A Daily Awakening

The Judge: Ashera.  The only human divine among the present cast of divines across games, she should therefore be the most impartial on matters of dragon titles.  Also, she’s literally a goddess of order.  She is the logical choice for overseeing the proceedings.  Also she’s scary, so maybe she can keep things in line.  One can hope.

The Prosecution: Robin, representing Grima, the original one and only Fell Dragon.  Robin knew nothing about law going in, but they’re a quick study, so they’re picking it up fast.  They have a soft spot for Grima and stepped up for this voluntarily (and learning that Validar would be representing Grima otherwise just made them more determined).  Grima thinks Robin’s a little too into this, but does appreciate it (since those fond feelings are in fact mutual).

The Defense: Alear, representing Sombron.  Alear has no idea how they got roped into this.  They don’t know what they’re doing.  They don’t like this.  Someone please send help.

The Jury: The only reasonable way to decide the case is to have it evaluated by a jury of their peers -- so the court called in the best of the best and the worst of the worst to sit the bench.

Medeus: The OG villain, former Prince of the Earth Dragons, the Shadow Dragon himself.  Chosen not only for his antagonistic role in his story, but for how he was once a positive force who ultimately sought to destroy humanity due to their cruelty toward dragonkind.  A stern but fair juror who is paying close attention to the proceedings and intends to make a reasoned decision once all the evidence is heard and also he’s living for the fact that Naga is down the bench and can’t do a thing about him being here.

Loptous: The biggest threat to humanity ever seen, the Earth Dragon who’s been possessing humans for generations, and who has of course showed up to court in his last vessel sorry Julius.  Chosen for antagonistic role over all else, and honestly came for the chaos.  He’ll side with whoever will be more likely to generate the most rage.

Idunn: The former Divine-turned-War Dragon, secret final boss who faced Roy and met defeat at his blade -- but who lived, and is now undergoing the slow process of recovering her soul.  Chosen for her antagonistic role, as well as her tragic history of experimentation and corruption at the hands of outside forces.  Fae has joined her on the bench to help her big sister out, and has promised to be unbiased.  Fae does not know what ‘bias’ means, but she does know that Papa Grima’s over there, and she likes Papa Grima.

Naga: King of Archanea’s Divine Dragons herself, the purported goddess who blessed humanity with Falchion, the Book of Naga, and the Fire Emblem.  Chosen because she is Grima’s ultimate foe and the one who oversaw the Fell Dragon’s imprisonment in Archanea, making her uniquely qualified to be counted as Grima’s peer.  Does not like all these dragons she has had historic fights with being on the bench with her; likes it even less that she can do nothing about it.

Anankos: The Silent Dragon, the forgotten divine, the last of the first dragons and the last king of ruined Valla.  Chosen for both his antagonistic role and for how he once loved humanity but had it twisted into loathing by his ongoing degeneration; the last sane part of him showed up to sit the bench, which is good for everyone involved in this.  Is a little confused and unsure of what’s going on, but he’s got the spirit.

Abuela Alma - Volcarona

Fire type, which makes for a sensible link with an undying flame

Moth imagery, which fits for her given the butterflies that are associated with both her and the candle itself

Pseudo-legendary: roughly half its ‘dex entries talk about how it saved humans and pokemon in the past, which makes it pretty reasonable to associate it with a miracle

Julieta - Chansey

Known for its highly-nutritious eggs that even people without an appetite will devour -- fitting for someone who heals with cooking

Also very rare, making it a clear blessing to have around

While it does evolve, all of Blissey’s ‘dex entries mention that its eggs are filled with happiness, rather than having healing properties, so it makes more sense for her Gift partner to stay a Chansey rather than evolving on

Pepa - Castform

Weather control, which is a perfect fit for someone whose emotions affect the local weather

While the Castform would definitely be her Gift partner, I could definitely see her with something like Cherrim (which also changes form with the weather)

Bruno - Absol

100% of the reason this possessed me

Absol was dubbed ‘The Disaster Pokemon’ because it kept trying to warn people of foreseen danger, only to be unfairly maligned for the attempt -- seems pretty fitting for someone that gets blamed for telling people the future when they ask

While he undoubtedly has a collection of rat pokemon (Rattatas and the like) the Absol was his Gift partner, and I can’t help but think it went with him when he disappeared -- after all, the visions aren’t Absol’s fault, and it’s nice to have someone that knows what you’ve been through

Absol is also one of my favorite pokemon so

Isabela - Roserade

She obviously needs a Grass type, particularly something floral

I ended up searching through the ‘dex for something that would fit, and ended up with Roserade specifically because one of its entries talks about how the sweeter its scent, the more toxic it is (a nod to her hidden depths)

While the Roserade is undoubtedly her Gift partner, she probably has other floral pokemon around like Lilligant, Bellossom, etc.

Dolores - Clefable

It’s ‘dex entries literally note that it can hear a pin drop from half a mile away, which is how Mirabel introduces her cousin in the first place -- what more is there to say?

Another extreme rarity of a pokemon, so also likely to be seen as a blessing or sign of good fortune

Clefable is another one of my favorite pokemon okay

Luisa - Bewear

Her gift is super strength, so a fighting type was a no-brainer, given that so many of them lean into being strong physical fighters

Bewear fits particularly well, though, because not only is Luisa incredibly strong, she’s also very feminine: having something pink and cute seems like a perfect match for a young woman that embraces her femininity as much as she does her raw power

Camilo - Ditto

Shapeshifting and perfect copies: there are only two pokemon that naturally learn transform, and the only other one is Mew (and I’m not doling out actual legendaries)

Though he does have chameleon imagery on his ruana, Kecleon is geared toward invisibility and ‘blending in’ rather than actual transformation

Zorua and Zoroark were also considered, but both of them rely on illusion rather than actual shapeshifting, so ultimately Ditto feels like the strongest fit

Mirabel - Audino

It’s all about the empathy: Audino uses those little feelers on its ears to understand how others are feeling, and Mirabel is able to reach out and understand the hidden insecurities and traumas of her family

Also, its ears look a bit like butterfly wings to me (particularly in its Mega-Evolved form)

The Audino is definitely a Gift Pokemon, but probably isn’t known to be one until the end: it showed up around the seemingly failed Gift Ceremony, but not from the door the way the others did, so no one made the connection

Her parents probably decided on their own to let Mirabel take it on as a partner in an attempt to cheer her up, given how hard that lost door must have hit her

Antonio - Liepard

We really need more big cat pokemon, Liepard is about as close to a jaguar as I can get

He undoubtedly has a ton of other pokemon hanging around like Toucannon, but given that the jaguar hangs with him through most of the movie after the Gift ceremony, Liepard seems like the best choice for a Gift pokemon

Felix - Oricorio

Not actually a Gift pokemon, just his buddy

Felix is a joy and so encouraging and upbeat, so coupled with the warm color palette for his clothes, the pom-pom variant seems like a perfect fit

Agustin - Buneary

Also not a Gift pokemon, just a buddy

Buneary having Klutz as an ability, coupled with how much of a punch those ears pack when they uncoil, does nothing to mitigate Agustin’s accident-prone nature

Tiki: Lost Oracle (Armored Dragon)

Duo Skill: Inflicts [Penalty] on enemies within three columns centered on unit, grants Def/Res+6 to unit and allies within 4 spaces, and converts any penalties on affected allies into bonuses; at start of even-numbered turns, if Duo Skill has already been used, unit can use Duo Skill again.

Weapon: Shadowmist Breath - Effective against dragon foes  Grants Res+3.  Unit can counterattack regardless of foe’s range.  If foe’s range = 2, calculates damage using the lower of foe’s Def or Res.

Special: Iceberg

A: Fortifying Blade 3 - If unit's Res > foe's Res, grants Special cooldown charge +1 per unit's attack.  (Only highest value applied. Does not stack.)

B: Slick Fighter 3