#pokemon red

i can’t quite decide which pokemon to draw, i would love some recommendations!! c:

Cubone

“The skull it wears on its head is that of its dead mother. According to some, it will evolve when it comes to terms with the pain of her death.”

-Pokémon Moon Pokédex entry

Congratulations! You’ve earned eight gym badges, not to mention foiled Team Neo-Rocket’s plans for the region. Now it’s time for you to face the final challenge of the Indigo League: the elite four and the champion!

(If you want to know more about this project and story, check out the Memories of Kanto tag!) 

Make sure you’re fully prepared to battle all five trainers in a row! Once you’re sure you’re ready, you’ll start by facing a brand new member of the elite four:

Jayce

Jayce is a cool dude who’s excited to take you on! He trained under former Elite Four member Lorelei, and he’s the first step in this battle marathon. His super rad team is made up of Dewgong, Delibird, Alolan Ninetails, Mamoswine, and Weavile. 

If you’re able to defeat them, you’ll move on to…

Misty

After spending many years facing brand-new trainers as Cerulean City’s gym leader, Misty revels in facing off against stronger opponents. As much as she’s rooting for you, she had not intention of holding back. Misty’s built up a tough team of Starmie, Lapras, Quagsire, Lanturn, and Golduck. 

Once you pass the test, the next trainer is…

Lt. Surge

Lt. Surge has always been a tough guy, and it was no surprise to anyone that he would move into a position in the elite four. He’s gonna whip you into shape and make absolutely certain that you’re up to the challenge of facing the champion. His team includes Electrode, Jolteon, Magnezone, Electivire, and Raichu, so you’re really in for a shock!

The only member of the elite four left to challenge is…

Sabrina

Sabrina and her team pride themselves on intelligence, diligence, and skill. This is the last test you’ll need to face before the champion, and Sabrina is a stern taskmaster. Though she cannot see the outcome of the battle, her clairvoyance tells her it will be hard-fought on both sides. She and her team of Espeon, Wobbuffet, Jynx, Xatu, and Alakazam are deeply connected, making them difficult to beat. 

But now, it’s finally time to take on…

Champion Red

You may not be able to tell, but Red is impressed that you’ve made it this far. He is the trainer who most understands the position you’re in, and a battle with him will surely be one for the record books.

His legendary team is made up of Snorlax, Lapras, Vileplume, Machamp, Raichu, and Charizard. If you can defeat him, you will have mastered the Indigo League!

He and Professor Orchid will then induct you into Kanto’s hall of fame. They’re both quite proud of you, but it looks like your journey is not over yet: both Red and the Professor receive word that Team Neo-Rocket have set up shop in the neighboring region of Johto! The villainous team is broadcasting across both regions, warning that they fully intend to steal and capture the most powerful Pokémon they can and take both regions, if not the world, by force. Someone needs to stop them. 

Are you up for the task?

You are far from the first person to take on the Kanto league, or even to fight against Team (Neo)Rocket. This is all very familiar to a few people you will meet along your journey: Red, Blue, and Professor Leaf Orchid.

Want to learn more? Check out the Memories of Kanto tag. 

Gym Leader Blue is the golden boy of Viridian City. His very brief stint as champion of the Indigo League made him an easy pick for the position, and he’s practically become the city’s protector and spokesperson in the following years. Blue revels in the variety of trainers that he faces as a part of the gym challenge, and brings trainers with many different specialties into his gym to strengthen his gym challenge. His reputation and persistence have also allowed him the privilege of only facing trainers who have earned all seven other gym badges, where most other gyms have designated teams for trainers at different stages. He’s determined to keep Team Neo-Rocket away from his city and his gym, even though they continue to seek out any connections to Giovanni, Team Rocket’s former leader, that they can find.

Professor Leaf Orchid has been studying Pokémon for almost two decades, and took over as the resident Professor of the Kanto region when Professor Samuel Oak retired. Leaf’s focus is on the sheer variety of Pokémon, especially variations in form or differences found between regions. She approaches her work with one mantra in mind: Gotta’ catch ‘em all! She is also dedicated to making sure any young people who want to can go on Pokémon journeys, and to this end travels the region, handing out starter Pokémon. You meet her for the first time in Lavender Town, when she gives you your starter.  

Red is a man of few words. Perhaps that’s part of what’s made him so legendary. After spending some years traveling, as well as training on Mt. Silver, Red has taken up the mantle of Indigo League Champion that he earned so many years ago. He takes his role seriously. At least, as far as anyone can tell. Not many are able to read his inscrutable expressions, or make much sense of his continual silence. Blue is his best translator, though Leaf and a few other residents of Pallet Town are also fairly adept at understanding him. He has been keeping an eye on Team Neo-Rocket’s activities, and will appear at times to scare them off or investigate them, like at their HQ.

Are you ready to take on the Kanto Pokémon League again? Check out more information under the cut.

Want to learn more? Check out the Memories of Kanto tag. 

Though the badge case image has the gym leaders in their traditional order, you won’t be challenging them that way in Memories of Kanto. Since you begin your journey in Lavender Town, the gym challenge will be in the following order:

Gym Leader 1: Mariana (Cerulean City)

Mariana hasn’t been gym leader in Cerulean City for very long, and she has big shoes to fill! The layout of the gym has remained largely the same, with a large pool in the center of the room where the other trainers in the gym (a swimmer and a tuber) swim around until they spot you. 

Once you defeat Mariana’s team of Poliwag and Goldeen, you have your first badge: the cascade badge.

Gym Leader 2: Torsten (Pewter City)

Pewter City gym has a straightforward design. It’s simply a rocky path where you will be challenged by two campers and a black belt. 

When you reach Torsten, you’ll need to defeat his Onyx and Aerodactyl to win the boulder badge.

Gym Leader 3: Fina (Cinnabar Gym)

Fina has recently built her gym and science center on Cinnabar island, after the original gym was obliterated by an eruption of the island’s volcano. She’s here to research and monitor the island, and her gym is staffed by scientists and ruin maniacs. These trainers do have work to do, so they might just let you pass by unchallenged, as long as you answer their trivia questions correctly. I hope you know about type effectiveness and Pokémon evolution! 

However, you can’t avoid taking on Fina’s Vulpix, Growlithe, Flareon. Once you defeat her, she will reward you with the volcano badge.

Gym Leader 4: Janine (Fuchsia City)

At first glance, Fuchsia City gym appears empty. However, this gym has trained ninjas for decades now, so no one is surprised that it is affectively booby-trapped. Trainers are hidden throughout the room, and you never know when you’ll be thrown into battle with a ninja boy, lass, or battle girl. Make sure you have a lot of antidotes on hand! 

Janine’s team of Venonat, Nidorina, and Crobat, will surely leave you poisoned, but if you survive the battle you’ll receive the soul badge. 

You’ll also receive congratulations from the retired ninja master Koga, who has great faith in his daughter’s abilities. If you talk to him prior to challenging her, he will share some information about poison types with you, though he is skeptical of your odds against Janine.

Gym Leader 5: Vince (Vermillion City)

Vince keeps a much more relaxed gym than his mentor, Lt. Surge. The gym has now been fitted with colorful, musical tiles; if you step on all of the tiles of a given color in the gym, following them from front to back, they’ll play a tune together and turn off one of the rungs in the electric fence blocking off Vince’s stage. Following the musical paths will definitely put you in the sights of the gym’s trainers: a sailor, a juggler, and an idol, who mention that they are also a lead guitarist, keyboardist, and master Metal vocalist, respectively.

Vince compliments you on your musical chops when you reach him, and compares the support a gym leader gives to trainers–both his friends in the gym and the challengers that come from across the region–to the easily-overlooked importance of a bass guitar in a rock song. Once you’ve defeated his Pikachu, Lanturn, Magnezone, and Ampharos you’ll be rewarded with the thunder badge.

Gym Leader 6: Murdoch (Saffron City)

The youngest gym leader in Kanto, Murdoch works hard to be professional. He has turned the nine rooms built into the gym into a shadowy mirror-maze. It’s dark and difficult to navigate, and you will be challenged by school kids and mediums as you work towards Murdoch. (The school kids aren’t subtle about being Murdoch’s battle buddies, and the mediums are similarly un-subtle that they all look upon Murdoch as their adopted grandson and they’re very proud of him. Some will laud his world travels and interest in staying up-to-date with the newest Pokémon discoveries.)

Murdoch is impressed that you reach him, and even more impressed when you defeat his Haunter, Mimikyu, Mismagius, and Gengar. Somewhat begrudgingly, he will give you the marsh badge.

Gym Leader 7: Erika (Celadon City)

Erika takes pride in the upkeep of her flowering maze of a gym. In fact, at one of the windows outside a young girl gazes longingly at the beautiful trainers in the gym. These trainers include a lass, an aroma lady, a beauty, and a pair of ace trainers. 

Erika’s team of Victreebel, Jumpluff, Bellossom, and Tangrowth are formidable, but if you can beat them you’ll receive the rainbow badge, and then there’s only one gym left.

Gym Leader 8: Blue (Viridian City)

Blue has done his grandad proud (if you talk to the retired Professor Oak in Pallet Town he’ll tell you as much!) by becoming a major facet of the community in Viridian City. He has taken well to being a gym leader, though he’ll playfully taunt challengers until or unless they defeat him. He’s built his gym to prepare trainers for the variety of his team, a stark contrast to the rest of Kanto’s gym leaders. You’ll need to navigate through a stream, a grassland, and some rocky terrain to reach Blue, and on the way you’ll battle a variety of ace trainers, all with Pokémon themed to the terrain (water and ice along the stream, grass and bug in the grasslands, and fire, rock, and ground type in the rocky terrain).

Blue will grant you the earth badge once you defeat his team of Rhydon, Exeggutor, Alakazam, Arcanine, Blastoise, which is no small feat. Now that you have all eight badges, he’ll wish you luck against the elite four and the champion. You’ll need it: Blue has never been able to defeat the champion, and not for lack of trying.

I also made Vs. sprites for Mariana, Torsten, Fina, Vince, and Murdoch to be able to make the badge case, but you can’t actually see much of them there, and I spent way too much time on them not to include them, so here they are:

Pokémon Game Kanto Trio VS. PokéSpe Kanto Squad

My take on the Kanto Quartet in the new sygna suits.

I will probably clean these sketches on a later date.