Let's Talk About Pokemon!

Allister or Bea?

Allister or Bea?

For those of you who don't know, depending on if you play Sword or Shield, you get different gym leaders to face! The gym leaders exclusive to Sword are Bea the Fighting type leader & Gordie the Rock type leader. The gym leaders exclusive to Shield includes Allister the Ghost type leader & Melony the Ice Type leader.

I am going to say this right now... I 100% prefer Shield's gym leaders over Sword's BUT I'm only going to voice why I prefer Allister over Bea. Why Allister vs Bea? Because Allister & Bea's gyms are located in the same town BUT who rules over said gym is different per version of game.

I hate to say it... I'm not a fan of Bea in general. She's a beloved character in the fanbase but I personally don't get it. I know her popularity stems from the fact that she's featured in the Pokemon anime (and also she's WAY over sexualized in the fanbase) but still, she's not my cup of tea. Her design isn't really interesting to me, her team is boring, her as a character is boring. Plus, we've gotten a young fighting type female gym leader before *cough* Maylene *cough*. Plus, Bea as the gym leader of Stow On Side makes no sense. I'll explain why next.

The setting: Stow on Side
Stow on Side is a historical town filled with ruins both inside and outside of town. The town itself gives me Wild West or Indian Bazaar vibes! Outside the gym there's numerous lanterns lining walk ways that represent a familiar ghost type Pokemon: Chandelure. Outside of Stow on Side you'll encounter MANY ghost type Pokemon including Sinistea & Yamask. The Glimwood Tangle, located just outside Stow On Side, is a necessary route to take in order to reach the Ballonlea gym that is full of bioluminescent mushrooms and Pokemon that are ghost, fairy & psychic types.

Now, from that description alone, Stow On Side 100% fits Allister, our ghost gym leader, better! Bea as Stow On Side's gym leader feels insanely out of place. There's literally nothing in Stow On Side that makes sense for her. Plus, based on the Pokemon that's found in & around Stow On Side, the game is BEGGING you to defeat Bea since Ghost, Fairy & Psychic types are either unaffected by Fighting Types or are Effective Against Fighting types. Meanwhile Allister being a Ghost leader he's actually effective against Ghost & Psychic types so there's more of a challenge.

The Gym Challenge:
Now, Whether you played Allister or Bea's gym, maybe even both, you'll realize that both of their gym challenge/mission are 100% the same. There's just a retheming depending on the gym in question. In both gyms you get into a spinning saucer & in a way play pinball in order to reach the end of the map. In Bea's gym, the bumpers are punching gloves & your saucer is painted to look like... Clobbopus? In Allister's gym, the bumpers are monster hands while the saucer you're in is painted to represent our teacup pokemon: Sinistea. Yeah, I prefer Allister's gym challenge... While I actually hate the Stow on Side gym with a burning passion, due how stupid it's challenge is, again, I still prefer Allister. The theming for his Gym was a million times better. I love how we're in a spinning teacup, that's brilliantly decorated like a teacup Pokémon! The colored theme is much nicer too: Black, purple & green. Compared to Bea's orange, White & Black.

Lastly, why I love Allister as a character!
I always love it whenever a child is a gym leader. It just tells you that this kid was introduced & loved Pokemon at such a young age. Their determination & battle prowess was enough to earn them such a respectable title as gym leader. I straight up love the mystery behind Allister. He's a quiet antisocial young boy who hides behind a Corsola mask (I thought it was a shy guy mask for the longest time lol!) I went the whole game wanting to know what's behind his mask & upon finishing the post game you get Allister's 2nd League Card that pictures him unmasked. It's like you got rewarded for playing the game till that point!!! Plus, Allister is adorable as all heck. When you enter a Championship Cup with Allister as your partner, he relies on you & treats you like an older sibling! Plus, I like how Allister has a wide range of Pokemon, most of them fan favorites, but at least he uses POWERFUL Pokemon nonetheless. Like seriously, Allister isn't a pushover! He has both a Gengar & a Chandelure on one team!!! I genuinely couldn't decide whether I wanted Sword or Shield & Allister was my deciding vote as I got Shield initially, Sword years later.

What about you? Do you prefer Allister or Bea?