May, the spin-off

[FabuVinny]

As brought up in Bulbacast episode 5, one of the best possibilities for May's fate post-AG is for her to star in her own spin-off. It allows the writers to continue the contest element while bringing in whatever new feature Daimond and Pearl has to offer. (I honestly don't think the writers intend to give the contests to Brock.) It also stops the show from being, as Pie puts it, cluttered. So if this were to happen, then what would it be like? Let the speculation begin...

Location

Probably somewhere new, but the Sevii Islands or even Johto are also possibilities.

Supporting Cast

Ash is obviously on his own quest in the main series so he's out. On the other hand, Max is a given. But who else would join them?

As this series would be more aimed at girls, it makes sense that the shippiness would be more apparent. And what ship has just been made canon? Enter Drew and ContestShipping! If May defeats Drew in the next Grand Festival, as is suspected, then this is a very good possibility.

The other possibility brought up was Tracey and Daisy. I'm not too sure on this one. Max admires Tracey and it would make sense for the decision to leave Ash would be made at Pallet Town but they hardly know each other. Daisy apparently having a contest pass wouldn't help much as there is such a thing as too many contests. It would allow the writers to develop the two characters since we haven't seen much of either since the housous ended but I don't know if this spin-off is the right place to do it.

Antagonist

Jessie, James and Meowth want Pikachu. So while they follow Ash, what will cause the conflict for May?

The option brought up was Harley but I think this is less likely than Tracey and Daisy coming along. Harley is the darker rival but he still isn't the kind of person who would go around stealing Pokémon. Unless we get to see him become evil after one loss too many to May, he will remain as an occasionally recurring character.

Some new members of an evil team is another possibility. So either we get to see Team Rocket in the way we did in Johto or we get a new evil team. For Team Rocket, I have a suspicion that it would be Butch and Cassidy and I think they suffered enough in AG. But if Diamond and Pearl has two evil teams again then May's team could be involved with one while Ash's team is involved with another. Then at the end of the saga, Ash meets up with May and they take down both teams together.

Without knowing much about Diamond and Pearl, this area requires much more speculation than usual. For all we know, the games could be in two different lands, (like Zelda:Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons but to a lesser extent.) That would immediately solve the location problem.

So let's discuss.

 

[Ghost_Master]

I dont think think that will happen. That would first of all resort to one of or both animes going down. Like the housos they were updated every now and then. if one anime suffered that then one fanbase would be angry and that could have the writers lose the fanbase. Or the writers will alternate between May and Ash and Ash haters will complain or may haters will complain. Or people will complain with the writers spouting out two meh quality episodes because of divided attention between animes. Also Max is here for a purpose he could tackle any extra feature that the writers would want. Or Brock, Misty, or Tracet could step in. We also know nothing about D/P so we cant make accurate speculation. Although I will give you that you put up a good arguement.

Prepares Cybercubed(and others) Vs. Bulbagarden.

 

[Roses Ablaze]

Eh, I'm not a mod, but please let this not turn into an "is May going to leave" debate. I personally don't think she will, but that's not the point of this thread (is it?)

Anyways, if she did have her own spin-off, there would probably be more characters introduced - maybe "Diamond" while "Pearl" travels with Ash. As for the antagonist, it'd be nice to see a duo from one of the other teams, but that's kinda unlikely, seeing as how Magma and Aqua have disbanded and Team Go-go *chokes at the awful name* would probably be reserved for Ash's series (which would be to advertise D/P).

 

[Cybersai]

I see the hidden message here:

Get May the hell off the show and away from Ash so a certain someone can return to the series!

Anyway, no. What people fail to realize is that Ash has taken May under his wing in AG and that's he's her mentor. May is not going to abandon Ash after everything he's done for her. The whole point of early AG was that May wanted to travel, and once she liked Pokemon, she wanted to travel with an experienced trainer like Ash who she could learn from.

Ash and May are bound together by the mentor/student dynamic, she would never abandon him after he brought her to where she is today.

Didn't early Battle Frontier say anything? May came all the way from Hoenn to Pallet Town just so she could travel with Ash again. And this was *before* she found out that there were Contests in Kanto.

The writers made a heartwarming scene where Ash and May sit on the couch together where she asks him if she can continue traveling with him, and Ash of course agrees. Delia watches and approves.

Of course, this idea could work (in theory, but in reality we know it'll never happen), but the idea of a former rival traveling with May is also ridiculous. It's almost as dumb as Gary traveling with Ash.

All I see this spinoff theory is a blatant attempt to get May the hell out of the series and out of the picture. Of course it doesn't surprise me that I know who originally came up with this idea, but it's best left for fanfiction.

 

[FabuVinny]

The only reason I don't think Scott will like this is that it will bring ContestShipping to a state that even he can't deny and there will be no chance for AdvanceShipping to happen.

But there is enough popularity in Japan for both to run simultaneously. Maybe more writers will be hired, but with the focus slightly towards girls rather than slightly towads boys, that is probably for the best.

As for not knowing about D/P, well I did make that point. But that just means we can speculate as much as we want. Unless it completely surprises us, there are enough limits to work with.

I can see one use of Daisy's Contest Pass: She could become a new occasional rival. She could then travel with Tracey but not often with May and co. The only issue with Tracey is that he has a job, (not that she seems to acknowledge it,) but he is the least developed main character so giving him a role would be nice.

 

[Cybersai]

The only reason I don't think Scott will like this is that it will bring ContestShipping to a state that even he can't deny and there will be no chance for AdvanceShipping to happen.

Me not liking the idea doesn't really have anything to do with shipping. It's just a ridiculous concept of a split fanbase. And the fact that Ash and May have successfully co-starred AG together, there's no reason to give her her own show.

But there is enough popularity in Japan for both to run simultaneously. Maybe more writers will be hired, but with the focus slightly towards girls rather than slightly towads boys, that is probably for the best.

Or they could do what they've been doing for the last 4 or so years, have a show with a main male and female character for both demographics.

The writers continually alternate between Ash's Gyms/Brains and May's Contests in Hoenn and Kanto. It's a winning formula which made AG a complete success. There's no reason to change it.

 

[Roses Ablaze]

Well, so much for that request -_-;

 

[FabuVinny]

Roses: No this isn't another "who will leave?" debate. This is to speculate what this spin-off would be like.

Scott: Listen. If I wanted May to get the hell out then I would want her to leave and never come back. But I am talking about the possibility of her starring in her own show. She would be put in a position that she can't reach with Ash and that no other secondary character has gone before. Yes Ash has helped her on her way but Brock and Misty helped him on his way and they both left at some point. If she can now become the leader then it helps her character much more.

The reason to change it? D/P is on the way with a new feature that the writers will be more interested in than contests. This is good for May.

Now let's get back to speculating...

 

[Cybersai]

Scott: Listen. If I wanted May to get the hell out then I would want her to leave and never come back. But I am talking about the possibility of her starring in her own show.

Another point you're missing is if May has enough stamina to carry her own series. Ash is the symbol for Pokemon. He's an icon.

May on the other hand is still a fairly new character. She's not as much an "icon" for the series as Ash is. As much as I love May and think she should get as much spotlight as possible, I don't believe she has the stamina to carry a series all by herself. Supporting characters don't really help much.

She would be put in a position that she can't reach with Ash and that no other secondary character has gone before. Yes Ash has helped her on her way but Brock and Misty helped him on his way and they both left at some point.

But the connection between Misty and Brock and Ash wasn't made as deep as Ash and May's. Misty/Brock were older experienced trainers who helped Ash on his goal. Ash on the other hand basically took this newbie little girl and her little brother under his wing. He's told her how to catch Pokemon, helped train her, and is constantly yelling advice out to her in every contest. Heck, I don't think we went a single Contest without Ash yelling some advice out toward May from the stadium.

If she can now become the leader then it helps her character much more.

She's already pretty much a lead as she is now. I mean, without Ash, would she really be any different? She'd act the same way, get lost the same way, and not know what she's doing the same way. It's probably why she was so eager to travel with Ash again after Hoenn ended, she wants to be by his side in case she needs someone to fall back on during her quest.

The reason to change it? D/P is on the way with a new feature that the writers will be more interested in than contests. This is good for May.

We don't know that for sure. All we know is about the Ranger stuff. And that looks like it'll be taken care of by either recurring characters (Hinata) or the movies (Movie 9).

Until we get some concrete proof that there will be something in addition to Gyms and Contests in D/P, (other than the Ranger thing of course), then there really is no proof that there's another main feature on the way.

 

[FabuVinny]

Fairly new? She's been the 'co-star', as you so often call her, for four years now! And yes, Ash has helped her. But she is growing up as a coordinator now and can't stay under Ash's wing forever.

But if you don't want to acknowledge a good thing, then get out of this thread and let the rest of us do what this thread was meant for.

 

[Cybersai]

What I meant to say is Ash = synonymous with Pokemon. May doesn't have the same synonymous meaning with Pokemon.

Anyway I gave my thoughts on the idea, I think it would make for some good fanfiction of course, but I wouldn't want to see it happen for real. Of course the chances of something like this really happening are relatively slim as well, so I guess it's nothing to concern myself with.

Good fanfiction, that's about all this idea would make.

 

[Ghost_Master]

I doubt that there would be two pokemon animes running. I reread and if there were to be a spin off it would be interesting.
Ash series
main group- Ash, Misty(optional),Brock(optional), Diamond/pearl advertisement.
villian- tr group, d/p villian, team gogo?

I thought if they were to be a spin off I could see Misty or/and Brock could be on the series. The new feature need advertisement it could join Ash's crew. Although team gogo is a ranger thing a ranger could join the team or the writers could just kinda adapt.
May series
main group- May, Daisy, tracey(optional), Max (optional).
Rival- Harley?, Drew?, Jessie?, Daisy, Wakana?(pure hope)
villian-butch and cassidy, Team D/P, team gogo?

I had completly forgotten about Daisy's contest pass. I'm glad that was brought up. Although if Daisy were to become a coordinator that would mean another rival for May. I've been suspecting that Drew and/or Harley will be off the show soon so if that happens there could be more room. I also just did pure speculation because I like wakana so feel free to ignore that. One option that interested me was that with May not on the same series as Jessie, Jessie could become an actual rival for May and end up entering the GF. I thought Tracey could go and that would be max's idol and daisy/tracey could happen although im more of an orange shipper myself. Also Max could be the diamond/pearl rival to the one on Ash's team as well. Meaning more times that Ash and May could run in with each other more often. I liked how you brought up that may and ash could both take on a different team of D/P assuming there are two.

Cybercubed your post made me realize how it could happen easily. Misty was like Ash's mentor and taught him alot and everyong said they have a bond that would never have them go. We all know what happened there.
another possibility is like the magna they could track the adventures of both of them even if they are split. They could have half an episode dedicated to one group and one to another or a like when a 2 part contest happens ash's group is ignored until later on and vice versa.

 

[Cybersai]

"Misty was like Ash's mentor and taught him alot and everyong said they have a bond that would never have them go"

It was Ash's journey, Misty tagged along. AG is Ash and May's journey while Ash teaches her along the way, there's a big difference. Likewise Misty (and the others) were never as important characters as May is, so they could be dropped easily without affecting the show.

 

[Pie]

Scott, you don't listen to the Bulbacasts, do you?

Anyway, much as I stated, this would be the best option, regardless of whether or not we could ever expect it. If you think about it, it's like the jury is still out on May's position, hence why we debate it - they build her as a leading character, but put her in a secondary role on a show where she by default cannot be a leading character, and thus everything becomes cluttered and May falls somewhere in between, a second fiddle. And regardless of what Scott says, I don't see her attached to Ash at the hip or anything - she learned from him early on, but has grown to a point where she doesn't really need him anymore. They all do that - Ash had a similar relationship with Brock early on, both friends and student/mentor, but when was the last time you saw him need any advice from Brock lately?

Quite simply, May having her own show would be awesome, and let's face it - can anyone really say they wouldn't watch both series? The only big problem I see, honestly, is getting animators to do two new episodes per week instead of one. That, if anything, is the biggest reason to doubt it ever happening...

But it's still fun to speculate, isn't it?

I think I could see a lot of new characters being introduced for this, with perhaps May and Max being the only big carry-overs. Pokémon loves coming up with new characters, after all. And perhaps if it's a more shoujo series, a more feminine villain can be introduced rather than the tough gang-like Teams that are the villains in the main series - for example, perhaps some sort of rich aristrocratic-type woman (think like Venus from Colosseum) who wants to be surrounded by all the beautiful Pokémon in the world and thus tries to trick them out of the hands of skilled coordinators.

It wouldn't have to be all fluff and flowers - after all, though Pokémon is a shounen series, it does have a more general lean than most, so I don't see why a shoujo spinoff wouldn't - but it would certainly be a lot more shoujo than the current series is now. As FabuVinny said, more shippiness, for starters. And less of an emphasis on the battling. And more female characters in the main party. And more bishounen walking around.

Mmm, even if there's no Brock, I think I'd love this series already.

 

[FabuVinny]

You see Daisy as more likely than Max? May and Max go together while May hasn't even met Daisy.

Jessie wouldn't be a rival as she would be too busy going after Pikachu.

Half an episode each would be a bad idea. Pokémon has worked in a half-hour format for a long time and only the style of Pichu Brothers episodes has managed to fit two seperate stories into one episode. (And even they were linked.)

As for Ash's group, with May and Max gone he would be joined by the person linked to the new feature. If that fits Misty or Brock then they can do it but otherwise one of them could be the third character. (Misty's return would need an episode to get her out of the Gym but the same can be said for having Harley replace Team Rocket.)

If it is anything like Pie just said, then it may be best to keep Brock away from it. ;-) He's more linked to Ash, anyway.

 

[Ghost_Master]

You see Daisy as more likely than Max? May and Max go together while May hasn't even met Daisy.

Jessie wouldn't be a rival as she would be too busy going after Pikachu.

Half an episode each would be a bad idea. Pokémon has worked in a half-hour format for a long time and only the style of Pichu Brothers episodes has managed to fit two seperate stories into one episode. (And even they were linked.)

As for Ash's group, with May and Max gone he would be joined by the person linked to the new feature. If that fits Misty or Brock then they can do it but otherwise one of them could be the third character. (Misty's return would need an episode to get her out of the Gym but the same can be said for having Harley replace Team Rocket.)

not as likely. I meant to put daisy as optional as well.

 

[Jo-Jo]

I've always been fond of the idea of a spin-off. ^__^ With two parallel shows, we'd no longer have the problem of Ash and May taking up all of the spotlight, with Brock, Max and Team Rocket scrambling for the occasional five minutes of screentime. And a shoujo version of Pokemon sounds great.

Unfortunately, it'll never happen. Even if May does leave the anime some day - and that won't happen after the Battle Frontier, that's for sure - I can't see them giving her her own show. If they're prepared to write out a character because the games no longer feature contests, or her popularity drops, or whatever, then why would they want to write a spinoff about the same unpopular character doing contests?

That said, no matter how unlikely it is, the idea is still fun to talk about. So we might as well keep this thread as a kind of speculatory topic.

On the subject of who would travel with May, I agree on Max being a given, but I'm doubtful about Drew. Two characters in the group with the same goal wouldn't really work, especially if May's going to be the heroine and Drew the sidekick. Not that it wouldn't be fun watching a loner like Drew having to suddenly adapt to going around with a loud, scatty girl and her kid brother. If the idea is to have a more shoujo type of series, then why not give May a female companion? For some reason, I really like the thought of Sandra from Rubello joining the group. There could be some conflict there with her leaving her mother; Savannah and Sandra were really tight-knit on the show. Considering the idyllic May-Max-Norman-Caroline set-up, I think the other sidekick should have a more troubled family life. And should May's show end up chopping and changing the cast like Ash's, then the writers would already have provided Sandra with an 'out' - she could realise her responsibility to take care of her mother and go back home. Or perhaps that's too Misty-like.

I'm less sure of the Tracey and Daisy idea. It might be nice to see all six of the various main characters back in the action - Ash-Misty-Brock in one group and May-Max-Tracey in the other - but Tracey and Daisy both seem happy following their own careers in Pallet/Cerulean. I can't think of a motive for either of them to go with May. Daisy might like the idea of contests, but I'm sure she'd prefer to be an actress back home. And as for Tracey, no way would he leave Oak's.

Antagonists... mm, I agree that Harley is a no-go. I wouldn't be surprised to see him leave after Kanto is over. Team Rocket also wouldn't work. The idea of the two rival teams was good. I suppose the question is what kind of emphasis May's show would place on good vs. evil. It's always been more of a minor note in the anime, and placing Pokemon in a shoujo setting might require it to be reduced even further.

Location... the writers could always just have May go back over the old regions while they have Ash tour the new ones. Or Ash and May could both go to the D/P region, only not travelling together for some reason.

 

[Pie]

Something just hit me - there's already a great potential name for such a speculatory series.

Pokémon: May's Expedition!

 

[FabuVinny]

Brilliant! XD

Contests are very popular in Japan, possibly more in the anime than the games if Emerald is anything to go by. So it is for the best to allow May to stretch into her own series. But yeah, this is purely speculative.

 

[Cybersai]

Of course, since they're apparently so popular them dropping from the main series are slim to none.

If I must add some support to this interesting idea for a fanfiction, why not use Butch and Cassidy as the main villains?

The writers already turned them into a second Jessie/James via the Hoso's, so they would make good villains for May.

If someone would write a fanfiction based on this, it would be interesting.