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A Shrine for Scarvio and Kieran!!

I will admit this shrine is probably not the most fancy, and it's definitely a spur of the moment kind of thing... but it's written from my heart...
I hope it can be meaningful, and perhaps enjoyable as well!!!
While this is mostly a Kieran shrine, it doubles as a shrine for Paldea, too!!
Written 2024-01-11!
🍑 AKA Mochi Mayhem's release date!! 🍡

Paldea...

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are either the games of all time or a complete trainwreck, depending who you ask. Personally I think they have issues, and I think the entire release schedule for Pokemon games as of now is a complete mess and something needs to be done about it.
But Paldea became very near and dear to me very fast... And I think the writing is incredibly good.
Usually Pokemon games focus on the Pokemon themselves, and I love that, but Paldea had a lot of vibrant characters too... The trainers all felt really alive and their interactions all felt interconnected!
A fun fact is that I almost skipped out on Paldea... which looking back seems insane to me. No way, no how!!
The region also introduced some of my favourite new Pokemon, such as Slither Wing and Hydrapple!! I have shinies of both, too! But of course... the one Pokemon that I was extremely curious about as soon as I finished the game was Terapagos. I thought a lot about the little beast and what role it had to play... Even after the release of Indigo Disk, Terapagos is extremely mysterious. But honestly I really love it for that. It means no matter what theory one has about him, they're not exactly wrong. Hopefully Pokemon Horizons will release more information about him... Or maybe we'll somehow get more DLC?! I'm honestly not all that sure, and I'm fine if Terapagos remains an unknowable entity (for the most part, there's some information about him in his dex entry). Scarvio does, after all, feel very complete to me from a narrative standpoint. Do I want more? Of course. I really do not want Paldea to be over with... not to be a downer, or anything...

I really, really love Gen 9, it's easily become my favourite gen and I do not say that lightly... but it felt like a dream come true to me, and it felt like there was, despite TPC's meddling, a lot of love put into it. If nothing else, it introduced lovable characters and Pokemon alike. The gameplay shines when you play with your friends, in my opinion. If you haven't gone into a Union Circle, I would recommend that you do. You're not just limited to catching Pokemon together, you can get really creative with the things you do (you can play hide and go seek, for instance!!). Making awful sandwiches is pretty enjoyable too, I will admit... 🥪
The graphics are not the best, and the glitches make me feel very disheartened when they pop up (which is often), but I truly believe the game pushes past its flaws!! PLA is my second favourite Pokemon game, and I think it builds upon what made that game so much fun. The ability to just... freely roam around in a mainline Pokemon game is like a dream come true to me. I wish there was more, and I wish I could experience it in previous generations, but Paldea is a good sign to me... I really hope things only continue to improve.
Sorry for loving Pokemon, but I'm not sorry! Paldea is fun! It's the most fun I've had in a Pokemon game since the DS games. It's very special to me.

Kieran...

The following will contain spoilers for the Teal Mask and the Indigo Disk!
Tread carefully!!!

From the moment I saw Kieran, I had a feeling that he would be a very special character to me. The shy, scrunkly type of character tends to be one that I enjoy (I love Wally's character, for instance)... but something about Kieran seemed interesting to me. I felt like he would have a very rocky (but good) character arc, and I was very interested in seeing what Game Freak had planned for him. I also really loved his design!! It was very aesthetically pleasing to me and very cute too!!
I remember when the Pokemon Direct was streamed, I had the exact thought of "Wow, Game Freak should do more with trainers and Legendary Pokemon, I think Kieran deserves to have Terapagos for no reason... or at least be connected to it." And well... given how the DLC went, I would say my wish came true!! I wish he could have kept Terapagos, similar to how Hop has a doggy friend in SWSH, but there wasn't really a way to make that happen since there is only one Terapagos... Maybe Pokemon Masters will save us. It tends to do that...
Kieran's journey as a character was made in a way to appeal to me specifically. He starts off shy and withdrawn, but he eventually warms up to the MC and they even become his first friend ever... In the photos they take with him, one can easily see how he goes from nervous to genuinely enjoying his time to then... being distraught. There's a certain degree of tragedy to Kieran's character, and I think it's wonderful... Not that I want to see him be upset, but I think his inner turmoil adds a lot to his character, it keeps him from being one-dimensional (but for the record, if he didn't go evil mode in the DLC and stayed shy the entire time, I would have loved that too).

A detail I really love about Kieran's character is that despite him trying to seem cool and strong, he keeps a lot of his old habits. His idle animations are all the same still (the ones that come to mind are how he plays with his hair in battle and how he bounces his leg when he's thinking about something) and he even retains his signature catchphrase: "Wowzers!" He can also be seen falling out of "character" (see: acting tough) when surprised or enamored by something. I think it's extremely cute that he gets scared of technology... both in the Teal Mask and the Indigo Disk (with the MC's Rotom Phone and the AI in Area Zero, if you were curious!!). He's silly even when he tries not to be, and that's a huge part of why he's so dear to me! The blorbo!
He's not without his flaws though, of course... and becoming the bully in order to hide your meek self is never great. But in the end it's all okay, and I think a lot of people fail to realise that he's a kid who's been very isolated his entire life and had his heart broken by his very first friend. He's doing exactly what you think a teenager would do. Yes, he should be held accountable, but I think people who make him out to be some evil guy are wrong. Morally grey characters are very fun to me!!! Things really do go deeper than "good" and "bad" and it's important to attribute that to one's thought process. Regardless this is a Kieran love zone, I think him being "evil" is awesome and fun. He can do whatever he wants.

I wanted to talk a little bit about Kieran's team. If you've noticed, I've decorated this page with some of his team members!! Thank you to Blue Moon Falls for providing the assets!! ^-^
Kieran's teams in the Teal Mask are very biased towards Johto!! In general, the vibes of Mossui Town reminded me a lot of a town you would see in Johto... even the NPCs kind of had Johto vibes. It feels very cozy and nostalgic!! When you first fight him, he uses a Sentret and a Yanma. The Sentret is special because it's the first Pokemon he sends out, which has led a lot of fans to believe that they share a close bond. There's a tiny bit of storytelling to be told with his Sentret. When you battle him a second time, it has evolved into a Furret. He keeps it on his team even when he adds Dipplin to his party in the third battle. Dipplin is his signature Pokemon, also! But... after things take a turn for the worse in regards to his friendship with the MC, he benches Furret, and it is never seen again... The rest of his team is quite a bit stronger, but it still keeps the Johto vibes for the most part. To me, this shows that he is forming the mindset that he has in the Indigo Disk... he still retains a lot of his personality as shown in his team, but he's thinking about becoming stronger and not caring a lot about the bonds he might have with his Pokemon. So a cute, friendly Pokemon like Furret has no place with him... Instead he thinks more about strategy, like having his Shiftry know Fake Out and Tailwind, and his Poliwrath knowing Belly Drum, with the rest of its moveset being all-out attacks. Even the items they hold (if you've completed The Way Home) have team building in mind. The final battle with him in Teal Mask is the first time he actually equips his Pokemon with items. It shows that he's being extremely serious, and putting everything he cares about on the line.

This is emphasised in the Indigo Disk, where he switches out his entire team (minus his Dipplin, which is now a Hydrapple), for a relatively competent competitive team. The team screams someone who just wants to be strong, but there's still hints of Kieran's original self within it... As I said, he keeps his ace, Hydrapple, and Politoed is related to Poliwrath... the Pokemon also just seem strangely fitting, in a way. It's difficult to put into words, but they match his disposition.
One thing I wish was that in the League Room he would have a new team that was a mix of his Champion and original teams... Alas... It's fine, I know he's hiding Furret somewhere. I know he cares for him...

I really love that his signature Pokemon is Hydrapple, it suits him very much and it's also just such a cool Pokemon...? He deserves it!! I absolutely cannot wait for them to release a full art card of him with Hydrapple, because I know they will, one day!! I hope I am able to get my hands on it when the time comes...
I believe that's all I have to say for this section... Edits will likely come in the future, but I hope you had a good time reading it!!! As a thanks. please look at the happy Applin line family... They love you.