WAAPT FAQ

A list of common questions and answers regarding the workings of the RP.

General

• How do I format posts?

See here.

• What games are canon to the WAAPTverse?

WAAPT follows the events of FRLG, Emerald, Platinum, and HeartGold. Due to a lack of a third version from Gen V onward, it's left purposely ambiguous which of them are followed by WAAPT, though their events did happen in some capacity. The Pokèmon Ranger and Orre games are considered canon, as are the Mystery Dungeon games within PMD-A. It's ambiguous how canon the events and most of the characters of Pokémon Conquest are, but Ransei itself is canon and central to the Conquest Arc, though its status in the present is currently intentionally ambiguous.

• What about other media like the anime or PokeSpe?

Some things like locations (for example, nearly every animeverse-exclusive location exists, to the point the Orange Islands got their own arc) and a fair few minor characters from them (ex. Sir Aaron and Sird have been co-opted by certain players, and many others have appeared or been mentioned - mostly during the Gold Conference Arc but also elsewhere - and generally are subject to the same rules as most NPCs drawn from game canon) are canon, but likely not protagonists or storylines (ex. Ash and Co. and the Pokédex holders are right out, and their adventures are explicitly non-canon. Most of them exist as their gameverse selves somehow; it's unknown if Yellow (Special), Emerald (Special), and Max exist at all, and as for Ash it's intentionally left ambiguous whether or not he simply doesn't exist or is merely a perfectly normal trainer that never went far from his hometown and lives a much more low-key life than he does in his home canon). If you're unsure about a specific thing, ask. (Though as both a general guideline for doing so and a tl;dr of everything prior; if you wanted to incorporate a location like Odyssey Village or a character like Conway or Blaise into a plot or something you'll likely be fine given you've been in the RP long enough and with proper discussion. The aforementioned protagonists... Not so much.)

• What calendar does the WAAPTverse use?

Gregorian for ease of use.

• What does WAAPT do for arcs if there are no new games out?

Sometimes original stuff, other times something based on another franchise.

• How does the timeline work?

See here. The RP proper started in 2011 both in and out of universe.

• How does time progress?

One day IRL generally equates to one day in the RP's Universe, so most events written on a given day that aren't Time Shenanigans are taking place on that given day.

• What does TSing/Time Shenanigans mean?

When events that are taking place a previous day are being written on a later one. Sometimes this takes the form of an event being explicitly stated to be on the date it started and other times as events that get stretched out and are ambiguous exactly when given events took place other than being between the time it started and when it ended. The former is more common with smaller interaction, while the latter is more common with longer plots removed from the main action of the RP.

• What can I put on Current events?

Anything that you think is important, though major plot events, Gym challenges, hatchings, and evolutions are certainly worthy.

• How is Current events sorted?

By Eastern Standard Time or UTC-5, as that's the time zone shared by the largest amount of players.

• When did X take place?

For events taking place before the RP, see the timeline. For events taking place during the RP, see the Archive section in Current events in tandem with the timeline.

• What should my character already know in-universe?

See here.

• Do I need to worry about money for supplies?

No, except if you want to for entertainment/drama.

• Can I get a Trainer Title?

Yes, it can be either a canon one or a custom one.

• I've been away from the RP for a while and would like to come back, is that OK?

Sure, unless you've somehow been banned. You may create new characters for a fresh start if you wish without going through Signup procedures.

• How does education work in X region?

Basically the same as it does in its IRL counterpart, though trainers often take a GED or equivalent test instead of going to school, and online classes are far more robust.

• Game Corners?

The Mauville Game Corner is permanently closed.

• What is the canon relationship between WAAPT and the TVT Pokédex Extended Fanon Edition?

PEFE articles are considered semi-canon unless determined otherwise. That is, PEFE articles are useful but in no way are people beholden to follow them unless they're explicitly referenced in-story.

• Can my character have a Snag Machine?

It requires clearance, and in most cases should only be until the plot involving them has concluded.

• Burst Hearts?

While they exist in the WAAPTverse, they are forbidden for plot use.

Locations and Geography

• What are the demonyms for people and Pokémon from each region?
  • By region:
    • Kanto: Kantonese/Kantonian
    • Johto: Johtoan
    • Hoenn: Hoennese
    • Sinnoh: Sinn/Sinnohan
    • Unova: Unovan
    • Kalos: Kalosian
    • Alola: Alolan
    • Galar: Galarian
    • Orange Islands: Orange Islander
    • Orre: Orren/Orrean
    • Almia: Almian
    • Oblivia: Oblivian
    • Holon: Holonian* / Horonjin (ホロン人)* / Holonos/Holonas*
    • Angela: Angelan

• Why are there bracketed real-life locations (ex. [Japan], [Orlando]?)

They're used to designate the fact that they're the analogues of real life locations, and also as future-proofing in case they become parts of future canon regions. The brackets also happen to often be used for analogues of things that have not yet appeared on the Brand Names page.

• How big are the cities compared to their in-game counterparts?

Since the games follow the Law of Conservation of Details, IRP they're much more comparable in size to their IRL counterparts, ie. Lumiose being as large as RL!Paris, or Castelia being as large as Lower Manhattan. Similarly, routes are also much longer, though the same speed of plot rules still apply for getting through them.

• How do seasons work?

The same way as their IRL counterparts ie. A region based on somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere would follow the seasonal patterns of its IRL counterpart, and vice-versa for a hypothetical region based on somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere.

• So Unova still follows its seasonal changes?

Yes, though stuff like daily events aren't really strictly applied to except for plot purposes.

• How do the version-exclusive areas in Unova work?

They both exist. For instance, Opelucid is separated into modern (Black) and historical (White) districts, while Black City and White Forest are adjacent to each other, and Route 4 is a mixture of both versions that appear in BW2.

• Lake/Altar of the Sunne/Moon in Alola?

They're known as the Lake/Altar of the Sunne and Moone.

Dream World

• How does a human access the Dream World?

Save for extenuating circumstances such as the Dreamstalk, a human must be transfigured as a Pokémon and woken up within the Dream World as a Pokémon in order to access it in either form.

• What happens if someone's dream self dies?

They just wake up.

Pokémon Bio and Culture

• What do Pokémon eggs look like?

We go by the anime and Gen II Sugimori art depiction of Pokémon eggs looking different depending on species.

• Can Pokémon eat human foods that would be poisonous to their RL counterparts (Ex. Things with caffeine and/or theobromine)?

It varies from species to species (Save for Steel-types due to their poison immunity), but while they do have a higher resistance to it than their RL counterparts, feeding them such things long-term is ill-advised.

• How literate are Pokémon generally?

Literacy tends to be common to varying degrees amongst trained mons. Official starter mons (As in the ones you get from a professor) tend to be near-universally literate, whereas mons that live far from civilization by contrast tend to be near-universally illiterate.

• Are Ghostmons in WAAPT born ghosts or are they all dead humans or Pokémon?

They can be either, regardless of individual species.

• How long does it take for Pokémon to mature, and how long do they live?

Generally most Pokémon are on par with a human 18 year old at roughly 3-5 years with variations thereof, and live more or less as long as humans do, give or take a couple decades. Some reptilian Pokémon such as the Turtwig line can live for a couple centuries, Volcarona can live for at least a millennium, and Pokémon such as Metagross are functionally immortal save for an unnatural death, such as through violence or disease. Ghost-types are much the same.

Catching and Training Pokémon

• What Pokémon can I catch?

Whatever you want as long as they're non-legendary and a canon species. (Phione for these purposes counts as non-legendary.)

• But some characters have legendary Pokémon!

Grandfather Clause for those who still have them.

• What about all those Lati@s?

Most of them were introduced as part of something for Hoenn-2 and are staying where they're from unless they had a reason to leave. Regardless, while they do have Trainers they spend time with, they are not a part of their teams.

• Do I have to catch Pokémon in the same spots as they appear in the games?

Generally yes, unless there's a good in-universe reason to explain their presence.

• Can I catch shinies?

Yes, apart from the glint they're no better or worse than a non-shiny mon, though some may cry foul if your character has an unusually large amount of shinies.

• What about Delta Pokémon?

Yes, but it'll require outside approval due to the possibility of a mon gaining a type combination that combined with its stats would make it particularly gamebreaky.

• What about Type: Null and Silvally?

Due to the ethics issues behind their creation, and there explicitly being only three in existence (Two belonging to Gladion and the protagonist, respectively, and a third in stasis) they're under an indefinite honorary Legendary Clause.

• What about Ultra Beasts?

Yes, but they require both in-universe and out-of universe approval to get the required Beast Balls, and only one per team apart from members of the Poipole Line. (ie. Your character can have, for instance, both a Naganadel and Buzzwole, but not a Buzzwole and Celesteela.)

• Totem Pokémon?

Off limits.

• Shadow Pokémon?

Requires prior approval.

• Can I catch a Pokemon from a game that has yet to be released?

No. See the Future Games section for more info.

• What is the Vow and how does it work?

See here.

• What does it look like inside a Poké Ball?

The Pokémon creates a mind-created world inside the Ball, with slight variations depending on the type of Ball.

• Do I have to keep my extra mons in Boxes or Box equivalents?

No, though having more than six mons on hand can become very hard to manage metawise.

• Can you catch a Pokémon that has already been caught?

No, unless they've been released the Ball will simply uselessly bounce off of them.

• How important are Natures?

While nothing stops you from giving a Pokémon a canon Nature, they have no bearing on strength and/or weakness in WAAPT and only serve as flavor text.

• Does WAAPT use levels?

They exist, but we don't really use them to officially measure Pokémon strength past going "X mon is the equivalent of a lv. Y mon in-game", but that doesn't mean your freshly hatched Mareep could necessarily use Thunder without the TM, for instance. (And even if extenuating circumstances are involved, such as both parents knowing the move and passing it down, that doesn't necessarily mean it can use them well.) The pace of evolving a Pokémon by level-up is generally done at a player's discretion.

Generally, it can be assumed that a team equivalent to a trainer with 8 Badges/Four Passport Stamps would be at least in the 40-50 range, whereas a Champion level team that has beaten at least one League's Champion would be at least in the 60-70 range at minimum.

Pokémon Moves

• What moves can my Pokémon get?

Anything they can get legally, whether through natural moveset, TMs & HMs, tutoring, or egg moves.

• What about Delta Pokémon?

Same, though they can also learn moves of the types they've acquired and get STAB from them, some might require approval for brokeness.

• Shadow Pokémon?

The one purification move they get is your choice.

• Is there a four move limit?

See Battle Mechanics.

• What counts as a move tutor?

Aside from canon move tutors, there's other PCs, human NPCs, or even mons.

• Do I have to pay them in Shards/BP/whatever?

If you want, though we tend to make the assumption that you chose to gloss over that portion.

• How can I get TMs and HMs outside of Gym Battles?

You can buy them, or just find them while exploring like in the games.

• Are there any attacks unique to the RP?

See here.

• How does teleportation work?

While teleportation works closer to Fly when it comes to getting around, maximum distance depends on the individual strength of the teleporter. Xatu for instance is good enough at teleportation that he can easily teleport between locations as far away as Kanto and Unova without having to make mini jumps and can take large amounts of beings at once. Whereas at the other extreme the equivalent of a level 10 Abra or Natu probably can't teleport further away than the next town over at most, and only then with strain, and couldn't take something all that big with them.

Evolving Pokémon

• What forms can my Vivillon evolve into?

Your choice, WAAPT doesn't limit it to RL location.

• How do I evolve Crabrawler outside of Alola?

Leveling up a Crabrawler on Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh, Mt. Silver in Kanjoh, Twist Mountain in Unova, or the Frost Cavern in Kalos should work. Hoenn's evolution spot is still being determined.

• How do I evolve an Eevee into Leafeon or Glaceon in Kanjoh, since HGSS didn't introduce Mossy and Ice Rocks there?

We've ruled there are Mossy Rocks in the Viridian and Ilex Forests, and Ice Rocks within Seafoam Cavern and the Ice Path.

• Pokémon that require a special magnetic field?

The area around the Power Plant in Kanto, and Routes 38 and 39 in Johto because of an offscreen power plant. They can also be evolved at the Sinjoh Ruins, if your character has some way of getting there.

• How is evolution done in PMD-A?

Same as in the OU, though you can also evolve Pokémon using the PMD evolution items. Ex. Frozen Rock, Beauty Scarf, Coronet Rock, etc.

• How do trade evolutions work?

Like in the games, though like the PEFE articles and some canon Dex entries Pokémon can evolve without trading, but for the most part only over impractical periods of time (Ex. Onix into Steelix), hard to replicate natural conditions (Ex. The pressure to turn a Boldore into a Gigalith) or happening to be one in a million in terms of the genetic jackpot and/or being exposed to electromagnetic radiation over time (Ex. Machoke into Machamp).

• How are evolutionary items obtained?

You can find them, or buy them.

Gym Leaders, Trial Captains, and Kahuna

• Do I have to fight the Gym Leaders/Totem Pokémon/Kahunas in game order?

No, unless you want to, though most people probably will, save for cases where you canonically require a certain amount of plot coupons to battle them.

• Can they use their rematch teams?

Yes.

• Do they need to have their canon teams?

No, though apart from a few exceptions they should keep the typing theme. ie. They should be the specialist's type, or in the case of those exceptions, should be capable of using moves of that type, though it's still strongly preferred that the type should match.

• Do they scale by amount of Badges/Passport Stamps/Plot Coupons?

Yes. For instance, a trainer fighting Falkner with no badges and weaker Pokémon would likely end up fighting his in-game team, whereas someone with 7 badges would be fighting something more akin to his HGSS rematch team.

• What TMs do Gym Leaders give?

Whatever they give in the most recent generation their home region appeared in at the time of reading.

• Do I have to fight the Gym trainers onscreen?

No, unless you want to, though we assume that you did either way.

• In Unova can you get badges from B/W only Gym Leaders if your character became a trainer during or after B/W 2?

Unless there's a Gen V remake (Which going by previous patterns will be during 2023 or 2024 at the earliest), for the time being no. Your trainer would need to have done the Unova Gym challenge sometime between 2011-2012 at the latest to obtain those badges.

• How does the Verdant Cavern trial work?

Your character can battle either Totem Raticate, Totem Gumshoos, or both if two PCs happen to be taking the trial at the same time.

Elite Four and Champions

• Do I have to battle the canon Champion? What about the Elite Four?

In most cases, yes, though experienced players can have have the occasional non-standard opponent. In the case of a specific region's Elite Four, you battle them as they were in the most recent game they appeared in. For instance, someone taking on the Indigo League regardless of starting in Kanto or Johto would battle the Gen II/IV Elite Four and Champion instead of the Gen I/III ones. Someone challenging the Unova League would be taking on Iris as Champion as of 2013.

• Do they need to keep their canon teams?

See the question for Gym Leaders above.

• Typing theme?

Same.

• Who do I battle in Hoenn as Champion?

Either Steven or Wallace, depending, though most of the time it's Steven.

• Who do I battle in Alola since the protagonist canonically becomes Champion?

IRP, the Alola League is extremely contested, so who's sitting on the Champion's throne can easily change from one day to the next. In practice, you can battle just about anyone you fight in Title Defense at minimum.

• What happens if I win?

IRP, people who defeat the Champion can either become Champion themselves or become what is known as a League-recognized trainer for having their name in a region's Hall of Fame. (ie. Being recognized as a Champion-level trainer without the responsibilities of actually being Champion of a region) However, for balancing purposes PCs are not allowed to immediately take the former option.

Monese

• How well do humans understand Pokémon?

Trainers and others who have been around Pokémon enough can get a general understanding of what they're trying to say, though specific information might be a bit difficult.

• How well do Pokémon understand humans?

Like they were another Pokémon, though this may not necessarily hold true for Pokémon who have had little to no human contact.

• What does Monese sound like to someone who can't understand it?

A combination of animal cries, in-game cries, and anime-style species name repeating, depending.

• How do I get my human character to understand Monese?

Either through a Psychic-type interpreter, translator program, or by transforming into their Pokéform, after which they understand even after transforming back. It can also be formally taught.

• Does that mean Pokémon who transformed into human form talk like humans after changing back?

No. Save a few cases, humans speak like humans and Pokémon speak like Pokémon.

• What about Ultra Beasts?

Depending on the Ultra Beast, they speak <normal Monese> or {UBese}, the latter of which will take some getting used to in character, both for understanding those speaking it and those speaking it to understand those who aren't.

Pokéforms

• What causes Pokéform transformations?

There are many ways, but the most common are either wearing a human to Pokémon Armband (Or similar transformation item), or taking a visit to either PMD-A or PMD-B.

• What can you transform into?

Pretty much any non-legendary canon Pokémon is fair game, though we strongly encourage that they start as a base morph if they're evolution capable, especially if it's a pseudo-legendary. As an addendum, you can indeed evolve your Pokéform as if it were a natural-born mon.

• But Sandy, Levi, and Vyvyan can become a Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza trio!

They were special cases subjected to painful experimentation, and it's their default forms as well. Not to mention that out-of-universe it was due to a non-retconnable plot derail and is subject to the Grandfather Clause.

• What about the Type: Null Line?

Since they've been confirmed to be Legendary, they're off limits as a Pokéform as well.

• Ultra Beasts?

While theoretically someone could have an Ultra Beast mon form, in practice they're off-limits save for Ultra Recon Squad characters having Poipole mon forms.

• Can I change my Pokéform?

Unless there's an extenuating circumstance, they're supposed to be more or less permanent. For example, being transformed via April Fools doesn't necessarily mean the form would be permanent, but an Armband transformation or PMD trip would be save for said extenuating circumstances.

• Does a Pokéform have to be static across universes?

No.

• Is a human in Pokéform different from a Pokémon of the same species?

Besides the fact that one has a human mind, no. They're the same physically, though they may keep physical traits with their human forms, such as DS' Espeon form having green eyes and Tagg's Swampert form sharing his mole on the left side of his face).

• Can my Pokéform be the evolution of a base form Pokémon?

Starting out as a Base form is strongly encouraged, but there have been exceptions.

• Can my Pokéform be shiny?

Yes, though much like catching shinies people might cry foul if you have too many characters who happen to have a shiny Pokéform.

• Can Pokéforms be Fossil Pokémon?

Yes, we even have a few characters with such forms already.

• Am I allowed to have the same mon form as someone else?

Yes.

• Can my Pokéform have Egg Moves?

Probably not.

• What about Hidden Abilites?

Yes, though keep in mind it'd be rarer than standard abilities.

• What happens if my Pokéform happens to be a Nincada and it evolves? Will a Shedinja appear too?

It's subject to the same rules regarding the creation of Shedinja as in the main series games.

Mega Evolution

• How do I get a Key Stone or Mega Stones?

While there's no rule preventing you from getting a Key and/or Mega Stone(s) once you're established enough, it should be earned in some fashion that's approved by the rest of the playerbase.

• Do I have to use a Mega Ring or Mega Bracelet for my Key Stone?

No, you can use whatever you want for a Key Stone holder, or even go without. For examples, see here.

• Can my Key Stone do Mega Stone detection?

Only if your character has had contact with Xerneas or Yveltal and touches the Anistar Sundial with it, like in X and Y.

• What exactly goes into Mega Evolution?

It requires a strong bond to make possible, but both trainer and Pokémon must be in sync for it to work without the mon going berserk.

• How do we reconcile the Gen VI and Gen VII views of Mega Evolution?

The (U)SM Dex entries are mostly examples of what happens if Mega Evolution is performed incorrectly, ie. without both parties being in sync.

Z-Rings and Crystals

• How do I get a Z-Ring?

In most cases, by completing a Grand Trial and making a request to the island's Kahuna to get a Sparkling Stone refined.

• Would I get a regular Z-Ring or Z-Power Ring?

As of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, the Kahunas are giving out Z-Power Rings.

• What Z-Crystals can I get?

All except for the legendary-specific crystals, save for special cases.

• Do I have to do the Island Challenge to get the Z-Crystals only obtainable through a trial in-game?

Most of the time, yes.

Traveling and Transportation

• How do people get between regions?

Boats, planes, airship, teleportation, and if their mons are strong enough, using Fly. Mirroring the Hokkaido extension of the Shinkansen train lines, the Magnet Train also services Sinnoh through Jubilife Station, and Almia through Pueltown Station.

• The SS Aqua is implied to go to Sinnoh canonically, even if it doesn't in-game, can my character use it to go to Sinnoh?

Yes.

• Do I have to have them move in a realistic amount of time?

No, transportation works at the speed of plot, so take as much or as little time as you need getting somewhere.

• Where do people sleep while on a journey? (As opposed to being on the Stormchaser)

Depending on personal income, either at a Pokémon Center for free, or at a hotel or inn. Otherwise, they're probably camping.

Hasslemon

• What's this Homestuck Crap?

It's a chat system that can be installed in Poke Balls in order to allow for conversations between teams.

• Do I have to use it?

Nah, it's opt-in, but it can be a fun backdrop for Pokemon conversations.

• How do the Usernames work?

With Two Words or phrases, first lowercase second Uppercase, sometimes abbreviated as two uppercase letters. Examples being avisGutter, midnightSun [MS], and cyprinidClog [CC]. Numbers and such are usually left off unless they create meaning, such as buy1Get1 [BG].

• Where do I find all the usernames?

Under the List of Hasselmon Users page. If you can't find the handle of a specific character, ask the character's player.

• How does formatting work?

Someone contacts someone else with a phrase such as "avisGutter [AG] began hassling midnightSun [MS]". Messages are often sent with the user's abbreviated handle but need not be. Conversation is ended with a phrase like "avisGutter [AG] ceased hassling midnightSun [MS]".

• What about group conversations?

You can do those as well! They are often written with memos.

• Is it possible to use Hasslemon to communicate with phones?

Hasslemon is not available on anything but Poke Balls, but there is a patch that can allow users of Hasslemon to send and receive texts like a phone to allow for easier communications between human and Pokemon characters. This is likewise opt-in.

• Are there any variants of it?

There's a similar thing called Clustermind which was used for hiveminds such as those made by Charizard 'M, but it is ambiguous whether the software literally exists or not.

Future Games

• Can I catch a Pokémon from a game that has yet to be released?

No. Wait until the games come out because we may not know the details yet.

• What about an egg of such a Pokemon?

That's fine, if it doesn't hatch until at least one month after the games come out and its species, if a spoiler, isn't acknowledged until then.

• What about new moves, abilities, items, or Megas?

New moves, items, and Megas are okay once the game is released. No to new abilities for existing mon characters. Exceptions to this would be if the new ability is a normal one and the Pokemon changes to it via evolution or an Ability Capsule.

• What about gags/cameos?

One-off gags and cameos are fine as long as they aren't too frequent and you make sure to mark it as per spoilerblock rules. Starters in their base morphs, for instance, are fair game but their evolutions aren't.

• Even if we know most of the stuff already via some form of game hacking?

Yeah, better to save it for when the games come out.

• Am I allowed to have my characters mention a new region before release date?

Yes, though talking about specific locations may be considered spoilers prior to release date and the spoiler unblocking.

Chatroom

• Why do people go "ping pong"?

It's a test to make sure they're online/the chat isn't lagging.

• Why do people say "post" or derivatives thereof?

To signify that they've posted in a thread, to cut down on having to constantly check the forum watchlist or repeatedly refreshing the thread.

• Can we talk about future games in creative/j-team-hq or social before they release?

Anything considered spoilery (Non-starter mons and starter evos, non-box legends, the main plot) is verboten outside of the spoilers chatroom/murderbeast-forbidden-knowledge, and after the game comes out no plot talk outside of spoilers until at least a month after the game's release.

• Remakes?

Since they're technically ten or more years old, you can talk about them as much as you like before and after they release, save for all new stuff.

See Also

• Every's Essay
• Battle Mechanics
• Background Lore Index
• Tone Essay
• Disciplinary Policy