Pokemusings, week nine

Naming your Pokemon is a vital but often overlooked part of the Pokemon games. Hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people play Pokemon games without giving any thought to naming the Pokemon they catch. This, we think, is criminal. After all, you don't name your dog "Dog" or your cat "Cat." So why should you stick with species names like Charmander, Pikachu, or Togepi?!?

We understand that Ash and his friends do this in the animated series so that viewers can learn the names of each Pokemon, but this does not excuse you! Giving your Pokemon a fitting name is a reflection of how caring a Pokemon trainer you are. If you're new to the series or just get stumped when it comes time to name your Pokemon, we have a bunch of suggestions for you.