- Laventon x Kamado (PreludeShipping)
- Why?
- Laventon helps Kamado keep on track: Laventon reels Kamado back to the present when he gets too invested in the past, as seen when they are planning on how to catch the newly arrived Dialga/Palkia. After Kamado expresses how sorry he is for othering the player and is about to go on a long rant, Laventon responds with “Commander, might I suggest we return to the matter at hand? We’ve left things in quite a state up at the temple.” Kamado then responds that the Professor has a “dependable attitude indeed”.
- They’re practically foils of one another: According to Wikipedia, “a foil is a character who contrasts with another character in order to better highlight or differentiate certain qualities of the protagonist.” However, foils can also happen between two supporting characters, which is true in this case. I think Laventon and Kamado are one of the most perfect foils in the Pokémon franchise because they represent the classical battle of head vs. heart or thinking vs. feeling. Laventon thinks with his head. He concerns himself with the facts and makes decisions based on what is already in front of him. He’s fine with, and even enjoys, the spontaneous, because it gives him something to ponder. Hence, he trusts the player because they are a new person with interesting talents to share and benefit from. Kamado thinks with his heart. He concerns himself with his feelings and his decisions are practically always based on past experiences and emotions. He hates the spontaneous, because he’s frightened of it (ironic knowing that he himself tends to be spontaneous). Hence, he takes time to trust the player because they are a new person with interesting talents that could potentially be used for destruction. Their differences, and, surprisingly enough, similarities, are very present throughout the story and most of them are a “blink and you’ll miss it” deal. A good example of this is their views on Pokémon. They both say on separate occasions that Pokémon are “terrifying creatures”, yet the context in which it’s presented is different. Laventon claims earlier in the game, "Well, we know this much... Pokémon are terrifying creatures!", yet he has plenty of quotes of him talking excitedly about how astounding their power is and that he can’t wait to learn more. It illustrates his character as a scientist whose fascination with furthering his studies outweighs his fear, which in turn becomes respect. Similarly, Kamado warns the player, "But I warn you, <player>... Pokémon are terrifying creatures. Keep your wits about you as you work!" He then elaborates on this with the importance of studying Pokémon, but, in contrast to Laventon, his motivation is to protect Jubilife. Knowing that the commander is traumatized from the fact that his old home was destroyed, it would make sense that he's slow to trust anyone, though he is willing to change his tune if it proves to be beneficial for his people. This brings us to the topic of how they each treat the player. From the very beginning, Laventon has always been on the player's side, advocating for them to have shelter and resources and judging Kamado's decision to exile the player as "unscientific" and how he must "fight such illogical thinking tooth and nail". Meanwhile, Kamado took until the player beat him in battle at Mt. Coronet to finally decide that the player was not a threat. Interestingly enough, there are a few quotes from him showing that, potentially, deep down, he does want to trust the player. Meeting him in his office for the first time, there's the infamous scene where he asks the player to face him in combat before sumo-throwing them. Once the player is thrown, he states that their sumo "needs work", but he does see the potential. I think this remark has a hidden meaning that, in other words, he wants to trust them, but he needs to see more before he makes that decision. This is further backed up by the fact that whenever Kamado is in emotional turmoil, he asks to battle the player, implying that battling is his emotional outlet. Adding to this, he also says, after deciding to exile the player, "But I have not forgotten your deeds, nor the... unusual skill you have displayed. That is why I have chosen to let you walk out of here free rather than clap you in chains." If Kamado fully distrusted the player, he would’ve already kicked them out to their fate long ago instead of making empty threats and, surely, wouldn’t reconsider and apologize for his actions so soon with deep kneeling, admitting he was wrong from the “bottom of his heart”, and having in-depth conversations with them later on. While there are plenty of other examples proving the point, I’m afraid it will make this section longer than it should be. However, some small examples of their shared sentiments are encouraging the player to prove themselves through their actions, believing something guided the player to Hisui, and wanting to take a photo with the player “in commemoration of their visit”. In conclusion, if Kamado were to have somebody like Laventon around to help him think his decisions through, and if Laventon were to have somebody like Kamado to lend him a listening ear (Laventon's studies are implied to not be taken seriously), it would be an amazing balance.
- They're implied to have studied pokémon together: If the player manages to get to the post-game of Legends: Arceus and "seeks out all pokémon", they and a couple of other characters will be summoned to Laventon's office to acknowledge the player's achievements and be awarded the shiny charm. Kamado is the first character to make a speech and speaks about how the player is still a stranger who fell from the sky and that he still doesn't know whether their motivation was out of curiosity or a desire to help Jubilife. However, in sharp contrast to his earlier attitudes, he decides that it no longer matters and that he is truly grateful for the player's efforts to help the village. He then proceeds to contemplate, "Perhaps I should also study under the professor, so I might learn more about pokémon," and smiles one of his few smiles in the game. And, in another surprising turn of events, states, "Cyllene is quite capable of handling the duties of commander, I am sure," implying that he's thought about leaving the position of commander behind, a position he's held for a long time, to study under Laventon. To further cement this idea, after completing Mission 25, there'll be a night event where Cyllene meets the player in front of Galaxy Hall and informs them that they've been summoned by Kamado. Once the player gets to the balcony, Kamado informs the player of the origin of the Galaxy Team and how it got its name. He then explains that, as soon as Jubilife learns to live in peace with pokémon, the Galaxy Team will no longer be needed and, upon hearing this, Cyllene promises she'll pass down the legacy to her descendants. I believe that this meeting was not only to tell the player about the origin of the team, but also to build up to Cyllene being the next commander when Kamado steps down soon. Additionally, despite there not being any changes in-game relating to these events (ahem...where is that DLC, GameFreak?), I do think we have proof of the effects of Kamado and Laventon's later relationship in games that take place in the future, namely in Professor Rowan, Kamado's confirmed descendant and Sinnoh's pokémon professor. Noticeably, he still maintains Kamado's intimidating appearance along with his martial arts skills, yet he also displays a deep fascination for pokémon, wears clothing almost similar to Laventon's, enjoys sweets, and cares for the young trainers as if they were his own flesh and blood. In theory, this could be because Kamado grew to deeply respect Laventon and his beliefs and made sure every one of his descendants knew the importance of pokémon. Perhaps when Rowan was still a boy, his mom or dad told him about the tale of Professor Laventon and the child who fell from the sky. Wanting to emulate such a respected man, maybe he threw himself into his studies and became the top Pokémon professor in Sinnoh.
- Both miss their homes: Kamado’s home was destroyed by rampaging pokémon (implied to be gyarados) and, drowning in guilt, does all he can to protect Jubilife from experiencing the same fate, even going so far as to exile a child into the wilderness for simply not knowing where they came from and almost going toe to toe with a god. Similarly, but more humbly, Laventon also misses his home. In a few of his Pokédex entries, which he frequently uses to share his personal thoughts, he references his homeland at least four times. A notable entry is the one he writes for clefable, which reads: “Legend says that on clear, quiet nights, it listens for the voices of its kin living on the moon. I, too, often think of my homeland, so far away.” The significance of this particular entry is the fact that Kamado uses a clefable in battle, which contrasts his more “masculine”, skill-based pokémon (ex. Snorlax, Heracross, Golem, Braviary). Though it can be argued that Clefable is physically built like a sumo wrestler, he could’ve had a Machamp, Abomasnow, etc. instead, and his team’s theme wouldn’t have changed.
- Kamado’s interest in Galar: Looking closely at Kamado’s main outfit, you’ll notice that the coat he has on is clearly not a haori, a Japanese coat typically worn with a formal kimono. In his official concept art, it’s called a “fur collar chester coat”, a coat created in the UK (Galar) in the 1840s. You’ll also notice that the coat seems to be made to match his kimono and has the Galaxy Team logo embroidered on the upper back. The dialogue in the Lumiose City museum's Hisui exhibit implies that it’s unclear whether he “bought it himself or if it was a gift.” My theory is that it was a gift since the set of armor he wears during battles was confirmed by him to be both from Galar and a gift. It wouldn’t be surprising if Laventon and Kamado had bonded over their interest in the region, knowing that there's plenty of Galarian influences present in the Galaxy Team headquarters (ex. the Galarian wheezing chimney, the Galaxy Team logo canonically being made up of Galarian characters).
- Both are easily overwhelmed by strong emotions: Another thing these two have in common is that they're prone to shedding tears from strong feelings. Once the player (specifically the female one) returns to the village after forging the red chain and after seeing that you're safe, Laventon will state tearfully, "I’m n-not crying! Do not mock your elders, if you please, Rei! *sniffle*" Later on, Kamado has a similar moment when the player defeats and catches Origin Palkia/Dialga, where he mutters in amazement, "Mmph... Y-yes. *sniff*" before he turns around to hide his tears. Funnily enough, there's also a sketch in Kamado's concept art that shows him pinching his brow in emotion, with the note next to it translating to "compassionate; cries easily" and in the special end credits art, you can see him in the background once again pinching his brow.
- They use their dreams as motivations: They each have long-term dreams they wish to achieve for the betterment of their village, with Laventon wanting to complete his pokédex to better understand pokémon and Kamado wanting to create a haven for his people, whether it involves pokémon or not. They also fight like hell for said dreams and don't let anything stand in their way, like how Laventon prepares to fight tooth and nail for the player because they have the skill Laventon lacks to get close and personal to pokémon in the field and Kamado is ready to go down swinging to save Jubilife.
- What would their relationship look like?: Most likely, their relationship would start as a slow burn over the years, where they begin as co-workers when they first meet in Galar, become closer after learning of their shared interests, hobbies, and dislikes and seeing each other's passion for their dreams coming to light during the disaster at Mt. Coronet, and finally coming to a head when they realize during a study session or survey trip after they begin studying pokémon together that perhaps maybe the home they wanted so badly was within each other all along. They would motivate each other to be fine with expressing their emotions, but not let it get the best of them, and would save each other from harm in the field. After Kamado retires from his position, they might even have more freedom to travel the regions and see new pokémon together.
oct 28 2025 ∞
dec 15 2025 +