CynthiaLover's Breath of Fire-themed Scarlet playthrough

[CynthiaLover]

Okay, since not many people voted on the previous poll I'm just going to go on ahead. The winner is Fuecoco. Now, it's time to call forth the powerful Brood and strike down evil.

Log #1: The Adventure Begins

Our protagonist, named Kaiser, starts his journey in Paldea. After meeting Nemona it's time to pick a starter. Fuecoco is the winner, now named Ladon after the Dragon God. You may be wondering why I named him "Ladon" over "Ryu". I'm saving Ryu's name for an actual Dragon-type (since Ryu means dragon), while Ladon is a spiritual deity who guides Ryu and co, either acting as a save point, giving trials to unlock more power, and/or a Master that bestows new powers and skills, depending on the game (note that generally applies to Breath of Fire 1-3, as 4 is an odd one because of the whole summoning-gods theme, and 5 is it's own beast... and I don't talk about 6). Anyway, after looting the nearby area of any goodies it was time to battle Nemona and her Sprigatito. Ladon dominates the fight easily, cooking that cat like a roast. After the mandatory tutorials it's time to go Mon Hunting.

However, during my catching spree Kaiser and Nemona hear a mysterious cry from an equally mysterious Pokemon. After investigating (and falling off a cliff), Kaiser approaches the weakened dragon and offers up a sandwich to perk it up, which it eagerly accepts. After getting a pick-me-up the mysterious Mon transforms into a battle form and escorts Kaiser through a cave of rowdy Houndour and their Houndoom leader. After some tight calls Kaiser is reunite with Nemona and they exchange numbers. They make it to the lighthouse where Arven appears and gives our mysterious Mon, now known as Koraidon, some grief before engaging in a battle with Kaiser over "custody" of Koraidon. Ladon barbeques his Skovet easily, gaining Koraidon as a new friend before Arven runs off. After checking out the lighthouse it's time to to head to Los Platos to get the usual tutorial on the Pokemon Center/Marts and other features. However, after that it's time to explore.

Spent a lot of time exploring the South Providence Area One, catching Mons, battling Trainers, and hunting for treasure before moving on with the plot. After finishing off the other Trainers, getting the Thunder Wave TM as my reward, Nemona challenges me to another battle. By this point Ladon had since evolved into Crocalor and learned some new moves, so he easily defeated Sprigatito. Then, just to really mess with Nemona, Kaiser sent in Jean the P-Wooper to completely stonewall her Pawmi despite Terastilizing, ending the battle swiftly. Now it's time to enter Mesagoza.

After exploring Mesagoza, purchasing several Heal Balls at the Delibird Shop and collecting anything of worth it was time to head to the academy proper. However, before that we had to play hero for a new girl named Penny, as she was being harassed by some Team Star grunts. After making short work of them, along with going through the Terastilize tutorial it was time to enter the academy. After exploring the academy, gaining the information on the Victory Road, the Titans, and Team Star, it was time to do the Treasure Hunt. Meeting up with Nemona, and shortly afterward Arven, followed by the mysterious Cassiopeia via the Rotom Phone, all three story paths have been opened up. Now it's time to begin. First stop: Cortondo, to defeat the Bug Gym so I can gain access to Great Balls, which will make catching Mons easier. My team is as followed.

Crocalor (Ladon, male, Lv19, Blaze, Timid)
Ralts (Nina, female, Lv10, Trace, Quirky)
P-Wooper (Jean, male, Lv12, Poison Touch, Hardy)

There are also two fillers in the form of Lechonk and Tarountula (not named after Breath of Fire characters). I don't know if I'll be keeping Jean, as I'm generally not a fan of the Wooper line as a whole (plus his ability isn't great, as Water Absorb would've been better). Generally I would use a Flying Mon to be Nina (she is a Wyndian, a race of birdmen) but since she's also a magic specialist in-series, and most bird Mons tend to be physical attackers, I figured Ralts would be better. Besides, Ralts also fits Nina's glass cannon status. I'll think about it, as it's still early in the journey. Anyway, tune in next time to see if the noble heroes are able to overcome the Bug Gym.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Spent most of this frigid day continuing my playthrough. So now it's on to the next chapter.

Log #2: Battling Bugs and Building Bonds

Picking up where I left off, Kaiser headed toward Cortondo to battle it out with Katy and her Bug Mons. But first I needed to fill out some Dex data and obtain new materials, hopefully getting some new teammates in the process. After much trial and error (mostly error), the team has "evolved" with some new additions, along with swapping out certain members. After exploring as much as I could without getting too greedy with the catching, as needing higher-level Balls is necessary to get the big Mons, Kaiser made his way to Cortondo.

Ran into Nemona at the Gym building before taking on the Olive Roll challenge. To my surprise I didn't realize you could battle with the two Trainers in the Olive Roll "arena", as shown in past playthroughs, which proved helpful as it got some of my team up a level or two and gave me shortcuts I didn't know existed. After completing the Gym Challenge it was time to face Katy and her bundle of baked Bugs. And baked they were... half-baked, as Ladon soloed the fight effortlessly without even needing to Terastralize or anything, not even taking a hit in the process. Thus the first badge was in the bag, along with the ability to buy Great Balls and add Heal Balls to the general shop list (as I got my Heal Balls from the Delibird Present Shop). Now with some new Balls and a higher level cap it was time to explore some more.

Now with the stronger Great Balls and a handful of other ones found littered about the area I was able to catch the Normal Tera Scyther that I was unable to before, though it took a few attempts. As stated before I swapped out old teammates for new ones, such as Ralts and Clodsire (Jean evolved after catching the Scyther), along with the fillers of Oinkalone and Spidops for more "permanent" members. Namely, Nina the Fletchling (now Fletchinder, which I know causes a type overlap but I'll explain my reasons shortly), Deis the Dunsparce, Scias the Riolu (now a Lucario), and Mami the Vespaquen (she's largely filler but has decent power and bulk, giving me some stalling power for now). Still looking for a Dragon Mon to act as my Ryu, possibly hoping to find one in a Tera Raid Battle soon-ish. Battled several more Trainers and participated in a handful of Tera Raids. After getting my fill of the area (for now) I moved onto South Providence Area Three to start the Path of Legends. My team is as followed.

Crocalor (Ladon, male, Lv28, Timid, Blaze)
Fletchinder (Nina, female, Lv24, Serious, Flame Body)
Dunsparce (Deis, female, Lv24, Adamant, Serene Grace)
Lucario (Scais, male, Lv23, Naïve, Inner Focus)
Vespiquen (Mami, female, Lv21, Adamant, Pressure)

Now, as I said earlier I was going to explain why I swapped out Nina the Ralts with Nina the Fletchling/Fletchinder. For starters, as much as I love Gardevoir, not only have I used it too many times (especially in a recent BD playthrough), but babying Ralts has been bit of a problem this time around. She's just not fast enough or durable enough to deal the damage she needs to do, thus getting KOed more often (even when she's got the advantage). While going with Fletchinder (later Talonflame) means I have a Fire-type overlap, this Nina has already proven herself much more reliable. Plus Talonflame can hit on both ends of the attacking spectrum, as both its Attack and Special Attack are only a few points different. So that makes this Nina a speedy mixed hitter if need be, just like Scias, which is more helpful to me in the long-run. While I still need to find a Ryu (though I do have some ideas) and I need a final teammate (preferably one that can deal with Water Mons) but having two mixed attackers to go along one Physical (Deis) and one Special (Ladon) gives me more options. So while I know it creates a type overlap it's one I'm willing to work with since this Nina has already proven herself a number of times. Plus, as an added bonus, one of Nina's meanings is "Fire" (which, when combined with Ryu's "Dragon" gives "Dragon Fire"), so Nina being a Fire-type fits.

Time to take a break. Will continue this run tomorrow.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Meant to update earlier but I had to help my folks with some errands. Time for the next installment of our journey!

Log #3: Krusty Klawf, Artistic Asperations, and Fiery Fight

After spending some time catching Mons, battling Trainers, and gathering items it was time to take on the Rock Titan. Found the not-so-little Klawf chillin' on a wall. After chasing it up the cliff it was time to do battle. Scias easily cleaned its clock with a single Aura Sphere, forcing it to run away. Met up with Arven and it was time for Round 2 with the Titan, now juiced up with an Herba Mystica. Not like it did it any good, as a single Aura Sphere from Scias OHKOed it. Down goes the crusty crustacean. Arven and Kaiser enter the newly revealed cavern and find the Sweet Herba Mystica, getting a not-official Titan Badge from Arven as thanks. After giving Koraidon my sandwich, to Arven's dismay, it regained the power to Dash. Not a power-up I tend to use but it's a start. Not long after leaving Arven Kaiser gets a call from Sada, who detects that Koraidon got some of its power back. How'd she know that? Hmm...

Anyway, after spending more time hunting for Mons, battling more Trainers, and collecting more items I made it to Artazon, home of the Grass Gym and it's odd obsession with Sunflora. But first a not-so-coincidental meeting with Nemona. Stalker much? After competing the Sunflora Hide-and-Seek it was time to face Brassius. Pretty much a clean sweep, as the only Mon that survived Ladon's flames was the Grass Tera Sudowoodo thanks to Sturdy, but it went down the following turn. The Grass Badge is now mine, plus the TM Trailblaze and now Mons up to Lv30 will obey me and will be easier to catch. After taking care of some shopping, getting more sandwich supplies and buying some new Net Balls it was time to head into the next area.

Spent even more time exploring, catching various Mons like P-Tauros, Cyclizar, and others, collecting items and battling more Trainers so I can get the Loaded Dice item. Currently don't have a Mon that can use it but since I'm still sorting out my team something might pop up. Eventually made it to the Fire Team Star Base and meet Clavell... I mean Clive, along with talking with Cassiopeia about taking down Mela. Time to go to work. After making short work of the grunts it was time to fight Mela. As fate would have it, it was raining at the time, weakening her Fire moves... until it stopped just after her special Revaroom used Overheat. But with some grit and a Super Potion the battle was over and Mela was defeated. Got some flashbacks and information on the group before looting the base. Met up with Penny, getting more Pokemon materials, along with Cassiopeia giving me League Points and more TMs that I can make. Now it's off to the next Gym. But first a pitstop at the Pokemon Center to recharge after dealing with three different events in three different storylines. My team is as followed.

Crocalor (Ladon, male, Lv34, Timid, Blaze)
Fletchinder (Nina, female, Lv29, Serious, Flame Body)
Dunsparce (Deis, female, Lv29, Adamant, Serene Grace)
Lucario (Scais, male, Lv29, Naïve, Inner Focus)

I boxed Mami as she was starting to fall behind. Plus she'd be dead weight against Mela, as at least Scias can trounce the Dark type Houndours this Team Star group uses. Still searching for my Ryu and a sixth teammate. Maybe once I unlock 3 Star Tera Raids I might find something of worth. While I did catch a Cyclizar it was female so I can't use her as my Ryu, and I haven't run into any more Cyclizars since. Anyway, that's all for this update. Tune in next time to see what our heroes face next.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Meant to update this yesterday evening but got involved in another project. But I ended up getting some more done today so it was fine. Time for the next chapter in our heroes' adventure!

Log #4: Shocking Streamer Iono, Meeting Earthworm Jim, and Breaking Bombirdier's Bombardment

Continuing where I left off Kaiser and his band of buddies made their way through the next area and into the big city, home to Iono, our next target. Also, Ladon managed to evolve into Skeledirge shortly before reaching the city, just after the battle with the Ground Tera Growlithe. After exploring all over the place, collecting any items I could find and making any purchases that I could, it was time to meet with the popular streaming queen: Iono. Played "Where's Waldo"...er... "Where's Clavell" with our stream queen in order to get her "Likes" up and passed the gym test with flying colors. Now it was time for the battle. A quick and easy sweep with Ladon, who spent the first few rounds powering himself up with Torch Song before cleaning up Mismagius with Shadow Ball (despite not being super effective anymore due to its Electric Tera Type). Claimed another Gym Badge, along with Volt Switch and boosted Iono's popularity by quite a bit. Now with a shiny new badge I could buy more goodies like Nest Balls and other such items. Now it was time to move on.

Time to explore the next area, which was a mining area. During my exploration Deis finally evolved... into a Three-Segment Dudunsparce!? Talk about luck of the draw. Other than Nemona's from another playthrough I've never seen a Three-Segment Dudunsparce, much less own one, so this was quite the surprise. And not long after Nina evolved into Talonflame, meaning every current teammate was now fully evolved. Got a call from Arven and tracked down the Steel Titan: Earthworm Jim... I mean the Alaskan Bull Worm... I mean Orthworm. Scias made quick work of it in the first battle with Aura Sphere, prompting another chase before cornering it. It ate some Herba Mystica just as Arven and his new Toadschool appeared, powering it up. Too bad it didn't help it, as one Aura Sphere later the Titan had been taken down with minimal effort. Now I learned the truth behind Arven's mission: healing Mabosstiff after it got pretty badly injured. To his joy the Herba Mysticas seem to be working on his badly battered doggie, earning me his thanks. And, of course, Koraidon ate my sandwich, regaining some of its powers: super jump. Now it was off to the next event.

The next (real life) day it was time to keep exploring. But now that I had three Gym Badges I could partake in 3 Star Raids. And I'm glad I did, as I finally found my Ryu: a Normal Tera Noibat. I had caught some other Dragon Mons from Tera Raid Battles... but they were all female, so I couldn't use them as my Ryu. But since, from what I've been told, Normal Tera Noivern is quite the beast in competitive (which I'm not big on but I do watch FalseSwipeGaming's videos, so I do learn some interesting things from it... plus I like the jokes inserted here and there) I figured "why not?". Sure, it stacks the Rock weaknesses but since the only Rock "Boss" has long since been defeated, and Scais the Lucario can crush Rock Mons like they're rock candy so it's not like I'm defenseless. And a little while later I'd find my Rock/Water beater (more on that shortly).

Anyway, moving on with the plot, I backtracked to Cortondo so I could fight the next Titan, as I wanted to get the swimming power up for Koraidon. I ended up exploring pretty much everywhere in between Cortondo, the Pokemon Center near where the Titan resided, and other areas I hadn't fully checked out yet. In the end it proved worthwhile as I found my final teammate: Spar the Sawsbuck. Yes, it gives me another Normal type and another Fighting weakness but that's where Ladon, Ryu, and Nina come in. Plus I can just Terastalize Spar into a pure Grass type so that helps. After relearning some moves and picking up the Rocky Helmet (which I gave to Deis) Spar was ready to go. Though given his level and my current Badge level I need to boost his friendship before he ends up disobeying me. So that means picnics.

After I finished exploring for now it was time to take on the Flying Titan: Bombirdier. Considering that Bombirdier is weaker than Orthworm, it was pretty predictable that Scias would one-shot it despite the Herba Mystica boost. He's becoming my Titan Slayer (although I know the next one won't be so nice to him). After helping Arven get the next Herba Mystica, further healing Mabosstiff and giving Koraidon the ability to swim I explored a bit more, catching the Titan Bombirdier in the process. Now it's off to the next Team Star Base, since I'm not far from it. Time to cast shade on the Dark Team Star Leader. My team is as followed:

Skeledirge (Ladon, male, Lv44, Timid, Blaze)
Noibat (Ryu, male, Lv37, Timid, Infiltrator)
Talonflame (Nina, female, Lv38, Serious, Flame Body)
Dudunsparce (Deis, female, Lv38, Adamant, Serene Grace)
Lucario (Scias, male, Lv38, Naïve, Inner Focus)
Sawsbuck (Spar, male, Lv34, Careful, Sap Sipper)

EDIT: Uh, mistake on my part. Spar has a Careful nature, not Gentle. That's what I get for not having my Switch Lite next to me when jotting these travelogs down. Everything else, however, is correct, as least at the time of this post. A new post will soon be made, just have to clean up some other business first.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Okay, without further ado, it's time for the next update in the party's exciting adventure.

Log #5: Casting a Shade on Team Star, Just Deserts, Battle To the Fin-ish, and Prehistoric Pachyderm Pandamonium

It was time for the party to move on to the Dark-type Team Star base. Is it a coincidence that the Dark Team Star base is near the partly Dark type Flying Titan: Bombirdier? I think not. Anyway, got the call from Cassiopeia to take down who is actually the weakest Team Star leader yet acts as sort of a impromptu leader: Gaicomo. After dealing with the grunts it was time to school this delinquent. Ladon pretty much soloed the fight, taking out Pawniard with one Torch Song and took down the Revaroom with two more. Game, set, and match. Caicomo is down for the count. And unlike Mela he's a decent sport about losing (no crushing handshakes this time). Clavell... I mean Clive shows up to learn more about Team Star. After getting my rewards from Cassiopeia and Penny (who got a serious friendly licking from Koraidon), it was time to head to the Water Gym.

After doing a tad of exploring Kaiser made it to Cascarrafa to challenge Kofu to a Gym Battle... only for him to skedaddle so he can get to an auction at the nearby port town... and forgetting his wallet in the process. The Gym's secretary gives Kaiser the wallet so Kofu doesn't screw up any further. But that means it's time to take a trek into the desert. After doing any exploring and shopping I could it was time to venture into the sea of sand and make my way to where Kofu went. Spent A LOT of time exploring, collecting as many shiny spots as possible and catching what I could. Got a call from Arven about the Ground Titan but that'll have to wait until later. After exploring as much as possible, battling and catching along the way, Kaiser made it to the port town to return Kofu's wallet.

After dealing with his upstart of an apprentice it was time to bid on some rare Hoenn seaweed. Piece of cake. After exploring some more, attempting (and failing) to win other auctions (sans the Rotom Catalog) it was time to head back to Cascarrafa for the Gym Battle. Another easy sweep. Ladon took down Veluza with Shadow Ball and Spar took care of the rest of the team with Bullet Seed. Got the next Gym Badge, increased my obedience level limit, and gained access to new items at the various shops. Now it was time to head back out into the desert and find the Ground Titan.

After roaming around for quite a bit, collecting more shiny spots (and catching a shiny Larvesta in a mass outbreak, my first shiny in this playthrough), Kaiser found the Ground Titan: Great Tusk. Nina spearheaded the battle, forcing the Titan to run after two Acrobatics. After chasing Great Tusk to its "pantry", where it munched on a Herba Mystica, Arven and his new Scovillain show up to help. Sadly, Scovillain wasn't able to contribute much to the battle despite this one taking longer than a OHKO. Sure, it got a Scary Face and Razor Leaf off, but it got KOed pretty quickly, leaving Nina to pretty much finish off the battle with some Acrobatics. Great Tusk is defeated, we find the next Herba Mystica, giving Koraidon the Glide ability, while Mabosstiff didn't seem to benefit much from this one.

After getting contacted by Sada, informing me about the new power-up for Koraidon, Kaiser ventured back out into the desert and confronted the depowered Great Tusk, having Nina do battle with it once again. It ended up burning itself when it attacked Nina because of her Flame Body ability (something that I was counting on), allowing for an easy-ish catch (it burst out of the first two balls, forcing me to stall for a turn to heal, before the next Timer Ball caught it), making my second Titan caught. Now it's time to explore more since I got both swimming and gliding. Spent a fair bit of time roaming around various areas now that I could access them better, catching a ton of Mons, including the Ground Tera Houndstone near the starting town, along with several Tera Raid Battles and Trainer battles, netting more items like the Evolite, the Earthquake TM, and others. Now it's time to take a break before moving on to the next Gym. My team is as followed.

Skeledirge (Ladon, male, Lv51, Timid, Blaze)
Noibat (Ryu, male, Lv44, Timid, Infiltrator)
Talonflame (Nina, female, Lv45, Serious, Flame Body)
Dudunsparce (Deis, female, Lv44, Adamant, Serene Grace)
Lucario (Scias, male, Lv45, Naïve, Inner Focus)
Sawsbuck (Spar, male, Lv42, Careful, Sap Sipper)

 

[CynthiaLover]

Took yesterday off because I was preparing for my parent's anniversary. Today was a quiet day so I resumed my trek into Scarlet.

Log #6: Toxic Terror, Everything's Normal, and Sushi Shenanigans

Okay, starting where I left off, Kaiser ventured into Casseroya Lake in hopes of getting to the Normal Gym. Big mistake, as the Mons there were just a tad too strong for the team to weather. Plus catching them was a challenge, especially since I remembered too late that your badge level makes catching certain level of Mons easier. So after struggling a bit I retreated back to a previous location I had visited so I could get to Lagtree... I mean Tagtree Thicket to deal with the next Team Star Base. It wasn't a total loss, however, as Ryu finally evolved into Noivern, completing the squad (Why did they make Noibat's evolution so late? It's not a pseudo or anything so why is it so late? Level 40 would've been fine, if pushing it, but 48?).

After meeting up with Clavell... I mean Clive, and dealing with the "guard" at the gate it was time to tackle the Poison Base. Time to show them some poison of my own. After mowing down the grunts with Ladon, Ryu, and Scias it was time to face Atticus himself. Why do most Poison specialists tend to be ninjas? Or invoke the ninja style? I get it: ninjas are stealthy assassins who strike from the shadows. But... wouldn't the Dark-type also qualify for a potential ninja-themed trainer? The only Poison specialist that isn't a ninja is Klara. I digress. His Skuntank managed to get a Sucker Punch off but it still went down in one shot to Ladon's Torch Song, followed by Muk and Revaroom to Scias' Bone Rush. Then came the Starmobile Revaroom, which was a lot tankier than the other Mons. Still, Scias crushed it with two rounds of Bone Rush, ending the battle. After a flashback and learning more about Team Star another base was taken down. Cassiopeia contacts me, followed by Penny giving me some materials, and Koraidon giving her a very vigorous friendly licking. The thing about Team Star is that it hits pretty close to home for me, as I was bullied a lot, even beaten, with the "teachers" either sweeping it under the rug or even taking the bullies' side. So I know how Team Star feels about being bullied to the point they lashed out. Can't say I blame them for it, since I've been there, too.

ahem Anyway, now with Team Star's third it was time to head out to the next gym. Realizing the "path" that the game wants me to take to reach the next Gym I ventured into the nearby town. Traded some Bronzor Fragments for the Auspicious Armor to evolve a Charcadet I had in my box into an Armorouge, along with evolving a couple of other Mons with either Rare Candies or Stones for, all for dex data. After catching a bunch of Mons and making my way through the tunnel I found my way to Medali, home to the Normal Gym. After exploring both the town and the area around it, catching Mons and gaining levels, I went to challenge the gym. Easily beat the other trainers for their clues and ordered the "secret menu item" to pass the Gym Test. Now it was time to face the best Gym Leader in all of Paldea: Larry. Gotta love the guy. Anyway, the battle was quick and easy, as Ladon took down Komala while Scias finished off the rest of the team. Got a shiny new badge, some lunch, and the TM for Façade. Sending me some strange yet concerning messages there, Larry. Anyway, with another badge under my belt it was time to find the final Titan.

Made it back to Casseroya Lake. Managed to explore a bit more, catching Mons more easily, along with picking up some useful items and such (and a TON of Stat Feathers). After exploring for a while it was time to find the False Dragon Titan. Found the little sushi fish and sent Spar out to deal with its Dondozo buddy. Spar really got to show off his chops today, taking down Dondozo before we gave chase to find where the duo keeps the Herba Mystica. Met up with Arven and it was time to do battle with Dondozo again. Spar and Greedent were able to do quite well, ultimately defeating Dondozo. But then Tatsugiri, the real Titan, challenged us. Despite getting hit by multiple Icy Winds and having his accuracy lowered by Muddy Water, Spar was able to really put in the work today, ultimately defeating Tatsugiri after Greedent went down. Let's just say I've got a newfound respect for Sawsbuck (granted, I never disliked it, but I'm meh toward Grass Mons in general so I tend to overlook it). Arven and Kaiser found the final Herba Mystica, which not only gave Koraidon its final power up, but managed to cure Mabosstiff completely, to Arven's joy. Tears a-flowin' at Mabosstiff's complete recovery after everything he and Arven have had to endure. Then we got a call from Sada to head back to the lighthouse where we met Arven, much to his fury at being an "errand boy" again.

But before we return to where we met it was time to explore some more. After exploring pretty much then entirety of the lake, battling and catching Mons, including the Titan Tatsugiri, we ventured into the nearby forested area. After catching and battling a lot of Mons and Trainers it was time to move on with the story. Headed back to Medali to regain my bearings, restock on supplies, and try to find my way to the Ghost Gym. But first a break. My team is as followed:

Skeledirge (Ladon, male, Lv69, Timid, Blaze)
Noivern (Ryu, male, Lv61, Timid, Infiltrator)
Talonflame (Nina, female, Lv61, Serious, Flame Body)
Dudunsparce (Deis, female, Lv61, Adamant, Serene Grace)
Lucario (Scias, male, Lv61, Naïve, Inner Focus)
Sawsbuck (Spar, male, Lv61, Careful, Sap Sipper)

 

[CynthiaLover]

I largely took the weekend off due to RL events getting in the way. Though I did get more done late yesterday and early this morning so it's time to continue our quest.

Log #7: Fairy Fiasco, Ghostly Rapper, Psychic Model, and Sada's Request

Picking up where I left off Kaiser started to make his way to the Ghost Gym, as the team needs more levels before dealing with Arven. However, I got lost in the mountains and ended up at the Fairy Team Star Base. So, I just went with that. Time to tackle some powerful pixies with my team. After running around the area, catching Mons and battling Trainers it was time to tackle Team Star's fourth base. After mowing down the grunts it was time to face Ortega. Cocky little runt, isn't he? But he fell to the superior might of Spar, Ladon, and Scias, earning me his badge and learning more about what exactly happened that caused Team Star to become the "villains" of the situation. Even Ortega was surprised to learn some of this new information. Got my reward from Cassiopeia and Penny, who also got another friendly licking from Koraidon. Poor girl can't catch a break with the big lizard, but it proves she's a good girl. Anyway, after raiding the base of anything worthwhile it was time to move on.

Using the mountain path near the Fairy Base I was able to make my way to the Ghost Gym at last. My team was quite a bit overleveled at this point so I knew that it would be a pretty easy battle. After exploring a bit it was time to take on the Ghost Gym. The opening act was easy enough, as Ladon and Ryu took care of business. Then came the actual Gym Battle (after a poor excuse for a rapper tried, and failed, to challenge Ryme to a rap-off). Again, opened with Ladon and Ryu, but Ryu used U-turn to get out of the battle and break Mimikyu's Disguise (I'm not totally sure if Mimikyu had a Fairy move but I did so just to be sure), swapping out for Nina. The battle was pretty swift, as Ladon and Nina (with Ryu's earlier contribution) cleaned house, rapping up another Gym Battle and another victory.

The next RL day it was time to tackle the Psychic Gym. After backtracking to the nearest Pokemon Center the squad made their way through the large cavern and into the next area. After catching more Mons and battling more Trainers, exploring the area for any items, it was time to take on the Psychic Gym. But first the ever-important Nemona battle. Nice and easy victory for the squad. After performing the ESP challenge, and obviously passing, it was time to tackle Tulip. Because of my team being overleveled it didn't take much for Ladon to sweep her team. But now I just have one Gym Badge left.

But now I felt my squad was ready for the last major step in completing the Path of Legends story. So after participating in several Tera Raid Battles it was time to meet up with Arven at the lighthouse lab. Clearly Arven needs good companionship, as his family really let him down. Really feel sorry for the guy. At least he has Kaiser to go along with Mabosstiff, so that's at least something. But we entered the lab and got contacted by Professor Sada to meet her in Area Zero with the Scarlet Book... which Arven already had. But she suggested we get some allies first, as the trip will be dangerous. But now it was time to close off this storyline... with a battle against Arven. Due to the team being much higher leveled it wasn't that difficult of a battle, though there was one or two missteps (like trying to burn Garganicl with Will-o-Wisp, forgetting about Purifying Salt, giving it a free turn in the process). But it was still a decent battle, unlike the Gym Leaders, showing just how much stronger Arven has gotten. Now, with the battle over, the Path of Legends story was complete. Now it's time to search for allies. But first we need to finish the last few battles in the other storylines. And wanted to participate in a few more Tera Raid Battles, including catching both the Fairy and Dragon Armorouge (I haven't updated my Switch Lite to the most recent event yet). My team is as followed.

Skeledirge (Ladon, male, Lv77, Timid, Blaze)
Noivern (Ryu, male, Lv69, Timid, Infiltrator)
Talonflame (Nina, female, Lv68, Serious, Flame Body)
Dudunsparce (Deis, female, Lv68, Adamant, Serene Grace)
Lucario (Scias, male, Lv68, Naïve, Inner Focus)
Sawsbuck (Spar, male, Lv68, Careful, Sap Sipper)

Now, before I close off this chapter, I have some questions. Do you think I should change some of the Tera Types my Mons have? I've collected enough Tera Shards of various types to change my team's types so I'm wondering if it might be in my best interest to try to mix and match some Tera Types for better strategies. What do you all suggest? The current Tera Types of my team are as followed:

Skeledirge: Fire
Noivern: Normal
Talonflame: Flying
Dudunsparce: Normal
Lucario: Fighting
Sawsbuck: Grass

Any suggestions are welcome, as I've gathered plenty of Tera Shards. Thanks in advance. Until next time.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Time for the next exciting installment of Kaiser's adventures through Paldea.

Log #8: Team Star Falls, Slush Rushing to the Top, Elite Meet and Greet, Champion Clash

Picking up where the gang left off, Kaiser made his way through the mountains to try to find the final Team Star Base. After some trial and error (damn map is so useless) the gang arrived at the bamboo forest where the final Team Star Base was located. After exploring a bit, catching anything that hasn't been caught yet, along with battling Trainers, it was time to tackle the Fighting Base. Why is it that female Fighting-type specialists are always so hot? Eri certainly is quite the number, to put it lightly. Anyway, after dealing with the grunts it was time to fight Eri. One of the tougher Team Star battles, for sure, but the combination of Ladon, Ryu, and Nina won the day, though the special Revaroom certainly gave me more trouble than normal. But the final Team Star Base had fallen. And Cassiopeia reveals she's the big boss of Team Star. Figured as much. And now she wants to challenge me to complete Team Star's defeat. All the way back at the academy. Time for the final showdown with Team Star.

After making my way back to the academy Kaiser was confronted with Clive. Or should I say Director Clavell. What a shocking twist. He claims to be Cassiopeia. Not a chance. One battle later he reveals that he isn't Cassiopeia, but he knows who it is, and didn't want a student to shoulder the burden of helping the falling star that is Cassiopeia. Then he gets caught by Tyme and is forced to write a letter of apology for the battle he had with Kaiser. Umm... lady... why are you bossing around your boss? I don't think you have the authority to do that, Tyme. Poor Clavell. Anyway, made my way to the schoolyard to face Cassiopeia. Or rather... Penny and her army of Eeveelutions. Those Eeveelutions put up a pretty good fight despite the fact they're more like pets to Penny that battlers. Their high levels certainly didn't hurt, either. But in the end Penny, and Team Star, came crashing down to earth. But in a rather heartwarming event, the bosses of Team Star finally get to meet Penny in the flesh, vowing to stay together, and Clavell gives them a lighter punishment for their actions (hey, community service isn't too bad all things considering) while revoking the threat to expel them. All around a happy day for Penny and her band of buddies. After meeting with Clavell and learning from Penny that the LP that she gave us... was illegally obtained, along with getting a shiny new TM from her as thanks for what Kaiser and his team did for her, Starfall Street has officially come to a close.

That means only one thing: time to complete the final storyline. So back to the mountains for Kaiser and the team. Time to finish off the final Gym. After making my way through the mountains, catching anything I hadn't gotten yet, it was time to face the Ice Gym and the final hurdle in the Gym Challenge. Nemona was at the Gym, eager to see me claim victory. After completing the Gym Challenge (and felt a bit bad for Koraidon in the process) it was time to face Grusha. Poor guy is pretty cynical, but I guess that such an injury that shut his snowboarding career down, which he clearly loved, would make you a tad jaded. Anyway, the battle was quick and easy, as Ladon swept his team like an avalanche. The final Gym Badge in my possession it was time to take on the Champion Assessment.

Making our way to the League it was time to take on the E4. Hopefully, as there is that stupid interview before it. But Kaiser passed the interview and it was time to take on the E4. Rika was up first with her Ground types. Somewhat on the tough side, since most Ground Mons are pretty tanky, but overall the squad won. Then it was time to fight Poppy. Aren't there... child labor laws in the world of Pokemon? She seems way too young to be an E4 member. Even for Trainer standards she seems too young, right up there with the kindergarteners from Unova and Kalos. But, anyway, her Steel types were no match for Ladon. Then came everyone's favorite everyman: Larry, this time armed with Flying types. He was a bit trickier this time but in the end the team won. Then finally was Hassel and his Dragon types. One of the tougher battles but in the end the squad came out on top, granting Kaiser the chance to beet Geeta.

Now, the final few battles in the Victory Road storyline are upon us. First we had to face Geeta. For someone who claims to be the Top Champion she certainly was a joke. Ladon swept her team like it was child's play. Hell, Diantha is a stronger Champion than her, and she can be easily swept as well. Geeta's team can work, but she certainly uses it the wrong way. Though it won't stop a sweep from a sufficiently strong Skeledirge, but simply rearranging the team's order would do wonders for her battling ability. But I digress. With Geeta defeated it was time to face off against the final fight in the Victory Road storyline: Nemona. Now this is a battle. Nemona proved to be a much stronger opponent than Geeta, even nearly KOing some of the team. But in the end she fell to the superior might of Kaiser's team. And thus the final battle of Victory Road was complete. Now it's time for the final storyline to begin. But first a break. The team is as followed.

Skeledirge (Ladon, male, Lv84, Timid, Blaze)
Noivern (Ryu, male, Lv75, Timid, Infiltrator)
Talonflame (Nina, female, Lv75, Serious, Flame Body)
Dudunsparce (Deis, female, Lv75, Adamant, Serene Grace)
Lucario (Scias, male, Lv75, Naïve, Inner Focus)
Sawsbuck (Spar, male, Lv75, Careful, Sap Sipper)

 

[CynthiaLover]

Time for the final chapter of the main story of our heroes' journey.

Log #9: The Beginning of the Endgame

Kaiser receives a call from Arven, saying he's managed to get two strong allies to help us venture into The Great Crater of Paldea. He wants me to meet everyone at the Zero Gate, which will take us to where Professor Sada is waiting for us. So after making the needed preps it was time to venture into the final main storyline. After meeting up with Arven at the Zero Gate turns out our new help is in the form of Nemona and Penny. Everything we have worked for is finally coming to fruition. Now we just need to make it into Area Zero itself... with the help of a reluctant Koraidon. One heart-stopping glide down the gang has reached the inside of The Great Crater of Paldea. Time is of the essence as the band begins our final stretch.

Directed by Professor Sada the group needs to find the four research stations and disable the locks to the lab they control. Nemona conveniently lampshading the similarities to a video game in this task. I mean, it's not like this is a game, right? ...Right? Anyway, the squad explores the area, catching some new Mons before making it to the first research station. One battle against a Glimmora and a bit of exposition the first lock is removed. The group continues down to the next research station, getting a tad lost for a moment before getting back on track. Our next research station stop ends with a rather frightening encounter... with a Scream Tail?! At the research station Sada explains that Mons like Great Tusk and Scream Tail are super ancient Pokemon, brought over to this time via a time machine. That's quite the shocker. Anyway, the next lock has been disabled. Now it's onto research station #3. The gang is bonding as we venture deeper toward Area Zero. Aww. Anyway, Penny shows some good genre savviness before the group is attacked by another Great Tusk. A tad more exposition before the third lock is undone.

Now the group ventures very deep into the Great Crater, now finding a cavern full of Tera Crystals. Caught a few more Mons, including a Scream Tail, before venturing down to the fourth and final research station. Not only is this one covered in crystals, but the inside has been demolished. Followed by a freaky scenario with Sada. Something is not right with her. Anyway, the last lock has been undone and now it's time to enter Area Zero, where the lab is. At the lab Arven suggests sending out Koraidon for extra support, as the group learned that unlocking the lab would cause more vicious ancient Mons to emerge from it. However, as the lab is opening, another Koraidon appears, and is raring for a fight with our lovable sandwich-loving lizard... who is cowering in fear. However, it decides entering the newly opened lab is more important and walks off, not before giving our Koraidon a nasty glare. While contemplating the situation more prehistoric Pokemon emerge and begin a battle. After thinning the horde a bit Kaiser and Koraidon enter the lab proper. It's time to get answers.

Kaiser meets Sada. Or rather... an AI Sada, as the real Professor Sada was killed protecting our Koraidon, leaving the AI Sada to finsih what she started. Or rather end what she started, as she requests Kaiser to help her shut down the time machine and end the potential apocalyptic destruction of Paldea if the ancient Mons are allowed to roam free. But the real Sada put several layers of protections on the time machine to prevent it from ever being shut down. Thus the battle to determine Paldea's future is at hand. Ladon spearheaded most of the fight, taking down almost the entirety of AI Sada's ancient Mon team, only eventually falling to Roaring Moon. But this allowed Ryu to clean up and end the battle.

The gang gathers up only for the final protection on the time machine to activate: Paradise Protection Protocol. AI Sada is forced to send out the other Koraidon but in the process the protocol locks all our Poke Balls. That's not good. However, our Koraidon bravely steps up to the plate, as it's the only other Mon in our group that isn't affected by the Poke Ball lock. Thus the final battle between the two Koraidons begins. The battle was tight and our Koraidon is left with a sliver of HP, but after Terastalizing it was able to defeat the Koraidon that brutalized it before and finally stopped the time machine. Or so we thought, as it appears the AI Sada is connected to it as well. So she decides to use the time machine to send herself back into the ancient past, something that Sada always wanted to see. She gives her final goodbyes, tells Arven the truth, and heroically sacrifices herself (sort of) to finally shut the time machine down permanently. It is a somber moment as the gang comforts Arven, as he now knows the truth, before our triumphant heroes return to the surface and head back to the academy. The main quest is over and all of Paldea has been saved from destruction. Now it is on to the post-game. The team is as followed:

Skeledirge (Ladon, male, Lv86, Timid, Blaze)
Noivern (Ryu, male, Lv77, Timid, Infiltrator)
Talonflame (Nina, female, Lv76, Serious, Flame Body)
Dudunsparce (Deis, female, Lv77, Adamant, Serene Grace)
Lucario (Scias, male, Lv76, Naïve, Inner Focus)
Sawsbuck (Spar, male, Lv76, Careful, Sap Sipper)

 

[CynthiaLover]

Restless mind syndrome strikes again, preventing me from sleeping. I wasn't planning on writing any more logs about this quest now that the main story is over but I decided to continue. So now it's onto the postgame.

Log #10: Gym Evaluations, Tera Raid Troubles, and Hunting for Herba Mystica

So we pick up from last time. Kaiser is summoned to Clavell's office, alongside Nemona, Arven, and Penny. Despite us going into the Great Crater of Paldea it was deemed a necessary evil by Clavell, as we did save all of Paldea from Sada's misguided visions with her time machine. And we're rewarded Master Balls (one each, obviously) and not punished for breaking the school rules about not going into the Great Crater of Paldea. Nemona suggests we have a major battling tournament, which is typical of her, but surprisingly Geeta agrees to it. In order to free up some time for her so she can participate herself, Kaiser is sent to evaluate the various Gym Leaders in her stead, something that Nemona is jealous of. And poor Penny gets strong-armed into helping Geeta patch the hole in the League Point system that she hacked. Anyway, it's time to explore Paldea once again, this time preparing for some post-adventure battling.

So Kaiser's first stop is Cortondo, reuniting with Katy. Katy forgot that Geeta was going to make the rounds but is grateful that it was Kaiser instead. Time for a battle with her pumped-up Bug team. One that got burnt to a crisp by Ladon. The only Mon on her team that got a move in was Forretress thanks to Sturdy, but even then it only got up a Curse before getting cooked by Torch Song. Katy feels the need to turn her Gym Battles up a notch after her loss so that her Gym isn't such a pushover to many Trainers. That's the first Gym done.

Next up it a trip to Artazon to meet up with Brassius. He's extremely eager to see Kaiser again, and even more enthusiastic that our newly crowned blue-haired Champion is doing the assessment instead of Geeta. So it's time for a rematch with his juiced-up Grass Mons. And like Katy before him Ladon cooked them like fire-grilled veggies. Sudowoodo was the only one to get an attack off, again thanks to Sturdy, and unlike Forretress it actually did damage. But Ladon finished the job regardless. Brassius is thrilled to have had another artistic battle with Kaiser. That's two Gyms down.

Next it was time to meet up with Iono in Levincia. Iono is thrilled to have Kaiser join her for another streaming session while taking the Gym assessment. Time to duke it out with Iono's shocking Electric battlers. And unlike Katy and Brassius, she actually put up a decent fight. Kilowattrel was able to get up a Tailwind before going down to a Torch Song, which allowed her other Mons extra speed. Electrode set up Electric Terrain before going down to Earth Power. Then Luxray jumped into the fray. Thanks to Tailwind it was able to get a critical hit Wild Charge off, chunking Ladon for decent damage, but also fell to an Earth Power. As for Bellibolt... it went down before launching a single move, as even with Tailwind giving it extra speed Ladon still outpaced it and took it out with another Earth Power. Fortunately the Tailwind pettered out by this point. Then came the tricky one: Mismagius. Gotta give Iono points for making her ace a Mon with Levitate even when it becomes an Electric type, making it impossible to hit Mismagius for super effective damage without something like Mold Breaker, Gravity, or Smack Down. Mismagius was able to tank a Shadow Ball, dishing out one of its own, knocking Ladon down into the red. But fortunately one more Shadow Ball was all it took to win. Whew. Definitely one of the trickier battles thus far. But Iono is pleased regardless, especially since her subscriber numbers are shooting up... er... I mean she passed her assessment.

In between Gym Battles Kaiser partook in several Tera Raid Battles. However, it came to my apparent discouragement that the squad can't handle 5 Star Raids yet. Which is a problem considering I want to try to hunt for Herba Mystica. After a few failed 5 Star Raids it was time to revamp the team a bit. So with some careful use of EV Berries, Nature Mints, and Vitamins, the squad got refitted to better parameters. Hopefully. Also spent some time at the auctions, managing to nab 13 PP Ups and a bunch of Lemonades for decent prices, the former of which allowed me to max out some of the squad's moves. Still might need to fine-tune the team a bit more, such as needing coverage for Flying types, but this'll do for now. The team is as followed.

Skeledirge (Ladon, male, Lv88, Timid, Blaze)
Noivern (Ryu, male, Lv80, Modest, Infiltrator)
Talonflame (Nina, female, Lv80, Naughty, Flame Body)
Dudunsparce (Deis, female, Lv80, Adamant, Serene Grace)
Lucario (Scias, male, Lv80, Naïve, Inner Focus)
Sawsbuck (Spar, male, Lv80, Adamant, Sap Sipper)

That's all for now. Tune in next time for the next installment of Kaiser's journey.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Time for the next exciting installment in Kaiser's journey through Paldea.

Log #11: Tera Raid Bonanza, Seafood Shenanigans, and Normal Business

We pick up from last time back at Levincia. Kaiser spent a bit of time roaming around, checking out various Tera Raid Battles, participating in pretty much all of them in hopes of finding a 5 Star Raid that is manageable now that the team has been modified. And it turns out he succeeded, finding a Normal Tera Raid Battle containing an Eevee, complete with Hidden Ability. It was a close call, but thanks to Scais and some poison damage from an ally Clodsire the Tera Raid was won. And happy days! An Herba Mystica was obtained! Specifically a Bitter Herba Mystica. Took the Herba Mystica back to the sandwich shop to get some more sandwich recipes. Now we need to find the other Herba Mystica. Hopefully the squad can get another easy-ish Tera Raid like that Eevee. Also caught a few other HA Mons like a Ghost Tera Hawlucha, along with the current Tera Raid event Sylveon (Ghost Tera).

Moving on, after exploring more, gaining items that I had missed before it was time to continue the Gym assessments. Our next stop was Cascarrafa to meet up with Kofu again. He was quite surprised to see us but nonetheless happy. And learning that we were here in place of Geeta made him even more eager for another battle. So the battle began with Kofu's surfing Water Mons. Ladon opened things up by taking out his vaultin' Veluza with Shadow Ball before handing things over to Ryu to deal with his Drizzle Pelipper. A single Dragon Pulse was all it took to take out the big billed bird. Then Spar handled the rest of the match, swiftly taking out Clawitzer, Wugtrio, and even the Water Tera Crabominable, all with Bullet Seed, netting Kaiser the win. Kofu was pleased regardless and with that another Gym assessment was complete. We're halfway to forever... whoops, wrong franchise. Anyway, we're halfway there to the special tournament.

After exploring some more, collecting more items and participating in Tera Raids, Kaiser made his way to Medali to meet with everyone's favorite everyman: Larry. Larry's pretty sharp, quickly figuring out the whole reason why Kaiser was here instead of Geeta. Almost seemed a bit relieved, in fact. Makes me wonder if Geeta gives him trouble. She does dock his pay if he gets too chatty with his opponents so it's possible. Off to the Gym to battle Larry's noneventful Normal Mons. Ladon opened things up, as usual, taking out Oinkologne with two Torch Songs. He followed that up by torching Dudunsparce. Scais took over the next battle, clobbering Komala with a single Aura Sphere. Nina stepped up to the plate to deal with Braviary. It survived a Acrobatics before retaliating with a surprising Rock Tomb, severely chunking Nina about 2/3rds of her health. But she was still faster despite the Speed drop and was able to beat it with another Acrobatics. Then Scais came back in for Staraptor, as Inner Focus blocks Intimidate. One Aura Sphere later the battle was over. Larry reflects on why he was told to use Flying types during the E4 match instead of Normal types, coming to understand why. With that the fifth Gym was cleared. The team is as followed.

Skeledirge (Ladon, male, Lv89, Timid, Blaze)
Noivern (Ryu, male, Lv83, Modest, Infiltrator)
Talonflame (Nina, female, Lv82, Naughty, Flame Body)
Dudunsparce (Deis, female, Lv82, Adamant, Serene Grace)
Lucario (Scias, male, Lv82, Naïve, Inner Focus)
Sawsbuck (Spar, male, Lv82, Adamant, Sap Sipper)

 

[CynthiaLover]

A weird Simpsons dream woke me up at 2:30 AM and I couldn't get back to sleep so I decided to continue my adventures.

Log #12: Team Star Rematches, Finishing the Gym Assessments, and Tera Raid Team Ups

Anyway, picking up where I left off, Kaiser decided to check out the Team Star Bases to rematch the bosses. First was Mela's Fire Squad. Ladon easily swept her and burnt her to ashes with liberal use of Earth Power. Looks like she's not a sore loser anymore, as she was genuinely nice this time. Looks like what Clavell decided to do with Team Star made her quite happy.

Then it was off to Gaicomo's Dark Squad to meet up with the DJ rocker. Gaicomo was as pleasant as ever. His Dark Mons proved to be more of a challenge compared to Mela (and especially compared to his first battle). Ladon took care of Cacturn, although it managed to protect itself the first turn with Spiky Shield. Spar dealt with Krookodile despite the Attack drop from Intimidate, crushing it with Bullet Seed. Ryu took down both Honchkrow and Mabosstiff, though he did eat an Ice Fang from the latter but managed to survive. Finally Scais defeated Kingambit. You see, Geeta? You use Kingambit last in order to get the most out of its ability. Granted, Gaicomo's has Defiant but the point stands. But that was another Team Star rematch complete.

Now it was off to Lagtree... I mean Tagtree Thicket to battle our Shakespearian ninja: Atticus. Just like Gaicomo he was pretty pleasant and happy to see Kaiser. Time for another battle. Ladon took care of Skuntank with Earth Power despite eating a Sucker Punch. He followed that victory up by beating Toxapex with Earth Power, although it did manage to protect itself the first time with Baneful Bunker. Scais took over things from here, Bone Rushing Dragalge, Muk, and Revaroom, although the Muk managed to squeeze in a Minimize after Bone Rush shortchanged me, requiring a resisted Aura Sphere to ensure it went down. But Atticus took his defeat well and Kaiser went off on his merry way to complete the Gym assessments.

Next stop was Ryme's Gym. She got a little heated about Geeta sending me instead of coming herself but cooled off enough for the battle proper. Looks like Geeta isn't very popular with the Gym Leaders. Anyway, it was time for another Double Battle with her gaggle of Ghosts. Like last time Ryu chipped Mimikyu with U-turn to break the Disguise before switching out with Nina. Good thing, too, as this time Mimikyu had a Fairy move, which it used on Nina. Only to get burned by Flame Body. Ha! Meanwhile Ladon took down Banette with a single Shadow Ball. Ladon then took out Houndstone with another Shadow Ball while Nina defeated Mimikyu with Steel Wing. Toxtricity and Spiritomb were last up. Ladon crushed Toxtricity with a Shadow Ball while Nina scored a critical hit with U-turn on Spiritomb, taking out more than half of its HP, before swapping out for Ryu again. However, the Spiritomb used Curse, which ended up KOing itself, ending the battle. Ryme apologized to Kaiser for her attitude and he has her full support now.

Our second-to-last stop was meeting up with Tulip. She seemed almost relieved to see Kaiser doing the Gym assessments, flat-out admitting she doesn't like Geeta. I'm sensing a trend here. Anyway, it was time to fight her pretty Psychic Mons. Ladon swept her team, using Farigiraf to boost his Special Attack with Torch Song before steamrolling the rest of the team with Shadow Ball. Tulip was quite pleased with the results regardless, and even more please to see Kaiser growing so much.

Finally it was time to take on Grusha. Poor guy's still pretty cynical. And it appears Geeta really isn't very popular with the Gym Leaders, as Grusha isn't fond of her, either. But it was time to take on his frigid Ice Mons. It was an easy sweep with Ladon, who sang them to ashes with Torch Song. Despite that Grusha felt his passion start to rekindle thanks to Kaiser, making him a bit more upbeat and actually thanking Kaiser for helping him find his drive again. With that the last Gym was done.

Back to the academy to report to Geeta. After completing the report it was time to get the Academy Ace Tournament fired up. Poor Nemona had to sit it out but she'll get another chance. Anyway, Kaiser's first battle was against Arven, to the latter's dismay. But Arven managed to put up a good fight, as it took multiple team members to take him down. The next battle was against Jacq. His more diverse team (with a slight preference for Psychic types) required various team members to beat. His Farigiraf was definitely the toughest, as it took multiple hits to take down. But in the end Jacq lost (and got yelled at by Clavell). The third match was against Dendra and her army of Fighting Mons. This battle was pretty easy, though it required the group effort of Ladon, Ryu, and Nina to sweep the team. And finally it was time to face Geeta. Her team was slightly higher in levels but Ladon still swept her like a Swiffer Duster. And with that the first Academy Ace Tournament was complete. Clavell felt that the tournament was a good way to help students and teachers bond so the tournament will remain a fixture for other battles, to Nemona's delight.

After completing all that Jacq made a request to Kaiser to check out some Tera Raids for his research. Kaiser was glad to do it, since it meant he could take another jab at winning some 5 Star Raids in hopes of finding more Herba Mystica. After doing several Tera Raids, including a couple of 5 Star Raids (along with some using the power of online, which made winning them easier, although no Herba Mystica was obtained), Jacq informs Kaiser about the "black crystal" Tera Raids and implores that Kaiser doesn't take them on. Considering how much trouble just plain 5 Star Raids are giving me, I'm gonna take his advice on that. For now, anyway, as the team is getting pretty buff. Now it's time to take a break. My team is as followed:

Skeledirge (Ladon, male, Lv92, Timid, Blaze)
Noivern (Ryu, male, Lv86, Modest, Infiltrator)
Talonflame (Nina, female, Lv86, Naughty, Flame Body)
Dudunsparce (Deis, female, Lv86, Adamant, Serene Grace)
Lucario (Scias, male, Lv86, Naïve, Inner Focus)
Sawsbuck (Spar, male, Lv86, Adamant, Sap Sipper)