#team seablaze

Grovyle: Usually Pokemon are given the option to evolve—so I think I’ll choose to remain like this, at least for now.

Pip: Phew!

Chimchar: Can Pokemon evolve outside of the Luminous Spring, Grovyle? Do you know?

Grovyle: In very rare circumstances, yes. Desperate times call for desperate measures...

Pip: Whoa, wait. Are you saying you evolved outside of the spring?

Grovyle: Yes, actually. I did it to save you. 

Pip: !!! Wait, really?!

Grovyle: You were caught up in a dangerous situation, and at the time I was completely overpowered. I couldn’t do much in my base form, so I desperately forced an evolution so that I could be strong enough to protect you. 

Pip: Grovyle...!!

Grovyle: Wh—oh, come now! No need for waterworks. It turned out for the best, I think.

Hikochama my beloveds.....ty for asking for my kiddos 🥺💕

*insert corny ramble about how much these two and PMD means to me as a whole*

Hm wait she's hitting different this time around,

Initially I had it that they were a gift from Grovyle, as Pip also received a Water Cape from him. The goggles are supposed to act as a stand-in for the Ember Cap--which is Chim's exclusive item in PMD Sky, like how the Water Cape is Pip's! Back when I did one of my earliest gijinka designs for him he was wearing a sort of "cap" (it looked more like a tophat honestly lmao) but I later scrapped the idea of him wearing any sort of cap bc it just didn't fit the overall design. And thus the goggles were born 🙂‍↕️

At this point the goggles are such an iconic part of his character that by the time he gets them from Grovy it wouldn't be until WAY later in the story;; so I'm thinking I might design a different set of goggles for him to wear before he gets the new (better) ones from Grovyle. I've always loved the idea of Pokemon incorporating their exclusive items into their overall design/part of their general wardrobe! They are notoriously difficult to get one's hands on, so the fact that Grovyle went out of his way to get both exclusive items for Pip and Chim really shows how much he cares for them 🤧 He wasn't left out tho bc they got him a Grass Blade in return <3