Hi there. Can you do some parent headcanons for the Pokémon game rivals, please?
I can’t believe I somehow didn’t see this, stuff like this is my JAM
I know Wally was given a Gallade for the remakes but I still associate him with Gardevoir so he gets Both
Blue has always had his eye on the future; although his main goal was to become Champion, he figured he’d settle down and have a family one day. He’s actually way more excited for it than you’d ever thought he would be, and while the two of you are waiting [im]patiently for your first child, he puts himself to work building the nursery from the ground up.
You know Blue well enough to see the undercurrents of anxiety running through him the first time he holds each of your children; his shoulders may be tensed, and his jaw is set, but his eyes are gleaming with the kind of light you’ve never seen before. The births of your children are the only times you’ll see Blue openly cry.
Blue is well aware of the fact that he has trouble expressing himself and his more vulnerable emotions; because of that, he’s very pointed about setting aside quality time with the children whenever possible. Helping with homework, traveling to find a specific Pokémon they want, listening when they write stories or songs— he wants there to be no doubt in their minds that he loves them more than anything, even if he has trouble saying it.
Definitely never thought he’d be a father. He’s clearly had a rough childhood and can’t stand his own father, and then his journey got off to a morally-questionable start; he just assumed he’d be alone forever, and although it didn’t quite sit right with him, he accepted it. So when you bring up the idea of kids, he’s terrified, but eventually willing to give it a try. That being said— he’s spent so long hiding behind his attitude, once the two of you do have children, he’s able to read them like open books. He’s seen all those tricks before.
In the back of his mind, Silver is always comparing himself to his own father. You’re constantly telling him not to dwell on that anymore, but he’s using it as motivation, honestly. He doesn’t remember his father even holding him, so Silver makes a point to carry the kids when he can; Giovanni was always enigmatic and vague, so Silver is direct in communicating whenever the kids speak with him; the night Giovanni disappeared tore Silver to shreds, and he’s utterly determined that his children will never experience the same.
One thing he thinks about a lot— he had to steal his starter Pokémon in order to go on his journey. Whether his kids want to travel or not, they are getting their starters legally. He’d never admit it to you, but he’d honestly be thrilled if the kids took one of his own Pokémon as a gift— that way they’ve each got partners who are already loyal and strong enough to protect.
Brendan is very shy to admit it, but he’s wanted kids of his own for awhile. It’s just something that’s been at the back of his mind for a large part of his life— he wants to be able to take care of them and utterly drown them in all the love he can muster.
A total take-the-kids-to-work type, because his own father did the same thing with him; you’ll just hear a shout of “we’re leaving!” from somewhere in the distance, and then the front door slams and your husband’s taken off with the kids on his Tropius’ back, and you’re having to shout after him that he forgot the lunches you’d packed for them all.
He’s going to be one of the more supportive parents; it took him a few years and an entire journey to figure out what he wanted to do with his life, so he understands perfectly as the kids go through each phase. Whether they follow in his footsteps and become professors, or follow in your footsteps and take the gym challenge, or if they decide to forge their own paths entirely, he’ll be happy as long as they’re happy too.
May gets along well with children; although having her own was never the biggest priority, when it happens, she’s perfectly happy with it. She’s a sweetheart through and through, so the kids immediately take high priority in her life— she has no intention of setting her own dreams aside, but thankfully she’s got you around to help with fieldwork.
Given that she gets along so well with Pokémon, and hers tend to be incredibly mellow anyways, May involves them in raising the kids too. It certainly helps that, as a professor now, she can get her hands on Pokémon from all over the world; if your kids are so rowdy that you need a hoard of Blissey, she’ll do it. On the contrary, if the kids are so quiet that they can disappear with ease, she’s got some psychic Pokémon ready to hunt them down each time they vanish.
May is a bit less likely to involve the kids in her work; even though she’s not as rambunctious as her father was, she still runs into trouble while out researching, and she doesn’t want to risk the kids’ safety at all. They’re not allowed to help her with fieldwork until they’ve each become trainers themselves, and that’s a milestone they wait impatiently for.
Wally was always nervous at the idea of having kids eventually— his weak health has always loomed in the back of his mind, and he worries that he’ll pass it along to any children he ends up having. Still, family is something he values; he’d rather start slow, one kid at a time with a few years in-between them, just to make sure it’s something you can handle.
Gardevoir and Gallade end up acting like a second pair of parents. They’ve looked after Wally since he was a frail child, and they’re both so compassionate by nature that it was only a matter of time before they considered his children their own as well. Gallade spends a lot of time playing with them so he can keep an eye on their safety; Gardevoir and his stronger psychic abilities ends up in more of a caretaker role, keeping track of if they’re wearing their raincoats when the weather changes, or picking safe-to-eat berries when they’re all off adventuring.
Family of all kinds is something really important to Wally, so he’s going to want to let his parents or Wanda watch the kids every once in a while, just to foster the beginnings of good relationships between them all. That also gives the two of you some consistent quality time together— he married you for a reason, and he wants to keep showing you how much he loves you at every possible chance.
Barry never really thought about being a dad, not because he doesn’t want it, but just because his mind is always all over the place. He’s set such a breakneck pace through his life that it hits him all at once— you’re adults and you’re married and there’s a kid on the way.
When the children are infants, Barry is always shaky and nervous— he’s terrified of accidentally hurting them somehow, because he’s well aware of the fact that he’s not the most careful man. His Pokémon really come in handy, though; they’re all a lot more calm than he is, and Snorlax in particular is a valuable asset when you’ve got babies around. The two of you can set the kids on Snorlax’s stomach and they’ll just doze off right there; Snorlax loves the kids too, so he’s super careful about keeping them from rolling away.
He’s very much a fun father; you’re constantly coming home to find him in the middle of hide-and-seek with the kids, and then he admits that, uh. He’s lost one of ‘em. Maybe two. Please join the game and help him find them. Related— Barry has very strong dad reflexes. He was constantly tumbling around and getting hurt as a child, so he’s got a sixth sense for when the kids need him to catch them before they scrape themselves up too.
Cheren’s a nervous parent. Even now he’s the kind of person who prefers to rationalize his way through everything— that’s not something you can do with young children, so he’s initially at a loss. You’ve gotta guide him through the youngest years.
He reads a lot of parenting books and tries to follow their advice to the letter; Cheren has never been much of an adaptable person, so when that advice inevitably doesn’t work for his own kids, he’s at a loss. It isn’t until the kids are old enough to communicate that he finally hits his stride— he does work at the Trainer’s School, after all, so he’s used to working with children in that age range. The contrast in his fumbling behavior almost shocks you.
Cheren makes a strong point about being as fair as possible and letting the children have room to grow into their own people. He is a bit of a firm person, so if he’s not careful, he can come off as strict— but he’s aware of that, and counts on you to keep him from being overbearing. If the kids want to travel, he’ll let them; if they want to stay home and start some other career, he’ll support that too.
Bianca’s a pretty hopeless romantic, and starting a family has always been on her very long list of dreams. She’s inevitably going to spoil the children practically rotten— and she wants as many of them as you both can afford, so I hope you’re ready.
You’ve got a 50/50 split between the children; some of them take after Bianca, and are flighty and energetic but still oh-so-genuine. Others are calmer and a bit on the snarkier side, reining their siblings— and occasionally their mother— in as best as possible. It’s a fun dynamic on the best of days, and it’s also nice to have help, because you’re not sure you could wrangle everyone on your own at this point.
Bianca's an endlessly supportive mother— she was stifled by her father in her teenage years, and that led to her taking a few extra years to figure out what she’d like to do with her life. She doesn’t want her kids struggling in the same way that she did, so if they show the slightest interest in anything, she insists they get the chance to try it once. It’s important to have as many experiences as possible in order to grow!
To the surprise of nobody, N never thought about starting his own family; it takes him a very long time to heal from his young years, but once he’s had time to think it over, and you’ve proven that you’ll love him no matter what, he’d be willing to have a child. At first he only wanted the one— but even he in his twisted childhood had siblings, and he feels like an only child would get incredibly lonely.
Of all the men, N is probably the most involved when his children each get their first Pokémon; he doesn’t want to interfere with the kids building those bonds on their own, but given his innate ability to communicate with Pokémon, he feels like it’s his responsibility to help somehow. If his children were to inherit that same power, though, he’d be overwhelmed— it’s something that played a part in his being so isolated, so his kids being the same makes him feel less alone.
N’s instinct is going to be to shelter the children. His experiences with the world had been terrifying at first, and he wants to protect the kids as long as possible— but at the same time, he’s permanently aware of the effects that his childhood isolation had on him, and he’s determined to never do that to anyone else, much less these tiny precious lives. When he gets trapped in his own head, N leans very heavily on you to talk him through his fears and worries.
For the longest time, a family of his own was nowhere in Hugh’s mind— he’s a one-track kinda guy, and he devoted his younger years to his sister and his friends. It isn’t until the two of you begin dating more seriously that he realizes he absolutely wants children. Also definitely more than one kid— the more the better, but he wants at least two.
Hugh is a surprisingly adorable dad; he’s very attentive to both you and the kids, and it surprises you how easily he’s able to understand them or calm them down when they’re upset. It makes sense, though, given how close he was to his sister growing up. His Pokémon aren’t the best for babysitting; he ended up with a team of powerhouses, and you’re always a bit nervous when he forgets to put caps on Bouffalant’s horns before letting it play with the kids. Flygon is really the only one you let watch the kids, because it’s the most calm of his team— it’s probably better to use your own Pokémon, in all honesty.
It’s very important to Hugh that the children get along well. Whenever he thinks of his sister’s tragedy, it chills him to think that he was the only person who did anything— on the off chance that anything happens to his kids, he wants them to be able to lean on each other. Because of that, whenever there’s an argument— no matter how small or trivial— he sits everyone down to talk everything through. Moments like that are when it really hits you how much he’s matured too.
Calem makes a point of being a very fair father. He was an only child, and his journey across Kalos when he was younger— and okay, his constant losses to you— taught him that he’s got some jealousy issues. He wants to avoid any of that between his own kids, and while he knows he doesn’t have total control over it, he really wants them to be good friends with each other as they grow.
He’s also the type to rely on his Pokémon for help with the kids; Meowstic and Altaria in particular are very good at babysitting and keeping them preoccupied, while Absol’s danger senses are just fine-tuned enough that he can head off any small tumbles or broken objects. Occasionally you’ll launch into a panic because you haven’t seen the kids in an hour or two, only for Altaria to lift its fluffy wings and show you that the kids have dozed off in its feathers.
Calem can, on occasion, be a bit overbearing— he doesn’t intend to be stern, but he’s always been on the more serious side, so it’s just natural. During the turbulent teenage years you’ll have to do a lot more middlemanning than usual, because the kids are hardheaded and he’s used to only doing things his own way— but after every argument, he’s determined to sit down and talk things through, so there’s no bad blood in the end.
Serena’s very career-focused, so she’s another one who didn’t really think about having children; it’s not that she never wanted them, it just never really crossed her mind. But then again, she’d never pictured herself married one day either, and here you both stand with matching rings, so. . .
She’s always been on the calm side, so when the children are young and rambunctious, she can get overwhelmed pretty easily; that being said, she has no problem with being firm or strict when necessary. It always makes her feel a bit bad, because she doesn’t want the children to dislike her for it as they grow, but c’mon. . . you can’t just let them climb on a wild Rhyhorn, no matter how tame it seems.
Despite being the child of prominent Kalosian trainers herself, Serena’s pretty sure that she wants to keep the children out of the regional spotlight, unless that’s the path they choose for themselves; growing up, she was under a lot of pressure from people who expected her to be like her parents, and that’s why she took her constant losses to you so hard. She wants to avoid that kind of struggle for her own children, and wants them to know they’re always good enough, no matter if they win or lose.
Shauna is sweet and excitable and takes things as they come; she hadn’t really planned for children, but when they inevitably happen, she’s still excited to the ends of the earth. She’ll talk your ear off forever about what to name each child, how to decorate the nursery this time around, oh man what kind of Pokémon do you think they’ll all befriend—
She’s going to be a pretty relaxed parent; her journey with you and the others as teens was probably the most vital experience of her life, and she wants her children to be able to do the same, or find something equivalent if traveling doesn’t speak to them. Occasionally she’s almost too relaxed, and you’ve gotta be the one to tell the kids that Arceus above we do not grab Honedge by the hilt—
Shauna is huge on photos and preserving memories. Even if it’s not your speed, she’s insistent on taking tons of pictures at every major event, and snatching up a few trinkets here and there; as the kids grow, she assembles photo albums and scrapbooks for each of them, and they become the family treasures. She loves looking back to remember how each child has grown, and one day when they each move out, she’s going to gift them their books before they leave.
Tierno is another relaxed and fun parent; his original goals in life were pretty out there in comparison to the standard goals that trainers share, so he’s happy and supportive with whatever the kids want to do. He does drag them into dancing with him, though— he loves the way the kids laugh and shriek happily when he picks them up and twirls to the beat of his Crawdaunt’s clacking pincers.
Honestly, Tierno’s a pretty open book, and that’s something you’ve grown to appreciate when most of the friend group is shy and keeps problems secret. He’s an openly affectionate man who isn’t afraid to tell you that he loves you, and the kids never have to wonder if he approves of their dreams and desires, because he’s there supporting them wholeheartedly no matter what.
That being said— he’s also an embarrassing dad. The kind who can always be heard shouting from the stands during sports games, or who follows all the kids on social media profiles to jokingly post boomer comments on their photos. He has a lot of fun with it, because he’s determined to get a laugh out of everyone in the family.
Trevor’s own parents were absent for more than a few years of his life; his older sister effectively raised him, and while he does love his parents, he wishes they’d been there for the family more often. Even as an adult he’s still a bit timid, but he’s adamant that he’ll always be around for his own family, and that’s a promise he keeps all the way.
While he’s not super energetic in his own right, Trevor spent a lot of his childhood wrangling the excitable Tierno— a lot of that experience resurfances when dealing with his own children now, and it amazes you how Trevor is able to immediately connect with the kids and calms them down and decipher their meanings through their babbling. He’s never been a very intimidating person, and that’s finally useful, because the kids are never afraid to approach him with their problems as they grow.
Trevor’s honestly really cute with kids— he loves holding them while they’re tiny squishy babies, explaining quietly to each of them that it’s a miracle they’re alive and he’s going to take care of them forever. You’re constantly finding him asleep at his desk, having passed out in the middle of research, but with a secure grip on whichever child had climbed into his lap and fallen asleep against his chest.
Hau is energetic and happy and loves his family more than anything— of course that extends to his own children too. It’s not difficult for him to connect with the kids, given that he’s still pretty childlike well into his adulthood; there’s more than one occasion when you tell everyone it’s bedtime, only to find your husband begging with the kids for just five more minutes.
While he does his best to be supportive, Hau does get nervous if the kids want to travel; yeah okay sure, the island challenge is a massive part of Alolan culture, and he helped save the world when he was a kid. . . but these are his children, and he wants them to be safe. He’s not used to being separated from family, because even on his own travels, Hala was a constant presence— in the end, he’ll let the kids go, but you’re gonna have to listen to his worries every night that they’re gone.
Alola is big on tradition, and Hau is no different, wanting to establish small traditions for your growing family. Unsurprisingly he focuses on food— he develops various recipes to make on celebratory nights, and it makes him really happy that the kids fall all over themselves for his cooking. Everyone’s favorite is the malasadas that he brings out when each kid starts and finishes a journey.
On one hand, Gladion watched his family fall to pieces, and he doesn’t want to risk the same happening if he started a family of his own. But on the other hand, despite everything, he still loves that very family, and treasures every moment they had together— eventually, after talking it over with you for a very long time, he decides that familial love outweighs everything else he experienced. He does want children of his own, and he’s determined to be better than his mother.
That’s a long journey, though; when the kids won’t stop crying, or when they can talk but still not communicate, you can see him getting frustrated. Still, he’s learned to hand the situation over to you when needed— and in turn, if you’re having trouble with the children, he wants you to do the same. The two of you are a team. His Silvally is a surprisingly valuable asset; yeah it’s got a few sharp edges, but it’s incredibly gentle, and since its trainer loves the kids then it does too.
Okay, Gladion never quite grew out of his edgy behaviors— he’s still a bit gruff, and constantly striking his weird poses out of habit. The children are both going to mimic this and mock him relentlessly for it. You’re going to come home and they’re all standing around brooding in the exact same way he used to before bursting into laughter.
Hop is naturally good with children, which doesn’t come as a surprise, given that he’s still pretty childlike himself; he’s another one who definitely wants more than one kid, because the bigger the family, the happier everyone will be. He’s also very insistent that you both take equal roles as parents— neither one of you is going to be doing all the work.
Even if the kids never intend to travel, Hop wants them to get Pokémon at a young age; he grew up with Leon’s Charizard watching over them both, and he’d just be reassured if his own children had something similar. There’s a lot of Pokémon around Postwick that are good for beginners, but he’s also tempted to use his position as professor to get them each something really cool and unique, or something from out of Galar entirely.
Unsurprisingly, Hop wants his entire family to be involved in his children’s lives; Leon loves babysitting, and it’s incredibly fun watching both brothers interact with your children. If you’re lucky, your kids inherited your husband’s sense of direction— they love grabbing Leon by the cape and leading him around when he gets lost in the yard again.
Bede doesn’t exactly have a good association with the idea of family. He privately grieves his birth family, who cut all ties; he still mourns what could have been with Rose, who clearly never loved him. The idea of having his own children scares him because he doesn’t want them to end up like he did. No matter how much you assure him that the same thing won’t ever happen, he just can’t really believe it until he’s holding his first child for the very first time— and then it hits him that he’ll do absolutely anything for this tiny little human.
As the children grow, Bede does his best to rein his temper in— the idea that these kids rely wholly on you and him is a driving force in his desire to be a better person. Given that he’s had to piece his family together from the ground up, he had trouble releasing his older Pokémon when he became a Gym Leader; this ends up being perfect, because his now-fully-evolved Gothitelle and Reuniclus are both powerful and protective in their own right. The kids will be perfectly safe.
Bede has very few mementos of his birth family, and while he’d never admit it, that does sting. Because of that, he’s another rival who’s big on collecting things for the kids— no matter what kind of things he can find, he’s determined that they’ll each have tons of things they can hold in their hands, tangible evidence that he loves them now and always will.
Marnie styles a lot of her parenting after how her brother raised her; she thinks Piers did a pretty good job, and she hopes her kids turn out happy with themselves no matter who they are. She knows she’s not the most emotionally expressive, so that’s really her biggest worry— she wants there to be no doubts that she loves her children.
She doesn’t have her brother’s exact passion for music, but she does have a little talent; she’s constantly humming to keep the kids entertained, or making up little songs to help teach them things like colors or the names of foods. And then Piers, the unstoppable uncle he is, goes on and makes CDs out of those tunes, and this is kinda getting out of hand—
Listen. If you think Team Yell isn’t going to be involved, you’re wrong. They might be hooligans, but they’re sweethearts too— they insist that you and Marnie go have a date night, they’ll watch the kids, and by the time you’re home they’ve gotten the kids in tiny lil leather jackets and matching accessories and you are absolutely not leaving them unsupervised again.
Keith is a bit flustered— in his school years he’d made a huge fuss about hating anything romantic, and that nobody could ever be as important in his life as he is. And then he’d grown up and fallen in love with you, but still gets embarrassed about how he used to act. Don’t tease him too much.
He’s not the best with babies, purely because he doesn’t have much experience with them; the fact that they can’t communicate makes everything way too difficult, and some nights when he can’t get them to quit crying, it gets really overwhelming. As soon as the kids can talk, though, things become much easier— children do have their struggles while learning to interact and communicate, but he’s able to be much more patient when they’re able to make an effort.
Listen. Keith is a proud man, and he’s gonna be a proud dad. Almia has been pretty slow since the Dim Sun incident— meaning it’s perfectly safe for him to strap his kids into the baby carriers and bring them to work with him! And as they get older, he’ll borrow some training Capture Stylers for them to play with too, in case they decide they wanna follow in dear dad’s footsteps— listen, he’s totally being careful okay, don’t worry—
