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Which changes would you do in any of Ash's companions' teams?

Okay, piggybacking from my alterations to Ash's Journeys team, time for Goh and Chloe to get revamps as well! Which... honestly there's not much to change here, as the only real alteration to Goh's roster is that he wouldn't have Sobble or Grookey anymore, but I would space out Scorbunny/Raboot/Cinderace's evolutions. Chloe meanwhile would get Sobble in place of Eevee, as while I don't have any major issues with this Eevee's handling, I still think that girl main characters getting that species is getting too stale and predictable at this point and could at the very least use a break. What's neat about Chloe getting Sobble is that the development that Sobble gets as it evolves still works neatly as a parallel for Chloe's own character development just as much as Eevee's inability/indecisiveness with evolving does, if not more so. Plus, as a Generation 8 starter, Sobble needs all the screentime it can possibly get this series, and I feel it'd fare better on that front as Chloe's main partner than how it's fared under Goh's ownership, since it wouldn't have to compete with the other two Galar starters plus the army of extras in Goh's roster. Also, yes, I know I already made a similar alteration to Lana's team by replacing her Eevee with a Dewpider (and yes, that's still something that would have happened in my version of the Alola anime), but remember that there was also a two-generation gap between May's and Serena's Eevees and the world didn't explode, so I'm sure we'd be fine :p
 
I wouldn't have given Misty a Psyduck, Brock agreed to help Joy with it so Brock should have kept it and helped it, maybe even evolved it into Golduck

Psyduck was nothing but an annoyance to Misty and pointless comic relief
 
No changes for Misty, Tracy, and Brock. Their teams are fine.

All I'd change for May would be removing Munchlax. Maybe Brock could take it (and that would be the only change I'd give him). It was clearly just there for Sinnoh promo, but she had a normal-type in Skitty already, and later Eevee (who evolved into a Sinnoh-mon anyway). I don't think she needed Munchlax.

I would not add Togekiss to Dawn's team and would leave Ambipom.

Iris would have caught a Deino instead of that Dragonite she didn't deserve. She could work to evolve Deino into Hydreigon and bam, there's her psuedo-legendary. I would also evolve Axew and maybe give her a Druddigon instead of having Excadrill.

Serena would have had a full team. I never liked that we didn't get to see a Showcase performance with a full team, and I think Serena would be the one to do it. I would add Amaura, Florges, and Vivillion. Yes, she'd have a couple of Pokemon in the same family as her rivals, but I think it's fine so long as they are different colors/patterns.

I'd add a Manectric to Clemont's team. I always felt he could have had 4 mons. I would prefer another Kalos mon, but he already had the only other electric-types.

Lana would get Dewpider since she had that thing with bubbles anyway.

No changes to the other classmates or Goh.
 
Misty:
Goldeen,Starmie, Horsea and Luvdisc are off the team. They didn’t do much and are very forgettable. Instead I am giving Misty a Staryu(that will evolve into Starmie), Gyarados, Psyduck,Politoed,Marill and Octilery

Brock: His team is good, but I am going to boot Marshtomp and Comfey off. His Pokemon will be Graveler,Steelix,Crobat,Sudowoodo,Chansey,Foretress,Ludicolio and Toxicroak.

May: Her team is great. I would evolve Skitty to Delcatty and evolve Munchlax.

Dawn: Great as well. I am going to evolve Buneary to Lopunny and keep Quilava as a Cyndaquil. Togekiss would be caught as a Togepi and Ambipom would be rotated around for contests.

Iris: Removing Emolga. I am giving her Hydregion(Deino from that episode) and evolving her Gible by the time Journeys comes around

Cilan: Stunfisk is out of the team. I am giving him a Venipede(Idk why)

Serena: I am giving her a Mudkip that will become a Marshtomp. I’m also giving her a Swablu and an Absol(Absol Will Mega Evo)

Clemont: I am giving him a Manetric that will Mega Evo. This will replace Chespin.

Mallow: She’s keeping Shaymin and getting a Lilligant

Lana: She’s getting a Dewpider and Wishiwashi

Kiawe: His team is perfect as it is

Sophocles: Perfect team

Lillie: Snowy will evolve and she’s getting an Alolan Sandlash

Gou: Grookey doesn’t fit Gou. The rest are fine, he catches everything anyway
 
Okay, I'm reviving this because I've changed my mind on several of these, in no small part because of all the returns Journeys has had so here are my new teams, now with Goh and Chloe!

  • Staryu-->Starmie
  • Togepi-->Togetic-->Togekiss
  • Psyduck
  • Poliwag-->Poliwhirl-->Politoed
  • Corsola
  • Magikarp-->Gyarados (Mega)
Yeah, this one stays unchanged: Staryu and Starmie are still merged onto one single character, Togepi stays with Misty instead of being released and evolves all the way into Togekiss (the Togetic stage is reached in early Johto while Togekiss isn't revealed until Alola), and the rest are just the Pokemon from her canon team that I felt were the most fleshed out and therefore the ones who get to stay.

  • Geodude-->Graveler
  • Onix-->Steelix (Mega)
  • Vulpix-->Ninetales
  • Mudkip-->Marshtomp-->Swampert
  • Bonsly-->Sudowoodo
  • Croagunk
  • Egg-->Happiny-->Chansey-->Blissey
Unlike Misty, Brock's team does get a few changes, as I changed my mind on some things. Firstly, I decided to get rid of Golbat, Forretress, and Ludicolo. Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against those three, but the former two didn't really do much and weren't really that memorable (Forretress being especially egregious, since it stuck around surprisingly long yet the only thing of note I remember it doing is help Brock catch Bonsly). Oh, sure, Geodude wasn't much better, but he does have the excuse of being a Rock-type and one of Brock's original Pokemon, so I felt he should stay. Ludicolo meanwhile is getting dropped because I feel like his presence was part of the reason Mudkip got shafted so hard, and thanks to @Hidden Mew I got completely sold on Ash, May, and Brock having all three Hoenn starters and evolving them all the way to their final forms.

Vulpix would remain a permanent member of Brock's team in this version, effectively being to him what Pikachu is to Ash, only becoming Ninetales in DP to symbolize Brock's growth and marking his departure from Ash's traveling troupe. Geodude gets to evolve during Johto thanks to there being room due to the reduced roster, and like Onix gets left behind at the Pewter Gym to help Forrest.

Overall, I just decided to do the same as I originally did with Misty and trim the excess fat of Brock's team so that the remaining mons can get better focus and development.

  • Marill
  • Smeargle
  • Scyther
Not much to say here except I'm replacing Venonat with Smeargle both as an extra Gen 2 tease and because Tracey is an artist, so Smeargle fits him like a glove. Also, Venonat is easily the least interesting and most expendable of his Pokemon.

  • Torchic-->Combusken-->Blaziken
  • Wurmple-->Silcoon-->Beautifly
  • Skitty-->Delcatty
  • Swablu-->Altaria
  • Bulbasaur-->Ivysaur-->Venusaur
  • Aipom-->Ambipom
May's team is also mostly the same revamped team I gave her originally with one single change: she wouldn't get Eevee in my version and be the one to catch Aipom instead, who'd essentially play the same role Glaceon did originally in that she'd return as an Ambipom to battle Piplup at the Wallace Cup. I know this will feel like an odd change, but the thing is that Ash would still get an Eevee (later Espeon) in Johto, and I didn't want to have two protagonists having Eevees back to back. Also, I noticed that May's team in canon is rather saturated with Normal-types as a possible allusion to her father's specialty of choice, so I thought it'd be neat to emulate that here. And in any case I feel like this would be a much better fate for Aipom than getting traded only to be ditched for ping-pong nonsense.

I should also mention that in my version, May's Bulbasaur would evolve into Ivysaur during the Battle Frontier so that her return as a Venusaur in DPP feels less jarring.

  • Ralts
Yes, he still gets this because this kid really needed something better to do with his screentime. Technically it'd be May's catch, but like Clemont and Dedenne in the XYZ saga, it's more like the future starter for the little sibling.

  • Piplup
  • Buneary-->Lopunny (Mega)
  • Pachirisu
  • Swinub-->Piloswine-->Mamoswine
  • Eevee-->Leafeon
  • Egg-->Cyndaquil-->Quilava-->Hisuian Typhlosion
I decided to make Dawn's team closer to her canon one. She'd still evolve her Buneary into Lopunny near the end of the DPP saga (I really don't buy the argument that Buneary shouldn't evolve because Lopunny is "too risque" since I feel the claims are pretty exaggerated) and then by the time of Journeys Dawn would have acquired a Mega Stone to Mega Evolve her. Pachirisu and Mamoswine stay because I like them, and I decided to bring Cyndaquil back to the team, as I grew to really like the idea of it eventually becoming a Hisuian Typhlosion during Journeys. Leafeon is the only completely new addition, as I decided that promoting a Gen 4 Eeveelution as part of the main cast during the actual Gen 4 saga was far more efficient than doing it through a returning character, and since Mamoswine already covered Ice, then it made sense for the promoted Eeveelution to be the Grass one instead. Because of this, Zoey would be the one to have a Togekiss instead, while Dawn's mom Joanna would have a Glaceon in place of Umbreon so that the Ice Eeveelution isn't left out.

  • Axew-->Fraxure-->Haxorus
  • Deino-->Zweilous-->Hydreigon
  • Druddigon
  • Archen-->Archeops
  • Lapras
  • Ampharos (Mega)
The first four Pokemon are the ones Iris would actually have during her travels in Unova, though Axew and Deino only reach their middle stages onscreen and are revealed as fully evolved by Iris's return as Unova's Champion in Journeys. In my version, Iris would not have caught Excadrill and Axew would be her actual starter so she can be a proper rookie trainer who eventually grows into her own. Druddigon would fill the role that Excadrill and Dragonite filled in canon in that it'd be her powerhouse but would take a while to become fully obedient, signifying Iris's growth as a Dragon Master once she fully connects with it. Lapras and Ampharos would be post-Unova offscreen catches, with the former symbolizing Iris's conquering of her former fear of Ice-types while the latter has a dragon pun in its Japanese name which I feel fits better than Excadrill due to Amphy actually having access to the Dragon-type via Mega Evolution, which Iris totally would have because, hey, I already gave Dawn a Mega that her canon self doesn't have, so it wouldn't make much sense for a Champion version of Iris to not have one. Ampharos being an Electric-type is also a meta nod to Emolga.

  • Pansage
  • Tepig
  • Emolga
  • Sewaddle-->Swadloon-->Leavanny
Cilan gets to keep only Pansage of his canon team while everyone else is new: Tepig would be the one Ash has in canon originally, as I honestly just don't want him to have it, and I can see the piggy becoming a good cooking assistant to Cilan. Tepig probably wouldn't keep the tragic backstory in this version, but if he did, then Cilan being the one to befriend and ultimately catch him would be a reference to Brock doing the most work to save Charmander in Kanto only for Ash to be the one to catch it, except now it ends the way it should have. Cilan would also be the one to get Emolga instead of Iris, as I feel she would've been a better fit for him what with her love of food and everything. Plus I feel Cilan would've done a better job of helping her grow out of her lazy tendencies. Finally, Leavanny, who originally went to Ash, gets caught by Cilan too because 1) he really should have gotten another Pokemon of his specialty, 2) it being a happiness-based evolution ties into his Connoseur goal, and 3) its elegance and mannerisms just fit Cilan to a tee. Leavanny would be the powerhouse of Cilan's team, similarly to Crustle in canon.

  • Fennekin-->Braixen-->Delphox
  • Pancham
  • Eevee-->Sylveon
  • Egg-->Noibat-->Noivern
  • Mudkip-->Marshtomp (Shiny)
  • Cosplay Pikachu
Yeah, I know it feels weird to give Serena a full team, but yeah... I can't help it. I think she could have used a bit more members. I still think she should have been the one to get Noivern instead of Ash, so that's still unchanged. I also decided to add a Mudkip because that line got the short end of the stick when it comes to ORAS promotion compared to the Treecko and Torchic lines, so Serena having one would help mitigate that. I'd also make it a Shiny both to distinguish it from Brock's and because it's pink, so it'd fit Serena's style a bit better. Both Mudkip and Braixen do not evolve until Serena's Journeys return. Cosplay Pikachu is an offscreen capture revealed in Journeys, which she'd have obtained as an obvious homage to Ash.

You might be thinking "Wait, so is Serena just gonna use her whole team in the Contest Spectacular?!" and to that I say, no, no she wouldn't, don't worry XD. Serena would use only her Sylveon, while the rest of her team would be showcased during a training session prior to the actual appeal.

Clemont and Bonnie still get no changes because I feel like their captures were perfectly fine the way they are. Though I'd have Chespin learn Thunderpunch so he can fit better into Clemont's element of choice.

Lillie
  • Alolan Vulpix
  • Alolan Sandslash

Lana
  • Popplio-->Brionne-->Primarina
  • Totodile

Mallow
  • Bounsweet-->Steenee-->Tsareena
  • Chikorita
The only ones that get any team changes are the girls, as I thought the boys' teams were generally okay. I decided that they all should get two Pokemon for the sake of fairness; Lillie gets to capture the Alolan Sandslash she befriended in the episode she got the Icium-Z, and Lana and Mallow get entirely different second captures because I felt the ones they actually got didn't fit them (I still think a non-evolving Eevee is just not a good thematic or aesthetic fit for Lana, and with no new Eeveelutions to promote, Illima already having an Eevee that showcased Extreme Evoboost, and Chloe's upcoming Eevee doing a significantly better job at being a Let's Go reference I just don't think Sandy is necessary. Meanwhile, Shaymin is a freaking Mythical, so it playing the role of cutesy useless lapwarmer just doesn't feel right). Lana gets a Totodile that knows Metal Claws while Mallow gets a Chikorita that knows Leech Seed as a reference to the Island Scan mechanic. Both captures would also happen much earlier than the Eevee and Shaymin captures did so that Totodile and Chikorita get more focus opportunities than their canon counterparts did and get to do at least something besides being designated useless shouldermons.

  • Scorbunny-->Raboot-->Cinderace
  • Turtwig
There's no point in listing every single thing Goh's ever caught, so I'm only gonna do the essentials. I'm pretty sure everyone and their mom already knows I'm gonna die on the "it should have been one Galar Starter per Journeys protagonist" hill, and here I am repeating it for the upteenth time. I'd give Goh a BDSP-promoting Turtwig to serve as his shoulder companion once Cinderace fully evolves, and those two would be the only permanent members of his team while everything else would be on rotation.

  • Sobble-->Drizzile-->Inteleon
  • Eevee
Chloe would officially join the main cast and get Sobble as her Galar starter, and it'd serve as a complement to her Eevee, where one represents Chloe's growing confidence while the other represents her multiple possible paths. In my version of Journeys, the group would use Galar's Lab as their base of operations, so Yamper would be Sonia's Pokemon in my version to avoid the cruel tease of Chloe never officially getting to catch him, as I don't think there'd be enough time for her to develop more than two Pokemon.

And that's my revamped version of the companions' teams! What does everyone think of my new thoughts?
 
Okay, I'm reviving this because I've changed my mind on several of these, in no small part because of all the returns Journeys has had so here are my new teams, now with Goh and Chloe!

  • Staryu-->Starmie
  • Togepi-->Togetic-->Togekiss
  • Psyduck
  • Poliwag-->Poliwhirl-->Politoed
  • Corsola
  • Magikarp-->Gyarados (Mega)
Yeah, this one stays unchanged: Staryu and Starmie are still merged onto one single character, Togepi stays with Misty instead of being released and evolves all the way into Togekiss (the Togetic stage is reached in early Johto while Togekiss isn't revealed until Alola), and the rest are just the Pokemon from her canon team that I felt were the most fleshed out and therefore the ones who get to stay.

  • Geodude-->Graveler
  • Onix-->Steelix (Mega)
  • Vulpix-->Ninetales
  • Mudkip-->Marshtomp-->Swampert
  • Bonsly-->Sudowoodo
  • Croagunk
  • Egg-->Happiny-->Chansey-->Blissey
Unlike Misty, Brock's team does get a few changes, as I changed my mind on some things. Firstly, I decided to get rid of Golbat, Forretress, and Ludicolo. Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against those three, but the former two didn't really do much and weren't really that memorable (Forretress being especially egregious, since it stuck around surprisingly long yet the only thing of note I remember it doing is help Brock catch Bonsly). Oh, sure, Geodude wasn't much better, but he does have the excuse of being a Rock-type and one of Brock's original Pokemon, so I felt he should stay. Ludicolo meanwhile is getting dropped because I feel like his presence was part of the reason Mudkip got shafted so hard, and thanks to @Hidden Mew I got completely sold on Ash, May, and Brock having all three Hoenn starters and evolving them all the way to their final forms.

Vulpix would remain a permanent member of Brock's team in this version, effectively being to him what Pikachu is to Ash, only becoming Ninetales in DP to symbolize Brock's growth and marking his departure from Ash's traveling troupe. Geodude gets to evolve during Johto thanks to there being room due to the reduced roster, and like Onix gets left behind at the Pewter Gym to help Forrest.

Overall, I just decided to do the same as I originally did with Misty and trim the excess fat of Brock's team so that the remaining mons can get better focus and development.

  • Marill
  • Smeargle
  • Scyther
Not much to say here except I'm replacing Venonat with Smeargle both as an extra Gen 2 tease and because Tracey is an artist, so Smeargle fits him like a glove. Also, Venonat is easily the least interesting and most expendable of his Pokemon.

  • Torchic-->Combusken-->Blaziken
  • Wurmple-->Silcoon-->Beautifly
  • Skitty-->Delcatty
  • Swablu-->Altaria
  • Bulbasaur-->Ivysaur-->Venusaur
  • Aipom-->Ambipom
May's team is also mostly the same revamped team I gave her originally with one single change: she wouldn't get Eevee in my version and be the one to catch Aipom instead, who'd essentially play the same role Glaceon did originally in that she'd return as an Ambipom to battle Piplup at the Wallace Cup. I know this will feel like an odd change, but the thing is that Ash would still get an Eevee (later Espeon) in Johto, and I didn't want to have two protagonists having Eevees back to back. Also, I noticed that May's team in canon is rather saturated with Normal-types as a possible allusion to her father's specialty of choice, so I thought it'd be neat to emulate that here. And in any case I feel like this would be a much better fate for Aipom than getting traded only to be ditched for ping-pong nonsense.

I should also mention that in my version, May's Bulbasaur would evolve into Ivysaur during the Battle Frontier so that her return as a Venusaur in DPP feels less jarring.

  • Ralts
Yes, he still gets this because this kid really needed something better to do with his screentime. Technically it'd be May's catch, but like Clemont and Dedenne in the XYZ saga, it's more like the future starter for the little sibling.

  • Piplup
  • Buneary-->Lopunny (Mega)
  • Pachirisu
  • Swinub-->Piloswine-->Mamoswine
  • Eevee-->Leafeon
  • Egg-->Cyndaquil-->Quilava-->Hisuian Typhlosion
I decided to make Dawn's team closer to her canon one. She'd still evolve her Buneary into Lopunny near the end of the DPP saga (I really don't buy the argument that Buneary shouldn't evolve because Lopunny is "too risque" since I feel the claims are pretty exaggerated) and then by the time of Journeys Dawn would have acquired a Mega Stone to Mega Evolve her. Pachirisu and Mamoswine stay because I like them, and I decided to bring Cyndaquil back to the team, as I grew to really like the idea of it eventually becoming a Hisuian Typhlosion during Journeys. Leafeon is the only completely new addition, as I decided that promoting a Gen 4 Eeveelution as part of the main cast during the actual Gen 4 saga was far more efficient than doing it through a returning character, and since Mamoswine already covered Ice, then it made sense for the promoted Eeveelution to be the Grass one instead. Because of this, Zoey would be the one to have a Togekiss instead, while Dawn's mom Joanna would have a Glaceon in place of Umbreon so that the Ice Eeveelution isn't left out.

  • Axew-->Fraxure-->Haxorus
  • Deino-->Zweilous-->Hydreigon
  • Druddigon
  • Archen-->Archeops
  • Lapras
  • Ampharos (Mega)
The first four Pokemon are the ones Iris would actually have during her travels in Unova, though Axew and Deino only reach their middle stages onscreen and are revealed as fully evolved by Iris's return as Unova's Champion in Journeys. In my version, Iris would not have caught Excadrill and Axew would be her actual starter so she can be a proper rookie trainer who eventually grows into her own. Druddigon would fill the role that Excadrill and Dragonite filled in canon in that it'd be her powerhouse but would take a while to become fully obedient, signifying Iris's growth as a Dragon Master once she fully connects with it. Lapras and Ampharos would be post-Unova offscreen catches, with the former symbolizing Iris's conquering of her former fear of Ice-types while the latter has a dragon pun in its Japanese name which I feel fits better than Excadrill due to Amphy actually having access to the Dragon-type via Mega Evolution, which Iris totally would have because, hey, I already gave Dawn a Mega that her canon self doesn't have, so it wouldn't make much sense for a Champion version of Iris to not have one. Ampharos being an Electric-type is also a meta nod to Emolga.

  • Pansage
  • Tepig
  • Emolga
  • Sewaddle-->Swadloon-->Leavanny
Cilan gets to keep only Pansage of his canon team while everyone else is new: Tepig would be the one Ash has in canon originally, as I honestly just don't want him to have it, and I can see the piggy becoming a good cooking assistant to Cilan. Tepig probably wouldn't keep the tragic backstory in this version, but if he did, then Cilan being the one to befriend and ultimately catch him would be a reference to Brock doing the most work to save Charmander in Kanto only for Ash to be the one to catch it, except now it ends the way it should have. Cilan would also be the one to get Emolga instead of Iris, as I feel she would've been a better fit for him what with her love of food and everything. Plus I feel Cilan would've done a better job of helping her grow out of her lazy tendencies. Finally, Leavanny, who originally went to Ash, gets caught by Cilan too because 1) he really should have gotten another Pokemon of his specialty, 2) it being a happiness-based evolution ties into his Connoseur goal, and 3) its elegance and mannerisms just fit Cilan to a tee. Leavanny would be the powerhouse of Cilan's team, similarly to Crustle in canon.

  • Fennekin-->Braixen-->Delphox
  • Pancham
  • Eevee-->Sylveon
  • Egg-->Noibat-->Noivern
  • Mudkip-->Marshtomp (Shiny)
  • Cosplay Pikachu
Yeah, I know it feels weird to give Serena a full team, but yeah... I can't help it. I think she could have used a bit more members. I still think she should have been the one to get Noivern instead of Ash, so that's still unchanged. I also decided to add a Mudkip because that line got the short end of the stick when it comes to ORAS promotion compared to the Treecko and Torchic lines, so Serena having one would help mitigate that. I'd also make it a Shiny both to distinguish it from Brock's and because it's pink, so it'd fit Serena's style a bit better. Both Mudkip and Braixen do not evolve until Serena's Journeys return. Cosplay Pikachu is an offscreen capture revealed in Journeys, which she'd have obtained as an obvious homage to Ash.

You might be thinking "Wait, so is Serena just gonna use her whole team in the Contest Spectacular?!" and to that I say, no, no she wouldn't, don't worry XD. Serena would use only her Sylveon, while the rest of her team would be showcased during a training session prior to the actual appeal.

Clemont and Bonnie still get no changes because I feel like their captures were perfectly fine the way they are. Though I'd have Chespin learn Thunderpunch so he can fit better into Clemont's element of choice.

Lillie
  • Alolan Vulpix
  • Alolan Sandslash

Lana
  • Popplio-->Brionne-->Primarina
  • Totodile

Mallow
  • Bounsweet-->Steenee-->Tsareena
  • Chikorita
The only ones that get any team changes are the girls, as I thought the boys' teams were generally okay. I decided that they all should get two Pokemon for the sake of fairness; Lillie gets to capture the Alolan Sandslash she befriended in the episode she got the Icium-Z, and Lana and Mallow get entirely different second captures because I felt the ones they actually got didn't fit them (I still think a non-evolving Eevee is just not a good thematic or aesthetic fit for Lana, and with no new Eeveelutions to promote, Illima already having an Eevee that showcased Extreme Evoboost, and Chloe's upcoming Eevee doing a significantly better job at being a Let's Go reference I just don't think Sandy is necessary. Meanwhile, Shaymin is a freaking Mythical, so it playing the role of cutesy useless lapwarmer just doesn't feel right). Lana gets a Totodile that knows Metal Claws while Mallow gets a Chikorita that knows Leech Seed as a reference to the Island Scan mechanic. Both captures would also happen much earlier than the Eevee and Shaymin captures did so that Totodile and Chikorita get more focus opportunities than their canon counterparts did and get to do at least something besides being designated useless shouldermons.

  • Scorbunny-->Raboot-->Cinderace
  • Turtwig
There's no point in listing every single thing Goh's ever caught, so I'm only gonna do the essentials. I'm pretty sure everyone and their mom already knows I'm gonna die on the "it should have been one Galar Starter per Journeys protagonist" hill, and here I am repeating it for the upteenth time. I'd give Goh a BDSP-promoting Turtwig to serve as his shoulder companion once Cinderace fully evolves, and those two would be the only permanent members of his team while everything else would be on rotation.

  • Sobble-->Drizzile-->Inteleon
  • Eevee
Chloe would officially join the main cast and get Sobble as her Galar starter, and it'd serve as a complement to her Eevee, where one represents Chloe's growing confidence while the other represents her multiple possible paths. In my version of Journeys, the group would use Galar's Lab as their base of operations, so Yamper would be Sonia's Pokemon in my version to avoid the cruel tease of Chloe never officially getting to catch him, as I don't think there'd be enough time for her to develop more than two Pokemon.

And that's my revamped version of the companions' teams! What does everyone think of my new thoughts?
LOVE BROCK GETTING SWAMPERT AND SERENA GETTING MUDKIP!!!! I think hers should just be normal though.
 
All Misty needed was Staryu, Togepi, Psyduck and then later Poliwag and Corsola. There was no need for Starmie, Goldeen, Horsea, etc.

The writers gave Misty a ton of pokemon not only in a time where Pokémon hardly got development on the cast, but to a character who just didn't battle much in general and had extra capture that were barely used.
 
Ash should have gotten Mudkip instead of Brock. Brock did nothing with it and Swampert would have been a great Pokémon for Ash. There would be the fear that it'd be like Torterra but Sceptile didn't dominate screen time in Hoenn the way Infernape did in DP so I think they would have done a great job in making them balanced
 
Ash should have gotten Mudkip instead of Brock. Brock did nothing with it and Swampert would have been a great Pokémon for Ash. There would be the fear that it'd be like Torterra but Sceptile didn't dominate screen time in Hoenn the way Infernape did in DP so I think they would have done a great job in making them balanced
Yes but I love Corphish
Imagine if Swampert was the Hoenn ace instead of Sceptile...
 
Koharu + Galarian Ponyta
I think Koharu should have caught the Galarian Ponyta and some more Pokemon. Having a character's arc revolve around an Eevee that might not evolve and was already heavily promoted in SM was a bad idea.

Misty + Vaporeon
I think Misty needed more water Pokemon that can fight on land. I would have liked to see her with a Vaporeon since it's cute and marketable.

May + Milotic
I would have liked to see May with a Milotic. It was made for contests and she could have had some arc involving Wallace prior to the cup which would have made the stakes higher. They could also have tied it into the environmental message of the RSE games since it can purify water. Perhaps some plot with Team Aqua (Archie starts to see her in a different light and joins the good guys like he does in Ruby?).

Dawn + Togepi (egg)
Dawn could have gotten a Togepi egg from Cynthia like in Platinum. Perhaps Piplup could go through some kind of arc and mature since it would have to take on a similar role as Pikachu in the OG anime. Instead it was Togekiss who was the mom friend (take the goodbye episode when Piplup throws a tantrum for example). Perhaps Dawn's losing streak would have made more sense if she was struggling with a baby Pokemon.

Lillie + Type Null
I wish Gladion didn't exist and Type Null was given to Lillie instead. Perhaps it could serve as some kind of protector to Lillie and Nebby when Lillie had her panic attacks.

Mallow + Cubone
Mallow could have caught a Cubone, which could have nicely tied into her plot with losing her mother. Replace the Litten episode with a Cubone episode focused on Mallow.

Serena + Alolan Raichu
Serena needed more than three Pokémon. Perhaps she could have gotten a female Pikachu who evolved into an Alolan Raichu to promote the SM games? There could be an arc of her wanting to become more like Ash since he was her idol as a kid but eventually she has to take her own path (which the Pikachu's choice to evolve could symbolize).

Also the pancake thing works well with Serena's hobbies which involve baking!

Iris + Lapras (?)
I would have liked to see some kind of arc with Iris involving Kyurem. Perhaps Iris could have had some kind of trauma involving it and that is why she is scared of ice types. Maybe Team Plasma could have attacked her city like they did in the BW2 games. Perhaps they even killed her parents, which would explain why Drayden took her in and give her an epic revenge plot lol. In order to defeat Kyurem she has to catch an ice type (Lapras?) and face her fear head on.
 
  • Scorbunny-->Raboot-->Cinderace
  • Turtwig
There's no point in listing every single thing Goh's ever caught, so I'm only gonna do the essentials. I'm pretty sure everyone and their mom already knows I'm gonna die on the "it should have been one Galar Starter per Journeys protagonist" hill, and here I am repeating it for the upteenth time. I'd give Goh a BDSP-promoting Turtwig to serve as his shoulder companion once Cinderace fully evolves, and those two would be the only permanent members of his team while everything else would be on rotation.

  • Sobble-->Drizzile-->Inteleon
  • Eevee
Chloe would officially join the main cast and get Sobble as her Galar starter, and it'd serve as a complement to her Eevee, where one represents Chloe's growing confidence while the other represents her multiple possible paths. In my version of Journeys, the group would use Galar's Lab as their base of operations, so Yamper would be Sonia's Pokemon in my version to avoid the cruel tease of Chloe never officially getting to catch him, as I don't think there'd be enough time for her to develop more than two Pokemon.

And that's my revamped version of the companions' teams! What does everyone think of my new thoughts?
Okay, I decided to make yet another alteration to my verions of Goh's and Chloe's teams thanks to the latest episode, and that alteration is that I would not have Chloe catch Eevee at all make it Goh's shoulder companion instead because frankly, I feel that Chloe's character was hurt very severely by her being the Designated Eevee Advertiser™, so in the end I just want her to be completely unshackled from that role. Sure, I get that the whole Chloe Parallels Eevee arc could also be solved by simply writing it better, but I just don't feel it was necessary to drag it out for so long, meaning Chloe just wouldn't feel like a viable candidate anymore, so instead here's what I'd do:

Chloe's character arc gets slightly reworked in that instead of just her being indecisive about her path in life, she's just straight up afraid of trying anything out due to fears that she won't like it or be bad at it and stuff. Basically, she lacks confidence. This way, I'd make Chloe's signature Pokemon be Sobble, who's eventual evolution into Inteleon would mirror Chloe's own development as she becomes more confident and bold. I also decided to give Yamper back to her as her obligatory shouldermon (Sonia would have Boltund as a consequence of this, and it'd play a sort of big brother role to Chloe's Yamper), as it didn't feel right for her to have just one Pokemon. I also decided to let Chloe catch that one Galarian Ponyta after all, if only so that she can show visible progress in more ways than just evolving Sobble fully. Speaking of Sobble, when it becomes an Inteleon it'd develop something of a bodyguard personality towards Chloe's other Pokemon due to it being the only fully evolved one in the team. Yamper and Ponyta would get an episode where they prove themselves as just as capable as Inteleon due to this. I would also not drag out the Chloe/Sobble arc for anywhere near as long as the anime dragged out Chloe/Eevee; once her arc concludes, she joins the main cast fully and officially and supports the boys on their own endeavors.

As for the Eevee, I'd still keep its inability to evolve, it just wouldn't be so strictly tied to a human character's development anymore nor would it be dragged out for the entire saga. The idea I had was that very early on in Journeys Ash and Goh come across the Eeveelution Lab in their travels, and Goh ends up becoming friends with the peculiar Eevee that can't evolve, relating to its situation due to his own dream of catching Mew also seeming rather impossible. Anyway, the scientists who work at the lab decide to let Eevee join Goh, and then a few episodes later when the group is travelling across Galar's Wild Area it's discovered that Eevee's inability to evolve is because it had the Gigantamax factor. Eevee is bummed out at first about this, as it really would've loved to evolve, but Ash's Pikachu cheers it up by showing off how strong he is despite not evolving and the two form a friendship that parallels Ash's and Goh's own. I should probably also mention that Eevee would be Goh's first Pokemon instead of Scorbunny (who otherwise is mostly unchanged, Goh simply catches it a tad later), since to me it just makes sense for the character that was billed as Ash's co-star to have the co-mascot as his starter.

I also decided to make an additional capture for Goh and give him a Rowlet, which is one of the catches he makes during his first visit to Alola. This little fella will eventually become a Hisuian Decidueye in the same Legends Arceus arc where Ash catches his Braviary, evolves his Dewott into Hisuian Samurott, and Dawn evolves her Quilava into Hisuian Typhlosion. Just for the sake of the whole starter trio being owned by protagonists. All of this does come at the cost of altogether dropping the Turtwig I originally gave to Goh, but imo it's a small price to pay if we want to keep all our obligatory marketing mandates while still making compelling stories out of them. Eggs and omelets and what not.

In summation, this would be Goh's team:
  • Eevee
  • Scorbunny-->Raboot-->Cinderace
  • Rowlet-->Dartrix-->Hisuian Decidueye
  • The remaining slots are for the rest of his captures, which are in constant rotation
And this would be Chloe's:
  • Yamper
  • Sobble-->Drizzile-->Inteleon
  • Galarian Ponyta
I will most likely go back and make more alterations in the future because I just keep changing my mind about this stuff, but for now, I think I'm satisfied with this arrangement.
 
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All Misty needed was Staryu, Togepi, Psyduck and then later Poliwag and Corsola. There was no need for Starmie, Goldeen, Horsea, etc.

The writers gave Misty a ton of pokemon not only in a time where Pokémon hardly got development on the cast, but to a character who just didn't battle much in general and had extra capture that were barely used.
I also think the lack of land-friendly water Pokemon hurt her a lot. Should've gotten Vaporeon or Octillery or something to be used more.
 
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