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Animedemon001 — Tips for creating Pokemon OC's
Published: 2014-03-01 02:12:32 +0000 UTC; Views: 93466; Favourites: 464; Downloads: 0
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When reading this, please realize that this is for fully human OC’s in modern times only.

No more than six Pokemon on a battle team. Why can’t people realize this? Seriously, have you ever seen anyone battle with more than six Pokemon? No? Then why are their OC’s battling with 15 freakin Pokemon a piece? It’s perfectly fine for a gym leader or professor to have a bunch of Pokemon that live with them, or for a trainer to have a ton of stored Pokemon as long as they aren’t constantly using more than six.

Starters as starters never go out of style. There are way too many fics where the OC has Pikachu or Eevee as a starter for no reason. Try to use starters as starter Pokemon (don’t give the trainer a bunch of starters or starters from foreign regions). When a new Pokemon is released before its generation (this happened with Munchlax), and is not a starter Pokemon, don’t use it as a starter until the rest are released.

Your starter is not Pikachu. Not every starter likes/hates their trainer imminently. Give them personality.

Shiny Pokemon are done to death. So you wanna have a unique OC with a party of shiny’s? Well, tough luck. Shines are rare, not something that your OC can have a million of (I’ve seen people who have OC’s with a ton of shiny Pokemon, and will flame anyone with a single shiny). One is okay (as long as it’s a fairly common Pokemon), two is pushing it, and three or more makes your character a Mary-Sue. Shiny starters are also done to death (seriously, who would give a Pokemon that rare to a little kid?).

Nobody has multi-color hair. Have you ever seen anyone with rainbow hair in Pokemon? It’s perfectly okay to give your OC purple hair, but not rainbow.

Nobody has a perfect body. Your OC shouldn’t be tall, thin, and large busted (especially if they are 14 or younger), that would make them a Mary-Sue. Give them appearance flaw. Why not give your character small breasts, and have her feel awkward whenever a woman with bigger breasts walks by?

Cool it with the Eevee’s. Yes, Eevee is an epic Pokemon, but it is also done to death. Unless your OC is an Eevee breeder (and not a part time Pokemon master), than they shouldn’t have a million Eevee’s (especially not shiny ones). Don’t even get me started on Eevee as a starter.

Pokemon don’t speak English. I’m fine with you having OC’s raised by Pokemon who aren’t carbon copies of N (Try to have them more like the Kangaskong kid from season one where the parents accidentally lost him instead of it involving rape/abuse). But if your OC was raised by Pokemon and had little or no contact with humans, than they shouldn’t be able to speak perfect English the first minute they encounter a human.

Becoming a Pokemon master isn’t a walk in the park. I get it you wanna make your OC be really cool with a bunch of championship titles, or top coordinator titles, or the like, but if you give your OC too much power and titles, they become a Mary-Sue. Decide of you wanna make them a renowned breeder OR a master of flying types.

Legendary Pokemon are supposed to be rare. Your OC shouldn’t encounter a legendary on their first day out, nor should they posses more than one that is not one of a kind and necessary to keep the Earth in alignment (Dialgia, Yvetal, ect.). Don’t even get me started on shiny legendary Pokemon. Even if your OC has a legendary/rare Pokemon, they shouldn’t get it very easy (not without a Master ball, which you can only get one of), it should take a lot of time and effort. Legendary Pokemon are already so powerful, leaving no room for growth.

Clothing shouldn’t be too impractical. Yes, flip-flops look cute, but they shouldn’t be worn on Mt. Silver. Your OC’s clothing should work for where they are/live. It’s perfectly fine to have impractical outfits that backfire for humorous effects (i. e. Getting sick after wearing a tanktop and shorts around Snowpoint city).

OC’s are not your shipping toys. Your OC shouldn’t exist so you can ship them with characters that you think are hot (N and Gary are big ones, but for me it was Falkner). Your OC should not be constantly hit on by character (especially not significantly older characters), or used as an object of desire of any kind (It’s really sexist to have your female character simply be a sex doll). Please don’t ship your OC with Pokemon, just don’t.

Pokemon don’t get stronger because you want them to. Let’s take Tallow for example (apparently someone was god-moding with one of these), it’s got horrible attack stat until it evolves. Now let’s say you pit it against a Chancy (very high HP). Your Tallow shouldn’t be able to take down the Chancy in one it. And forget about the whole, “Dodge every attack” thing. Look up stats are be reasonable.

Ash does not have a twin sister. It’s okay to have your OC be related to cannon characters, but don’t make it a relationship that couldn’t happen, and try to stick to less popular characters.

Get your evolution facts straight. Eevee doesn’t evolve by the moon stone, Porygon doesn’t evolve by leveling up. Get your facts straight, and make sure you use a reliable site for information.

Pokemon should be caught/befriended in different ways. You don’t even wanna know how many fic there are where all the Pokemon were nursed back to health by the OC who they then join. It’s okay to do this once or twice, but not all the time. Give each Pokemon their own method of capture.

Your OC is not Ash. Don’t have their journey be just like Ash’s, you know what I mean (waking up late, getting a rare starter that hates them, ect.) Give them their own journey.

Prophecies involving an OC as the “Chosen one” are dead. Your character is not some special half-Arseus, god. If you must put in a prophecy, make it less about your OC and more about others.

Rare Pokemon are supposed to be rare. Your OC should not be given a rare Pokemon as a starter because the professor “doesn’t need it” for some reason (“Here, take this shiny Eevee, I have no use for it.”), or find one on their first day out (“OMG, I’ve only been out here for three minutes, and I just found a shiny Dragtini.”). If your OC must of a rare Pokemon, have it take a lot of searching to get that one rare Pokemon (don’t have them find a ton of rare Pokemon).

Too many outfits, is too much baggage. Pokemon trainers are constantly traveling around, so they wouldn’t have room for a million outfits. Its okay for them to have outfits for different function (Swimsuit, coat, ect.), or for a stationary character to have a bunch of clothing. Try carrying a bag around with a bunch of different outfits (including shoes). Now put other things such as food in that bag. My point exactly.

Too much angst makes a Mary-Sue. Trauma is a good way to make people feel bad for your character, right? Wrong! Angst should never be used to make people feel bad for your character. Try not to use too much angst, and make sure it fits with the setting. And skip the whole, “Dad? What dad?” thing (I can name four characters off the top of my head with daddy issues).

Straw men are not suitable villains. Jessie and James are weak and stupid, but that’s not the entire team rocket. Your OC should have to fight strong villains which take a long time to defeat (fighting straw men and paper tigers makes them look weak).

Preteens aren’t THAT mature. This includes both physical and mental attributes. A ten year old shouldn’t be a D-cup, nor should they be able to process everything that is happening around them as well as an older person would.

There are no set gender roles. Just because your OC is a boy doesn’t mean he has to do gym, just because your trainer is a girl doesn’t mean she has to be a coordinator. Anyone who says differently is a sexist pig.

Just because its fanFICTION, doesn’t mean you don’t have to keep the cannon. No explanation necessary.

Use spell check. Your fic isn’t SOOOO good that everyone will ignore that you wrote in text format. Also, google translate shall not be used to translate fics.

Learn to take criticism. You are not the greatest writer ever; people have the right to give you helpful tips on your writing. Before you say to them, “You have no right to criticize my art.” Remember, you posted in a public space, and didn’t disable reviews. Never say, “I worked really hard on this, so please like it.”

Have fun. Duh. 



Related content
Comments: 382

lostintheblizzard [2023-06-15 16:27:29 +0000 UTC]

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vicky096 In reply to lostintheblizzard [2023-11-24 17:05:28 +0000 UTC]

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Astral42 [2023-02-22 20:15:04 +0000 UTC]

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tatsugirisushi In reply to Astral42 [2023-03-27 23:38:45 +0000 UTC]

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Astral42 In reply to tatsugirisushi [2023-04-01 02:59:45 +0000 UTC]

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MiraculousRocketFan [2022-07-15 09:13:35 +0000 UTC]

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m1hir0 [2022-03-06 17:36:54 +0000 UTC]

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tatsugirisushi In reply to m1hir0 [2023-03-27 23:40:09 +0000 UTC]

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comicque [2021-08-21 11:47:26 +0000 UTC]

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CaptainAmeliaArlert [2021-07-01 09:35:05 +0000 UTC]

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undrskore [2021-04-01 20:07:53 +0000 UTC]

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Cheetex [2020-12-22 08:53:30 +0000 UTC]

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LittleUwU99 [2020-12-17 18:54:48 +0000 UTC]

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JenCartoons29 [2020-10-07 22:03:38 +0000 UTC]

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JulietteCom [2020-08-07 17:47:01 +0000 UTC]

Perfect 👏🏼👏🏼
Well said!

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LightningWolf55 [2020-05-24 12:35:44 +0000 UTC]

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ZahmVerad [2020-05-11 02:49:30 +0000 UTC]

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evasusis [2020-04-12 13:56:55 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for this post! It is so helpful and I think all artist should learn from it

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Keslix [2020-01-14 23:31:02 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for sharing this because I was planning on creating my own Oc and my gf is helping me to enter this fandom wich I'm getting interested in! I suppose it takes alot of creativity to created a character who will be able to travel around the world if they do ofc

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Completely-Wild [2020-01-11 02:55:52 +0000 UTC]

IMO just let people do what they want. It's their character and if they want to make a shitty OC, let them. Unless they actually want criticism and help, then well, you know.

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faymorgana [2019-12-22 15:46:13 +0000 UTC]

It seems to me all too rigid and restrictive. Fanfiction, oc and fanart also exist to vent stupid dreams, desires and fantasies. Who cares if she gets mated with Ash or has a shiny pokemon? It is fine because it is not a canon. And anyway, let's talk about a world where 10-year-olds are legally authorized to travel the world, alone or in the company of strangers, to participate in legal animal fights. I'd say it doesn't exactly point to Hemingway's level of scripture.

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ComikaArt In reply to faymorgana [2020-04-28 12:46:48 +0000 UTC]

Well, it's a list of tips, not of rules. I think it's meant to help you create characters that are enjoyable for both you and a possible audience.

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ComikaArt [2019-12-19 18:05:22 +0000 UTC]

A little hint for everyone who wants to scream at the creator of this journal because their list is stupid: This is a list of tips, not rules. They are specially meant for people who want to create enjoyable and well-written characters. They help you avoid clichés that around 60-80% of all Pokemon OCs follow (which makes them seem ordinary and boring altogether) or help you avoid absolute no-gos that basically everyone hates and will hate you for (like sexualizing a child). Even the Pokemon World has a few rules which fans are thankful for if you follow them (at least in the context of writing a story taking place in the ordinary Pokemon timeline). You are free to ignore all of those tips if all that you're looking for is having fun.

I always thought that most of these are self-explanatory, but I also always find people with Mary Sues as OCs which is a bit saddening as all of them could have a lot more potential!
Either way, I think this list of tips is great. I hope you're not having too much trouble reading through all the comments you get. ^^"

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ComikaArt In reply to ComikaArt [2019-12-19 18:27:51 +0000 UTC]

On a side note, using your creativity and doing what you want isn't necessarily making your character and their story bad! Most of the rules mentioned by Animedemon001 are basic "character-creation rules" that professionals tend to follow. You can break some rules if you have good reasons.

At first, think about what purpose it fulfills to break one of those "rules". Is it necessary for the plot or is it just because you thought it'd be cool? Does it make sense or were you just too lazy to think about another solution to your problem?
Letting your character lose their parents at the age of 6 so they are afraid of having any emotional attachment, so when they become a Pokemon Trainer, their Pokemon slowly become their new family and make them overcome this fear. - That's what Pokemon is all about!
Having a prophecy in your story can work if you use it right. Is your character unsure of themselves and burdened by the pressure of the prophecy, making them choose the wrong path because they don't know what to do? - That's great!
Having a professor who gives your character a shiny starter because Team Rocket is after the rare Pokemon and the professor needs you to hide and protect it? - Sounds cool!
Ignoring the cannon information because your story is taking place in an AU where Team Aqua successfully increased the size of the oceans, making your character lose trust in the champion and the gym leaders who had the power to stop it. - Fantastic!
Making your character become a Pokemon Master and defeat the champion in less than a week so they can impress the whole world so they become a world-known celebrity. - That sucks!

Breaking a rule when it's needed or when it's beneficial for your story or character's development is professional in some way. Breaking all the rules creates an unbelievable and boring character.

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HopeDiamond3 [2019-11-29 22:33:46 +0000 UTC]

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Nocturne-Sol [2019-11-09 09:56:46 +0000 UTC]

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Animedemon001 In reply to Nocturne-Sol [2019-11-09 14:50:10 +0000 UTC]

Sure. And don't worry too much about making a Mary Sue, especially if you are just starting out writing. The goal is not to start out with perfectly created characters, but to improve your characterization over time.

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Nocturne-Sol In reply to Animedemon001 [2019-11-09 23:14:00 +0000 UTC]

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Sonicfan44455 [2019-10-27 20:10:57 +0000 UTC]

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Sonicfan44455 In reply to Sonicfan44455 [2019-10-27 20:13:33 +0000 UTC]

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Sonicfan44455 In reply to Sonicfan44455 [2019-10-27 20:26:21 +0000 UTC]

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Aorta-Heartless [2019-08-09 01:52:07 +0000 UTC]

So, about alternate starters...
Would early route Pokemon be okay?
Or if the OC grew up in a certain place that allowed them to get a rare Pokemon easily?
Like someone from Blackthorn having a Dratini or someone from Fuchsia City having a Safari Zone Pokemon?
What if the OCs parents bought him/her a Pokemon to commemorate the beginning of his/her journey? James got a Growlithe from his parents.
TLR If I can make a plausible reason, can I go with a non-starter?

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Animedemon001 In reply to Aorta-Heartless [2019-08-09 20:28:16 +0000 UTC]

Yes, it would be fine to have a non-traditional starter if the character did not obtain it from a professor, especially if its a common, weak Pokemon. The big issue is when a character obtains a non-traditional starter from a professor, especially if they overslept, as it makes them too similar to Ash.

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Astral42 In reply to Animedemon001 [2023-02-22 20:16:46 +0000 UTC]

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SuperDude94 [2019-07-07 02:53:24 +0000 UTC]

Whats the rule on creating pokemon/alterring versions of existing pokemon?

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Animedemon001 In reply to SuperDude94 [2019-07-07 19:47:47 +0000 UTC]

Much like with any character, when creating new/altered Pokemon, its important not to make them too overpowered.

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Sapphyre-Krystal [2019-06-04 22:04:26 +0000 UTC]

 I was a D cup at age 14 (I was an early bloomer).  and also people can do what they want with their oc. Some of these are valid points {leveling up, shipping, and sort of the twin thing along with the set roles} but have you never heard of AUs? That's where creativity comes in. Let people do what they want. There really shouldn't be rules of how to make ocs other than don't copy others and don't steal ocs.

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ComikaArt In reply to Sapphyre-Krystal [2019-12-19 17:44:46 +0000 UTC]

I think what they meant when writing this down was to give others tips when they are creating a Pokemon OC and want them to be more likable and understandable for others? Like, if you are looking for good content, you are probably not looking for a 10 years old girl who looks like she was 21 and already won against three champions (+ has a shiny Darkrai on her team). I think that's why AnimeDemon named the journal "tips" instead of "rules".
Though, I think you're right about AUs, as they can be really fun to explore. Though personally I think they are funnier if there's a specific "what if" scenario with lore and all that OwO Like "what if team Aqua won" or "what if the player didn't catch the legendary pokemon". I think it would make sense to mention the possibility of AUs somewhere in the journal.

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JB-Pawstep In reply to Sapphyre-Krystal [2019-10-15 13:27:15 +0000 UTC]

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ZachAbstract [2019-05-27 19:02:17 +0000 UTC]

I found these all useful tips. Thanks for taking the time to put this together. I'm constantly thinking of fanfics that coincide with the gameplay. It adds a layer to the game itself while making it all the more fun. Although I don't focus too much on writing a word for word script, I like to take the time to sketch milestones featuring my character and team as I progress through the game.

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ZachAbstract In reply to ZachAbstract [2019-05-27 19:08:15 +0000 UTC]

Forgot to ask... Does anyone have any secondary plot ideas/suggestions when playing through Pokémon games? The manga helps a little but I'm always trying to think up fresh/new stories to add a lil' spice.

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Astral42 In reply to ZachAbstract [2023-02-22 20:18:35 +0000 UTC]

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Nekoettaplays [2019-04-17 00:56:56 +0000 UTC]

No more than one legendary... Hmmm (flash back to the games) no catastrophic problem after catch dialga in pkmn ruby and saph

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LiliceDragon [2019-04-15 19:12:43 +0000 UTC]

As far as I'm starting my OC story there is a few things I do that really shouldn't do. I don't want to go out and be like "but but but I want to!" but, here's the few things that I have included as a good thing and also some bad. Please tell me what you think.

Daddy issues: My character is a female and I created a whole backstory for her and I made up a prophecy for her. Her father passed away when she was 11 and she went out to become a Pokemon Ranger before starting her journey in Sinnoh. The prophecy does involve legendarys but it's not nearly as much "screen time" as the initial journey.
Which leads to my next point in connecting it to the Pokemon vers. My OC was childhood friends with Gary and now that she is back (Gary being 21 and OC being 20 turning 21 before her journey) will be traveling with her on her journey.
Third thing is Pikachu: She is going to start out with a Pichu and end up with a Raichu but I stuck to only understanding her party Pokemon if she has a strong bond with them. So that's a plus.

You have no idea how long I have been designing lightweight outfits that she can carry with her throughout her journey, she will have a backpack kinda like a school one but a bit bigger.

Other than that everything follows your tips. I would like to one, publish my story one day and two, possibly make it into a comic or base my art off of it.

Please tell me what you or anyone thinks! I love getting suggestions, kinda hard when a lot of my friends don't play or know the Pokeverse lol

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comicque In reply to LiliceDragon [2021-08-21 12:29:01 +0000 UTC]

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Slymin [2019-03-18 01:25:34 +0000 UTC]

Every single person here coming up with excuses about how its  totally okay that THEIR OC does these and its justified because x, y, z are the problem that the poster here completely wasted their time trying to get through to.


If you're considering doing one of these, and you have some kind of excuse as to why it's totally okay in YOUR case as to why your'e breaking these, please just go through the comments and see everyone elses tired excuse thats the same as yours. "Its okay, my OC doesnt have any legendary pokemon, she just met a legendary on her first adventure and now it follows her around..." "Well, its okay, my OC does have a shiny but its alright because it's only one, and he was given it by his parents..." "okay, my character does have a prophecy focused on him, but let me explain!! is actually an EVIL prophecy"


If you're absolutely dead set on not following any of this advice then by all means go for it, but just be aware that your character is just another bland brick in the wall, no matter how hard you try to come up with excuses that your snowflake truly is the most unique and special of them all. Its cool if you have fun with it but don't think that it's going to interest anyone else, it's unfortunate that you don't want to strive for something genuinely great and memorable but if you're just having fun then go ahead and break every one of these.

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MPC07 [2019-02-15 02:49:11 +0000 UTC]

About the starter part, I don’t think it should be obligatory for an oc to go to the professor lab to get one of the three starters. It’s really limiting, because that’s basically how your character’s story begins. I personally think an oc could get a common wild pokemon as a starter, by borrowing someone else’s pokemon to make a catch, or maybe befriend the pokemon in some way.

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SilloAnnis In reply to MPC07 [2019-03-24 07:06:13 +0000 UTC]

And that’s what Let’s go ever and Pikachu did, they let you break out the box for a little bit

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MPC07 In reply to SilloAnnis [2019-03-30 16:16:15 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, but there's even more options than what the games did.

so long as it isn't illogical bs

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Eduardo47659 [2018-11-28 16:41:51 +0000 UTC]

What if my Oc was from the real world and died but ended up in the pokemon world(game version). Can he meet Arceus or Garetina, in the afterlife, and he/she will never capture them and still struggle during his new journey to become a pokemon champion. My Oc won't act like batman and brute about his dead parents since technically he died but this doesn't take away his joy and wonder to explore the pokemon world. He will not get multiple starters but can he get at least one off- region pokemon because my oc will be sent to the Kanto region but I want him to catch a mimikyu and the rest are Kanto exclusive. He will also be 16 years old so is that okay.

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