Rivals

Drayton

Drayton

Chilled Dude of The Elite Four
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    [PokeCommunity.com] Rivals


    Rivals, We love'em and hate'em. They started their journey with our protag, got their pokemon of the choice which is super effective against you*, they got their pokedex just like the protag from respective professor** and while we journey ahead they will battle the protag to keep them sharp and up, other time they will help us conquer villainous team in a double battle
    *exception for Bianca which picks a starter that weak to your choice also Shauna same perspective as Bianca
    **Silver, who just stole a pokemon which may/may not get the pokedex.

    So which one/any of them is your favorite and why? Oh this includes Wally, Cheren, Bianca and the trio rival in XY

    ​
     
    Yes, Barry counted as a rival and I wasn't happy with too much rivals on XY, just 2 like in BW is enough for me and the too much means mid way on game progression on XY they just battle respectively and all the time Serena/Calem always battle the player and these trio only occasionally once or twice
     
    Being a rival is always challenge the player midway or somewhere on game progression and just battle once and they're gone and be more like Calem/Serena they're always challenged the player midway and Trevor, Tierno and Shauna they battled only twice on midway while Calem/Serena have more battles with the player, I think GF makes them more friend than a rival and I counted Calem/Serena as a real rival and these trio just not much
     
    I always view N as a third rival in the BW game and he is by far the best one that I've seen since Gary from the first pokemon game. I say this because he actually has the decency to completely switch his team line up after a couple of battles. He is also the first character to use the opposite version legendary against you in his final battle and that was after beating the champion of Unova.
    But if I were to pick a rival that's practically your friend, then I would choose Brendan/May since they have the most positive attitude in battling the player and in certain cases, they unexpectedly heal your team in the middle of your journey. Whenever I battle against them, I always feel that it doesn't matter whether you win or lose since it's purely for fun.
     
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    My favorite rival is Barry. He had a well worked out personality and wasn't a total jerk, yet gave a good rivalry spirit. His battles were good ones too, as opposite to May. Even in her final battle she had only one fully evolved Pokémon on her team.
     
    I still like Hugh the most, as he was one of the few I could fully respect - he wasn't a total snob (Gary and Silver), a stalker (Brendan/May, and Cheren/Bianca), or on outright crack (Barry). Granted, that may be what some people like about them, but I liked that he had something he was properly fighting for. The whole "I'M ABOUT TO UNLEASH MY RAGE" thing I found funny, too.
     
    Rivals I like are Blue, Barry&Hugh were OKAY, Shauna and Calem.

    Rivals I dislike are Silver, Cheren, and Bianca is on the fence,

    The rest either never felt like rivals or just aren't that notable imo.
     
    The rival I liked the most is probably Barry because Pokemon D/P/P is like, the first game that the rival is heavily involved in the story and it was great teaming up with him to beat Team Galactic. And I like his personality :3

    Another rival that I like is Blue/Green because he was always one step ahead of you, he's always beating you, he became the champ first and that made you want to beat him once and for all. Not to mention he was cocky personality which made you hate him even more.

    Silver is also great because he has a mysterious past, you dont know why he's a complete jerk, and just made us wonder why.
     
    my first game was Sapphire, so i may be biased when i say Brendan was my favourite rival, and also the most challenging one to me too, at the time. he beat me so many times when i travelled from Slateport to Mauville. and i actually really liked his character and its development as the story went on too. way in the beginning of the game, he says he thought you (female player) would be a guy, since you're the Gym Leader's kid. he doesn't say it directly, but it sounds a little condescending - also when he offers to go catch you a Pokémon later on. like he thinks you couldn't do that on your own. this to me was a great start, since i had a real incentive to kick his butt and 'prove myself' to him. (imagine my frustration when i couldn't beat him every time right before Mauville :/)
    he then also goes on to be really surprised when you beat him in battle several times, and it takes a good while for him to really warm up, but then in the end he's really grown to respect you. and it was the same for me, kind of. even way at the end, when you just beat the Champion, he comes running because he's worried you couldn't take him on by yourself, but then is actually left behind as you enter the Hall of Fame without him. i just really liked how that relationship sort of developed.

    i haven't experienced May as a rival, but i can imagine her feeling a little more bland because you don't have that type of rivalry going on in the beginning.
    and to be honest i thought Barry was incredibly annoying haha
     
    I think May is quite nice and cheerful. She always give us some useful items and information and even praise our player when you did a certain anchievements. 8)
     
    Does N count as a rival? i mean, you do technically battle him multiple times throughout the story of Black/White, and i think he is the most fleshed out rival-like character in the main series games.
    other than that, i would probably say Silver and Bianca.

    Bianca has a very large learning experience on her first journey, which leads her to ultimately find her niche in helping research Pokemon, which i think is very fitting for her character. It was also the first time we really saw a rival who wanted to just have fun battling you while gaining their own experiences, instead of a rival who wanted to see who was stronger through battle.

    Silver develops a lot as a person toward the end of the games, and you can tell that he has a struggle between whether or not the "powerful v weak" debacle holds any true significance... it's especially clear because his Golbat evolves into a Crobat (aw <3). He learned a lot about disciplining himself and not pushing his teammates too far, and it's rare to see someone who starts on the wrong path find their way to the right path almost completely on their own accord (well, with his pokemon, too), even in real life.
     
    I'm not convinced Serena/ Calem isn't also a love interest for my character.

    My fave (or the most memorable) was May/ Brendan from the Hoenn games.
     
    My favourite in terms of personality was Barry, I dunno I just found his franticness and being in a rush all the time quite comical, not to mention him threatening to fine me loads of money if I was late to be rather amusing haha. I just found his enthusiasm for Pokémon to be realistic and I was always happy whenever he showed up.


    I also liked how Brendan (I play as May) battled you to check on your progress, it seemed like he was genuinely proud to see you do so well.


    In terms of the rival that I got the most satisfaction out of beating, it was Silver. His presence honestly feels intimidating, and I like how the first time you see him is outside the lab. The whole "stealing the Pokémon that's better than yours" storyline seems slightly more rival-y than your rival just choosing after you imo.
     
    I have a slice of my heart dedicated to Hugh, but I think that's because I named him Harvey, and that name is very important to me.

    Otherwise, I love how they did Calem/Serena. There was something in the way they reacted and said things that made them much more than someone you encountered suddenly and battled. I felt some sort of pain go through them as I demolished their team yet again, crushing their confidence and making them question themselves as a trainer. The farther and farther we went the more they got their hopes up only to fail, which gave me a little perspective on what it realistically would be like on the losing side.

    But it made me feel good about my strength, that I wasn't holding back. The writers did a fine job making the rival in Kalos seem frustrated with themselves and strive to be even better.

    Now I wouldn't want Game Freak to invoke pity party all the time, no, but I want more reactive behavior from the rivals. My Serena was one of the most memorable characters because she sounded like one, instead of just another arrogant NPC.​
     
    Achromatic said:
    Would you be interested in sharing the story with us? I certainly like to hear your reasoning behind that name. 8)
    Click to expand...

    Oh, sure!

    Well, the name you see all over my profile besides Kiyoshi is Elwood, no? That's what I name my characters in-game. It's from an old play called Harvey, dating back to 1940's America. I did it in my senior year of High School where I played the lead, Elwood P. Dowd, a peculiar but warm-hearted man. His older sister recently moved back to their family home after the death of their mother, to find that Elwood has changed in demeanor to this oddly sunny disposition ... that includes the fact he sees an anthropomorphic invisible six-foot tall rabbit man named Harvey. He's Elwood's best friend, and, funny enough, keeps him the sanest man and most sensible character in the play - along with being a great gentleman to boot.

    It's hinted very subtly in Elwood's dialogue that he realizes the weirdness of what Harvey is, and that he's not the flighty and slightly off-kilter soul he appears to be ... in fact, he's got quite the serious mind, and you can tell that before Harvey, he was probably an alcoholic prick. He's a conscious man making an active decision to be the pleasant, odd soul, that everyone - including himself - is better off for being.

    Although I myself have a human best friend who I'm pretty sure I'm soulmates with, Harvey is my muse. His influence has never gone away, since that was the play that kept me in acting. It was the first time I had ever "been" a character fully; convinced me I could be good at something.

    So going on a Pokemon adventure with him was a great experience. :3​
     
    Kiyoshi the Polar Bear said:
    Oh, sure!

    Well, the name you see all over my profile besides Kiyoshi is Elwood, no? That's what I name my characters in-game. It's from an old play called Harvey, dating back to 1940's America. I did it in my senior year of High School where I played the lead, Elwood P. Dowd, a peculiar but warm-hearted man. His older sister recently moved back to their family home after the death of their mother, to find that Elwood has changed in demeanor to this oddly sunny disposition ... that includes the fact he sees an anthropomorphic invisible six-foot tall rabbit man named Harvey. He's Elwood's best friend, and, funny enough, keeps him the sanest man and most sensible character in the play - along with being a great gentleman to boot.

    It's hinted very subtly in Elwood's dialogue that he realizes the weirdness of what Harvey is, and that he's not the flighty and slightly off-kilter soul he appears to be ... in fact, he's got quite the serious mind, and you can tell that before Harvey, he was probably an alcoholic prick. He's a conscious man making an active decision to be the pleasant, odd soul, that everyone - including himself - is better off for being.

    Although I myself have a human best friend who I'm pretty sure I'm soulmates with, Harvey is my muse. His influence has never gone away, since that was the play that kept me in acting. It was the first time I had ever "been" a character fully; convinced me I could be good at something.

    So going on a Pokemon adventure with him was a great experience. :3​
    Click to expand...

    I do something quite similar with naming my character Al(my nickname irl) and Felix(the male version kf my sister's name, Al is already pretty male but I use it as either) and once Lee(because Hilda was Al and Rosa was Felix so Hugh became Lee.)

    Anyhow, my favorites would be: N, Hugh, and Silver. Mostly because I absolutely love their character development. Barry would rank fourth though.

    Brendon(I have no idea how May acts but if she's exactly the same...) is kind of freindly most of the time, but you should also remember he taunted you by saying "unlike you, your dad looks pretty strong". Lol rude.
    Also, am I the only one who feels like Red and Blue are bffs? If you read his dialog carefully, it sounds much more like a couple of friends helping each other out and wanting a little competition. except that scene in FRLG with the fame checker XD

    Cheren and Calem I felt bad for because they always seemed to want to stand out but would mope about it a bit if you won. Bianca and Shauna were adorable little things though lol. Trevor and Tierno are really cool too, and they had Pokemon before you. 8D Wally I felt bad about fighting but he's too precious. Is Lyra considered a 'rival' cause I don't think so?

    Ah whatever really I love them all. N-Hugh-Silver-Barry-Blue-Bianca-Shauna-Trevor-Tierno-Calem-Cheren-Brendon(but not hate)
     
    so i actually came back here cause i remembered not one but two green haired rivals that i didn't mention before, but who i did really enjoy having as such - N and Wally! scratch Brendan, i think N was probably my favourite rival of all, if you can call him that anyway. he was so mysterious and his bond with his Pokémon was really interesting to me. also the interactions where he became so intrigued by the bond you as a trainer had with your Pokémon were great imo. and then there was the ferris wheel scene xD

    Wally also deserves a mention because i really liked the development he went through, especially in ORAS. to battle him at the end of Victory Road in that field of flowers, with a (much more fitting if you ask me) Mega Gallade instead of a male Gardevoir, where he had gained so much more confidence than before... i thought it was really cool, haha.
    i only wish they had given him a bit more spunk when you meet him for the second time and battle in Mauville City. i think in RSE he already perked up enough to actually be confident about battling you that time, while in ORAS he was still timid and couldn't even say the word 'rival' properly as i recall. so i think he could've kept that bit of development already, and then of course went all out on Victory Road.
     
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