  • Nidoqueen and Nidorino can STILL breed. @_@
  • Kangaskhan is born as the little blue baby, not with one already in its pouch.
  • Ninetales doesn't actually live 1,000 years. It just lives a longerish time than humans, and is rumored to live that long.
 
-Magnemite was built by the Kanto Army during the war. It was designed to be a loyal killing machine. This is why Lt. Surge owns one. The reason that they are so widely distributed is because the war was a world war, spanning most regions. However, many of them went haywire and went their own ways. Some banded into groups of 3, and eventually these groups of 3 Magnemites formed together to create Magnetons. Sinnoh Magnetons, due to electrical impulses stemming from Mt. Coronet, eventually found ways to upgrade themselves into Magnezone. The same can be said of Chargestone Cave and Kalos Power Plant Magnetons. However, the Kanto Power Plant is defunct, and Johto and Hoenn lack suitable locations for this upgrade.

-Golett and Golurk, though thought to have been built as machines by an ancient civilization, are actually the remnants of a horrifying experiment. These mechanical-looking Pokemon were created after the Kalos War (Or any other war) by the ancients, who created these golems out of stone (Thus the ground type) and possessed them with the spirits of the dead Pokemon and humans (Thus the ghost type).

-Cubone is a species consisting of males born to Kangaskhan, as well as outcast female Kangaskhan. When a Cubone is born, it kills the mother Kangaskhan and claims the skull as a helmet, explaining the rarity of Kangaskhan as a consequence of endangerment. Filled with regret, they forever wear the helmet to hide their face in shame. Upon evolution into Marowak, their facial structure merges with the helmet, creating an incredibly tough outer skull.
 
My headcanon on eating Pokemon is like this;

Pokemon can and will be eaten, but the ones that are for culinary purposes are often bred specifically on farms to have low IVs and bad natures, meaning they are useless to trainers. Additionally, Pokemon as food can only be made by people with special licenses from each region's government and are subject to infrequent inspections by the Pokemon Interpol. Illegal operations like Slowpoketail-poaching by Team Rocket et al are a very serious offence as they [poachers] do not go through the extreme efforts that farmers do to keep their Pokemon food from suffering.

Oh, and there are no 'vegetarians' in the Pokemon world, since people eat things like Sunflora Seeds, Bulbasaur bulbs, Tropious-bananas and other such Pokemon-made food. Sometimes even the pokemon itself.
In pokemon-China (as of yet unvisited in the games), a delicacy happens to be Sharpedo fins, and in Poke-Britain it is traditional to have a large Fearow for the Winter Feast.
 
-Kanto and Johto speak Japanese, Hoenn speaks Japanese with an English minority (and a very small group who still speak the ancient language of the Regis, a kind of spoken Braille unique to the Pokemon world), Sinnoh is bilingual in Japanese and English (rural towns will mostly speak Japanese, though), Unova speaks English (with a few minority groups who speak languages like Italian and Spanish), and Kalos speaks French (although most citizens know enough Japanese to communicate with foreign tourists). The reason characters that make cameos in other generations still speak fluently is because, as prominent trainers, they need to be multilingual (they'd still speak with an accent, though). Hence why Blue's "Smell ya later!" stands out to the Kalosians; he's accidentally reverting to his native language.

-All children receive a basic, standard education up until the age of ten, when they can become official trainers. Going on a Pokemon journey is a right of passage in the Pokemon world, and most children end up taking one. After their journey, trainers can choose to either pursue Pokemon training full-time, as a career, or go to school for a more traditional occupation and battle in their spare time. Extremely prodigious trainers can pursue battling as a career while still a child, explaining the young gym leaders. (This is why the battle against Champion!Iris is so epic to me-it's two child prodigies up against each other, battling to see who the absolute strongest one is.)

-Voltorbs are haunted Pokeballs. They're angry because of their eternal confinement, and their explosions are futile attempts to break free. And Gengar are counterparts of Clefable.

-It's been said before, but I'll second the theory that Ariana is Silver's mother.

-N is the descendent of the Abyssal Ruins king. Part of Ghetsis' hatred for him is motivated by jealousy that N is a "true" king, and Ghetsis had to make himself one.

-Gym leaders choose which Pokemon to use based on your number of badges. (This was confirmed in Origins, I believe.)

Gosh, I could write a book filled with Pokemon headcanons, but I'll stop for now.
 
-There was never actually a factory in the Dream Yard; as it is entirely a dream (like the one Musharna creates in the Munna scene in BW1). Also, Musharna and Zoroark are what I call "theoretical counterparts."

-Canonically, all the "first" paired games (Red, Gold, Ruby, ect.) are in the same universe, and all the "second" paired games (Blue/Green, Silver, Sapphire, ect.) are in the other. That is why Kyogre is in HeartGold and Groudon is in SoulSilver: they are the counterpart to the one found and caught in Hoenn in that particular dimension.

-Remakes override originals in the canon. For gens III and IV, they are like the paired versions but with features of "third" game. For example, there are still the Battle Frontiers. Also, Lucas and Dawn wear their Plt outfits while in cold Sinnoh, and their DP outfits abroad.

-All the PC's are referred to as "Heroes," as most Champions (as well as a few other notable Trainers) are considered Masters.

-In either dimension, the "canonical" choice of gender changes every other gen. (male, female, male, female, male...) In the "first" dimension, all odd-numbered gens have male Heroes, while in the "second" dimension, all the even-numbered gens have male Heroes. However, chronologically, the gens still take place in the order most fans accept: I+III, II, IV, V, VI.
 
-Gym leaders choose which Pokemon to use based on your number of badges. (This was confirmed in Origins, I believe.)
Cheren also implied it was the case in BW2 -- when chatting on the Xtransceiver he makes a reference to "if I had my usual partners" (not to mention he brings a much better game to the PWT).
 
-Gym leaders choose which Pokemon to use based on your number of badges. (This was confirmed in Origins, I believe.)
Cheren also implied it was the case in BW2 -- when chatting on the Xtransceiver he makes a reference to "if I had my usual partners" (not to mention he brings a much better game to the PWT).

Though, there still seems to be some 'level-block' between gyms. Norman, won't accept your challenge until you have four badges. Also, Clemont's gym refused to accept Ash's challenge because he had no badges.

My headcanon is that gym leaders can choose to accept certain challengers. For instance, Volkner won't accept any challengers unless they have seven badges, since he is the strongest gym leader in Sinnoh (maybe because rookie trainers bore the hell out of him). The same could be said for Blue - he's a prideful kid that was once the champion. Even though he's mellowed out somewhat, I can't imagine someone as cocky as Blue helping a rookie trainer. Brock seems to like teaching trainers and helping them train. He also seems to enjoys challenges himself, so he'd accept every challenger.
 
Chesto berries contain caffeine, which is why they can wake Pokemon up. They're used to make coffee in the Pokemon world, rather than beans.
 
I somehow missed this topic earlier.

Even though the game technically lets you play as either gender now and tries to keep it open to interpretation, I've noticed that some games favor one of the characters as the "true" hero despite that. For example, we all know Red is the hero for Kanto even after Green/Leaf was created thanks to HG/SS re enforcing it (and some lines in FR/LG assume the player is Red even when playing as Green/Leaf); and since Pokemon has become a lot more story driven over the years( and I'm a sucker for a story driven game) I made new files a while back for all my games with who felt is the real hero with starters I feel best suit them.

I played as Red with Charizard, Gold/Ethan with Typhlosion, May with Blaziken, Dawn with Empoleon, Hilda with Samurott, and Nate with Emboar. Red and Gold/Ethan were already established from the original games where they were the only choice. The anime influenced my choice for May and Dawn. Hilbert and Hilda could go either way, but I went with Hilda because she contrasts N better. The animated trailer used Nate as the hero with Emboar; I just couldn't go into the game after watching that and not play as him even though I love Rosa's design. I still don't have X/Y, but I think finally being able to customize avatars will truly make the games ambiguous on a whole different level so no "favorites" for once (and refreshing).

I refuse to believe the player avatars are 10 years old and see them as 15 to 18 depending on the game. I think they really are as silent yet friendly with short responses as the games portray them too. I also think they use special types storage that condenses their items so they can travel as light as possible; and I think education is advanced to a point where they can travel without school getting in the way because they would be early graduates with their adventures being a "coming of age" type of journey(it's the only way I can see their parents being fine with them going off on their own like that).

I believe that the Pokedex works like the one in the anime and that the whole needing to catch the pokemon thing is just an excuse to make players trade.

I think pokemon have really strong endurance and that Pokeballs enhance it with power limiters to avoid accidental killing in battles.

I think Legendary Pokemon really are gods among pokemon despite what Ghetsis says and that the player only befriends them instead of taming them. The only exception to this is the Unova games where the player is forced to be Zekrom/Reshiram's partner. Don't know if X/Y will do this too yet.

I see the Pokemon World as a whole is mix of all kinds of cultures and not just strictly a fictional Japan.

I think the games overall are condensed and that it really takes at least 6 months to travel around a whole region.



I think that's it for now.
 
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I somehow missed this topic earlier.

I refuse to believe the player avatars are 10 years old and see them as 15 to 18 depending on the game. I think they really are as silent yet friendly with short responses as the games portray them too. I also think they use special types storage that condenses their items so they can travel as light as possible; and I think education is advanced to a point where they can travel without school getting in the way because they would be early graduates with their adventures being a "coming of age" type of journey(it's the only way I can see their parents being fine with them going off on their own like that).

I think that's it for now.

I agree with you that they look older than ten; in fact, I recall Hilda/Hilbert being explicitly mentioned in a CoroCoro issue as being older than previous PCs. However, I've always thought that, while the PCs are naturally quiet, they definitely do talk sometimes-we just don't see it due to the "silent protagonist" archetype so common to RPGs. It was really jarring, though, to see actual dialogue attributed to my character at Pokestar studios.
 
-Golett and Golurk, though thought to have been built as machines by an ancient civilization, are actually the remnants of a horrifying experiment. These mechanical-looking Pokemon were created after the Kalos War (Or any other war) by the ancients, who created these golems out of stone (Thus the ground type) and possessed them with the spirits of the dead Pokemon and humans (Thus the ghost type).
Interesting theory, but thanks to my playthrough on X I see that there is one massive problem:
During the cutscene when AZ tells you about the Kalos war one of the Pokemon seen fighting is a Golurk, so it looks like those big fellas have been around for longer than 3,000 years. Yeah, they are ancient and I can't help but think that they pre-date most wartimes.
 
Minor one. In the postgame, Shauna trades you a free Lv.5 Kalos starter Pokemon. Contrary to prerelease rumors it's not HER starter Pokemon (which you last saw fully evolved and at Lv.50) and she also mentions it was found as an Egg.

I'm thinking she left her starter in the Daycare a bit too long (remember, Shauna's starter is female) and that's how she wound up with a matching Egg?
 
Legendary pokemon aren't captured, they just lend you their abilities. They get caught instantly with the Master Ball because they recognize that only the best trainers can get one. The battle to catch them is the final test of ability.
 
- Voltorb were created from a malfunction in early Poké Balls, which merged the Pokémon inside with the balls.
- There used to be male Kangaskhan at some point, but they became extinct due to a genetic defect that caused all young to be born female. The species survived because of Pokémon's general ability to mate with different species.
- Much like elephants, Cubone and Marrowak use specific places as graveyards. These double as their nesting grounds, which gives even not-orphaned Cubone access to a skull helmet.
- The Pokémon Arceus is merely an avatar of the god Arceus, which is why multiple ones can exist at the same time.
- The Pokémon World's social and political structures (regions instead of coutries, an universal language, an universal currency, a worldwide operating police, ect.) were established in the aftermath of a world war, not more than 30 years ago.
- While the trainer's journey is a kind of traditional ritual most children undergo at the age of 10, they are not really expected to get very far and most of them soon return home. Only the few who have both the necessary tallent and dedication become professional trainers. Ash Ketchum, who has traveled five regions and two archipelagos, and collected 45 badges (so far) despite his young age, is one truely extreme exception from the norm.
 
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More headcanons:
- Kalos has the most people of the canon regions, and Orre has the least.
- Education is not valued as much in the Pokemon world as it is in real life.
- Immigration is pretty common in the Pokemon world. Unova and Kalos especially receive a lot of immigrants.
- Arceus' visible form is not its true form, which cannot be seen.
- Different languages must exist. Kanto/Johto/Hoenn/Sinnoh speak Japanese, Unova speaks English, and Kalos speaks French/
 
A Kalos headcanon of mine:
-The painting of Golurk and the knight in the Lumiose Art gallery is of a young AZ, before he was king. The Golurk that is on his team and you battle was the subject of that painting.

-Before his exposure to the ultimate weapon, AZ's height was normal. Radiation from the machine not only gave him immortality but changed him physically, thus giving him his rather extreme height.
 
-Education in the Pokemon world is not necessary, all you need is basic math, common sense and reading abilities to be able to quit school at the age of ten. However, to have certain important jobs, like to be a doctor, nurse, teachers, a museum curator, or to become a gym leader in a certain city, you have to go through extra years of studying. Otherwise, it's not necessary at all.

-Pokemon League administrators get paid a lot. However, gym leaders, the Elite Four, and champion get nothing. It's a volunteer position, and they all have actual jobs. They can make a small profit from prize money, though part of it has to be given to the league, because they need to make money, somehow.

-Everybody's canon nationalities are, unless otherwise stated (based kind of on real life?):
-Kanto/Johto/Hoenn/Sinnoh: Everybody's Japanese. Even the ones who are redheaded or blonde. Seriously, the Japanese have anime/game characters with hair the colors of the freaking rainbow, so it can be this, k? Not much immigrants in Japan anyway, I don't think. Characters' canon names are their Japanese ones.
-Unova/Kalos: Mixed, since the US is pretty diverse, and most likely France as well. Can't say anything about this. The two regions are filled with tourists who fell in love or found money within the regions. Canon character names are their English and French ones, respectively.

-The Pokemon leagues of certain regions organize and pay for a big, awesome vacation that all gym leaders, Elite Four members, and Champion go on. This is the closest thing to getting paid by the league for them.
 
My headcannons:

> Red doesn't talk at all because he actually is mute; he communicates with others when you play him through a form of sign language.

> The regions are the equivalent of states and provinces, with the nation itself going under a different name. The reason Kalos doesn't have any states or provinces is that it's been ravaged by war so many times that they don't have a population large enough to necessitate dividing the nation into smaller pieces. Edit: I realize this one is refuted just by looking at a map of France and noticing that Paris is in the northern part of the nation, implying that Kalos may only be one of the regions of France. I just like my theory better.

> The legendaries are part of a locking system of sorts, put in place after AZ used his weapon enough times. The idea was to seal away the three types and the powers that helped the weapon function, as well as mega evolutions so humanity cannot draw upon those. As the legendaries have been caught over the games, the result has been the locks being released; the first release set free the Steel and Dark types, while the one in Unova is what unlocked the Fairy type and mega evolutions. It's possible the Kalos legendaries are the final seal on the weapon itself; thus, why it is Team Flare had to find a legendary to put in the weapon.

> Golurk was originally created for a gladiator-style combat. The klutz trait is intentional; it's there so that one of the combatants would be the underdog and would make the show better when it won.

> There are multiple Mewtwos. The lab that created the original actually created several, so that they would be able to continue experimenting if one proved to be completely unviable. Thus, when the lab on Cinebar Island exploded due to the escaping Mewtwo, the scientists look a look at the remains of the lab and assumed the other clones were killed in the blast. Once free, the Mewtwos all went their own separate ways.

Edit: Timelines:

Red/Blue > Gold/Silver > Ruby/Sapphire > Diamond/Pearl > Bill goes back in time and changes everything
FireRed/LeafGreen > HeartGold/SoulSilver > Emerald > Platinum > Black/White > Black 2/White 2 > X/Y
 
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