"You've been challenged to a double battle by Champion Ethan & Champion Hilda."

So, here's a confession: Generations 2 & 5 are my favorite Pokemon Generations. I think Crystal & Black are my favorite Pokemon Games, for different reasons.

Gen 2 feels like the perfect extension to Gen 1, more like DLC than what we'd come to call gens. It feels complete in its own way. From the story being expanded on to the additional Pokemon. I even like how the Gym Leaders work, even if Gen 2's leveling is pretty wack. And I like the battling; 8 additional gyms is so nice - I honestly think my favorite part of replaying Crystal is to just march through Kanto and bop the Gen 1 Gyms. It's fun to RP and feel as though I'm meeting up with old friends & rivals again. I even think Pokemon before the addition of abilities and physical/special split is really neat, even if I think certain Pokemon should've gotten a different stat distribution to accommodate (couchcouchHitmonchancouchouch). But I think there's a certain level of strategy that comes with having to remember whether a type is physical/special.

Gen 5, alternatively, is something I slowly came around on. I liked the game when I played it in my youth, but I think I've really come to love it as I've gotten older and reevaluate it. The story of the original Black & White is a bit clunky, but I think it's really interesting and engaging. It's an interesting question that Pokemon, I feel, doesn't really delve into. I think I've seen more comics that answer the question one way or the other than the game itself. And yet, I still love it cause it means Pokemon was self aware enough to make the attempt. And although there's some Gen 5 Pokemon I still rag on, there's still a lot of interesting concepts and just cool designs I really love. I think that promptly describes Gen 5 to me; it's rough, but it's a good attempt.

Meanwhile, back to the pic above; I gave Ethan a Meganium because, honestly, I like Chikorita and I think it's unfortunate that Gen 2 is practically built to be as hostile as possible against the line. Feels like there's only 2 Gyms Chikorita is good against, and it's not by much. But I love all the Gen 2 starters and I have a soft spot for the grass brontosaurus, so I made it Ethan's starter in this pic.

Hilda, I gave Emboar. Without their Hidden Abilities, it's arguable that Snivy is the best Gen 5 starter. Without 'em, I feel they're pretty even all around. Nonetheless, I still really like Emboar and his design and I feel he gets overshadowed by Blaziken & Infernape. Even if I feel Emboar has his own kinds of strengths that makes it standout a little more in its own right.