Well...this has been a long time coming!
Ever since I wrote that article about what I want for Pokemon Sun and Moon, I was rather anxious about what they're going to do; Especially since Sun and Moon is supposed to represent the 20th anniversary of the series. When I got my hands on the New Nintendo 3DS XL on December 30th, it had both Pokemon Sun and Moon installed onto it. When Sun and Moon were announced, I wanted to play Sun, so I chose to play that. It took me at least a month to finish it (Which is why I haven't written any new articles since.), but it was worth it.

One of the things that made me love Sun and Moon are the new Pokemon (Well...most of them). In this article I'll be counting down my top 10 favorite Pokemon.

Now, this is all my opinion and experiences with the game. If you disagree with me, that's fine! Just because you have a different opinion then me, doesn't mean I won't respect your opinion, or you as a person.
I will also include the Pokemon I used while playing Pokemon Sun, so feel free to share what Pokemon you used/liked the best.

10.Wishiwashi.
Wishiwashi was one of the Pokemon I used on my team. He was my team's Water-Type.
The reason why I chose Wishiwashi as my Go-To! Water Pokemon was because I was fascinated by what its ability, what it can do, and what its based on: South American Sardines.
I also love what they did with the concept of sardine schools. Instead of making Wishiwashi's school form its evolution, they instead made it a different form it can turn into when they call out for other others.
I also love Wishiwashi's School Form! It's based on a Dunkleosteus: an extinct genus of arthrodire placoderm fish that existed during the Late Devonian period, about 360–380 million years ago.
Another reason why I love the School Form so much is because it reminds so much of the sardines from Finding Nemo, one of my favorite Pixar movies.

I caught my Wishiwashi after I did my Water Trial. After some leveling up, I had an awesome beast on my team! It could use Aqua Ring to regain health, and the Water-Type Z-move to take out opponents quickly. I remember, when I first encountered Nihilego at Aether Paradise, I easily one hit KO-ed it with Wishiwashi using the Z-move.
I also remember when I fought Elite Four member Kahili, I gave my Wishiwashi the Icinium Z, and easily knocked out her Toucanon.

Even though Wishiwashi has received a lot of criticism from people, I still think WIshiwashi is awesome, and I'm glad I had him on my team.


9.Buzzwole.
The very first Ultra Beast on the list, but certainly not the last!
One of the things I liked about the Ultra Beasts the most was their weird design. Their designs reminded me a lot of the Corrupted Gems from Steven Universe. That's because most of them have no eyes, their designs, while interesting and inspired, are very weird and alien looking, and are very hostile.

Buzzwole is my second favorite Ultra Beast. It was actually my favorite one back when it was first revealed. I LOVED it's design! It looks so fierce, bad ass, and muscular.

While mosquitoes are the devils' anus (Sorry about that.), I love what they did with Buzzwole.
Mosquitoes are known to suck blood from people and animals (As well as spread dangerous diseases.), so having Buzzwole be so swollen and muscular because of the blood it sucks is very clever. You can actually see the blood flowing in him - that's very clever!

I also like it when you feed Buzzwole PokeBeans in Pokemon Refresh, it sucks the food with its silver proboscis, which is said to be as hard as diamond.


8.Tapu Koko.
I was actually debating whether I should put Tapu Koko or Vikavolt on the list, since Vikavolt was one of my teammates and my main Electric-Type. But, in the end, Tapu Koko won out in the end.

Like the Ultra Beasts, I was surpised when Tapu Koko was first revealed. He looked so different from any other Pokemon.

When I first read about it, I was incredibly fascinated by what I read.

One of the things I loved about Pokemon Sun was how it embraced its Hawaiian culture. A good example being the Island Guardians, who are based on the four Hawaiian gods.
Tapu Koko is inspired by Kūkaʻilimoku, the god of war and conflict, who is often represented by feathered idols. This is further proved by the fact that Tapu Koko is found at the Ruins of Conflict.

Taku Koko is without a doubt my favorite Island Guardian. Tapu Bulu is a close second, but I like Koko's design better. Tapu Fini looks weird with it opening horizontally, but it also looks very elegant. Tapu Lele is my least favorite, mainly because I don't really like it's design.
I also caught all 4 of them using different Poke Balls. For Tapu Koko I used an Ultra Ball; a Dusk Ball for Lele; a Timer Ball for Bulu; and a Net Ball for Fini.

Because the Island Guardians weren't forbidden to use in a Battle Royal, I used Tapu Koko, and it was awesome. It had great speed, practically making it the faster Fairy-Type, and new Electro Ball and Agility to raise its speed, making it a force to be reckoned with.

However, I can't put him any higher because I have a personal problem with it.
You see, when I beat the Pokemon League for the first time and became champion, I had to fight Tapu Koko, even though all I had were 30 Ultra Balls, but barely anything else. Tapu Koko broke out so much that it angered me. Thank God, I managed to capture it, but it was still very frustrating. Not that it was hard to catch, but because I had to face it right then and there, without buying any new Poke Balls.

Still, I think Tapu Koko is an awesome Pokemon, and definitely my favorite Electric-Type from Generation 7.


7.Kommo-o
I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but Kommo-o was also one of my teammates. he was my team's powerhouse.
You see, whenever I play a Pokemon game, I always want a Pokemon on my team who can be the powerhouse by dishing out powerful KO's to my opponents. Most the time, that role is filled by the region's Pseudo-Legendary.

Most of the time, I used Kommo-o to with either the Fighting or Dragon-Type Z-Move. Mostly because I think it suited him very well.

When I first got to Vast Poni Canyon and went into tall grass, my first mission was to catch a Jangmo-o and then evolve it. It took me some time, but when I finally got one, I accidentally knocked it out. Later, I manged to find a new one, and instantly caught it.

When I evolved it into Kommo-o, not only was he a powerful team member, but also my go-to Pokemon most of the time.

And much like Totem Lurantis, I don't get it why people complain about Totem Kommo-o so much! Just level up your Pokemon, have one of them use a powerful Fairy/Flying-Type move and Totem Kommo-o will be a pushover.

I remember when I took a break from doing my homework on the same day, my friend Dan replied to me, and I told him about Kommo-o, and he said this:
"It looks aztec-ish for some reason. I LOVE IT!!!"
And I agree with him, Kommo-o looks awesome! Its design is very fitting for the first Dragon/Fighting-Type.

Then, he asked me what he can do.
Even though I used him for the Z-Move, Kommo-o knew a lot more tricks. It knew Clanging Scales, a very powerful move, Poison Jab and Rock Slide to counter Fairy-Types and Flying-Types, and Sky Uppercut if the Fighting-Type Z-Move was unavailable. It also had the ability "Soundproof", which granted him immunity against sound-based attacks like Screech.

To be honest, when I first caught Jangmo-o, I was debating whether I should keep him or not, but after battling with him for so long, I regret nothing.


6.Celesteela.
I told you Buzzwole wasn't the only Ultra Beast on this list, so here's the other one.
Celesteela is my favorite Ultra Beast, and I'll explain why.

Celesteela is based on an old Japanese folk tale: The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. It's a very interesting story. I was introduced to it when I was little, on an episode of Hello Kitty where they adapted this story.
It primarily details the life of a mysterious girl called Kaguya-hime, who was discovered as a baby inside the stalk of a glowing bamboo plant.
It was also the story that gave the inspiration for the character Kaguya from Naruto Shippuden.

I love Celesteela design! Its body resembles bamboo shoots, its arms resemble cut bamboo trunks, and its overall shape resembles a space shuttle. It's body also gives the appearance of a multilayered kimono, as in the Heian Era of Japan, the time in which the story of the Bamboo Cutter is set in, kimono dresses with multiple layers was the style of dress's worn by women of high class such as Kaguya. It's long hair likely referencing how Kaguya was said to have hair so perfect, she never styled it. It's 'eyes' being placed ontop of its hair, instead of its 'face', is likely in reference to how modern art depictions of Kaguya usually depict her with her hair covering her face, as it is believed no artist is capable of truly capturing her other worldly beauty on paper. Its body may also incorporate similarities to the spacecraft SELENE (nicknamed "Kaguya" in Japan), which orbited the Moon between 2007 and 2009. Celesteela may also be based off of a Bamboo Rocket.

5.Alolan Ninetales.
Like with many things introduced in Sun and Moon, the regional variant Pokemon was the one I found the most confusing.
If regional variants exist, what about regional variants of other Pokemon for previous regions? What about Unovan Cacnea and Cacturne; or Kalosian Gollet or Golurk?

Even though many people love this idea, I honestly have mixed feelings about it. But overall, some of the Alolan variant Pokemon they introduced look great! Alolan Ninetales being my favorite.

I always thought that regular Ninetales look great, but wasn't really my type. Alolan Ninetales is one of the most beautiful, elegant, coolest (No pun intended), Pokemon I've ever seen. It managed to take the place as my favorite Ice-Type Pokemon, as well as one of my favorite Pokemon of all time.

The reason being that I it reminds me so much of Elsa from Frozen, who's my favorite Disney character.
Previously, it was Glacion, but Alolan Ninetales beat her.

While I don't really have any memories with Alolan Ninetales, it managed to be on my list for not only being the first Ice/Fairy-Type (Effectively making it the perfect dragon killer.), but because it reminds me so much of Elsa that it might as well be her signature Pokemon.
Because that, I originally intended to catch one and make it a permanent team member, but when I caught a Mimikyu, I decided not to. Still, I think Alolan Ninetales looks awesome, and maybe next time I'll use one.


4.Type: Null and Silvally.
When I first saw Type: Null, I thought that it was a new Type, but in reality it's actually its name. Like many things that were introduced for Sun and Moon, Type: Null and its evolution Silvally confused the hell out of me. But, over time, they have become of the most interesting Pokemon GameFreak ever released.

The reason why Type: Null and Silvally are so interesting is because of their origin.
Much like Mewtwo and Genesect, Type: Null is a man-made Pokemon, created by the Aether Foundation to specifically emulate the power of the legendary Pokemon Arceus, so it could fight the Ultra Beasts. Only three Type: Null's were created, and they were dubbed the "Beast Killers".

To further prove that Type: Null was inspired by Arcues: materials for its development were collected from the Canalave Library in Sinnoh; it's ability is called the "RKS System", as in "Arceus System"; and the ring surrounding its helmet resembles the one surrounding the torso of Arceus.

For its creation, the Aether Foundation collected the cells of all kinds of different Pokemon.
In order for Type: Null to change its Type, they created 18 different memories for each type. Type: Null can then hold on to those memory disks, and gain the typing of that specific memory. As a result, it's original name was Type: Full.

Shortly after testing, all three models of Type: Full rejected the RKS System and went berserk.
The models were fitted with control masks to mitigate the effects of their rejection of the RKS System.
Due to the implementation of these control masks, the RKS System initialization tests failed.
All three models of Type: Full were cryongenically frozen for eternity. As a result, their names have been changed to Type: Null.

It's an amazing backstory that made Type: Null and Silvally some of my favorites.

I originally intended to get one on my team, but then I realized that you can only get him in the Post-Game from Gladion.
Speaking of which, I think Silvally is the perfect partner for Gladion, and their backstory is also pretty heartwarming.

3.Solgaleo.
Between Solgaelo and Lunala, Solgaleo was was the one I liked the most. Not just because it had the red hue color scheme, but because it looked so bad ass! I loved Lunala's elegant look and I think it looks gorgeous, but Solgaleo will always be the best Alolan Legendary to me.

In "My hopes for Pokemon Sun and Moon" article, I stated that I found it confusing that Solgelo was part Steel-Type and not Fire-Type.

If you haven't read my article, here's the part I was talking about:
"My best friend said it's weird that the legendary to represent the sun is a lion.But I think it makes perfect sense.
I believe they chose the lion because lions are described as the king of beasts,and their mane could be considered a crown.In ancient times,people believed the sun to be a God that ruled over them,so to represent the might of the sun,they chose a lion,the mightiest creature of them all.
I was honestly surprise that a Pokemon based on the sun is a Steel/Psychic-Type and is weak to fire (Ironic,isn't it?),but I think this criticism is ludicrous.
The sun is actually made of iron.The elements that make up the sun bond together to make iron,releasing massive amounts of heat and energy as it does so.The sun will eventually be completely made out of iron and then die one of several ways depending on how big it is."

However, that's not actually true. I was right about the lion with a sun motif, but not with everything else.
Solgaleo is a reference to the alchemical lion, being described as "devouring the sun", as well as connected to metals via its Steel-type. Finally, being the emissary rather than personification of the sun as well as being able to pass through different dimensions, Solgaleo might lend some inspiration from the eye of Ra, a goddess usually described as a lion that is the sun's protector in Egyptian mythology as it travels through the underworld.

One thing I don't like is Solgaleo's shiny form. The sun devouring lion that Solgaleo is based on is green, so it would make perfect sense to make Solgaleo shiny form green. But instead, we got a red Solgaleo, which doesn't look good, in my opinion.

Here's something personal:
When I caught Solgaleo, I was torn whether or not I should keep it, because unlike most legendaries, I build an emotional connection with it when it was just a Cosmog.
Lillie is without a doubt my favorite character from Sun and Moon, and her story with Nebby was just adorable, as well as really heartwarming.
The only other mascot legendaries I kept on my team were Ho-oh when I first played Pokemon HearGold, primarily because of the ridiculous level scaling; and Reshiram in Pokemon Black, but only temporarily.
Solgaleo on the other hand, it really felt like I made a friend. However, I decided not to keep it because it would be unfair.


2.Incineroar.
Incineroar was only my strongest Pokemon, but was also very close to make it to Number 1.

When the Alola starters were first revealed, I knew Litten was going to be the one I'll chose. Not just because it's the Fire starter and I always chose those - but also because it reminded a lot of myself.
According to the official Pokemon Sun and Moon website:
"Logical but also passionate, Litten always remains coolheaded and doesn't show its emotions on the surface."
It's the first time when I could actually relate to a starter.
Another reason why I loved Litten is because it's a cat, and I love cats! I already have 5 of them...

Torracat, while my least favorite one, was very useful, like when I took down Totem Lurantis with no problem!

Incineroar is one of the most bad ass starters ever!
When I first saw the leaks, I really hoped that it won't be another Fire/Fighting-Type starter. Don't get me wrong, I love Blaziken, Infernape and Emboar, but it having three Fire/Fighting starters in a row was very tiring.
Instead, Incineroar is a Fire/Dark-Type, and it's very fitting.

Incineroar is based on a heel. A wrestler who fights dirty, shows no respect, and is basically a jerk.

For instance, last year in October a new anime started - a sequel to the Japanese icon Tiger Mask. It's called Tiger Mask W, and one of the main characters was a heel named Tiger the Dark, who look EXACTLY like Incineroar, especially in terms of color-scheme.

Incineroar also reminds me of the Ben 10 alien, Rath - one of my favorite aliens from the show.

While I'm against violence or playing dirty in general, Incineroar has become one of my favorite starter Pokemon because of all the memories I made with him. He was a formidable Pokemon, with great moves, a likeable personality, and just generally being awesome!
he also helped me take down Totem Mimikyu with ease.

Incineroar was very close to make it to Number 1, but there's one Pokemon that I love, and that's...


1.Mimikyu.
Mimikyu is without a doubt one of my favorite Pokemon of all time, and my favorite Pokemon introduced in this generation. It replaced Xerneas as my favorite Fairy-Type Pokemon, ever.

It's really funny how like, Pikachu has been the obvious moneymaker for Pokemon throughout its history, and they've tried to replicate this without success ever since. Trying each Generation to hit on that mascot formula...
...and finally, after a series of unsuccessful and generally clumsy Pikachu ripoffs, GameFreak comes out with a Pokemon...whose ENTIRE CONCEPT is literally a "clumsy" Pikachu ripoff...and everyone freaking loves it!

Mimikyu was also one of teammates, and one of the best. She was team's main Fairy-Type, and because of its secondary typing, granted it immunity common Fighting or Dragon-Type attacks.
Speaking of which, the reason why I kept Mimikyu instead of Alolan Ninetales is of Totem Kommo-o. A lot of people were saying that Totem Kommo-o was the hardest of them all, so as to not get beaten, I wanted to get a Fairy-Type on my team; with the best candidates being: Alolan Ninetales; Mimikyu; or Ribombee.
I ended up choosing Mimikyu, not only because of it's tragic backstory, but also because of her typing of Ghost/Fairy.

After my Ghost trial, I searched endlessly for a Mimikyu, but like Jangmo-o, when I finally stumbled upon it I tried to capture it, without knocking it out, but I succeeded in the end, and Mimikyu has became one of my team's aces.
I even knocked out all of Elite Four Hala's Pokemon with just my Mimikyu, as well as Totem Kommo-o.

Another neat thing about it is that GameFreak released it's own theme song; a cute little rap song that explains its origins and what it wants.
Here's the link:
link

On an unrelated note, Jesse's Mimikyu from the anime, unlike the one from the game, hates Pikachu and wants to kill him, and in the episode where James caught a Meraine, the scenes with MImikyu are absolutely hilarious! Especially the one, where it comes out of the water, and its makeup is so busted and deformed that it scares the crap (Sorry about that) out of Team Rocket.

Mimikyu is my favorite Pokemon of this Generation, and one of my favorite Pokemon, ever.


One of the things that annoyed me the most about Sun and Moon was its low roster of new Pokemon, including the Alolan variants of older Pokemon.
The reason why that is because I thought that because it's the 7th Generation, it will have a big roaster of new Pokemon, similar to Generation 1,3 and 5.
However, while there are also a lot of disappointing new Pokemon, there are also a lot of awesome Pokemon, not just the 10 Pokemon I listed off here.
They're full of personality and represent the Alola region beautifully.
While they're not some of my favorites, they're certainly the most unique roaster of Pokemon I've ever seen, and that's more than enough for me.

Smell ya' later!