Pokémon Nicknames: Phantump and Trevenant
Readers: I wrote this post while listening to Jethro Tull’s 1977 album “Songs from the Wood”. You can listen to the title track on YT linked here.
Phantump (in Japanese: ボクレー “Bokurei”) is the “Stump Pokeman” introduced in the Kalos Region Pokémon X and Y (Generation VI). Phantump is a Ghost and Grass dual-type. Phantump only evolves into Trevenant by trading, where it remains a Ghost/Grass type. Trevenant (in Japanese: オーロット “Ohrot”) is the “Elder Tree Pokémon”.
This is all set to evolve when traded.
I like to give spooky, ghost, or death-themed names to Phantump. My favorite name is “The Departed” after the Martin Scorsese movie in which so many people joined the departed at the end. You can watch most of the deaths here. Yup, Everybody gets shot in the head … but I digress.
Alternatively, use “Depart Now” … as in a wish, or an order. I like to name a Phantump “Your Death” then send it out on Wondertrade. The other player gets a message “Denny sent over … Your Death”.
The name “Lost Limb” could refer to lonely tree limbs broken off after a storm or clear-cut. There is an actual medical phenomenon where people will feel “phantom pain” where a lost arm or leg used to be. Medical reference here. That’s pretty creepy, I know. Are there any other names for a dead appendage? “Deadwood” works even after evolution.
On a more playful and humorous note, you could name it “Stumpy” or “Peggy Stump” … or maybe just “Peggy” for the situation of … no, no don’t make me describe it!!! It gets worse, of course — so let’s not go there. Too perverted even for Denny’s jokes.
I also like to catch Phantump in a Dusk Ball, especially if I intend to evolve it.
I know what you are thinking: A good name for Trevenant is “TreeBeard” after the famous Lord of the Rings character. True, Tevenant is like those Ent tree herders, especially if you view their in-game description … From X: “It can control trees at will. It will trap people who harm the forest, so they can never leave.” From Y: “Using its roots as a nervous system, it controls the trees in the forest. It’s kind to the Pokémon that reside in its body.”
A high-school friend of mine once named his green VW Mini-Bus “Treebeard”. Yeah there were a lot of ghosts and grass back then. I initially named Trevenant “Treevert” as a play on the joke name “preevert” which is a joke because that word is how some people read “pervert” … but I’ve lost interest in such things. Enough with the snarky nicknames …
Hmmm …. this tree wants to “frisk” you …
All kinds of “wood” names could be used I suppose — “Morningwood” for example. How about “Dendro” or “MyBro’Dendro“. This tree is not exactly a willow, but I can see this ghost as forever weeping about its wood gone to rot. Catch it in a Timer Ball, and then call it “Dendrology” after the science of tree rings.
Let me suggest a better name theme for Trevenant. My favorite to use is “Absinthe” after the intoxicating, hallucination-inducing alcoholic beverage that is banned in the USA. Absinthe is considered a “spirit” which is appropriate for a part Ghost-type. Another name for Absinthe is “La Fée Verte” — meaning “the green fairy”. A good name would be “Thujone” which is the chemical associated with the effects of the drink. Sometimes the plant is known as “Wormwood” — another suggested name choice.
There is a famous quotation related to the Absinthe drinking experience from Oscar Wilde:
“After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were.
After the second, you see things as they are not.
Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.”
More of Oscar Wilde’s observations on the drink are linked here:
What is the name for your rotten and scary little woodstump? Please leave a cooment below:
Looks like there could be a stump here …
The usual references:
Denny Sinnoh 
I HEAR YOU!