Louise vs. the Equalites Chapter 2

After the party, Louise decided to test out her new presents by going on a quest to capture 18 different Pokemon. She made a deal that she’d call every day to make sure she’s okay and NEVER leave Johto. Luckily, she was given five Nest Balls to catch her next five Pokemon, since they’re great at catching Pokemon Levels 2-9. Louise arrived with Honda in Route 30, and she decided to catch two Pokemon here, and another in the next Route.

“Hoothoot are usually nocturnal, but it’s only 3 in the afternoon.” She said to herself. “However, if you were to knock your head against this tree trunk, a Pokemon may fall out. Honda, use Headbutt!” Honda crashed into the tree, and a Hoothoot came out. Luckily, it was sound asleep, even after being knocked out of the tree.

“I’ve never been this close to a wild Pokemon before.” Louise quietly said out loud, slowly walking over to the Owl pokemon. She picked up the Hoothoot to check its gender. Yep. It was a girl.

“Since it’s probably just Level 5 or something,” Said Louise. “I’ll use this Nest Ball to catch it without even fighting it.” Louise threw the Poke Ball at Hoothoot, and after a few seconds of wobbling, it clicked.

“Gotcha!” Louise exclaimed. “I’ll name her Big Mama. Let’s see if I can catch a Weedle or a Spinarak. Honda, use Headbutt on the next tree!” Honda did as commanded, and a Spinarak came out.

“Honda!” Said Louise. “Use Gyro Ball!” Varoom tackled Spinarak with a high-speed spin, and the Spring Spit Pokemon fainted.

“Now to throw the Nest Ball!” Louise threw the Poke Ball at Spinarak, and after a few seconds of wobbling, it clicked.

“Gotcha!” Said Louise. “This will be as easy as Poffin.”

—----------------------------------------------------

Two days later, Gong Shen and the Equalites have arrived at Ducai, Pinghei’s capital, so he can overthrow the Region’s mayor and professor. He has already defeated the Grass and Water-Type Gym Leaders Jia and Quin, and was ready to fight Shenji. But first, he needs to get rid of Professor Ping Gingko. Shen and his crew literally burst through the doors of Town Hall, with determination in his eyes.

“Get out of the chair or face my wrath!” He shouted.

“Don’t speak so loudly.” Said Ping. “You’ll wake up Bulbasaur and Quaxly, and the Litten egg isn’t ready to hatch for at least another month.”

“If it isn’t Part Poison, Electric, or Dark,” Said Shen. “Then it should be either eaten or stuffed.”

“Not without a fight.” Said Ping. “Go, Seaking!” Seaking was sent out, but Shen couldn’t help but laugh hysterically.

“You’re sending out a fish against whatever I send out?” He laughed. “Go, Vikavolt!” Vikavolt was sent out.

“Vikavolt!” He shouted. “Use Zap Cannon!” Vikavolt sent a strong electric blast to crash down on Seaking, but luckily, the Goldfish Pokemon avoided the attack.

“Seaking!” Said Ping. “Use Mud Shot!” Seaking, holding a Ground Gem, fired lots of mud at Vikavolt, and it managed to knock him out.

“WHAT?!” Shen screamed in disbelief. “No one hustles an Equalite and gets away with it!” Shen sent out Pangoro to grab Ping, but he was too quick. He returned Seaking to her Poke Ball and escaped through the window.

“He got away, boss!” Said an Equalite Grunt.

“That’s okay.” Replied Shen, returning Vikavolt and Pangoro to their Poke Balls. “At least he’s out of the chair.” Meanwhile, Ping checked his belt to make sure he had the Pokemon he needed for his usual team: Incineroar, Seaking, Dedenne, Lucario, Starfroot, and Orthworm.

“We need to see Hao. He knows even more than I do!”

—-----------------------------------

Back in Johto, Louise has already caught five more Pokemon: Geodude, Tandemaus, Yanma, Drowzee, and Growlithe. Now that it was Wednesday, that meant Channel 7.5 would be playing Hoennese music. Louise decided to go spelunking through the Union Cave to find a Makuhita. She put on the music on her Poke Gear, and she immediately heard rumbling.

“Huh?” She said to herself. “What was that?” An Absol then jumped from behind a stalagmite. “Oh, it’s just an Absol. You are a very misunderstood Pokemon, and aside from your strong Psychic powers, there’s nothing really disastrous about you.” Absol then started barking

“What’s that?” She said. “I can’t speak Absol.” The ground started to rumble again. “What is it that you’re trying to tell…” Suddenly, an Onix popped out of the ground and was about to crush Louise, but the Absol managed to jump into the frey and save the human.

“You were trying to warn me about the Onix?” The Absol nodded her head. “You really do warn people about incoming disasters, don’t you?” Absol nodded her head yes. “Would you mind if I caught you without fighting you? Dark-Type Pokemon can be very powerful and useful.” The Absol nodded her head in agreement. “Okay. Here it goes!” Louise threw a Dusk Ball at Absol, and after a few seconds of wobbling, the Ball clicked.

“Gotcha!” Said Louise. “Now to catch a Makuhita.”

Author's Notes: The Nest Ball is a Poke Ball that works the best on lower-leveled Pokemon. Use it on Pokemon Levels 2-11.

Big Mama, Louise's Hoothoot, is named after Big Mama from The Fox and the Hound. It's based on how I personally nickname Pokemon after characters that I know.

Poffins are pastries that players can obtain Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. Feed these to your Pokemon, and they might be able to win Pokemon Contests!

Louise vs. the Equalites Chapter 1

To my dear friend Kathy, the aunt I never had. She was a beacon of hope, a ball of joy, a friend. We will never forget you.

Kathy Remmes

1949-2024

It was a sunny day in Pinghei, a Region that focuses on balance, and everyone was enjoying Pokemon battles. Everyone, that is, except for Gong Shen, who only uses Electric, Poison, and Dark-Type Pokemon. One day, he had enough of Trainers having diverse teams, so he went outside and gave a speech.

“Attention, citizens of Pinghei!” He shouted through a megaphone. “For years, humans have relied on Pokemon with 18 different Types when we only need three: Electric, Poison, and Dark. Electric beats Water and Flying, Poison beats Grass and Fairy, and Dark beats Ghost and Psychic.” One young Trainer raised his hand.

“But what about the other Types?” He asked.

“Simple.” Said Gong Shen. “Electric, Poison, and Dark have been combined with just about every Type! Not to mention that most Pokemon have a surprising set of movepools. Why get a Fighting-Type Pokemon when Gengar can learn Focus Blast?”

“You have a point.” Said another Trainer.

“So, who’s with me?” Gong Shen asked, but there was silence. “Whoever joins me gets 5 Big Pearls!” The crowd soon cheered.

—---------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, in Johto’s Cherrygrove City, a plus-sized girl named Louise was getting ready for her 16th birthday. She took her shower, had some Rawst Berry pancakes for breakfast, brushed her teeth, and was now putting on a blue shirt with a pink tank top.

“This is it, Louise.” She said to herself in the mirror. “You’ll be turning 16 this year, the second luckiest number out there. Make sure that this birthday will be the best!”

“Louise, come on!” Said a voice. “We got all your friends out! Besides, you’ll be excited for the presents!” Louise ran outside to see everyone, and they decorated the front lawn with balloons and streamers.

“Happy birthday, Louise!” Said everyone, which included Louise’s parents and her classmates Benny, Brenda, and Maxine. Both Brenda and Maxine were holding presents with Eevee-patterned wrapping paper.

“This is something every girl your age would die for!” Said Louise’s dad, grabbing the round present from Brenda.

“It’s round like a Voltorb.” Observed Louise. “Let’s see what’s inside!”  Louise rips off the wrapping paper, and it revealed a Poke Ball.

“A Poke Ball.” Said Louise with little enthusiasm. “How great.”

“It’s what’s inside the Poke Ball!” Said her mom. Louise opened the Poke Ball, and out came a Pokemon she’d least expect: A Varoom.

“A Varoom?” Said Louise. “But isn’t this Pokemon from Paldea?”

“I caught one while visiting Chuso.” Replied Benny. “Does that mean you don’t like it?”

“I love it!” Said Louise. “I’m gonna name him Honda. It is a him, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I checked.” Answered Benny. “I picked Varoom because teenage girls your age love getting cars as a birthday present, and Revavroom is the next best thing. A little Pidgey also told me that you want to be a Pokemon Trainer, and I felt Varoom would be a good choice for you. Honda is Level 30, just ten levels away from evolving.”

“But I recommend catching other Pokemon to have a diverse team.” Said Maxine. “Which is why you should open the next gift.” She handed Louise another present, this one shaped like a box. She ripped off the wrapping paper, and it revealed a Poke Gear.

“A Poke Gear?” Louise asked again. “Why a Poke Gear and not a Rotom Phone?”

“It’s the latest model.” Said her mom. “You can adjust the radio so that Pokemon from other Regions magically appear! C’mon, let’s go to Route 29 to prove it. Clive, keep the guests entertained, please!” While Clive was entertaining Maxine, Brenda, and Benny, Louise, Yvette (Louise’s mom), and Honda traveled to Route 29 to demonstrate the Poke Gear.

“First, we switch it to Channel 7.5.” She said, tinkering with the Poke Gear. “It’s music from Galar, so a Pokemon from Galar will pop out of the grass today. Get Varoom ready.” Soon, a Skwovet, which can’t be found in Johto, popped out of the grass. “See? It’s that simple. You can use it to finally catch Dark-Type Pokemon in Johto! There’s also a pamphlet that points out where each Pokemon can be found with the Radio Feature.” Yvette handed the pamphlet to Louise, and she was amazed at what Pokemon can be caught with it.

“Absol can be caught in caves on Wednesdays,” She read. “Carbink can be caught on Saturdays in caves, Buizel can be caught in grassy areas on Thursdays, and Golett can be caught in towers on Fridays! This is so cool! When can I start using it?”

“Perhaps after the party.” Said Yvette.

“I suppose you’re right.” Said Louise, and she, Yvette, and Honda decided to go back to the party. As for the Skwovet, it just scampered back into the thicket.

Author's Notes: In Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, enhanced remakes of Gold and Silver, players can use their PokeGear (which is a bit like a cellphone) to entice Pokemon from Hoenn and Sinnoh to pop out.

For this story, I was thinking: Why not use the PokeGear to catch Pokemon from Unova, Kalos, Alola, Galar, and Paldea? Through the story, Louise also encounters and catches Tandemaus, Makuhita, Absol, Buizel, and Carbink, all of which she got with the PokeGear's music app.

In case you didn't guess already, Honda (Louise's Varoom) is named after the car brand of the same name.

Yvette (Louise's mom) is named after my grandmother. It's also the name of puppet fabricator Yvette Helin, who also happened to work on the short-lived stage musical Pokemon Live!

Yvette working on a Vaporeon puppet for the show.

Movie Review: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Movie Review: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants                                                         8-7-24

Based on Ann Brashares’ best-selling novel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is about a special summer in the lives of four lifelong friends who are separated for the first time. On a shopping trip, the young women find a pair of thrift-shop jeans that fits each of them perfectly and decide to use these pants as a way of keeping in touch over the months ahead, each wearing the jeans for a week to see what luck they bring her before sending them on to the next. Though miles apart, the four friends still experience life, love, and loss together in a summer they’ll never forget.

Now, what did I think of the movie? First of all, I love the representation in the movie, especially for its time. In this movie alone, we get to learn about cultures from Greece, Mexico, and the states South Carolina and Maryland.

Lena meeting a boy named Kostas while in Greece.

We also get to see America Ferrera in one of her early roles in this movie, who would later voice Astrid in How To Train Your Dragon and play Gloria in Greta Gerwig's Barbie. In ‘Sisterhood’, Ferrera plays Carmen, who visits Maryland and learns about her Caucasian dad getting married to another woman.

America's the one in the spotted shirt/dress.

If I were to complain about one thing, I felt that the jeans, which the movie is named after, don’t affect the plot. It’s called The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but the pants barely appear!

In conclusion, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a really good film to watch during the Summer. Just wait until your own kids are teenagers themselves, since this movie does have heavy themes for a family film.

Rating: 3.6 stars out of 5.

Movie Review: Migration

Movie Review: Migration                                                                                                                 7-14-24

This review has been requested by my mom.

This movie is about a family of ducks: Mack, Pam, and their kids Dax and Gwen. Mack, the father of the flock, is afraid of everything, and he refuses his wife and kids to ever leave the pond. One day, when all the other ducks start migrating, Mack decides to migrate along with his family and Uncle Dan to journey to Jamaica to avoid the winter cold. During this adventure, the ducks have to endure all sorts of dangers, including hungry catfish, cars, and a chef who loves to cook birds.

Migration is a rare occasion in which an Illumination film is actually better than a Disney film: The film stands out as Illumination’s best original film since Despicable Me with a colorful cast of characters, impressive animation for a small 70 million dollar budget, and a good score from John Powell.

Another thing to point out about Migration is the fact that there are fewer pop-culture references, toilet jokes, and needle drops than your previous Illumination film. With Ernest and Celestine director Benjamin Reiner helming the project, Migration is a nice departure from the Minion studio.

If I were to complain about one thing, I don’t think the movie needed a villain: If animated films in recent years like Smallfoot, Encanto, and Elemental proved anything, you don’t have to have a villain in your movie to tell a compelling story. But then again, this is Illumination; All but two of their films have villains.

In conclusion, Migration is a surprise film that is better than Disney’s feature from 2023, Wish. Sorry Disney, but this is what happens when you focus more than profit than quality. Hopefully, Moana 2 will redeem the Mouse House.

Rating: 3.55 stars out of 5

I know I was harsh on Illumination in the past, but this video lifted my grudge against the company. Maybe it will lift yours, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96CAl08ZSFM&list=PLY885DMgJgDkjeVed2z_Ty_uCem7PApDB&index=14

New Pokemon Story Announcement

Hi, everyone! As some of you Social Media users already know, I have a new Pokemon project in the works! It's a China-themed Pokemon Region called Pinghei, and just like Chuso, it won't have as many new Pokemon as other Fakemon Regions, but there will be a story centered around it called 'Louise vs the Equalites'. It will be about a big-boned 16-year-old Johtonian girl named Louise, as she is trained by Professor Ping Gingko from Pinghei to defeat the Equalites, an evil organization that wants to force everyone in Pinghei to use Poison, Electric, and Dark-Type Pokemon just like them. Their leader is Gong Shen, who is not afraid to get dirty when it comes to overthrowing Ping.

Just like before, Emmy Pflugh will design the new characters, human and Pokemon alike. While my previous Pokemon stories featuring Joe focused on battling, Louise vs the Equalites will focus more on character development.

Chapter 1 of Louise vs. the Equalites will be published on August 10th.

Movie Review: Inside Out 2

Movie Review: Inside Out 2                                                                                                                                           6-15-24

Riley Anderson and her emotions are back, but this time, Headquarters is more crowded: As well as Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger, there’s also the envious Envy, the monotone French-accented Ennui, the super shy Embarrassment, and Anxiety, who’s somehow even more of a wreck than Fear. Feeling that Joy and her original crew aren’t sophisticated enough for the now 13-year-old Riley, Anxiety bottles them up and sends them to be locked up. Now, Joy and her friends have to return to headquarters to stop Anxiety with messing with Riley’s mind in more ways than one.

Inside Out 2 truly is the feel-everything movie of the year with outstanding animation, a story that expands upon the world of the original film, and some really funny jokes.

Since this movie is all about Riley turning 13, this movie really connected to me on a personal level. In this movie, Anxiety has herself and the new Emotions reprogram Riley into a different person. This is what happened to me during the first two years of my teen-hood: Since the other students in my class liked video games, I decided to become a gamer, myself. However, it took away 90-95% of what made me Andrew. Luckily, on August 25th 2011 (when I was 15), fate struck me when I saw a VHS copy of Who Framed Roger Rabbit at the Salvation Army. I bought it, and slowly but surely, I was almost the Andrew people know and love me for today.

Anyway, back to my review of Inside Out 2: If I were to nitpick one thing, I don’t like how some aspects of the mind, like Dream Productions and the Train of Thought, don’t return. But then again, no one really knows what goes inside the human mind, so maybe all that stuff is still in there. I also feel that the Emotions Envy and Nostalgia aren't really necessary to the plot.

Joy riding the Train of Thought in Inside Out 1.

In conclusion, even though it doesn’t hold a candle to the first film, Inside Out 2 is the perfect family movie for the Summer. It has to be better than Despicable Me 4. Do we really need a Despicable Me sequel in which the Minions get superpowers? I said this once, but I’ll say it again: Only give me a Despicable Me sequel if the girls have been aged up, the Minions have been removed (or at least, given less screen time), and have Sergio Pablos return.

Rating: 3.9 stars out of 5

DreamWorks30 Marathon Announcement

With DreamWorks Animation turning 30 this year, I decided to watch all their films when the time comes, as well as the three films from Amblimation*. HOWEVER, there are three films that I will downright skip, and not even an episode of Hailey's On It will make me change my mind!

Shark Tale (2004)

If anyone were to rank all of DreamWorks’ films, chances are Shark Tale would be at the bottom. Like I said in History of Warner Animation Group Part 2...

https://asateriale.blogspot.com/2023/01/history-of-warner-animation-group-part-2.html

This movie suffers from creepy character designs, mean-spirited and offensive jokes, and a downright unlikable protagonist. I’m baffled at how this film got the Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.

Shrek the Third (2007)

Like I said in Top 30 Worst CGI Movies Part 1...

https://asateriale.blogspot.com/2017/01/top-30-worst-cgi-movies-of-all-time.html

Shrek the Third focuses much more on comedy than story, and it does more harm than help. The jokes are either stale or disgusting, the plot is a mess, and the characters range from underutilized to rather unlikable. Fun fact: There were going to be five Shrek movies, but after Shrek the Third got such negative reviews, DreamWorks decided that the next Shrek film would be the last.

The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021)

I’ll be reluctant to watch The Boss Baby 1 (though I won’t like it), but I barely survived the sequel! Yes, the animation is impressive, but the story and characters are comparable to The Nut Job! And to make matters worse, Boss Baby 2: Family Business basically demonizes adults by saying that they are responsible for the world’s problems. How would adults in the audience feel about this when they watch the movie? If you want a good cartoon starring babies, just stick with Rugrats. HOWEVER, if there’s one thing I liked from Boss Baby 2, it would be the original song Together We Stand.

The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021) - Together We Stand Scene (7/10) | Movieclips - YouTube

I plan on doing this marathon on August 31st, 2024. Just be warned that it will be A LOT wordier than my Disney100 marathon, since I’ll talk about the history of the company and provide interview excerpts from about 20 movies.

*For those unfamiliar, Amblimation was an animation studio founded by Steven Spielberg. In 1989, after serving as a producer on An American Tail, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and The Land before Time, Spielberg founded Amblimation in London. The studio would produce three movies, which included An American Tail 2: Fievel Goes West (1991), We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993), and Balto (1995). However, all but one of these films were box-office failures, and many of Amblimation's staff would later work at DreamWorks.