https://www.deviantart.com/mahasu/art/1204476410

Wanted to participate in the "realistic Pokemon team" trend on TikTok, finally finished mine!

I'll post the link once I make the video~

p.s. I don't look like that, it's just how I wished I looked lol xD

===============
There are so many Pokémon that I love and would love to have on my team, but for a "real life" scenario I would be very limited. For starters (no pun intended), in real life I live in a small apartment with two cats. Even if I was a trainer part-time, I think I still wouldn't make enough to get my own house with large yard, though I would be saving for it, but I think we would be able to afford a larger apartment.

I would imagine, if Pokémon were in our world, apartments would have a strict "no fire-types" policy because of the inherent risk, especially ones that are made of fire, like Slugma. Additionally, there are weight limits to consider, many apartments have that, and many Pokémon are a lot heavier than they look, so large Pokémon are out as well. I would also avoid electric types; while they would help with the electric bill, as I read, many of them emit a big electric shock when startled or stressed, which could knock out the power to many other apartments and get me a big fine, if not outright killing me if I got shocked. I would also have to limit having too many ghost types, which I love, because their lore is actually really messed up and I imagine there would also be a big stigma against having them, like how many apartments won't allow certain dog breeds because of their perceived aggressiveness.

Personally, I would also avoid too many Pokémon that evolve through regular leveling or through friendship, as this could cause mine to evolve accidentally while we're in a living situation that may not be able to accommodate them, so I also limited those.

I think my first and oldest Pokémon would be my shiny Gardevoir, in real life I have a shiny Gardevoir from Pokémon Diamond, my first Pokémon game, and I've treasured her for almost 20 years now, migrating her to each new game. So I reflected that here. I would've had her since I was a kid and she was a Ralts, I think it'd be great to have one, since they could help with housework and their psychic abilities would be very beneficial for my depression and anxiety, she would be most like a service animal companion. And because of that I think I can avoid any pet fees by having classified as one. I think the only major issue with having one is a sleeping area; Gardevoir is the same height as me, 5ft 3in (160cm), so she would need her own human-sized bed at the very least.

The second and third Pokémon I'd have would be two Eevees, representing my two cats, which I would've then chosen to evolve with stones quickly so as to avoid them evolving during an awkward time through friendship. In this case I would've saved up for a leaf and ice stone, since Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum were my first and favorite games, where these two Pokémon were introduced, and I feel Leafeon and Glaceon aren't given enough attention. The Leafeon is useful for keeping the air quality good, and they can live off of photosynthesis, which helps save on food costs. I prefer my home to be really cold year-round, so a Glaceon is very useful for keeping us all cool, especially when the AC gives out or the bill gets too high. In terms of where they can sleep, the Leafeon will hangout wherever there's a sunny spot, and I would invest in one of those large garage freezers that they can sleep in if they get too warm. Glaceon is 2ft 7in (78cm), while Leafeon is 3ft 3in (99cm), which is about regular dog height, it’d be a lot but I think we could all be comfortable with proper space management.

One of my previous apartments was near a very wooded area, so I would often walk in it. I think that would be where I find my next two Pokémon. I would find a Drifloon there, likely because the apartment complex has a lot of families with children, and rescue it. No doubt at least some families would want them gone because of the superstition that they steal children, and I'm pretty gothy and like misunderstood animals. Since they're small and light, housing them wouldn't be an issue, and they can easily play with and enrich my Leafeon and Glaceon. I would also save up for an ever-stone to give to the Drifloon so it doesn't evolve, since I don't have the room for it.

I would also rescue a Mimikyu for similar reasons, I imagine I would find it riffling through trash, and take it in. Since I like Drifloon, I would offer it a Drifloon doll as a host rather than its old Pikachu rags. And this is based off of a real Mimikyu plushie I got from Hazel Oddities, here is their information, go check them out (https://hazeloddities.bigcartel.com/https://hazeloddities.bigcartel.com/)! This Pokémon is also small, and they could also play with the others. Additionally, if there is a restriction on ghost types, I can easily hide the two if I get inspected. And since Mimikyu doesn't evolve, I have no sudden transformations to worry about.

The next Pokémon to join the group would be a Greavard, for the same reasons as the previous two. I really want a dog someday, and I liked Greavard a lot. This one I would likely meet during one of my many spooky autumn outings I like to do, taking haunted tours to cursed places. I'd meet one and as their pokedex says, if you give it attention, it'll follow you around forever, and they're very loyal. This one would need a lot of training though, since playing with it too much can cause it to drain your life force. But I'd love to have one around to have scary dog privilege, and they'd be great for battles. And since its flame isn't actually fire, I wouldn't have to worry about things catching fire. The only major issues with having one, besides the extra training, would be that I would also have to give them an everstone to keep them from evolving, since Houndstone is over 6ft tall (2m). I also don't think I'd be able to hide them from the landlord like I could with Mimikyu and Drifloon, so I'd have to pay the extra pet/Pokémon fee.

Now you've likely noticed how my team has seven Pokémon instead of six. I was going to keep it at six, but I think we can all agree to make an exception for Vaporeon. It's my favorite of all the Eeveelutions, and I would rescue one from a bad situation (iykyk), so I wouldn't hesitate to give them the home they deserve. They could sleep on dog-beds like the others, or I could have them sleep in a tank, since in real life I also used to have aquariums.

And there we are, my merry little band of misfits! Having these guys would encourage me to leave my home more and exercise. We'd use the funds we make from battles and pageant shows to go towards my dream of a nice house in the woods, there I could let my Pokémon evolve with all the extra space, and we could add more to our family!
=================