Pokémon Teams for My OCs

10.07.25 // 1:21pm

I LOOOOOOVE Pokémon!!! I also love my OCs! Why not combine the two?

I’ve done a lot of thinking about what kinds of Pokémon my OCs would have in a Pokémon-AU version of their worlds. This blog post is dedicated to outlining not only the Pokémon that my OCs would have, but their personalities and how they would’ve come across them in this Pokémon-ified version of their backstory. This was honestly SO much fun and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Without further ado, let’s begin!

We’re starting off with Amezi Goldenscale!

Amezi is a glamour bard/swashbuckler rogue multiclass in D&D, and their team reflects that. They have a lot of speedy Pokémon with high attacking stats while lacking bulk. All of their Pokémon are either snake-themed or music-themed. Their favorite type to battle with is Poison.

Serperior
NATURE: Rash
ABILITY: Contrary
Taunt, Glare, Leaf Storm, Dragon Pulse

Amezi’s first Pokémon. Amezi met the then-Snivy as a child, back when they were both living on the street. Amezi stumbled upon Snivy conning a local bakery by acting cute and distracting the shopkeeper while reaching around the counter with its vines to nab some fresh pastries. Amezi, also surviving through charm and subterfuge, formed a fast friendship with Snivy. They’ve been together for decades now, and they share a lot in common with each other.

Serperior is smug, uppity, and Rash. It often slithers into conflict and lashes out whenever somebody so much as glances at them wrong… much like how Amezi does.

Obstagoon
NATURE: Adamant
ABILITY: Guts
Knock Off, Facade, Bulk Up, Ice Punch

Another Pokémon from Amezi’s youth. One evening, as Amezi was strumming away on a pilfered guitar, a filthy “Sword Coast” Zigzagoon poked its head out of a trash heap and began to sing along. Badly. But Amezi found how raw and passionate the Zigzagoon was charming—she invited the Zigzagoon along on her adventures, promising that there’d be plenty of opportunities for them to perform together.

Obstagoon is hard-headed and Adamant: it has a strong sense of justice, and it frequently butts heads with Amezi if it believes he isn’t doing the right thing. It loves to perform alongside Amezi in bardic shows, but it will also be right by her side in combat, too.

Arbok
NATURE: Lonely
ABILITY: Intimidate
Gunk Shot, Sucker Punch, Coil, Earthquake

Arbok was the first Pokémon Amezi caught rather than bonded with. Amezi is scared of snake-like Pokémon (Serperior got by because it started off as more lizard-like), but they’re drawn to him due to his yuan-ti heritage. Arbok is a huge scaredy-cat and also afraid of snakes, so much so that it gets scared of its reflection. When they saw each other for the first time—Ekans slithering through the gutter, Amezi sleeping in said gutter—they both screamed. Amezi was able to calm Ekans down using his innate Animal Friendship (or—Pokémon friendship?) ability that only works on snakes, and he was able to lure Ekans into submission long enough to catch it.

Ekans, now Arbok, is a bit of a Lonely, pensive soul that intimidates people who don't know it very well. Arbok is the closest with Serperior, having been with Amezi the longest: they’re both stand-offish and deeply melancholic.

Milotic
NATURE: Sassy
ABILITY: Marvel Scale
Recover, Scald, Haze, Confuse Ray

Milotic was gifted to Amezi by Malar Starsite, as he believed that a beautiful man like Amezi should have the most beautiful of Pokémon. The Zhentarim stole Milotic from a rich noblewoman who paraded it through countless beauty contests. Milotic and Amezi resented each other at first, but they eventually bonded over their hatred of Malar. It’s one of Amezi’s goals to one day return Milotic to its rightful owner.

Milotic is distinctly Sassy and, in addition to not being very good in battle, frequently ignores Amezi’s commands in favor of preening itself. When it gets mad, though, it can dish out some intense moves.

Salazzle
NATURE: Hasty
ABILITY: Corrosion
Fire Blast, Toxic, Attract, Nasty Plot

Salazzle met Amezi when Amezi was “working for” the Zhentarim. Amezi was sent to seduce a royal from a small principality who happened to own a Salazzle. Amezi recognized right away that the Salazzle was a con itself: it had “seduced” its way into a rich lifestyle and was planning on scurrying off as soon as it had plundered enough shinies. They were rivals at first, both threatening to narc on each other, but eventually decided that they could accomplish more together. They both charmed the royal and, after Amezi had gathered the information he was sent there to learn (and after stealing lots of jewelry and fancy clothes), the two booked it. Salazzle now travels with Amezi and assists with her flirtations.

Salazzle is Hasty and impatient, always demanding luxuries without being willing to work for them. These days, it tends to be Amezi’s leading Pokémon as it doesn’t like staying in the ball. Salazzle and Milotic are close friends and have similar prissy natures.

Toxtricity
NATURE: Modest
ABILITY: Punk Rock
Boomburst, Overdrive, Shift Gear, Snarl

Amezi met Toxtricity in a trade. Amezi was traveling with a Relaxed Jigglypuff for a while—it enjoyed performing with Amezi and Obstagoon, but it was a little too lax when it came to battling. It wanted to sing and little more. After Amezi left the Zhentarim, he traveled from town-to-town and performed at taverns to make a quick buck. During this time, he stumbled upon a fellow bard performing with a Toxtricity. The bard and Toxtricity had two very different styles of music: the Toxtricity was amped and rocking, while the bard herself strummed dainty tunes on her lute. Jigglypuff sang along in-tune to the lute playing, and afterwards, Amezi and the bard hit it off. After a night of… “flirting”, they came to the conclusion that their Pokémon preferred the other trainer’s vibe.

Toxtricity is punk-rock and passionate, but it’s also fairly Modest and low-key off-stage (in comparison to Obstagoon, who is flamboyant no matter the occasion). Toxtricity cares solely about performing, but it’s strong in battles, too: it considers battling a performance just as much as music is. It gets along well with Obstagoon due to their similar interests and punk personas.

Now for Lux Ivory!

Lux is a divine soul sorcerer/grave domain cleric in D&D. They work as a mortician, and they have a fondness for bugs and plants, which is reflected in their Pokémon preference. They aren't one for combat, and neither is their team. They have a pretty scattered preference in Pokémon, but it tends to narrow down to Ghost, Bug, Grass, and Ice types.

Sawsbuck
NATURE: Lonely
ABILITY: Sap Sipper
Horn Leech, Return, Substitute, Swords Dance

When Lux was found abandoned in Secomber’s local cemetery as a baby, they had with them one singular possession: an ancient Pokéball carved to resemble a canopic jar… with a Deerling inside. Deerling, too, was a baby, and it didn’t know anything about how it came to be in Lux’s possession. Deerling is linked to Lux’s Elf heritage—rather than being tied to the seasons, Deerling changes its appearance in correlation to Lux’s changes from the Blessing of Corellon.

Sawsbuck is a mirror of Lux: it is Lonely and haunted. It observes the world thoughtfully and can frequently be caught staring. Before the fire, Sawsbuck was a little more joyous (especially paired with Lilligant), but even then, it has always been stoic. Lux often rides on the back of Sawsbuck, especially when doing housecalls—the two of them together form a majestic, Sylvan-inspired pair. It is usually Lux’s lead Pokémon.

Shedinja
NATURE: Lonely
ABILITY: Wonderguard
Protect, Will-O-Wisp, Toxic, Shadow Sneak

Lux’s interest in both the living world and death started in childhood. They would frequently observe Bug-type Pokémon crawling around in the dirt, watching how they thrived in their own little worlds… and then he would pull them apart limb-by-limb to learn about their anatomy. One of the bugs he dissected was a Nincada that was in the middle of shedding its skin. He ripped the evolving Ninjask apart to observe the interior of its exoskeleton, but didn’t realize that the skin itself would become its own type of organism: Shedinja. Shedinja regarded Lux emotionlessly: it was, after all, nothing but a husk. Lux was fascinated by the creature and decided to catch it.

Shedinja can perhaps be described as Lonely, but that’s a bit generous. It doesn’t seem to have much of a personality at all. It lacks a soul. Lux feels a kinship with it, having only half a soul himself. He scolds people when they attempt to anthropomorphize Shedinja: he understands the nature of its existence and does his best to give it a comfortable life, but he knows it will never feel joy, nor thank him for taking care of it. It is only a carcass.

Frosmoth
NATURE: Timid
ABILITY: Ice Scales
Defog, U-Turn, Ice Beam, Stun Spore

In direct contrast to Shedinja, Frosmoth is Lux’s little baby who they care for very deeply. Snom stumbled upon Lux a little later in life, when Lux was an adult apprenticing under the local mortician. A Goliath from the far north was passing through Secomber and happened to die of a sudden heart attack after a round of binge drinking. He had with him but one Pokémon: a Snom. Secomber was far from Snom’s natural environment, so it wouldn’t survive in the wild. Lux did research into the clan that the Goliath was from and found that their clan believed that, if they were slain in battle, their victor would inherit their team of Pokémon. Lux decided that being an underkeeper for the Goliath was close enough, so she decided to take in the Snom.

Snom was wary of Lux at first, due in part to its Timid nature, but it eventually grew close to them and flourished into a beautiful Frosmoth. Lux’s soft side especially comes out when handling Frosmoth, much like a doting (dog) parent.

Lilligant
NATURE: Modest
ABILITY: Own Tempo
Quiver Dance, Alluring Voice, Giga Drain, Stun Spore

Lilligant has known Lux almost all its life: when it was a Petilil, it was the partner Pokémon of Lux’s dear friend, Lily. Lily had a great love for flowers and surrounded herself with Grass Pokémon—Petilil was her first. Lilligant and Lux got along well, as did Liligant and Sawsbuck; Liligant was very Jolly and was the only one, person or Pokémon, who could bring a smile to Sawsbuck’s sour face.

When Lux fought with Damien over their love of Lily (in this universe, Sawsbuck also battled with Damien’s Houndoom—which wound up starting the fire), the resulting fire took Lily’s life, as well as the lives of all of her Pokémon… except one. While charred, Lilligant’s Pokéball survived.

Lux is incredibly over-protective of Lilligant, being her one surviving memory of Lily. He has never revealed to Lilligant the real cause of the fire. The lack of closure for Lilligant turned it bitter, spiteful, and Modest, and it—like Lux—prefers to be left alone these days.

Froslass
NATURE: Naive
ABILITY: Cursed Body
Destiny Bond, Confuse Ray, Ice Beam, Spikes

One winter day, years after the fire and long after Lux had begun to run their own mortuary, a caravan came into town carrying a body the travelers had found frozen to death on the path winding into town. After the guard failed to identify the corpse, they delivered it to Lux for burial. It was the body of a human woman who Lux could tell, given her garb, was from Calimshan rather than the Sword Coast. Lux toiled to find the proper burial rites for someone of the woman’s beliefs. During this time, when the body was not yet laid to rest, Lux noticed strange happenings around her mortuary—objects being moved, strange howling, doors being thrown open… but she paid it no heed. Once the body was finally properly laid to rest, a Froslass revealed itself to Lux. Lux believed it must have been born from the soul of the woman who perished in the cold, though he has no evidence supporting his theory. The Froslass appreciated the effort Lux went through in respectfully burying the body and seemed to have imprinted on him—it just… never left.

Froslass is a bit mischievous and Naive about the wider world. It often hides behind Lux (and Sawsbuck) and sticks out its tongue at people it doesn’t like. It acts like an impetuous child, and while Lux scolds it on occasion, he also respects its nature and does his best to give it a happy home.

Joltik
NATURE: Timid
ABILITY: Swarm
Bug Buzz, Giga Drain, Thunderbolt, Agility

Joltik is another Pokémon that just sort of fell into Lux’s lap. All of his Pokémon except for Shedinja are like that: he’s not big on catching, nor battling. Joltik resided in the corner of Lux’s mortuary, feeding on small pests. It would occasionally scamper down to suckle Lux’s electricity, which he was gracious enough to allow. Joltik can be frequently spotted clinging to Lux or Sawsbuck: it has grown an attachment to both of them. It is rather Timid, often hiding in Lux’s pocket if approached, but it is sweet towards those it trusts. It will spark and glow for Lux to illuminate the dark, which Lux appreciates—due to Lux’s pyrophobia, he stays away from candles and Fire-type Pokémon.

Swadloon

In this universe, Lux’s friend, Bramble, was transformed into a Sewaddle by the mage Lux attempted to steal from. She’s now a Swadloon. Lux does NOT battle with her: he lets her wander free around his mortuary. Bramble keeps to herself and weirds out most people and Pokémon who meet her. In the event where he is spirited off on an adventure, Bramble remains in the mortuary, living under its floorboards.

Absol

Lux is haunted by the vision of their own demise. In this universe, Lux’s memories also always include the appearance of a Pokémon: an Absol. Lux swears they’ve seen the Absol before out of the corner of their eye… they believe when the Absol finally appears, a terrible fate will befall them, and they will die—and be reborn, continuing the cycle. (This Absol is the other half of Sawsbuck’s soul and belongs to a man named Mori, who is the other half of Lux’s soul. Remind me to make a blog explaining my ships with my boyfriend’s OCs….)

Now let’s move on to Respite!

Respite is a tiefling bladesinger wizarder (or a dance bard in 5.5e, but I do prefer them as a bladesinger, maybe even with a rogue/swashbuckler dip) flavored as being a Scarlet Mummer. He fights pretty exclusively with fire, even possessing the Flames Of Phlegethos feat that allows him to manipulate it even more expertly. Naturally, his favored Pokémon type is Fire, though he also dabbles in Fighting.

Gallade
NATURE: Adamant
ABILITY: Sharpness
Swords Dance, Sacred Sword, Psycho Cut, Leaf Blade

Respite’s mother, Lexibis, owned a Gardevoir who she “worked alongside” at her—well, not her factory job, that’s for sure. Gardevoir also produced an egg from an unknown father a little after Lexibus gave birth, and it decided to raise the little Ralts in solidarity with Lexibis. Ralts was both Respite’s pseudo-sibling and his first Pokémon.

Ralts followed Respite through both his Loviatan and Lliiran worship, eventually evolving into Gallade. It’s an Adamant powerhouse that loves to battle and show off its innate strength. It also seeks revenge against Loviatans, as its mother was killed alongside Lexibis. Fun fact: Gallade is also trans!

Tsareena
NATURE: Adamant
ABILITY: Queenly Majesty
Power Whip, Knock Off, Play Rough, Rapid Spin

Tsareena was the first Pokémon Respite ever caught. Melvaunt wasn’t exactly rich with wild Pokémon, but Respite—then a young boy—happened across a Bounsweet that had escaped from a foreign merchant’s caravan (likely having brought it to Melvaunt to sell as a delicacy). Respite rescued the little Bounsweet by catching it. As a Steenee, it used its Sweet Scent to entice patrons into the brothel for Lexibis to get more work, though it stopped once it and Respite realized the real nature of Lexibis’s job. After witnessing a particularly cruel bout of rage from a patron, Steenee became stern and Adamant about wanting to fight for change. It was determined to find meaning, and it found that meaning in Loviatar—enough meaning for it to evolve into Tsareena. After the death of Lexibis and Gardevoir, though, it too abandoned its worship and followed Respite to Lliira.

Nowadays, Tsareena focuses on dancing rather than pounding, prioritizing joy over pain. It is the closest with Gallade, having been in Respite’s care the longest and having similar, steadfast natures.

Houndoom
NATURE: Modest
ABILITY: Flash Fire
Nasty Plot, Fire Blast, Dark Pulse, Taunt

Houndoom was one of two Pokémon Respite caught during his time as a Taystren (the other being a Meowscarada*, see note). Houndoom is a popular choice of Pokémon for Tieflings, being that they both originate from the Hells. It was from Houndoom that Respite learned how to better channel his innate connection to fire. Houndoom and Respite wielded fire with precision and power, and it was Respite’s expertise in it that led him to go by the name Calx for so long.

Houndoom is a Modest sort, as well as fiercely loyal, and it followed Respite even after he left the Resting Place of the Whip. Houndoom isn’t very good at healing or helping, and its scary face often intimidates people, but it has a kind heart at its core. Its best friend was Respite’s Meowscarada, but since the betrayal, it mostly keeps to itself.

Oricorio
NATURE: Hasty
ABILITY: Dancer
Quiver Dance, Hurricane, Revelation Dance, Roost

After Respite fled from Loviatar and into the arms of Lliira, he began training as a Scarlet Mummer. Oricorio is one of the favored Pokémon of Lliira (in canon, she likes bluebirds and songbirds, so I think this makes sense), and many of them take up sanctuary in the temple. One of the members of the flock was a Hasty Baile-style Oricorio that was a bit of a problem for the temple: it was rambunctious and desperate to draw attention to itself. The acolytes of Lliira, many of them hesitant about Respite’s allegiance to the temple, asked Respite to take it under his wing, which he gladly did. Respite was able to absorb some of Oricorio’s raucous energy by sparring and dancing alongside it.

Now, after a couple of years of training, Oricorio is a disciplined dancer who is able to channel incredible power into its beautiful dancing. It cares deeply about performing and spreading happiness wherever it goes. It is often Respite’s lead Pokémon.

Blaziken
NATURE: Adamant
ABILITY: Speed Boost
Close Combat, Fire Blitz, Swords Dance, Protect

Torchic, too, flock to Lliiran temples due to the goddess’s love of birds. Respite caught his own Torchic in standard trainer fashion. Blaziken is also a favored Pokémon of the Scarlet Mummers in particular due to how its fighting style relies on swift kicking motions, mirroring that of the blade boots.

Blaziken is an Adamant, justice-oriented type who is a bit wary of both Respite and Respite’s older Pokémon. Blaziken cares very deeply about eliminating threats to joy (more so than spreading joy). Because of this, it comes off as more intimidating than even Houndoom. Lliirans think Respite just attracts freaky Pokémon.

Crobat
NATURE: Jolly
ABILITY: Infiltrator
Brave Bird, Toxic, U-Turn, Defog

The most recent addition to Respite’s team. A flock of Zubat were feeding off of a local farmer’s crop (making him rather sad indeed) and the Lliirans—setting up a festival in the area—offered to take care of the issue. They scared most of the Zubat off, but Respite couldn’t help but feel bad for the creatures. Zubats were just as important to the ecosystem as any as Lliira’s “favored” Pokémon: despite looking ugly, they’re wonderful pollinators, just like Beautifly or Butterfree. Respite swooped one of the smaller, straggling Zubats up before it could get hurt and caught it.

Zubat has a big, Jolly heart, and is even a little bit of a prankster. Through its newfound understanding of joy and love, it evolved into Crobat. To Respite, Crobat is proof that all creatures are worthy of experiencing joy—and that joy can transform them into a truer version of themselves.

Meowscarada

Respite also owned a Jolly Meowscarada during his time serving the Maiden of Pain. However, Meowscarada remained loyal to Loviatar, and it betrayed Respite to stay in the temple. (Respite believes that Meowscarada might have been the one who revealed Lexibis’s location to the Whipmistresses.)

Now it’s time for Celescoix Marcetoix!

This is a bit of a departure from D&D: Celescoix is from the FFXIV world of Eorzea. Being a scholarly, magic-oriented professor of astromancy, Celescoix steers towards Psychic types. I also somehow made a sun team for them? Well, kinda. The sun is an astral body, so I guess it makes sense.

“Sharlayan” Rapidash
NATURE: Adamant
ABILITY: Pastel Veil
Play Rough, Sword Dance, High Horsepower, Morning Sun

Rapidash was gifted to Celescoix as a child. Coming from a rich, scholarly family, Celescoix was bestowed with luxuries as early as their very first Pokémon. Ponyta wasn’t caught, but bought by Celescoix’s parents as a status symbol for their child.

Rapidash, also raised in luxury, became very prissy, hard-headed, and egotistical. It is, by nature, rather Adamant in its beliefs—its belief that it’s better than you. It absolutely does not let Celescoix ride it, though it will demand that he brush out its mane.

Cherrim
NATURE: Timid
ABILITY: Flower Gift
Sunny Day, Growth, Weather Ball, Solar Blade

Cherrim was a gift from Celescoix’s father. His father, serving as an expert botanist to the Studium, was always closer to Celescoix than his mother was. Cherubi was involved in one of his father’s research projects (involving investigating Cherrim’s relationship to the sun). He occasionally brought Celescoix into work in order to teach him about his research. One of the Cherubi grew fond of the little Celescoix and decided to stay with her.

Cherrim is a fairly Timid creature, usually hiding in its leaves until the sun comes out—or until something it loves is being discussed—whenupon it transforms into its delightful Sunshine form. It is the closest with Rapidash, having been on Celescoix’s team the longest.

Delphox
NATURE: Rash
ABILITY: Blaze
Nasty Plot, Flamethrower, Psyshock, Encore

Delphox was the first Pokémon Celescoix properly caught. Sharlayan has Pokémon from all over the world in Labyrinthos (one big Pokémon safari, really): Celescoix was able to defeat the Fennekin in battle and train it up. Delphox is also a scholarly type with a penchant for magic; it is as interested in the forbidden arcane arts as Celescoix is. It is a bit of a mad scientist type. Celescoix and Delphox—when left to their own devices—will get so consumed in their research that they won’t sleep for days on end. It was with Delphox’s help that Celescoix tore the rift in time that resulted in their banishment from Sharlayan. Delphox is rather Rash, often conducting magical experiments without proper safety precautions.

Minior
NATURE: Timid
ABILITY: Shields Down
Substitute, Acrobatics, Stone Edge, Shell Smash

One day, as Celescoix was studying the stars during astromancy practice, a star fell from the sky and landed just a half-malm from where he was standing. That falling star turned out to be a yellow Minior. Minior’s appearance inspired Celescoix’s hypothesis that drawing aether from stars beyond the known sky—perhaps living stars with power far beyond Minior’s—could be the key to immortality. She and Delphox conducted lots of experiments on Minior, and Minior—being rather Timid—just sort of let them prod and poke. Minior is Celescoix’s prized possession and will frequently lead with it in battle. Minior is just sort of chill and thinks Celescoix and their team of werirdos are funny.

Charizard
NATURE: Hasty
ABILITY: Drought
Solar Beam, Flamethrower, Focus Blast, Dragon Pulse

Celescoix’s infatuation with immortality expands beyond aether manipulation in this Pokémon realm: he also believes that Mega-Evolution could be the key to eternal life. After fleeing towards and settling down in Eorzea, he commissioned a local goon to steal Mega-Evolution stone off of a traveling “adventurer”, as well as the Pokémon that used it: a Charizard. Charizard fought back against Celescoix, but Delphox was able to psychically force it into submission. Celescoix and Delphox ran many painful, unethical experiments on Charizard that resulted in it fusing with its Charizardite and permanently taking on the form of Chardizard-Y.

Charizard is a Hasty, rage-fueled beast—it lacks a true sense of self and, when brought out of its Pokéball, attacks without abandon. It doesn’t listen to Celescoix’s commands and instead destroys anything in its path. All of the Pokémon on Celescoix’s team are fearful of Chardizard… except for Delphox. Delphox thinks it can fix it.

Glameow
NATURE: Sassy
ABILITY: Limber
Return, Fakeout, Sucker Punch, U-Turn

The most recent addition to Celescoix’s team. A wild, stray Glameow lived on Celescoix’s neighborhood block in Mist. Celescoix isn’t really much for catching wild Pokémon, but something about that Miqo’te adventurer he keeps talking to (named F’zeem Tia) inspired him to be a little kinder to this cat Pokémon. He started setting out food for it, and one day, it never left. The Sassy Glameow now treats Celescoix’s home as its own. It gets along rather well with Rapidash and can frequently be caught taking naps in its soft mane.

Dialga & Celebi

Celescoix has a special fascination with Dialga and Celebi, both being legendary Pokémon related to time. He scoured through the forbidden sections of Sharlayan libraries in order to find information on the two. Now in Eorzea, he hopes he can learn even more about them… perhaps starting in New Sharlayan? (Surely Dialga has something to do with that Alexander thing that popped up….)

And now for a big departure! Time to talk about my Vampire: the Masquerade OC, Cecil Pierce.

I’ve thought long and hard about how Pokémon and the World of Darkness would intermingle, and I think there’s a couple of ways it can be done—

1. Pokémon are, at their core, animals. Vampires naturally repel animals unless they have the Animalism or Protean abilities. It would make sense for Pokémon to stay far, far away from vampires, as they’re able to sense their inherent evil… though I think that vampires wouldn’t make it far in their secret society if literally all Pokémon could tell that they were bad news.
2. Pokémon could suffer vampire-like curses in themselves, similar to the Shadow Pokémon from Coliseum/XD. I think this would result in special moves and abilities… though having an entire team of vampiric Pokémon seems a little far-fetched. Maybe each vampire only has one “partner” Pokémon that winds up bitten by their sire’s partner Pokémon. I think that this is fun, but it also directly contrasts with the theme of loneliness and individualism that VtM explores… but I guess that’s what happens when you try to combine a child-friendly power-of-friendship game with a grimdark horror tabletop.
3. Pokémon can be treated like ghouls. The Cainite gives a little bit of their blood to the Pokémon to increase their power and help them live for a little longer, but they’re not inherently vampiric in themselves. If Pokémon are treated as ghouls rather than Cainites, it works better with the theme of loneliness: Pokémon are just tools, not friends. I know that vampires with Animalism can create animal ghouls, I think… I don’t really know what would make that skill special in this world if Pokémon are such a big part of it. Maybe they can give their Pokémon even more special skills…?
4. Pokémon are Completely Normal: it is necessary for the Masquerade for vampires to keep at least one around, but it doesn’t receive any special powers. Vampires would wind up going through Pokémon like water then, I think—they’d have to let them go once in a while to maintain the Masquerade. This probably makes the most sense, but it’s not super interesting. The whole point of a Pokémon AU is to imagine your OCs with a handcrafted Pokémon team!

When envisioning Cecil’s team, I went with a combo of options 2 and 3. Cecil’s main partner Pokémon shares his vampiric curse, while the rest of the Pokémon are “ghouls” with special abilities. I think, in practicality, Cecil would only keep their partner Pokémon and maybe one ghoul… but that isn’t very fun! Plus, if Cecil has been around for decades, it would make sense for them to have built a fearsome team of incredibly powerful Pokémon.

I think most vampires would steer towards Dark and Ghost types (with the exception of their partner Pokémon, as that one was caught before the Embrace), and Cecil is no exception.

Cecil tends towards small, slim, and beautiful Pokémon, focusing on aesthetic versus sheer strength. The exception to this is Ferarligator, Cecil’s partner Pokémon, who he’s had since he was a young boy living in the New Orleans bayou.

I don’t really have much to say in terms of how Cecil stumbled onto these Pokémon, nor do I particularly want come up with movesets, given that I think vampire powers would wind up affecting their abilities. I think most of them are just as old as he is, and they’ve become primal forces of nature more than anything else. Instead, I’ll talk about why I think they’re fitting for him!

Feraligatr

As mentioned before, Cecil grew up in the bayou. Totodiles would be native to the region, so it would make sense for him to catch one. I believe Cecil would’ve had lots of fancy Pokémon growing up—many of them gifted to him by his family—but Totodile, the first Pokémon he ever caught himself, would be the closest to him, and the only one to follow him into vampiric unlife. I also think, in the modern era, Totodiles might be a little rarer given urbanization and their reputation as starter Pokémon, so Cecil having a fully-evolved one is a sign of old-blood prestige. Plus: it’s shiny! Not only is this prestigious, but the blue cowl on its head matches a Ventrue’s blue-blood.

“Hawaiian” Persian

Smug cat fits Cecil really well. I wanted this to be his partner Pokémon, but a Totodile made more thematic sense. But man, this one is The Cecil Pokémon. I think he leads with it in battle.

Sableye

I think Sableye is hauntingly beautiful. You could easily get charmed by its glittering, jewel-like eyes, which—in addition to being a symbol of wealth—feels very Ventrue.

Chandelure

Chandelure is one of my personal favorite Pokémon. It’s super gothic, which lends itself well to a vampire character. Luring innocent souls away will-o-wisp style is also very hypnotically “vampire”.

Weavile

Weavile is another sleek, beautiful pick. The feathers on the top of its head almost look like a royal crown, befitting a Ventrue.

Mimikyu

Mimikyu masquerades as a Pikachu in order to be loved, even though its true form is a hideous beast that brings death to all those who witness it. Is there anything more vampire than that?

Jalen, if you’re curious, would have only one Pokémon: an Eevee. It’s cute, cuddly, and representative of how Jalen hasn’t decided what type of person he wants to be. I think, eventually, Jalen would invest in becoming a super strong trainer in order to defend Cecil better. His team would, at that point, consist of the following: Umbreon, Thievul, Hydreigon, Rotom, Incineroar, and Bisharp. (A theoretical “good ending” Jalen who breaks away from Cecil would see his Eevee evolving into a Sylveon instead.)

And that’s it! I have lots more OCs, but these five are the ones I’m rotating in my head the most. If I become hyper-obsessed with another OC in the future, I’ll write a blog post about their team!

That’s all for now! See you later, Feraligatr!