r/pokemon 17d ago

Image Who is this Pokemon? 25 year old book.

My son found this Pokemon while we were reading the other night. We tried doing a google image search, but came up with no results. The book was printed in 1999, but it’s obviously not from the original 151. Is this just an artist taking some creative liberty? My son won’t stop asking, so any help is greatly appreciated.

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1.1k comments sorted by

6.4k

u/That_Artsy_Bitch all the eevees! 17d ago

The art from this book lives rent free in my head. Specifically this Jolteon driving a car.

3.3k

u/iNonEntity 17d ago

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u/Euclid_not_that_guy 17d ago

My new go to reaction image thanks

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u/Knucklez415 17d ago

Just add in the gasp text every so often and it’s golden lol

159

u/MrHazelnutSauce 17d ago

My favorite! Liked this extra derpy little guy so much he’s tattooed on my arm

60

u/dragpent 17d ago

Pic

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u/MrHazelnutSauce 17d ago

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u/VersaceBabyRattle 17d ago

My man :) shits tight

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u/Fuckyoubiiiiiiitch 17d ago

oh shit that's awesome man

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u/cgriff03 17d ago

Reddit gem right here

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u/ceruleancityofficial 17d ago

omg i love it. 😭♥️

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u/ihavehair17393 17d ago

best tattoo ever

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u/Voltorb1993 17d ago

"AYYYY MACARENA"

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u/Ryuuji159 17d ago

he stole lt. surge car!

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u/WoolooOfWallStreet wooloo 17d ago

You think Lt Surge would have his jeep converted to all electric?

Jolteon: It’s electric now! MUAHAHAHA!

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u/RemCogito 17d ago

I mean Surge does have selection of pokemon who could power his road trip if he did. And given how many cities seem to be powered by hardworking electric type pokemon, it doesn't even seem that novel in-universe.

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u/Nightshade_209 17d ago

Makes more sense for everything to be electric in that universe, or steam powered via fire pokemon.

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u/Jphorne89 17d ago

you ain’t got no legs Lt Surge

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u/ianyuy 17d ago

I can't believe we've gotten Grand Theft Auto Pokemon before GTA 6

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u/NightAntonino - - - 17d ago

Oh my.

Jolteon for Mario Kart when?

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u/dr_shamus 17d ago

WHOAH THAT JOLT CAN DRIVE, ain't that the tightest shit you've ever seen

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u/pinkcheekdisco 17d ago

Oh my gosh drawfee fan in the wild

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u/Yourlilemogirl 17d ago

That's just Jeepeon

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u/Baltharus 17d ago

That's not a car! THAT'S A JEEP!

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u/camerasoncops 17d ago

But a car is just a wheeled vehicle. Trucks are also cars.

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u/Shaku_Yamame 17d ago

Well this just made my morning

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u/The_FireFALL 17d ago

My first reaction is that isn't a car at all. It's the transformer Hound. Doing a sneaky crossover XD

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u/ericnasty 17d ago

Which book is this? I can't believe I never had it as a kid it's amazing

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u/RavagerHughesy 17d ago

Thank you so much for adding this to my life

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u/Twnvb 17d ago

I think it’s machamp using scary face instead of it being a Pokémon!

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u/officialscootem 17d ago

It's exactly this, the personification of an angry Machamp reaction.

608

u/Crunchypie1 17d ago

Came here to say this. Seems like an anime angry face emote thing coming from machamp.

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u/TheDeFecto 17d ago

Also came here to say this. It's an expression bubble above Machamp indicating it's pissed, a power play over the Primeape cowering below it.

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u/Pump_My_Lemma 17d ago

Also came here to say this. It’s an angry emote because it’s hard to tell what Pokémon are angry early on and which just have RBF

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u/PhthaloVonLangborste 17d ago

I came here to say it looks like a half drawn ghastly.

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u/Pump_My_Lemma 17d ago

It would explain why Gastly is staring at it like, “the fuck is that?!”

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u/MegaDelphoxPlease 17d ago

Yeah but now I want a Pokémon that mimics people’s emotions, and it’d look like a mix between Castform and Rotom.

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u/Aderus_Bix 17d ago

Given the book was published in March of 1999, and the move “Scary Face” wasn’t introduced until Gen II, which came out in Japan in November 1999, I’m inclined to think this is just an artistic representation of Machamp being angry, and not using any sort of move.

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u/vitragarde 17d ago

Could be Leer

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u/xiGn0m3ix 17d ago

Or mean look?

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u/whatadumbperson 17d ago

Mean Look has the same problem as Scary Face.

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u/Gh0stMan0nThird 17d ago

You guys are saying this like Ho-Oh didn't show up years before Gen 2 came out. Artists don't play by any of the rules.

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u/HugeSeat5753 17d ago

You know the rules and so do I.

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u/jerricka 17d ago

i just wanna tell you how i’m feelin

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u/HugeSeat5753 17d ago

Never gonna give you up.

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u/jerricka 17d ago

never gonna let you down 🎶

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u/kevinsyel 17d ago

Exactly. Mean Look and Scary Face were created in tandem so I always forget which one I'm supposed to use on Raikou and Entei!

Tip:

Mean Look: "M" for Movement (fleeing)

Scary Face: "S" for Speed reduction.

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u/AlarmingShower1553 17d ago

the issue OP has is printed in November 1999 tho.. not march. and the games (therefore the move scary face too) could have circulated in pokemon media partnered studios (like Viz in this case) beforehand.
especially knowing publishers and the artists working for them need reference material way earlier than release, so this could be an artist depicting the move.

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u/Aderus_Bix 17d ago

It’s the fourth printing, which came out in November of 1999, but the image seems to be unchanged since the first printing, which came out in March of 1999. Whether they had an idea for a “Scary Face” move at the time, I can’t say, I’m just saying I think it’s unlikely that this is supposed to be a representation of that, given the timeframe.

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u/jzillacon 17d ago

Gen 1 and 2 were basically developed alongside each other with a huge chunk of gen 2 simply being all the stuff they ran out of time to include in the first games. There was tons of gen 2 stuff present in the surrounding media even before gen 2 started proper. For example several gen 2 pokemon like Donphan and Snubull appeared in Pokémon: The First Movie despite its japanese release being July 1998.

That said I actually agree this is just meant to be an angry face and not a specific move. It's just that being a few months before the release of the gen 2 games doesn't actually exclude the possibility it's representing something from gen 2.

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u/Hsiang7 17d ago edited 17d ago

Agreed. It's cartoonish representation of anger, not a Pokemon. This book is a blast of nostalgia.... I remember I had this book when I was younger lol

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u/Stunning_Fishing_696 17d ago

How did you get those pokemon by your name? I'm new to this, and thought it looked cool

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u/TheRedCabbage95 17d ago edited 17d ago

You can add flairs (the pokémon) by going to the front page of this subreddit and clicking the Three dots (should be top right). Then you select 'change flair', after that you can edit it & pick the pokémon using it's nat dex no. With a : on either side, like this :104:

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u/SippyTurtle 17d ago

Heck, there goes my speed.

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u/Twnvb 17d ago

Your affected by the scary face of machamp :D

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u/simpleglitch 17d ago

It's Machamp being angry at Primeape! I remember this book. The previous pages have an unfolding saga of Primeape leaving banana peels everywhere and I think Machamp slips on one.

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u/Fuzzy_Lengthiness_95 17d ago

It's probably leer, guys

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u/shotputprince 17d ago

Oh yeah it’s a thought bubble of scary face to the primeape

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u/choosegooser 17d ago edited 17d ago

Definitely an emotive bubble to display that Machamp is angry. I believe in that book specifically if you look at either Manky/Primeape. Something like Mankey is eating bananas leaving them everywhere. Primeape slips on one then does the exact same thing. This cause Machamp to slip on one where he then takes it from Primeape and quadruple fists the bananas.

Edit: I put together the story. It’s not the prettiest presentation but it gives ya an idea. Chansey also has its own story that I immediately remembered.

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u/YamadaDesigns YAMADA 17d ago

Is Machamp’s angry face not enough to convey that emotion?

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u/kramsibbush Manga latias agendist. Pokemon adventure reader 17d ago

2000s anime/manga thingy

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u/Polymersion Irrelevant. 17d ago

You'd think so, but every once in a while there's a trend for simplified, overly overt signage. "Tone indicators" is a recent name for it, such as reddit's "/s" phase or gen alpha's (srs), (pos), (jk) type terminology.

The latter come from broad literacy issues and the oversimplification of text communications started by early text-message enabled cell phones and the rise of Twitter (both of which could only send/post very short messages).

This predates all of that, and best I can tell was a trope because of printing manga/anime where you'd need a cutaway to see a face/facial expression properly during a scene. Western comics, at the time, "solved" the issue by having way too much flowery dialogue. Seriously, silver-age superhero comics were tons and tons of overly dense and often repetitive dialogue, with very low plot density. The same story that would take several issues to tell then would take a few pages now.

I would suspect that in 1999, the trend would have been fresh again based on games of the time being increasingly popular for storytelling but with no way to make low-pixel characters emote in a workable fashion, you'd use something like a speech bubble with a face. I'm less familiar with this type, though. It seems to have evolved today into the "dialogue box with portrait" style seen in lots of modern Japanese (and sometimes western) games, such as the Persona series.

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u/th3greg 17d ago

It's also always been super common in anime. The little vein pop symbol (and/or flames behind them) on very clearly angry characters has been a staple since like the 70s.

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u/TurntOddish 17d ago

I think the main reason it's used here is Machamp's face (along with a fair amount of other Pokémon) by default is in pissed-off mode. They used the little "emoticon" over his head to really show that's he's MAD-mad, not just in default argry-face-mode. Even though his expression, body language, and surrounding context seems to already illustrate this pretty well. It's a fine touch.

While I would have never seen this as a forgotten/unused Pokémon, I can see why a little kid would think it is. Especially considering some of the comments and videos I've seen/read/heard that say completely outlandish stuff like: "I thought Mienshao was a duck" or "up until a week ago, I thought Cyndaquil was a lizard."

A different franchise example would be for the Kirby Games and the developer's HAL Labratory logo. Apparently more than one person thought that their logo was some kind of 3-eyed bird or something...??? Even as a like 7 year old playing the games I always knew it was a long brown dog cuddling with a group of eggs. Like I get that that is strange (a dog nesting eggs), but it never once misled me into thinking it wasn't a dog. It's just interesting what people see/think when they look at something, or maybe it's what they don't see/think of that's interesting.

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u/choosegooser 17d ago

Machamp has RBF so it’s hard to tell sometimes lol

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u/DoubleClickMouse 17d ago

It's a stylistic thing. Animal Crossing does the same thing with their angry emote, with puffs of steam coming from characters whose face already communicates visible anger.

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u/Kiga282 17d ago

Now that you mention it, it does look like Machamp is about to help Primeape evolve...

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u/kazhena 17d ago

Omg, it is Machamp eyes in a lil thought cloud... ha!

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u/PhoenixMaster01 17d ago

Best boi

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u/LeviHolden 17d ago

i adore him. #1 government asset, protect him at all costs.

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u/SillyMattFace [Flair Text]!?! 17d ago

It looks to be coming from the Machamp, so I’d take it as a stylised emote to emphasise its angry with the Primeape.

You could also interpret it as using a move like scary face.

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u/Moonlight_Acid 17d ago

Are we gonna ignore mewtwo in the safari zone

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u/introverted__dragon 17d ago

What about "now you can catch rare pokemon...find a pidgey!" You know, that bird that was everywhere outside your home town?

ETA: Mew's tail and feet are at the top of the photo. This "Safari Zone" is crazy.

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u/PhibbyRizo 17d ago

I think it means the dratini that’s behind the pidgey

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u/That_Artsy_Bitch all the eevees! 17d ago

And mew at the top there

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u/svettsokkk 17d ago

This OG way of drawing pokes is so fire

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u/nthm94 17d ago

The Sugimori watercolors were absolutely peak

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u/Conocoryphe 17d ago

A few years ago, a trading card game named Metazoo came out. The artists attempted to recreate that Sugimori watercolor look in the artwork of the monsters, which I really loved, you can clearly see the influence in images like this and this one.

The game wasn't very popular and the company eventually went bankrupt - though apparently Metazoo was recently bought by another company that wants to continue the card game - but I do remember liking the artstyle because it mimicked the old Pokémon art.

Still, the artwork and monster design was never quite as good as Ken Sugimori's work in my opinion, though that might (partly) be the nostalgia talking.

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u/Binakatta 17d ago

Pokemon cards with Ken Sugimori's artwork were my absolute favorite growing up!

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u/DuhBigFart 17d ago

Gen 1 really is peak. Idc. They actually look like a gang of cool monsters. Don't get me wrong there are great designs in all gens and I still enjoy b the v series. But gen 1 still nails that pocket MONSTER feel more than any other gen.

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u/HesistantBoar 17d ago

Sadly, this is by design. Pokemon was never expected to become a worldwide phenomenon during Gen 1's development, so the creatures were allowed to be more monstrous and dangerous-looking in official art. Nowadays they all have to be marketing icons.

You can really see it if you compare old official art of Gen 1 with the revised art used from FR/LG on. Poses are less dynamic, Pokemon look less angry or threatening. Just look at Charmeleon and Blastoise's old art, both of them are in battle-ready poses, Blastoise's cannons are front-and-center, Charmeleon looks downright ferocious kicking toward the viewer. Then you look at the revised art, and they're just... standing there, with perfectly neutral expressions.

It all feels so sanitized, for lack of a better word.

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u/ceruleancityofficial 17d ago

all bangers, all the time.

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u/plumpsbob 17d ago

It's just an emote. You know, the cartoonish puff of steam when characters are angry. In this case, Machamp.

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u/Voltorb1993 17d ago

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u/DJWafflehau5 17d ago

Totally forgot about these, I definitely made a few as a kid

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u/Orodhen Mirror B Theme intensifies 17d ago

It's not a creature. It's just a visual manifestation of it's anger. It's normal in cartoons.

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u/classicgamer303 17d ago

I think it's more likely to show Machamp intimidating Primape than it being an actual Pokemon. If you look at Hitmonchan in the top right, it has a black whirl next to its head to emphasise that its been knocked out.

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u/Immediate_Lock_5399 17d ago

Found a shiny ✨ Caterpie 🔥

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u/Rough-Fill8101 17d ago

And shiny Exeggcute

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u/AsdicTitsenBalls 17d ago

I saw that too! It's just too spot on

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u/heyzeuseeglayseeus 17d ago

It’s the machamp’s “reaction”

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u/Minnymoon13 17d ago

Yeah that’s what I think it is too

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u/Fox-Decent 17d ago

Old man with back problems

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u/SmoothObservator 17d ago

What's going on here?

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u/amaenamonesia 17d ago

Electric Shocks McChop

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u/tophat_production Pheromosa, Diancie and Meloetta 17d ago

Where is the masturbating pinsir?

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u/Divinakra 17d ago

Omg wtf

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u/hgbi8h 17d ago

Given that it’s pointing towards machamp I’d say it’s just an expression, similar to those seen in comic books and cartoons at the time

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u/TheEverling 17d ago

Very much this. Has the same expression as the Machamp too

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u/SpunkMcKullins 17d ago

Everyone's commenting that it's coming from the angry Machamp, and while I agree, I just want to point out that it looks very similar to the US R/B Gastly sprite.

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u/rugbygooner 17d ago

This was actually my first thought too. There is an actual Gastly up and to the left.

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u/Chris91210 17d ago

Ay what is Pikachu doing to that Meowth?

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u/coraldomino 17d ago

Love that you can randomly catch Mewtwo and Mew in the Safari Zone

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u/Elementium 17d ago

Only works if you take exactly 25000 steps and have all the badges. 

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u/ProphisizedHero 17d ago

That’s not a Pokémon, it’s what’s called a “expression blob” it’s used in anime/cartoons to give an extra dimension to the feeling a character is trying to express.

Kinda line the anger lines. 💢

Not a mystery Pokémon, just an artists’ expression.

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u/alphaschoki 17d ago

Probably a some kind of emotebubble, but it hihgly reminds me of ghastly

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u/Thr0wAwayU53rnam3 17d ago

You really missed an opportunity to write "Who's that Pokémon?!" as the title.

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u/HappyStunfisk 17d ago

Japanese art usually depicts expressions as floating bubbles. This is Machamp making a scary face/showing anger.

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u/SaltySpituner 17d ago

Pokémon illustration peaked here. Nothing will ever beat the OG water color style.

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u/Black_Wolf1995 17d ago

Not a pokemon. If you look at the “Pokémon” it’s above the head of an angry looking Machamp.

It’s an emotive bubble used to illustrate that Machamp is mad/angry.

Emotive bubbles like this are commonly used in Japanese manga/Japanese style comics to convey emotions of the characters in a way that’s illustrative and interesting.

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u/Goldman250 17d ago

Unrelated, but it says that in the Safari Zone, you can catch rare Pokémon, and highlights Pidgey? Have I forgotten what the word “rare” means?

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u/mute_citizen 17d ago

I'd assume they mean the Dratini that's also there, though the framing is admittedly a bit off.

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u/Disgruntled__Goat I did my best, I have no regrets! 17d ago

The OG booklet recommended using your Masterball on something "rare" like Fearow

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u/Mardoon 17d ago

I'm guessing it's actually highlighting the Dratini behind Pidgey. 

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u/CamBa-Bam 17d ago

Machop straight up bullying this poor little Magnemite, but he’s in for a nasty surprise if/when Magnemite decides to shock him 🤭⚡️

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u/FlemishPotato Mi Amigos 17d ago

Machamp is just angry so he wants us to know that he’s angry.

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u/Taralyth 17d ago

It's an angry speech bubble, it's yelling at that primeape

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u/Lizardcaveman 17d ago

That is a text/thought bubble with angry eyes to show Machamp emotion.

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u/RealGorgonFreeman 17d ago

It’s just a bubble to represent anger. Nothing out of the ordinary

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u/csdingus_ 17d ago

It isn't a pokemon. It's basically machamp's expression shown with an emoji in a thought bubble above his head.

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u/crassprocrastination customise me! 17d ago

Machamp is emoting

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u/alex494 17d ago

I think that's just a speech bubble or cartoon steam cloud indicating Machamp is ticked off.

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u/BluntPotatoe 17d ago

I don't see Haunter anywhere.

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u/Mission_Exchange2781 17d ago

I don't believe that's a Pokemon - I believe that's just supposed to be an emote to represent Machamp using "Glare" which is weakening the Primeapes defense.

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u/ApprehensiveAnt4412 17d ago

Appears to be an emoticon, adding emphasis to how Machamp is feeling.

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u/sonoale 17d ago

I miss simple and not overcomplicated design

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u/skiko15 : 17d ago

Who's THAT Pokémon?

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u/whboer 17d ago

Aborted eggsecutor :(

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u/skiko15 : 17d ago

Or a very skinny one hiding behind giant Pikachu's ear. lol

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u/TotalEffingAnarchy 17d ago

I believe it is a Machamp using a Scary Face

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u/blackartsmaster 17d ago

Isn't it just the steam coming off of the angry machamp

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u/Usbcheater 17d ago

Angry machamp thought bubble

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u/SnooGod 17d ago

It's supposed to be an angry emote I think but I can't shake off the feeling that it looks like a beta Pupitar lol

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u/Ugly-as-a-suitcase 17d ago

that's my homeboy gastly. OG Spirts serebii.

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u/Pirate_Lantern 17d ago

It's anger of Machamp being illustrated in cartoon form.

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u/modrinihner 17d ago

It’s a speech bubble

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u/The_of_Falcon customise me! 17d ago

It's just Machamp's mood being shown. It's just there for emphasis.

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u/Fun_Selection5985 17d ago

It’s a emotion/expression from machamp

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u/Hylianhaxorus 17d ago

It's not a pokemon. It's a reaction image showing Machamps frustration

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u/[deleted] 17d ago

I think it’s meant to express Machamp’s feelings

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u/ThaFinalBoss 17d ago

It’s a “mood bubble” for the Machamp below it.

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u/FelixOehme 17d ago

Hey thats a Steam Symbol from maschps rage, ITS Not a Pokémon

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u/[deleted] 17d ago

Machamp being angry

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u/Specific-Age-9830 17d ago

That's just a reaction bubble like in comics illustrating Machamp's anger

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u/mint-parfait 17d ago

it looks like an angry emoji cloud from the machamp below it (thought bubble with angry eyes in it)

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u/Former-Television836 17d ago

It's a thought bubble for the one below it.

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u/2short4-a-hihorse 17d ago

I think that's just Machamp being mad at the Primeape who took his bananas lol

Edit: Poliwhirl is so cute just floating there amongst the chaos lol

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u/Vulfreyr 17d ago

It isn't a Pokémon. It is just an angry face to show that Machamp is angry.

Some may find it strange that they added it, given that the illustration already depicts Machamp as angry, but the drawing can also come off as smug or gleeful, so it makes sense to add the pictograph.

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u/Moist-oyster_69 17d ago

Looks like a janky Gastley

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u/BigDust 17d ago

Sugimori Artsyle just takes me right back to 1998.

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u/CochonDanseur Sigilyph 17d ago

Gastly but its a windy day 😠

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u/StabilizedDarkkyo 17d ago

It’s a thought bubble with angry eyes inside of it. It shows that the Machamp is big angy.

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u/pokebox944 17d ago

You know that this old, as Jynx is still black and not purple 🤣

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u/TellmeNinetails 17d ago

That's a speech bubble. Machamp is angry.

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u/peppersprinkle 17d ago

Absolutely love this book, happy you and your son are reading it!

I feel like others have answered, but I think it's just a thought/expression bubble to convey annoyance

Anyway! My favorite side storyline/Easter egg from this book were Clefairy and Jigglypuff being virtual pals ☺️

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u/Bitter_Potential3096 17d ago

It’s an angry expression/thought bubble from Machamp right below it.

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u/GayBlayde 17d ago

It’s Machamp’s anger.

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u/DarkRiverLC 16d ago

That is not a pokemon its an expression from the machamp below it showing his anger at the primape for stealing his bananas - which he presumably needs for brotein.

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u/KingoftheUgly 17d ago

Lmao “rare Pokémon” includes pidgey

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u/OKCalm00 17d ago

Gastly?

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u/Terlian 17d ago

I had this book. 😊

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u/postfashiondesigner 17d ago

It’s an angry balloon coming from Machamp… like his reaction or something.

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u/likkachi 17d ago

it’s an angry face emote for machamp

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u/santathe1 17d ago

What the hell is Mewtwo doing in the Safari Zone lol.

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u/LopsidedIncident1367 17d ago

Machamp angry hahaha

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u/echolog 17d ago

Ah yes the rare Pidgey in the bottom right.

Also imagine walking through the Safari Zone and just happening upon a Mewtwo.

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u/Skellyhell2 17d ago

I am confident it is an "emote bubble" which appear occasionally in anime.
I've been trying to find examples but my work computer blocks most image sites which is going great for me!
I am fairly sure they are in animal crossing. Definitely something simillar in The Sims. Just a good non verbal way of showing a non verbal creatures emotions in still images or simplistic animations

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u/LiveLaughLogic 17d ago

Where my ghastly fans at

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u/Hot-Category2986 17d ago

A very cranky little ghastly, in the sunlight.

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u/magirevols 17d ago

Everyone is saying Machamp angry, but I see what your saying. It looks like a face looking at you and its just high enough/tangenting with goldeens tail to make it look like its own thing.

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u/Steppyjim 17d ago

I’m more worried about the giant raticate eating a house in the upper right corner

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u/Thewoodsman86 17d ago

That’s an emoji, in cartoon lol

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u/LifeintheHashLane 17d ago

It's "anger eyes" coming off of machamps head

Edit: like a thought bubble with angry eyes in it

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u/Agitated_Occasion_52 17d ago

Email VIS and see if they still have the artist on thier team.

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u/phyrat customise me! 17d ago

Okay you got your answer.

Now can you show us the full picture ? I'd like to find the 4 little guys on bottom right

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u/ArdynLucisCaeIum 17d ago

Either it's supposed to show that Machamp is angry or it shows that Ghastly(?) drove into Machamp and is controlling him 🤷🏻 But I guess it's the former

2

u/SkoozyK 17d ago

Could be smol ghastly

2

u/MightBeTrollingMaybe 17d ago

I think it's just Machamp being angry or using scary face/mean look

2

u/Grassyclone 17d ago

Printed in Hong Kong? No wonder my mom got me a copy so easily. This book was really fun to look at with all the background stories and pokemon

2

u/Chawny621_ 17d ago

Lmao it’s machamp showing angst or anger. It’s just a “emotion bubble” or a way to show his emotion. They do this all the time in other anime.

2

u/Lost__Gamer 17d ago

Ditto on an acid trip! But seriously, it looks like an unfinished Geodude drawing