Guardians of Pokémon

"Seventeen legendary guardians possessing powers far beyond comprehension will soon arise and protect the world from a deadly force..."

What if catching them all were a matter of life and death? That’s the theme explored in Mr. Panda’s fanfic “Guardians of Pokemon”, which takes the familiar Pokemon characters and turns them into a sort of Sentai team, as well as adding a bunch of new characters, some of which are related to Ash. The plot seems…odd, to say the least.

"Brock: If we're lucky, those five minutes will last 10 episodes!"
 * A-Cup Angst: . In Chapter 128, she laments her "somewhat preteen body" and feels she'll never be able to compete with her more well-developed rivals for Ash's love; less than 10 chapters later, the "preteen" comment is contradicted when she's stated to appear to be 16.
 * All Just a Dream:
 * All Your Powers Combined: Not really all the powers, but Guardians often have to combine their powers to catch dual-type Pokemon. But not always, as Panda reminds us every time a dual-type is caught by a single Guardian and reviews start complaining.
 * Later, they do combine all of their powers for a super attack.
 * Anti-Villain: . Possibly also the Quirky Miniboss Squad--especially Electra, who knows 's secret and is keeping it. Neriko also shows signs of wanting to join the side of good, but like the other less evil members of the Evil Guardians, her fear of what Guardia would do to her if she betrayed him keeps her in line.
 * Oh yeah. Hikaru definitely qualifies.
 * Even Oki turns out to be fairly noble in Chapter 168.
 * The Archer: Ritchie
 * Arc Fatigue: The "giving up as an April Fool's joke" is used, and the former Trope Namer Are We Still On Namek is referenced:

"Ash: You know, we really need to stop breaking the fourth wall."
 * Ascended Extra: Lawrence III, villain of The Power of One, shows up twice, in the second movie and then.
 * Make that three times; he returns near the end of.
 * Back From the Dead:
 * Badass Adorable: Chibi and Mitsumi. And of course, Godchu.
 * Bad Boss: Many of the Evil Guardians are shown to only stick around out of fear of their boss. And then there's Ayumi...
 * Beach Episode: Chapter 36.
 * Becoming the Mask: Neriko.
 * Berserk Button: Don't call Misty a Tomboy.
 * Big No: Sayer Blight, in true Ace Attorney fashion.
 * BLAM Episode: Chapter 122.
 * Born Lucky: Mitsumi
 * Breaking the Fourth Wall: At the end of chapter 8, the characters interact with the narrator.
 * And Chapter 67 references the Dub Induced Plot Hole regarding Brock's mother.
 * Chapter 74 finally brings it to its logical conclusion:

"Derek: Then again, the writer of this movie probably just wanted to keep the story in the U.S. and honestly couldn't come up with a better reason than this."
 * Chapter 149:

"Mitsumi: Actually, I filed for a search warrant to search him before this trial began. Something about the name Joe Bandito just sounded suspicious to me…"
 * Another Dub Induced Plot Hole moment occurs when Gary and Green meet up in the tournament and Gary talks about "taking his name back".
 * Can't Catch Up: At first, it looks like the Guardians are going to get their upgrades in the same order that they awakened, as Ash and Misty are the first two to receive their first upgrade. Then Sakura upgrades less than ten episodes after her debut, and Katana, who hadn't even awakened as a Guardian when Ash and Misty got their upgrades, becomes the fourth to upgrade during the first movie. By the time finally gets upgraded to stage 2 in the third movie, Ash has already upgraded to stage 3.
 * Capulet Counterpart: Neriko. Misty even references the Trope Namer in Chapter 173.
 * Carry a Big Stick:Gary gets a mace as his weapon.
 * Casanova Wannabe: Brock, as usual, but this time he's joined by Dash, who starts to admire/look up to Brock (not that way) around Chapter 26.
 * Unlike Brock, however, Dash actually has an occasional success--first with Mazie and then later with Neriko.
 * Catgirl: Katana and Katori
 * Chekhov's Gun: Ash's Girl Transform was used twice early in the story and then reappears after a 104 chapter-hiatus.
 * Which comes right back around to help them again during the trial, when the now male Ash provides for a contradiction to poke a hole in the witness's testimony.
 * The Chessmaster:
 * Children Are Innocent: Played with in chapter 146.
 * Christmas Episode: The most recent chapter as of April 2010. Only problem is, it was put up for Christmas 2007.
 * Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Chapter 130 implies that Butch and Cassidy may not be loyal to Guardia, either.
 * Cliff Hanger: Chapter 130 ends with apparently dead, caught in  as it burned to the ground. The following chapter adds more drama as Mitsumi's Spirit Revive doesn't work.
 * Clothing Damage: Chapter 158.
 * Cluster F-Bomb: Colonel Trey Nnnn, who gets bleeped 28 times in his lone appearance...11 of them in one paragraph (and 7 in an 8-word span)
 * Combination Attack: have a combination attack called Triangle Storm. The circumstances behind it suggest that  might also be able to perform a combination attack.
 * Dash and Chibi manage to unlock one, Grass Quake.
 * Comic Book Time: "You mean how we've been tied up here for almost a year now?"
 * Completely Missing the Point: Mitsumi, all the time.
 * Continuity Nod: Episode 141, "Ekans On A Plane": Tracey is forced to fly the plane, and says, "I have to make you proud, Sky." Ash responds by pulling out a book labeled "110", the number of the chapter in which Tracey ended up in a space shooter.
 * Courtroom Antics: Chapter 148, which ends with Cleavon Schpealbunk bursting in with one last HOLD IT!...and being arrested for bad moviemaking. This also fulfills the requirement that the episode right before a movie is always zany.
 * Crazy Prepared: Chapter 148:

"I guess you could start by touching me. Dash: You don't say... With your mallet..."
 * Crossover: Chapter 75 takes place in the Digital World and heavily parodies the Pokemon-Digimon Fandom Rivalry.
 * The crossovers continue for awhile afterwards. The end of Chapter 75 has them seemingly ending up in the world of Monster Rancher, and Chapter 76 is a "Strongest Shonen Tournament" in which Kai fights Ranma Saotome, Yusuke Urameshi, and Son Goku in succession, and through a series of bizarre events, wins all three bouts without doing anything. Chapter 77 then has them in swordfights with the cast of Rurouni Kenshin, with The Stinger sending them through the well.
 * Chapter 78 starts off in what appears to be a normal world, but they still haven't fixed the Dimensional Transporter so they can't be home just yet. It soon appears that the theme of the chapter is Magical Girl anime...but like Chapter 76, there's more than one. (In fact, Mr. Panda reveals that Cardcaptor Sakura was the other influence he'd mentioned when he said there were two anime besides Pokemon that had influenced the story (the first being Sailor Moon). Of course, he still uses the sub names for the CCS characters, whereas he uses dub names for every other fandom.)
 * Chapter 79...Nope, still not home. And much like the early chapters of that manga (the ones that became "Season 0", they play a game that makes no sense. wins, and they are sent to a "super-cute" world for the next chapter, and the three anime mentioned in the post-chapter A/N are Di Gi Charat, Excel Saga, and Abenobashi. The preview of Chapter 81 immediately shows that it's not over yet, either, although it would be foolish to think that there would be another chapter with just one.
 * And even once they get their ticket home at the end of Chapter 81...they end up in another anime. After a quick break to end up on the other side of the fourth wall, they get sent to one more dimension in Chapter 84...which also happens to be the second movie. It's another triple.
 * Chapter 125 also brings in the characters from a different Pokemon manga...namely the Shoujo manga Magical Pokemon Journey (PiPiPi).
 * They, and the characters from the second-generation games, return in chapter 129.
 * Curb Stomp Battle: The above All Your Powers Combined attack, which seemingly defeats the Evil Guardians? Yeah, that was just a Hope Spot; Guardia then beats the entire team single-handedly a moment later.
 * Darker and Edgier: The topic as a whole is a bit grittier than the anime (although the biggest difference is that instead of being grounds for getting an episode banned, guns are common here). However, within the confines of the story, the Puzzle University Arc is unusually grim.
 * Dark Is Not Evil: Gary
 * Toxic Is Not Evil: Ritchie.
 * Death Is Cheap: Subverted; the Ghost Guardian has the power to revive the dead, but it uses so much energy that she can only use it four times before she becomes too weak to live.
 * A Day in the Limelight: Chapter 53 focuses on Kai, as well as setting up his relationship with Recurring Character Kikara.
 * Dead Fic: Hasn't updated since 2007. After 173 Chapters.
 * Deceptive Disciple: Gunpei
 * Did Not Do the Research: Panda admits afterwards that he screwed-up big-time regarding the One Piece portion of the crossover...then says to just regard it as a Plot Hole, since the nature of the Mega Crossover already is reason to suspend your disbelief.
 * Also, calling them the legendary "dogs." (The official term, recognized both by fans and Nintendo, is the Legendary Beasts. Regardless, they look far more feline than canine.)
 * The Ditz: Mitsumi
 * Also Delia Ketchum.
 * Double Entendre: Chapter 73: "Well, excuse me for never being inside someone's body before!"
 * Chapter 84: "Everyone, get on me!"
 * Chapter 97: "That is because my Kakuna have the power to make anything around them hard."
 * Chapter 130: After being paralyzed by electric attacks...

"Brock: Where's Peanut? Todd: Don't worry. He's safe in my pants. Brock: ...I was talking about the person, Peanut."
 * Same chapter, after Todd shrinks Peanut in order to rescue him (putting him in his pocket):

"Tenchi: I understand you need them in these capsules, but was it necessary to have them strip down to nothing? Washu: *looks at him for a minute* Yes."
 * Chapter 135: "We can't carry them out of here stoned!
 * Chapter 137: "Oh! I know a perfect place if you want to get high!" Reused many other times.
 * Chapter 168: "Yeah, we have to break those balls first."
 * Double Standard: Chapter 105 comments on the way that men wearing women's clothes is looked at as strange, but women wearing men's clothes doesn't raise any eyebrows.
 * Dramatic Irony: Chapter 127: "Well, it seems that everyone was just doing something perverted or dirty last night. Except, of course."
 * Drill Sergeant Nasty: Trey Nnnn, also a Colonel Badass.
 * Drinking Game: Invoked. Dash and Brock start one in Chapter 157.
 * Drop the Hammer: Dash's weapon is a mallet, and Brock's is a sledgehammer.
 * Dual-Wielding: wields twin katars after upgrading for the second time.
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady: Bugsy, again.
 * Early-Bird Cameo: Most of the OC Guardians (actually, anyone who wasn't in the original party except Jessie, James, and Chibi) awaken as Guardians either in their initial appearance or shortly thereafter, but appears multiple times before her awakening (though her name is not learned until right before she awakens.)
 * When the Evil Guardians are introduced, 10 of them are revealed to have appeared in the story at least once before--and that's with only 15 of the 17 there. (Butch and Cassidy are not present in that scene, though they arrive as soon as their Guardian counterparts awaken.)
 * Elemental Powers: There are 17 Guardians and 17 Evil Guardians, one for each type, and they each have powers related to their type.
 * Playing with Fire: Sakura and Oki
 * Making a Splash: Misty and Hikaru
 * Shock and Awe: and Electra
 * Green Thumb: Chibi and Bigu
 * An Ice Person: Jessie and Cassidy
 * Dishing Out Dirt: Dash and Neriko
 * Blow You Away: Tracey and Tetsuo
 * Psychic Powers: Ash and Guardia
 * What Kind Of Lame Power Is Bug Anyway: Todd and Shiga
 * Light'Em Up: Mitsumi
 * Dark Is Edgy: Gary and Ayumi
 * Extra Ore Dinary: James and Butch
 * Enemy Summoner: Suzuki
 * Everybody Must Get Drunk: Chapter 136, which is even called "Drinking Game". Ironically, this comes right after the chapter where everyone was stoned.
 * Drinking Contest: Green challenges Misty to one. Misty accepts on the grounds that Green already looks like she's about to pass out. It never gets resolved.
 * And then the two youngest members end up going up against Cassidy and Butch. Despite already being a bit looped when accepting the challenge, actually manages to outlast Cassidy, but Chibi is nearly forced to turn into an adult and join in when Mitsumi shows up to save them. Apparently, the Can't Hold Her Liquor appearance she displayed at the beginning of the chapter was just an act.
 * Face Heel Turn: Gunpei.
 * Fan Service: If you can't take the heat...get naked.
 * In the Tenchi crossover chapter:

"Ash: Her weapon is a fan?! Misty: Cool! And let's see. That contributes to our mandatory pun of the day."
 * Festival Episode: 100th episode special!
 * Foreshadowing: In chapter 44, when the Guardians get put in the dollhouse, Misty is made to be 's wife. They later end up dating.
 * At the end of Chapter 132, Ritchie says that it was probably a bad idea letting the other Wingull get away. The next chapter,
 * Four Is Death: As mentioned above, the Ghost Guardian can only revive the dead a total of four times, at which point her life force will be completely drained.
 * Freaky Friday Flip: After, Green and Misty get flipped as a result of Ash and  are the only ones who notice.
 * It Gets Worse. The next chapter, in the process of trying to fix the previous switch, they all end up in someone else's body. Naturally, Panda uses this to give the readers a puzzle, trying to figure out who ended up where. He also didn't give the answer key, although most of the correct answers can be found by reading the reviews, though the reviewer in question seems to have made one mistake.
 * Freudian Excuse:
 * Frickin' Laser Beams: Sakura after her second upgrade.
 * Fusion Dance: Latios and Latias become Lati@s (which due to the limitations of fanfiction.net had to be written as Latis; Panda explains the way it should have been in an A/N afterwards--because the @ symbol looks like an a inside an o, you see) in the third movie.
 * Gender Bender: It wouldn't be Pokémon if Ash didn't end up in a dress at least once...except this time it's a true gender swap. Initially involuntary, but subsequently gets added to Ash's list of powers.
 * Gender Blender Name: Hikaru. Misty actually turns the "Tomboy" insult back around at her.
 * Genki Girl: Hikaru
 * Genre Savvy: "What kind of court are we running here? Oh… It's probably another parody again…"
 * Gotta Catch Em All
 * The Gunslinger: Oki and Sakura
 * Hand Wave: Panda will occasionally point out a Plot Hole and then do absolutely nothing to try to fix it.
 * Heel Face Turn: Yes, Jessie and James awaken as Guardians and join the twerps. They've always been much more effective at good than at evil in the show, anyway.
 * Heroes Prefer Swords: Upon upgrading for a second time, the Guardians' special weapons gain a new form, and most of these are bladed weapons. Ash's upgraded weapon is "Super Psychic Scepter Blade", Misty's is "Super Water Rod Saber", and is "Super Electric Battery Katars"
 * Their opposite numbers among the Evil Guardians have identical weapons. (Well, we haven't actually seen Guardia's yet, but we can assume.)
 * Heroic BSOD: Brock goes through one after falling for the fake Misty and is unable to look at the real Misty for awhile.
 * Heroic Mime: Ash during the RPG portion of the Trapped In Video Game Land scenario
 * Hey, You: Green calling Todd "bugboy" starts to become a Running Gag after awhile.
 * Actually, Green does this to everyone. Todd is "bugboy", Ritchie is "brown-hair", Dash is "the idiot", Brock is "rockhead", Sakura is "gun girl", James is "antitwerp", is "blondie", Tracey is "arty", Chibi is "the kid", Katana is "cat", and of course, Misty is "that stupid tomboy".
 * Hot-Blooded: Falkner
 * How We Got Here: Chapter 146: Disorganized Crime
 * I Just Want to Be Normal: Katana and both go through this. They get over it eventually.
 * Incredible Shrinking Man: Todd can do this, both to himself and to others.
 * Incredibly Lame Pun: Dash, being attacked by a wild Poochyena, yells at it, "Out, damned spot!" Who knew he was so cultured?
 * Upon seeing Jessie's upgrade...
 * Incredibly Lame Pun: Dash, being attacked by a wild Poochyena, yells at it, "Out, damned spot!" Who knew he was so cultured?
 * Upon seeing Jessie's upgrade...

"Green: Nnnn? This is hands-down, the worst pun of a name I have ever heard!"
 * After meeting Colonel Trey Nnnn:

"And... let's see... I'll try... to cut down... on... the... ellipses... I'll... try............................"
 * Fridge Brilliance: There's actually a second pun in that name, one that might not have even been intended. Think about how his rank is abbreviated.
 * Ineffectual Loner: Who else but Gary?
 * The Ingenue: Mitsumi
 * Innocent Fanservice Girl:, in her debut chapter
 * Intimate Healing:
 * I Want My Beloved to Be Happy:, when he realizes that Misty still loves Ash.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Gary.
 * Katanas Are Just Better: Not surprisingly, this is Katana's weapon.
 * Knife Nut: 's katars.
 * Electra has them too.
 * also uses a knife.
 * The Ladette: Green, which makes her constant "Tomboy" insults to Misty all the more ironic. (Note that this is just her personality--unlike the trope description, she dresses and attempts to be feminine--it's just that she's, well, crude, rude and aggressive, not to mention greedy as can be. And doesn't even bother to remember anyone's name other than Ash.)
 * According to the Chapter 136 preview, she also fits the "drinking" aspect, as she was the first to suggest booze. And in the chapter itself, she pretty much forces the liquor on everyone, not to mention challenges Misty to a Drinking Contest.
 * Lampshade Hanging: Frequent, often as references to the anime (or occasionally, other anime).
 * On multiple occasions. When each Guardian goes to make a capture, they yell out "[type] Ball!" When Green, the Dragon guardian, does this, Misty asks, "Isn't that a copyrighted name?"
 * Also, this A/N in chapter 102:


 * Les Yay: Poor Katana...it seems like she really liked Katori...
 * Oh yeah. Most of the Guardians' wishes involved trying to make someone else like them, and based on previous chapters, Katana's unrequited love for Ritchie was one of the more serious cases. Instead, she says she'd use her wish to bring Katori back
 * Foe Yay: Misty and Green.
 * Literal Split Personality:, after . "Dark " turns out to really be.
 * Living with the Villain:
 * Loveable Rogue: Green
 * Love At First Sight:
 * Love Dodecahedron: The story actually starts with Ash and Misty as a couple, but things get complicated along the way.
 * Luvdisc Made Them Do It: Chapter 124
 * Magic Wand: Todd and Mitsumi get these.
 * Magnetic Hero: Magnetic Family is more like it. Ash, being The Hero, is naturally prone to be this, but and even Dash manages to attract Neriko.
 * Make My Monster Grow: Mikuni, the Evil Dragon Guardian, causes trouble this way. The Dragon Guardian also has the ability to make things grow, which runs counter to the Bug Guardian's ability.
 * Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Mitsumi, to
 * Meganekko: Mitsumi
 * Me's a Crowd: Katana gets this power eventually, too.
 * Minion Shipping: As of Chapter 154, it looks like Hikaru has a thing for Oki. It's unclear whether or not it's requited, but it seems to be.
 * Moe: Chibi. It's even stated in the bios that as the youngest guardian, "she carries the obligation to be as cute as possible".
 * Mitsumi, too.
 * The Movie: The chapters are set up as "episodes", and occasionally there will be a super-long "movie" chapter, revolving around a legendary Pokémon. Three chapters have taken this format so far (33, 84, and 149).
 * The movies all have some relationship to the plots of the canon movies. The first one features Mew and Mewtwo; the second features the three legendary birds and Lugia, and the third features the Unown...as well as Latios, Latias, and Jirachi, the stars of the fifth and sixth movies.
 * Mushroom Samba: Chapter 154.
 * My Name Is Not Durwood: Butch still can't catch a break.
 * Butch tries to turn it back on James with the "deliberate wrong name" variety...and James is just confused as to who he's talking about.
 * "Morton? You're not even trying to get my name right anymore..."
 * Mysterious Past: It's never even really hinted at that has one until it suddenly comes crashing down on h
 * Mysterious Waif: Also Mitsumi.
 * Name's the Same: The Fire Guardian is an OC who shares a name with a recurring minor character from the earlier seasons of the anime. Then again, it's a pretty common name.
 * Mitsumi was also the name of a character from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure.
 * No Fourth Wall: Chapter 83, located at the end of the anime crossover arc, is titled "The Fourth Wall", and apparently brings the characters to the other side of it. Except they're a bit confused as to the medium.
 * Doujinshi: They also find some of these, which suggests they aren't quite in the real world as Panda was still expressing amazement at getting any sort of fanart at all.
 * Your Costume Needs Work: Misty unexpectedly wins a "Best Misty Impersonator" contest. Dash, anxious to win something, tries to win a "Best Dash" contest...and loses.
 * Nosebleed: Many end up getting this. Including a Pokémon.
 * Obfuscating Stupidity: It seems this is the case for, though to what extent is unknown.
 * Possibly Mitsumi as well.
 * Okay, definitely Mitsumi.
 * Oblivious to Love: James.
 * Older Alter Ego: Chibi, after awakening as the Grass Guardian.
 * Also technique temporarily gives her a mature  form...but when it's used up, she reverts to a  form that's even younger-looking than Chibi.
 * One Fic Author: Mr. Panda.
 * One Steve Limit: Maintained as long as they're in their own world...but when they get into the string of crossovers, all bets are off.
 * The Only One Allowed to Insult You: Green gets mad at Hikaru for using the exact same insults that she normally uses towards Misty.
 * Operation: Jealousy: Misty repeatedly does this to Ash--first with Yoshi (the player character from Gold/Silver/Crystal), then with "Data" (the Cloud Strife-Expy they meet in the video game world ), and then with.
 * Orphaned Series: Though clocking in at an impressive 173 chapters, it's still far from over and hasn't been updated since December 2007.
 * Out of Focus: The Pokémon themselves. The Guardians use their own powers to battle and capture the Pokémon, so there are no true Pokémon battles.
 * Todd often laments being this, even though some of the others actually get a lot less screen time. (Particularly Kai.)
 * Jupei and Ki seem to either get left behind or go completely unnoticed until they have a line, at which point someone will say, "You're still here?"
 * Which turns into a plot point in the Ace Attorney parody.
 * Paper Fan of Doom: Jessie's weapon
 * Petal Power: One of Chibi's primary attacks.
 * Please Put Some Clothes On: Said verbatim by Ash to Green in Chapter 140.
 * Plucky Comic Relief: Dash
 * Poisonous Friend
 * Gunpei fits the trope description as well, being the ruthless former pupil of the idealistic Kai.
 * The Pollyanna: Mitsumi
 * The "eternally cheerful" character is also briefly sent up in Chapter 98 in the form of Blissey.
 * Power Fist: James gets a pair of gauntlets for his upgrade.
 * Power Incontinence: A bout of hay fever causes everyone's powers to go haywire in Chapter 88.
 * Precocious Crush: Chibi has one for Tracey.
 * Psycho Rangers: The Evil Guardians
 * Quirky Miniboss Squad: Hikaru, Oki, and Electra
 * Reformed but Rejected: When Jessie and James awaken as Guardians, most of the other Guardians accept them immediately...but Misty is initially highly suspicious. And is mostly yelled at for it. (To be fair, everything she suspected Jessie and James would try to do, Meowth actually wanted to do. He never did a Heel Face Turn. Well, later he stopped being evil and just went along with them, because they're a team, and they stick together. Then he got Put on a Bus.)
 * Relationship Upgrade: The Festival Episode brings plenty of the typical romantic legends...but surprisingly, the upgrade takes place elsewhere. And yet...
 * Quirky Miniboss Squad: Hikaru, Oki, and Electra
 * Reformed but Rejected: When Jessie and James awaken as Guardians, most of the other Guardians accept them immediately...but Misty is initially highly suspicious. And is mostly yelled at for it. (To be fair, everything she suspected Jessie and James would try to do, Meowth actually wanted to do. He never did a Heel Face Turn. Well, later he stopped being evil and just went along with them, because they're a team, and they stick together. Then he got Put on a Bus.)
 * Relationship Upgrade: The Festival Episode brings plenty of the typical romantic legends...but surprisingly, the upgrade takes place elsewhere. And yet...

"Hikaru: *to Misty* Now you'll learn why I'm the Water Guardian, and you're just a stupid tomboy... *gets smashed by Green's Dragon Slam* Hey! What's the deal?! Green: Heh! Only her true rival can call her a stupid tomboy!"
 * The Rival: This is how the Quirky Miniboss Squad views their Guardian counterparts. Interestingly, Green doesn't react so well to Hikaru's arrival...

"Mr. Panda: Time Travel, eh? I don't think I've ever hinted at that... *looks back several chapters specifically to chapter 85* Oh wait. I hope I'm not being suspicious. *shifts eyes*"
 * Rouge Angles of Satin: In Chapter 114, "shirt" was accidentally rendered as "shit" at one point. Though Panda corrected this when it was pointed out to him, he engaged in a bit of self-parody by intentionally using "shirt" as an Unusual Euphemism for "shit" in the following chapter.
 * Saying Too Much: Sayer Blight finally slips up when he tries to hypnotize Ash...and accidentally makes him mention Jupei and Ki, who had been left behind again. He then gasps: "Oh no! Where are those little fuzzballs…" and is immediately caught by Gary, who deduces that Blight is really the creature that took over his dark side, Sableye.
 * Schedule Slip: Panda promises that the third official character art will be coming soon at the end of Chapter 87. The story has nearly doubled in length, but there are still only two official character arts...and it's been over two years since the last chapter came out, at that. And judging by the review dates, he was still updating multiple times a week at the time (only four months from the date that it was started.) Which puts this at over half a decade.
 * It appears that the schedule slip began somewhere around chapter 120.
 * The Scrappy: Dash is treated like one in-universe, which Mr. Panda says is to make him loved by the fans. For the more conventional scrappy, we have one of the show's scrappies, Ritchie.
 * Sdrawkcab Name: Nipul, in the anime crossover arc.
 * Spell My Name with an "S": Somewhere in between his arrival and his true identity being revealed, his alias changes to Nupil.
 * Sentai: Probably the best description of what the Guardians are.
 * Mr. Panda actually addresses this in the A/N after chapter 13, though he states that he never actually watched Power Rangers and the transforming aspect was more inspired by Sailor Moon.
 * Separated at Birth: Ash and Dash
 * Shout-Out: Chapter 91 turns into a Wile E. Coyote/Roadrunner cartoon.
 * Chapter 97's A/N: ends with Panda going all Stephen Colbert on his critics.
 * Chapter 127: "Darn! I would've gotten away with it if weren't for you rotten kids... And your stupid dog."
 * Chapter 141 is called "Ekans On A Plane" and also features references to the classic Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet".
 * Chapter 148 parodies the Ace Attorney series.
 * In addition to being one of the movies, Chapter 149 takes a stab at The Amazing Race. Sort of.
 * As well as Friends...and The Simple Life...and The Dating Game ( naturally win this one)...and The Apprentice...and Survivor...and okay, pretty much every Reality Show out there. (Not sure what a Friends parody was doing in there, though.
 * It also ends with Green getting her item...an orange orb.
 * Showing Off the New Body: Variation; it's not another person's body being flaunted, but a more mature version of her own.
 * Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids: apparently wanted to be a superhero as a kid, before being broken and turned into the grumpy Jerkass we're all used to. Well, this is heavily implied, anyway.
 * Simple Staff: Ash's scepter; Misty's rod
 * Soap Opera Disease: Dragon's Rage
 * Something About a Rose: Chibi's weapon.
 * Something They Would Never Say: Green catches on that the Misty they're seeing is a fake when she quickly and casually gives the correct answer when Green asks "What is my name?"
 * Star-Crossed Lovers: Dash and Neriko
 * Stepford Smiler:
 * And Gary, after, although it's really the result of Ghostly Possession.
 * The Stoic: Kai. On the villains' side, Oki.
 * Stoic Guy Energetic Girl: The energetic Hikaru provides an interesting foil to the cold gunslinger Oki.
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: In response to a review:

"Ash: Okay, guys. I appreciate you coming with me, but promise me one thing. Don't die on me. Green: Only if you do the same."
 * Symbol Swearing: Col. Nnnn
 * Taken for Granite: Everyone except Brock in Chapter 135.
 * That Was Objectionable: Being a parody of the already over-the-top Ace Attorney series, it was bound to happen eventually in Chapter 148. Mitsumi objects to the entire trial when Blight goes too far over the top trying to frame Gary for some sort of crime.
 * Theme Naming:
 * Token Mini-Moe: Chibi
 * Later joined by ...maybe. Her debut suggests that she's old enough to titillate the likes of Dash and Brock, but in chapter 128, she laments her "somewhat preteen body" and feels she won't be able to compete with the more-developed Green (and only a few chapters later, the Freaky Friday Flip happens and Misty remarks that Green is slightly flatter than she is, so...).
 * Chapter 136 contradicts this, as when they try to figure out her age, Sakura says she looks to be about 16. Guess she's just flat.
 * Tragic Villain: Any member of the Evil Guardians that wants to repent but is afraid to go against Guardia probably counts, but is a particularly notable example due to spending much of the second half of the story not committing any evil acts and hoping that Guardia won't notice that  Also Neriko, after she falls in love with Dash.
 * Unfortunately for, Guardia is the Psychic Evil Guardian--naturally he knows the truth.
 * Trapped In Video Game Land: The end of chapter 106 has the Guardians sucked into a video game world as a result of Butch and Cassidy's machine. In order, we see Dash and Brock in a Platformer (specifically, a Super Mario Bros parody), Sakura in a shooter (one with online multiplayer, at that), Chibi in a Rhythm Game, Tracey in a Shoot'Em Up (multiple lines from Zero Wing appear, as does "Do a barrel roll!"), Todd in a sort of combined stealth/logic puzzle game, Ritchie and Katana in a Dating Sim (Ritchie's the protagonist, and all of the female Guardians are "present", but Katana's the only one that's from the real world), Kai in (what else?) a Fighting Game (mostly parodying Street Fighter, with fighters named Kyu and Ren and a move called the Ripoffdouken, but it ends with "FINISH HIM!"), Jessie in a GTA-Expy, James and the mascots  in an obvious Ocarina of Time-Expy, Pikachu in...some bizarre Sonic the Hedgehog/VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry/kart racing/pinball mash-up that was also an Escort Mission, Gary and Mitsumi in a Survival Horror game, and finally everyone in an RPG (with Ash as the Heroic Mime--Misty and Green, the only other two that hadn't already been in a game, were in his party, while the others all ended up together somewhere else). The RPG takes four chapters; the others all take one. (The last chapter of the RPG also features Jigglypuff as Kirby.)
 * Truman Show Plot: Chapter 149, an Amazing Race parody.
 * Try Not to Die: Chapter 129:

"Ayumi: Shh... I like a man who likes to control the fears of others."
 * Tsundere: Misty, of course.
 * Unholy Matrimony: Guardia and Ayumi, of the "pair of villains who were, from the beginning, a 'villainous couple'" variety. With a heavy dose of Psycho Supporter thrown in.


 * Unstoppable Rage:
 * Unwanted Harem: Ash starts to develop one.
 * Verbal Tic: Katana, meow.
 * Voluntary Shapeshifting: Ash's gender bending, Chibi's age-changing, . Katana's Metamorphosis Transform changes the shape of other people.
 * Like all three of the above examples, was also an involuntary transformation the first time.
 * Weasel Mascot: Jupei and Ki
 * Wham! Episode: Two in short succession: Chapters 91 and 93. The first has the Guardians chasing a super-charged Natu across the desert west of Pallet Town, which only ends when . The latter takes place at Sprout Tower and features a mysterious man trying to , and also ends with  Together, they launch an arc that would take over 50 chapters to completely resolve.
 * Episodes 129 and 130 provide The Climax of said arc, and the latter qualifies as another Wham! Episode as it ends with
 * Chapter 136 looks like it's just going to be a light-hearted, "everybody gets drunk" chapter, which it is...up until the end. The wham doesn't let up for three whole chapters.
 * Whip It Good: Chibi after her second upgrade.
 * Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: "I do not understand your logic. Wouldn't it be more sensible to just kill the Guardians and leave easy prey for ourselves?" Note that Oki is not responding to the use of an overly convoluted method of killing them, but rather to Electra's plan to let the Guardians lead them to
 * Wooden Katanas Are Even Better: Kai's weapon.
 * A Worldwide Punomenon: Guess which Pokémon they catch when they end up on the other side of the fourth wall.
 * Worthy Opponent: Chapter 168. Hikaru, Electra and Oki aren't planning to uphold their deal with Lawrence III, expecting him to betray them, but nevertheless go along with him so they can get a rematch with their opposite numbers in the Guardians.
 * You Don't Want to Die a Virgin, Do You?: When everyone else has been turned to stone, Sakura gives up all hope that they're going to survive and relents to Brock's advances...and Brock refuses her, saying that they still have a chance to survive.