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When playing the games, have you ever though to yourself, "Man, if only I could use my flying legendary bird to hop over this inconveniently placed tree without requiring cut? Or hey, why don't the bad guys ever try attacking the trainer instead of just battling?"

Well this manga has that and much more.

Now, is it a masterpiece of storytelling and perfect in every way? Well, no. (Though I'll still say it is) At it's core it is a story aimed mainly at younger audiences. However, that doesn't really take away anything from the story. Especially considering some of the darker aspects of Pokémon and ... people it decides to showcase at times. The cast of characters are a fun bunch as well, expanded on much more than has been done before in the games, especially since there, aside from the rivals, they mostly serve as self-inserts in an RPG while here they're individual well developed characters that learn and grow as they progress on their journeys. Even the supporting characters, like the gym leaders for example, get much more development here than what could be fair to say they've really ever gotten anywhere else

Pre-existing Pokémon fans however, whether you've played the games or watched the anime before, would probably enjoy Pokémon Adventures (Pocket Monsters Special) even more. Not only does it make use of some of the facts mentioned in the pokedex entries as more than just random trivia by implementing them into some of the aspects of the Pokémon themselves, but they also use those unique qualities of the Pokémon as part of the battle strategies. Honestly, at times I found myself making comparisons to somewhat simplified stand battles from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure since the trainers don't always just shout commands to fight the Pokémon, but sometimes have to do things themselves to win a battle.

In conclusion, if you're not a fan of Pokémon, maybe give it a shot and you might like it despite some of its flaws. For a Pokémon fan, I greatly recommend reading these fun stories.