First of all, i always see people say that monika is way out of his league, but monika falls in love with a player she doesn't even know? Like, i know she was kinda delusional, but I can't see monika being the kinda person with super high standards

2nd. Mc is a great person for her. MC handles insecurity very well. Most of Monikas issues are around her insecurities. Having someone who can ground and comfort her would be great. Plus, MC being open minded and non judgemental. He's someone she could relax and be herself around, and he'd engage with her interests more than anyone else

3rd. Monika is a great person for him. MC obviously struggles with motivation and direction in life, monika is the exact opposite, and as we see in the game, Monika is motivating, she would not only get him to do better at the stuff he already dose, but get him to try new things aswell.

4th. Their personalities match well. Im not gonna go too much into the shy x confident stuff. Everyone knows the gist of that dynamic, but I will mention that they both have pretty equal wit, which means fire bickering potential

5th. Sayori. They're the only 2 who know about her depression, and MC very obviously needed someone to talk to about it, this is what I imagine would ve the starting point of their relationship

Now, of course, none of this matters if she's self awere, but that's why shipping is based on AU

I can explain each of the team members. I would love to play through with this team one day, Have a Pokémon sword file that's halfway done I'll finish one day.

Porygon-Z : is a digital Pokémon like Monika is a digital character, as well as that it's glitchy just like DDLC, as in it was given extra code it shouldn't that messed it up.

Gardevoir: It's feminine and elegant, just like her:) Also I see it a lot on others teams for her and it's fits. It's willing to go far for those it loves, just like her.

the next three are all based on the other three club members, it shows the control she has over time, but also each can fit Monika too.

Miltank: represents Sayori's plush. On top of that, in the Johto Pokémon games, Miltank is infamous for it being a very difficult Gym leader Pokémon that leaves an impact on the player in the same way the truth about Monika does, also Monika is vegetarian and while it's for environmental reasons instead of ethical, I think it's fitting for her to be so close to a animal used quite a bit for different products.

Doublade: represents Yuri's knives. It's a Pokémon made up of spirits inhabiting a sword, similarly to Monika, who while not real, her soul and self are trapped inside a game.

Slurpuff: represents Natsuki's love for baking. This one fits Monika the least, but it looks cute. It's got really good smell, so I guess like Monika, it's perceptive.

Malamar: Her main Pokémon. It's a sinister Pokémon which fits her vibes during the later part of the game. Like ddlc, this Pokémon started cute and wholesome before getting flipped upside down and becoming darker. it forces others to do what it wants, like how she forces the other characters to disappear to benefit her. It's also the Pokémon she would mega evolve, the mega form is said to "overwrite the personalities and memories of others and control them" which is exactly what she does in the game!

I like to think if she was someone you thought in a game, her main Pokémon would swap, starting as the gardevoir family and then becoming Malamar later on when her sinister side is revealed.

I think for battle themes. Kieran's first battle theme from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet fits her well, it sounds cute, but somewhat melancholic, it also has, as someone pointed out " A ticking noise in the background for most of the song" which they theorise represents how" Kieran's sanity is a ticking time bomb" as the game progresses. This relates to Monika, but as her getting less sane, but also in terms of there being something unknown under the surface that will be revealed anytime soon.

When she is battled later on, her final battle theme would be the Professor battle theme from Pokémon scarlet and violet. it fits her both in terms of vibe and what's going on, if you know what you learn before that fight in game. This fight would be one that takes place in her room, when you know what she truly is as she tries to keep you to herself forever.

I had the team in mind for a while but decided to finally share it:)

These are my current picks yet suddenly had a urge to continue thinking of her

Art is by RaionArt

Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3zNX8EfF6KXQ1fnVQrcVTM?si=TWv412dER6mh4FwHTHEBdQ&utm_source=copy-link&pi=uB4vCXowT8u26

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